Clothes treatment apparatus and method of controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016273153-A1
Application number	US-201615072554-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 17, 2016
Priority date	Mar 17, 2015
Publication date	Sep 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A clothes treatment apparatus includes a case that defines a treatment chamber that is configured to receive clothes. The clothes treatment apparatus further includes a steam unit that is configured to supply steam to the treatment chamber. The clothes treatment apparatus further includes a blower unit that is configured to draw air from the treatment chamber. The clothes treatment apparatus further includes an inlet temperature sensor that is configured to measure an inlet temperature of air drawn by the blower unit. The clothes treatment apparatus further includes a heat pump unit that is configured to heat air drawn by the blower unit and that is configured to supply heated air to the treatment chamber. The clothes treatment apparatus further includes a control unit that is configured to control the steam unit, the blower unit, and the heat pump unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A clothes treatment apparatus comprising:
a case that defines a treatment chamber that is configured to receive clothes; a steam unit that is configured to supply steam to the treatment chamber; a blower unit that is configured to draw air from the treatment chamber; an inlet temperature sensor that is configured to measure an inlet temperature of air drawn by the blower unit; a heat pump unit that is configured to heat air drawn by the blower unit and that is configured to supply heated air to the treatment chamber; and a control unit that is configured to control the steam unit, the blower unit, and the heat pump unit.

2 . The clothes treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to control operation of the heat pump unit based on a preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) that is measured by the inlet temperature sensor at a time of the blower unit beginning to operate and the steam unit performing preheating.

3 . The clothes treatment apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein at the time of the blower unit beginning to operate and the steam unit performing preheating, the heat pump unit is not operating.

4 . The clothes treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to, based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being equal to or higher than a predetermined reference inlet temperature (T_in), control the heat pump unit to heat air, that is drawn by the blower unit, at a slower rate than based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being lower than the reference inlet temperature (T_in).

5 . The clothes treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to control the heat pump unit based on a comparison of a dried inlet temperature (T 2 ), that the inlet temperature sensor measures while the control unit operates the heat pump unit, with the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ).

6 . The clothes treatment apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein:
the control unit is configured to, based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being lower than a predetermined reference inlet temperature (T_in), and based on a difference between the dried inlet temperature (T 2 ) and the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being equal to or higher than a predetermined first reference temperature difference (ΔD 1 ), halt operation of the heat pump unit, the control unit is configured to, based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being equal to or higher than the reference inlet temperature (T_in), and based on a difference between the dried inlet temperature (T 2 ) and the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being equal to or higher than a predetermined second temperature difference (ΔD 2 ), halt operation of the heat pump unit, and the second reference temperature difference (ΔD 2 ) is less than the first reference temperature difference (ΔD 1 ).

7 . The clothes treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the heat pump unit includes a compressor that is configured to compress refrigerant and a condenser that is configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and the air drawn by the blower unit, the control unit is configured to operate the compressor at a predetermined first operating speed (V 1 ) based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being lower than a predetermined reference inlet temperature (T_in), the control unit is configured to operate the compressor at a predetermined second operating speed (V 2 ) based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being equal to or higher than the reference inlet temperature (T_in), and the second operating speed (V 2 ) is lower than the first operating speed (V 1 ).

8 . The clothes treatment apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein:
the control unit is configured to halt operation of the compressor based on a difference between a dried inlet temperature (T 2 ), that the inlet temperature sensor measures while the compressor operates at the first operating speed (V 1 ), and based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being equal to or higher than a first reference temperature difference (ΔD 1 ), the control unit is configured to halt operation of the compressor based on the difference between a dried inlet temperature (T 2 ), that the inlet temperature sensor measures while the compressor operates at the second operating speed (V 2 ), and based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being equal to or higher than a second reference temperature difference (ΔD 2 ), and the second reference temperature difference (ΔD 2 ) is less than the first reference temperature difference (ΔD 1 ).

9 . A method of controlling a clothes treatment apparatus that comprises:
a case that defines a treatment chamber that is configured to receive clothes; a steam unit that is configured to supply steam to the treatment chamber; a blower unit that is configured to draw air from the treatment chamber; an inlet temperature sensor that is configured to measure an inlet temperature of air drawn by the blower unit; and a heat pump unit that is configured to heat air drawn by the blower unit and that is configured to supply heated air to the treatment chamber, the method comprising:
operating the blower unit;
in response to operating the blower unit, preheating the steam unit and measuring a preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) of air drawn by the blower unit;
supplying, by the steam unit, steam to the treatment chamber;
lowering a temperature inside the treatment chamber by operating the blower unit after halting operation of the steam unit; and
based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ), heating air drawn by the blower unit and discharging heated air into the treatment chamber by controlling the heat pump unit.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein:
operating the blower unit comprises not operating the heat pump unit, and the steam unit is preheated and the inlet temperature (T 1 ) is measured in response to operating the blower unit and not operating the heat pump unit.

11 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the heat pump unit is configured to, based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being equal to or higher than a predetermined reference inlet temperature (T_in), heat air drawn by the blower unit at a slower rate than based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being lower than the reference inlet temperature (T_in).

12 . The method according to claim 9 , comprising:
measuring a dried inlet temperature (T 2 ), that is a temperature of air drawn by the blower unit while the heat pump unit operates; and halting operation of the heat pump unit based on a difference between the dried inlet temperature (T 2 ) and the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ).

13 . The method according to claim 12 , comprising:
halting operation of the heat pump unit based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being lower than a predetermined reference inlet temperature (T_in), and based on a difference between the dried inlet temperature (T 2 ) and the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being equal to or greater than a predetermined first reference temperature difference (ΔD 1 ), halting operation of the heat pump unit based on the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being equal to or higher than the predetermined reference inlet temperature (T_in), and based on a difference between the dried inlet temperature (T 2 ) and the preheated inlet temperature (T 1 ) being equal to or greater than a predetermined second reference temperature difference (ΔD 2 ), and the second reference temperature difference (Δ

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Nam Wansik
• Doh Youngjin
• Choi Junyoung

Classifications

• D06F58/38

  of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity · CPC title

• D06F2103/08

  Humidity · CPC title

• D06F2105/26

  Heat pumps · CPC title

• D06F2103/50

  related to heat pumps, e.g. pressure or flow rate · CPC title

• D06F34/26 Primary

  Condition of the drying air, e.g. air humidity or temperature · CPC title