KR20190127438A - Laundry treating appratus and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a clothes treating apparatus comprises: a main body of forming an external appearance; a drum, in which an object to be dried is accommodated, provided in the main body to be able to rotate; a compressor of a heat pump configured to compress refrigerants when moisture is removed from heated air absorbed from the object to be dried so that air from which moisture is removed passes through a condenser to be thermally circulated into a drum; an air blowing fan configured to enable the heated air or the air from which moisture is removed to move; a converter configured to convert input power inputted from the outside and output the converted power to at least one among a first motor for rotating the drum, a second motor for driving the air blowing fan, and a third motor for driving the compressor; and a control unit configured to control a switching element of the converter using a pulse width modulation (PWM) method, wherein the control unit variable sets a switching period which is a period of generating a PWM signal for operating the converter. According to the present invention, the clothes treating apparatus has an effect of reducing generation of heat.

Description

Clothing treatment apparatus and its control method {LAUNDRY TREATING APPRATUS AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment apparatus having a plurality of inverters and converters, and performing a drying function, and a control method thereof.

The clothes treating apparatus which performs a drying function, in a state in which a drying object is put into the rotating drum, supplies hot air into the drum to remove moisture absorbed by the drying object. The hot air supplied into the drum is generated by combustion heat using electric resistance heat or gaseous fuel, or by a condenser constituting a heat pump cycle, and the generated hot air is supplied into the drum by a blowing fan.

In addition, the clothes treating apparatus that performs a drying function may be classified into a circulation dryer and an exhaust dryer according to a hot air supply method. First, the circulation dryer is a dryer in which heating and cooling are repeated while hot air supplied into the drum is circulated inside the dryer. The exhaust dryer is a dryer in which hot air supplied into the drying drum exits the drying drum and is discharged to the outside of the dryer.

Meanwhile, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2013-0101914 (published September 16, 2013, hereinafter "prior art") discloses a dryer having a drying mode selection means. Since the drum and the blowing fan included in the dryer disclosed in the prior document are connected to the same motor, the drum and the blowing fan are driven in synchronization with each other.

As described above, in the case of the dryer in which the drum and the blowing fan are connected to the same motor, the rotation control of the drum and the operation control of the blowing fan cannot be independently performed, thereby limiting the control method of the dryer.

In general, the control unit of the dryer is designed to drive a single motor connected to the drum and the blowing fan, and the compressor of the heat pump system, the problem of the dryer can not be solved by simply adding a separate motor.

In addition, as the number of motors installed in the dryer and the number of inverters supplying power to the motor increases, the amount of heat generated by the substrate constituting the control unit increases, which also impairs the operation stability of the clothes treating apparatus.

In recent years, consumers are demanding a larger capacity dryer, and in order to provide a dryer capable of meeting the above-mentioned problems and solving the above-described problems, research on a dryer having a plurality of motors has been conducted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a clothes treating apparatus and a control method thereof capable of maintaining stability while driving a drum and a blowing fan with separate motors.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a clothes treating apparatus and a control method thereof, which are equipped with a plurality of inverters and converters, which can stably cope with overload.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling a converter included in the clothes treating apparatus and a clothes treating apparatus for performing the method according to the operating state of the clothes treating apparatus.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a clothes treating apparatus and a method of controlling the same, which can prevent heat generation of the control unit even if the drying capacity is increased.

It is also an object of the present invention to prevent a phenomenon in which leakage current occurs in a control circuit of a clothes treating apparatus having a relatively large drying capacity.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a clothes treating apparatus and a control method thereof which perform converter operation control so as to minimize the leakage current of the control circuit.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a clothes treating apparatus and a control method thereof for performing a converter operation control in order to prevent a failure due to a sudden increase in power consumption or an overload according to the operating states of the compressor and the plurality of motors. .

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a clothes treating apparatus and a control method thereof, which are provided with a plurality of inverters and converters, and which can prevent a failure due to heat generation of the converter.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a clothes treating apparatus and a control method thereof capable of reducing heat generation of a converter when the converter and the compressor are installed in one housing or installed at a close distance from each other.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a clothes treating apparatus and a control method thereof that perform converter operation control that can reduce current noise of a clothes treating apparatus including a converter.

It is also an object of the present invention to reduce the operating error of the clothes treating apparatus by accurately measuring the current on the motor of the clothes treating apparatus having a plurality of inverters and converters.

In order to solve the above problems, the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention, from the main body to form the appearance, a drum to be accommodated, the drying object is installed rotatably inside the main body, and the heated air absorbed from the drying object When the moisture is removed, the compressor of the heat pump for compressing the refrigerant so that the dehumidified air passes through the condenser and is thermally circulated to the drum, a blower fan for generating a flow of the heated air or the air is dehumidified, A converter for converting input power inputted from the output and outputting the converted power to at least one of a first motor for rotating the drum, a second motor for driving the blowing fan, and a third motor for driving the compressor; The control unit for controlling the switching element of the pulse width modulation (Pulse Width Modulation, PWM) method, wherein the control unit Characterized in that the variably set the period of the switching cycle to generate the PWM signal for operating the converter group.

