RU2461676C2 - Method of washing machine control (versions) - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: textiles, paper.

SUBSTANCE: method of controlling a washing machine according to the first version includes the following operations: the drum is rotated at the first speed to remove water from the laundry, water is removed from the tank, water is fed into the tank when the drum rotates with the second speed, the water is fed into the drum during rotation of the drum to rinse clothes. According to the second version: the drum is rotated to remove water from the laundry, water is removed from the tank, water is fed into the tank when the drum rotates with the second speed, the water is fed into the tank during rotation of the drum so that the laundry is distributed on the inner peripheral surface of the drum and is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum. When removal of water the drum rotation speed is reduced to achieve a given speed in excess of the minimum rate of the drum, in which the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum.

EFFECT: reduced duration of the rinsing cycle, increased efficiency of rinsing.

19 cl, 5 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for controlling a washing machine. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for controlling a washing machine to reduce the total washing time while increasing the efficiency of the rinse process.

State of the art

Washing machines are household electrical appliances, with the help of which they remove dirt from erasable objects, including: linen, items of clothing, bedding, etc. (hereinafter referred to as laundry) by means of washing, rinsing and spin cycles. Such washing machines can be divided into types determined by the method of loading laundry: machines with loading from above and with loading from the front. Top-loading washing machines can be divided into types of drum type and vibration type machines. In a drum type machine, the drum is rotated during washing and rinsing cycles. In a vibrating machine, a vibrator is placed in the machine tank, and the vibrator is rotated.

Washing drum machines with front loading and top loading contain: a housing, a tank and a drum. The housing determines the appearance of the washing machine. The tank is housed in a housing and it contains a washing solution. The drum is rotatably mounted and placed in the tank. Linen is contained in a drum. When the drum or vibrator rotates about the horizontal axis or about the vertical axis, washing, rinsing and spin cycles can be carried out by centrifugation.

However, if the drum with the laundry loaded in the drum is rotated at a relatively high speed, then the laundry may collect on the side of the drum. As a result of this, strong vibration can be generated, and a certain process must be preliminarily performed to evenly distribute the laundry inside the drum. This process is especially necessary when performing a rinse cycle, as rinsing should be cyclically supplied with water to remove detergents.

In accordance with this, in the general washing process in a conventional washing machine, a uniform distribution of the laundry takes a considerable amount of time, mainly in the rinsing cycle of the washing process.

Disclosure of invention

Technical problem

However, if the drum, with the laundry loaded in the drum, is rotated at a relatively high speed, then the laundry may collect on the side of the drum. As a result of this, strong vibration can be generated, and a certain process must be preliminarily performed to evenly distribute the laundry inside the drum. This process is especially necessary when performing a rinse cycle, as rinsing should be cyclically supplied with water to remove detergents.

In accordance with this, in the general washing process in a conventional washing machine, a uniform distribution of the laundry takes a considerable amount of time, mainly in the rinsing cycle of the washing process.

Technical solution

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method for controlling a washing machine.

According to one aspect of the invention, a control method for shortening the rinse cycle is provided.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method for controlling a washing machine is provided to increase the efficiency of the rinse process, as well as to shorten the rinse cycle.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention are presented in part in the description below, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the description below, or will be understood as a result of practical use of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention can be realized and achieved through the use of the structure, mainly described in the (written) description and in the claims, as well as in the accompanying drawings.

To achieve these goals and other advantages, and according to the purpose of the invention embodied and described in detail herein, a method for controlling a washing machine may include: spin-centrifuging by rotating the drum at a first speed to remove water from the laundry; draining water to drain the water from the drum; water supply for supplying water to the tank when the drum rotates at a second speed so that the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum; and rinsing with penetration while rotating the drum at a third speed to rinse the laundry.

When performing the spin operation by centrifugation, the first speed may be more than 600 rpm for dehydration, i.e. removing water from the laundry.

When performing a water drain operation, the rotation speed of the drum can be reduced. It is particularly preferred that, during the water discharge operation, the rotation speed of the drum is reduced to a predetermined speed greater than the minimum speed of the drum at which the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum.

When performing the water supply operation, the second speed may be greater than the minimum drum speed at which the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum. Preferably, during the water supply operation, water is supplied until a predetermined depth is reached, less than the distance between the tank and the drum.

When performing a rinse with penetration, the water contained in the tank can be forced to circulate during rotation of the drum. Here, when performing a rinse with penetration, water forced to circulate can be supplied in at least one of the directions: horizontal or vertical, along the inside of the drum.

The third speed may be less than the first speed and greater than the second speed. More specifically, in the penetration rinse operation, the drum can be rotated at a third speed so that the circulated water penetrates the laundry, which is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum, to rinse.

The control method may further include at least one rinse operation with transshipment after repeatedly performing a spin operation by centrifugation, a water drain operation, a water supply operation and a penetration rinse operation.

It should be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are explanatory descriptions, given as examples and are intended to provide additional clarifications of the invention declared in the claims.

Beneficial effects

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and embodiments of the present invention can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and embodiments of this invention and are deemed to fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The accompanying drawings, included to provide a further understanding of the invention, incorporated into this application and representing part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention, which together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. The drawings show:

figure 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine, on which carry out the control method in the form of an embodiment, given as an example, used in this machine;

figure 2 is a block diagram of a control method;

figure 3 is a diagram of the rotational speeds of the drum of a washing machine according to a variant implementation, given as an example;

4 is a diagram of rotational speeds of a drum of a washing machine according to an exemplary embodiment; and

in Fig.5 is a perspective view of a nozzle for supplying flushing water, forced to circulation, in Fig.1.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The following is a detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same item numbers on all drawings indicate the same or similar parts.

First, a description is given of a washing machine on which the control method according to the exemplary embodiment used therein is carried out, and then the control method is described.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a washing machine, which carry out a control method according to an exemplary embodiment. 1 shows a front loading washing machine. However, the control method according to the embodiment can also be applied to the top loading drum washing machine, as well as to the front loading drum washing machine. An embodiment has been explained with reference to a front loading drum washing machine.

The washing machine (see figure 1) contains: a housing 10, a tank (not shown) and a drum 20. The housing 10 determines the appearance of the washing machine. A tank (not shown) is housed in the housing 10, and the drum 20 is rotatably mounted in the tank.

The flushing water is contained in the tank, and the laundry can be loaded through the opening of the door 12 connected to the front side of the housing 10. The drum 20 can be rotated by a drive means (not shown) containing an engine. When the drum 20 is rotated, washing, rinsing and spin cycles can be carried out by centrifugation.

The control panel 14 can be placed on the front surface of the housing 10 to control the actions of the washing machine and to display data on the status of the washing machine. Using the control panel 14, the user can control the actions of the washing machine and recognize the status of the washing machine.

The washing machine may be configured to carry out a washing process including washing, rinsing and spin cycles. A washing machine having a drying function may be further configured to carry out a drying process. When performing the washing cycle, water is first supplied to the drum 20, and the drum 20 is rotated clockwise and counterclockwise to carry out the washing. When performing the rinse cycle, the laundry is dehydrated and the drum 20 is rotated to rinse the laundry. When performing a spin cycle by centrifugation, the drum 20 is rotated at high speed, and the laundry is centrifuged to dehydrate it.

When performing the rinse cycle, water is again supplied, and the drum 20 is rotated to remove detergents from the laundry. These processes take a very long period of time. This means that in a conventional washing machine, during the water supply operation, the drum 20 is stopped and the laundry may fall and occupy a smaller part of the drum volume.

Therefore, if the drum 20 starts to rotate again after the water supply, the laundry may not be evenly distributed over the drum 20, and therefore, the distribution process of the laundry should be further performed. For example, the drum 20 is repeatedly rotated clockwise and counterclockwise at a predetermined speed to evenly distribute the laundry across the drum 20. After that, the drum 20 is again started to rotate to perform a rinse cycle. Therefore, a lot of time is required to carry out the rinse cycle, since the distribution process of the laundry should be performed each time the water is supplied during the rinse cycle. This can be very inconvenient for the user.

Using the control method of the washing machine according to the embodiment, attempts were made to solve these problems, and the method was improved in order to increase the efficiency of the rinse process. Further, the control method according to the exemplary embodiment is explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a control method according to an exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram of rotational speeds of the drum 20 according to the control method.

The control method (see FIGS. 2 and 3) according to an embodiment relates to a rinse cycle, which may be included in a washing process carried out in a washing machine, or a rinse cycle, which may be carried out independently of other cycles.

