KR20210090415A - Laundry treating apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment of the present specifications, a control method of a laundry treating device, comprises: a first step of driving a motor to accelerate the rotational speed of a drum in which laundry is accommodated to correspond to a specific speed range; a second step of accelerating the rotational speed of the drum within the specific speed range; a third step of decelerating the rotational speed of the drum within the specific speed range; and a fourth step of decelerating the rotational speed of the drum to the specific speed range or less when a current value related to the motor corresponding to the second step and a current value related to the motor corresponding to the third step correspond to a specific condition. In accordance with an embodiment of the present specifications, the laundry amount can be detected without a significant change in the number of rotations of the drum while the laundry treating device performs dehydration and drying processes, such that the time required for the entire washing process can be reduced, and noise due to a change in the number of rotations can be reduced.

Description

Laundry treating apparatus and control method thereof

An embodiment of the present specification relates to a laundry treatment apparatus and a control method thereof. More particularly, it relates to a control method and apparatus for detecting the amount of laundry in a laundry treatment apparatus.

In general, there are washing machines and dryers as laundry treatment devices. A washing machine generally refers to a device that performs washing, rinsing, dehydrating, and drying processes to remove contamination of laundry (hereinafter, may be referred to as 'cloth') through water, detergent, and mechanical operations. In addition, the dryer is a device that removes moisture from the fabric by supplying hot air into the drum while the object to be dried is put into the rotating drum.

Meanwhile, the laundry treatment apparatus may determine the weight of the fabric through inertia estimation through rotation of the drum to detect the amount of laundry therein, and may perform a corresponding processing operation based on the checked weight of the fabric. In addition, the degree of dehydration can be checked by detecting the change in the weight of the fabric during the dehydration or drying process.

In order to detect such a laundry amount, the laundry amount detection may be performed by controlling the rotation of the drum. More specifically, the inertia torque sensed through the rotation of the drum may be estimated and the amount of laundry may be detected based on this.

Republic of Korea Patent KR10-1999700 (registered on Jul. 8, 2019) relates to a control method of a laundry treatment apparatus and discloses a method for detecting the amount of laundry in consideration of various cases during washing. However, since the patent is performed through a separate drum rotation for detecting the laundry amount at the same time as before the washing cycle and after the drain step, a time period for applying a separate rotation pattern for detecting the laundry amount is required. There is a problem in that the washing time increases in order to perform a process comprising a liver.

In addition, Korean Patent Laid-Open Patent KR10-2019-0057659 (published on May 29, 2019) relates to a control method for differentiating the drying process by detecting the amount of laundry in a dryer. It detects the amount of laundry before performing the drying mode and adjusts the motor speed according to the detected amount of laundry. It has the characteristic of determining and performing the drying mode accordingly. As described above, a separate sensing section is provided for detecting the amount of laundry, and there is a problem in that the drying time is increased.

As described above, there is a problem in that a separate procedure for detecting the amount of laundry is required for the detection of the amount of laundry in the laundry treatment apparatus such as a washing machine and a dryer, and thus additional time is unavoidable.

An embodiment of the present specification has been proposed to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present specification is to provide a method for detecting a laundry amount and a laundry treatment apparatus using the same. More specifically, a control method capable of performing a laundry weight detection while performing a dehydration process or a drying process while maintaining the rotational speed range of a drum performing the process without a separate procedure for detecting the laundry weight, and a laundry treatment apparatus using the same aim to do

Another object of the present specification is to provide a method and apparatus capable of performing laundry weight detection while maintaining the rotational speed range of the drum corresponding to the process.

In order to achieve the above object, the control method of the laundry treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present specification includes a first step of driving a motor to accelerate the rotational speed of the drum in which the laundry is accommodated to correspond to a specific speed range; a second step of accelerating the rotational speed of the drum within the specific speed range; a third step of decelerating the rotational speed of the drum within the specific speed range; and when the current value related to the motor corresponding to the second step and the current value related to the motor corresponding to the third step correspond to a specific condition, decelerating the rotation speed of the drum to below the specific speed range including the fourth step.

Laundry processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present specification includes a motor; a drum accommodating the laundry and rotating according to the driving of the motor; and a first step of accelerating the rotation speed of the drum containing the laundry to correspond to a specific speed range, a second step of accelerating the rotation speed of the drum within the specific speed range, and rotation of the drum within the specific speed range When the current value associated with the motor corresponding to the third step and the second step of decelerating the speed and the current value associated with the motor corresponding to the third step correspond to a specific condition, the rotation speed of the drum is and a control unit for controlling the rotation of the motor so that a fourth step of decelerating to a specific speed range or less is performed.

According to the embodiment of the present specification, the laundry amount detection can be performed without a significant change in the rotational speed of the drum while performing the dehydration and drying processes in the laundry treatment apparatus, thereby reducing the time required for the entire washing process. Noise due to number change can be reduced.

In addition, by providing a method for measuring the amount of laundry while minimizing the effect on the processing time or performance of the laundry treatment process, laundry weight detection can be performed more frequently, and laundry treatment is performed by determining the operation method of the corresponding process based on this can be improved.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present specification.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the washing machine of FIG. 1 .
3 is a block diagram illustrating a motor control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present specification.
4 is a flowchart for explaining a washing process according to an embodiment of the present specification.
5 is a flowchart for explaining a dehydration process according to an embodiment of the present specification.
6 is a flowchart for explaining a method of controlling drum rotation according to an embodiment of the present specification.
7 is a view for explaining a rotation pattern of the drum according to an embodiment of the present specification.
8 is a view for explaining a rotation pattern of the drum according to another embodiment of the present specification.
9 is a diagram illustrating a command value and an actual rotation speed value of a control signal for controlling a motor according to an embodiment of the present specification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In describing the embodiments, descriptions of technical contents that are well known in the technical field to which the present invention pertains and are not directly related to the present invention will be omitted. This is to more clearly convey the gist of the present invention without obscuring the gist of the present invention by omitting unnecessary description.