The control unit may generate a second PWM signal after the first PWM signal is generated, generate a third PWM signal after the second PWM signal is generated, and the first PWM signal may be generated. A first switching period that is an interval between the generated time point and the time when the second PWM signal is generated, and a second switching period that is an interval between when the second PWM signal is generated and the time point when the third PWM signal is generated It is characterized by setting differently.

The control unit may be configured to randomly select one switching period value and to set the selected switching period value as the second switching period within a predetermined period range in which the first switching period value is excluded. It features.

The control unit may set the second switching period by increasing or decreasing a predetermined value in the first switching period.

In one embodiment, the control unit randomly selects any one of a plurality of preset switching period values each time to generate any one PWM control signal, based on the selected switching period, the one of the PWM control And generate a PWM control signal after the signal is generated.

The control unit may randomly determine the switching period, but set the switching period such that the determined switching period is within a preset switching period range.

The control unit may detect the magnitude of the load applied to the first to third motors, and set the switching period range based on the magnitude of the detected load.

In one embodiment, the control unit selects a plurality of preset switching period values in a predetermined order each time to generate any one PWM control signal, based on the selected switching period, the one PWM control And generating a PWM control signal of the next order after the signal is generated.

In one embodiment, the control unit detects the magnitude of the load applied to the first to the third motor, and if the detected magnitude of the load is greater than or equal to a predetermined limit load value, and to fix the switching frequency to a predetermined frequency value Characterized in that the.

In one embodiment, the control unit detects the heating value of the converter, if the detected heating value is less than a predetermined threshold heating value, and maintains the switching period to one cycle value, the detected heating value exceeds the predetermined threshold heating value In this case, the switching period is variably set.

In one embodiment, further comprising a sensor unit for sensing the weight of the cloth accommodated in the drum, the control unit, if the weight of the cloth detected by the sensor unit exceeds a preset limit weight, the change width of the switching period It is characterized by increasing the.

In the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention, by setting the switching cycle of the converter variably, an effect of reducing the amount of heat can be derived.

In addition, the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention has an advantage of reducing the amplitude of noise by randomly setting the switching period of the converter.

In addition, the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention can reduce the electromagnetic interference (Electro Magnetic Interference, EMI) noise by varying the switching cycle of the converter.

1 is a perspective view of a laundry treatment apparatus having a drying function according to the present invention.
2A is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1.
Figure 2b is a conceptual diagram showing the lower region of the drum of the laundry treatment apparatus.
Figure 3a is a block diagram showing the components of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 3b is a circuit diagram showing a control circuit of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention.
4 is a graph showing a converter switching cycle of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 5 is a graph showing an embodiment of variably setting the converter switching cycle of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 6 is a graph showing another embodiment of variably setting the converter switching cycle of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention.
7 is a conceptual diagram showing a table composed of the converter switching cycle value of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention.
8 is a graph relating to a setting range associated with a converter switching cycle of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention.
9 is a graph showing EMI noise of a typical converter.
10 is a graph showing the EMI noise of the converter of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the clothing processing apparatus which concerns on this invention is demonstrated in detail with reference to drawings. In the present specification, different embodiments are given the same or similar reference numerals for the same or similar components, and description thereof is replaced with the first description. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

When a component is referred to herein as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to or connected to that other component, but other components may be present in between. It should be understood that it may. On the other hand, when a component is said to be "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there is no other component in between.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a clothes processing apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The cabinet 1010 forms an appearance of the clothes treating apparatus 1000. A plurality of metal plates constituting the front part, the rear part, the left and right side parts, the upper part and the lower part of the clothes processing apparatus 1000 are coupled to each other to form a cabinet 1010. The front opening 1011 is formed in the front portion of the cabinet 1010 so that the object to be processed may be introduced into the drum 1030.

The door 1020 is formed to open and close the front opening 1011. The door 1020 may be rotatably connected to the cabinet 1010 by a hinge 1021. The door 1020 may be formed of a partially transparent material. Therefore, even when the door 1020 is closed, the inside of the drum 1030 may be visually exposed through the transparent material.

The drum 1030 is rotatably installed in the cabinet 1010. The drum 1030 is formed in a cylindrical shape to accommodate the object to be treated. The drum 1030 is disposed so as to lie toward the front and rear direction of the clothes treating apparatus 1000 so as to receive the object to be treated through the front opening 1011. Unevenness may be formed along the circumference of the outer circumferential surface of the drum 1030.

The drum 1030 is formed with openings opened toward the front and the rear of the clothes processing apparatus 1000. The object to be treated may be introduced into the drum 1030 through the front opening. Hot dry air may be supplied into the drum 1030 through the rear opening.

The drum 1030 is rotatably supported by the front supporter 1040, the rear supporter 1050, and the roller 1060. The front supporter 1040 is disposed below the front of the drum 1030, and the rear supporter 1050 is disposed behind the drum 1030.

The roller 1060 may be installed at the front supporter 1040 and the rear supporter 1050, respectively. The roller 1060 is disposed directly below the drum 1030 and contacts the outer circumferential surface of the drum 1030. The roller 1060 is formed to be rotatable, and an elastic member such as rubber is coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the roller 1060. The roller 1060 is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the drum 1030.

