METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LAUNDRY TREATMENT APPARATUS

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for controlling a clothing treatment apparatus, and to a method for controlling a clothing treatment apparatus including an outer tub so as to accommodate laundry, and a motor for rotating the inner tub, the method comprising the steps of: rotating the inner tub by means of the motor; sensing the load torque of the motor during rotation of the inner tub; and selecting a laundry dispersing step according to the load torque of the motor, wherein, in the laundry dispersing step, constant-angle laundry dispersion for maintaining a constant rotational angle of the motor is performed when the load torque is no greater than a reference load torque, and angle-reducing laundry dispersion for reducing the rotational angle of the motor at a predetermined angle is performed when the load torque is at least the reference load torque.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling an artificial laundry treating apparatus, and particularly, to a method for controlling an artificial laundry treating apparatus that minimizes unbalance of laundry.

BACKGROUND

In general, a laundry treating apparatus is an apparatus that washes laundry through processes such as washing, rinsing, dehydration, and the like to remove contamination from clothes, bedding, and the like (hereinafter, referred to as the ‘laundry’) accommodated in a drum using an action of washing water and detergent.

Such laundry treating apparatus may be classified into a top loading type in which a rotation axis of a space (inner tub) in which the laundry is accommodated is perpendicular to the ground, and a front loading type in which a rotation axis of a space (drum) in which the laundry is accommodated is parallel to the ground.

In this connection, in the front loading type-laundry treating apparatus, the rotation axis of the drum is formed substantially parallel to the ground, and washing of the laundry put into the drum is in progress using a frictional force between the drum and the laundry and a dropping impact of the laundry based on rotation of the drum.

In addition, in the top loading type-laundry treating apparatus, the rotation axis of the inner tub is formed substantially perpendicular to the ground, and washing of the laundry put into the inner tub is performed by a water current of the washing water, a friction between the laundry, and an action of detergent while the laundry put into the inner tub is immersed in the washing water.

In one example, the top loading type-laundry treating apparatus includes an outer tub that accommodates the washing water therein, and the inner tub that accommodates the laundry therein and is rotatably installed in the outer tub. A pulsator is rotatably disposed on a bottom of the inner tub. A motor is constructed to rotate at least one of the pulsator and the inner tub or simultaneously rotate the pulsator and the inner tub in the same direction or in opposite directions. Accordingly, contaminants may be separated while the laundry circulates in the inner tub based on rotation of the inner tub or the pulsator.

In this connection, in the case of the top loading type-laundry treating apparatus, the laundry accommodated in the inner tub may be entangled at the same time as the laundry is washed because of the rotation of the inner tub and the pulsator in the same direction or in the opposite directions.

Such entangled laundry may be rotated with the water current of the washing water in a state of being agglomerated based on the rotation of the inner tub or the pulsator. When the laundry is rotated in the entangled state, the laundry may become eccentric to a center of rotation of the inner tub by the washing water.

As such, the eccentricity of the laundry in the inner tub may affect the smooth rotation of the inner tub. In particular, the eccentricity of the laundry does not have a big effect on the washing and the rinsing where a rotation speed of the inner tub is relatively low. However, in the case of the dehydration where the inner tub is rotated at a high speed, even the less eccentricity of the laundry has a great influence on the rotation of the inner tub.

Such eccentricity by the laundry in the inner tub makes the rotation of the inner tub unstable. As the eccentricity occurs at the center of rotation of the inner tub, shock and noise may occur in the inner tub and the outer tub, which may deteriorate the dehydration of the laundry.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure was devised to solve the problems as described above, and has a purpose to provide a method for controlling a laundry treatment apparatus capable of sensing eccentricity of an inner tub using a driving load of a motor that rotates the inner tub of the laundry treating apparatus.

In addition, the present disclosure was devised to solve the problems as described above, and has a purpose to provide a method for controlling a laundry treatment apparatus capable of preventing eccentricity caused by laundry occurring in an inner tub of a laundry treating apparatus.

In addition, the present disclosure was devised to solve the problems as described above, and has a purpose to provide a method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus capable of preventing vibration and noise of the laundry treating apparatus by preventing eccentricity caused by laundry occurring in an inner tub of the laundry treating apparatus.