For the same reason, some components are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In addition, the size of each component does not fully reflect the actual size. In each figure, the same or corresponding elements are assigned the same reference numerals.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and a method for achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and common knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to fully inform the possessor of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

At this time, it will be understood that each block of the flowchart diagrams and combinations of the flowchart diagrams may be performed by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be embodied in a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, such that the instructions performed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment are not described in the flowchart block(s). It creates a means to perform functions. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-usable or computer-readable memory that may direct a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement a function in a particular manner, and thus the computer-usable or computer-readable memory. It is also possible that the instructions stored in the flow chart block(s) produce an article of manufacture containing instruction means for performing the function described in the flowchart block(s). The computer program instructions may also be mounted on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment, such that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer or other programmable data processing equipment to create a computer-executed process to create a computer or other programmable data processing equipment. It is also possible that instructions for performing the processing equipment provide steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s).

Additionally, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for executing specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations it is also possible for the functions recited in blocks to occur out of order. For example, two blocks shown one after another may in fact be performed substantially simultaneously, or it is possible that the blocks are sometimes performed in the reverse order according to the corresponding function.

At this time, the term '~ unit' used in this embodiment means software or hardware components such as FPGA or ASIC, and '~ unit' performs certain roles. However, '-part' is not limited to software or hardware. The '~ unit' may be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium or may be configured to refresh one or more processors. Thus, as an example, '~' denotes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, and processes, functions, properties, and procedures. , subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions provided in the components and '~ units' may be combined into a smaller number of components and '~ units' or further separated into additional components and '~ units'. In addition, components and '~ units' may be implemented to play one or more CPUs in a device or secure multimedia card.

1 is a perspective view of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the washing machine of FIG. 1 .

1 and 2 , the washing machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present specification includes a cabinet 111 forming an exterior, a door 112 that opens and closes one side of the cabinet so that a cloth enters and exits the cabinet, and the interior of the cabinet A tub 122 disposed in and supported by a cabinet, a drum 124 disposed inside the tub and rotating with a cloth inserted therein, a motor 113 rotating by applying a torque to the drum, and a detergent box containing detergent 133, and a control panel 114 that receives a user input and displays a washing machine state.

The cabinet 111 is formed with a cloth entry hole 120 to allow entry and exit of the cloth. A door 112 is rotatably coupled to the cabinet 111 to enable opening and closing of the fore access hole 120 . The cabinet 111 is provided with a control panel 114 . The cabinet 111 is provided with a detergent box 133 to be withdrawn.

The tub 122 is disposed so as to be buffered by the spring 115 and the damper 117 inside the cabinet 111 . The tub 122 accommodates washing water. A drum 124 is disposed inside the tub 122 .

The drum 124 rotates while receiving the cloth. The drum 124 is formed with a plurality of through-holes through which washing water passes. A lifter 125 may be disposed on the inner wall of the drum 124 to lift the cloth to a predetermined height when the drum rotates. The drum rotates by receiving rotational force by the motor 113 .

The balancer 126 is provided around the drum 124 to adjust the center of gravity of the drum when the fabric is eccentric. When the drum is rotated due to the eccentricity of the fabric, vibration and noise are generated due to unbalance in which the geometric center of the rotation axis of the drum 124 itself and the actual center of gravity do not match. The balancer 126 reduces the unbalance of the drum 124 by bringing the actual center of gravity of the drum 124 closer to the center of rotation.

The balancer 126 may be provided on the front side and/or the rear side of the drum 124 , and in this embodiment, the balancer 126 is provided on the front side of the drum 124 . When the drum 124 rotates, the cloth accommodated in the drum 124 is generally gathered on the inside, that is, on the rear side of the drum 124 , so in order to balance the cloth gathered on the rear side of the drum 124 , the balancer 126 is It is preferable to be provided on the front side of the drum (124).

The balancer 126 includes a material having a predetermined weight therein so that the center of gravity variably moves, and is configured to include a path through which the material is movable in the circumferential direction. The balancer 126 distributes the inner material so that it moves to the opposite side to the center of gravity of the fabric so that the center of gravity of the drum 124 approaches the center of rotation.

The balancer 126 may be formed of a liquid balancer containing a liquid having a predetermined weight therein or a ball balancer including a ball having a predetermined weight. In this embodiment, the balancer 126 includes a filling fluid together with the ball.

The gasket 128 seals between the tub 122 and the cabinet 111 . The gasket 128 is disposed between the inlet of the tub 122 and the fore access hole 120 . The gasket 128 mitigates the impact transmitted to the door 112 when the drum 124 rotates, and at the same time prevents the washing water in the tub 122 from leaking to the outside. The gasket 128 may be provided with a circulation nozzle 127 for introducing wash water into the drum 124 .

The motor 113 rotates the drum 124 . The motor 113 may rotate the drum 124 at various speeds or directions. The motor 113 includes a stator 113a in which a coil is wound, and a rotor 113b that rotates by generating electromagnetic interaction with the coil.

The stator 113a is provided with a plurality of wound coils. The rotor 113b is provided with a plurality of magnets for generating electromagnetic interaction with the coil. The rotor 113b rotates by electromagnetic interaction between the coil and the magnet, and the rotational force of the rotor is transmitted to the drum 124 to rotate the drum.

