US20090300850A1 - Disinfectant washing method of drum washing machine - Google Patents

Disinfectant washing method of drum washing machine Download PDF

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Publication number
US20090300850A1
US20090300850A1 US12/479,898 US47989809A US2009300850A1 US 20090300850 A1 US20090300850 A1 US 20090300850A1 US 47989809 A US47989809 A US 47989809A US 2009300850 A1 US2009300850 A1 US 2009300850A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
drum
washing
temperature
steam
washing machine
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US12/479,898
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English (en)
Inventor
Jae Hee Yoo
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
WiniaDaewoo Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Daewoo Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Daewoo Electronics Co Ltd filed Critical Daewoo Electronics Co Ltd
Assigned to DAEWOO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION reassignment DAEWOO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: YOO, JAE HEE
Publication of US20090300850A1 publication Critical patent/US20090300850A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F33/00—Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers 
    • D06F33/30—Control of washing machines characterised by the purpose or target of the control 
    • D06F33/32—Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
    • D06F33/36—Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry of washing
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F33/00—Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers 
    • D06F33/30—Control of washing machines characterised by the purpose or target of the control 
    • D06F33/46—Control of the energy or water consumption
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F33/00—Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers 
    • D06F33/30—Control of washing machines characterised by the purpose or target of the control 
    • D06F33/47—Responding to irregular working conditions, e.g. malfunctioning of pumps 
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/28—Air properties
    • D06F2103/32—Temperature
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2105/00—Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2105/58—Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F39/00—Details of washing machines not specific to a single type of machines covered by groups D06F9/00 - D06F27/00 
    • D06F39/40—Steam generating arrangements
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
    • Y02B40/00—Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a drum washing machine and, more particularly, to a disinfectant washing method of a drum washing machine that can remove bacteria, ticks and the like with steam.
  • a washing machine is used to wash laundry through washing, rinsing and spin-drying cycles according to a preset algorithm, and is categorized into a pulsator type, an agitator type, and a drum type according to a washing manner.
  • a drum washing machine is widely used due to advantages such as lower damage of laundry and minimal use of wash water as compared with other types. Recently, the drum washing machine has been developed to have various new functions to satisfy user demands for multi-functionality and complete automation while corresponding to a technological trend toward home automation.
  • the drum washing machine can perform a drying cycle for drying laundry without performing a washing cycle, a boiling washing cycle for sterilizing and removing bacteria and ticks from laundry using heated wash water, and the like, as well as a fundamental washing process including a washing cycle, a rinsing cycle, and a spinning cycle.
  • wash water In boiling washing, wash water is heated to 85° C. ⁇ 90° C. by a heater of the drum washing machine and is used to wash laundry, thereby sterilizing the laundry while removing ticks therefrom.
  • the drum washing machine heats the same amount of wash water as used in a general washing operation and washes the laundry with the heated wash water for a long duration, thereby entailing problems such as high power consumption and fabric damage.
  • the present invention is conceived to solve the problems as described above, and an aspect of the present invention is to provide a disinfectant washing method of a drum washing machine that performs a washing operation using hot steam to remove bacteria, ticks and the like from laundry with low power consumption.
  • a disinfectant washing method of a drum washing machine includes: generating steam to increase an inner temperature of a drum to a first target temperature; performing steam washing while rotating the drum, with the inner temperature of the drum maintained at the first target temperature or more; and performing main washing while rotating the drum, after completing the steam washing.
  • the generation of steam may be achieved within a first time limit.
  • the method may further include determining operation of the washing machine as an error and issuing an alarm to indicate the error, if the inner temperature of the drum does not reach the first target temperature within the first time limit.
  • the first time limit may be 20 minutes.
  • the first target temperature may be 70° C.
  • the steam washing may be performed for 20 ⁇ 25 minutes.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a drum washing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a disinfectant washing method of a drum washing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • the drum washing machine includes a controller 10 , a key-input unit 20 , a water supply device 30 , a drainage device 40 , a heater 50 , a drum motor 60 , and first and second temperature sensors 71 , 72 .
  • the key-input unit 20 generates a variety of key signals according to user manipulation.
  • the key-input unit 20 includes a variety of keys to perform a washing cycle, a rinsing cycle, a drying cycle, a sterilizing cycle and the like of the drum washing machine, and for controlling operation time and wash water temperature in each cycle. Therefore, the drum washing machine can selectively perform such various cycles through key manipulation of a user.
  • the water supply device 30 supplies wash water for each cycle of the drum washing machine.
  • the water supply device 30 includes a valve (not shown) which is provided to a water supply hose to be opened and closed in response to a control signal from the controller 10 , and a water supply motor (not shown) which forces wash water to be supplied into the drum through the hose.
  • the drainage device 40 drains contaminated wash water from the drum washing machine after completing the washing cycle, rinsing cycle, drying cycle, sterilizing cycle, or the like.
  • the drainage device 40 includes a valve (not shown) which is provided to a drain hose to be opened and closed in response to a control signal from the controller 10 , and a drain motor (not shown) which forces the wash water to be drained from a tub to an outside of the washing machine through the hose.
  • the water supply device 30 generally includes the water supply hose, the valve, the water supply motor, and the like.
  • the drainage device 40 generally includes the drain hose, the valve, and the drain motor, and the like.
  • the water supply motor and the drain motor are selectively employed according to capacity and structure of the drum washing machine.
  • the drain motor is employed in the case where a drainage port is located higher than the drum.
  • the drain motor need not be employed in the case where the drainage port is located lower than the drum.