In addition, the present disclosure was devised to solve the problems as described above, and has a purpose to provide a method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus capable of maintaining a constant dehydration performance of the laundry treating apparatus by preventing eccentricity caused by laundry occurring in an inner tub of the laundry treating apparatus.

It is preferable that a method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus including an outer tub for accommodating washing water therein, an inner tub rotatably disposed in the outer tub and accommodating laundry therein, and a motor for rotating the inner tub for achieving the above purposes includes an operation of rotating the inner tub by the motor, an operation of sensing a load torque of the motor while the inner tub is rotating, and an operation of selecting a laundry dispersion operation of the laundry based on the load torque of the motor, and the laundry dispersion operation includes performing constant-angle laundry dispersion of constantly maintaining a rotation angle of the motor when the load torque is equal to or less than the reference load torque, and performing angle-reducing laundry dispersion of reducing the rotation angle of the motor by a certain angle when the load torque is equal to or greater than the reference load torque.

In this connection, it is preferable that the method further includes a water supply operation, a washing operation, a rinsing operation, and a dehydration operation, and the operation of sensing the load torque of the motor is performed before the washing operation or the dehydration operation.

In addition, it is preferable that the operation of sensing the load torque of the motor is performed at least once before the dehydration operation.

In addition, it is preferable that the operation of sensing the load torque of the motor is performed at a rotation speed increased by a certain speed from a rotation speed at the operation of rotating the inner tub.

In addition, it is preferable that a constant-speed laundry dispersion operation includes repeatedly rotating the inner tub alternatively in a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction based on a certain rotation angle.

In addition, it is preferable that the constant-speed laundry dispersion operation includes repeatedly rotating the inner tub alternatively in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction based on an angle of 360°.

In addition, it is preferable that a speed-reducing laundry dispersion operation includes repeatedly rotating the inner tub alternatively in a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction by reducing a rotation angle to a certain angle.

In addition, it is preferable that the speed-reducing laundry dispersion operation includes repeatedly rotating the inner tub alternatively in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction by reducing a rotation speed of the inner tub in proportion to reduction of the rotation angle of the inner tub.

In addition, it is preferable that the speed-reducing laundry dispersion operation includes repeatedly rotating the inner tub alternatively in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction by reducing the rotation angle of the inner tub from 360° to 120°.

According to the method for controlling the laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is an effect of sensing the eccentricity of the inner tub using the driving load of the motor that rotates the inner tub of the laundry treating apparatus.

In addition, according to the method for controlling the laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is an effect of preventing the eccentricity caused by the laundry occurring in the inner tub of the laundry treating apparatus.

In addition, according to the method for controlling the laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is an effect of preventing vibration and noise of the laundry treating apparatus by preventing the eccentricity caused by the laundry occurring in the inner tub of the laundry treating apparatus.

In addition, according to the method for controlling the laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is an effect of maintaining a constant dehydration performance of the laundry treating apparatus by preventing the eccentricity caused by the laundry occurring in the inner tub of the laundry treating apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram showing a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing operation processes of a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing determination of a laundry dispersion process of a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing a change in rpm of a constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion process of a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a change in rpm of a deceleration/sensory dispersion process of a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary view showing a change in an alternating angle of a speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion process of a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, a method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In describing the present disclosure, a name of each component to be defined are defined in consideration of a function thereof in the present disclosure. Therefore, it should not be understood as limiting the technical component of the present disclosure. In addition, each component to which each name is defined may be called a different name in the art.

Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to a following embodiment. A person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs may make various modifications and variations from such description, and such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

First, a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawing. For convenience of description, same names and same reference numerals are used for components that are the same as conventional components. In addition, detailed descriptions of components that are the same as the conventional components will be omitted, and only portions related to the present disclosure will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram showing a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, a laundry treating apparatus 100 according to the present disclosure includes a cabinet 110 that forms an appearance of the apparatus 100 and has an open top, a cabinet cover 111 disposed on the open top of the cabinet 110 and defining a laundry inlet through which laundry enters and exits, a door 114 that opens and closes the laundry inlet, an outer tub 120 that accommodates washing water therein, is suspended in the cabinet 110 by a support member 120a, and is buffered by a damper 120b, and an inner tub 150 that is disposed inside the outer tub 120, rotates around a vertical axis, and accommodates laundry therein.

