CN116917564A

CN116917564A - Laundry treatment apparatus and control method of laundry treatment apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN116917564A
Application number: CN202280016704.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 金经勋; 裴纯哲; 金正勋; 赵映汉; 韩仁佑
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2021-02-23
Filing date: 2022-02-23
Publication date: 2023-10-20
Also published as: US20240052542A1; WO2022182112A1; EP4299816A1; AU2022225877A1; KR20220120364A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laundry treating apparatus and a control method thereof. The laundry treating apparatus can receive an input of an instruction for changing an execution time of a process or option of performing washing or drying, and if the instruction is input, the execution time can be lengthened or shortened.

Description

Laundry treatment apparatus and control method of laundry treatment apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment apparatus and a control method of the laundry treatment apparatus.

Background

In general, a laundry treating apparatus refers to an apparatus capable of performing washing, drying, or both washing and drying of laundry or the like. Here, the laundry treating apparatus may perform only a washing or drying function, or may perform both washing and drying.

Such a laundry treatment apparatus includes any course or option for performing washing or drying of laundry, the execution time of which is calculated based on the laundry amount. For example, if the laundry amount is large, the execution time is set relatively long, and if the laundry amount is small, the execution time is set relatively short.

Fig. 1 shows a control method of a conventional laundry treating apparatus for performing an arbitrary process or option (refer to korean laid-open patent publication nos. 10-2009-007097 and 10-2008-0102611, etc.).

Fig. 1 (a) illustrates a control method of the conventional laundry treating apparatus to perform any process or option.

Referring to fig. 1 (a), the conventional laundry treating apparatus may include: a power supply step s1 of supplying power to the laundry treating apparatus by inputting (on) a power button; a selection step s2 of selecting an appropriate course or option from a control panel of the laundry treating apparatus; and a start step s3 of inputting an execution button for running the process or option.

In the case where the conventional laundry treatment apparatus is provided as a front loading type (front load type) washing machine in which an opening into which laundry is put is provided in front of a cabinet, if the starting step s3 is performed, a door locking step s4 of fixing the opening to the cabinet may be performed.

After that, the conventional laundry treating apparatus performs a laundry amount detecting step S5 of rotating a drum or the like accommodating laundry and detecting the amount of laundry by the value of the applied current. If the laundry amount is calculated, the control part of the existing laundry treating apparatus performs a time display step S6 of displaying the estimated execution time of the selected course or option to the user, and then performs an operation step S7 of automatically operating the course or option.

However, the laundry amount detecting step S5 and the time displaying step S6 of the existing laundry treating apparatus are performed after the starting step S3 of causing the user to perform a process or option. Therefore, there is a problem in that the user is forced to input the operation of the process or option in a state where information about the laundry amount or the estimated execution time is not received.

As a result, there is a problem that the user cannot actively control the execution time of the procedure or option, and the time display step S6 cannot exert a function from the service level other than simply displaying simple information to the user.

Further, the conventional laundry treatment apparatus has a problem in that, even if the execution time displayed at the time display step S6 does not meet the current intention or situation of the user, the user is not given a room to take an active measure such as increasing or decreasing laundry.

In addition, the conventional laundry treatment apparatus has a problem in that, even if the execution time of a selected course or option does not meet the intention, if a change is desired, an active measure such as arbitrarily re-turning off (off) the power of the washing machine must be taken, otherwise the course or option cannot be canceled or changed.

Such inconvenience has a problem of being further maximized in case of remotely controlling the existing laundry treating apparatus.

Fig. 1 (b) shows a rotation state of the drum when the conventional laundry treating apparatus detects the laundry amount.

Referring to fig. 1 (b), the conventional laundry treating apparatus rotates the drum D in the I direction to detect the amount of the laundry L.

Specifically, the conventional laundry treating apparatus rotates the drum D in the I direction, and calculates the weight of the laundry L by measuring a current value applied to or outputted from a driving part rotating the drum.

In the conventional laundry treating apparatus, when the drum D is rotated in order to detect the laundry amount, only the laundry L located on the bottom surface of the drum is lifted up inside the drum D, and then falls down in the direction II by gravity and is separated from the inner wall of the drum.

Therefore, the conventional laundry treating apparatus has a limitation in that it is necessary to continuously rotate the drum D in the I direction for more than one turn and calibrate the current value applied or outputted in order to detect the exact weight of the laundry L.

As a result, the conventional laundry treatment apparatus has a problem in that a time for detecting the laundry amount is inevitably longer than a time for continuously rotating the drum.

In addition, the conventional laundry treating apparatus has a problem in that the required time of the laundry amount detecting step S5 is set to be relatively long, and thus the time displaying step S6 of displaying the execution time of a course or option cannot be rapidly guided to the user.

Accordingly, the conventional laundry treating apparatus has a problem of fundamentally preventing a possibility that a user can apply laundry amount information or estimate an execution time.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present invention provides a clothes treating apparatus capable of informing a user of estimated execution time of a process or an option immediately before executing the process or the option.

The present invention provides a clothes treating apparatus capable of adjusting the execution time of a process or options for executing a washing program, a rinsing program and a dewatering program within a preset range.

The present invention provides a clothes treatment device capable of enabling a user to adjust execution time within an upper limit or a lower limit of any process or option.

The present invention provides a clothes treatment device capable of changing one or more execution time of a washing program, a rinsing program and a dewatering program when a user changes the execution time of any process or option.

The invention provides a clothes treatment device capable of maintaining washing effect even if a user changes the execution time of any process or option.

The present invention provides a clothes treatment device capable of maintaining dewatering effect even if a user changes the execution time of any process or option.

Technical proposal for solving the problems

The present invention provides a laundry treating apparatus capable of detecting a laundry amount of laundry during less than one revolution of a drum.

In the laundry amount detecting step of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention, the drum may be rotated less than one turn.

In the rotating step of rotating the drum in the laundry amount detecting step, the drum may be rotated by an angle or less by which the laundry is separated from the inner wall of the drum or a position is changed.

In the rotating step, the drum may be rotated in a range of 0 degrees to 90 degrees or less. Since the variation can be removed as the angle becomes smaller, the drum can be rotated in a range of 10 degrees to 45 degrees or less in the rotating step.

The operation step of detecting the laundry amount of the laundry in the course of the rotation step or after the end of the rotation step may be performed before the position of the drum is restored.

The rotating step and the computing step may be all performed within 0.3 seconds to 1 second.

The laundry amount detecting step may further include a displaying step of displaying the weight of the laundry on a display portion. The laundry amount detecting step may display an execution time of the arbitrary washing course or option on the display part.

The rotating step, the operating step, and the displaying step may all be performed before the position of the drum is restored.

The rotating step, the computing step, and the displaying step may all be performed within 0.3 seconds to 1 second.

Further comprising a storage unit for storing the weight of the laundry corresponding to the first current value in a data format, wherein the weight of the laundry can be extracted from the storage unit in the calculating step.

And a restoring step of restoring the position of the drum by cutting off power applied to the driving part if the rotating step is performed, the calculating step further calculating the weight of the laundry by measuring the second current value outputted in the restoring step.

And a reverse rotation step of restoring the position of the drum by reversely rotating the drum if the rotation step is performed, the operation step may further calculate the weight of the laundry by measuring a third current value outputted in the reverse rotation step.

The laundry amount detecting step may be further performed before supplying water to the tub and after draining water from the tub.

Effects of the invention

The present invention has the effect of being able to inform the user of the estimated execution time of the process or option immediately before executing the process or option.

The present invention has the effect of enabling the user to adjust the execution time of the process or option providing the method of executing the washing program, the rinsing program, the dehydrating program within a predetermined range.

The invention has the effect of enabling the user to adjust the execution time within the upper or lower limits of any process or option.

The invention has the effect of changing the execution time of one or more of the washing program, the rinsing program and the dewatering program when the user changes the execution time of any process or option.

The invention has the effect of maintaining the washing effect even if the user changes the execution time of any process or option.

The present invention has the effect of maintaining the dewatering effect even if the user changes the execution time of any process or option.

The present invention has the effect of being able to detect the amount of laundry before running the process or option.

The present invention has an effect of being able to detect the laundry amount before locking of the door is performed.

The present invention has the effect of guiding to throw in the detergent corresponding to the laundry amount before locking of the door is performed.

The present invention has the effect of guiding to input the detergent corresponding to the laundry amount before the operation process or option.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates a control method of a related art laundry treating apparatus.

Fig. 2 illustrates an external embodiment of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 3 illustrates an internal structural embodiment of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 4 shows a control configuration of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 5 illustrates a control panel embodiment of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a control method of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a control method of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 8 shows an additional embodiment of a control method of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 9 shows an additional control method of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 10 illustrates a laundry amount detecting method of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 11 shows a drum rotation angle at the time of laundry amount detection of the laundry treatment apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 12 shows a specific process of laundry amount detection of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 13 illustrates an embodiment in which the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention detects the laundry amount using only the moment of inertia.

Fig. 14 shows a case where the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention detects a current at the driving part 9.

Fig. 15 shows an additional embodiment of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention to detect the laundry amount.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in the present specification are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification, the same and similar reference numerals are given to the same and similar components even in different embodiments, and the description thereof is replaced with the first description. As used in this specification, the singular includes the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of the related known technology may confuse the gist of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, a detailed description thereof is omitted. In addition, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings are only for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, and should not be construed as limiting the technical ideas disclosed in the present specification by the drawings.

Fig. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention, and fig. 3 illustrates an internal structure of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

In an orthogonal coordinate system shown in the drawings, positive and negative directions of an x-axis are defined as front and rear of the laundry treating apparatus, respectively, and positive and negative directions of a z-axis are defined as upper and lower of the laundry treating apparatus, respectively. In addition, a positive direction of the y-axis is defined as a right side of the laundry treating apparatus, and a negative direction of the y-axis is defined as a left side of the laundry treating apparatus.

Referring to fig. 2, the laundry treating apparatus 1 of the present invention may include: a case 10 forming an external appearance; and a laundry accommodation portion 20' provided inside the cabinet 10 to accommodate laundry.