Heat pump cycle devices 1100 may be installed below the drum 1030. Here, the lower side of the drum 1030 means a lower portion in the space between the outer circumferential surface of the drum 1030 and the inner circumferential surface of the cabinet 1010. The heat pump cycle devices 1100 refer to devices that constitute a cycle to sequentially evaporate-compress-condense-expand the refrigerant. Upon operation of the heat pump cycle apparatuses 1100, the air is hot dried while sequentially exchanging heat with the evaporator 1110 and the condenser 1130.

Inlet duct 1210 and outlet duct 1220 form a flow path for circulating hot dry air formed by heat pump cycle devices 1100 to drum 1030. The inlet duct 1210 is disposed at the rear of the drum 1030, and the air dried by the heat pump cycle devices 1100 is supplied to the drum 1030 through the inlet duct 1210. The outlet duct 1220 is disposed at the front lower side of the drum 1030, and the air that has dried the object to be processed is recovered again through the outlet duct 1220.

A base 1310 is installed below the heat pump cycle devices 1100. The base 1310 refers to a molded body that supports various components of the clothes treating apparatus 1000, including the heat pump cycle apparatuses 1100, from below.

The base cover 1320 is installed between the base 1310 and the drum 1030. The base cover 1320 is formed to cover the heat pump cycle devices 1100 mounted on the base 1310. When the side wall of the base 1310 and the base cover 1320 are combined, an air circulation flow path is formed. Some of the heat pump cycle devices 1100 are installed in the air circulation passage.

The bucket 1410 is disposed on the upper left side or the upper right side of the drum 1030. Here, the upper left or upper right side of the drum 1030 means the upper left or upper right portion in the space between the outer circumferential surface of the drum 1030 and the inner circumferential surface of the cabinet 1010. In FIG. 1, a bucket 1410 is shown disposed on the upper left side of the drum 1030. The water container 1410 collects condensate.

Condensed water is generated when the air that has dried the object to be treated is recovered through the outlet duct 1220 and heat exchanged with the evaporator 1110. More specifically, when the temperature of the air decreases due to heat exchange in the evaporator 1110, the amount of saturated water vapor that the air may contain decreases. Since the air recovered through the outlet duct 1220 contains moisture exceeding the amount of saturated water vapor, condensed water is inevitably generated.

The water pump 1440 (see FIG. 3) is installed in the clothes processing apparatus 1000. The water pump 1440 raises the condensate to the water tank 1410. The condensate is collected in the bucket 1410.

The bucket cover 1420 may be disposed at one corner of the front portion of the clothes processing apparatus 1000 to correspond to the position of the bucket 1410. The bucket cover 1420 is formed to be gripped by hand and is disposed on the front surface of the clothes processing apparatus 1000. When the bucket cover 1420 is pulled to empty the condensed water collected in the bucket 1410, the bucket 1410 is withdrawn from the bucket supporting frame 1430 together with the bucket cover 1420.

The bucket supporting frame 1430 is formed to support the bucket 1410 in the cabinet 1010. The bucket supporting frame 1430 extends along the insertion or withdrawal direction of the bucket 1410 to guide the insertion or withdrawal of the bucket 1410.

The input / output panel 1500 may be disposed beside the bucket cover 1420. The input / output panel 1500 may include an input unit 1510 for receiving a selection of a clothing processing course from a user, and an output unit 1520 for visually displaying an operating state of the clothing processing apparatus 1000. The input unit 1510 may be formed of a jog dial, but is not limited thereto. The output unit 1520 may be configured to visually display an operating state of the clothes processing apparatus 1000, and the clothes processing apparatus 1000 may include a separate configuration for an acoustic display in addition to the visual display.

The controller 1600 is configured to control the operation of the clothing processing apparatus 1000 based on a user's input applied through the input unit 1510. The controller 1600 may include a printed circuit board and elements mounted on the printed circuit board. When the user inputs a control command such as selecting a clothes processing course through the input unit 1510 or operating the clothes processing apparatus 1000, the controller 1600 controls the operation of the clothes processing apparatus 1000 according to a preset algorithm. do.

The printed circuit board constituting the controller 1600 and the elements mounted on the printed circuit board may be disposed on the upper left side or the upper right side of the drum 1030. In FIG. 1, the printed circuit board is disposed on the upper right side of the drum 1030 opposite to the water tank 1410 on the upper side of the drum 1030. The condensate is collected in the bucket 1410, the heat pump cycle devices 1100 and the ducts 1210, 1220 and 1230 contain moisture-flowing air and electrical products such as printed circuit boards and components. Given the vulnerability to water, the printed circuit board and the elements are preferably spaced away from the bucket 1410 or the heat pump cycle devices 1100 as far as possible.

Hereinafter, the drum 1030 and the air circulation passage will be described.

2A is a side view of the drum 1030 and the air circulation passage. In FIG. 2A, the left side corresponds to the front side F of the drum 1030, and the right side corresponds to the rear side R of the drum 1030.

In order to dry the clothes and the like (processing object) put into the drum 1030, the air is dried at high temperature and supplied to the drum 1030, and the air from which the clothes are dried is recovered again to remove moisture from the air. shall. In order to repeat this process in a condensation dryer, air must be continuously circulated through the drum 1030. The air is circulated through the drum 1030 and the air circulation passage.

