WO2009020322A2

WO2009020322A2 - Clothes treating apparatus and controlling method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2009020322A2
Application number: PCT/KR2008/004515
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jung Wook Moon; Dae Yun Park; Sog Kie Hong; Jong Seok Kim; Seung Gyu Ryu; Hye Yong Park; Chang Gyu Choi; Dong Won Kim
Original assignee: Lg Electronics Inc.
Priority date: 2007-08-03
Filing date: 2008-08-04
Publication date: 2009-02-12
Also published as: EP2191057A2; US20110005097A1; KR101351042B1; WO2009020322A3; EP2191057B1; KR20090014054A; EP2191057A4

Abstract

A clothes-treating apparatus and a controlling method thereof are disclosed. According to a controlling method of a clothes-treating apparatus, an operational condition of a compressor included in a heat pump to supply dry air to clothes placed therein may be maintained normally. Furthermore, a cooling fan provided in a mechanism compartment is operated only if an internal environment of the mechanism compartment is out of the normal operational condition of the compressor. As a result, a noise because of the operation of the cooling fan may be reduced and duct that happens to be sucked into the mechanism compartment when external air is drawn may be minimized.

Description

CLOTHES TREATING APPARATUS AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a clothes-treating apparatus and a controlling method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a controlling method of a cooling fan provided in a mechanism compartment of a clothes-treating apparatus to cool a compressor of a heat pump, in case of using a heat pump for supplying dry air to clothes placed in an accommodating space. Background Art

[2] A clothes-treating apparatus refers to an apparatus which treat clothes placed in an accommodating space provided in a cabinet. Here, the term 'treat' means predetermined processes, for example, ventilating air to the clothes, supplying steam or hot air to the clothes to remove bad smell, wrinkles or humidity that remain on the clothes. As a result, a user can feel pleasant when putting on the clothes.

[3] Specifically, when putting on a piece of clothes more than once, unpleasant smell, humidity or the like may remain on the clothes and that may give an unpleasant feeling to a user who tries to put on the piece again. To remove them, the piece might be washed but quite often washing of the clothes happens to lead to short usage life of the clothes as well as high cost required to maintain the cleaning of the clothes.

[4] In addition, even after washing and drying the clothes, wrinkles may remain. It is inconvenient of the user to perform additional chores like ironing and variations of it and not to put on the clothes immediately.

[5] To solve these problems, a clothes-treating apparatus may be used to remove unpleasant smell, wrinkles and humidity which remain on clothes.

[6] According to the clothes-treating apparatus, moisture is supplied to clothes placed in an accommodating space to remove the unpleasant smell, wrinkles and humidity and air, including dry and hot air is supplied to the clothes having much moisture because of sprayed steam to dry the clothes.

[7] It may be effective only to expose the clothes to air or hot air when removing the unpleasant smell, wrinkles and humidity. Moisture may be supplied to the clothes to enhance the effect of the removal noticeably.

[8] If moisture is supplied to the clothes placed in the clothes-treating apparatus, minute water elements are united with unpleasant smell elements remaining on fabric texture of the clothes and then the water elements united with the smell elements may separate from the clothes during a drying process and it is discharged outside. In sich the process, the unpleasant smell remaining on the clothes may be removed.

[9] If moisture is supplied to the clothes accommodated in the clothes-treating apparatus, there may be an effect of reducing wrinkles of the clothes. Wrinkles of the clothes having the moisture may be reduced, by extension, removed during the drying process.

[10] According to the above process, unpleasant smell, wrinkles and humidity remaining on the clothes may be removed and the user may put on any pieces of the clothes with a pleasant feeling.

[11] An air supply device including a heat pump as drying means may be used in such the drying process to dry clothes by supplying hot air, after moisture, to the clothes.

[12] Here, the heat pump is a device that absorbs heat of ambient air to exhaust the heat to a wished space. Typically, the heat pump is employed as heating means in an air conditioning system and it is configured of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The heat pump absorbs heat from low temperature outdoor air by evaporating of refrigerant and exhausts the heat through condensation of the refrigerant at a heat exchanger provided in the indoor unit. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[13] As mentioned above, the heat pump includes a compressor and a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger dehumidifies damp air inside the clothes-treating apparatus during a process of evaporating refrigerant that is supplied by the compressor and re-heats the dehumidified air during a process of condensing the refrigerant.

[14] It is necessary to compress the refrigerant between the evaporation and the condensation. The compressing of the refrigerant is performed by a compressor provided in a mechanism compartment where the heat pump is mounted. The compressor that compresses the refrigerant repeats the compressing process of the refrigerant and as a result, operational conditions of the compressor might reach overload.