  • the heater 50 heats wash water supplied into the drum by the water supply device 30 in response to the control signal from the controller 10 .
  • the heater 50 is located at a lower portion of the tub to heat the wash water when the wash water is supplied in a predetermined amount into the tub by the water supply device 30 .
  • the location of the heater is not limiting of the present invention and can be changed as needed.
  • the drum motor 60 rotates the drum in response to a control signal from the controller 10 .
  • the first temperature sensor 71 detects an inner temperature of the drum and sends the detection result to the controller 10
  • the second temperature sensor 72 detects the temperature of wash water and sends the detection result to the controller 10 .
  • the controller 10 generally controls the drum washing machine according to this embodiment.
  • a washing control command is input to the controller 10 through manipulation of the key-input unit 20 by a user
  • the controller 10 controls the water supply device 30 to supply wash water into the washing machine.
  • the controller 10 controls the heater 50 to heat the wash water supplied by the water supply device 30 according to the inner temperature of the drum and the temperature of the wash water sent from the first and second temperature sensors 71 and 72 , while controlling the drive motor 60 to perform a washing operation. Operation of the drum washing machine according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 .
  • FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a disinfectant washing method of the drum washing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • the disinfectant washing method of the drum washing machine includes steam generating in S 10 ⁇ S 30 , steam washing in S 40 , and main washing in S 50 ⁇ S 100 . Further, the steam generating in S 10 ⁇ S 30 and the main washing in S 50 ⁇ S 100 include determining operation of the washing machine as an error in S 110 and issuing an alarm to indicate the error in S 120 .
  • the controller 10 controls the water supply device 30 to supply wash water into the drum in S 10 . Then, the wash water is contained in the tub and the heater 50 is controlled to heat the wash water and generate steam in S 20 .
  • the steam washing is performed to wash laundry with steam in the drum.
  • the steam washing is performed for a preset period of time while maintaining the inner temperature of the drum in a steam washing temperature range.
  • the heater 50 is selectively turned on/off as needed to maintain the inner temperature of the drum in the steam washing temperature range.
  • the water supply device 30 is controlled to supply wash water into the drum in S 50 , and the heater 50 is turned-on to heat the wash water supplied into the drum in S 60 .
  • the main washing is performed by rotating the drum after supplying the wash water into the drum, which is different from the steam washing.
  • the main washing is performed for a preset washing period according to a predetermined washing method.
  • the washing period and the washing method are set according to the kind and the amount of laundry, the amount of wash water, the capacity of the drum washing machine, and the like. This is apparent to those skilled in the art and a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.
  • a rinsing cycle is performed, for example, twice to rinse the laundry by supplying wash water into the drum and rotating the drum in S 90 , and a spin-drying cycle is performed by rotating the drum at a high speed to remove moisture from the laundry in S 100 , followed by terminating control of the washing operation.
  • the temperature of laundry must be maintained at 70° C. or more for 10 minutes or more to sterilize the laundry. Therefore, the inner temperature of the drum receiving the laundry must be 70° C. or more in order to provide satisfactory sterilizing effect.
  • the drum in an initial state, the drum has an inner temperature of 21.2° C. and laundry has a temperature of 22.7° C.
  • the inner temperature of the drum reaches 91.2° C. and the temperature of the laundry reaches 52.2° C., 20 minutes after wash water is heated to generate steam and raise the inner temperature of the drum.
  • the washing machine is controlled to maintain the inner temperature of the drum.
  • the temperature of the laundry continues to increase.
  • 30 minutes elapses from the initial state that is, 10 minutes after the inner temperature of the drum reaches the first target temperature
  • the temperature of the laundry reaches 70.8° C.
  • 45 minutes elapses from the initial state that is, 25 minutes after the inner temperature of the drum reaches the first target temperature
  • the temperature of the laundry reaches 71.7° C.
  • the inner temperature of the drum reaches 91.2° C., which is higher than the first target temperature, when 20 minutes elapses from the initial state.
  • the operation of the washing machine is determined as an error and an alarm is issued to inform a user of the error.
  • Table 2 shows the number of strains in laundry before and after steam washing as described above.
  • a sterilization ratio (%) is defined as [(A ⁇ B)/A] ⁇ 100 where A and B indicate the number of strains before and after the steam washing, respectively.
  • the sterilization ratio was 99.9%.
  • the test strain was Staphylococcus aureus
  • the number of strains in laundry was 1.2 ⁇ 10 8 CFU/sample before the steam washing
  • the number of strains in laundry was 2.2 ⁇ 10 5 CFU/sample after the steam washing. Therefore, the sterilization ratio was 99.8%.
  • Table 3 shows power and wash water consumption compared between one embodiment of the present invention and a conventional disinfectant washing method.
  • the disinfectant washing method of the drum washing machine according to one embodiment of the invention is compared with conventional boiling washing in terms of power consumption and amount of wash water used.
  • steam washing was performed for 25 minutes with the inner temperature of the drum maintained at 90° C., followed by main washing, two rinsing cycles, and a spin-drying cycle.
  • the drum washing machine according to one embodiment of the invention exhibited power consumption of 1.436 kWh and used 71.5 L of wash water for disinfectant washing, and the comparative drum washing machine exhibited power consumption of 3.069 kWh and used 101.7 L of wash water for conventional boiling washing.
  • the drum washing machine according to this embodiment exhibited reduced power consumption and amount of used water by 53.2% and 29.7%, respectively, as compared with the comparative drum washing machine.
  • the steam washing is performed before the main washing, it is possible to remove various bacteria from laundry while reducing power consumption and the amount of wash water used for disinfectant washing.
  • a small amount of wash water is heated to generate steam, which in turn is used to remove bacteria or ticks from laundry, thereby enabling reduction in power and wash water consumption.
  • main washing is performed after steam washing, thereby reducing fabric damage due to hot wash water.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Control Of Washing Machine And Dryer (AREA)
  • Accessory Of Washing/Drying Machine, Commercial Washing/Drying Machine, Other Washing/Drying Machine (AREA)
  • Apparatus For Disinfection Or Sterilisation (AREA)
  • Detail Structures Of Washing Machines And Dryers (AREA)
US12/479,898 2008-06-09 2009-06-08 Disinfectant washing method of drum washing machine Abandoned US20090300850A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
KR20080053878 2008-06-09
KR10-2008-0053878 2008-06-09