The air circulation passage is formed by an inlet duct 1210, an outlet duct 1220, and a connecting duct 1230 disposed between the inlet duct 1210 and the outlet duct 1220. Each of the inlet duct 1210, the outlet duct 1220, and the connecting duct 1230 may be formed by combining a plurality of members.

The inlet duct 1210, the drum 1030, the outlet duct 1220 and the connecting duct 1230 are sequentially connected based on the flow of air, and the connecting duct 1230 is again connected to the inlet duct 1210 to waste oil. Form a closed flow path.

The inlet duct 1210 extends from the connecting duct 1230 to the rear side of the rear supporter 1050. The rear surface of the rear supporter 1050 refers to the surface facing the rear of the clothes processing apparatus 1000. Since the drum 1030 and the connecting duct 1230 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other along the vertical direction, the inlet duct 1210 is toward the rear of the drum 1030 from the connecting duct 1230 disposed below the drum 1030. It may have a structure extending in the vertical direction.

The inlet duct 1210 is coupled to the backside of the rear supporter 1050. Holes are formed in the rear surface of the rear supporter 1050. Therefore, the hot dry air is supplied from the inlet duct 1210 into the drum 1030 through the hole formed in the rear supporter 1050.

The outlet duct 1220 is disposed below the front supporter 1040. Since the front opening for injecting a treatment object should be formed in front of the drum 1030, the outlet duct 1220 is disposed below the front of the drum 1030.

Outlet duct 1220 extends from front supporter 1040 to connecting duct 1230. Like the inlet duct 1210, the outlet duct 1220 may extend vertically, but the length of the outlet duct 1220 extending in the vertical direction is shorter than that of the inlet duct 1210. Air dried in the drum 1030 is recovered to the connecting duct 1230 through the outlet duct 1220.

An evaporator 1110 and a condenser 1130 of the heat pump cycle devices 1100 are installed in the connection duct 1230. In addition, a circulation fan 1710 for supplying hot dry air to the inlet duct 1210 is also installed in the connection duct 1230. An evaporator 1110 is disposed upstream of the condenser 1130 based on the flow of air, and a circulation fan 1710 is disposed downstream of the condenser 1130. The circulation fan 1710 generates air in a direction of sucking air from the condenser 1130 and supplying the air to the inlet duct 1210.

Next, the components under the drum 1030 will be described.

2B is a perspective view of the base 1310 and components mounted to the base 1310.

The base 1310 is formed to support the mechanical elements of the garment treatment apparatus 1000, including the heat pump cycle devices 1100. The base 1310 forms a number of mounts 1313 for mounting of the mechanical elements. Mounting portion 1313 refers to an area provided for mounting of mechanical elements. Each mounting portion 1313 may be partitioned from each other by a step of the base 1310. Hereinafter, the components will be described in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the connection duct 1230.

Unlike the drum 1030 disposed at the center of the clothes processing apparatus 1000 in the left and right directions, the air circulation path is eccentrically disposed to the left or the right of the drum 1030. In FIG. 2B, the air circulation passage is illustrated as being disposed on the lower right side of the drum 1030. Eccentric arrangement of the air circulation passage is for efficient drying of the object to be treated and for efficient placement of the parts.

The inlet portion 1311 of the connecting duct 1230 is disposed below the outlet duct 1220 and is connected with the outlet duct 1220. The inlet portion 1311 of the connecting duct 1230 is formed with the outlet duct 1220 to guide the air in an inclined direction. For example, in FIG. 2B the inlet portion 1311 of the connecting duct 1230 narrows down. In particular, the left side surface of the inlet portion 1311 is formed to be inclined to the lower right side. If the air circulation passage is disposed on the lower left side of the drum 1030, the right side of the inlet portion 1311 will be inclined to the lower left side.

The evaporator 1110, the condenser 1130, and the circulation fan 1710 are sequentially disposed downstream of the inlet portion 1311 based on the flow of air. When the clothes processing apparatus 1000 is viewed from the front, the condenser 1130 is disposed behind the evaporator 1110, and the circulation fan 1710 is disposed behind the condenser 1130. The evaporator 1110, the condenser 1130 and the circulation fan 1710 are mounted to respective mounting portions 1313 provided in the base 1310.

The base cover 1320 may be installed on the evaporator 1110 and the condenser 1130. The base cover 1320 may be composed of a single member or a plurality of members. When the base cover 1320 is formed of a plurality of members, the base cover 1320 may include a front base cover 1321 and a rear base cover 1322.

The base cover 1320 is formed to cover the evaporator 1110 and the condenser 1130. The base cover 1320 may be coupled to a step or sidewall of the base 1310 formed on the left and right sides of the evaporator 1110 and the condenser 1130 to form a part of the connection duct 1230.

The circulation fan 1710 is surrounded by the base 1310 and the base cover 1320. An outlet portion 1312 of the connecting duct 1230 is formed above the circulation fan 1710. The outlet portion 1312 of the connecting duct 1230 is connected with the inlet duct 1210. The hot dry air formed by the heat pump cycle apparatuses 1100 is supplied to the drum 1030 through the inlet duct 1210.

A water pump 1440 is installed at one side of the condenser 1130 (or one side of the circulation fan 1710). The water pump 1440 is formed to transfer the condensed water collected to the mounting portion in which the water pump 1440 is installed.