A plurality of water holes (not shown) are defined in the inner tub 150 such that the washing water may circulate between the outer tub 120 and the inner tub 150, and an outer tub cover 123 in which a laundry inlet 122 is defined such that the laundry may enter and exit is disposed on a top face of the outer tub 120.

A pulsator 156 that generates a water current in the washing water is disposed on a bottom of the inner tub 150, and a motor 160 that generates a rotational force to rotate the inner tub 150 and/or the pulsator 156 is disposed below the outer tub 120. Hereinafter, the inner tub 150 and/or the pulsator 156 are collectively referred to as a water current generator 150 and 156 that generates the water current in the washing water.

A control panel 116 that receives a command from a user for overall operations of the laundry treating apparatus 100 is disposed on the cabinet cover 111. Inside the cabinet cover 111, a detergent box 118 in which detergent may be accommodated, and a detergent box housing 119 that accommodates therein the detergent box in an extendable manner, and defines a flow channel such that the washing water introduced from a water supply hose 174 is supplied into the inner tub 150 via the detergent box 118 are disposed. A distribution hole (not shown) may be defined in the detergent box housing 119 such that the washing water introduced from the water supply hose 174 is distributed to the detergent box 118. A drain hose 184 and a drain pump 182 drain the washing water from the outer tub 120.

The motor 160 rotates the water current generator 150 and 156. The motor 160 includes a stator 162 on which a coil is wound, and a rotor 164 that rotates by generating an electromagnetic interaction with the coil. The stator 162 includes multiple wound coils and has an internal resistance. The rotor 164 includes multiple magnets that generates the electromagnetic interaction with the coils. The rotor 164 rotates by the electromagnetic interaction between the coil and the magnet. A rotational force of the rotor 164 is transmitted to the water current generator 150 and 156 to rotate the water current generator 150 and 156.

The motor 160 includes a hall sensor 166 that measures a location of the rotor 164. The hall sensor 166 generates on/off signals by the rotation of the rotor 164. A rotation speed and the location of the rotor 164 are estimated through the on/off signals generated by the hall sensor 166.

A controller 200 commands a driving current to be applied to the motor 160. An inverter 168 outputs power based on a PWM signal and supplies the power to the coil of the stator 162 of the motor 160. When generating a stirring water current, the motor 160 rotates in a certain direction to rotate the water current generator 150 and 156.

Hereinafter, an operation process by the laundry treating apparatus according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing operation processes of a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 3, a method for controlling the laundry treating apparatus including the outer tub 120 that accommodates the washing water therein, the inner tub 150 that is rotatably disposed inside the outer tub 120 and accommodates the laundry therein, and the motor 160 that rotates the inner tub 150 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a water supply operation (S110) of supplying the washing water to the outer tub 120, a primary laundry dispersion operation (S120) of dispersing the inserted laundry when the water supply is completed, a washing operation (S130) of washing the laundry when the primary laundry dispersion operation is completed, a rinsing operation (S140) of rinsing the laundry that has been washed, a secondary laundry dispersion operation (S150) of dispersing the rinsed laundry for dehydration, and a dehydration operation (S160).

In this connection, the water supply operation (S110), the washing operation (5130), the rinsing operation (S140), the dehydration operation (S160), and the like are the same as existing processes, so that a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, it has been described that the primary and second laundry dispersion operations (S120 and S150) are respectively performed before the washing operation (S130) and before the dehydration operation (S160), but may also be performed before the rinsing operation (S140) as necessary.

In addition, each of the operations (S120 and S150) may be performed at least once in the entire washing process. In the following description, for convenience of description, the primary and secondary laundry dispersion operations (S120 and S150) will be described by taking one laundry dispersion operation (S120 and S150) as an example. However, the example does not limit the primary and secondary laundry dispersion operations (S120 and S150).

Hereinafter, the laundry dispersion operation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing.

In one example, the laundry dispersion operation (S120 and S150) may include a constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion that repeatedly rotates the water current generator 150 and 156 in both directions at a constant angle while maintaining a constant speed of the motor 160.

In addition, the laundry dispersion operation (S120 and S150) may perform speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion of repeating the rotation by reducing the rotation speed an alternating angle of the motor and based on rotation direction switch of the motor 160.