The motor 113 is provided with a hall sensor 113c for measuring the position of the rotor 113b. The hall sensor 113c generates an on/off signal by rotation of the rotor 113b. The speed and position of the rotor 113b are estimated through the on/off signal generated by the Hall sensor 113c.

The detergent box 133 accommodates detergents such as laundry detergent, fabric softener, or bleach. It is preferable that the detergent box 133 is provided on the front of the cabinet 111 to be withdrawn. The detergent in the detergent box 133 is mixed with the washing water when the washing water is supplied and introduced into the tub 122 .

Inside the cabinet 111 , there is a water supply valve 131 for controlling the inflow of wash water from an external water source, a water supply passage 132 through which the wash water flowing into the water supply valve flows into the detergent box 133 , and the detergent box 133 . It is preferable that a water supply pipe 134 through which washing water mixed with detergent flows into the tub 122 is provided.

Inside the cabinet 111, a drain pipe 135 through which the wash water in the tub 122 flows out, a pump 136 through which the wash water in the tub flows out, a circulation passage 137 through which the wash water circulates, and the wash water in a drum ( 124), it is preferable that a circulation nozzle 127 flowing into the inside and a drain passage 138 through which the wash water is drained to the outside are provided. According to an embodiment, the pump 136 is provided as a circulation pump and a drain pump, and may be connected to the circulation passage 137 and the drain passage 138 , respectively.

The control panel 114 includes an input unit 114b for receiving various operation commands such as selection of a washing course or operation time and reservation for each process through the user, and a display unit 114a for displaying the operating state of the washing machine 100 . can be provided.

The operation of the washing machine according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows.

After the user opens the door 112 and inserts the cloth into the drum 124 , the washing machine is operated by manipulating the control panel 114 . When the washing machine is operated, a washing process in which the cloth is wetted with laundry water mixed with laundry detergent and then the drum 124 is rotated to remove contamination from the cloth, and the drum 124 after soaking the cloth with wash water mixed with a fabric softener. A rinsing process of removing the residual laundry detergent from the fabric by rotating the , and a dehydration process of dehydrating the fabric by rotating the drum 124 at a high speed are sequentially performed. In each process, water supply, washing, rinsing, draining, dehydration and drying are performed.

The dewatering is performed by rotating the drum 124 at high speed so that the wash water soaked in the cloth is discharged, and is performed during the washing process, the rinsing process, and the dehydration process. Since the drum 124 is rotated at 400 rpm or more during dehydration, and at most about 1000 rpm, when the unbalance of the drum 124 is large, vibration and noise are greatly generated. In addition, in the embodiment, when performing the dehydration process, the drum 124 may rotate within a speed range of 560 to 640 rpm, and the wash water soaked in the cloth may escape to the outside by the centrifugal force generated through such rotation. have. The dewatering process can also allow wash water to drain while maintaining a certain speed range.

Therefore, when dehydration is started, the rotational speed of the motor 113 is maintained constant to measure the degree of unbalance of the drum 124 , and the motor 113 is accelerated when the balancer 126 is in an appropriate position. That is, the motor 113 is accelerated by determining an appropriate acceleration time according to the degree of unbalance of the drum. The rotational speed for measuring the degree of unbalance of the drum 124 may be 108 rpm, which is the maximum speed at which the carriage rotates attached to the drum 124 and does not significantly generate noise and vibration, but is not limited thereto.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a motor control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present specification.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the motor control device according to an embodiment of the present specification includes a motor control unit 230 , a PWM calculating unit 240 , an inverter 250 , a current sensing unit 260 , and an unbalance sensing unit. (270).

The motor control unit 230 controls power input to the motor 113 . The motor control unit 230 includes a voltage control unit 239 , a speed/position detection unit 231 , a speed control unit 233 , a current control unit 235 , and a coordinate conversion unit 237 .

The voltage control unit 239 outputs a command voltage value for the command speed. The voltage control unit 239 stores a command voltage value for each command speed experimentally obtained. It is preferable that the voltage control unit 239 stores the command voltage value for the command speed for each rotation direction of the drum 124 . Also, the voltage controller 239 may store each command voltage value for the command speed according to the amount of laundry accommodated in the drum 124 .

The voltage control unit 239 stores the d-axis command voltage value and the q-axis command voltage value on the dq-axis rotational coordinate system defined by the d-axis parallel to the magnetic flux direction and the q-axis perpendicular to the magnetic flux direction of the permanent magnet, and the command speed is When requested, the d-axis command voltage value and the q-axis command voltage value are output to the coordinate conversion unit 237 . As will be described later, the voltage control unit 239 may newly store the command voltage value for the command speed and output the newly stored command voltage value when the same command speed is input.

The coordinate conversion unit 237 converts the d-q-axis rotational coordinate system and the uvw fixed coordinate system to each other. The coordinate conversion unit 237 converts the command voltage value input to the d-q axis rotation coordinate system into a three-phase command voltage value. In addition, the coordinate conversion unit 237 converts the current current in the fixed coordinate system sensed by the current sensing unit 260, which will be described later, into the d-q-axis rotational coordinate system. The coordinate conversion unit 237 receives the position θ of the rotor 113b detected by the speed/position detection unit 231, which will be described later, and transforms the coordinate system.

The PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) operation unit 240 receives the uvw fixed coordinate system signal output from the motor control unit 230 and generates a PWM signal. The inverter 250 receives the PWM signal from the PWM operation unit 240 and directly controls the power input to the motor 113 . The current sensing unit 260 senses the current output from the inverter 250 . According to an embodiment, the PWM calculating unit 240 may be included in the inverter 250 .