[15] The above operational condition of the compressor may be an environmental variable including a temperature or pressure for the compressor to operate normally. If such the operational condition worsens, the reliability of compression may deteriorate and it consumes more power to operate the compressor. Technical Solution

[16] To solve the problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a controlling method of a cooling fan provided in a mechanism compartment to cool a compressor of a heat pump, if a heat pump is used to supply dry or hot air to clothes placed in a clothes-treating apparatus.

[17] To achieve this object and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a controlling method of a clothes treating apparatus comprising an air supply device including a heat pump and a circulation duct, that are provided in a mechanism compartment partitioned from an accommodating space within a cabinet, and a moisture supply device, which supplies moisture to an accommodating space, to supply dry or heated air to an accommodating space, the controlling method includes operating the heat pump; measuring an operational condition of a compressor of the heat pump; and controlling a cooling fan provided in the mechanism compartment based on the operational condition of the compressor.

[18] In this case, the operational condition of the compressor may be determined based on a suction temperature of refrigerant that is sucked into the compressor.

[19] The suction temperature of the refrigerant may be measured by the temperature sensor provided adjacent to the compressor.

[20] The temperature sensor may be provided at a refrigerant pipe connecting the compressor and the heat exchanger.

[21] The temperature sensor may be provided at a surface of a refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant is sucked into the compressor.

[22] Here, the temperature sensor may be provided in a circulation duct provided in the mechanism compartment to circulate the air inside the accommodating space.

[23] The temperature sensor may be provided in a rear portion of the circulation duct.

[24] The controlling method may further include supplying moisture to the accommodating space, prior to the measuring of the operational condition of the compressor.

[25] The moisture supply devkemay be a steam generator and the steam generated from the steam generator may be supplied in the supplying of the moisture.

[26] If a suction temperature of the refrigerant is over a preset temperature, the cooling fan may be put into operation in the controlling of the cooling fan.

[27] The cooling fan may operate before the heat pump starts to operate.

[28] If the heat pump starts to operate, the measuring of the operational condition of the compressor of the heat pump and the controlling of the cooling fan may be repeated during the operation of the heat pump. [29] The measuring of the operational condition of the heat pump may be performed periodically.

[30] The measuring of the operational condition of the heat pump and the controlling of the cooling fan may be repeated between the supplying of the steam and the controlling of the cooling fan.

[31] The cooling fan may be operated between the supplying of the steam and the operating of the heat pump.

[32] The temperature sensor may be provided in plural and an average value or a maximum value of temperature values measured at the plural temperature sensors may be determined as a siction temperature of the refrigerant.

[33] The operational condition of the compressor may be determined based on the consumed power of the compressor.

[34] If the consumed power of the compressor is over a preset value, the cooling fan may start to operate. Advantageous Effects

[35] The present invention has following advantageous effects.

[36] According to a controlling method of a clothes-treating apparatus, an operational condition of a compressor included in a heat pump to supply dry air to clothes placed therein may be maintained normally.

[37] Furthermore, a cooling fan provided in a mechanism compartment is operated only if an internal environment of the mechanism compartment is out of the normal operational condition of the compressor. As a result, a noise because of the operation of the cooling fan may be reduced and diet that happens to be sucked into the mechanism compartment when external air is drawn may be minimized. Brief Description of the Drawings

[38] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the disclosure.

[39] In the drawings:

[40] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a conventional clothes-treating apparatus having an accommodating space in which clothes are placed;

[41] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating main elements inside a mechanism compartment that supplies hot air to the clothes by using a heat pump; [42] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a compressor and a cooling fan provided in the mechanism compartment; and

[43] FIG. 4 is a block diagram according to a controlling method of a clothes-treating apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[44] Reference will now be made in detail to the specific embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[45] FTG. 1 illustrates that clothes 30 are placed in an accommodating space 10 of a conventional clothes-treating apparatus 100. Typically, sich the clothes-treating apparatus is configured of a cabinet having the accommodating space for the clothes. The accommodating space 10 is provided in an upper portion of the cabinet 40 and a mechanism compartment is provided under the accommodating spxe 10 in a lower portion of the cabinet 40. A moisture supply device and an air supply device are provided in the mechanism compartment to supply moisture and dry or hot air to the accommodating spxe 10, respectively.