In one example, each of the constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion and the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion described above may be repeated at least once/selectively performed by determining a load amount and unbalance of the laundry in the inner tub.

Hereinafter, the determination process of the constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion and the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing determination of a laundry dispersion process of a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In one example, the laundry dispersion process of the present disclosure may be selectively performed before the washing operation (S130) or the dehydration operation (S160). However, when necessary, the laundry dispersion process may be carried out before other operations other than the washing operation (S130) or the dehydration operation (S160). That is, the laundry dispersion process is not limited.

In this connection, in the determination process of the laundry dispersion, as the inner tub 150 is rotated by the motor 160, a driving load of the motor 160 that rotates the inner tub 150 may be sensed to determine an amount of eccentricity of the laundry in the inner tub 150, and the laundry dispersion process may be selectively performed based on the determined amount of eccentricity.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, before the washing operation (S130) or the dehydration operation (S160), a state in which the inner tub 150 is rotated at a constant speed by the motor is maintained (S210).

Thereafter, in the state in which the inner tub 150 is rotated at the constant speed, an inner tub speed increasing/reducing operation (S220) in which a rotation speed of the inner tub 150 is temporarily increased, then maintained for a certain period of time, and then reduced, and the rotation speed of the inner tub 150 is maintained for the certain period of time in the state of being increased to be higher than the certain speed is performed.

Thereafter, when the rotation speed of the inner tub 150 is increased to be higher than the certain speed and maintained for the certain period of time, the amount of eccentricity of the inner tub may be determined by calculating a load torque of the motor 160 (S230).

In this connection, the amount of eccentricity is determined through a load amount table (not shown) in which a threshold of the load torque of the motor 160 based on a washing course, a laundry amount, the load amount, and the like is defined with respect to the calculated load torque of the motor 160.

In one example, the determination of the amount of eccentricity of the inner tub using the load torque of the motor 160 may be defined by following [Equation 1] to [Equation 3].

$\begin{array}{cc}{T}_e=J_m\frac{d{\omega }_m}{\mathrm{dt}}+B_m{\omega }_m+T_L& \left[\mathrm{Equation}1\right]\\ T_e=K_T{i}_q\propto \mathrm{load}& \left[\mathrm{Equation}2\right]\\ \frac{d}{dt}\left[\begin{array}{c}{\hat{\omega }}_m\\ {\hat{T}}_L\end{array}\right]=\hspace{1em}\left[\begin{array}{cc}-\frac{B_m}{j_m}& -\frac{1}{J_m}\\ 0& 0\end{array}\right][\begin{array}{c}{\hat{\omega }}_m\\ {\hat{T}}_L\end{array}]+\left[\begin{array}{c}\frac{1}{J_m}\\ 0\end{array}\right][T_e]+\left[\begin{array}{c}{l}_1\\ l_2\end{array}\right][{\omega }_m-{\hat{\omega }}_m]& \left[\mathrm{Equation}3\right]\end{array}$

In this connection, T_e is a driving torque of the motor 160, B_m is a coefficient of friction of the motor 160, T_L is a load torque of the motor 160, J_m is a coefficient of inertia of the motor 160, ω_m is a rotation speed of the motor, {circumflex over (ω)}_m is an actual speed of the motor 160, K_T is a torque constant of the motor 160, and l₁, l₂ are constants.

In this connection, the coefficient of inertia J_m and the load torque T_L of [Equation 1] may vary depending on the laundry amount in the inner tub 150, a laundry disposition state (that is, unbalance), and an amount of washing water.

In particular, the laundry disposition state may continuously vary in a situation in which the inner tub 150 rotates, and the load torque T_L may vary based on an angular speed or the like of the motor 160.

In addition, in the above [Equation 2], the torque constant K_T, the coefficient of friction B_m, and the like are predetermined numeric values that are already known as constants based on characteristics of the motor 160.

Therefore, a load torque T_L at a specific time point during the rotation of the inner tub 150 may be calculated as a driving torque T_e of the current motor 160 and a rotation speed ω_m of the motor 160 detected at the specific time point.

In one example, the laundry dispersion process may be selectively performed based on the load torque T_L calculated in the process of determining the amount of eccentricity of the inner tub 150 described above and the separate load amount table (not shown). In this connection, the threshold of the load torque T_L based on the washing course, the laundry amount, and the load amount is defined in the load amount table.