The speed/position detection unit 231 detects the rotational speed and position of the rotor 113b of the motor 113 . The speed/position detection unit 231 detects the rotational speed and position of the rotor 113b based on the position of the rotor 113b sensed by the Hall sensor 113c. According to an embodiment, the speed/position detection unit 231 may detect the rotation speed of the motor 113 through the current sensed by the current detection unit 260 .

The speed control unit 233 controls the rotation speed of the rotor 113b detected by the speed/position detection unit 231 in proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control so that the rotation speed follows the command speed on the d-axis rotation coordinate system on the dq-axis rotation coordinate system. The command current value and the q-axis command current value are generated respectively. When the rotation speed of the rotor 113b detected by the speed/position detection unit 231 is maintained with a slight fluctuation, the speed control unit 233 compares the average value of the changed values with the command speed.

The current control unit 235 generates a d-axis command voltage value and a q-axis command voltage value by proportional-integration-differential (PID) control of the current current detected by the current sensing unit 260 .

The unbalance detection unit 270 measures the degree of unbalance of the drum 124 through the rotation speed of the rotor 113b detected by the speed/position detection unit 231 . The unbalance detection unit 270 measures the degree of unbalance of the drum 124 by measuring the amount of change in the rotational speed of the rotor 113b.

When the drum 124 is rotated at a constant speed, if the drum 124 is unbalanced, the rotational speed of the rotor 113b has a slight fluctuation, and the unbalance detection unit 270 is the rotor 113b. The degree of unbalance is measured through the amount of change in the rotational speed of The unbalance detection unit 270 measures the degree of unbalance as a difference between the change amount of the rotational speed of the rotor 113b and the pre-stored reference speed change amount. The amount of change in the reference speed is stored differently depending on the weight. Since the difference between the change amount of the rotation speed of the rotor 113b and the reference speed change amount changes with time, the unbalance detection unit 270 determines the difference between the change amount of the rotation speed of the rotor 113b and the reference speed change amount. The average of the maximum and minimum values is calculated as an unbalanced value.

When the unbalance detection unit 270 measures the degree of unbalance, the drum 124 rotates while attached to the carriage drum and preferably rotates at a maximum speed at which noise and vibration do not occur significantly, and in this embodiment, the drum 124 ) rotates at 108 rpm.

The laundry amount sensing unit 280 includes the motor 113 driving the drum 124, and the cloth accommodated in the drum 124 based on the current applied to the motor 113 in at least one of the acceleration and deceleration phases of the drum's rotation. can be calculated for the For example, when the rotation of the drum is accelerated or decelerated, the amount of laundry contained in the drum may be calculated based on the motor torque that is checked based on the current. When the drum rotates by driving the motor, various forces are applied to the drum into which the laundry is loaded. When the drum rotates, motor torque, inertia torque, friction torque, and load torque act on the drum. Meanwhile, while the drum rotates, at an angle θm, the force acting on the laundry is as follows. This is the force acting when the drum moves by an angle θm from a standstill.

Since the motor torque is a force required to operate the motor, the inertia torque, friction torque, and load torque appear as the summed value. More specifically, the motor torque Te for rotation of the motor is expressed by the following equation.

[Equation 1]

In the above equation, Jm is the coefficient of inertia ωm is the angular speed of the motor, Bm is the friction coefficient of the laundry, TL is the load torque, P is the power supplied to the motor, Ke is the torque constant, and iqe is the torque current supplied to the motor do.

은 관성토크,

은 마찰토크,

은 부하토크에 대응한다. 실시 예에서 마찰 토크부분은 세탁물의 종류에 따라 편차가 발생할 수 있기 때문에 정확한 측정을 위해서는 해당 부분에 대한 보상이 필요하다. Looking at the components of the above torque Te

is the inertia torque,

is the friction torque,

corresponds to the load torque. In an embodiment, since the friction torque part may have a deviation depending on the type of laundry, compensation for the corresponding part is required for accurate measurement.

Motor torque is the value multiplied by the radius of the drum by the force to lift the laundry. Inertia torque is a force of inertia acting on the drum or according to the distribution of laundry when accelerating or decelerating during a rotational operation, and acts as a force that interferes with the rotational operation. At this time, the inertia torque is proportional to the square of the mass and the radius of the drum. Friction torque is a frictional force acting between the laundry and the tub, between the laundry and the door, and between the drive belt and the drum, so it is proportional to the rotational speed. The friction torque can be calculated as the product of the friction coefficient and the rotation speed. The load torque is the gravity acting according to the distribution of laundry when starting, and can be calculated from the weight of the laundry, the gravitational acceleration, the radius of the drum, and the angle.

More specifically, the motor torque is a force applied to rotate the motor connected to the drum, and the inertia torque is a force interrupted by inertia to maintain the existing state of motion (rotation) during rotation, when accelerating or decelerating, Friction torque is a force that prevents rotation due to friction between drum and laundry, door and laundry, or friction between the drive belt and drum, and load torque is a force that prevents rotation due to the weight of laundry.

The controller 230 may measure iqe to estimate the torque Te. Accordingly, a change in the weight of the laundry may be detected based on the measured torque value, and the laundry weight may be sensed based on the detected weight change. Accordingly, the control unit 230 may measure the provisional current and the holding current value based on the torque constant, determine the torque value based on this, and detect the laundry amount based on the determined torque value. Meanwhile, in relation to the measured current value, the influence of the torque constant Ke must be considered, and the effect of Ke can be considered by compensating for the dispersion of the motor back EMF by compensating the current in the holding section from the current in the acceleration section. More specifically, the load related to the rotation of the motor may be expressed as "acceleration section current average - holding section current average/2".

At a predetermined angle (θm), the force acting on the laundry is a force due to gravity, but since the drum is rotating, it can be calculated as a value obtained by multiplying gravity by sin(θm). The force due to gravity is determined by the acceleration due to gravity and the radius and mass of the drum.