Publications (1)

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US20090300850A1 true US20090300850A1 (en) 2009-12-10

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ID=41398966

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US12/479,898 Abandoned US20090300850A1 (en) 2008-06-09 2009-06-08 Disinfectant washing method of drum washing machine

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US20090300850A1 (ko)
EP (1) EP2312037B1 (ko)
KR (1) KR101603336B1 (ko)
CN (1) CN102057098B (ko)
WO (1) WO2009151241A2 (ko)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
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US20110224834A1 (en) * 2008-11-14 2011-09-15 Bsh Bosch Und Siemens Hausgerãäte Gmbh Method for identifying operating conditions of a domestic appliance

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KR20150029873A (ko) * 2013-09-11 2015-03-19 삼성전자주식회사 세탁기 및 그 제어방법
CN107177951B (zh) * 2016-03-09 2021-04-20 青岛胶南海尔洗衣机有限公司 一种洗衣机智能除菌方法
CN106245271B (zh) * 2016-08-30 2018-09-18 无锡小天鹅股份有限公司 洗衣机及其蒸汽洗涤控制方法和装置
CN113089253B (zh) * 2020-01-08 2022-11-15 佛山市云米电器科技有限公司 基于洗衣机的自动除螨控制方法、服务器、系统及存储介质
CN112592773A (zh) * 2021-01-26 2021-04-02 重庆遇每科技有限公司 一种纯棉毛巾的洗涤剂及洗涤工艺

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WO2006101365A1 (en) * 2005-03-25 2006-09-28 Lg Electronics Inc. Operating method of the laundry machine
JP2007117136A (ja) * 2005-10-25 2007-05-17 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd ドラム式洗濯機
US20080040871A1 (en) * 2006-08-15 2008-02-21 Nyik Siong Wong Method of Sanitizing a Fabric Load with Steam in a Fabric Treatment Appliance
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WO2006101365A1 (en) * 2005-03-25 2006-09-28 Lg Electronics Inc. Operating method of the laundry machine
JP2007117136A (ja) * 2005-10-25 2007-05-17 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd ドラム式洗濯機
US20080040871A1 (en) * 2006-08-15 2008-02-21 Nyik Siong Wong Method of Sanitizing a Fabric Load with Steam in a Fabric Treatment Appliance
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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20110224834A1 (en) * 2008-11-14 2011-09-15 Bsh Bosch Und Siemens Hausgerãäte Gmbh Method for identifying operating conditions of a domestic appliance
US8948922B2 (en) * 2008-11-14 2015-02-03 Bsh Bosch Und Siemens Hausgeraete Gmbh Method for identifying operating conditions of a domestic appliance

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP2312037A4 (en) 2012-03-21
KR101603336B1 (ko) 2016-03-14
WO2009151241A2 (ko) 2009-12-17
CN102057098A (zh) 2011-05-11
EP2312037A2 (en) 2011-04-20
WO2009151241A3 (ko) 2010-03-18
KR20090127823A (ko) 2009-12-14
CN102057098B (zh) 2013-03-27
EP2312037B1 (en) 2013-08-14

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AS Assignment

Owner name: DAEWOO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION, KOREA, DEMOCRATIC

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:YOO, JAE HEE;REEL/FRAME:022790/0951

Effective date: 20090605

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION