Artificial intelligence laundry treatment apparatus and method of controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11725329-B2
Application number	US-201916557398-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2019
Priority date	Aug 30, 2018
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

Disclosed is an artificial intelligence laundry treatment apparatus including a washing tub configured to receive laundry, the washing tub being configured to be rotatable, a motor configured to rotate the washing tub, a controller configured to control the motor such that the washing tub is rotated while being accelerated, and a current sensing unit configured to sense current of the motor, wherein the controller is configured to obtain laundry weight and laundry quality from output of an output layer of an artificial neural network pre-trained based on machine learning using a current value sensed by the current sensing unit during accelerated rotation of the washing tub as input of an input layer of the artificial neural network within a range within which the laundry moves in the washing tub.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treatment apparatus comprising:
a washing tub configured to receive laundry, the washing tub being configured to be rotatable;
a motor configured to rotate the washing tub;
a controller configured to control the motor such that the washing tub is rotated while being accelerated;
a current sensing unit configured to sense an electrical current value of the motor,
a speed sensing unit configured to sense a rotational speed of the motor, and
a water supply valve configured to supply water into the washing tub,
wherein the controller is configured to obtain a laundry weight and a laundry quality by an output of an output layer of a pre-trained machine-learning network based on an input to an input layer of the machine-learning network that comprises the electrical current value sensed by the current sensing unit,
wherein the electrical current value that is input to the machine-learning network is sensed by the current sensing unit during an accelerated rotation of the washing tub within a range of rotation in which the laundry is separated from an inner surface of the washing tub,
wherein the controller is further configured to:
select, from among a plurality of electrical current values obtained by the electrical current sensing unit and based on the rotational speed of the motor sensed by the speed sensing unit, the electrical current value corresponding to a period in which the rotational speed of the motor is accelerated from a first rotational speed to a second rotational speed; and
use the selected electrical current value as an input to the input layer of the machine-learning network, and
wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine a constraint of the laundry based on an output of the output layer of the pre-trained machine-learning network, and
not obtain the laundry weight and the laundry quality, when it is determined that the constraint of the laundry occurs.

2. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein based on the washing tub being rotated by one or more revolutions in a first direction within the range of rotation of the washing tub in which the electrical current value that is input to the machine-learning network is sensed by the current sensing unit:
the laundry that is located at a lowermost position in the washing tub is raised to a first height by the rotation of the washing tub and is then dropped while being separated from the inner surface of the washing tub.

3. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second rotational speed is 60 rotations per minute (rpm) to 80 rpm.

4. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to perform control such that the motor is rotated while maintaining the second rotational speed after the rotational speed of the motor reaches the second rotational speed,
wherein based on the washing tub being rotated by one or more revolutions in a first direction by rotation of the motor at the second rotational speed, the laundry in the washing tub is rotated in a state of clinging to the inner surface of the washing tub without being dropped from a highest point of the rotation of the washing tub.

5. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first rotational speed is 10 rpm to 20 rpm.

6. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine operation settings based on the laundry weight and the laundry quality; and
control operations of the laundry treatment apparatus according to the determined operation settings.

7. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine the laundry weight and the laundry quality a plurality of times.

8. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
perform control such that water is supplied through the water supply valve, and then the washing tub is accelerated,
supply water to the washing tub through the water supply valve, rotate the washing tub for a predetermined time to wet the laundry uniformly, and perform the accelerating of the washing tub to a predetermined target speed, and
perform, when the washing tub is rotated to wet the laundry, resupplying an amount of wash water, which corresponds to a reduced level of wash water absorbed by laundry, into the washing tub while rotating the washing tub.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Im Myunghun
• Jung Hwanjin
• Yu Seonhwa
• Kim Sunggyun
• Woo Kyungchul
• Kim Jaehyun

Classifications

• D06F37/304 Primary

  Arrangements or adaptations of electric motors · CPC title

• D06F21/10

  about an inclined axis · CPC title

• D06F34/18

  Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight · CPC title

• D06F33/00 Primary

  Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers  (D06F31/00 takes precedence; details of control systems therefor D06F34/00; control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers D06F58/32) · CPC title

• D06F33/36 Primary

  of washing · CPC title