As the drum rotates, the motor torque, the inertia torque, the friction torque, and the load torque act simultaneously, and the components of these forces are reflected in the current value of the motor. calculate the amount

In the case of motor torque, there is a problem in that the effect of gravity due to weight is large, and when the laundry weighs more than a certain weight, the resolution according to the measurement is lowered. That is, when the weight of the laundry increases by more than a specific value, as the weight of the laundry increases, the measurement error of the weight may increase.

Since friction torque between the laundry and the door, and the change in value when the laundry is caught in the door, increase, the spread (dispersion) according to the type of laundry may increase. In particular, when the amount of laundry increases, friction The dispersion of torque is greatly increased.

The load torque has a deviation in its value due to the movement of the laundry. In addition, in the case of the load torque, when the weight of the laundry exceeds a certain size, the movement of the laundry decreases, and thus, a reverse phenomenon in which the load torque decreases may occur.

On the other hand, although the inertia torque is affected by the flow of laundry, it shows linearity with respect to the amount (weight) of the laundry, so the amount of laundry can be measured more accurately, and the weight of the laundry can be more accurately measured through the estimation of the inertia torque. can be measured

At this time, since the inertia torque is a force to be maintained, it acts during acceleration or deceleration. That is, the inertia torque acts in the acceleration section and the deceleration section, but when the rotation speed is kept constant, the inertia torque does not act, and the motor torque, friction torque, and load torque by gravity act.

Therefore, the characteristic of the inertia torque can be calculated by excluding the data of the maintenance section from the data of the acceleration section. The inertia can be calculated by subtracting the current value of the sustain section from the current value of the acceleration section and the current value of the deceleration section, dividing the speed change per hour, that is, the acceleration, and multiplying the counter electromotive force.

Therefore, the control unit 230 analyzes the force acting on the acceleration section, the deceleration section, and the maintenance section to determine the amount of laundry based on the inertia torque, and also calculates the force of gravity according to the amount of laundry in the maintenance section. . In the maintenance section, the inertia characteristic is minimized, and in the acceleration section and the deceleration section, the inertia is large, so the amount of the final laundry can be determined by calculating the laundry weight detection value based on different data and comparing them with each other.

In addition, since the control unit 230 calculates the amount of laundry by measuring the current value during the motor rotation operation, it is possible to exclude an error due to the position alignment of the motor during startup, and also to change the load state through the maintenance section, that is, laundry As the flow does not flow irregularly, but flows in a constant state, it is possible to minimize an error due to a change in load.

In an embodiment, the controller 230 may rotate in the same pattern every 10 seconds. One pattern may include at least one of an acceleration section, a deceleration section, and a maintenance section, and at least one of the amount and weight of laundry may be estimated based on the inertia torque derived from the corresponding section.

On the other hand, in the embodiment, there may be an acceleration section and a deceleration section in relation to the drum rotation, the rotation speed of the drum may increase in the acceleration section, and the rotation speed of the drum may decrease in the deceleration section. When the speed changes in the acceleration section and the deceleration section correspond to each other, the inertia torque can be estimated based on the difference in the corresponding rotation torque.

More specifically, the motor torque TACC in the acceleration section is as follows.

[Equation 2]

The motor torque TDEC in the deceleration section is as follows

[Equation 3]

At this time, when the degree of angular velocity change in the acceleration section and the deceleration section correspond to each other, the inertia torque can be estimated in the following way.

[Equation 3]

In this way, when the motor rotation is controlled in the acceleration section and the deceleration section of the slope corresponding to each other, the pure inertia torque can be measured with the sample deviation and the like removed. Meanwhile, in an embodiment, the controller may estimate the inertia torque based on current values corresponding to the acceleration section and the deceleration section based on the above relationship.

4 is a flowchart for explaining a washing process according to an embodiment of the present specification.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a method of performing a washing process in a washing machine is illustrated.

In step 405, the control unit may receive laundry process related setting information. In an embodiment, the setting information may be received based on a user input, and the washing process related setting information may be checked based on information preset in the washing machine and the user input. In an embodiment, the setting information may include at least one of information about the number and intensity of each of the washing process, the rinsing process, the dehydration process, and the drying process.

In step 410, the controller may drive a motor to perform the washing process. The controller may control to drive at least one of the motors included in the washing machine throughout the washing process, and the drum may rotate according to the driving of the motor. Also, in an embodiment, the controller may adjust the rotation of the motor in a manner corresponding to each process.

In operation 415, the controller may perform a washing process. The washing process may be performed to wash the laundry inside the drum using water and detergent.

In operation 420, the controller may perform a rinsing process. The rinsing process may be performed to wash away the detergent absorbed into the laundry by washing with water.

In step 425, the control unit may perform a dehydration process. In an embodiment, the dewatering process may discharge the water absorbed in the laundry to the outside through the rotation of the drum. In order to discharge the absorbed water, the drum may rotate at a high speed, and the water absorbed in the laundry may be discharged to the outside by the centrifugal force. The controller may check the degree of dewatering by measuring the weight of the fabric at least once during the dewatering process. For example, it is possible to measure the weight of the fabric twice during the dehydration process and check the degree of dehydration based on the difference in weight. For this, a procedure for measuring the weight of the fabric in the dewatering process is required. In order to perform such a procedure, the controller may control the motor to adjust the pattern in which the drum rotates.

In addition, a drying process may be additionally performed according to an embodiment. The drying process is an operation of drying laundry while passing hot air into the drum together with the rotation of the drum, and the drying process can be performed while maintaining the rotation speed of the drum within a specific range. Even during the drying process, it is necessary to check the degree of drying by measuring the weight of the fabric.

As described above, it is necessary to measure the weight of the cloth throughout the operation of the washing machine, and it is necessary to check at least one of the dehydration and dryness through a change in the weight of the cloth during spin-drying and drying. In addition, in the embodiment, since the efficiency of dehydration or drying can be determined through the degree of weight change, it is necessary to measure the weight of the fabric multiple times for adaptive operation control. As described in the previous embodiment, the weight measurement of the forearm can be inferred through inertia torque measurement, and such inertia torque can be confirmed based on the current supplied to the motor in the acceleration section and the deceleration section. Hereinafter, a method of estimating the inertia torque for detecting the weight of the fabric based on the dewatering process will be described. Although the description is based on the dewatering process in the embodiment, it is self-evident that the method can be performed throughout the laundry treatment, and inertia can be estimated without a large change in the rotational speed in a process in which the drum rotational speed maintains a constant speed range. explain how it is.

5 is a flowchart for explaining a dehydration process according to an embodiment of the present specification.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the process of the dewatering process performed in the washing machine is illustrated.

In step 505, the control unit may check the setting information related to the dehydration process. For example, the controller may check washing mode information and spin-drying strength information input by the user. In addition, in an embodiment, a control method for performing the dehydration process may be changed based on initial laundry amount detection information for the cloth put into the drum. For example, when the amount of laundry is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the maximum dehydration intensity may be set to be less than or equal to a specific value. As described above, a control method to be applied to the dehydration process may be determined based on the setting information input by the user and the detected laundry amount.

In step 510, the controller may control the acceleration section of the drum rotation in response to the start of the dewatering process. The control unit may accelerate the rotational speed of the drum until it corresponds to the constant speed spin-drying speed range. To this end, the controller may increase the current value applied to the motor. In an embodiment, the acceleration slope up to the acceleration section may correspond to the first slope value, which may correspond to the maximum acceleration slope value in consideration of noise and the like.

In step 515, the controller may control the constant speed dehydration section. In the embodiment, in the constant-speed spin-drying section, the actual drum rotation speed is included in the constant-speed spin-drying speed range, and the control unit can check whether the command value for drum rotation and the actual drum rotation speed correspond, and the confirmed actual rotation speed is the constant speed. If it falls within the dehydration speed range, it can be confirmed that the constant speed dewatering section has been reached.

In operation 520, the controller may control the drum rotation to estimate the inertia corresponding to the dewatering process at least once during the constant-speed dewatering section. For example, the motor may be controlled to increase and decrease the rotational speed of the drum within a constant speed dewatering speed range at least once. In an embodiment, a change in the rotational speed of the drum for estimating inertia may be made within a constant speed dehydration speed range, and inclinations during acceleration and deceleration may correspond to each other. As an example, the constant speed dewatering speed range is 560 rpm to 640 rpm, and in an embodiment, the drum rotation control pattern for inertia estimation may include increasing and decreasing the speed by 30 rpm based on a reference value of 595 rpm and 605 rpm on the inner circumference. . In the embodiment, the range of change of the reference rpm and speed is exemplary, and a change speed value in consideration of noise generation according to acceleration/deceleration can be applied within the rotational speed of the drum for performing dehydration. By maintaining the corresponding rotational speed, dehydration can be continued even in the acceleration/deceleration section for inertia estimation. In an embodiment, the speed of the drum for performing dehydration may be determined based on at least one of a type of washing machine, a user set value, and a type of fabric.

In step 525, the controller may check whether the dehydration degree of the fabric satisfies the set dehydration degree based on the inertia estimation result. For example, in relation to the dewatering process, the controller may check the weight of the fabric through inertia estimation at least twice, and through this, the dehydration degree may be checked through the change in the weight of the fabric. For example, the control unit may determine the degree of dehydration based on the change in weight according to the dehydration process, and if there is a change in weight equal to or less than a value corresponding to the dehydration set for a specific time, it may be determined that the dehydration degree is satisfied .

If the dehydration degree is not satisfied, the control unit may return to step 515 to continue the dehydration process.

When the dehydration degree is satisfied, the controller may control the motor to decrease the drum rotation speed in step 530 . As such, the dewatering process can be completed according to the reduction in the rotational speed. Also, in an embodiment, the control unit may perform the dehydration process more than once during washing.

In this way, by performing inertia estimation through acceleration and deceleration within the constant speed dehydration speed range, inertia estimation can be performed even when the dehydration process is stopped and separate estimation is not performed, thereby reducing the time required for the dewatering process, Even when the inertia is estimated multiple times during the dewatering process, the influence on the progress of the entire dewatering process can be reduced, so that the dewatering process can be more accurately controlled.

6 is a flowchart for explaining a method of controlling drum rotation according to an embodiment of the present specification.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a method for controlling a dehydration section according to an embodiment of the present specification is illustrated. in the embodiment

In step 605, the control unit may control the motor to accelerate the drum rotation speed for the dewatering process. In an embodiment, the control unit starts the rotation of the drum by controlling the motor, and may control the motor so that the drum rotation speed is included in the constant speed spin-drying speed range. The constant speed dewatering speed range corresponds to the speed range at which water is discharged from the cloth according to the dewatering process, and the drum may rotate for the longest time within the constant speed dewatering speed range during the dewatering process.

In step 610, the control unit may determine whether the drum rotation speed corresponds to a constant speed spin-drying speed range. In an embodiment, the control unit may determine whether the drum rotation speed is within a constant speed spin-drying speed range based on the actual drum rotation speed. For example, there may be a case where the command value and the actual rotation speed are different, and the control unit may determine whether the corresponding speed corresponds to the constant speed spin-drying speed range based on the actual drum rotation speed.