In one example, when the load torque T_L of the motor that rotates the inner tub is calculated as described above, the amount of eccentricity of the inner tub may be determined by comparing the load torque T_L of the motor with the threshold of the load torque T_L on the load amount table (S240).

In this connection, when the load torque T_L of the motor 160 to be compared is less than the load torque threshold on the load amount table, it is determined that the amount of eccentricity of the inner tub is smaller than a reference amount of eccentricity and a constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion operation (S250) is performed.

In one example, when the load torque T_L of the motor 160 to be compared is greater than the load torque threshold on the load amount table, it is determined that the amount of eccentricity of the inner tub is greater than the reference amount of eccentricity and a speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion operation (S260) is performed.

Hereinafter, the constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion operation (S250) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing a change in rpm of a constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion process of a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion operation (S250), when the motor 160 rotates by the alternating angle, the rotation direction is repeatedly changed.

In this connection, the controller 200 may rotate the motor 160 such that the water current generator 150 and 156 generate a rotating water current, and may change the rotation direction of the motor 160 to change a direction of the rotating water current.

In this connection, the controller 200 commands the inverter 168 to change a direction of the current. When the direction of the applied current is changed, the motor 160 may repeatedly change the rotation direction of the rotor 164 to forward/reverse directions.

In one example, the controller 200 receives the signal from the hall sensor 166 disposed in the motor. The hall sensor 166 provides the location and angle information of the rotor 164 of the motor 160 to the controller 200. The controller 200 rotates the rotor 164 in the opposite direction when the alternating angle of the rotor 164 reaches a certain angle.

In this connection, in the constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion, the alternating angle is fixed at 360° regardless of a target speed. The controller 200 brakes and/or plugs the motor 160 to generate the stirring water current. That is, the controller 200 may change the rotation direction of the motor 160 through the plugging of the motor 160.

In this connection, the laundry that is rotated together with the washing water in the inner tub 150 may be rotated by being separated from each other by inertia based on the braking of the motor 160, so that laundry dispersion may proceed.

In one example, in the constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion, the rotation angle of the rotor is limited to 360°, so that the braking of the motor 160 is always performed at the same location of the laundry in the inner tub 150.

Therefore, when only the constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion is performed, the laundry is always finally stopped at a similar location because of inertia based on a weight of the laundry, so that it may be difficult to expect smooth laundry dispersion.

In one example, the constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion operation (S250) may be essentially performed regardless of the determination of the amount of eccentricity before the washing operation (S130) or before the rinsing operation (S140) in the washing process of the laundry treating apparatus 100.

This is because the washing operation (S130) and the rinsing operation (S140) are performed at a relatively low rpm, and are less affected by the rotation of the inner tub 150 or the water current generator 150 and 156 based on the eccentricity of the laundry by being in a state in which a mass of the inner tub 150 itself is increased as the washing water is always stored in the inner tub 150.

Hereinafter, the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion operation (S260) will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 7.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a change in rpm of a deceleration/sensory dispersion process of a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 7 is an exemplary view showing a change in an alternating angle of a speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion process of a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 7, in the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion operation (S260), when the motor 160 rotates by the alternating angle, the rotation direction is repeatedly changed.

The controller 200 may rotate the motor 160 such that the water current generator 150 and 156 generates the rotating water current, and may change the rotation direction of the motor 160 to change the direction of the rotating water current.

In this connection, the controller 200 commands the inverter 168 to change the direction of the current. When the direction of the applied current is changed, the motor 160 may repeatedly change the rotation direction of the rotor 164 to the forward/reverse directions.

In this connection, the controller 200 receives the signal from the hall sensor 166 disposed in the motor. The hall sensor 166 provides the location and angle information of the rotor 164 of the motor 160 to the controller 200. The controller 200 rotates the rotor 164 in the opposite direction when the alternating angle of the rotor 164 reaches the certain angle.

In this connection, in the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion operation (S260), the alternating angle may be determined by reducing the speed/angle based on the target speed and the alternating angle.

That is, the controller 200 brakes and/or plugs the motor 160 to generate the stirring water current. The controller 200 may change the rotation direction of the motor 160 through the plugging.

