Method of determining volume of water to add to first and second washing compartments of a washing machine as a function of determined moment of inertia

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11427950-B2
Application number	US-201916547650-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2019
Priority date	Aug 22, 2019
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

A washing machine includes a first washing compartment to hold a first set of articles to be washed and a second washing compartment to holds a second set of articles to be washed, the second washing compartment having an inserted position and a removed position. A liquid flow valve is configured to connect to an external liquid source to selectively control flow of liquid from the external liquid source and into one or more of the first washing compartment and the second washing compartment. An electric motor is configured to rotate the first washing compartment, and the second washing compartment, when the second washing compartment is in the inserted position. A controller, in communication with the electric motor, determines a mass of the second set of articles and then determines, as a function of the determined mass, a volume of water to be added to the second washing compartment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A washing machine comprising:
a tub;
a first washing compartment disposed within the tub to hold a first set of articles to be washed, the first set of articles having a mass;
a second washing compartment to hold a second set of articles to be washed, the second set of articles having a mass, the second washing compartment having an inserted position and a removed position;
a liquid flow valve configured to connect to an external liquid source to selectively control flow of water from the external liquid source and into either the first washing compartment, the second washing compartment, or both the first washing compartment and the second washing compartment;
an electric motor operably coupled to and configured to cause the first washing compartment to rotate, and operably coupled to and configured to cause the second washing compartment to rotate when the second washing compartment is in the inserted position but not in the removed position; and
a controller in communication with the electric motor that is configured to (i) estimate or calculate the mass of the first set of articles held by the first washing compartment when the second washing compartment is in the removed position; (ii) estimate or calculate the mass of the second set of articles held by the second washing compartment when the second washing compartment is in the inserted position; and (iii) then calculates, as a function of the estimated or calculated mass of the second set of articles, a volume of water to be added to the second washing compartment.

2. The washing machine of claim 1 ,
the controller is configured to estimate or calculate the mass of the second set of articles (mass ssa ) at least in part by: (i) estimating or calculating a moment of inertia (J fwc+fsa ) of the first washing compartment and the first set of articles when the second washing compartment is in the removed position; and (ii) estimating or calculating a collective moment of inertia (J total ) of the first washing compartment, the first set of articles, the second washing compartment, and the second set of articles when the second washing compartment is in the inserted position; and then (iii) subtracting (i) from (ii).

3. The washing machine of claim 2 ,
the electric motor includes a shaft that rotates about an axis and that is operably connected to the first washing compartment such that as the electric motor causes the shaft to rotate about the axis, the first washing compartment also rotates about the axis; and
the controller is configured to estimate or calculate the mass of the first set of articles when the second washing compartment is in the removed position at least in part by: (i) causing the first washing compartment with the first set of articles to rotate at a first substantially constant rotational speed (ω 1 ); (ii) causing the first washing compartment with the first set of articles to decrease from the first substantially constant rotational speed (ω 1 ) to a second substantially constant rotational speed (ω 2 ) over a first period of time (Δ t1 ) for an average deceleration (α down ) of (ω 1 −ω 2 )/Δ t1 ; and (iii) causing the first washing compartment with the first set of articles to increase from the second substantially constant rotational speed (ω 2 ) to the first substantially constant rotational speed (ω 1 ) over a second period of time (Δ t2 ) for an average acceleration (α up ) of (α up )/Δ t2 .

4. The washing machine of claim 3 ,
the controller is configured to estimate or calculate the mass of the first set of articles when the second washing compartment is in the removed position at least in part by sensing, estimating, or calculating a torque (τ down ) that the electric motor outputs while causing the first washing compartment with the first set of articles to decrease from the first substantially constant rotational speed (ω 1 ) to the second substantially constant rotational speed (ω 2 ) over the first period of time (Δ t1 ).

5. The washing machine of claim 4 ,
the controller is configured to estimate or calculate the mass of the first set of articles when the second washing compartment is in the removed position at least in part by sensing, estimating, or calculating a torque (τ up ) that the electric motor outputs while causing the first washing compartment with the first set of articles to increase from the second substantially constant rotational speed (ω 2 ) to the first substantially constant rotational speed (ω 1 ) over the second period of time (Δ t2 ).

6. The washing machine of claim 5 ,
the controller is configured to estimate or calculate the mass of the first set of articles when the second washing compartment is in the removed position at least in part by estimating or calculating the moment of inertia (J fwc+fsa ) of the first washing compartment and the first set of articles via an equation that divides (τ up −τ down ) by (α up −α down ).

7. The washing machine of claim 5 ,
the controller is configured to derive the torque during an acceleration phase (τ up ) and the torque during a deceleration phase (τ down ) from an average current of electricity that the electric motor utilizes during the acceleration phase (I up ) and an average current of electricity that the electric motor utilizes during the deceleration phase (I down ), respectively.

8. The washing machine of claim 3 ,
the electric motor is additionally operably connected to the second washing compartment such that as the electric motor causes the shaft to rotate about the axis, both the first washing compartment and the second washing compartment also rotate about the axis; and
the controller is configured to estimate or calculate the collective moment of inertia (J total ) at least in part by: (i) causing the first washing compartment with the first set of articles and the second washing compartment with the second set of articles to rotate at a first substantially constant rotational speed (ω 1 ); (ii) causing the first washing compartment with the first set of articles and the second washing compartment with the second set of articles to decrease from the first substantially constant rotational speed (ω 1 ) to a second substantially constant rotational speed (ω 2 ) over a first period of time (Δ t1 ) for an average deceleration (α down ) of (ω 1 −ω 2 )/Δ t1 ; and (iii) causing the first washing compartment with the first set of articles and the second washing compartment with the second set of articles to increase from the second substantially constant rotational speed (ω 2 ) to the first substantially constant rotational speed (ω 1 ) over a second period of time (Δ t2 ) for an average acceleration (α up ) of (ω 2 −ω 1 )/Δ t2 .

9. The washing machine of claim 8 ,
the controller is configured to estimate or calculate the collective moment of inertia (J total ) at least in part by calculating a torque (τ down ) that the electric motor outputs while causing the first washing compartment with the first set of articles and the second washing compartment with the second set of articles to decrease from the first substantially constant rotational speed (ω 1 ) to the second substantially constant rotational speed (ω 2 ) over the first period of time (Δ t1 ).

10. The washing machine of claim 9 ,
the controller is configured to estimate or calculate the collective moment of inertia (J total ) at least in part by calculating a torque (τ up ) that the electric motor outputs while causing the rotational speed of the first washing compartment with the first set of articles and the second washing compartment with the second set of articles to increase from the second substantially constant rotational speed (ω 2 ) to the first substantially

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Capelotti Pedro H
• Catharino Maurilio F
• Ushizima Mauro R

Classifications

• D06F2105/02

  Water supply · CPC title

• D06F2103/04

  Quantity, e.g. weight or variation of weight · CPC title

• D06F37/16 Primary

  Partitions · CPC title

• D06F39/087 Primary

  Water level measuring or regulating devices · CPC title

• D06F39/088

  Liquid supply arrangements · CPC title