The control method includes: centrifugal spin (S210), water discharge (S230), water supply (S250) and rinsing (S270). In a centrifugal spin step (S210), the laundry is centrifuged to dehydrate the laundry. In step (S230), draining the water from the drum 20 is drained. In the water supplying step (S250), water is supplied to the tank, and the drum 20 is rotated so that the laundry is not separated from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20; in other words, so that the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20. In step (S270), the rinses with penetration are rinsed. This means that according to the control method according to the embodiment, the drum 20 is rotated when water is supplied to the tank. Mainly, the drum 20 is rotated at a predetermined speed greater than the minimum rotation speed of the drum, at which the laundry is not separated from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20. As a result, the uniform distribution of the laundry may not be required after the water supply operation.

First, in accordance with the control method according to the embodiment, the drum 20 is rotated at a first speed to dehydrate the laundry (S210). Typically, the rinse cycle is carried out after the wash cycle, and it is preferable that the laundry is dehydrated before the rinse cycle.

At this step (S210), spin spin centrifugation drum 20 is rotated at a first speed to dehydrate the laundry. The first speed may be adjustable in accordance with the washing machine capacity and the amount of laundry. For example, the first speed may be approximately 600 rpm. In the spinning step by centrifugation in accordance with the control method according to the embodiment, the drum 20 is rotated at a first speed, for example, of more than 600 rpm, to dehydrate the laundry.

More specifically, in the spin step by centrifugation, as shown in FIG. 3, the rotation speed of the drum 20 is increased until it reaches the first speed. Therefore, if the rotational speed of the drum 20 reaches the first speed, then the rotational speed can be immediately reduced, and it is preferable that the rotational speed of the drum 20 be maintained at the first speed for a predetermined period of time, for example, for 2-5 seconds. Maintaining the rotation speed of the drum 20 at the first speed level provides the possibility of easy dehydration of the laundry.

After dehydration of the laundry, water can be drained into the tank 10 (S230). The moisture removed from the laundry during the spin cycle by centrifugation is stored in the tank, and thus it is necessary to drain the water contained in the tank.

As shown in FIG. 3, water is drained from the tank, and it is preferred that the water is drained into the tank at a reduced rotational speed of the drum 20. If the drum 20 is rotated at a relatively high speed, then the water from the tank may not be drained due to the high rotational speed drum 20. As a result, if water is drained at a reduced rotational speed of drum 20, then water can be easily drained into the tank.

Although at the stage of draining the water, the rotation speed of the drum 20 is reduced, it is preferable that the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20. This means that if the laundry is separated and falls from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20, then after the water supplying step (described below) ) should be carried out the process of uniform distribution of linen on the drum 20, and the total duration of the rinse cycle increases accordingly.

Thus, in the water draining step according to the control method according to the embodiment, the rotation speed of the drum 20 is reduced to achieve a predetermined speed greater than the minimum drum speed at which the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20. This minimum drum speed may be adjustable according to the capacity of the washing machine, the capacity of the drum and the amount of laundry loaded. In this embodiment, the drum speed is not limited to a specific value, but the minimum drum speed according to this embodiment may, for example, be approximately 100-110 rpm.

In other words, the rotation speed of the drum 20 is reduced to achieve a predetermined speed greater than the minimum drum speed, for example, 100-110 rpm, during the operation of draining the water from the tank.

According to an embodiment of the control method, after the step of draining the water, water is supplied to the tank. More specifically, water is supplied to the tub when the drum 20 is rotated at a second speed (S250) so that the laundry does not separate from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20.

This means that after draining the water from the tank, water is supplied to the tank to rinse the laundry. In this case, according to an embodiment of the control method, the drum 20 is not stopped, but instead is rotated at a second speed during the water supply operation. Preferably, the drum 20 rotates at a predetermined speed greater than the minimum speed of the drum at which the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20; in other words, the laundry is not separated from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20.

As mentioned above, in order not to perform the additional process of uniformly distributing the laundry over the drum 20 also at the stage of water supply, water is supplied by rotating the drum 20 at a predetermined speed greater than the minimum speed of the drum at which the laundry does not separate from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20 after the water supplying step. The minimum speed of the drum, which is relatively low speed, but sufficient to calmly perform the stage of water supply, can be, for example, 100-110 rpm At this time, the drum 20 is re-rotated, and the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20 under the action of centrifugal force. As a result of this, the rinsing process can be started immediately after the water supplying step without carrying out an additional process of uniformly distributing the laundry over the drum 20.