In this connection, the laundry that is rotated together with the washing water in the inner tub may be rotated by being separated from each other by inertia based on the braking of the motor 160, so that the laundry dispersion may proceed.

In one example, the controller 200 reduces the target speed and the alternating angle of the motor 160 during the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion operation (S260). That is, when the speed of the motor 160 is reduced from a set speed and reaches a predetermined final speed, the controller 200 terminates the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion.

For example, the target speed may be reduced from 100 rpm to 60 rpm during the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion. The final speed may be 60 rpm when the speed of the motor 160 is reduced.

That is, the controller 200 may stop the motor 160 to terminate the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion operation (S260), which reduces the speed of the motor 160, when a rotation angle of the inner tub 150 reaches a certain angle.

In one example, in the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion operation (S260), when the motor 160 rotates by the alternating angle, the rotation direction may be changed. The controller 200 rotates the motor 160 such that the water current generator 150 and 156 generate the rotating water current, and changes the rotation direction of the motor 160 to change the direction of the rotating water current.

In this connection, when the alternating angle of the rotor 164 reaches a predetermined angle, the controller 200 stops the rotation of the rotor 164 and rotates the rotor 164 in the opposite direction. That is, the controller 200 commands the inverter 168 to change the direction of the current. The motor 160 changes the rotation direction of the rotor 164 when the direction of the applied current changes. The controller 200 receives the signal from the hall sensor 166.

The hall sensor 166 provides the location and angle information of the rotor 164 to the controller 200. Accordingly, the controller 200 rotates the rotor 164 in the opposite direction when the alternating angle of the rotor 164 reaches the alternating angle.

In this connection, the alternating angle has a tendency of decreasing whenever the motor 160 changes the rotation direction. For example, the alternating angle may decrease to 360°, 300°, 240°, 180°, and 120°.

More specifically, the controller 200 may change the alternating angle when changing the application direction of the current. For example, the controller 200 may decrease the alternating angle to 360°, 300°, 240°, 180°, and 120° by repeatedly rotating the motor 160 in a manner of rotating the motor 160 by 360 ° in a clockwise direction, then rotating the motor 160 by 300° in a counterclockwise direction, and then rotating the motor 160 by 240° in the clockwise direction again.

In this connection, the alternating angle of the motor 160 may vary depending on the weight of laundry, the amount of washing water, the rotation speed of the motor 160, and the like.

In one example, the controller 200 may change the alternating angle whenever the motor 160 is controlled in a reverse phase. The alternating angle may also be changed when one cycle is completed with two reverse phase control as one cycle. In this connection, the target speed has a tendency of decreasing, and the driving current also has a tendency of decreasing.

For example, while the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion operation (S260) is in progress, the target speed may exhibit a tendency of decreasing from 100 rpm to 60 rpm. In addition, while the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion operation (S260) is in progress, the alternating angle may decrease from 360° to 120°. In this connection, the target speed and the alternating angle of the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion operation (S260) may be increased or decreased as needed.

In this connection, as shown in FIG. 7, the speed-reducing/angle-reducing laundry dispersion operation (S260) performs the laundry dispersion while reducing the target speed and the alternating angle of the motor 160 in response to the control of the motor 160 of the controller 200.

Accordingly, the laundry located in the inner tub 150 is stopped at locations of 360°, 300°, 240°, 180°, and 120° in response to the reverse phase control of the motor 160, and the location of the laundry is changed based on the stopped locations (angles), thereby improving the laundry dispersion compared to the constant-speed/constant-angle laundry dispersion operation (S250) in which the laundry is rotated with the same rotation speed and alternating angle.

As described above, in the method for controlling the laundry treating apparatus according to the present disclosure, the amount of eccentricity of the inner tub 150 may be read by sensing the driving load of the motor 160 that rotates the inner tub 150 of the laundry treating apparatus.

In addition, agglomeration of the laundry may be prevented by gradually reducing the rotation speed and the alternating angle of the motor 160. In addition, because the agglomeration of the laundry is reduced, vibration and noise resulted from the eccentricity of the laundry may be reduced when the inner tub 150 is rotated.

