Artificial intelligence washing machine and controlling method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020095719-A1
Application number	US-201916557540-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 30, 2019
Priority date	Aug 30, 2018
Publication date	Mar 26, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of controlling a washing machine, including: a first detection operation of acquiring an amount of laundry in a washing tub; selecting one of a plurality of washing courses based on the amount of laundry determined in the first detection operation; and performing the selected washing course. The plurality of washing courses includes a first washing course performing washing according to a first washing mode configured based on the amount of laundry and a second washing course performing washing according to a second washing mode configured based on the amount of the laundry and a state of the laundry. The second washing course includes a second detection operation of acquiring the state of the laundry by using a machine-learning network that processes an electrical current value applied to a motor for rotating the washing tub during an accelerated rotation of the washing tub.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of controlling a washing machine, the method comprising:
performing a first detection operation of determining an amount of laundry accommodated in a washing tub of the washing machine; selecting a washing course from among a plurality of washing courses based on the amount of laundry determined in the first detection operation; and performing the washing course that was selected from among the plurality of washing courses, wherein the plurality of washing courses comprises:
a first washing course for performing washing according to a first washing mode that is configured based on the amount of laundry determined in the first detection operation, and
a second washing course for performing washing according to a second washing mode that is configured based on: (i) the amount of the laundry determined in the first detection operation and (ii) a state of the laundry in the washing tub,
wherein the second washing course comprises a second detection operation of determining the state of the laundry in the washing tub by an output of an output layer of a machine-learning network based on an input to an input layer of the machine-learning network that comprises an electrical current value that is applied to a motor that rotates the washing tub during an accelerated rotation of the washing tub.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the washing course from among the plurality of washing courses based on the amount of laundry determined in the first detection operation comprises:
selecting the first washing course based on the amount of laundry being greater than or equal to a first threshold value; and selecting the second washing course based on the amount of laundry being less than the first threshold value.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of washing courses further comprises:
a third washing course that performs washing according to a preset washing mode.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein selecting the washing course from among the plurality of washing courses based on the amount of laundry determined in the first detection operation comprises:
selecting the first washing course based on the amount of laundry being greater than or equal to a first threshold value; selecting the second washing course based on the amount of laundry being less than the first threshold value and greater than a second threshold value which is less than the first threshold value; and selecting the third washing course based on the amount of laundry being less than the second threshold value.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second detection operation further comprises:
accelerating and rotating the washing tub from a first rotation speed up to a second rotation speed that is greater than the first rotation speed; acquiring the electrical current value that is applied to the motor while the washing tub is accelerated and rotated from the first rotation speed up to the second rotation speed; and acquiring the state of the laundry by the output of the output layer of the machine-learning network based on the electrical current value being input to the input layer of the machine-learning network.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the second rotation speed is a rotation speed at which the laundry is rotated integrally with the washing tub.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein accelerating and rotating the washing tub from the first rotation speed up to the second rotation speed comprises:
accelerating a rotation speed of the washing tub at a constant acceleration from the first rotation speed up to the second rotation speed.

8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein acquiring the state of the laundry comprises inputting the electrical current value that is applied to the motor to the input layer of the machine-learning network while the rotation speed of the washing tub is accelerated from the first rotation speed up to the second rotation speed.

9 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the second detection operation further comprises:
detecting a rotation speed of the washing tub.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein acquiring the state of the laundry comprises:
selecting, from among a plurality of acquired current values and based on the detected rotation speed of the washing tub, the electrical current value that corresponds to a portion of a rotation of the washing tub during which the rotation speed of the washing tub is accelerated from the first rotation speed up to the second rotation speed; and using the selected electrical current value as the input to the input layer of the machine-learning network.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second detection operation further comprises:
acquiring the amount of the laundry accommodated in the washing tub by the output of the output layer of the machine-learning network based on the electrical current value being input to the input layer of the machine-learning network.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second washing course comprises:
selecting the second washing mode from among a plurality of washing modes based on the state of the laundry, after the second detection operation; and performing the washing of the laundry according to the selected washing mode.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of washing modes is classified in consideration of (i) a risk of wear of the laundry, and (ii) a washing intensity of the laundry.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the state of the laundry is classified in consideration of (i) a risk of wear of the laundry, and (ii) a washing intensity of the laundry.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second washing course further comprises:
a water supply operation of supplying washing water into the washing tub, before performing the second detection operation.

16 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining a user-selected washing course through an input unit, before the first detection operation, wherein selecting the washing course from among the plurality of washing courses based on the amount of laundry determined in the first detection operation comprises: selecting the first washing course when the user-selected washing course corresponds to the first washing course; and selecting any one of the plurality of washing courses based on the amount of the laundry when the user-selected washing course corresponds to the second washing course.

17 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a temperature of washing water through an input unit, before the first detection operation, wherein selecting the washing course from among the plurality of washing courses based on the amount of laundry determined in the first detection operation comprises:
selecting the first washing course when the received temperature of the washing water is greater than or equal to a threshold temperature; and
selecting any one of the plurality of washing courses based on the amount of the laundry when the received temperature of the washing water is less than the threshold temperature.

18 . A washing machine that is configured to perform operations comprising:
performing a first detection operation of determining an amount of laundry accommodated in a washing tub of the washing machine; selecting a washing course from among a plurality of washing courses based on the amount of laundry determined in the first detection operation; and performing the washing course that was selected from among the plurality of washing courses, wher

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• D06F2103/46

  of the motor driving the drum · CPC title

• D06F2105/52

  Changing sequence of operational steps; Carrying out additional operational steps; Modifying operational steps, e.g. by extending duration of steps · CPC title

• D06F33/36 Primary

  of washing · CPC title

• D06F2103/04

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

• D06F34/18

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