Laundry machine and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9650735-B2
Application number	US-201313856603-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2013
Priority date	Apr 6, 2012
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A method for controlling a laundry machine is provided, including an air supply cycle in which heated or unheated air is supplied to items received in a holding space. The air supply cycle may include initiating operation of a fan for circulating the air in the holding space, the fan being provided in a duct that forms a flow passage for circulating the air in the holding space, and spraying cleaning water onto a filter for removing foreign matter from the filter, the filter being positioned under the fan for removing foreign matter from air being introduced into the duct from the holding space. Spraying cleaning water onto the filter for removing foreign matter from the filter is not performed at the same time as initiating operation of the fan.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a laundry machine, the laundry machine including a filter, a filter cleaning device, and a fan, the method comprising:
performing a first filter cleaning cycle of supplying cleaning fluid to the filter;
performing an air supply cycle for supplying heated air or unheated air to laundry items received in a receiving space of the laundry machine, the air supply cycle including:
operating the fan for circulating air in the receiving space, the fan being provided in a duct forming a flow passage for circulating air through the receiving space;
increasing a rotational speed of the fan from a lowest rotational speed to a preset rotational speed measured while operating the fan; and
spraying cleaning fluid which comes from the filter cleaning device onto the filter to remove debris from the filter, the filter being positioned under the fan for removing debris from the air being introduced into the duct from the receiving space, wherein the filter cleaning device is provided above the filter and the fan is provided above the filter cleaning device, such that the cleaning fluid is sprayed onto the filter while the fan is turned off;

rotating a drum of the laundry machine that defines the receiving space in which the laundry items are received while spraying cleaning fluid onto the filter, wherein rotating a drum includes increasing a rotation speed of the drum while spraying cleaning fluid onto the filter, and
performing a second filter cleaning cycle of supplying cleaning fluid to the filter after finishing the air supply cycle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein operating the fan for circulating air in the receiving space is stopped temporarily while spraying cleaning fluid onto the filter.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the spraying of cleaning fluid onto the filter is carried out when a rotational speed of the fan is increased to from a lowest rotational speed to 250 to 300 RPM measured while operating the fan.

4. A laundry machine, comprising:
a tub;
a drum rotatably provided in the tub for holding laundry;
an air supply device including a communication hole formed in a circumferential surface of the tub at a position spaced a predetermined distance from a rotation center of the drum, a duct for guiding air from the communication hole to an inside of the tub, an air collection pipe connected between the communication hole and the duct, a fan provided between the air collection pipe and the duct for circulating the air from the inside of the tub, and an air delivery pipe connected between the duct and the tub;
a filter positioned between the communication hole and the fan for removing foreign matter from the air being introduced into the duct; and
a filter cleaning device positioned between the filter and the fan to supply cleaning water to the filter when the fan is not in operation for moving the foreign matter from the filter to the inside of the tub,
wherein the air supply device further includes:
an air collection pipe connected between the communication hole and the duct, and an air delivery pipe connected between the duct and the tub, and
the filter cleaning device including a body provided in the air collection pipe, and a cleaning water spraying portion having a curved face facing the filter for spraying cleaning water received from the body onto the filter,
wherein the cleaning water spraying portion has a bar shape and has a plurality of first spray nozzles provided along an edge of the cleaning water spraying portion for spraying the cleaning water and a plurality of second spray nozzles provided among the plurality of first spray nozzles for spraying the cleaning water, the plurality of second spray nozzles having at least one of a different size, shape or orientation from the plurality of first spray nozzles.

5. The laundry machine of claim 4 , wherein a radius of curvature of the filter is the same as that of the circumferential surface of the tub, and the filter cleaning device is provided between the filter and the fan.

6. The laundry machine of claim 4 , wherein a spray area of the first spray nozzles is greater than or equal to an area of the filter.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Doh Youngjin
• Lee Jihong
• Choi Hyunchul
• Lee Kyuhwan

Classifications

• D06F58/24

  Condensing arrangements · CPC title

• D06F29/005 Primary

  the other separate apparatus being a drying appliance · CPC title

• D06F2212/00

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D06F58/28

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D06F25/00

  Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement, the receptacle serving both for washing and for centrifugally separating water from the laundry and having further drying means, e.g. using hot air  (control of washing or of washing and drying D06F33/00, D06F34/00; domestic laundry dryers D06F58/00) · CPC title