Method for controlling clothes treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11021830-B2
Application number	US-201716310710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2017
Priority date	Jun 17, 2016
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus that includes: a tub; a main drum rotatably disposed within the tub; a driver configured to drive the main drum; and an auxiliary drum disposed in the main drum configured to be attached to or be detached from the main drum. The method comprises a positioning operation for allowing a predetermined portion of the auxiliary drum to be positioned at a target position via a rotation of the auxiliary drum, wherein the positioning operation is configured such that when the predetermined portion reaches a braking-initiation position set such that the predetermined portion is positioned at the target position, a braking of the auxiliary drum is initiated, wherein the braking-initiation position is set to vary based on a magnitude of a load applied to the driver.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus,
wherein the apparatus includes:
a tub for receiving washing-water therein;
a main drum rotatably disposed within the tub;
a drive mechanism configured to drive the main drum; and
an auxiliary drum disposed in the main drum so as to be attachable or detachable to or from an inner circumferential face of the main drum, wherein (i) a rotation of the auxiliary drum is dependent on a rotation of the main drum and (ii) washing of a laundry by the auxiliary drum is performed separately from washing of a laundry by the main drum,
wherein the method comprises performing a positioning operation for allowing a predetermined portion of the auxiliary drum to be positioned at a target position via a rotation of the main drum,
wherein the positioning operation comprises initiating, based on the predetermined portion reaching a first braking-initiation position such that the predetermined portion is positioned at the target position, a braking of the main drum,
wherein the method further comprises varying the first braking-initiation position based on a magnitude of a load applied to the drive mechanism.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positioning operation includes:
a rotation operation in which the auxiliary drum is accelerated to a preset rotation speed;
the braking of the main drum is initiated based on the predetermined portion reaching the first braking-initiation position after the rotation operation; and
a correction operation in which based on the auxiliary drum stopping via the braking of the main drum, the first braking-initiation position is corrected based on a rotation angle difference between the target position and a stop position at which the predetermined portion stops, thereby generating a second braking-initiation position.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the preset rotation speed is about 20 rpm.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the positioning operation further includes:
a further rotation operation in which the auxiliary drum is accelerated to the preset rotation speed after completion of the correction operation via the rotation of the main drum; and
a further braking operation in which when the predetermined portion reaches the second braking-initiation position after completion of the further rotation operation, a preset first braking of the main drum is initiated.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the further rotation operation includes:
a first further rotation operation in which the auxiliary drum is accelerated to the preset rotation speed via the rotation of the main drum; and
a second further rotation operation in which the auxiliary drum further rotates by a second target angle after completion of the first further rotation operation via the rotation of the main drum.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second target angle is defined as an angle by which the auxiliary drum rotates for a duration from a completion time of the first further rotation operation to a time when the predetermined portion reaches the second braking-initiation position.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the apparatus further includes a first sensor unit configured to sense a rotation of the auxiliary drum,
wherein the completion time of the first further rotation operation coincides with a time when the first sensor unit has achieved at least two times sensings such that the auxiliary drum rotates at least once.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the further rotation operation is configured such that the auxiliary drum is accelerated to about 20 rpm via the rotation of the main drum.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the preset rotation speed is set such that the main drum slips within a predetermined range.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the preset rotation speed is set to a range of 0 rpm exclusive and 5 rpm inclusive.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the rotation operation includes:
a first rotation operation in which the auxiliary drum is accelerated to the preset rotation speed via the rotation of the main drum; and
a second rotation operation in which the auxiliary drum rotates further by a first target angle after a completion of the first rotation operation via the rotation of the main drum.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first target angle is defined as an angle by which the auxiliary drum rotates for a duration from a completion time of the first rotation operation to a time based on the predetermined portion reaching the first braking-initiation position.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the apparatus further includes a first sensor unit configured to sense a rotation of the auxiliary drum,
wherein the completion time of the first rotation operation coincides with a time when the first sensor unit has performed at least two times sensings such that the auxiliary drum rotates at least once.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the apparatus further includes a second sensor unit configured to sense a rotation angle of the auxiliary drum,
wherein the second rotation operation is configured such that the auxiliary drum rotates until the second sensor unit senses the first target angle.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the drive mechanism includes:
a rotation shaft connected to the drum; and
a motor,
wherein the motor includes:
a stator through which the rotation shaft passes and fixed to a bottom face of the tub; and
a rotor fixed to the rotation shaft and rotating about the stator,
wherein the second sensor unit includes:
a plurality of second magnets arranged along and on an outer periphery of the rotor and spaced apart from each other at a predetermined angular spacing; and
a single second Hall sensor disposed on the tub to sense the plurality of second magnets.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the auxiliary drum rotates at the preset rotation speed in the second rotation operation via the rotation of the main drum.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further includes:
a single water-supply configured to supply washing-water;
an outer water-supply guide disposed on the auxiliary drum to guide washing water discharged from the water-supply to the main drum; and
an inner water-supply guide spaced apart from the outer water-supply guide, wherein the inner water-supply guide is disposed on the auxiliary drum to guide the washing-water discharged from the water-supply to the auxiliary drum,
wherein the predetermined portion includes the outer water-supply guide or the inner water-supply guide,
wherein the target position includes:
a main target position at which the outer water-supply guide is positioned below the water-supply; or
an auxiliary target position at which the inner water-supply guide is positioned below the water-supply via rotation of the auxiliary drum.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises, after performing the positioning operation, a water-supply initiation operation in which the water-supply is opened to supply the washing-water.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the water-supply initiation operation includes:
a main water-supply initiation operation in which washing water is supplied from the water supply to the tub at the main target position; and
an auxiliary water-supply initiation operation in which washing-water is supplied from the water-supply to the auxiliary drum in the auxiliary target position.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises an auxi

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kwon Oshin
• Kim Keunjoo
• Jeong Jaeyong

Classifications

• D06F37/304 Primary

  Arrangements or adaptations of electric motors · CPC title

• D06F37/302 Primary

  Automatic drum positioning · CPC title

• D06F34/14

  Arrangements for detecting or measuring specific parameters · CPC title

• D06F37/24

  in machines with a receptacle rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis · CPC title

• D06F39/088

  Liquid supply arrangements · CPC title