Clothing management device and control method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12385180-B2
Application number	US-202217738509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2022
Priority date	Dec 17, 2019
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device and a control method therefor are provided. The clothing management device includes a sensor, a deodorizing device for removing a contaminant source of clothing received in the clothing management device, a perfuming device for spraying aroma onto clothing, and a processor for, when a user command for managing clothing is received, controlling the deodorizing device to perform deodorization for removing a contaminant source of the clothing, and, when it is determined that the concentration of the contaminant source in the clothing management device sensed by the sensor is less than or equal to a preconfigured threshold value, controlling the deodorizing device to stop the deodorization and controlling the perfuming device to perfume the clothing by using aroma.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A clothing management device, comprising:
a sensor;
a spraying device configured to remove a contaminant source of a clothing contained in the clothing management device;
an aroma spray device configured to spray an aroma on the clothing; and
a processor configured to:
based on a user command being received for managing the clothing, control the spraying device to perform deodorization of the clothing by removing the contaminant source, and
when the received user command comprises a command to perform perfuming, based on determining that a concentration of the contaminant source detected by the sensor is less than or equal to a pre-set threshold value, control the spraying device to stop the performing of the deodorization of the clothing and control the aroma spray device to perform perfuming of the clothing by using the aroma,
when the received user command comprises a command for not performing the perfuming, control the spraying device to perform the deodorization of the clothing until the concentration of the contaminant source detected by the sensor reaches a target value lower than the pre-set threshold value,
wherein the sensor is configured to detect a level of a plurality of different types of contaminant sources,
wherein the determining that the concentration of the contaminant source detected by the sensor is less than or equal to the pre-set threshold value includes comparing an average in concentration of each of the plurality of different types of the contaminant sources individually against the pre-set threshold value,
wherein the controlling of the aroma spray device to perform the perfuming of the clothing by using the aroma includes converting the aroma in a liquid state to particles of a fine size by vibrating the aroma using ultrasonic waves, and
wherein an amount of deodorization performed comprises a first level when the user command comprises the command for not performing perfuming and the amount of deodorization performed comprises a second level when the user command comprises a command for performing perfuming, the first level being greater than the second level.

2. The clothing management device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to, based on determining that a target value is reached according to an increase in a concentration of aroma in the clothing management device detected by the sensor, control the aroma spray device to stop the performing of the perfuming of the clothing.

3. The clothing management device of claim 2 ,
wherein the spraying device is further configured to remove the contaminant source of the clothing by spraying steam toward the clothing, and
wherein the aroma spray device is further configured to perform drying and the perfuming of the clothing by using hot air after the performing of the deodorization stops.

4. The clothing management device of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
control the aroma spray device to supply the hot air into the clothing management device along a first flow path, and
supply at least a portion of the hot air moving along the first flow path into the clothing management device through a second flow path by adjusting a valve connected to the first flow path, the aroma being disposed in the second flow path.

5. The clothing management device of claim 3 ,
wherein the processor is further configured to control the aroma spray device to supply the hot air into the clothing management device along a plurality of flow paths, and
wherein the aroma is disposed in at least one flow path among the plurality of flow paths.

6. The clothing management device of claim 1 ,
wherein the sensor comprises a first gas sensor and a second gas sensor, and
wherein the processor is further configured to:
detect the concentration of the contaminant source by using the first gas sensor, the first gas sensor being disposed around a location at which the clothing is contained in the clothing management device, and
detect a concentration of the aroma by using the second gas sensor, the second gas sensor being disposed around a location at which the aroma is sprayed from the aroma spray device.

7. A method of controlling a clothing management device, the method comprising:
based on a user command being received for managing a clothing contained in the clothing management device, performing deodorization of the clothing for removing a contaminant source of the clothing, the deodorization performed using a spraying device; and
when the received user command comprises a command to perform perfuming, based on determining that a concentration of the contaminant source detected by a sensor is less than or equal to a pre-set threshold value, stopping the performing of the deodorization of the clothing and performing perfuming of the clothing by using an aroma, the perfuming performed using an aroma spray device,
when the received user command comprises a command for not performing the perfuming, control the spraying device to perform the deodorization of the clothing until the concentration of the contaminant source detected by the sensor reaches a target value lower than the pre-set threshold value,
wherein the sensor is configured to detect a level of a plurality of different types of contaminant sources,
wherein the determining that the concentration of the contaminant source detected by the sensor is less than or equal to the pre-set threshold value includes comparing an average in concentration of each of the plurality of different types of the contaminant sources individually against the pre-set threshold value,
wherein the performing of perfuming of the clothing by using the aroma includes converting the aroma in a liquid state to particles of a fine size by vibrating the aroma using ultrasonic waves, and
wherein an amount of deodorization performed comprises a first level when the user command comprises the command for not performing perfuming and the amount of deodorization performed comprises a second level when the user command comprises a command for performing perfuming, the first level being greater than the second level.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
based on determining that a target value is reached according to an increase in a concentration of an aroma in the clothing management device detected by the sensor, stopping the performing of the perfuming of the clothing.

9. The method of claim 8 ,
wherein the performing of the deodorization comprises removing the contaminant source of the clothing by spraying steam toward the clothing, and
wherein the performing of the perfuming comprises performing drying and perfuming of the clothing by using hot air after the performing of the deodorization stops.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the performing of the perfuming of the clothing comprises:
supplying the hot air into the clothing management device along a first flow path; and
supplying at least a portion of the hot air moving along the first flow path through a second flow path by adjusting a valve connected to the first flow path, the aroma being disposed in the second flow path.

11. The method of claim 9 ,
wherein the performing of the perfuming comprises supplying the hot air into the clothing management device along a plurality of flow paths, and
wherein the aroma is disposed in at least one flow path among the plurality of flow paths.

12. The method of claim 7 ,
wherein the sensor comprises a first gas sensor and a second gas sensor, and
wherein the method further comprises:
detecting the concentration of the contaminant source by using the first gas sensor, the first gas sensor

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Seonghwan
• Park Jangpyo
• Lee Sanghun
• Jeong Yongwon
• Kim Joonho
• Kim Hyoungkyun

Classifications

• D06F58/10 Primary

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

• D06F2103/36

  Flow or velocity · CPC title

• D06F2105/40

  using water or steam · CPC title

• D06F34/18

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

• D06F2103/02

  Characteristics of laundry or load · CPC title