[46] The moisture supply device is a kind of device to supply moisture to clothes, for example, a steam generator or a water sprayer. In case of the water sprayer, a spray nozzle may be provided to spray water into the accommodating space.

[47] If a steam generator is used as the moisture supply device to supply steam to the clothes, an electric heater is provided to heat the water and generate steam.

[48] If hot air is supplied to the accommodating spxe 10, two methods of using an electric heater and a heat pump may be adapted combinedly.

[49] Here, the heat pump is a device that absorbs heat from ambient air to exhaust the heat to a wished spxe. Typically, the heat pump is employed as heating means in an air conditioning system and it is configured of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The heat pump absorbs heat from low temperature outdoor air by evaporating of refrigerant and exhausts the heat through condensation of the refrigerant at a heat exchanger provided in the indoor unit.

[50] FIG. 2 illustrates that main elements are disposed in the mechanism compartment of the clothes-treating apparatus to supply dry or heated air to the xcommodating spxe by using the heat pump.

[51] The steam generator 25, the heat pump configured of a compressor 22 and a heat exchanger 23 and a ventilation diet 24 mentioned above may be provided in the mechanism compartment 20 of the clothes-treating apparatus 100. Air inside the accommodating space 10 is sicked through the ventilation diet 24 to be heat-exchanged at the heat exchanger 23 and the heat-exchanged air is dehumidified or heated to be supplied to the accommodating space 10.

[52] The heat exchanger 23 evaporates refrigerant that is supplied by the compressor 22 to dehumidify damp air inside the clothes-treating apparatus 100 and it condenses the refrigerant to re-heat the dehumidified air. It is necessary to compress the refrigerant between such the evaporation and condensation of the refrigerant.

[53] The compression of the refrigerant may be performed at the compressor 22 provided in the mechanism compartment 20. The compressor 22 for compressing the refrigerant repeats the process of the compression, which may result in overload of the compressor 22. If the compressor 22 is exposed to overload, the reliability of compression may deteriorate and it consumes much power to operate the compressor 22.

[54] Thus, it is required to maintain an operational condition of the compressor such that the compressor may operate under a normal operational condition without overload. The operational condition may be influenced by a temperature of the compressor, specifically, a temperature or pressure of the compressed refrigerant susceptibly.

[55] Cbmpared with a temperature and pressure of the refrigerant supplied to the compressor, the temperature and pressure of the compressed refrigerant is another aspect. If a single variable is extracted, the other variable is determined accordingly.

[56] The biggest reason why the compressor 22 is exposed to overload is that the temperature or pressure of the compressed refrigerant is substantially high. If the evaporated refrigerant of the heat exchanger 23 is drawn into the compressor 22, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant might happen to be over a normal operational condition of the compressor.

[57] In addition, in the mechanism compartment where the compressor 22 is provided may be provided the steam generator as the moisture supply device. Here, the steam generator 25 heats water to generate steam. As a result, a surface of the steam generator 25 has a high temperature by the heated water therein and the steam generator 25 may be employed as a heating element inside the mechanism compartment where the compressor 22 is installed.

[58] Air inside the accommodating space 10 is sucked and dehumidified or heated in a circulation duct 26, and the dehumidified or heated air is re-supplied to the accommodating space 10 through the circulation duct 26. As a result, the inside of the mechanism compartment may be heated because of the heated air flowing through the circulation duct 26.

[59] Especially, a temperature of a portion of the heat exchanger 23 where the air flowing in the circulation diet is heated by condensing the refrigerant is relatively high. If this temperature is getting high, the temperature of the mechanism compartment is getting high accordingly such that the compressor 22 may be heated indirectly.

[60] FIG. 3 illustrates the compressor 22 and a cooling fan 27 provided in the mechanism compartment 20. The cooling fan 27 shown in FIG. 3 cools the inside of the mechanism compartment where the compressor 22 is installed. A ventilation opening 29 is formed at the cabinet 40 that forms an exterior appearance of the mechanism compartment 20 and the cooling fan 27 may be installed at the ventilation opening 29.

[61] However, if the cooling fan 27 is operated to cool the mechanism compartment 20 where the compressor 22 is installed, noise may occur and external dust may be drawn into the mechanism compartment 20. Thus, it is necessary to reduce the operation of the cooling fan 27 as possible.

[62] A method of reducing the operation of the cooling fan 27 may be that the cooling fan

27 is operated selectively for internal environment of the mechanism compartment 20 to satisfy the normal operational condition of the compressor 22.

[63] That is, the cooling fan 27 is selectively operated only if the operational condition of the compressor 22 included in the heat pump is out of the normal condition.

