Method for controlling spin-drying cycle of laundry treatment machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11427946-B2
Application number	US-201816498635-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2018
Priority date	Mar 27, 2017
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for controlling a spin-drying cycle of a laundry treatment machine. The method includes performing a plurality of spin-drying operations by rotating a drum above an adjusted rotational speed range configured to adjust disposition of balls within a ball balancer so as to correspond to a changed amount of eccentricity, and adjusting the disposition of the balls within the ball balancer by rotating the drum within the adjusted rotational speed range, between the respective spin-drying operations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a spin-drying cycle of a laundry treatment machine, the method comprising:
performing a plurality of spin-drying operations by rotating a drum above an adjusted rotational speed range configured to adjust disposition of balls within a ball balancer so as to correspond to a change in an amount of eccentricity; and
adjusting the disposition of the balls within the ball balancer by rotating the drum within the adjusted rotational speed range, between the respective spin-drying operations,
wherein the adjusted rotational speed range is lower than an RPM range of a resonance point of a cabinet, and
wherein the plurality of spin-drying operations comprise:
a first spin-drying operation including a section at which the drum rotates at a first rotational speed above the resonance point of the cabinet;
a second spin-drying operation including a section at which the drum rotates at a second rotational speed higher than a first rotational speed; and
a third spin-drying operation rotating the drum at a third rotational speed, higher than or equal to the second rotational speed, for a longer time than in the second spin-drying operation,
wherein the disposition of the balls with the ball balancer is adjusted by rotating the drum within the adjusted rotational speed range, between the second spin-drying operation and the third spin-drying operation.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the spin-drying operations further comprise:
a preliminary spin-drying operation performed by rotating the drum within the RPM range of the resonance point of the cabinet or lower,
wherein the disposition of the balls within the ball balancer is adjusted by rotating the drum within the adjusted rotational speed range, between the preliminary spin-drying operation and the first spin-drying operation.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second spin-drying operation comprises accelerating the drum from the second rotational speed to a maximum rotational speed when vibration occurring due to the rotation of the drum at the second rotational speed is below a designated level.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the third rotational speed in the third spin-drying operation is divided into a first maximum rotational speed and a second maximum rotational speed higher than the first maximum rotational speed, and
wherein the third spin-drying operation comprises:
accelerating rotation of the drum from the first maximum rotational speed to the second maximum rotational speed when vibration occurring due to the rotation of the drum at the first maximum rotational speed is below a designated level.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the first spin-drying operation, if the change in the amount of eccentricity due to removal of water exceeds a set range during the rotation of the drum, the drum is rotated at the rotational speed of the resonance point of the cabinet or lower.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the first spin-drying operation, when a difference between a maximum vibration value within a first set rotational speed range set to the resonance point or lower, and a maximum vibration value within a second set rotational speed range set to the resonance point or lower, which is higher than the first set rotational speed range, exceeds a set value, the rotational speed of the drum is maintained within the second set rotational speed range.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein, in the first spin-drying operation, the first set rotational speed range and the second set rotational speed range are set as sections in which removal of water exceeds a set range.

8. The method according to claim 2 , wherein each of the first, second, and third spin-drying operation comprises:
increasing the rotational speed of the drum to a maximum rotational speed; and
decreasing the rotational speed of the drum from the maximum rotational speed,
wherein the decreasing the rotational speed of the drum comprises a ball disposition maintenance section maintaining rotational speed of the drum for a certain time.

9. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
initially adjusting the disposition of the balls within the ball balancer by draining water stored in a tub and increasing a rotational speed of the drum to the adjusted rotational speed range, prior to the preliminary spin-drying operation.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein, in the initially adjusting the disposition of the balls within the ball balancer, when the drum is rotated within the adjusted rotational speed range, if vibration of a designated level or above is generated, the rotational speed of the drum is decreased or rotation of the drum is stopped.

11. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the preliminary spin-drying operation comprises:
increasing a rotational speed of the drum;
sensing whether or not vibration occurs at a vibration sensing rotational speed set between the adjusted rotational speed range and a maximum rotational speed in the preliminary spin-drying; and
increasing the rotational speed of the drum to the maximum rotational speed, when vibration of below a designated level occurs at the vibration sensing rotational speed,
wherein:
when vibration of the designated level or above occurs at the vibration sensing rotational speed, the rotational speed of the drum is decreased to the adjusted rotational speed range; and
when the decrease of the rotational speed of the drum to the adjusted rotational speed range is repeated at least once, the rotational speed of the drum is decreased to the adjusted rotational speed range or below, or rotation of the drum is stopped.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Choi Moonsuk
• Kim Kyunghoon
• Cho Younghan

Classifications

• D06F39/125

  Supporting arrangements for the casing, e.g. rollers or legs · CPC title

• D06F21/00

  Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement  (with receptacles serving both for washing and centrifugally separating water from the laundry D06F23/00, D06F25/00; programme control aspects D06F33/00) · CPC title

• D06F2103/26

  Imbalance; Noise level · CPC title

• D06F37/225

  Damping vibrations by displacing, supplying or ejecting a material, e.g. liquid, into or from counterbalancing pockets · CPC title

• D06F34/16

  Imbalance · CPC title