Washing machine using bubbles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9574294-B2
Application number	US-201514631266-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2015
Priority date	Sep 10, 2009
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A washing machine includes a water tub; a water supply device to supply water into the water tub; a detergent supply device to supply detergent; a circulating device to circulate the water supplied into the water tub; a drum mounted in the water tub to receive clothes therein; a motor to rotate the drum; and a control unit to control the water supply device and the detergent supply device so that the water and the detergent are supplied into the water tub, bubbles of detergent dissolved water are generated, and washing of functional clothes is performed using the bubbles by varying a drive operation rate of the motor stepwise for a washing period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A washing machine comprising:
an input unit configured to receive a functional clothes washing course selection;
a water tub;
a detergent supply device to supply detergent;
a water supply device to supply water to the detergent supply device and to supply detergent dissolved water into the water tub;
a circulating device to circulate the detergent dissolved water supplied into the water tub, the circulating device including a circulating pipe to circulate the detergent dissolved water in the water tub, and an air guidance pipe to introduce air into the circulating pipe to generate bubbles from the detergent dissolved water;
a drum mounted in the water tub to receive clothes therein;
a motor to rotate the drum; and
a control unit to control the water supply device, the detergent supply device, the circulating device and the motor,
wherein the control unit is configured to perform the functional clothes washing course using the bubbles, the control unit being configured to perform the functional clothes washing course by performing a first washing operation by driving the motor at a first operation rate to apply the bubbles to the functional clothes, and performing a second washing operation by driving the motor at an operation rate higher than the first operation rate to wash the clothes using the bubbles applied to the functional clothes.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to controls the motor for a drive period of a first time or less to cause the clothes to adsorb the water prior to performing the functional clothes washing course using the bubbles.

3. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is configured to generates the bubbles using the introduced air while circulating the detergent dissolved water present in a bottom region of the water tub using the circulating device.

4. The washing machine according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit is configured to limits a motor On time of the drive operation rate of the motor within a second time.

5. The washing machine according to claim 4 , wherein the second time is approximately 6 minutes.

6. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to controls the drum to rotate forward and reverse for a predetermined time, to remove water remaining on a surface of the clothes after final dehydration.

7. The washing machine according to claim 1 , further comprising a display unit,
wherein in the functional clothes washing course, the control unit is configured to omit a weight sensing operation, to control the display unit to display a recommended maximum weight of clothes to be washed in the functional clothes washing course, and to control the water supply device to supply the water to a preset amount or less.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Bang Eun Suk
• Kim Hyun Sook
• Yu So Jung

Classifications

• D06F35/002 Primary

  using bubbles · CPC title

• D06F35/006

  for washing or rinsing only · CPC title

• D06F33/02

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D06F37/04 Primary

  adapted for rotation or oscillation about a horizontal or inclined axis · CPC title

• D06F37/02

  Rotary receptacles, e.g. drums · CPC title