The case 10 may include: an opening 12 forming an external appearance of the laundry treating apparatus 1, and capable of putting in or taking out laundry through the opening 12; and a door 13 for opening and closing the opening 12. The door 13 may be rotatably connected to the front surface of the case 10, and the opening portion 12 may be opened and closed with the rotation of the door 13.

On the other hand, although fig. 2 shows the front-loading type laundry treating apparatus in which the opening 12 and the door 13 of the laundry treating apparatus 1 of the present invention are formed on the front surface of the cabinet 10, this is only an example, and the top-loading type laundry treating apparatus may be provided in which the opening 12 and the door 13 are formed on the upper surface of the cabinet 10.

The door 13 may be locked (Locking) so as not to open the opening 12 when coupled to the opening 12.

The door 13 or the case 10 may include a locking portion to fix the door 13 to the case 10.

The locking portion is constituted by an electromagnetic valve, a direct fastening mechanism, or the like, and can lock the door 13 to the opening 12. A detergent box 14 and a control panel 16 may be provided on the front surface of the cabinet 10, the detergent box 14 accommodates a detergent or a fabric softener and is detachably accommodated in the cabinet, and the control panel 16 may input a work order to a laundry treatment device or display a state of the laundry treatment device.

The detergent box 14 and the control panel 16 may be disposed at an upper portion than the opening portion 12, and can be easily grasped or contacted by a user.

The detergent box 14 may be provided to be able to be drawn forward, and may store therein a powder detergent or a liquid detergent. For example, the detergent box may be a drawer type.

The control panel 16 may be provided at one side of the detergent box 14, and may include: an input part 18 for receiving an operation instruction including option information related to a washing course and washing inputted by a user; and a display unit 17 for displaying the inputted information and the progress of washing.

The input unit 18 may be a button type or a knob type, or may be provided as a touch panel. The display unit 17 may include a display unit having liquid crystal and a speaker for outputting sound, but may be provided in any form as long as the state of the laundry treating apparatus 1 can be displayed, and may be provided integrally with the input unit 18.

On the other hand, the control panel 16 may be provided with a control portion P for controlling the laundry treatment apparatus 1.

The control section may control the electrical components of the laundry treating apparatus 1 described later by receiving power supply from an external power source.

In this case, since the electric components (hereinafter, load units) are connected in parallel to the control unit, each load unit (driving unit, water supply valve, communication module, etc.) can operate independently of the other.

The laundry accommodation portion 20' provided to be accommodated in the cabinet 10 may include: an outer tub 20 storing water; and a drum 30 rotatably provided inside the tub 20 to accommodate laundry.

Referring to fig. 3, the tub 20 may be disposed inside the cabinet 10, forming a space for storing wash water. For example, the outer tub may have a cylindrical shape.

The outer tub 20 may include: an outer tub putting opening 21 through which laundry can be put in or taken out; and an outer tub supporting part 23 to fix the outer tub 20 to the inside of the cabinet 10. The outer tub delivery port 21 may communicate with the delivery port 12. The tub supporting part 23 may be disposed under the tub 20, and may attenuate vibration generated at the tub 20. For example, the tub supporting part may include a damper, a spring, etc.

The outer tub 20 may further include a water level sensor 90 at one side thereof to measure the water level inside the outer tub. The water level sensor 90 may include: an extension pipe extending from the lower end of the outer tub to the upper part; a diaphragm (diaphragm) arranged to seal the top end of the extension tube; and a sensor that detects a vibration frequency of the diaphragm.

In addition, the laundry treating apparatus 1 of the present invention may be further provided with a vibration sensor 92 detecting vibrations inside the tub 20. The vibration sensor 92 may be configured to detect at least one of vibrations of x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis and transmit a state of the inside of the tub to the control part.

The drum 30 may include a drum input port 31 rotatably provided inside the outer tub 20, through which laundry can be put in or taken out. For example, the drum may have a cylindrical shape. The drum input port 31 may communicate with the input port 12 and the tub input port 21. Accordingly, laundry may be introduced into the inside of the drum 30 through the input port 12, the tub input port 21, and the drum input port 31 in sequence.

On the other hand, a gasket 19 may be further provided between the dispensing opening 12 of the case 10 and the outer tub dispensing opening 21 of the outer tub 20. The gasket 19 may prevent the washing water inside the tub 20 from leaking out to the cabinet 10, and may prevent vibration generated at the tub 20 from being transferred to the cabinet 10. For example, the pad may be formed of an elastic member.

A plurality of through holes 33 communicating with the tub 20 may be formed in the inner circumferential surface of the drum 30. The washing water received in the inside of the tub 20 may be supplied to the inside of the drum 30 through the through-holes 33, and the washing water in the inside of the drum 30 may be discharged to the tub 20 through the through-holes 33.

On the other hand, the laundry treating apparatus 1 of the present invention may include: a driving part 9 coupled to the tub 20 and rotating the drum 30; a water supply part 70 for supplying washing water to the inside of the tub 20; and a drain portion 80 for draining the washing water of the outer tub 20 to the outside.

The drain part 80 may include a drain pipe 81 communicating with the outer tub 20, and may further include a drain pump 82 connected to the drain pipe and providing power for draining water to the outer tub 20.

The water supply part 70 may include a water supply pipe 71 to supply water to the tub 20 and a water supply valve 72 to open and close the water supply pipe 71, and the water supply pipe 71 may be provided to communicate with the detergent box 14.

Accordingly, the detergent box 14 may be further provided to communicate with the tub 20, and automatically supply detergent to the tub 20 when water is supplied.

On the other hand, the laundry treating apparatus 1 of the present invention may further include a circulation part 80a to circulate the water discharged from the tub 20 again. The circulating part may include: a circulation passage 81a connected at both ends to the outer tub 20; and a circulation pump 82b for supplying power to the circulation flow path.

The circulation pump 82b may be provided to communicate with the bottom surface of the tub 20 to pressurize the washing water, and the circulation flow path 81a may be provided to have one side connected to the circulation pump and the other side connected to the gasket 19 to be able to spray the washing water into the inside of the drum.

However, the circulation flow path and the circulation pump are required to spray the washing water stored in the tub, and thus it is not excluded that the washing water is sprayed into the drum through the spray water supply flow path connected to the water supply source outside the cabinet.

That is, as long as the spray water supply path has a nozzle having one side connected to a water supply source and the other side connected to the tub so as to spray the washing water into the drum, the washing water can be sprayed into the drum during the filtering and pressing motions.

In addition, the laundry treating apparatus 1 of the present invention may further include balancers 51, 53 for attenuating vibration generated at the drum 30. The balancers 51 and 53 can remove eccentricity of the drum 30 caused by the laundry being biased to one side inside the drum 30. That is, the balancers 51, 53 may be moved to a specific position according to the control of the microcomputer, thereby reducing unbalance of the drum 30.

At this time, the balancer may be disposed in front of and behind the drum 30, respectively, or may be disposed only in front of or behind the drum 30. For example, the balancer may include a front balancer 51 and a rear balancer 53 disposed in front of and behind the drum 30, respectively. The balancers 51, 53 may be ball balancers, liquid balancers, or the like.

The driving part 9 may be disposed at an outer side of the tub 20, coupled to a rear surface of the tub 20, or connected to the drum 30 through the rear surface of the tub 20. The driving part 9 may be fixed to the rear surface of the tub 20, and may convert electric energy into mechanical energy. That is, power supply may be received from the outside to rotate the drum 30.

The driving section 9 may include: a stator 91 for generating a magnetic field (magnetic field); a rotor 93 that rotates inside the stator 91 due to the magnetic field; and a rotation shaft 95 penetrating the rear surface of the tub 20 to connect the drum 30 and the rotor 93.

The driving part may be a BLDC (brushless-Less Direct Current) motor. In this case, the stator 41 may be formed of a coil, and the rotor 93 may be a permanent magnet. On the other hand, a rotation shaft bearing 25 rotatably supporting the rotation shaft 95 may be further provided on the rear surface of the outer tub 20.

Fig. 4 shows a configuration of a control unit for controlling a load according to the present invention.

The control part P may be provided to a control panel or the like, and may be configured to receive an instruction to operate the laundry treating apparatus through the input part 16 and perform a washing course and options. That is, the control part P may be configured to perform the determined washing course and option, and control the water supply valve 72, the drain pump 82, and the driving part 9 using the water level information detected by the water level sensor 90.

In addition, the control part P may provide the current state of the laundry treating apparatus through the display part 17, and may be configured to detect the vibration of the drum through a current value applied to the vibration sensor 92 or the driving part 9.

On the other hand, the control unit P may further include a parallel computing device P1 capable of receiving and processing various signals such as a signal value of the vibration sensor 92, a current value applied to the driving unit 40, and rpm of the drum 30.

The control unit P may further include a storage unit P2, and the storage unit P2 may store data values processed by the parallel arithmetic device, may store an algorithm capable of operating the parallel arithmetic device P1, or may store various electric signals input to the parallel arithmetic device P1.

The control unit P of the present invention can implement artificial Neural Network learning Logic (Logic) for generating an artificial Neural Network (Neural Network) by the parallel computing device P1 and the storage unit P2. The artificial neural network may be used to derive a coherent result value by combining and analyzing a plurality of factors.

The conventional control unit has a problem that only one output value can be derived from one input value. However, the laundry processing apparatus of the present invention can apply two or more signals through the parallel operation device P1, and thus, can acquire required information more accurately than when one information is applied.

On the other hand, the storage part P2 may previously store a plurality of processes or options for operating the laundry treating apparatus. A plurality of the processes or options may be constituted by a method or a sequence of operating the water supply valve 72, the driving part 9, the drain pump 82, and a combination of operation intensities to be able to perform a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dehydrating process.

The storage unit P2 may store data, such as a table, which can be matched with the current value applied to the driving unit 9 or output from the driving unit 9, and the laundry amount, laundry quality, or the like.

The estimated time of a plurality of processes or options corresponding to the laundry amount may be stored in the storage unit P2 as data.

In addition, the storage part P2 may store in advance an appropriate amount of detergent required when executing each process or option corresponding to the laundry amount in data. The detergent amount may be a concept including one or more of a detergent, a softener, and a bleach.

The control part P may control the respective components of the laundry treating apparatus using various algorithms and data stored in the storage part P2.

If the laundry amount is detected, the control part P may calculate one or more of an execution time of any process or option for executing washing of the laundry and a required detergent amount.

