Artificial intelligence washing machine and operation method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11739458-B2
Application number	US-202016870245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2020
Priority date	Jan 7, 2020
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

The present invention relates to an artificial intelligence washing machine and an operation method thereof. A method of operating a washing machine may comprise estimating, based on a previous setting of a previous washing operation, an estimated setting for a current washing operation, wherein the estimated setting includes a water supply time, a drainage time, and a spin-drying time, obtaining a user input, obtaining an amount of laundry from a weight sensor of the washing machine, determining, based on the estimated setting, the user input, and the amount of laundry, a washing time for the current washing operation and displaying the determined washing time to the user. Accordingly, the estimated washing time is provided with the reflection of data of the washing machine which has been accumulated by the increase of the number of uses, thereby reducing a difference between an actual operating time and the estimated washing time and minimizing the user inconvenience.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A washing machine comprising:
an input device configured to receive user input;
a weight sensor configured to sense an amount of laundry received in the washing machine;
a driver configured to perform operations including water supply, drainage, washing, and spin-drying in the washing machine;
an output device configured to provide washing machine status information and washing time information; and
at least one processor that is in communication with the driver, the input device, the weight sensor, and the output device,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
estimate, based on a previous setting of a previous washing operation, an estimated setting for a current washing operation, the estimated setting including a water supply time, a drainage time, and a spin-drying time,
obtain the user input through the input device,
obtain the amount of laundry from the weight sensor,
determine, based on the estimated setting, the user input, and the amount of laundry, a washing time for the current washing operation, and
determine, based on a difference between the estimated setting for the current washing operation and the previous setting of the previous washing operation being greater than a predetermined value or ratio, that the washing machine is in an abnormal condition indicating that at least one condition of the washing machine is impairing performance of the washing machine.

2. The washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
determine, based on a most recent water supply time among a plurality of the water supply times of previous washings that correspond to the amount of laundry, the water supply time,
determine, based on an average water supply time for N water supply times of the previous washings that correspond to the amount of laundry, the water supply time, wherein N is a predetermined natural number, or
determine, by using a first artificial neural network model trained from the water supply times of the previous washings that correspond to the amount of laundry, the water supply time.

3. The washing machine of claim 2 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
determine, based on a most recent drainage time among a plurality of the drainage times of previous washings that correspond to the amount of laundry, the drainage time,
determine, based on an average drainage time for L drainage times of the previous washings that correspond to the amount of laundry, the drainage time, where L is a predetermined natural number, or
determine, by using a second artificial neural network model trained from the drainage times of the previous washings that correspond to the amount of laundry, the drainage time.

4. The washing machine of claim 3 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
determine, based on a most recent spin-drying time among a plurality of the spin-drying times of previous washings that correspond to the amount of laundry, the spin-drying time,
determine, based on an average spin-drying time for M spin-drying times of the previous washings that correspond to the amount of laundry, the spin-drying time, wherein M is a predetermined natural number, or
determine, by using a third artificial neural network model trained from the spin-drying times of the previous washings that correspond to the amount of laundry, the spin-drying time.

5. The washing machine of claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
train the first artificial neural network model by:
generating a first learning data set from applying the amount of laundry of the previous washing to the first artificial neural network, and
labeling the water supply time of the previous washing in the generated first learning data set,

train the second artificial neural network model by:
generating a second learning data set from applying the amount of laundry of the previous washing to the second artificial neural network, and
labeling the drainage time of the previous washing in the generated second learning data set, and

train the third artificial neural network model by:
generating a third learning data set from applying the amount of laundry of the previous washing to the third artificial neural network, and
labeling the spin-drying time of the previous washing in the generated third learning data set.

6. The washing machine of claim 4 , further comprising a communication interface configured to communicate with an external server and/or a user terminal,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
obtain, through the communication interface, the user input from the user terminal, and
provide, through the communication interface, the washing machine status information and the washing time information to the user terminal.

7. The washing machine of claim 6 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
determine, based on the determined water supply time, that a water supply of the washing machine is in the abnormal condition,
determine, based on the determined drainage time, that drainage of the washing machine is in the abnormal condition, and
determine, based on the determined spin-drying time, that spin-drying of the washing machine is in the abnormal condition.

8. The washing machine of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
determine, based on a difference between the determined water supply time and the water supply time of the previous washing being greater than a predetermined value or ratio, that the water supply of the washing machine is in the abnormal condition,
determine, based on a difference between the determined drainage time and the drainage time of the previous washing being greater than the predetermined value or ratio, that the drainage of the washing machine is in the abnormal condition, and
determine, based on a difference between the determined spin-drying time and the spin-drying time of the previous washing being greater than the predetermined value or ratio, that the spin-drying of the washing machine is in the abnormal condition.

9. The washing machine of claim 8 , wherein, based on a determination of at least one of the water supply, the drainage, or the spin-drying of the washing machine being in the abnormal condition, the at least one processor is further configured to:
transmit, to the user terminal, at least one of the determined times respectively corresponding to the water supply, the drainage, and the spin-drying of the washing machine that are determined to be in the abnormal condition,
obtain, from the user terminal, an approval given by the user of the transmitted at least one of the determined times, and
determine, based on (i) the determined water supply time, the determined drainage time, and the determined spin-drying time and (ii) the approval of the at least one of the determined times, the washing time.

10. The washing machine of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
determine, based on the determined water supply time being greater than a first predetermined value, that the water supply of the washing machine is in the abnormal condition,
determine, based on the determined drainage time being greater than a second predetermined value, that the drainage of the washing machine is in the abnormal condition, and
determine, based on the determined spin-drying time being greater than a third predetermined value, that the spin-drying of the washing machine is in the abnormal condition, and
wherein, based on the at least one processor determining at least one of the water supply, the drainage, or the spin-dryin

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Koo Bonkwon
• Cha Seungchul
• Lee Sanghyun
• Park Hyunji

Classifications

• G06N3/0464

  Convolutional networks [CNN, ConvNet] · CPC title

• G06N3/09

  Supervised learning · CPC title

• D06F2105/60

  Audible signals · CPC title

• G06N3/045

  Combinations of networks · CPC title

• D06F33/70 Primary

  Control of the operating time, e.g. reduction of overall operating time · CPC title