[64] To operate the cooling fan 27 selectively, it is necessary to determine the operational condition of the compressor 22.

[65] Thus, a controlling method of the clothes-treating apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment includes operating the heat pump, measuring the operational condition of the compressor included in the heat pump, and controlling the cooling fan provided in the mechanism compartment. As mentioned above, the clothes-treating apparatus includes the accommodating space and the mechanism compartment 20, partitioned from the accommodating space in the cabinet, where the air supply device including the heat pump and the circulation duct and the moisture supply device supplying moisture to the accommodating space are installed, in order to heat or dry air inside the accommodating space.

[66] As mentioned above, the normal operational condition of the compressor 22 is an operational pressure of the compressor 22 and the operational pressure may be determined by the temperature of the refrigerant sucked into the pressure. The suction temperature of the refrigerant may be measured by a temperature provided adjacent to the compressor.

[67] If the temperature sensor is installed at a portion near the compressor 22 where it is possible to measure the temperature of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 22, it is possible to indirectly measure the temperature of the refrigerant sicked into the compressor 22.

[68] At this time, the most important thing of the operational condition is the pressure of the sucked refrigerant relating to compression efficiency of the compressor 22. However, it is not easy to install a pressure sensor in a pipe or the compressor 22 in order to measure the pressure of sucked refrigerant and it is simple to measure the temperature of the sucked refrigerant. It is also not easy to install the temperature sensor in the compressor 22 or a refrigerant pipe that connects the compressor 22 with the heat exchanger 23 directly. Thus, the temperature sensor may be installed outside of the refrigerant pipe.

[69] As shown in FIG. 3, if the temperature sensor is installed outside a suction refrigerant pipe 28b through which the refrigerant returning to the compressor 22 after dehumidifying the circulated air by the evaporation is flowing, it is possible to indirectly measure the temperature of the sucked refrigerant and the pressure of the sucked refrigerant accordingly.

[70] It is also possible to install the temperature sensor near the compressor 22, specifically, a surface of the compressor or in the mechanism compartment 20. However, the preferable position of the temperature sensor is a surface of the suction refrigerant pipe 28b through which the refrigerant evaporated at the heat exchanger 23 is supplied to the compressor.

[71] The temperature of the air that passes a condensation portion of the heat exchanger that heats the circulated air by the condensation of the refrigerant may be high, compared with the temperature of the air drawn into the circulation duct.

[72] As a result, the temperature sensor may be installed in the circulation duct 26 that surrounds the condensation portion 23b and it may be installed between an end portion of the circulation duct 26, specifically, between the condensation portion 23a and the ventilation duct 24 to measure the temperature of the mechanism compartment 20 indirectly, such that the operational condition of the compressor 22 may be determined indirectly.

[73] The controlling method of the clothes-treating apparatus may further include supplying moisture to the accommodating space prior to the step of measuring the operational condition of the compressor included in the heat pump. [74] Here, the supplying of the moisture means that moisture is supplied to the accommodating space 10. as mentioned above, if the steam generator 25 as the moisture supply device shown in FIG. 3 supplies steam to the accommodating space, the temperature of the mechanism compartment 20 may be influenced by the temperature of the steam generator 25. Accordingly, the operational condition of the compressor 22 may be also changeable according to before or after the supplying of the moisture, that is, steam.

[75] According to the controlling method of the clothes-treating apparatus, the cooling fan

29 is operated before the heat pump is put into operation. As mentioned above, the moisture or steam might be supplied to the accommodating space before the operation of the heat pump. In this case, the mechanism compartment 20 is heated by the steam generator 25 too much enough to be over the normal operational condition of the compressor 22. Thus, the cooling fan 29 is operated prior to the operation of the heat pump.

[76] Once the determination of the operational condition of the compressor as mentioned above, the cooling fan is controlled. Specifically, if the temperature measured by the temperature sensor (hereinafter, 'the suction temperature of the refrigerant' is over a preset temperature, the cooling fan may be controlled. If the cooling fan 29 is stopped, the cooling fan 29 may be controlled to be put into operation. If it is operated at a relatively low speed, the cooling fan 29 may be controlled to be operated at a relatively high speed.

[77] Such the control of the cooling fan 29 and measurement of the operational condition may be repeated until the temperature measured by the temperature sensor is in a range of the normal operational condition. It is preferable that the measurement of the operational condition of the compressor 22 and the control of the cooling fan 29 may be repeated periodically in a preset time period, if the heat pump is put into operation.