The base 1310 is formed to drain the condensed water generated during the operation of the heat pump cycle devices 1100 to a mounting portion in which the water pump 1440 is installed. For example, the bottom surface of the mounting portion 1313 may be inclined to allow the condensate to flow to the mounting portion in which the water pump 1440 is installed, or the step height of the mounting portion in which the water pump 1440 is installed may be partially low.

By the structure of the base 1310, the condensed water collected by the mounting unit 1313 in which the water pump 1440 is installed may be transferred to the water tank 1410 by the water pump 1440. In addition, the condensed water may be transferred by the water pump 1440 and used to clean the evaporator 1110 or the condenser 1130.

One side of the water pump 1440 may be a compressor 1120 and a compressor cooling fan 1720 for cooling the compressor 1120. The compressor 1120 is an element constituting the heat pump cycle devices 1100, but does not need to be installed in the air circulation passage because it does not directly exchange heat with air. Rather, since the compressor 1120 may interfere with the flow of air if the compressor 1120 is installed in the air circulation passage, the compressor 1120 is preferably installed outside the air circulation passage as shown in FIG. 2B.

The compressor cooling fan 1720 generates wind toward the compressor 1120 or in the direction of sucking air from the compressor 1120. When the temperature of the compressor 1120 is lowered by the compressor cooling fan 1720, the compression efficiency is improved.

The gas-liquid separator 1140 is installed upstream of the compressor 1120 based on the flow of the refrigerant. The gas-liquid separator 1140 separates the gaseous phase and the liquid phase of the abnormal refrigerant introduced into the compressor 1120 so that only the gas phase flows into the compressor 1120. This is because the liquid phase causes a failure of the compressor 1120 and a decrease in efficiency.

The refrigerant is evaporated (liquid-> gas) while absorbing heat from the evaporator 1110, and the refrigerant is brought into the compressor 1120 at a low temperature and low pressure gas state. When the gas-liquid separator 1140 is installed upstream of the compressor 1120, the refrigerant may pass through the gas-liquid separator 1140 before entering the compressor 1120. In the compressor 1120, the refrigerant in the gas phase is compressed and flows to the condenser 1130 at a high temperature and high pressure. In the condenser 1130, the refrigerant liquefies while releasing heat. The liquefied high pressure refrigerant is depressurized in an expander (not shown). The low temperature low pressure liquid refrigerant enters the evaporator 1110.

The hot dry air is supplied to the drum 1030 through the inlet duct 1210 to dry the object to be treated. The hot dry air evaporates the moisture of the object to be treated and becomes hot and humid air. The high temperature and high humidity air is recovered through the outlet duct 1220, and receives the heat of the refrigerant through the evaporator 1110 to become low temperature air. As the temperature of the air decreases, the amount of saturated water vapor in the air decreases, and the steam contained in the air condenses. Subsequently, the low temperature dry air receives heat of the refrigerant through the evaporator 1110, and becomes the high temperature dry air and is supplied to the drum 1030 again.

Next, referring to FIG. 3A, the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention includes an input unit 310, an output unit 320, a communication unit 330, a detection unit 340, an inverter 350, a motor 360, and a converter ( 370, a control unit 380, a valve unit 391, a pump unit 392 and the auxiliary heater unit 393 may be included.

The input unit 310 may receive a control command related to an operation of the clothes treating apparatus from a user. The input unit 310 may be configured as a plurality of buttons or may be configured as a touch screen.

In detail, the input unit 310 may be formed as a control panel that receives a selection of an operation mode of the clothes processing apparatus or receives an input related to execution of the selected operation mode.

The output unit 320 may output information related to the operation of the clothes treating apparatus. The output unit 320 may include at least one display.

The information output by the output unit 320 may include information related to an operating state of the clothes treating apparatus. That is, the output unit 320 may output information related to at least one of the selected driving mode, whether a failure occurs, the driving completion time, and the amount of storage accommodated in the drum.

In one embodiment, the output unit 320 may be a touch screen integrally formed with the input unit 310.

The communication unit 330 may communicate with an external network. The communication unit 330 may receive a control command related to the operation of the clothes treating apparatus from an external network. For example, the communication unit 330 may receive an operation control command of the clothes processing apparatus sent from the external terminal through the external network. As a result, the user can remotely control the clothes treating apparatus.

In addition, the communication unit 330 may transmit information related to the operation result of the clothes treating apparatus to a predetermined server through an external network.

In addition, the communication unit 330 may communicate with other electronic devices in order to establish an Internet of Things (IOT) environment.

The sensor 340 may detect information related to the operation of the clothes treating apparatus.

In detail, the detector 340 may include at least one of a current sensor, a voltage sensor, a vibration sensor, a noise sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a pressure sensor, an infrared sensor, a visual sensor (camera sensor), and a temperature sensor.

In one example, the current sensor of the sensing unit 340 may detect a current flowing to one point of the control circuit of the clothing treatment apparatus.

In another example, the temperature sensor of the sensing unit 340 may detect the temperature in the drum.

As described above, the sensing unit 340 may include at least one of various types of sensors, and the type of sensor included in the clothes treating apparatus is not limited. In addition, the number or installation position of each sensor can also be variously designed according to the purpose.

