Method for controlling clothes treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025137190-A1
Application number	US-202318835575-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 30, 2023
Priority date	Dec 15, 2022
Publication date	May 1, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present application provides a method for controlling a clothes treatment apparatus including: a tub storing water; a drum that is provided inside the tub and stores clothes; a heating unit that forms an eddy current in the drum to heat the drum; and a detection unit that detects foam inside the tub, the method comprising: a detection step of detecting, by the detection unit, the amount of foam inside the tub; and a separation step of, if the amount of foam inside the tub is greater than or equal to a reference amount, heating the drum by using the heating unit while the drum rotates, so as to remove the foam inside the tub.

First claim

1 . A method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus including a tub where water is stored, a drum disposed inside the tub to store laundry therein, a heater configured to heat the drum by generating an eddy current in the drum, and a sensor configured to sense foam inside the tub, the method comprising:
a sensing step of sensing, by the sensor, an amount of foam inside the tub; and a removal step of removing the foam inside the tub by heating the drum via the heater while the drum rotates when the amount of foam inside the tub is equal to or greater than a reference amount.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the removal step includes:
a rotation step of rotating the drum in only one of a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction; and a rotation heating step of heating the drum via the heater while the rotation step is in progress.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the rotation step includes rotating the drum with a number of rotations creating a centrifugal force smaller than 1 G.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the removal step includes:
an oscillation step of alternately rotating the drum in a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction; and an oscillation heating step of heating the drum via the heater while the oscillation step is in progress.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the oscillation step includes rotating the drum with a number of rotations creating a centrifugal force smaller than 1 G.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
a washing water supplying step of supplying water to the tub while the removal step is in progress; and a washing water draining step of draining water inside the tub while the removal step is in progress.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the washing water supplying step and the washing water draining step are performed sequentially or simultaneously.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
a tub water supplying step of supplying a preset amount of water to the tub, wherein the tub water supplying step is started before the removal step, and a foreign substance separation step of removing foreign substances from the laundry by rotating the drum with a preset first number of rotations, wherein the sensing step is periodically executed while the foreign substance separation step is in progress.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the removal step includes:
a rotation step of rotating the drum in one of a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction with a second number of rotations smaller than the first number of rotations; and a rotation heating step of heating the drum via the heater while the rotation step is in progress.

10 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
a tub draining step of discharging water inside the tub to the outside of the tub when the amount of foam inside the tub sensed after completion of the removal step is equal to or greater than the reference amount; an oscillation step of alternately rotating the drum in a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction with a second number of rotations; and an oscillation heating step of heating the drum via the heater while the oscillation step is in progress.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein a washing water supplying step of supplying water to the tub; and a washing water draining step of draining water inside the tub are executed after completion of the tub draining step.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the washing water supplying step is started before the oscillation step and the oscillation heating step are executed,
wherein the washing water draining step is started after the oscillation step and the oscillation heating step are completed.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising a dehydration step of separating water from the laundry by rotating the drum with a number of rotations for dehydration creating a centrifugal force equal to or greater than 1 G, wherein the dehydration step is started before the removal step,
wherein the sensing step is periodically executed while the dehydration step is in progress.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the removal step includes:
a rotation step of rotating the drum in one of a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction with a number of rotations creating the centrifugal force equal to or greater than 1 G, but smaller than the number of rotations for dehydration; and a rotation heating step of heating the drum via the heater while the rotation step is in progress.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein a rotation direction of the drum set in the rotation step is the same as a rotation direction of the drum set in the dehydration step.

16 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
an oscillation step of alternately rotating the drum in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction with a number of rotations creating a centrifugal force smaller than 1 G when the amount of foam inside the tub sensed after completion of the removal step is equal to or greater than the reference amount or when a temperature inside the tub measured while the rotation heating step is in progress is equal to or higher than a preset reference temperature; and an oscillation heating step of heating the drum via the heater while the oscillation step is in progress.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein a washing water supplying step of supplying water to the tub; and a washing water draining step of draining water inside the tub are executed while the oscillation step and the oscillation heating step are in progress.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the washing water supplying step is started before the oscillation step and the oscillation heating step are executed,
wherein the washing water draining step is started after the oscillation step and the oscillation heating step are completed.

19 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
a washing water supplying step of supplying water to the tub while the removal step is in progress, and a washing water draining step of draining water inside the tub while the removal step is in progress.

20 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
a washing water supplying step of supplying water to the tub while the removal step is in progress; and a washing water draining step of draining water inside the tub while the removal step is in progress.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Woore
• Kim Hyeonjoong
• Choi Dongkil

Classifications

• D06F23/02

  and rotating or oscillating about a horizontal axis · CPC title

• D06F2105/02

  Water supply · CPC title

• D06F2105/48

  Drum speed · CPC title

• D06F2105/10

  Temperature of washing liquids; Heating means therefor · CPC title

• D06F2105/28

  Electric heating · CPC title