[78] According to the controlling method of the clothes-treating apparatus, if the moisture supply device supplies moisture or steam to the accommodating space 10, the cooling fan is controlled to operate. If the operational condition, for example, the temperature of the mechanism compartment 20, is within the range of the normal operational condition, the cooling fan 29 does not have to be put into operation. As a result, it is preferable that the step of measuring the operational condition of the heat pump and the step of controlling the cooling fan are independently performed between the step of the supplying of the steam and the step of the operation of the heat pump.

[79] In addition, if the temperature sensor as means for determining the operational condition of the compressor is provided in plural, an average value or a maximum value of the temperatures measured at the plural temperature sensors may be used. [80] The temperature measured at the temperature sensor is compared with a preset temperature and the measured temperature that is over the preset temperature may be an operational signal of the cooling fan 29. [81] As difference between the measured temperature value and the preset value is higher, the cooling fan 29 may be controlled to rotate at a higher speed proportionally. [82] For example, if the compressor 22 is over-heated, the operation of the compressor 22 is stopped to lower the temperature of the compressor 22. However, it is more efficient to cool the compressor by the operation of the cooling fan 29. [83] On the other hand, according to another method of determining the operational condition of the compressor 22, the consumed power of the compressor is measured and compared. If the consumed power of the compressor 22 is larger, the compression efficiency of the refrigerant may deteriorate proportionally. [84] If the temperature of the compressor 22 that compresses the refrigerant evaporated at the heat exchanger 23 is increasing, it takes more energy to compress the refrigerant.

As a result, the power consumed at the compressor 22 is measured and if a value of the measured power is higher than a preset value, the cooling fan 29 is operated to cool the compressor 22. [85] If the measured value is higher than the preset value, it is preferable that the rotation al speed of the cooling fan 27 is determined in proportion of the difference between the measured value and the preset value. [86] The method of lowering the temperature of the compressor 22 is identical to the method of determining the operational condition of the compressor 22 by using the temperature sensor. Using the measured temperatures, the cooling fan 29 may be operated or the operation of the compressor 22 may be stopped. [87] The method of measuring the consumed power of the compressor 22 may be that a voltage and electric current applied to the compressor 22 are measured. [88] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the controlling method of the clothes-treating apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 4, the heat pump provided in the mechanism compartment may be put into operation to supply hot air to clothes placed in the accommodating space. [89] 'Sl' indicates a step in that the heat pump including the compressor dehumidifies or heats air to supply the dehumidified or heated air to the accommodating space. [90] At this time, the cooling fan 29 may be being operated or not operated.

[91] 'S2' indicates a step of determining the operational condition of the compressor. A measurement variable in S2 may be a temperature measured at the temperature sensor or a consumed power of the compressor.

[92] It is obvious that any variable that is capable of determining the operational condition of the compressor included in the heat pump may be used rather than the above two variables, for example, an inner temperature of the mechanism compartment.

[93] The preset temperature and the preset consumed power that may be compared with the measured variables to determine whether the compressor is overheated may be determined according to predetermined conditions, respectively. The variable may be a kind of the compressor, an inner stricture of the mechanism compartment or a temperature of the hot air supplied to the mechanism compartment.

[94] 'S3¹ indicates a step in that the cooling fan 29 is put into operation under a state of the compressor 22 being operated. If a measured variable is larger than the preset temperature or consumed power in the step of S2, the cooling fan 29 is controlled to operate.

[95] Here, if the operational condition is satisfied in the state of the compressor 22 being operated, the cooling fan may not be put into operation. Thus, the state of only the compressor being operated (S4) is maintained.

[96] At this time, the step of S2 may be repeated periodically during the operation of the compressor, if it is determined that a measured variable is over the preset value of the temperature or consumed power during the operation of only the compressor, the operation of the cooling fan starts again.

[97] In case that steam is in the step of the supplying moisture to the accommodation, S3 or S2 and S3 may be repeated prior to the step of operating the heat pump as mentioned above.

[98] Once the dry or heated air is supplied to the accommodating space, the operation of the compressor and the cooling fan is stopped.

[99] The above controlling methods may be applicable to a kind of following clothes- treating apparatus. The clothes-treating apparatus includes, a cabinet having an accommodating space, an air supply device having a heat pump configured of a compressor and a heat exchanger to supply dry or heated air to the accommodating space, a temperature sensor installed at least one of a pipe connecting the heat exchanger and the compressor or a rear end of the heat exchanger, a cooling fan mounted in a mechanism compartment provided in a lower portion of the cabinet, and a control part which controls the cooling fan based on a temperature measured at the temperature sensor. Here, to-be-treated clothes are placed in the accommodation. The above air supply device is provided in the mechanism compartment.

