Washing machine

• US 10,640,906 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2016
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aqua Co., Ltd, Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co., Ltd. (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: Aqua Co., Ltd
• Inventors: Tsujino, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Ko, Jason Y
• Application Number:
  US15/580,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20180179688A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/00 User input for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/04 Quantity, e.g. weight or variation of weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/18 Washing liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/24 Spin speed; Drum movements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/02 Water supply
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 23/04 and rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/18 Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/40 for driving the receptacle and an agitator or impeller, e.g. alternatively D06F37/304, D06F37/308 take precedence

Abstract

A washing machine includes: a dewatering drum provided with an impeller in a free rotation manner; a driving part for rotating the impeller; an inertial rotation number detection part for detecting an inertial rotation number after the driving part stops driving; and a control part for controlling the driving part and the inertial rotation number detection part and detecting the amount of the washings in the dewatering drum as a load according to the inertial rotation number. In the case of determining that a detection result of the inertial rotation number detection part satisfies a specified condition, the control part enables the driving part to drive again; and the inertial rotation number detection part re-detects the inertial rotation number of the impeller, and detects the load according to the detection result and the previous detection result.

Claims

1. A washing machine, comprising:

a washing drum, which is capable of accommodating washings and provided with an impeller in a free rotation manner;

a driving part, which rotates the impeller;

an inertial rotation number detection part, which detects a first number of turns of inertial rotation of the impeller after the driving part stops driving, wherein the first number of turns is a first inertial rotation number; and

a control part, which controls the driving part and the inertial rotation number detection part, and detects an amount of washings in the washing drum according to the first inertial rotation number, wherein the amount of washings is a load of the washing machine;

wherein the control part detects the load according to the first inertial rotation number through the following manner;

in the case that the control part determines that the first inertial rotation number detected by the inertial rotation number detection part is in a range from a first predetermined value to a second predetermined value, the control part enables the driving part to drive again;

the inertial rotation number detection part detects a second inertial rotation number of the impeller after the driving part stops driving again; and

the control part detects the load according to the first inertial rotation number and the second inertial rotation number, wherein the first predetermined value is less than the second predetermined value;

wherein the control part detects the load according to the first inertial rotation number and the second inertial rotation number through the following manner;

the control part compares an absolute value of a difference between the first inertial rotation number and the second inertial rotation number with a third predetermined value, and determines that the load is small in the case that the absolute value of the difference is greater than the third predetermined value and the load is medium in the case that the absolute value of the difference is small than or equal to the third predetermined value.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein

the control part further detects the load according to the first inertial rotation number through the following manner:

in the case that the control part determines that the first inertial rotation number detected by the inertial rotation number detection part is less than the first predetermined value, the control part determines that the load is large, and in the case that the first inertial rotation number is greater than the second predetermined value, the control part determines that the load is small.

3. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein

the washing machine comprises a water supply part configured to supply water into the washing drum;

and

the control part determines an amount of the water supplied by the water supply part into the washing drum according to the detected load.

4. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein

the washing machine comprises a water supply part configured to supply water into the washing drum;

and

the control part determines an amount of the water supplied by the water supply part into the washing drum according to the detected load.