Laundry machine having induction heater and control method of the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11268234-B2
Application number	US-201916709438-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2019
Priority date	Dec 10, 2018
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A laundry machine includes a tub; a drum that is rotatably mounted in the tub and holds laundry; an induction heater that is provided in the tub and configured to heat an outer circumferential surface of the drum located in opposite; a motor that is configured to drive so as to rotate the drum; a temperature sensor that is configured to sense the temperature inside the tub; and a processor that is implemented to control drum RPM in spinning based on a preset spinning target RPM and control heat-spinning based by controlling the drive of the induction heater, wherein the processor controls the drive of the induction heater by setting a heating target temperature that is raised by the drive of the induction heater to be higher as the preset spinning target RPM is set to be lower.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry machine comprising:
a tub;
a drum that is rotatably mounted in the tub and that is configured to hold laundry;
an induction heater that is located in the tub and configured to heat an outer circumferential surface of the drum;
a motor that is located at a rear side of the tub and that is configured to rotatably drive the drum;
a processor that is configured to control driving of the drum based on a preset target spinning speed of the drum, and configured to control a heat-spinning operation by controlling driving of the induction heater; and
a temperature sensor that is connected to the processor and that is configured to sense a temperature inside the tub,
wherein the processor is configured to control the driving of the induction heater by setting a target heating temperature,
wherein the target heating temperature increases as the preset target spinning speed of the drum decreases, and
wherein the heat-spinning operation comprises heating the laundry by driving the induction heater during rotation of the drum.

2. The laundry machine of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to drive, based on the drum being rotated, the induction heater.

3. The laundry machine of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor is located at a bottom of the tub.

4. The laundry machine of claim 3 , wherein the temperature sensor is located at a front side of the tub.

5. The laundry machine of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to, based on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor reaching the target heating temperature, pause the driving of the induction heater.

6. The laundry machine of claim 1 , wherein the preset target spinning speed of the drum comprises at least three stages,
the target heating temperature decreases at intervals that align with the at least three stages, and
the preset target spinning speed of the drum increases at each of the at least three stages.

7. The laundry machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a control panel that is configured to serve as a user interface, wherein the control panel comprises a heat-spinning option unit that is configured to allow a user to initiate the heat-spinning operation of the laundry machine.

8. The laundry machine of claim 7 , wherein the control panel further comprises:
a spinning/temperature selection unit that is configured to allow a user to select a plurality of target spinning speeds of the drum or respective target heating temperatures.

9. The laundry machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a control panel that is configured to serve as a user interface, wherein the control panel comprises a display that is configured to display a plurality of target spinning speeds and respective target heating temperatures.

10. The laundry machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a control panel that is configured to serve as a user interface, wherein the control panel comprises:
a course selection unit that is configured to allow a user to select one of a plurality of washing courses; and
a normal spinning option unit that is configured to allow the user to change a target spinning speed that is preset in the selected one of the plurality of washing courses.

11. The laundry machine of claim 10 , wherein the control panel further comprises a heat-spinning option unit that is configured to allow the user to initiate the heat-spinning operation of the laundry machine, and
wherein, based on a specific one of the plurality of washing courses being selected and then the heat-spinning option unit being selected, the processor is further configured to set the target heating temperature according to the target spinning speed that is preset in the specific washing course.

12. The laundry machine of claim 10 , wherein the control panel further comprises a heat-spinning option unit that is configured to allow the user to initiate the heat-spinning operation of the laundry machine, and
wherein, based on a specific one of the plurality of washing courses being selected and a specific target spinning speed being selected and a heat-spinning unit being selected, the processor is further configured to set the target heating temperature according to the specific target spinning speed that is selected from the normal spinning option unit.

13. The laundry machine of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to control an overall driving time of the induction heater in the heat-spinning operation to be less than a preset time period.

14. The laundry machine of claim 13 , wherein the preset time period is proportional to an amount of the laundry.

15. The laundry machine of claim 1 , wherein, based on the temperature inside the tub being lower than or equal to a preset temperature, the processor is further configured to control the induction heater to restart.

16. The laundry machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a door that is rotatably coupled to a cabinet of the laundry machine and that is configured to open and close an opening of the cabinet; and
a door locking mechanism that is configured to maintain a closed state of the door,
wherein, based on the sensed temperature being higher than or equal to a preset temperature, the processor is further configured to control the door locking mechanism to maintain a locked state of the door.

17. The laundry machine of claim 16 , further comprising:
a duct that is configured to connect a front upper area of the drum and a rear upper area of the tub to circulate air; and
a fan that is located in the duct and that is configured to generate the air circulation.

18. The laundry machine of claim 17 , wherein the heat-spinning operation occurs by default after completion of a washing operation and before a drying operation that is facilitated by the air circulation.

19. The laundry machine of claim 18 , wherein a target temperature in the drying operation is set to be lower than a target temperature in the heat-spinning operation, wherein the target temperature in the heat-spinning operation is determined by the target spinning speed of the drum or a temperature that is preset to maintain the closed state of the door.

20. A control method of operating a laundry machine comprising a tub; a drum that is rotatably mounted in the tub and that is configured to hold laundry; an induction heater that is located in the tub and configured to heat an outer circumferential surface of the drum; a motor that is located at a rear side of the tub and that is configured to rotatably drive the drum; a processor that is configured to control driving of the drum, and configured to control a heat-spinning operation by controlling driving of the induction heater; and a temperature sensor that is connected to the processor and that is configured to sense a temperature inside the tub, the control method comprising:
setting a target spinning speed of the drum;
increasing a target heating temperature as the preset target spinning speed of the drum reduces; and

performing a heat-spinning operation based on the target spinning speed of the drum and the target heating temperature.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Jang Jaehyuk
• Hong Sangwook

Classifications

• D06F34/28

  Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress · CPC title

• D06F58/10

  Drying cabinets or drying chambers having heating or ventilating means · CPC title

• D06F58/38

  of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity · CPC title

• D06F2105/46

  Drum speed; Actuation of motors, e.g. starting or interrupting · CPC title

• D06F2101/10

  Spin speed · CPC title