KR20090087363A - Method for controlling laundry treatment machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A control method of a laundry treating device is provided to reduce the consumption of the electricity and washing water by determining the driving condition of a washing machine based on a plurality of operation parameters. A control method of a laundry treating device comprises follows. A first drive course or a second drive course is selected(S110). According to the selected drive course, the laundry is processed. A driving condition is determined by the first drive course based on the weight of the laundry put into within the tub(S136). The driving condition is determined by the second drive course based on a plurality of operation parameters including the weight of the laundry. A plurality of operation parameters comprises the weight of the laundry and the detergent amount supplied to the tub inside.

Description

Control method of laundry treatment device {Method for controlling laundry treatment machine}

The present invention relates to a control method of a laundry treatment apparatus, and more particularly, to a control method of a laundry treatment apparatus in which a user's satisfaction with washing quality of laundry is improved.

Conventionally, when laundry is put into a drum of a washing machine, the washing machine automatically sets the operating conditions based on the weight of the laundry. The operating conditions include washing time, washing water level, and the like. However, since the washing machine sets the operating conditions within a stable range in consideration of only the weight of the laundry, the washing water is wasted or the washing time is long. Moreover, there is a problem in that there is a residual detergent in the washed laundry, thereby increasing the dissatisfaction of the user.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling a laundry treatment apparatus in which a user's satisfaction with laundry quality of laundry is improved.

The present invention, at least one of the first driving course to determine the operating conditions by the weight of the laundry put into the tub and the second driving course to determine the driving conditions by a plurality of operating variables including at least the weight of the laundry. It provides a control method of the laundry treatment apparatus comprising the step of selecting a driving course, and processing the laundry according to the selected driving course.

In the present invention, the plurality of operating variables may include the weight of the laundry and the amount of detergent supplied into the tub. The selecting of the driving course may be performed independently from an operation signal input from a user. In this case, the selecting of the driving course may be automatically performed when the laundry is put in the tub.

Further, in the present invention, if one driving variable among the plurality of driving variables satisfies a setting range, the step of selecting the driving course may be independently performed from an operation signal input from a user. At this time, the one operation variable may be the weight of the laundry. In the selecting of the driving course, the driving course corresponding to the operation signal input from the user may be selected. In addition, the driving conditions of the second driving course may be determined using a fuzzy control method for the plurality of driving variables.

The control method of the laundry treatment apparatus may further include determining whether an operating parameter of the laundry treatment apparatus is out of a set range while the laundry is processed by selecting the second driving course. At this time, if the operating variable of the laundry treatment apparatus is out of the set range, the laundry is automatically switched to the first driving course to process the laundry, or the user is informed that the switch to the first driving course should be performed. Can inform the abnormality of the laundry treatment apparatus.

In the control method of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention, since the laundry can be treated in the first driving course or the second driving course in consideration of the weight of the laundry, the user's satisfaction with the washing quality of the laundry is improved. In addition, since the second driving course determines the driving condition based on the plurality of driving variables, it is possible to process the laundry considering various driving variables when selecting the second driving course.

In the present invention, the laundry treatment apparatus includes all devices capable of processing laundry, such as a washing machine, a dryer, and a dehydrator. Hereinafter, as an example of a laundry treatment machine, a drum type washing machine will be described in detail.

1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a drum washing machine 100 applied to a control method of a laundry treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the drum washing machine 100 includes a cabinet 110 defining an inner space. The cabinet 110 has a laundry inlet 112 for injecting / outgoing laundry into the drum 125 on its front surface. In addition, the door assembly 130 is rotatably disposed on the front of the cabinet 110 to open and close the laundry inlet 112.

The drum washing machine 100 is disposed in the interior space of the cabinet 110 by a spring and a damper so as to be buffered, the tub 120 accommodates the washing water, and the drum washing machine 100 is rotatably disposed inside the tub 120 to accommodate the laundry. The drum 125 is further included, and the driving device 145 is disposed behind the tub 120 to supply a rotational force to the drum (125). The drum 125 has a plurality of through-holes 127 through which the washing water passes, and on the inner side of the drum 125, lifters that lift the laundry during rotation of the drum 125 and then drop by gravity at a predetermined height. , 129 is disposed.

The drum washing machine 100 is disposed above the front of the cabinet 110 to display the operation of the drum washing machine 100, the control panel 117 for controlling the operation of the drum washing machine 100, and the tub 120. Drainage device (not shown) disposed in the lower portion of the tub 120 to drain the wash water contained in the tub 120 to the outside, and a water supply device disposed in the upper portion of the tub 120 to supply water to the inside of the tub 120 ( 140). The water supply device 140 includes a water supply bellows 141, a water supply hose 142, and a water supply valve 143, and a detergent supplying detergent by water supplied into the tub 120 on the water supply flow path. The feeder 149 is arranged.