The inverter 350 includes a plurality of inverter switches, converts the smoothed DC power supply (Vdc) into three-phase AC power supplies (va, vb, vc) of a predetermined frequency by outputting them to a motor. can do.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the clothes treating apparatus according to the present invention may include a plurality of inverters 351, 352, and 353, and each inverter may supply power to the plurality of motors 361, 362, and 363. have.

In FIG. 3A, the clothes treating apparatus includes three inverters 351, 352, and 353, and each inverter supplies power to three motors 361, 362, and 363. It is not limited to this.

In detail, the first inverter 351 may supply power to the first motor 361 that rotates the drum 301, and the second inverter 352 may rotate the second motor 362 that rotates the blower fan 302. ), And the third inverter 353 may supply power to the third motor 363 driving the compressor of the heat pump 303.

The rotating shaft of the first motor 361 and the rotating shaft of the drum 301 are connected by a belt (not shown), and the first motor 361 may transmit the rotating force to the drum 301 side through the belt.

The motor 360 may be a BLDC motor capable of speed control based on the speed command value, or may be a constant speed motor that does not perform speed control. In one example, the first motor for rotating the drum, the third motor for driving the compressor may be configured as a BLDC motor, the second motor for rotating the blowing fan may be configured as a constant speed motor.

Inverters 351, 352, and 353 each have a pair of upper arm switches Sa, Sb, Sc, and lower arm switches S'a, S'b, S'c connected in series with each other. The lower arm switches are connected in parallel with each other (Sa & S'a, Sb & S'b, Sc & S'c). Diodes are connected in anti-parallel to each of the switches Sa, S'a, Sb, S'b, Sc and S'c.

That is, the first upper arm switch Sa and the first lower arm switch S'a implement the first phase, and the second upper arm switch Sb and the second lower arm switch S'b implement the second phase. The third upper arm switch Sc and the third lower arm switch S'c may implement the third phase.

In an embodiment, the inverter 350 may include a shunt resistor corresponding to at least one of the first to third phases.

Specifically, a first shunt resistor may be connected to one end of the first lower arm switch S'a of the first switch pairs Sa and S'a, and similarly, to one end of the second lower arm switch S'b. The second shunt resistor may be connected, and a third shunt resistor may be connected to one end of the third lower arm switch S'c. The first to third shunt resistors are not essential components, and only some of the three shunt resistors may be provided as necessary.

In another embodiment, the inverter 350 may be connected to a common shunt resistor commonly connected to the first to third phases.

Meanwhile, the switches in the inverters 351, 352, and 353 perform on / off operations of the switches based on the inverter switching control signal generated by the controller 380. As a result, the three-phase AC power having a predetermined frequency is output to the motor 360.

The controller 380 may control the switching operation of the inverters 351, 352, and 353 based on the sensorless method. In detail, the controller 380 may control the switching operation of the inverter 350 using the motor phase current detected by the current sensor of the detector 340.

The controller 380 outputs an inverter switching control signal to the inverters 351, 352, 353 in order to control the switching operation of the inverters 351, 352, 353. Here, the inverter switching control signal is composed of a switching control signal of the pulse width modulation (PWM).

As shown in Figure 3a, the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of inverters. 3A, three motors 360 and three inverters 350 for driving the compressor of the drum 301, the blower fan 302, and the heat pump 303 are not limited thereto. For example, when the drum 301 and the blower fan 302 are driven by one motor and the compressor of the heat pump 303 is driven by another motor, two motors and two inverters may be used. It may also include.

As the number of inverters increases as the number of inverters increases, the present invention proposes a clothes treating apparatus having a converter 370.

The converter 370 converts commercial AC power into DC power and outputs the DC power. In more detail, the converter 370 may convert the single-phase AC power or the three-phase AC power into DC power to output the same. The internal structure of the converter 370 also varies according to the type of commercial AC power source.

On the other hand, the converter 370 may be made of a diode or the like without a switching element, and may perform rectification without a separate switching operation.

For example, in the case of single phase AC power, four diodes may be used in the form of a bridge, and in the case of three phase AC power, six diodes may be used in the form of a bridge.

On the other hand, the converter 370, for example, may be used a half-bridge converter is connected to two switching elements and four diodes, in the case of a three-phase AC power supply, six switching elements and six diodes may be used. .

When the converter 370 includes a switching element, the boosting operation, the power factor improvement, and the DC power conversion may be performed by the switching operation of the switching element.

The valve 391 may be disposed at one point of the flow path installed in the clothes treating apparatus to intercept the flow of the flow path. The pump unit 392 may provide a driving force for supplying gas or liquid to the flow path.

In addition, the auxiliary heater 393 may be installed separately from the heat pump to supply heat to the drum. The auxiliary heater unit 393 may heat air introduced into the drum.

The controller 380 may control the components included in the clothes treating apparatus.

First, the controller 380 may generate at least one of a power command value, a current command value, a voltage command value, and a speed command value corresponding to the motor 360 to control the rotation of the motor 360.

In detail, the controller 380 may calculate the power or the load of the motor 360 based on the output of the detector 340. In detail, the controller 380 may calculate the rotational speed of the motor by using the phase current value detected by the current sensor of the detector 340.

