Method for operating a drum lighting device in a laundry treatment machine and laundry treatment machine implementing the method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9258870-B2
Application number	US-201113990240-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2011
Priority date	Nov 29, 2010
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

Method for operating a laundry treatment machine comprising an outer casing ( 2 ) provided with a door ( 8 ), a drum ( 3 ) mounted inside the outer casing, a drum lighting device ( 9 ) arranged inside the outer casing and operable to light the drum, and a control unit ( 11 ) adapted to control the lighting device; the method comprises: —switching-on drum lighting device if the control unit detects a preset action performed by a user on the laundry treatment machine and/or a preset state of the laundry treatment machine and/or of the drum lighting device; —switching-off drum lighting device if the control unit detects a preset action performed by a user on the laundry treatment machine and/or a preset state of the laundry treatment machine and/or of the drum lighting device. There is a delay between the detection by the control unit of the preset action performed by a user on the laundry treatment machine and/or a preset state of the laundry treatment machine and/or of the drum lighting device, and the switching-off of the drum lighting device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a laundry treatment machine comprising an outer casing provided with a door at least partially made with transparent material, a drum mounted inside the outer casing, a drum lighting device arranged inside the outer casing and operable to light the drum so that laundry loaded in said drum is visible to the user through said door, and a control unit adapted to control the lighting device;
the method comprising:
switching-on the drum lighting device if said control unit detects a preset action performed by a user on said laundry treatment machine and/or a preset state of said laundry treatment machine and/or of said drum lighting device;
switching-off the drum lighting device if said control unit detects a preset action performed by a user on said laundry treatment machine and/or a preset state of said laundry treatment machine and/or of said drum lighting device;
wherein there is a set delay between the detection by said control unit of said preset action performed by a user on said laundry treatment machine and/or a preset state of said laundry treatment machine and/or of said drum lighting device, and the switching-off of said drum lighting device;
wherein if said control unit detects that:
the laundry treatment machine is in a switch-on state,
the door is in a closed state,
the drum lighting device is in a switch-on state,
the laundry treatment machine is in an operating cycle state,
user has performed a command associated to a cycle pause state,
the drum lighting device is switched-off after the command associated to a cycle pause state has been detected, with a delay corresponding to a predetermined value (A).

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said set delay is computed based on said detected preset action performed by a user on said laundry treatment machine and/or detected preset state of said laundry treatment machine and/or drum lighting device.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said drum lighting device is switched-on when said door is open and is switched-off, after said set delay, when the door is closed.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the drum lighting device is switched-on when said control unit detects that said laundry treatment machine is switched-on and said door is closed and, wherein after a delay corresponding to a predetermined value (B), said drum lighting device is switched-off.

5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein if said control unit detects said laundry treatment machine and said drum lighting device are in the switch-on state, and detects that the door has moved from an open position to a closed position after the machine switched-on, the drum lighting device is switched off after a delay corresponding to a predetermined value (C).

6. A method according to claim 5 , wherein said predetermined value (C) is greater than said predetermined value (B).

7. A method according to claim 5 , wherein if said control unit detects that:
said laundry treatment machine is in a switch-on state,
the door is in a closed state,
the drum lighting device is in a state of switch-off,
the laundry treatment machine is in a standby state,
user has performed cycle start command,
the drum lighting device is switched-on when the cycle start command is detected and it is switched-off after a delay corresponding to a predetermined value (D).

8. A method according to claim 7 , wherein said third predetermined value is lower than said and predetermined values (B) and (C).

9. A method according to claim 5 , wherein if said control unit detects that:
said laundry treatment machine is in a switch-on state,
the door is in a closed state,
the drum lighting device is in a state of switch-on,
the laundry treatment machine is in a standby state,
user has performed cycle start command,
the drum lighting device is switched-off after said cycle start command has been detected, with a delay corresponding to a predetermined value (D).

10. A method according to claim 9 , wherein said predetermined value (D) is lower than said and predetermined values (B) and (C).

11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein if said control unit detects that said laundry treatment machine and said drum lighting device are in the switch-on state, and detects that the door has moved from an open position to a closed position after the machine switched-on, the drum lighting device is switched off after a delay corresponding to a predetermined value (C).

12. A method according to claim 11 , wherein said predetermined value (A) is close to said predetermined value (C).

13. A method according to claim 1 , wherein if said control unit detects that:
said laundry treatment machine is in a switch-on state,
the door is in a closed state, the drum lighting device is in a state of switch-off,
the laundry treatment machine is in a standby state,
user has performed cycle start command,
the drum lighting device is switched-on when the cycle start command is detected and it is switched-off after a delay corresponding to a predetermined value (D).

14. A method according to claim 1 , wherein if said control unit detects that:
said laundry treatment machine is in a switch-on state,
the door is in a closed state, the drum lighting device is in a state of switch-on,
the laundry treatment machine is in a standby state,
user has performed cycle start command,
the drum lighting device is switched-off after said cycle start command has been detected, with a delay corresponding to a predetermined value (D).

15. A method according to claim 1 , wherein if said control unit detects that:
the laundry treatment machine is in a switch-on state,
the door is in a closed state,
the drum lighting device is in a switch-off state,
the laundry treatment machine is in a operating cycle state,
user has performed a command associated to a cycle pause state,
the drum lighting device is switched-on and is switched-off after a delay corresponding to a predetermined value (E).

16. A method, according to claim 15 , wherein if said control unit detects that said laundry treatment machine and said drum lighting device are in the switch-on state, and detects that the door has moved from an open position to a closed position after the machine switched-on, the drum lighting device is switched off after a delay corresponding to a predetermined value (C), wherein said predetermined value (E) is close to said predetermined value (C).

17. A laundry treatment machine comprising an outer casing provided with a door, a drum mounted inside the outer casing, a drum lighting device arranged inside the outer casing and operable to light the drum, and electronic control means configured to implement the method as claimed in of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Ragogna Roberto
• Electrolux Home Prod Corp

Inventors

• Ragogna Roberto

Classifications

• B60Q3/80

  Circuits; Control arrangements (for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47) · CPC title

• D06F39/12

  Casings; Tubs · CPC title

• H05B37/0209 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• D06F33/02

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D06F37/00

  Details specific to washing machines covered by groups D06F21/00 - D06F25/00 · CPC title