Fig. 5 shows an embodiment of a control panel 16 provided to the laundry treating apparatus 1 of the present invention.

Only the display unit 17 may be provided as a display panel, and the input unit 18 may be provided as a physical button capable of performing input alone.

The control panel 16 may include a power supply part 120 that receives an instruction to supply power to the laundry treating apparatus 1.

If the power supply part 120 is inputted, power may be supplied to the control panel 16, and power may be supplied to the entire control part P including the driving part 9.

The input 18 may also include a selection portion that selects, alters the washing process or option. The selecting part 140, 160 may include: a course selecting part 140 configured to receive an input for selecting any one of a series of washing courses including washing, rinsing, and dehydrating courses performed by the laundry treating apparatus 1; and an option selecting section 160 configured to receive an input for selecting any one of any options for adjusting the intensity and degree of the process.

For example, in the case where the laundry treating apparatus 1 is provided as a washing machine, the processes may be classified into a first process of a washing method or a set thereof to remove foreign matter of general laundry, a second process of a washing method or a set thereof to perform sterilization of the laundry, and a third process of a washing method or a set thereof to remove foreign matter in consideration of a material of the laundry.

In addition, the options may be classified into a first option to adjust washing intensity, a second option to adjust the number of rinsing, a third option to adjust dehydrating intensity, and a fourth option to determine the water temperature of the tub containing laundry and water in the selected course. Adjusting the washing intensity and the dehydrating intensity may mean adjusting rpm of the drum, a rotation direction changing period of the drum, etc. in a washing process and a dehydrating process.

The first process is a classification of a general process of washing laundry, and thus may be called a daily process, the second process is a classification of a sterilization-related process, and thus may be called a sanitary process, and the third process is a classification of a process considering a material of laundry, a laundry amount, and the like, and thus may be called a customizing process.

If the process selection unit 140 is repeatedly input, a process of sequentially selecting settings or displaying may be set.

The process selection part 140 may include: a first process selection part 141 configured to select any one of the first processes; a second process selection part 142 configured to select any one of the second processes; and a third process selecting part 143 configured to select any one of the third processes.

The option selecting unit 160 may be configured to be repeatedly input to sequentially select a set or displayed process, as in the process selecting unit 140. In addition, the option selecting part 160 may include: a first option selecting part 161 for adjusting the selected washing intensity in the course; a second option selecting part 162 for adjusting the number of times of rinsing; a third option selecting part 163 for adjusting the dehydration strength; and a fourth option selecting part 164 determining a water temperature of the tub containing laundry and water. The option selecting part 160 may be configured to sequentially input the respective option selecting parts to select a desired option.

The display unit 130 may be provided as a liquid crystal display, an electric lamp for reflecting light, a speaker for radiating sound, or the like. The display part 130 may include: a first display unit 131 for displaying the process selected by the process selection unit 140; and a second display unit 132 for displaying the options selected by the option selecting unit 160.

The first display 131 may be configured to display the selected process. For example, a portion corresponding to the selected process may be lit, or the name of the process may be presented on the display section.

The second display 132 may be configured to display the selected option. For example, a portion corresponding to the selected option may be lit, or the name of the option may be presented on the display section.

Specifically, the first display unit 131 may be configured to illuminate the corresponding process when the process selection unit 140 is input, or may be configured to display the corresponding process on the liquid crystal or by sound dispersion when the process selection unit 140 is input. The first display part 131 may be provided as a display panel or as a lamp that emits light beside a text in which the contents of the process are recorded.

If the user clicks on the daily course 141, the user can recognize the corresponding course by sequentially lighting the general course in sequence.

In addition, if the user clicks the sanitary process, the process corresponding to the sanitary process may be sequentially lighted up, and if the customized process is clicked, the process corresponding to the customized process may be sequentially lighted up.

The second display part 132 may be configured to illuminate the corresponding option when the option selecting part 160 is inputted, or may be configured to display the corresponding option to a liquid crystal or to be diverged by sound when the option selecting part 160 is inputted. The second display unit 132 may be provided as a display panel or as a light that emits light beside the text in which the option contents are recorded.

The option selecting part 160 may be repeatedly clicked or touched to sequentially light the first option, the second option, the third option, and the fourth option. Thus, the user can select a desired option.

On the other hand, the option selecting part 160 may further include a switch or a touch area capable of performing additional functions other than the washing, rinsing, dehydrating, and water temperature in the laundry treating apparatus 1.

The option selecting part 160 may further include: a steam adjusting part 160a for adding an option of supplying steam to the inside of the laundry treating device 20; a reservation unit 160b that determines in advance an operation time of the laundry treatment apparatus 1; a refresh setting unit 160d that clicks the refresh setting unit 160d to refresh clothes during operation of the clothes treating apparatus 20; the turbine 160e adds an option of forming a strong water flow by momentarily raising the drum rpm of the laundry treatment device 20; a turbine drying unit 160f for adding an option of supplying strong hot air; a wind drying part 160g for additionally supplying warm wind or cold wind instead of hot wind; and a time drying part 160h, which adds an option of performing natural drying by rotating the drum only at a predetermined speed.

On the other hand, the second display part 132 may be provided as a display part that displays the details of the options of the process at the moment of determining the process or the options, but displays the state information of the laundry treating apparatus 1 in the case of performing the drying process or the washing process or the execution reservation setting other than the process of inputting the process or the options, or the case of ending the drying process or the washing process, or the like.

The display unit 17 may further include a third display unit 133 for displaying the estimated execution time when executing a plurality of the processes or options.

If any one of the plurality of processes or options is selected, the third display part 133 may display the execution time of the process or option to the user according to the laundry amount.

The above-described configuration is merely an example, and the control panel 16 may be provided in any form as long as the input unit 18 capable of receiving an instruction to drive the laundry treating apparatus and the display unit 17 displaying the state of the laundry treating apparatus are provided.

The user can set a desired process or option by inputting the process selection part 140 or the option selection part 160. In addition, even if the user does not input the process selection part 140 or the option selection part 160, a standard process or a standard option may be preset.

For example, the reference values of the standard washing course and the washing/rinsing/dehydrating/water temperature may be set as standards.

The user may select a desired process or option by inputting the process selecting part 140 and the option selecting part 160, and may desire to perform according to a standard process or standard option set as a reference. The user may select any one of the processes and options by inputting the process selecting part 140 and the option selecting part 160, and may select the standard process or standard option by not inputting the process selecting part 140 and the option selecting part 160.

The control panel 16 may further include an operation part 170 receiving an instruction to operate the selected process or option or a preset standard process or standard option.

If the operation part 170 is inputted, the control part P may lock the door 13 to prevent it from being separated from the case 10. At least one of the door 13 and the case 10 may be provided with a detecting part detecting whether the door 13 is locked to the case 10, and the detecting part may be controlled by the control part P.

The third display unit 133 may display a process or an option selected by the user or an execution time of a standard process or option.

On the other hand, the display portion 16 may also be configured to guide the amount of detergent required when executing a plurality of the processes or options. The execution time of the process or option is different according to the laundry amount. In addition, the amount of detergent used to perform a plurality of processes or options may also be different according to the laundry amount.

Therefore, if the laundry amount is detected, the control unit P may display at least one of the execution time of the process or option and the amount of detergent required for the process or option on the display unit 17.

For example, the estimated execution time of the process or option may be displayed on the third display part 133, and the required detergent amount may be displayed on the second display part 132.

The laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may detect the laundry amount before the input to the operation part 170, and then display the estimated time of the selected course or option and the required detergent amount on the display part 16.

For this, the control part P of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may be configured to detect the laundry amount before the operation part 170 is inputted.

The control part P may calculate the laundry amount using the current value applied to the driving part 9 by controlling the driving part 9 or outputted by the driving part 9, and may display the estimated execution time of the selected course or option to the user before inputting the operation part 170.

Thus, before executing the process or option selected by the user, the estimated execution time of the process or option can be immediately notified to the user, and when the estimated execution time does not meet the condition or does not meet the travel of the user, the user can be guided to select other processes or options.

Thus, the user can immediately change the process or option selected by himself or herself to a process or option appropriate for the own situation.

In addition, the user may pre-confirm the estimated execution time of various processes or options and change the processes or options before running the selected process or option.

In addition, the user can confirm a required amount of detergent required for the laundry in the current state among any one of a plurality of processes and options, and input an appropriate amount of detergent.

On the other hand, the control panel 16 of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may further include a time adjusting part 200 capable of changing the execution time of the executed process or option.

The time adjustment part 200 may be provided in a manner of inputting a part of buttons of the option selecting part 160 after the process or option is selected, and may be provided as additional buttons at the control panel 16.

For example, in case the time adjustment part 200 is provided as an additional button, the user may input the time adjustment part 200 and then lengthen or shorten the estimated execution time of the selected procedure or option.

The extension or shortening of the estimated execution time may be performed by input of a part of buttons of the option selecting section 160.

For example, the execution time may be adjusted by the input of a dehydration 163 option button and a water temperature 164 option button located at the lower portion of the third display part 133.

Fig. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a control method of detecting the laundry amount before the input to the operation part 170.

When the power supply unit 120 of the laundry machine according to the present invention is inputted, power may be supplied to the water supply unit 70, the driving unit 9, the water discharge unit 80, and the like, and power may be supplied to the control unit P.

The control unit P may be configured to detect one or more of the laundry amount and the material of the laundry when the power supply unit 120 is supplied with power.

The necessary condition for detecting one or more of the laundry amount and the material of the laundry in the laundry treatment apparatus of the present invention may be an input of the power supply unit 120.

Therefore, even in the case where the door 13 is opened before the user inputs the power supply part 120 and then laundry is put into the drum 30 and the door 13 is closed, the control part P can immediately detect the laundry amount.

The control part P may calculate an estimated time to perform a specific process or option according to the laundry amount.

For this, the control part P may match and identify the estimated time corresponding to the laundry amount in the storage part P2.

In addition, the storage part P2 may sort the amount of detergent required when executing any process or option of the laundry amount into data. The control part P may calculate the amount of detergent required when washing the laundry according to the course or option in the storage part P2.

For example, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may perform a power supplying step A1 of supplying power by inputting the power source part 120 of the laundry treating apparatus, and a laundry amount detecting step A2 of detecting the laundry amount accommodated in the drum 30 based on the execution of the power supplying step A1.

The laundry amount detecting step A2 may further detect a material of the laundry. Therefore, the laundry amount detecting step may detect one or more of the weight and the material of the laundry, and thus may be regarded as the laundry state detecting step.

If one or more of the water content, the volume of the laundry, and the laundry amount of the laundry are inputted to the control part, the material of the laundry may be calculated.

Hereinafter, description will be made centering on the detected laundry amount, but it is not excluded to detect the material of the laundry.

If the laundry amount of laundry is detected in the laundry amount detecting step A2, an information displaying step A3 of displaying at least any one of the laundry amount of the laundry, a predicted execution time of a course or option of executing washing of the laundry, and a detergent amount required for the course or option on the display part 16 may be performed.

The execution time corresponding to a preset standard course or standard option matched with the laundry amount may be displayed in the information display step A3.

The user can confirm the laundry amount displayed in the information display step A3, the execution time of a preset course or option and compare with his own course, and can confirm the detergent amount.

The operation part 170 may be inputted if the user is satisfied with the information displayed in the information display step A3. The control part P may perform an operation input step A6 of detecting an input of the operation part 170.

If the operation input step A6 is performed, the control part P may LOCK (LOCK) the door 13 to the cabinet 10 by controlling a locking part to prevent the door 13 from being arbitrarily opened.

In addition, if the operation input step A6 is performed, the control part P may perform one or more of a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dehydrating process according to the setting of the process or option. The step of detecting the laundry amount may be omitted after the operation input step A6. Thus, delay of the entire washing time can be prevented.

On the other hand, after the user confirms at least one of the laundry amount, the execution time of the preset course or option, and the detergent amount in the information display step A3, the course setting step A4 of receiving the input of the course selecting part 140 or the option selecting part 160 may be also performed.

For example, the user may input the course selection part 140 or the option selection part 160 after confirming the laundry amount through the course setting step A4, and may change a course or option through the input of the course selection part 140 or the option selection part 160 after confirming the execution time.

When the process setting step A4 is performed, the control unit P may perform the change display step A5 of recalculating the estimated execution time or the detergent amount of the process or option of the change corresponding to the laundry amount and transmitting the recalculated estimated execution time or the estimated detergent amount to the display unit 16.

In the change display step A5, the display unit 16 may display one or more of the estimated execution time of the changed course or option and the changed detergent amount.

The user may input the operation unit 170 when judging that the estimated execution time or the detergent amount is appropriate, and may input the process selection unit 140 or the option selection unit 160 again when judging that the estimated execution time or the detergent amount is inappropriate.

The control unit P may perform the operation input step A6 when the input of the operation unit 170 is detected, and may perform the process setting step A4 and the change display step A5 again when the input of the process selection unit 140 or the option selection unit 160 is detected.

Fig. 7 illustrates another control method of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention to detect the laundry amount before being input into the operation part 170.

The control part P may be configured to detect the laundry amount before the operation part 170 is input when the opening and closing of the door 13 are detected. That is, the condition for detecting the laundry amount may be the opening and closing of the door 13.

The laundry treatment apparatus of the present invention may perform the opening/closing detection step B1 of detecting the opening/closing of the door 13. If the opening/closing of the door 13 is detected in the opening/closing detecting step B1, the control part P may perform a laundry amount detecting step (B2) of detecting the laundry amount, and may perform an information displaying step B3 of displaying one or more of a laundry amount, a preset process or an execution time of an option, a required detergent amount according to the detected laundry amount.

After the information display step B3, the control section P may perform the operation input step B6 by detecting whether the user inputs the operation section 170, and may perform the process setting step B4 and the change display step B5 by detecting whether the user changes a process or an option.

The information display step B3, the process setting step B4, the change display step B5, and the operation input step B6 may be the same as those of the foregoing embodiments.

The door 13 being opened and closed may mean that the probability that laundry is put into the drum 30 is high. Further, the opening and closing of the door 13 may mean that the amount of laundry in the drum 30 is increased or decreased.

Thus, when the door 13 is detected to be opened or closed, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention can immediately detect the laundry amount and inform the user of the estimated execution time or the changed execution time of the laundry amount itself, the course or the option, the required detergent amount or the changed detergent amount.

Fig. 8 shows an additional control method capable of detecting the laundry amount before the input to the operation part 170.

The laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may be configured to detect the laundry amount when a user selects a desired course or option from a plurality of courses or options.

The estimated execution time or the amount of detergent required by the user may be the execution time or the amount of detergent of the process or option selected by the user. Accordingly, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may be configured to inform the estimated execution time or detergent amount corresponding thereto when the user selects a course or option.

On the other hand, the time point at which the user inputs the course selection part 140 and the option selection part 160 is after the power supply part 120 is inputted, and is likely to be after the time point at which the door 13 is opened and closed and laundry is put into the drum 30.

In other words, if the user is informed of the estimated execution time or the detergent amount according to the laundry amount after the time points of inputting the course selection part 140 and the option selection part 160, the user can be accurately informed of the estimated execution time or the detergent amount regardless of whether the user is a person having a habit of inputting the power supply part 120 after inputting the laundry to the drum 30 or a person inputting the laundry to the drum 30 after inputting the power supply part 120.

For this reason, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may perform the process input step C1 of detecting the input of the process selecting part 140 or the option selecting part 160.

If the control part P detects an input of the course selecting part 140 or the option selecting part 160, a laundry amount detecting step C2 of detecting the laundry amount may be performed.

If the laundry amount detecting step C2 is performed, the control part P may perform an information displaying step C3 of displaying at least one of the laundry amount, the estimated execution time of the selected course or option corresponding to the laundry amount, and the amount of detergent for executing the course or option on the display part 16.

After the information display step C3, the control part P may perform the operation input step C6 of detecting whether the user inputs the operation part 170, and may perform the process setting step C4 and the change display step C5 by detecting whether the user changes a process or an option.

The information display step B3, the process setting step C4, the change display step C5, and the operation input step C6 may be the same as those of the foregoing embodiments.

On the other hand, the laundry amount detecting step may be performed for starting a process or option before supplying water to the tub 20, or may be performed for performing a dehydrating process after draining water from the tub 20 to detect the dehydrated laundry amount.

Fig. 9 shows an additional embodiment of a control method of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

The laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may be configured to additionally detect the laundry amount even after the laundry amount is detected and then inputted to the operation part 120 to perform a course or option.

Thus, in the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to check whether the laundry amount of the laundry is excessive in terms of executing the process or option, or whether the weight of the laundry is excessively measured because the laundry is in a state of containing moisture (wet laundry), so that the estimated execution time or the detergent amount is excessively displayed.

As a result, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention can not only rapidly detect the laundry amount of laundry, but can also adjust to perform an optimal process or option by accurately detecting the state of laundry after that.

Referring to fig. 9 (a), the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may perform: a power input step E1 of inputting the power supplied by the power supply unit 120; an opening/closing detection step E2 of detecting opening/closing of the door 13; a laundry amount detecting step E3 of detecting a laundry amount of the laundry if an input of the power supply part 120 and an opening/closing of the door 13 are detected; and an information display step E4 of displaying the execution time of the process or option corresponding to the laundry amount or the required detergent amount on the display part 16.

After that, if a process setting step E5 is performed in which the user inputs one or more of the process selecting unit 140 and the option selecting unit 160 to set a desired process or option, a change display step E6 may be performed in which the execution time of the changed process or option or the desired detergent amount is displayed.

If the user determines a desired procedure or option in the information display step E4 or the change display step E6, an operation input step E7 of inputting the operation part 170 to operate the procedure or option may be performed.

If the process or option is performed, the door 13 may be locked to the cabinet 10.

In the laundry treatment apparatus of the present invention, the additional detection step E9 of additionally detecting the state of the laundry may be performed without the risk of water, detergent, or laundry being discharged through the door 13.

In the case where the laundry amount, the estimated execution time, and the required detergent amount of the laundry are changed by the additional detection step E9, the control part P may perform the final display step E10 of immediately guiding the laundry to the user.

Thus, when the event to be guided to the user in the information display step E4 is changed, the control method corresponding to the event can be corrected and guided to the user.

As a result, it is possible to perform a process or an option more suitable for clothing, and by guiding the user to the change, it is possible to guide the user to appropriately cope with the change.

For example, in the supplementary detection step E9, if the laundry amount value of the laundry is greater than the reference value of the executable process or option, the control part P may display the guide item of interrupting the execution of the process or option and taking out a part of the laundry to the user in the display part 16 in the final display step E10.

In the additional detection step E9, if it is detected that the weight is excessively measured because the laundry is wet laundry, the control unit P may correct the estimated execution time or the remaining time or correct the required detergent amount and display the corrected detergent amount on the display unit 16 in the final display step E10.

If the operation unit 170 is inputted, the control unit P may additionally detect the laundry amount of the laundry and recalculate the estimated time of the arbitrary process or option.

As described above, the control unit may perform one detection of the laundry amount of the laundry before the operation unit is input, and may additionally detect the laundry amount of the laundry if the operation unit is input.

The display unit may display the estimated execution time of the process or option corresponding to the laundry amount detected at one time before the operation unit is input, and may display the estimated execution time of the process or option corresponding to the laundry amount additionally detected if the operation unit is input.

The display unit may change the estimated execution time of the process or option corresponding to the laundry amount detected at one time to the estimated execution time of the process or option corresponding to the laundry amount additionally detected and display the same if the operation unit is inputted.

The display part may display the estimated execution time of the process or option corresponding to the additionally detected laundry amount longer than the estimated execution time of the process or option corresponding to the laundry amount detected at one time.

The estimated execution time of the secondary display may continue until a procedure or option is executed.

On the other hand, in the case where the control part P re-calculates the course or option, the laundry amount may be more accurately detected.

For this, the control part P may be configured to additionally detect the laundry amount of the laundry for a time longer than the time of detecting the laundry amount of the laundry for the first time.