In addition, the controller 380 may generate a power command value corresponding to the motor, and calculate a difference between the generated power command value and the calculated power. In addition, the controller 380 may generate the speed command value of the motor based on the difference between the power command value and the calculated power.

 In addition, the controller 380 may calculate a difference between the speed command value of the motor and the calculated rotation speed of the motor. In this case, the controller 380 may generate a current command value applied to the motor based on the difference between the speed command value and the calculated rotation speed.

In an example, the controller 380 may generate at least one of a q-axis current command value and a d-axis current command value.

The controller 380 may convert the phase current of the stationary coordinate system or the phase current of the rotational coordinate system based on the phase current detected by the current sensor. The controller 380 may generate a voltage command value applied to the motor by using the converted phase current and the current command value.

By performing such a process, the controller 380 generates an inverter switching control signal according to the PWM method.

The controller 380 may adjust the duty ratio of the switch included in the inverter by using the inverter switching control signal.

In addition, the controller 380 may control at least one of a drum, a blowing fan, and a heat pump based on a control command input by the input unit 310.

In one example, the controller 380 may control the rotation pattern of the drum based on a user input applied to the input unit 310.

In another example, the controller 380 may control the rotational speed or the operation time of the blowing fan based on a user input applied to the input unit 310.

In another example, the controller 380 may control the output of the heat pump to adjust the temperature in the drum based on a user input applied to the input unit 310.

In the following Figure 3b is described a control circuit of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

The control circuit included in the clothes treating apparatus according to the present invention includes a converter 370, a dc terminal voltage detector B, a smoothing capacitor Vdc, a plurality of shunt resistors, a plurality of inverters 351, 352, and 353, a plurality of inverters. It may further include a diode (D, BD), the reactor (L) and the like.

The reactor L is disposed between the commercial AC power supply Vin and the converter 370 to perform power factor correction or step-up operation. In addition, the reactor L may perform a function of limiting harmonic currents due to the high speed switching of the converter 370.

The converter 370 converts the commercial AC power Vin passed through the reactor L into a DC power source and outputs the DC power. In the drawing, a commercial AC power source Vin is illustrated as a single phase AC power source, but may be a three phase AC power source.

The smoothing capacitor Vdc smoothes the input power and stores it. In the drawing, one device is illustrated as a smoothing capacitor Vdc, but a plurality of devices are provided, and device stability may be ensured. On the other hand, both ends of the smoothing capacitor (Vdc), because the DC power is stored, it may be referred to as a dc terminal or a dc link terminal.

The controller 380 may detect the input current is input from the commercial AC power supply 405 using the shunt resistor installed in the converter 370. In addition, the controller 380 may detect the phase current of the motor by using the shunt resistor Rin installed in the inverter 350.

Referring to FIG. 4, an embodiment of controlling the switching periods T1 and T2 of the converter 370 is shown.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the controller 380 may variably set a switching period, which is a period for generating a PWM signal for operating the converter.

The controller 380 according to the present invention generates the second PWM signal 402 after the first PWM signal 401 is generated, and after the second PWM signal 402 is generated, the third PWM signal 403. )

In addition, the controller 380 may include a first switching period T1, which is an interval between a time point at which the first PWM signal 401 is generated and a time point at which the second PWM signal 402 is generated, and a second PWM signal 402. The second switching period T2, which is an interval between the time at which) is generated and the time at which the third PWM signal 403 is generated, may be set differently.

5, an embodiment of randomly setting a switching period is shown.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the controller 380 may set a switching period by randomly selecting one of the switching period values within the predetermined range 500. The randomly selected switching period value is set to be smaller than the preset upper limit value R1 and greater than the lower limit value R2.

Although not shown in FIG. 5, when the switching period value is randomly selected, the controller 380 may prevent the first switching period T1 and the second switching period T2 from being set identically. The range 500 may be set to exclude the first switching period T1.

In another embodiment, whenever generating one of the PWM signals, the controller 380 may randomly select any one of a plurality of preset switching period values.

In addition, the controller 380 may generate the next PWM signal after generating any one PWM control signal based on the selected switching period value.

That is, the controller 380 may generate a PWM signal and set a switching period corresponding to the PWM signal to be generated next time.

Meanwhile, the controller 380 may randomly determine the switching period, but may set the switching period such that the determined switching period is included in a preset switching period range.

In FIG. 6, an embodiment of changing a switching period according to a predetermined pattern is illustrated.

Referring to FIG. 6, the controller 380 may change the switching period according to a predetermined pattern. That is, the controller 380 may set the second switching period T2 by increasing or decreasing a predetermined value in the first switching period T1.

For example, the controller 380 may set the first switching period to an average value of the upper limit value R2 and the lower limit value R1, and increase the second switching period to the upper limit value. In addition, the controller 380 may reduce the third switching period to the average value of the upper limit value R2 and the lower limit value R1, and reduce the fourth switching period to the lower limit value R1.

Referring to FIG. 7, an embodiment in which a switching period is set according to a predetermined order is illustrated.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the controller 380 may sequentially set the switching periods using the table information 700 in which the plurality of switching period values and the sequence numbers corresponding to the switching period values are matched.