[100] The control part (not shown) is employed to control any controllable elements including the cooling fan.

[101] The temperature sensor installed at the pipe connecting the heat exchanger and the compressor may be installed at a surface of a refrigerant pipe though which the refrigerant evaporated at the heat exchanger is sucked.

[102] Alternatively, the temperature sensor installed at the rear end of the heat exchanger may be installed at a predetermined portion of the rear end where the temperature of the air having passed through the heat exchanger can be measured.

[103] A moisture supply device may be fiirther included in the clothes-treating apparatus to supply moisture to the accommodating space. The moisture supply device may be a steam generator which generates steam as mentioned above.

[104] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

[1] A controlling method of a clothes treating apparatus comprising an air supply device including a heat pump and a circulation diet, that are provided in a mechanism compartment partitioned from an accommodating space within a cabinet, and a moisture supply device, which supplies moisture to an accommodating space, to supply dry or heated air to an accommodating space, the controlling method comprising: operating the heat pump; measuring an operational condition of a compressor of the heat pump; and controlling a cooling fan provided in the mechanism compartment based on the operational condition of the compressor.

[2] The controlling method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operational condition of the compressor is determined based on a suction temperature of refrigerant that is sicked into the compressor.

[3] The controlling method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the suction temperature of the refrigerant is measured by the temperature sensor provided adjacent to the compressor.

[4] The controlling method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the temperature sensor is provided at a refrigerant pipe connecting the compressor and the heat exchanger.

[5] The controlling method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the temperature sensor is provided at a surface of a refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant is sucked into the compressor.

[6] The controlling method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the temperature sensor is provided in a circulation duct provided in the mechanism compartment to circulate the air inside the accommodating space.

[7] The controlling method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the temperature sensor is provided in a rear portion of the circulation duct.

[8] The controlling method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: supplying moisture to the accommodating space, prior to the measuring of the operational condition of the compressor.

[9] The controlling method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the moisture supply device is a steam generator, further wherein steam generated from the steam generator is supplied in the supplying of the moisture.

[10] The controlling method as claimed in claim 3, wherein if a suction temperature of the refrigerant is over a preset temperature, the cooling fan is put into operation in the controlling of the cooling fan.

[11] The controlling method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cooling fan operates before the heat pump starts to operate.

[12] The controlling method as claimed in claim 1, wherein if the heat pump starts to operate, the measuring of the operational condition of the compressor of the heat pump and the controlling of the cooling fan are repeated during the operation of the heat pump.

[13] The controlling method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the measuring of the operational condition of the heat pump is performed periodically.

[14] The controlling method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the measuring of the operational condition of the heat pump and the controlling of the cooling fan are repeated between the supplying of the steam and the controlling of the cooling fan.

[15] The controlling method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the cooling fan is operated between the supplying of the steam and the operating of the heat pump.

[16] The controlling method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the temperature sensor is provided in plural and an average value or a maximum value of temperature values measured at the plural temperature sensors is determined as a siction temperature of the refrigerant.

[17] The controlling method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operational condition of the compressor is determined based on the consumed power of the compressor.

[18] The controlling method as claimed in claim 17, wherein if the consumed power of the compressor is over a preset value, the cooling fan starts to operate.

[19] A clothes treating apparatus comprising: a cabinet comprising an accommodating space where clothes are plxed; an air supply device comprising a heat pump including a compressor and a heat exchanger, to supply dry or heated air to the accommodating space; a temperature sensor installed in at least one of a pipe connecting the heat exchanger and the compressor or a rear and of the heat exchanger; a cooling fan mounted in a mechanism compartment provided in a lower portion of the cabinet, the mechanism compartment where the air supply device is provided; and a control part which controls the cooling fan based on a temperature measured at the temperature sensor. [20] The clothes treating apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the temperature sensor installed at the pipe connecting the heat exchanger and the compressor is mounted at a surface of a refrigerant pipe through which refrigerant evaporated at the heat exchanger is sicked. [21] The clothes treating apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the temperature sensor installed at the rear end of the heat exchanger is installed at a portion where a temperature of air having passed the heat exchanger is measured. [22] The clothes treating apparatus as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a moisture supply device which supplies moisture to the accommodating space. [23] The clothes treating apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the moisture supply device is a steam generator.