The control part P is configured to control the driving part to detect the laundry amount of the laundry, and the driving part may be controlled to intermittently rotate the drum for the first time before the operation part is input, and may be controlled to intermittently rotate the drum for the second time after the operation part is input. At this time, the control part P may control the driving part to intermittently rotate the drum for the second time at an angle or a rotation speed greater than that of the first time. That is, the control part P may accurately detect through more information and time when additionally detecting the laundry amount.

In the laundry amount detecting step, the driving part rotates less than one turn at the first intermittent rotation, so that the laundry amount detecting time can be shortened. However, the driving part rotates more than one turn at the time of the second intermittent rotation, so that the accuracy of the laundry amount detection can be obtained.

On the other hand, the display portion may display that the estimated execution time of the process or option corresponding to the additionally detected laundry amount is a final estimated execution time.

Fig. 10 illustrates a control method of laundry amount detection of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

As described above, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may perform the laundry amount detecting step of detecting the laundry amount before the input to the operation part 170. The laundry amount detecting step described below may be performed in the foregoing laundry amount detecting step.

The laundry amount detecting step may include: a rotating step D1, wherein the roller is rotated; and a calculating step D3 of calculating the weight of the laundry by measuring the first current value applied or outputted in the rotating step.

The laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may rotate the drum 30 less than one turn in the rotating step D1. Thus, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention can detect the laundry amount before the drum 30 makes one rotation.

For example, the laundry amount detecting step may end within 1 second. Accordingly, one or more of the laundry amount, the estimated execution time based on the laundry amount, and the detergent amount may be displayed on the display unit 17 before it is determined that the user inputs the power supply unit 120, or opens and closes the door 13, or selects the arbitrary process or option and inputs the operation unit 170.

Thus, the user can confirm the estimated execution time and the detergent amount, select or change a process or option, and then input the operation part 170.

As a result, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention can rapidly detect the laundry amount before the user finally determines to perform the selected course or option, thereby informing the estimated execution time or detergent amount.

In addition, the user can be prevented from waiting for a long time to confirm the estimated execution time of the selected process or option or the appropriate detergent amount. As a result, washing delay can be prevented.

On the other hand, in the laundry amount detecting step, the rotating step D1 ends before the drum 30 rotates one turn. Accordingly, the laundry amount detecting step may perform the restoring step D2 in which the drum 30 returns to the correct position again.

The calculating step D3 may be performed after the process of performing the rotating step D1 or after the rotating step D1 is completed, or may be performed after both the rotating step D1 and the recovering step D2 are performed.

The laundry amount detecting step may further include a displaying step D4 of displaying the laundry amount on the display portion 17 at the end of the calculating step D3.

In the display step D4, only the laundry amount may be displayed, the estimated execution time of a specific process or option corresponding to the laundry amount may be displayed, and the required amount of detergent required when executing the process or option may be displayed.

The laundry amount detecting step may be performed before the operation part 170 is input, but may be performed identically in an additional detecting step or the like performed after the operation part 170 is input.

That is, the same laundry amount detecting step may be performed in both the dry laundry amount detecting step for performing the washing process and the wet laundry amount detecting step for performing the dehydrating process. In addition, the laundry amount detecting step may also be performed in a step of checking whether laundry is wet laundry or dry laundry, or the like.

Fig. 11 shows a case of laundry amount detection of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 11 (a), the laundry may be disposed on the bottom surface of the drum 30 by its own weight.

Referring to fig. 11 (b), if the laundry amount sensing step is performed and the rotating step D1 is performed, the drum 30 may be rotated less than one turn.

In the rotating step D1, the drum 30 may be rotated below an angle at which the laundry is separated from the drum inner wall or a configuration is changed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent unnecessary load or impact from being transmitted to the driving part 9 as the position of the laundry is changed inside the drum 30. Therefore, the control part P can accurately calculate the load of the laundry by the current value applied to the driving part 9 or outputted by the driving part 9.

For example, in the rotating step D1, the drum may be rotated in a range of 0 degrees to 90 degrees or less.

However, the smaller the angle at which the drum 30 rotates, the shorter the time for the control part P to detect the laundry amount may be, and an error in detecting the weight of the laundry may be reduced. Therefore, in the rotating step D1, the drum 30 is preferably rotated in a range of 10 degrees to 45 degrees or less.

Fig. 12 shows a laundry amount detection calculation mode of the laundry treatment apparatus of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 12 (a) and 12 (b), if the laundry amount detecting step is performed, the control part P may rotate the drum 30 less than one turn through the rotating step D1. In the calculating step D3, the control part P may calculate (process) the laundry amount by measuring the current value applied to the driving part 9 or outputted by the driving part 9 in the rotating step D1.

The control part P may detect the laundry amount using the formula te= Jdw/dt+bw+mgrsin Θ.

Te is a torque value applied to the driving unit 9, and corresponds to I (current value) ×K (driving unit constant). That is, since the driving unit constant k is an intrinsic value of the driving unit 9 itself, the control unit P can calculate the torque value applied to the driving unit 9 by detecting the current value I.

At this time, in the case of sin Θ in the mgrsin Θ, since it is geometrically reduced as the rotation angle of the drum becomes smaller, it can be sufficiently ignored if it is between 15 degrees and 90 degrees or between 10 degrees and 45 degrees.

In addition, bw is a friction moment, and B becomes very small when the drum 30 rotates, and thus is negligible.

As a result, only the equation te= Jdw/dt may remain. At this time, dw/dt is the angular acceleration of the rotating drum, and thus the control part P may detect the angular acceleration when the rotating drum is rotated in the rotating step D1. The angular acceleration may also be directly calculated by the value of the current applied to the driving section 9. A method of calculating the angular acceleration using the current value will be described later.

Therefore, if the current value is measured, both the torque value Te and the angular acceleration dw/dt applied to the driving portion 9 can be calculated, and the moment of inertia J can be calculated.

As a result, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention can immediately detect the laundry amount by grasping the moment of inertia J.

Fig. 13 shows a process of calculating the laundry amount by using the moment of inertia in the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention.

The storage unit P2 may store data describing a correlation between the moment of inertia and the laundry amount.

The moment of inertia generated when the laundry is rotated in the drum 30 can be detected if the weight of the laundry is grasped, and the weight of the laundry can be detected if the moment of inertia is grasped.

For example, in the calculating step D3, if the control part P detects that the moment of inertia is 55000, the laundry amount may be determined to be 2kg when the drum 30 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, and the laundry amount may be determined to be 3kg when the drum 30 is rotated in the clockwise direction.

As described above, the control part P can immediately detect the laundry amount using the data stored in the storage part P2, which is prepared by using the moment of inertia and the weight of the laundry as references of the diameter of the drum 30, the rotation direction of the drum 30, and the like.

As a result, the control unit P can detect the laundry amount by detecting the current value applied or outputted in the rotating step D1. That is, the calculation step D3 may be performed during the execution of the rotation step D1 or at the instant when the rotation step D1 ends.

As a result, the rotation step D1 and the calculation step D3 can be performed completely before the position of the drum 30 is restored to the original position. That is, the calculation step D3 may end before the restoration step D2 ends.

As a result, the rotation step D1 and the calculation step D3 may be all performed within 0.3 seconds to 1 second, and the laundry amount detection step itself may be performed within 0.3 seconds to 1 second.

Therefore, the control part P can instantaneously detect the laundry amount such that the user hardly perceives the time of detecting the laundry amount and informs the execution time of the selected course or option.

On the other hand, if the laundry amount is detected in the calculating step D3, the control part P may calculate and display the execution time of a process or option corresponding to the laundry amount or the detergent amount at substantially the same time.

As a result, the rotation step D1, the calculation step D3, and the display step D4 may be all performed before the position of the drum is restored.

Thus, the rotation step D1, the calculation step D3, and the display step D4 may all be performed within 0.3 seconds to 1 second.

Fig. 14 shows a basic structure in which the control section P measures the current value of the driving section 9.

Referring to fig. 14 (a), the laundry treating apparatus 100 of the present invention may include a control part P that applies a current to the driving part 9, controls the driving part 9, and can detect a current discharged from the driving part 9.

The control part P controls the driving part 9 according to a preset process or option, and the driving part 9 rotates the drum 4 according to an instruction of the control part P.

The control unit P receives an operation signal or an input of a control command from the input unit 14a and operates. A washing course and option selection part for performing washing, rinsing, and dehydrating processes may be provided at the input part 14 a. Thus, washing, rinsing, and dehydrating processes can be performed. The control unit P may control the display unit 14b to display the washing course, washing time, dewatering time, rinsing time, or the like, or the current operation state, or the like.

The control unit P can control not only the driving unit 9 to rotate the drum 4 but also the rotational speed of the drum 4. Specifically, the control unit P may control the driving unit 9 based on at least one of a current detection unit 225 that detects an output current flowing in the driving unit 9 and a position detection unit 220 that detects a position of the driving unit 230. For example, either one of the current detected in the driving section 9 or the detected position signal may be fed back to the control section 210, and the control section 210 may generate a current signal capable of appropriately controlling the driving section 9 based on the feedback signal.

On the other hand, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may omit the position detecting section 235, and the position of the driving section 9 (so-called sensorless driving section) may be detected by the implementation of a separate algorithm. The sensorless driving portion 9 may be configured such that the control portion P measures the current or voltage outputted from the driving portion 9 and grasps the position of the rotor or stator in the driving portion 9.

An embodiment in which the control unit P controls the driving unit 9 will be described below.

The driving part P may be constituted by a three-phase motor to be able to control the rotation speed, for example, may be constituted by a brushless direct current (BLDC) motor.

Referring to fig. 14 (b), in order to control the aforementioned rotor and stator, the control part P may include an inverter 420 and an inverter control part 430. The control unit P may further include a converter 410 for supplying dc power to the inverter 420.

That is, the control part P may also function as the inverter control part 430 at the same time. Of course, the inverter control unit 430 may be provided separately from the control unit P. If the inverter control unit 430 outputs a switching control signal Sic of a pulse width modulation PWM system to the inverter 420, the inverter 420 can perform a high-speed switching operation and supply an ac power source of a predetermined frequency to the rotor 913 and the stator 911.

The laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may include not only the converter 410, the inverter 420, and the inverter control unit 430, but also the DC terminal voltage detecting unit B, the smoothing capacitor C, and the output current detecting unit E. The laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention may further include an input current detection unit a, a reactor L, and the like.