In operation 615 , the controller may control the drum speed to be accelerated and decelerated within the constant speed spin-drying speed range for initial inertia estimation, and accordingly, the amount of laundry may be detected based on the estimated inertia torque value. For example, while performing an operation of increasing the rotational speed of the drum with a specific acceleration within the constant speed dehydration speed range and decreasing the rotational speed of the drum with a corresponding acceleration, the inertia torque may be estimated based on this. In an embodiment, the slope of the acceleration section and the slope of the deceleration section may correspond to each other, and the degree of acceleration and deceleration may be determined based on at least one of noise generation and dehydration performance. Through such control, the control unit may sense the weight of the fabric when the dewatering process starts.

In step 620, the control unit may control the dewatering process within a constant speed dewatering speed range. In an embodiment, the control unit may perform dehydration while maintaining the drum rotation speed within the constant speed dehydration speed range, and the range of the speed maintained in step 620 may be included in the range of the speed accelerated/decelerated in step 615 . As an example, the range of the maintained speed may maintain the dehydration speed to correspond to a specific value within the range of the constant speed dehydration speed.

In step 625 , the controller may control the drum speed to be accelerated and decelerated within the constant speed spin-drying speed range for inertia estimation, and accordingly, the amount of laundry may be detected based on the estimated inertia torque value. This step may be performed corresponding to step 615, and the weight of the gun may be sensed by estimating the inertia torque accordingly. The controller may estimate the degree of dehydration based on the difference in the weight of the fabric detected in steps 615 and 625, respectively. In addition, when the dehydration process is repeated and the inertia estimation in step 625 is performed a plurality of times, the degree of dehydration may be estimated based on the difference between the weight of the fabric detected previously and the weight of the fabric sensed in the current step.

In operation 630 , the controller may determine whether a dehydration level set based on the sensed dehydration level is satisfied. In an embodiment, the controller may check the degree of reduction in the weight of the fabric as the dehydration process progresses, and if the ratio of the weight of the fabric reduced from the total weight of the fabric to the total fabric weight according to the dehydration process is less than or equal to a specific value corresponding to the set dewatering degree, the dehydration process may be performed. It can be judged that the degree is satisfied. If the dehydration degree is not satisfied, the process may proceed to step 620 to perform an additional dehydration process.

If the dehydration degree is satisfied, the controller may end the dehydration process in step 635 and provide information related thereto to the user.

As described above, while performing acceleration and deceleration within the constant speed dewatering speed range in which the dewatering process is performed, by detecting the weight of the fabric through the estimation of the inertia torque, it is possible to detect the dehydration degree without increasing the dewatering process progress time. Sensitive dehydration can be selected.

7 is a view for explaining a rotation pattern of the drum according to an embodiment of the present specification.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the rotation pattern of the drum for performing the dewatering process is shown.

The dewatering process of the embodiment may include an acceleration section 710 , a dewatering section 720 , and a deceleration section 730 .

The acceleration section 710 may include at least one maintenance section 715 , and as described above, the amount of laundry may be measured through inertia estimation through sequentially accelerating the rotational speed of the drum. However, when estimating the inertia torque through acceleration and maintenance as described above, it is difficult to accurately estimate the friction torque, which may cause deviations, and the average rotation speed in the dehydration process may be lowered, which may deteriorate dewatering performance.

8 is a view for explaining a rotation pattern of the drum according to another embodiment of the present specification.

Referring to Fig. 8, the rotation pattern of the drum for performing the dewatering process is shown.

The dehydration process of the embodiment includes an acceleration section 810, an initial maintenance section 820, a first inertia torque estimation section 830, a constant speed dehydration section 840, a second inertia torque estimation section 850, and a deceleration section 860. may include. According to an embodiment, the number of constant speed dewatering sections and inertia torque estimation sections may be further increased, and while performing dehydration through such a dewatering process, the controller may check the weight of the fabric through inertia torque estimation.

In an embodiment, in the acceleration section 810, the controller may accelerate the rotational speed of the drum until it falls within the constant speed spin-drying speed range without a separate maintenance section.

The initial maintenance section 820 is a section for checking whether the command value provided by the control unit and the actual rotation speed of the drum correspond, and may be omitted depending on the embodiment.

In the first inertia torque estimation section 830 , the controller may estimate the inertia torque while performing acceleration/deceleration within the constant speed dehydration speed range, and through this, the weight of the fabric may be confirmed. In the embodiment, the number of acceleration/deceleration has been described as 4, but this is only exemplary and the number of acceleration/deceleration may be increased or decelerated according to the embodiment. If more accurate inertia torque estimation is required, the number of acceleration/deceleration can be increased. In addition, in an embodiment, accelerations during acceleration and deceleration may correspond to each other, and through such a process, the inertia torque may be more accurately estimated.

In the constant-speed dehydration section 840, the control unit may perform dehydration while maintaining the rotational speed of the drum at a constant value. In an embodiment, the length of the constant speed dehydration section 840 may be longer than the length of the torque estimation period, but this may be variously applied according to the embodiment.

In the second inertia torque estimation section 850 , the control unit may detect the weight of the fabric by estimating the inertia torque in a manner corresponding to the first inertia torque estimation section 830 . The controller may check the dehydration degree through such a change in the weight of the fabric, and when the dewatering degree satisfies a set value, the dehydration process may be terminated.

In the deceleration section 860, the dewatering process is terminated, and the controller may control the rotation of the drum to stop without transmitting additional power to the drum.