In the water supplying step according to the embodiment, in the case of water supplying, water can be supplied to a level less than the distance between the tank and the drum 20. This means that if water is supplied to the tank, the level of water contained in the tank can not be raised above the drum 20, and it is preferable that the level of water contained in the tank does not reach the drum 20.

As mentioned above, the drum 20 is rotated in the water supplying step. If the water level is higher than the drum 20, then the rotation of the drum 20 cannot be performed quietly due to friction between the drum 20 and the water. In addition, if the control method according to the embodiment includes a penetration rinse step, the drum 20 is rotated at a relatively high speed. As a result of this, it is preferable that the water is supplied to a level sufficiently high but not reaching the drum 20, in order to prevent friction between the drum 20 rotating at a high speed <and water>.

According to the control method according to the embodiment, after the water supplying step, the drum 20 is rotated at a second speed, as in the water supplying step for rinsing (S270).

More specifically, according to an embodiment, the rinsing (S270) is carried out by rotating the drum 20 at the same speed as in the water supplying step, namely the second speed.

More specifically, the second rotation speed in the water supplying step is greater than the minimum drum rotation speed at which the laundry does not separate from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20. Thus, if the drum 20 is rotated repeatedly at a second speed, the laundry may not separate from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20 both at the water supply stage and at the rinse stage. As a result of this, the duration of the rinsing step can be significantly reduced. Thus, in this embodiment, the water supplying step is carried out while the drum 20 is rotated at a second speed. After the water supplying step, the rinsing step is started.

Now that the rinse step (S270) is performed in this embodiment, “penetration rinse” can be performed while the drum rotates at a second speed. The term "rinse with penetration" means rinsing carried out during rotation of the drum 20 at a speed at which the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20, different from the usual speed of rotation when rinsing. In this case, the water in the laundry passes through the laundry under the action of centrifugal force and is discharged from the drum 20 to rinse.

This penetration rinse step is carried out during the rotation of the drum 20, when the water contained in the lower part of the tank is forced to circulate with a direction to the upper part of the tank. Since the water level may not reach the drum 20 during the water supply, as mentioned above, the amount of water may not be sufficient at the penetration rinse step. As a result, the water contained in the lower part of the tank is forced to circulate towards the upper part, and at the penetration rinse step, water is re-fed into the drum 20. As a result, the rinsing can be carried out more calmly.

The washing machine on which the control method is carried out may comprise a circulation unit (not shown) for circulating the washing water. The circulation unit may comprise a conduit for circulating and a pump for circulating. The lower part of the tank is connected to the upper part of the tank by a pipe for circulation. The circulation pump is designed to circulate rinse water to direct water to the top of the tank through a conduit for circulation. Thus, it is possible to supply again the water contained in the lower part of the tank to the inside of the drum 20 through the upper part of the tank through a conduit for circulating by using a pump for circulating. In this case, a nozzle can be provided at the end of the pipe for circulating, connected to the upper part of the tank for spraying water. A nozzle for supplying circulation-induced wash water may be provided in the upper part of the tank, preferably in the upper front part of the tank.

In this case, the washing water is supplied through the nozzle, the nozzle is provided in the upper front part of the tank, and the washing water can be supplied mainly to the front of the drum 20. The washing water sprayed through the nozzle under a predetermined pressure can be supplied mainly to the front of the drum 20 in the horizontal direction. This may cause a problem in that the flushing water is supplied only to some part of the laundry located in the front of the drum 20, and not to another part of the laundry located in the back of the drum 20.

Thus, it is preferable that the washing water in the rinsing step is supplied in at least one of the directions: horizontal or vertical, along the inside of the drum 20, while circulating the washing water.

Then, flushing water can be supplied horizontally along the inside of the drum 20 by using a conventional nozzle. To supply the washing water in a vertical direction along the inside of the drum, an auxiliary structure is required to supply the washing water to a plurality of places along the vertical direction inside the drum 20.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a nozzle for circulating, designed to supply flushing water along the vertical direction of the drum inside the washing machine.

A nozzle 100 (see FIG. 5) for circulating can be configured to spray wash water at the rear as well as at the front of the drum 20 along a vertical direction. The circulation nozzle 100 may be configured to spray the wash water along a plurality of directions in the interior of the drum so that the wash water can be uniformly supplied to the laundry in the drum 20.

To this end, the nozzle 100 for circulating may contain many holes 110 for spraying, directed into the inner space of the drum. Each of the spray holes 110 can be configured to spray the wash water to a different drop position along the vertical direction of the drum 20. This means that the spray holes 110 can be configured to spray the wash water at different positions spaced apart from one another a certain distance along the line from the front to the rear of the drum 20, respectively. As a result of this, washing water is uniformly supplied to the laundry inside the drum 20, regardless of the rotation of the drum 20.

On the other hand, the nozzle 100 for circulating can be installed near the front of the drum 20, where the opening of the drum 20 is formed. In this case, it is preferable that the spraying direction or the spraying speed of the washing water sprayed through each of the spraying holes 110 be different from each other so that the flushing water can be sprayed at various positions from the front to the rear of the drum 20 through the spray holes 110, respectively. In this case, it is preferable that each of the spray holes 110 made in the circulation nozzle 100 has a different cross section or a different channel, respectively.

More specifically, the cross-section of each spray hole 110 made in the nozzle 100 for circulating is different from the other for creating pressures of the washing water sprayed through each of the spray holes 110 different from each other. Moreover, if the cross section of the spray hole 110 is less, then the pressure of the wash water is greater, and if the cross section is larger, then the pressure of the wash water is less. As a result, the wash water sprayed through the spray hole 110 having a large cross section at a lower pressure drops immediately, while the wash water sprayed through the spray hole 110 having a smaller cross section at a higher pressure is sprayed further in the spray direction .

A spray hole 110 having a large cross section can be made to supply washing water to the front of the drum 20, and a spray hole 110 having a smaller cross section can be made to supply washing water to the rear of the drum 20.

More specifically, spray holes 110 made along direction “a” can have relatively smaller cross sections, and spray holes 110 made along direction “b” can have relatively large cross sections. As a result, the wash water can be sprayed at relatively high pressure through the spray holes 110 made along the “a” direction, and the wash water can be sprayed at a relatively lower pressure through the spray holes 110 made along the “b” direction.

In addition, the spray holes 110 for the circulation nozzle 100 can be connected to channels 120 that are different from each other, respectively. The speeds of the wash water sprayed through each of the nozzle orifices 110 to circulate 100 can be made different.

This means that the nozzle 100 for circulating may contain many channels 120, and flushing water drawn from the block 40 for circulating, is passed through the channels 120. Each of the channels 120 can be made in accordance with each of the many holes 110 for spraying such so that the flushing water passed through each of the channels 120 can be sprayed at different speeds.

For example, rinse water passed through a channel 120 made in the vertical direction drops in front of the drum 20, and rinse water passed through a channel 120 passing in a horizontal direction to the inside of the drum is sprayed at the rear of the drum 20, since it has a velocity component directed inside the drum. As a result of this, washing water can be supplied to the rear of the drum 20 along the horizontal direction through the spray holes 110 connected to channels 120 extending horizontally to the interior of the drum. It is possible to carry out a controlled drop of wash water at different places in the drum 20 in accordance with the speed of the wash water set by the nozzle.

As shown in FIG. 5, for example, channels 120 connected to spray holes 110 made along direction “a” can extend horizontally to the inside of the drum. The channels 120 connected to the spray holes 110 made along the “b” direction can extend along a relatively short distance towards the interior of the drum. Here, it can be made so that part of each spray hole 110 is stepwise different from the others, so that the protruding lengths of each channel 120 towards the interior of the drum are different.

A spray hole 110 made along direction “a” with a relatively smaller cross section is connected to a channel 120 extending horizontally to the interior of the drum, and a spray hole 110 made along direction “b” is connected to a relatively large cross section with a channel 120 made in the vertical direction. As a result of this, the washing water sprayed through the spray hole 110 along the direction “a” is sprayed along the inner direction of the drum with the horizontal component of the velocity under high pressure so that it can be sprayed at the rear of the drum 20 along the vertical direction. The flushing water sprayed through the spray hole 110 in the “b” direction has a vertical velocity component at low pressure so that water falls near the front of the drum 20 and does not spray further to the rear.

By using the nozzle 100 to circulate, water can be uniformly sprayed from the front to the rear of the drum 20 along the vertical direction of the drum 20.

Meanwhile, in accordance with the control method according to the embodiment, in the case where the rinsing is carried out while the drum 20 is rotated after the water supplying step, the rinsing can be carried out in a similar manner as the usual rinsing. However, it is preferable to rinse with penetration.

Rinsing with penetration is carried out during rotation of the drum 20 at a relatively high speed, at which the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20 during rotation of the drum 20. In this case, the washing water contained in the laundry is forced to penetrate through the laundry and out from the drum 20 under the action of centrifugal force during rinsing.