The drum washing machine 100 further includes a gasket 115 disposed between the inlet of the drum 125 and the laundry inlet 112 of the cabinet 110. The gasket 115 mitigates the shock transmitted to the door assembly 130 when the drum 125 is rotated, and prevents the wash water in the tub 120 from leaking to the outside.

The drum washing machine 100 further includes an electrode sensor 150 for measuring the amount of residual detergent in the washing water stored in the tub 120. Washing water means a mixed solution of wash water and detergent. If no detergent is present, the wash water consists of only wash water. Detergents include both solid and liquid detergents. The electrode sensor 150 is disposed below the tub 120. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the electrode sensor 150 may be disposed at various positions. The electrode sensor 150 detects the conductivity of the washing water and measures the amount of residual detergent. In addition, the electrode sensor 150 measures the hardness of the wash water. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a separate sensor for measuring the hardness of the wash water may be installed. The temperature sensor 186 is installed to measure the temperature of the stored wash water or the wash water of the tub 120. In addition, the heater 187 is installed to increase the temperature of the stored wash water or the wash water of the tub 120.

2 is a block diagram showing the flow of the control signal of the drum washing machine 100. Referring to FIG. 2, the controller 160 is based on the information received from the weight sensor 183, the electrode sensor 150, and the input unit 184, the water supply device 140, the driving device 145, and the display unit. 182 and the audio output unit 181. The weight sensing unit 183 detects the weight of laundry loaded into the drum 125, and the input unit 184 receives an operation signal from a user. The manipulation signals may include power on / off, a washing course selection signal, an additional rinse, an additional dehydration signal, and the like. The voice output unit 181 acoustically displays driving information, and the display unit 182 visually displays driving information.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of the drum washing machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, the driving course selection signal of the user is received from the input unit (S110). When the user selects the first driving course (step S115), the weight of the laundry is detected (step S120). In the first driving course, the operating conditions are set according to the weight of the laundry. That is, the operating conditions are washing time, washing temperature, rinsing stroke time, rinsing dehydration time and the like. However, the user may change at least some of the driving conditions by inputting an operation signal using the input unit (step S123). Thereafter, the washing operation (step S125), the rinsing operation (step S127), and the dehydration operation (step S129) are performed according to the finally set operating conditions. As described above, since the laundry is simply processed in the first driving course, there is an advantage that the user can roughly predict the overall laundry processing time.

If the user selects the second driving course (step S115), the weight of the laundry is detected (step S130). In operation S135, an operation signal is detected from the user. Thereafter, washing operation is performed. In the washing operation, first, the washing water is supplied to the laundry (step S140), the hardness of the washing water is measured using the electrode sensor 150 (step S142), and the temperature of the washing water using the temperature sensor 186. Measure (S144 step). Then, the detergent is supplied into the tub (step S146) and the amount of detergent supplied using the conduction sensor 150 is measured (step S148). In the measurement of the detergent amount, since the electrode sensor 150 is sensitive to temperature, the heater 187 is turned off. At this time, the temperature measurement of the wash water may be performed during or after the detergent is supplied.

It is determined whether the supplied detergent amount is within a set range (S150). At this time, it may be determined whether the supplied detergent amount itself is within an appropriate range, but this determination step (S150) is to determine whether the electrode sensor 150 is malfunctioning. Since the electrode sensor 150 measures the amount of detergent using the electrical conductivity, the electrode sensor 150 may react sensitively according to the environment of the washing water in the tub 120. That is, when it is determined that the amount of detergent measured from the electrode sensor 150 exceeds the setting range, the user does not put too much detergent or too little detergent, but there is a high possibility of malfunction of the electrode sensor 150 itself. Therefore, the user is informed of the abnormality information of the electrode sensor 150 using the display unit 182 or the audio output unit 181 (step S152), and automatically switches to the first driving course, washing operation (step S125). , Rinsing operation (step S127) and dehydration operation (step S129).

If the measured amount of detergent is within the setting range (step S150), the operating conditions for the laundry operation are determined (step S151). 4 is a block diagram showing control logic related to the laundry operation. The controller 160 may determine driving conditions of the laundry operation using various logics. In this embodiment, the control unit 160 uses fuzzy logic. That is, the weight of the laundry, the amount of detergent supplied, the temperature of the wash water, the hardness of the wash water and the operation signal of the user as conditional variables, the driving pattern of the drum 125, the heating temperature of the wash water, washing The time of the stroke and the number of rinses during the wash stroke are the conclusion variables. The conclusion variable is determined using a membership function between the conditional variables and the conclusion variable. The conditional variables may use other operation variables in addition to the five operation variables.