Meanwhile, in the embodiment, it is described that acceleration is performed first in the inertia torque estimation section, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the embodiment may be modified in a manner in which acceleration is performed after deceleration is performed. More specifically, the inertia torque estimation section includes an acceleration and deceleration section, and thus a section for estimating the inertia torque based on a current value corresponding thereto, and its specific implementation can be realized in various ways.

Through such a rotation pattern of the drum, the weight of the fabric can be sensed by estimating the inertia torque during the dewatering process, and the dewatering efficiency can be improved.

9 is a diagram illustrating a command value and an actual rotational speed value of a control signal for controlling a motor according to an embodiment of the present specification.

Referring to FIG. 9 , a command signal 910 for a motor command, a current 920 corresponding thereto, and an actual rotation speed 930 according to the command signal 910 are shown.

In the acceleration section 950 , the actual rotation speed 930 also increases according to the command signal 910 , but a slight delay and difference may occur. The controller may control the drum rotation based on the actual rotation speed 930 and detect the weight of the fabric through inertia estimation.

In the inertia estimation section 960, the actual rotation speed 930 may also be accelerated/decelerated according to the command signal 910, and the control unit may detect the weight of the gun through inertia estimation according to the change in the actual rotation speed 930. have.

In this way, according to the command signal 910, a change pattern of the actual rotation speed 930 can be checked, and accordingly, inertia estimation can be performed more accurately.

Although the description has been made based on the operation of the washing machine throughout the embodiments, this may be applied to the overall laundry processing apparatus requiring laundry amount sensing. In addition, it is apparent that the embodiment of the present specification may be applied when a process in which the drum rotates at a rotation speed within a certain range in the laundry treatment apparatus is performed. More specifically, when the dehydration process of the washing machine and the drying process of the washing machine and the dryer are performed, according to an embodiment of the present specification, the laundry amount may be detected while reducing the change in the rotation speed, and according to the result of the laundry weight detection, the corresponding process and subsequent processes can control the movement of

On the other hand, in the present specification and drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, and although specific terms are used, these are only used in a general sense to easily explain the technical content of the present invention and help the understanding of the present invention It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains that other modifications based on the technical spirit of the present invention can be implemented in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

100: washing machine
111: cabinet
112: door
122: tub
124: drum
113: motor
133: detergent box
114: control panel

Claims (14)

In the control method of the laundry treatment apparatus,
A first step of driving the motor to accelerate the rotational speed of the drum in which the laundry is accommodated to correspond to a specific speed range;
a second step of accelerating the rotational speed of the drum within the specific speed range;
a third step of decelerating the rotational speed of the drum within the specific speed range; and
When the current value related to the motor corresponding to the second step and the current value related to the motor corresponding to the third step correspond to a specific condition, the first step for decelerating the rotation speed of the drum to below the specific speed range A method of controlling a laundry treatment apparatus comprising the fourth step. According to claim 1,
The first step is
an acceleration step in which the rotational speed of the drum is increased below a specific speed range; and
and a maintaining step in which the rotational speed of the drum is maintained within a specific speed range. According to claim 1,
Laundry treatment, characterized in that it further comprises the step of estimating the inertia torque related to the laundry based on the current value related to the motor corresponding to the second step and the current value related to the motor corresponding to the third step How to control the device. According to claim 1,
In the specific speed range, the maximum value corresponds to 640 rpm, and the minimum value corresponds to 560 rpm. According to claim 1,
a fifth step of accelerating the rotational speed of the drum within the specific speed range after the first step and decelerating the rotational speed of the drum within the specific speed range; and
After the fifth step and before the second step, the control method of the laundry treatment apparatus, characterized in that it further comprises a sixth step of maintaining the rotational speed of the drum within the specific speed range. 6. The method of claim 5,
The control method of the laundry treatment apparatus, characterized in that the period during which the sixth step is maintained is longer than the period during which the fifth step is maintained. According to claim 1,
The control method of the laundry treatment apparatus, characterized in that the acceleration related to the second step and the acceleration related to the third step correspond to each other. In the laundry treatment apparatus,
motor;
a drum that accommodates laundry and rotates according to the driving of the motor; and
A first step of accelerating the rotation speed of the drum containing the laundry to correspond to a specific speed range, a second step of accelerating the rotation speed of the drum within the specific speed range, the rotation speed of the drum within the specific speed range When the current value associated with the motor corresponding to the third step and the second step of decelerating and the current value associated with the motor corresponding to the third step correspond to a specific condition, the rotation speed of the drum is set to the specified condition. Laundry treatment apparatus including a control unit for controlling the rotation of the motor so that the fourth step of decelerating below the speed range is performed. 9. The method of claim 8,
the control unit
Laundry treatment, characterized in that the first step includes controlling the motor to include an acceleration step in which the rotational speed of the drum increases below a specific speed range and a maintenance step in which the rotational speed of the drum is maintained within a specific speed range. Device. 9. The method of claim 8,
the control unit
Laundry treatment apparatus, characterized in that for estimating the inertia torque related to the laundry based on the current value related to the motor corresponding to the second step and the current value related to the motor corresponding to the third step. 9. The method of claim 8,
In the specific speed range, the maximum value corresponds to 640 rpm, and the minimum value corresponds to 560 rpm. 9. The method of claim 8,
the control unit
a fifth step of accelerating the rotational speed of the drum within the specific speed range after the first step, and decelerating the rotational speed of the drum within the specific speed range, and after the fifth step and before the second step Laundry treatment apparatus, characterized in that for controlling the motor to further perform a sixth step of maintaining the rotational speed of the drum within a specific speed range. 13. The method of claim 12,
The period during which the sixth stage is maintained is longer than the period during which the fifth stage is maintained. 9. The method of claim 8,
The acceleration related to the second step and the acceleration related to the third step correspond to each other.

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