The reactor L is disposed between a commercial alternating current power supply (vs) 405 and a converter 410, and performs power factor correction or boosting operation. In addition, the reactor L may also perform a function for limiting harmonic current caused by high-speed switching of the converter 410.

The input current detection unit a may detect an input current is input from the commercial ac power supply 405. For this purpose, a current transformer (current trnasformer, CT), a shunt resistor, or the like may be used as the input current detecting section a. The detected input current is a discrete signal (discrete signal) in a pulse form and may be input to the inverter control unit 430.

The converter 410 converts the commercial ac power 405 via the reactor L into a dc power and outputs the dc power. In the drawing, the commercial ac power supply 405 is shown as a single-phase ac power supply, but it may be a three-phase ac power supply. The internal structure of the converter 410 will also differ depending on the type of commercial ac power source 405.

On the other hand, the converter 410 is constituted by a diode or the like without a switching element, so that the rectifying operation can be performed without performing an additional switching operation. For example, four diodes may be used in a bridge configuration in the case of a single-phase ac power supply, and six diodes may be used in a bridge configuration in the case of a three-phase ac power supply.

The converter 410 may use a half-bridge type converter in which two switching elements and four diodes are connected, and in the case of a three-phase ac power source, six switching elements and six diodes may be used. In the case where the converter 410 is provided with switching elements, the step-up operation, the power factor improvement, and the direct current power supply conversion can be performed with the switching operation of the corresponding switching elements.

The smoothing capacitor C smoothes and stores the input power. In the drawing, one element is illustrated as the smoothing capacitor C, but a plurality may be provided to ensure element stability.

The converter 410 may be connected to the output terminal, but may also directly input a dc power supply. For example, the dc power from the solar cell may be directly input to the smoothing capacitor C, or may be input after dc/dc conversion. The smoothing capacitor C has a dc power supply stored at both ends, and thus can be named as dc terminal or dc link terminal.

The dc terminal voltage detecting section B may detect the dc terminal voltage Vdc as both ends of the smoothing capacitor C. For this purpose, the dc-terminal voltage detecting section B may include a resistive element, an amplifier, or the like. The detected dc terminal voltage Vdc is a pulse-shaped discrete signal (discrete signal) and may be input to the inverter control unit 430.

The inverter 420 may be provided with a plurality of inverter switching elements, and the smoothed dc power Vdc may be converted into three-phase ac power va, vb, vc of a predetermined frequency by on/off operation of the switching elements, and outputted to the driving unit 9. In the inverter 420, the upper arm switching elements Sa, sb, sc and the lower arm switching elements S 'a, S' b, S 'c, which are connected in series with each other, are paired, and a total of three pairs of upper arm and lower arm switching elements are connected in parallel with each other (Sa & S' a, sb & S 'b, sc & S' c).

Diodes are connected in antiparallel to the respective switching elements Sa, S ' a, sb, S ' b, sc, S ' c.

The switching elements in the inverter 420 perform on/off operations of the respective switching elements based on an inverter switching control signal Sic from the inverter control unit 430. Thereby, a three-phase ac power supply having a predetermined frequency is output to the driving unit 9.

The inverter control unit 430 may control switching operation of the inverter 420. For this purpose, the inverter control section 430 may receive the output current io detected from the output current detection section E.

In order to control the switching operation of the inverter 420, the inverter control unit 430 outputs an inverter switching control signal Sic to the inverter 420. The inverter switching control signal Sic is a switching control signal of the pulse width modulation PWM, and is generated and outputted based on the output current value io detected by the output current detecting unit E.

The control part P detects the state of the inside of the drum by detecting the output current value io detected in the current detecting part 220. The control unit P may detect the state of the drum interior based on the position signal H detected by the position detecting unit 235. For example, during the rotation of the drum 40, the laundry amount, the dehydration rate, the moisture content, etc. may be detected based on the output current value io of the driving part 9. The control unit P may detect the eccentricity of the drum 4, that is, unbalance (UB) of the drum 4. Such eccentric amount detection may be performed based on the ripple component of the current io detected in the current detecting part 220 or the rotational speed variation amount of the drum 4.

The control unit P may detect the state of the drum by detecting the input current value is input to the inverter control unit. A process and an operation method for detecting the state of the inside of the drum using the current value will be described later.

The output current detection section E may detect the output current io flowing between the inverter 420 and the three-phase driving section 9. The output current detecting unit E detects a current flowing in the driving unit 9. The output current detection unit E may detect all of the output currents ia, ib, and ic of the respective phases, or may detect the output current of two phases by three-phase balance.

The output current detection unit E may be located between the inverter 420 and the driving unit 9, and a Current Transformer (CT), a shunt resistor, or the like may be used for current detection. In the case of using the shunt resistors, three shunt resistors may be located between the inverter 420 and the driving part 9, or one ends thereof may be connected to three lower arm switching elements S ' a, S ' b, S ' c of the inverter 420, respectively.

On the other hand, two shunt resistors may be used by three-phase balancing. In the case where one shunt resistor is used, the shunt resistor may be disposed between the capacitor C and the inverter 420.

The detected output current io is a pulse-shaped discrete signal (discrete signal) that can be applied to the inverter control unit 430 to generate the inverter switching control signal Sic based on the detected output current io. The detected output current io will be described as three-phase output currents ia, ib, ic.

On the other hand, the three-phase driving unit 9 includes a stator (stator) and a rotor (rotor), and rotates the rotor by applying ac power of a predetermined frequency to coils of the stator of each phase (a-phase, b-phase, c-phase).

Such a driving section 9 may include a Surface-mounted permanent Magnet synchronous motor (Surface-Mounted Permanent-Magnet, synchronous Motor; SMPMSM), an embedded permanent Magnet synchronous motor (Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor; IPMSM), a synchronous reluctance motor (Synchronous Reluctance Motor; synrm), and the like. Among them, SMPMSM and IPSM are synchronous motors (Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor; PMSM) using permanent magnets, and Synrm is characterized by having no permanent magnets.

On the other hand, when the converter 410 has a switching element, the inverter control unit 430 may control the switching operation of the switching element in the converter 410. For this purpose, the inverter control unit 430 may receive the input current is detected from the input current detection unit a. In order to control the switching operation of the converter 410, the inverter control unit 430 may output a converter switching control signal Scc to the converter 410. The converter switching control signal Scc may be generated and output based on the input current is detected from the input current detecting unit a as a switching control signal of the pulse width modulation PWM system.

On the other hand, the position detecting section 235 may detect the rotor position of the driving section 9. For this, the position detecting part 235 may include a hall sensor. The detected rotor position H is input to the inverter control unit 430, and is used as a basis for speed calculation or the like.

Fig. 14 (c) shows an embodiment of a specific circuit configuration of the inverter control section 430 for controlling the driving section 9. The inverter control unit 430 may include an axis conversion unit 510, a speed calculation unit 520, a current command generation unit 530, a voltage command generation unit 540, an axis conversion unit 550, and a switching control signal output unit 560.

The shaft conversion unit 510 receives the three-phase output currents ia, ib, and ic detected by the output current detection unit E, and converts the three-phase output currents ia, ib, and ic into two-phase currents iα and iβ in a stationary coordinate system. The axis conversion unit 510 may convert two-phase currents iα, iβ in a stationary coordinate system into two-phase currents id, iq in a rotating coordinate system.

The speed calculation unit 520 may calculate the speed based on the rotor position signal H from the position detection unit 235. That is, the velocity can be calculated based on the position signal divided by the time. The speed calculation unit 520 may output a position calculated based on the input rotor position signal H and the calculated speed.

The current command generating unit 530 generates a current command value i×q based on the operation speed w and the speed command value ω×r. For example, the current command generating unit 530 may perform PI control in the PI controller 535 based on a difference between the operation speed w and the speed command value ω, and generate the current command value iq. In the drawing, the q-axis current command value i×q is illustrated as the current command value, but the d-axis current command value i×d may be generated together with the drawing, differently from the drawing. On the other hand, the d-axis current command value i×d may be set to 0.

On the other hand, the current command generating unit 530 may be further provided with a limiter (not shown) for limiting the level of the current command value i×q so as to prevent the current command value from exceeding the allowable range. Next, the voltage command generating unit 540 generates d-axis voltage command values vd and q-axis voltage command values v×q based on the d-axis current id and q-axis current iq axially converted into the two-phase rotation coordinate system by the axis converting unit and the current command values i×d and i×q from the current command generating unit 530 and the like. For example, the voltage command generating unit 540 may perform PI control in the PI controller 544 based on a difference between the q-axis current iq and the q-axis current command value iq, and generate the q-axis voltage command value v×q. The voltage command generating unit 540 may perform PI control in the PI controller 548 based on a difference between the d-axis current id and the d-axis current command value i×d, and generate the d-axis voltage command value v×d. On the other hand, the value of the d-axis voltage command value v×d may be set to 0 in correspondence with the case where the value of the d-axis current command value i×d is set to 0.

On the other hand, the voltage command generating unit 540 may be provided with a limiter (not shown) for limiting the levels of the d-axis voltage command value v×d and the q-axis voltage command value v×q so as to prevent the d-axis voltage command value v×d and the q-axis voltage command value v×q from exceeding the allowable range.

On the other hand, the generated d-axis voltage command values v×d and q-axis voltage command values v×q are input to the axis conversion unit 550.

The axis conversion unit 550 receives the position Θ and the d-axis voltage command value v×d and the q-axis voltage command value v×q calculated by the speed calculation unit 520, and performs axis conversion. First, the axis conversion section 550 performs conversion from a two-phase rotation coordinate system to a two-phase stationary coordinate system. At this time, the position Θ calculated by the speed calculation unit 520 may be used.

And, the axis conversion section 550 performs conversion from the two-phase stationary coordinate system to the three-phase stationary coordinate system. By this conversion, the shaft conversion unit 1050 outputs three-phase output voltage command values v×a, v×b, and v×c.

The switching control signal output unit 560 generates and outputs a switching control signal Sic for an inverter based on a pulse width modulation PWM method based on the three-phase output voltage command values v×a, v×b, and v×c.

The output inverter switching control signal Sic may be converted into a gate driving signal by a gate driving unit (not shown), and input to the gates of the respective switching elements in the inverter 420. Thereby, the switching elements Sa, S ' a, sb, S ' b, sc, S ' c in the inverter 420 perform switching operations.