In detail, the controller 380 may select any one of a plurality of preset switching period values according to a predetermined order every time one PWM signal is generated. Thereafter, the controller 380 may generate the next time PWM signal by using the selected switching period in a predetermined order.

8 illustrates an embodiment in which a setting range of a switching period is variably set.

As shown in FIG. 8, the controller 380 may be set differently according to the operating load of the clothes treating apparatus.

In an example, the controller 380 may detect the magnitude of the load applied to the first to third motors 361, 362, and 363, and set the switching cycle range based on the detected magnitude of the load. The controller 380 may detect the magnitude of the load applied to each motor by using at least one of a current flowing through each motor, a voltage applied to the motor, and a PWM signal corresponding to the motor.

In another example, the controller 380 may detect the magnitude of the load applied to the first to third motors 361, 362, and 363, and determine whether the detected load is greater than or equal to a preset limit load value. have.

When the magnitude of the detected load is greater than or equal to the preset limit load value, the controller 380 may fix the switching frequency to the preset frequency value. In this way, when the load abnormally increases, the fixed switching frequency can be used without setting the switching frequency variably.

The controller 380 may detect the amount of heat generated by the converter 370. In an example, the controller 380 may calculate the magnitude of energy generated by the converter 370 based on the magnitude of the current flowing through the converter 370.

In addition, the controller 380 may maintain the switching period at one cycle value when the detected amount of heat is less than or equal to a preset limit heat amount. That is, the controller 380 may control the converter 370 by using a fixed switching cycle when the sensed heat generation amount is less than or equal to the limit heat generation amount.

On the contrary, when the sensed heat generation amount exceeds the preset limit heat generation amount, the controller 380 may variably set the switching period by using any one of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 to 7.

Meanwhile, the controller 380 may increase or decrease the change width of the switching period based on the weight of the cloth accommodated in the drum.

In one embodiment, the controller 380 may increase the change width of the switching period when the weight of the fabric contained in the drum exceeds a predetermined limit weight.

In another embodiment, the controller 380 may increase the change width of the switching period as the weight of the cloth contained in the drum increases.

For reference, the controller 380 may detect the weight of the cloth accommodated in the drum by using the information detected by the detector 340. The controller 380 may rotate the drum in a predetermined pattern in order to sense the weight of the fabric, and in this case, the detector 340 may be a current flowing through a motor for rotating the drum or a voltage applied to the motor for rotating the drum. Can be detected.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential features of the present invention. Accordingly, the above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in all aspects and should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the invention should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the invention are included in the scope of the invention.

Claims (11)

A body forming an appearance;
A drum in which a drying object is accommodated and rotatably installed in the main body;
A compressor of the heat pump compressing the refrigerant so that the moisture is removed from the heated air absorbed from the drying object, and the air from which the moisture is removed passes through the condenser and is thermally circulated to the drum;
A blowing fan for generating a flow of the heated air or the dehumidified air;
A converter for converting input power input from the outside and outputting the converted power to at least one of a first motor for rotating the drum, a second motor for driving the blowing fan, and a third motor for driving the compressor; And
It includes a control unit for controlling the switching element of the converter in a pulse width modulation (Pulse Width Modulation, PWM) method,
The control unit,
And a switching period that is a period for generating a PWM signal for operating the converter. The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
After the first PWM signal is generated, generates a second PWM signal,
After the second PWM signal is generated, generates a third PWM signal,
A first switching period that is an interval between a time point at which the first PWM signal is generated and a time point at which the second PWM signal is generated;
And a second switching period which is an interval between the time point at which the second PWM signal is generated and the time point at which the third PWM signal is generated. The method of claim 2,
The control unit,
Clothes processing, characterized in that for a predetermined range, the first switching period value is excluded, randomly selects one switching period value, and sets the selected switching period value as the second switching period. Device. The method of claim 2,
The control unit,
And setting the second switching period by increasing or decreasing a predetermined value in the first switching period. The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
Each time one of the PWM control signals is generated, any one of a plurality of preset switching period values is randomly selected and based on the selected switching period, the one PWM control signal is generated and the next PWM control signal is generated. Clothing processing apparatus, characterized in that for generating. The method of claim 5,
The control unit,
And randomly determining the switching period, and setting the switching period such that the determined switching period is within a preset switching period range. The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
And detecting the magnitude of the load applied to the first to third motors, and setting the switching period range based on the magnitude of the detected load. The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
Each time one of the PWM control signals is generated, a plurality of preset switching period values are selected in a predetermined order and based on the selected switching period, the one PWM control signal is generated and the next order PWM control is generated. Clothing processing apparatus, characterized in that for generating a signal. The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
Detecting the magnitude of the load applied to the first to third motors, and if the detected magnitude of the load is greater than or equal to a preset limit load value, fixing the switching frequency to a preset frequency value Processing unit. The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
Detect the calorific value of the converter,
If the detected heating value is less than or equal to a preset limit heating value, the switching period is maintained at one cycle value,
And the switching period is variably set when the detected heat value exceeds a preset limit heat amount. The method of claim 1,
Further comprising a sensor for sensing the weight of the cloth accommodated in the drum,
The control unit,
And when the weight of the cloth sensed by the sensor portion exceeds a predetermined limit weight, increasing the change width of the switching cycle.

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