5 is a block diagram illustrating control logic related to a rinse operation. The controller 160 determines operating conditions of the rinsing operation by using the purge logic. In this embodiment, the controller 160 uses fuzzy logic. That is, the weight of the laundry, the amount of detergent supplied, the operation signal of the user as a conditional variable, and concludes the level of washing water supplied, the rotational speed of the drum 125, a measure of the rinsing dehydration speed, rinsing dehydration time Are sub-variables. The conclusion variable is determined using a membership function between the conditional variables and the conclusion variable.

When the driving pattern of the drum 125, the heating temperature of the washing water, the time of the washing stroke, and the number of washing rinsing cycles are determined, a washing stroke of the laundry is performed accordingly (step S153). During the laundry stroke of the laundry, the laundry is washed using the washing water while rotating the drum 125. In addition, when the washing stroke is completed, the rinse dehydration stroke and the rinsing stroke are performed using the level of the wash water supplied, the rotational speed of the drum 125, and the rinse dehydration time (steps S154 and S156).

When the rinsing cycle is finished, the amount of residual detergent in the washing water is measured using the electrode sensor 150 (step S158). When the measured residual detergent amount is out of the setting range (step S160), the abnormality information of the electrode sensor 150 is notified to the outside using the display unit 182 or the voice output unit 181 (step S162). Then, the process is automatically switched to the first driving course to perform a rinsing operation (step S127) and a dehydration operation (step S129) of the first driving course.

If the measured residual detergent amount is within the setting range (step S160), it is determined whether an additional rinse stroke is necessary from the residual detergent amount, the weight of the laundry and the operation signal (step S164). If it is determined that the additional rinsing stroke is necessary (step S166), the operating conditions for further rinsing of the laundry are determined (step S168). The operating conditions include the washing water level in the tub 120, the rotational speed of the drum 125, dehydration time.

6 is a block diagram illustrating control logic related to further rinsing. The controller 160 may determine whether the additional rinsing stroke is necessary and operating conditions of the additional rinsing by using the purge logic. That is, the residual detergent amount, the weight of the laundry, and the operation signal are conditional variables, and whether the additional rinsing stroke is necessary, the level of the wash water, the rotational speed of the drum, and the dehydration time are determined as the final variable. do. The conclusion variable is determined using a membership function between the conditional variables and the conclusion variable. The conditional variables may use other operation variables in addition to the three operation variables. However, since the amount of detergent remaining in the laundry is an important variable in determining whether to further rinse the laundry, it is preferable to use operating variables directly related to the amount of detergent remaining in the laundry. That is, the amount of residual detergent received from the electrode sensor 150 and the weight of the laundry are important factors in determining the amount of detergent remaining in the laundry. In addition, the operation signal is an important factor since it is whether to forcibly perform additional rinsing or forcibly terminate the rinsing stroke itself. As described above, since only the residual detergent amount, the weight of the laundry, and the operation signal are used as the conditional variables, it is possible to simplify the purge control and to facilitate the setting of the membership function.

If it is determined that the additional rinsing stroke is necessary (step S166), and the level of the washing water, the rotational speed of the drum 125 and the dehydration time (step S168), the washing water in the tub 120 to the outside Perform an additional rinse dehydration stroke to dehydrate (step S170). In this case, the display unit 182 or the audio output unit 181 may be used to inform the outside of the additional rinsing step (step S172).

Thereafter, an additional rinse stroke is performed (step S172). That is, washing water is introduced into the tub 120 and the drum 125 is rotated to rinse the laundry. When the additional rinsing step (step S172) is completed, the total number of rinsing steps are accumulated (step S174). If the accumulated number of rinsing strokes is smaller than the set number (step S176), it is determined whether an additional rinsing stroke is necessary again (step S164). If the accumulated number of rinsing strokes is large, the rinsing power of the laundry may increase. However, if the accumulated number of rinsing strokes is excessively increased, washing time, washing water consumption and electricity consumption are increased, as well as the possibility of damage to the laundry increases. In order to prevent this, the number of times of the accumulated rinsing stroke is controlled to be smaller than a set value.

If it is determined that the additional rinse stroke is not necessary or the number of accumulated rinsing strokes is equal to or greater than the set number, the dehydration operation is performed (step S180). After the dehydration operation (step S180), a separate drying operation may be performed.

As described above, in the second driving course, the washing operation and the rinsing operation of the laundry are performed in consideration of the operating variables. Therefore, the amount of residual detergent of laundry can be reduced, and the amount of washing water and the amount of electricity used can be reduced.

7 and 8, there is shown a part of a flow chart showing a control method of the drum type washing machine 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals as in the above-described embodiment indicate the same control steps. In the following, description will be made mainly on points different from the above-described embodiment.