On the other hand, in connection with the embodiment of the present invention, the switching control signal output section 560 may generate and output the inverter switching control signal Sic in which the two-phase pulse width modulation scheme and the three-phase pulse width modulation scheme are mixed.

For example, in the acceleration rotation section described later, the inverter switching control signal Sic based on the three-phase pulse width modulation method may be generated and outputted, and in the constant-speed rotation section, the inverter switching control signal Sic based on the two-phase pulse width modulation method may be generated and outputted in order to detect the counter electromotive force.

Fig. 15 shows an additional embodiment in which the control part P detects the laundry amount.

The laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may perform the detection step F of detecting the laundry amount of the laundry inside the drum 4 before the washing process is performed, before the rinsing process is performed, and before the dehydrating process is performed.

For this purpose, the control part P may perform: an acceleration step F1 of accelerating the drum 4; a deceleration step F2 of decelerating the drum 4; and a laundry amount detecting step F3 of detecting the laundry amount of the laundry accommodated in the drum by an acceleration measurement value of the driving part 9 in the acceleration step and a deceleration measurement value of the driving part in the deceleration step.

The laundry treating apparatus of the present invention detects an acceleration measurement value measured in the driving part 9 or applied to the driving part 9 while accelerating the driving part 9, and detects a deceleration measurement value measured in the driving part 9 or applied to the driving part 9 while decelerating the driving part 9. Thereafter, the laundry amount of the laundry accommodated in the drum 4 is detected by calculating the acceleration measurement value and the deceleration measurement value.

The acceleration measurement value and the deceleration measurement value may be command values applied to the driving unit 9 while driving the driving unit 9, or may be measurement values measured in the driving unit 9 while driving the driving unit 9.

For example, the command value may be a current command value or a voltage command value derived from the PI controller 535 applied to drive the driving unit 9, and the measured value may be the current value or the voltage value itself of the driving unit 9 measured in the position detecting unit 235 or the current detecting unit 225.

Accordingly, the laundry treatment apparatus of the present invention can greatly shorten the time required for detecting the laundry amount by omitting the step for keeping the constant-speed driving of the driving section 9.

In addition, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention can not only omit the process for holding the driving part 9 at a constant speed, but also save energy and time required for holding the same speed. In addition, the laundry machine according to the present invention can completely ignore the friction of the driving unit 9 itself, which is required to be overcome when the driving unit 9 is held at a constant speed during the operation.

If the control part P uses the command value when detecting the laundry amount, the control part P does not need to feed back (feed back) the actual situation to the driving part 9 or consider the actual driving situation of the driving part 9. Therefore, the control part P can calculate the laundry amount value simply and easily. In addition, since the expression for calculating the laundry amount becomes simple, the laundry amount value can be obtained quickly.

Specifically, the acceleration measurement value may include an acceleration current value iq_acc measured in the driving section 9, and the deceleration measurement value may include a deceleration current value iq_dec measured in the driving section 9.

The acceleration current value may include a current command value iq_acc for rotating the driving part 9 in the acceleration step, and the deceleration current value may include a current command value iq_dec for rotating the driving part 9 in the deceleration step.

On the other hand, if the control part P uses the measured value when detecting the laundry amount, it directly reflects the actual situation to the driving part 9, and thus has an advantage that the laundry amount can be accurately obtained.

The command value is generated only when the driving unit 9 is driven or the power is applied and is actively controlled. Therefore, if the measured value is used, there is an advantage in that data for detecting the laundry amount can be obtained even when the power of the driving unit 9 is cut off or the driving unit 9 is not actively controlled.

In the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention, the driving unit 9 may be decelerated by turning off the power supply in the deceleration step F2, and braking by power generation, or the like. Therefore, the algorithm for controlling the deceleration step F2 can be omitted, and energy for the deceleration step F2 can be saved.

Further, since the power supply is turned off in the deceleration step F2, the voltage command value may be 0. Accordingly, the present invention can calculate and detect the laundry amount using only the current without using the voltage.

That is, the control method of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may omit or not use the voltage command value or the voltage value itself, but use only the current value, so that the operation formula for laundry amount detection may be very simply constructed. Since the operation formula becomes simple, the operation can be made quick and accurate, so that the laundry amount can be accurately detected.

Specifically, data and an algorithm (hereinafter, an arithmetic expression) for calculating the acceleration measurement value and the deceleration measurement value may be stored in the control portion P. The operation formula may be configured such that the voltage value is not used from the beginning. Therefore, it is not necessary to calculate the counter electromotive force, so that the present invention can omit the constant-speed rotation step of the driving section 9.

For example, the expression of the present invention may be configured as follows.

The laundry amount value (inertia, jm, load_data) of the present invention can be calculated by the following formula.

The values P and Ke are constant values of the driving unit 9 itself, and can be measured by the control unit P, and the denominator corresponds to the difference between the speed change amount in the acceleration step and the speed change amount in the deceleration step.

The speed change amount may be measured by the position detecting portion 235 by the control portion P, calculated by measuring the time until the acceleration or deceleration is achieved, or immediately detected by measuring a current or the like.

Therefore, the present invention can immediately calculate the laundry amount value by measuring only the acceleration output current value iq_acc at the time of acceleration and the acceleration output current value iq_dec at the time of deceleration. That is, it can be considered that the acceleration current value includes an acceleration output current value iq_acc output from the driving section in the acceleration step, and the deceleration current value includes a deceleration output current value iq_dec output from the driving section in the deceleration step.

Also, the acceleration output current value may apply an average value Iqe _acc of the current values measured at the driving part in the acceleration step, and the deceleration output current value may apply an average value Iqe _dec of the current values measured at the driving part in the deceleration step.

In any case, the laundry amount may be calculated using only one factor of the current value, and the factor of the voltage value may be omitted, so that the laundry amount calculation becomes simple, and the speed and accuracy of the laundry amount value can be improved.

Therefore, even if the time of the acceleration step is very short or the time of the acceleration step is very short, the laundry amount can be accurately detected, and thus the time itself required for the laundry amount detection can be further shortened.

On the other hand, the laundry amount detection of the laundry treatment apparatus of the present invention measures the laundry amount by decelerating immediately after acceleration. Therefore, the time for measuring the laundry amount during which the laundry inside the drum 4 cannot move or flow is itself very short. Therefore, the laundry amount can be detected in a short time in which the state of the laundry is not changed, and thus the accuracy of the laundry amount calculation can be further improved.

On the other hand, the operational formula applied to the laundry amount detection of the present invention uses the difference between the current value of the acceleration step and the current value of the deceleration step. Therefore, the friction force of the driving portion in the acceleration step and the friction force of the driving portion in the deceleration step are equal to each other, so that the compensation type of the current in consideration of the friction force will cancel each other. Accordingly, the laundry amount detection control method of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention does not need to consider the friction force of the driving part 9, so that the process of correction or adjustment of the friction force can be omitted. In addition, the present invention does not use a voltage value for laundry amount detection, so that a process of compensating or adjusting an error of the voltage value can be omitted, and since a constant speed process is omitted, a process of compensating or adjusting movement of laundry, a friction force of the driving part 9 can be omitted. As a result, the laundry amount detection control method of the laundry treatment apparatus of the present invention obtains the laundry amount immediately after substituting the current value, and there is no step of compensating or adjusting the laundry amount, so that the laundry amount can be detected very rapidly and accurately.

Therefore, the amount of load required for the control portion P can be reduced, so that the control portion P can be replaced with a relatively simple configuration, or the performance of the control portion P can be utilized in other aspects.

On the other hand, as shown in the operation formula, the acceleration measurement value may further include a speed variation amount of the acceleration step F1, and the deceleration measurement value may further include a speed variation amount of the deceleration step F2.

The speed change amount of the acceleration step F1 and the speed change amount of the deceleration step F2 are only needed to find the difference between the inertia of the acceleration step F1 and the inertia of the deceleration step F2, and no additional measurement of voltage values or the like is needed, and no compensation or adjustment process is needed.

In more detail, the expression may be derived by the following expression.

Wherein->

At this time, the laundry amount is calculated by the difference between the acceleration inertia and the deceleration inertia, and thus the speed needs a variation amount.

Therefore, if the acceleration measurement value and the deceleration measurement value are measured at the same RPM section of the drum, since the magnitude of the speed change is the same, the operation can be made simpler. That is, preferably, the acceleration step F1 and the deceleration step F2 share the same speed band.

On the other hand, the control method of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention performs the acceleration step F1 and the deceleration step F2 and detects the laundry amount using the current command value or the current value measured in the driving part 9.

At this time, since the operation formula uses the current value, it is also possible to measure the current value by performing the deceleration step F2 first and then the acceleration step Bb, and to detect the laundry amount using the same operation formula.

On the other hand, in order to set the reference values at which the acceleration step F1 and the deceleration step F2 can be performed, the detection step F3 may perform a preparation step F0 of checking the position of the driving part 9. In the preparation step F0, the drum 4 may be in a stationary state.

The acceleration step F1 may additionally accelerate the drum stationary in the preparation step F0 to a first rpm, and the deceleration step F2 may decelerate the drum from the first rpm. That is, the acceleration step F1 and the deceleration step F2 may be continuously performed. In the deceleration step F2, the current command value to the driving unit 9 in the acceleration step F1 may be reduced or the voltage applied to the driving unit 9 may be cut off, so that there is no concern about burning of the control unit P or the circuit.

At this time, the acceleration measurement value and the deceleration measurement value may be measured between the first rpm and a second rpm lower than the first rpm. That is, it is possible to measure a current value at an interval band including a vertex in the speed profile and detect the laundry amount. This has an advantage in that the current value is measured and the laundry amount is detected in a continuous state, so that it is possible to minimize the occurrence of errors.

In another aspect, the acceleration measurement and the deceleration measurement may be measured between a second rpm that is lower than the first rpm and a third rpm that is higher than the second rpm and lower than the first rpm. That is, although not the section including the vertex, the current value may be measured and the laundry amount may be detected in the same speed section band. This has an advantage in that since the speed variation is maximized at the peak, the accuracy of the laundry amount calculation can be improved by measuring a stable current value.