In addition, because the inner tub 150 is able to be stably rotated as the eccentricity of the laundry is reduced, a maximum rotatable speed of the inner tub 150 may be increased. Accordingly, a degree of dehydration may be increased through high-speed rotation of the inner tub 150.

As described above, although the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure has been described in detail, one with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs will be able to implement the present disclosure in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure defined in the appended claims. Therefore, future changes of the embodiments of the present disclosure will not be able to depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

INDUSTRIAL AVAILABILITY

Included in the detailed description.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus including an outer tub configured to accommodate washing water therein, an inner tub rotatably disposed in the outer tub and configured to accommodate laundry therein, and a motor configured to rotate the inner tub, the method comprising:

rotating the inner tub by the motor;

determining, while the inner tub is rotating, a load torque of the motor; and

performing a laundry dispersion operation,

wherein the laundry dispersion operation includes (i) selecting the laundry dispersion operation based on the load torque of the motor and (ii) adjusting a rotation angle of the motor based on the load torque.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein performing the laundry dispersion operation includes setting the rotation angle of the motor based on the load torque and a reference load torque.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein performing the laundry dispersion operation includes maintaining, based on the load torque being less than the reference load torque, the rotation angle of the motor.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein performing the laundry dispersion operation includes reducing, based on the load torque being equal to or greater than the reference load torque, the rotation angle of the motor by a certain angle.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising performing a water supply operation, a washing operation, a rinsing operation, and a dehydration operation,

wherein determining the load torque of the motor is performed before the washing operation.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the load torque of the motor is further performed before the dehydration operation.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the load torque of the motor is performed at least once before the dehydration operation.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the load torque of the motor is performed while the inner tub is rotating at a first rotation speed that is increased from an initial rotation speed of the inner tub.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein maintaining the rotation angle of the motor includes rotating the inner tub alternatively in a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction by the maintained rotation angle.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the maintained rotation angle is 360 degrees.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein rotating the inner tub includes maintaining a rotation speed of the motor.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein reducing the rotation angle of the motor includes rotating the inner tub alternatively in a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction while the rotation angle of the motor is reduced.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein rotating the inner tub includes reducing a rotation speed of the motor.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein rotating the inner tub includes reducing a rotation speed of the inner tub in proportion to the reduced rotation angle.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein rotating the inner tub includes reducing the rotation angle of the motor from 360 degrees to 120 degrees.

31. A method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus including an outer tub configured to accommodate washing water therein, an inner tub rotatably disposed in the outer tub and configured to accommodate laundry therein, and a motor configured to rotate the inner tub, the method comprising:

rotating the inner tub by the motor at a first rotation speed;

increasing a rotation speed of the motor to a second rotation speed from the first rotation speed;

reducing a rotation speed of the motor to a third rotation speed from the second rotation speed;

determining, while the inner tub is rotating at the third rotation speed, a load torque of the motor; and

performing a laundry dispersion operation,

wherein the laundry dispersion operation includes (i) selecting, based on the load torque of the motor, the laundry dispersion operation and (ii) adjusting, based on the load torque, a rotation angle of the motor.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein performing the laundry dispersion operation includes maintaining, based on the load torque being less than a reference load torque, the rotation angle of the motor.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein performing the laundry dispersion operation includes reducing, based on the load torque being equal to or greater than a reference load torque, the rotation angle of the motor.

34. A method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus including an outer tub configured to accommodate washing water therein, an inner tub rotatably disposed in the outer tub and configured to accommodate laundry therein, and a motor configured to rotate the inner tub, the method comprising:

supplying water to the outer tub;

selecting, based on a first load torque of the motor, a first laundry dispersion operation;

performing the first laundry dispersion operation on the laundry;

washing, based on the first laundry dispersion operation being completed, the laundry;

rinsing the washed laundry;

selecting, based on a second load torque of the motor, a second laundry dispersion operation for the rinsed laundry;

performing the second laundry dispersion operation; and

dehydrating the laundry,

wherein the first laundry dispersion operation and the second laundry dispersion operation include adjusting a rotation angle of the motor based on the first load torque or the second load torque.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

based on the first load torque or the second load torque being less than a reference load torque, maintaining the rotation angle of the motor, and

based on the first load torque or the second load torque being equal to or greater than the reference load torque, reducing the rotation angle of the motor.