During the laundry operation, if the amount of detergent supplied measured by the electrode sensor 150 is out of the setting range (step S150), the display unit 182 or the audio output unit 181 is notified that the user should switch to the first driving course. Notify using (step S210). In addition, when receiving the driving course switch approval signal from the user (step S220), when the user approves the driving course switch (step S230), the process switches to the first driving course to wash the laundry (step S240). However, if the user is not approved to switch the driving course, the operation of the washing machine is terminated.

In addition, during the rinsing operation, if the residual detergent amount measured by the electrode sensor 150 is out of the setting range (step S160), the display unit 182 or the audio output unit 181 to the user to switch to the first driving course. Inform using (step S250). Then, when receiving the driving course switch approval signal from the user (step S260), if the user approves the driving course switch (step S270), the switch to the first driving course to perform the unrinsed rinse operation (step S280). Then, after the non-run rinsing operation, a dehydration operation is performed (step S290). However, if the user is not approved to switch the driving course, the operation of the washing machine is terminated.

As described above, instead of automatically switching from the second driving course to the first driving course, since the driving course is switched after receiving the user's approval, the driving option of the user is improved. In addition, the quality distrust of laundry that may occur due to the automatic driving course switching can be solved.

9, there is shown a flow chart showing a control method of the drum type washing machine 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals as in the above-described embodiment indicate the same control steps. In the following, description will be made mainly on points different from the above-described embodiment.

When the laundry is put, the weight of the laundry is sensed (step S310). Then, if the weight of the laundry is greater than the set weight (step S320), the laundry is processed in the first driving course (step S330). The first driving course may refer to the first driving courses of the above-described embodiments. However, if the weight of the laundry is less than the set weight (step S320), the laundry is processed in a second driving course (step S340). The second driving course may be referred to the second driving courses of the above-described embodiments.

As described above, since the first driving course or the second driving course is automatically selected by the weight of the laundry, the user's convenience is improved. In particular, when the weight of the laundry is small, since the laundry is treated using various operating variables in addition to the weight of the laundry, the consumption of the wash water and electricity can be reduced.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a drum washing machine applied to a control method of a laundry treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing the flow of a control signal of the drum washing machine shown in FIG.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a drum washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a block diagram illustrating control logic related to the laundry operation of FIG. 3.

5 is a block diagram illustrating control logic related to the rinsing of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating control logic related to further rinsing of FIG. 3.

7 is a partial flowchart illustrating a control method of a drum washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a partial flowchart illustrating a control method of a drum washing machine according to another embodiment of FIG. 7.

9 is a flow chart showing a control method of a drum washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

<Brief description of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

112: laundry inlet 115: gasket

117 control panel 120 tub

125: drum 127: through hole

129: lifter 130: door assembly

140: water supply device 141: water supply bellows

142: water supply hose 143: water supply valve

145: drive device 149: detergent supply device

160: control unit 181: voice output unit

182: display unit

Claims (12)

At least one driving course of the first driving course to determine the driving condition by the weight of the laundry put into the tub and the second driving course to determine the driving condition by a plurality of driving variables including the weight of the laundry at least Selecting; And And controlling the laundry according to the selected driving course. The method according to claim 1, The plurality of operating variables control method of a laundry treatment apparatus including the weight of the laundry and the amount of detergent supplied into the tub. The method according to claim 1, Selecting the driving course, the control method of the laundry treatment apparatus is performed independently from the operation signal input from the user. The method according to claim 1, If one operation variable among the plurality of operation variables satisfies a setting range, Selecting the driving course, the control method of the laundry treatment apparatus is performed independently from the operation signal input from the user. The method according to claim 4, The one operating variable is the weight of the laundry control method of the laundry treatment apparatus. The method according to claim 3, Selecting the driving course, the control method of the laundry treatment apparatus is automatically performed when the laundry is put into the tub. The method according to claim 1, In the step of selecting the driving course, the control method of the laundry treatment apparatus for selecting a driving course corresponding to the operation signal input from the user. The method according to claim 1, The control method of the laundry treatment apparatus for determining the operating conditions of the second driving course using the plurality of operating parameters in the purge control method. The method according to claim 1, Selecting the second driving course to process the laundry, The control method of the laundry treatment apparatus further comprises the step of determining whether the operating parameter of the laundry treatment apparatus is out of the set range. The method according to claim 9, And controlling the laundry by automatically switching to the first driving course when the operation parameter of the laundry treatment apparatus is out of the set range. The method according to claim 9, If the operating parameter of the laundry treatment apparatus is out of the set range, The control method of the laundry treatment apparatus further comprising the step of informing the user to switch to the first driving course. The method according to claim 9, If the operating parameter of the laundry treatment apparatus is out of the set range, The control method of the laundry treatment apparatus further comprising the step of informing the user of the abnormality information of the laundry treatment apparatus.

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