On the other hand, the first rpm may be set to be lower than a fixed rpm at which laundry contained in the drum 4 adheres to the inner wall of the drum 4. That is, the first rpm may be relatively lower than the rpm applied in the washing, rinsing, and dehydrating processes.

The acceleration step F1 may correspond to the rotation step D1, and the deceleration step F2 may correspond to the recovery step D2. As a result, the recovery step D2 may be a step in which the control part P actively applies a current to reversely rotate the driving part 9.

The laundry amount detecting step F3 may correspond to an operation step D3, and the operation step D3 may immediately detect the laundry amount of the laundry using the current value of the rotating step D1 and the current value of the restoring step D2.

In this case, the process of directly calculating the moment of inertia by the control portion P or the process of comparing and extracting the moment of inertia with the laundry amount data of the laundry stored in the storage portion P2 may be omitted.

The amount of current applied in the rotating step D1 may be defined as a first amount of current, and the amount of current applied in the decelerating step F2 may be defined as a second amount of current. The control part P may detect the laundry amount by the first and second current amounts.

Fig. 16 shows still another embodiment in which the control part P detects the laundry amount.

The embodiment of fig. 16 shows that the recovery step D2 of fig. 15 is not a deceleration step of applying a current for reversely rotating the drum 30 to the driving part 9, but corresponds to an interruption step F2' of recovering and decelerating the driving part 9 under the self weight of the laundry by cutting off the power applied to the driving part 9.

The control part P may detect the counter electromotive force generated in the interruption step F2', measure a current value corresponding to the counter electromotive force, and detect the laundry amount of the laundry by the operation method shown in fig. 14.

In this case, the process of directly calculating the moment of inertia by the control unit P or the process of comparing and extracting the moment of inertia with the laundry amount data of the laundry stored in the storage unit P2 may be omitted.

The amount of current applied in the rotating step D1 may be defined as a first amount of current, and the amount of current applied in the interrupting step F2' may be defined as a third amount of current. The control part P may detect the laundry amount by the first current amount and the third current amount.

As described above (refer to the description in the background of the invention), since the existing laundry treatment apparatus detects the laundry amount after the operation course or option, the user cannot recognize the laundry amount of the laundry before selecting and operating the course or option.

In addition, since the conventional laundry treating apparatus rotates the drum at least one turn or more when detecting the laundry amount, the laundry amount detection cannot be rapidly performed, so that the laundry amount can be displayed only relatively late after the operation process or option.

Therefore, in the case of the existing laundry treatment apparatus, the user cannot recognize the laundry amount before the operation process or option, and thus there is no room for putting in a proper detergent, so that too much detergent will be put in order to secure the washing performance. This not only wastes the detergent, but also remains the detergent in the laundry, thus not only endangering health but also causing environmental pollution.

In addition, in the case of the existing laundry treatment apparatus, the user generally does not wait until the laundry amount is detected to leave the laundry treatment apparatus after running the course or option, and thus cannot confirm the execution time or end time of the course or option.

Therefore, the user is inconvenienced by the need to frequently access the laundry treating apparatus as an end of the confirmation process or option. In addition, the existing laundry treatment apparatus may place laundry on the drum for a long time after the process or option is finished, which may cause laundry to wrinkle or, in severe cases, may also cause decay of the laundry.

In addition, the existing laundry treating apparatus will perform locking of the door during operation or options, so that it is impossible for the user to adjust the laundry amount after that.

However, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may detect and display the laundry amount before the operation course or option.

Thus, the user can recognize the laundry amount before the operation course or option and input the detergent by considering the appropriate detergent amount corresponding thereto. For example, the user can confirm the amount of detergent displayed on the detergent tub corresponding to the amount of laundry, and put the confirmed detergent into the laundry treatment apparatus.

As a result, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention can save the amount of detergent, and also can solve the problem that too much detergent remains in laundry after the end of the process, and can prevent environmental pollution.

In addition, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention detects the laundry amount by rotating the drum less than one turn, so that washing delay or the like is not generated and inconvenience is not brought to the user even if the laundry amount is detected before the operation or the option.

For example, if the power supply unit is input or the opening/closing of the door due to the input of laundry is detected, the laundry treatment apparatus of the present invention detects and displays the laundry amount within 3 seconds, and thus does not cause a washing delay.

In addition, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may detect the laundry amount before running a course or option, and display an estimated time or end time of the course or option corresponding to the laundry amount.

Thus, the user may identify the estimated time or end time of each process or option in selecting any of the processes or options. Thus, the user may select a procedure or option that corresponds to the current trip.

In addition, the user may identify an estimated time or end time of a process or option prior to running the process or option. Accordingly, the user confirms the estimated time or the end time to re-run the process or the option, thereby enabling to reduce the trouble of confirming the laundry treating apparatus until the process or the option ends. In addition, the user can recognize the end time of the course or option, and also prevent laundry from being placed inside the drum after the course is ended.

In addition, the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention does not perform locking of the door before the operation process or option, and thus detects and displays the laundry amount before locking the door. Accordingly, the user can further input or take out laundry by confirming the displayed laundry amount.

For example, if the user determines that the laundry amount is excessively performed for a specific course or option, a portion of the laundry may be removed to prevent the interruption of the operation of the laundry treating apparatus due to the eccentricity, excessive vibration at a later stage.

For example, in case that the user confirms that the laundry is only bulky and has a small weight, it is possible to prevent contaminated laundry from being placed for a long time by putting more laundry in.

As described above, unlike the conventional laundry treatment apparatus, the laundry treatment apparatus of the present invention rapidly detects the laundry amount, thereby displaying the laundry amount or displaying the estimated execution time before the operation process or option or before locking the door, so that the above-described remarkable effects can be derived.

The present invention may be modified to be embodied in various forms, and the scope of the claims is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Therefore, as long as the modified embodiment includes the constituent elements of the claims of the present invention, it should be regarded as falling within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method of a laundry treatment apparatus including a cabinet having an opening, a door opening and closing the opening, a drum accommodated in the interior of the cabinet and accommodating laundry, and a driving part rotating the drum, the control method comprising:

a clothes state detecting step of detecting one or more of the weight and the material of the clothes; and

a locking step of fixing the door to the opening;

the laundry state detecting step includes:

a rotating step of rotating the drum; and

an operation step of calculating the weight of the laundry by measuring the first current value applied or outputted in the rotation step;

in the rotating step, the drum is rotated less than one turn;

the laundry state detecting step is performed before the locking step.

2. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

in the rotating step, the drum is rotated by an angle or less by which the laundry is separated from the inner wall of the drum or changed in position.

3. A control method of a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

In the rotating step, the drum is rotated in a range of 0 degrees to 90 degrees or less.

4. A control method of a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

in the rotating step, the drum is rotated in a range of 10 degrees to 45 degrees or less.

5. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the rotating step and the operating step are all performed before the position of the drum is restored.

6. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the rotating step and the computing step are all performed within 0.3 seconds to 1 second.

7. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the laundry treating apparatus further includes:

a display unit configured to display the weight of the laundry calculated in the calculating step;

the laundry state detecting step further includes:

and a display step of displaying the weight or the material of the clothes on the display unit.

8. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the laundry treating apparatus further includes:

A storage unit which stores an arbitrary washing course or option for washing the laundry and an execution time of the arbitrary washing course or option corresponding to a weight of the laundry; and

a display unit that displays the execution time;

the laundry state detecting step further includes:

and a display step of displaying the execution time of the arbitrary washing course or option in the display part.

9. The control method of a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein,

the rotating step, the operating step, and the displaying step are all performed before the position of the drum is restored.

10. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein,

the rotating step, the computing step, and the displaying step are all performed within 0.3 seconds to 1 second.

11. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the laundry treating apparatus further includes:

a storage unit for storing the weight of the laundry corresponding to the first current value in a data format;

in the calculating step, one or more of the weight and the texture of the laundry is extracted from the storage unit.

12. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

further comprises:

a recovery step of recovering the position of the drum by cutting off the power applied to the driving part if the rotating step is performed;

the calculating step is configured to calculate one or more of the weight and the texture of the laundry by measuring the second current value outputted in the restoring step.

13. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

further comprises:

a reverse rotation step of restoring the position of the drum by reversely rotating the drum if the rotation step is performed;

the calculating step is configured to calculate one or more of the weight and the texture of the laundry by measuring the third current value outputted in the reverse rotation step.

14. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the laundry treating apparatus further includes:

an outer tub accommodating the drum and storing water;

a water supply part configured to supply water to the outer tub; and

a water discharge part configured to discharge water in the outer tub;

the laundry state detecting step is performed before supplying water to the tub and after draining water from the tub.

15. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

further comprises:

an operation input step of receiving an input of an instruction for operating an arbitrary process or option to be driven by the driving section;

the laundry state detecting step is performed before the operation inputting step.

16. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

further comprises:

a power supply step in which a power supply unit for supplying power to the driving unit is input;

and if the power supply step is performed, performing the laundry state detection step.

17. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 16, wherein,

further comprises:

an opening/closing detecting step of detecting whether a door for opening/closing an opening of an outer tub or a cabinet accommodating the drum is opened/closed;

and if at least any one of the power supply step and the opening/closing detection step is performed, performing the laundry state detection step.

18. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 15, wherein,

the laundry state detecting step is additionally performed after the operation input step,

the rotational speed or the rotational angle of the drum in the rotating step performed before the operation input step is set to be greater than the rotational speed or the rotational angle of the drum in the rotating step performed after the operation input step.

19. A control method of a laundry treatment apparatus including a cabinet having an opening, a door opening and closing the opening, a drum accommodated in the cabinet and accommodating laundry, a driving part rotating the drum, a display part displaying the interior of the drum or a state of the driving part to the outside, and a power supply part supplying power to the driving part, the control method comprising:

a power supply step of supplying power to the driving section or the display section; and

a clothes state detecting step of detecting one or more of the weight and the material of the clothes;

the laundry amount detecting step includes:

a rotating step of rotating the drum; and

in the rotating step, the drum is rotated less than one turn;

if the power supplying step is performed, the laundry amount detecting step is performed.

20. The method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to claim 19, wherein,

comprising the following steps:

an operation input step of detecting an input of an operation unit that receives an input of a command to operate the driving unit;