The drum 20 is rotated at a relatively high speed when performing a rinse with penetration, in comparison with the rotation speed when performing a normal rinse operation. As mentioned above, in order to prevent the resistance to rinsing water being applied to the rotary drum 20, it is preferred that the rinsing water is supplied in sufficient quantity to maintain a water level less than the distance between the tub and the drum 20.

Meanwhile, the wash water is forced to circulate towards the upper parts of the tank and the drum 20 through the circulation unit, as mentioned above, and it is re-fed into the drum 20. This wash water is forced to penetrate the laundry by rotating the drum 20 s again high speed. Therefore, the wash water is discharged out of the drum 20 and is contained in the lower part of the tank along the inner surface of the tank. The flushing water contained in the tank is forced to recirculate towards the upper part of the tank and the upper part of the drum 20 by means of a circulation unit so as to supply water to the interior of the drum.

If the washing water is supplied to the rear of the drum 20 along the vertical direction of the drum 20 by means of a nozzle 100 for circulating, the washing water can be supplied to the laundry evenly, and the drum 20 is rotated to perform a penetration operation, by which it is possible to increase the efficiency of the rinsing process.

Meanwhile, if the drum 20 (see FIG. 3) is rotated at a second speed both at the water supply stage and at the rinse stage, then the second speed can be selected appropriately to improve the water supply and increase the efficiency of the rinse process, for example, in the range from about 100 rpm to 450 rpm, which is greater than the minimum drum speed.

Here, the spinning steps by centrifugation (S210), draining the water (S230), water supply (S250) and rinsing (S270) can be carried out simultaneously. As shown in FIG. 3, it is preferred that these steps are performed at least two times so that the rinsing process can be improved.

In addition, in accordance with the control method according to this embodiment, the rinsing process may further include a rinse step with transshipment (S300), following the above-mentioned spin steps by centrifugation (S210), draining water (S230), water supply (S250) and rinsing (S270). The rinse step with transshipment (S300) is carried out in a similar manner as the usual rinse in a conventional washing machine, and its detailed explanation is omitted here.

4 is a diagram of rotational speeds of a drum 20 of a washing machine according to another embodiment of a control method. In this embodiment, the rotation speed in the water supply and rinsing step is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. The differences are described below.

According to the control method according to this embodiment, the drum 20 is rotated at a second speed in a water supply step (S250), and the drum can be rotated at a third speed in a rinse step (S270).

Here, as in the above embodiment, the second speed can be pre-set at a maximum level that corresponds to the minimum speed at which the laundry is not separated from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20. However, it is preferable in this embodiment that the second speed is pre-set at a lower value than the second speed in the above embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

More specifically, since in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the water supply and rinsing are carried out at the same rotational speed of the drum, the rotational speed is preset at a relatively higher value than the minimum speed of the drum to ensure efficient water and rinsing. In contrast, since in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the rotation speed of the drum during water supply is different from the rotation speed during rinsing, the second speed of the drum during water supply is preset to a value lower than the second speed according to the embodiment, presented in figure 3, which is greater than the minimum drum speed and is similar to it and is, for example, 100 ~ 110 rpm If water is supplied at this rotational speed of the drum, the water supply is carried out more calmly.

To carry out the penetration rinse step, the drum 20 is rotated at a third speed, and it is preferable that the third speed be pre-set to a value greater than the minimum drum speed, as mentioned above. This means that in the case of the implementation of the rinsing step with penetration, the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20 so that it does not separate from it.

In this case, the third rotation speed is pre-set to a value greater than the minimum drum speed at which the laundry does not separate from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 20. Preferably, the third speed is less than the first speed and greater than the second speed. If the drum 20 is rotated at a third speed to perform the penetration rinse step, then the drum 20 should be rotated at a predetermined speed greater than the second speed of the rinse water supply step. In addition, the purpose of the penetration rinse is not to dehydrate the laundry, and it is preferable that the third speed of the penetration rinse is less than the first speed of the spin step by centrifugation.

The centrifugal spin step (S210), the water discharge step (S230), the water supply step (S250) and the penetration rinse step (S270) can be performed only once, respectively. However, as shown in figure 3, it is preferable that they can be carried out more than once repeatedly to increase the efficiency of the rinsing process in the washing machine.

According to the control method according to this embodiment, the rinse cycle may further include at least one transshipment rinse step (S300) after the spin-centrifuging step (S210), the water draining step (S230), the water supplying step (S250), and penetration rinse step (S270). The rinse step with transshipment (S300) can be carried out similarly to the rinse step in a conventional washing machine, and its detailed explanation is omitted here.

The control method according to the embodiment, however, is explained with reference to the front loading washing machine, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The invention can be applied to other types of washing machines suitable for rinsing during rotation of the drum, for example, to a top-loading drum washing machine.

The rinse cycle of the general washing process, including the cycles of: washing, rinsing and spin centrifugation, is explained in the above description, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the control method according to an embodiment may be applied to the case where only a rinse cycle is performed. If the order of each step in the rinse cycle shown in FIG. 2 is adjusted, the control method can be applied to the case in which only the rinse cycle is performed. This means that if only rinsing is carried out, then rinse water is not supplied to the tank. As a result of this, water is first supplied, and then a penetration rinse step is carried out. After this, the spin step by centrifugation and the step of draining the water can be carried out. A detailed explanation of each step is similar to that of each step in the aforementioned embodiment, and is omitted here.

As mentioned above, in accordance with the control method, the time taken to complete the rinse cycle can be reduced.

In addition, the effectiveness of the rinse process can be improved along with a shorter rinse cycle.

Claims (19)

1. The method of controlling the washing machine, according to which
- rotate the drum at a first speed to remove water from the laundry;
- remove water from the tank;
- supply water to the tank when the drum rotates at a second speed; and
- supply water to the drum during rotation of the drum to rinse the laundry,
while removing water, the rotation speed of the drum is reduced to achieve a predetermined speed exceeding the minimum speed of the drum, at which the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum. 2. The method according to claim 1, according to which the first speed for dehydration of linen is more than 600 rpm 3. The control method according to claim 1, according to which the second speed is equal to or exceeds the minimum speed of the drum at which the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum. 4. The control method according to claim 1, according to which at the stage of supplying water to the tank, water is supplied to a predetermined level in height, less than the distance between the tank and the drum. 5. The control method according to claim 1, according to which, at the stage of supplying water to the drum, the water contained in the tank is circulated during rotation of the drum. 6. The control method according to claim 1, whereby when water is supplied to the drum, water is circulated, which is supplied in at least one of the directions: horizontal direction or vertical direction, along the inner side of the drum. 7. The control method according to claim 1, whereby when water is supplied to the drum for rinsing, the drum is rotated at such a speed that water penetrates through the laundry in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum. 8. The control method according to claim 1, whereby the drum is additionally rotated at a second speed when water is supplied to the drum. 9. The control method according to claim 1, whereby the drum is additionally rotated at a third speed different from the second speed when water is supplied to the drum. 10. The control method according to claim 1, whereby the drum is additionally rotated at a third speed greater than the second speed when water is supplied to the drum. 11. The control method according to claim 1, according to which additionally supply water to the drum by spraying. 12. The control method according to claim 1, according to which the rotation of the drum is carried out relative to the non-vertical axis. 13. The method of controlling a washing machine containing a tank and a drum located inside the tank, according to which
- rotate the drum to remove water from the laundry;
- remove water from the tank;
- supply water to the tank during rotation of the drum so that the laundry is distributed on the inner peripheral surface of the drum and is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum; and
- supply water to the drum during rotation of the drum, while the laundry is distributed on the inner surface of the drum and is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum,
while removing water, the rotation speed of the drum is reduced to achieve a predetermined speed exceeding the minimum speed of the drum, at which the laundry is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the drum. 14. The control method according to item 13, according to which the drum is additionally rotated when water is supplied to the drum at a speed similar to that at which the drum is rotated when water is supplied to the tank. 15. The control method according to item 13, according to which the drum is additionally rotated when water is supplied to the drum at a speed different from the speed at which the drum is rotated when water is supplied to the tank. 16. The control method according to item 13, according to which the drum is additionally rotated when water is supplied to the drum at a speed greater than the speed at which the drum is rotated when water is supplied to the tank. 17. The control method according to item 13, according to which additionally supply water to the drum by spraying. 18. The control method according to item 13, according to which the rotation of the drum is carried out relative to the non-vertical axis. 19. The control method according to item 13, according to which the laundry is relatively evenly distributed on the inner peripheral surface of the drum when water is supplied to the tank and water is supplied to the drum.

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