APPARATUS FOR SENSING VIBRATION OF WASHING MACHINE AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20070039105A1
• Filed: 08/18/2006
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Dong-Won, LEE, Dong-Soo
• Application Number:
  US11/465,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20070039105A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 8/158
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/24 Spin speed; Drum movements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/26 Imbalance; Noise level
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/46 of the motor driving the drum
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/16 Imbalance

Abstract

An apparatus for sensing vibration of a washing machine capable of precisely detecting a vibration amount of a tub at each rpm bandwidth by dividing an rpm of a motor into a plurality of bandwidths and by using a multi-axis inertia sensor, and a method thereof. The method comprises: detecting an rpm of a motor; dividing the detected rpm into a plurality of bandwidths; and detecting a vibration amount of a tub at the divided bandwidths.

Claims

1. A method for sensing vibration of a washing machine, comprising:

detecting an rpm of a motor;

detecting a vibration amount of a tub based on the detected rpm.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting an rpm of a motor comprises:

detecting an output current of the motor;

comparing the detected output current with a reference current corresponding to a preset rpm; and

detecting an rpm of the motor based on the comparison result.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting an rpm of a motor comprises:

detecting an input voltage and an output current of the motor;

comparing the detected voltage and current with a reference voltage and a reference current each corresponding to a preset rpm; and

detecting an rpm of the motor based on the comparison result.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting a vibration amount of a tub comprises detecting a vibration amount of the tub in one axis direction and in a multi-axis direction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting a vibration amount of a tub comprises detecting a maximum vibration-detection sensitivity according to the detected rpm with using one multi-axis inertia sensor consisting of a plurality of axis sensors.

6. A method for sensing vibration of a washing machine, comprising:

detecting an rpm of a motor;

dividing the detected rpm into a plurality of bandwidths; and

detecting a vibration amount of a tub at the divided bandwidths.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of detecting an rpm of a motor comprises:

detecting an output current of the motor;

comparing the detected output current with a reference current corresponding to a preset rpm; and

detecting an rpm of the motor based on the comparison result.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of detecting an rpm of a motor comprises:

detecting an input voltage and an output current of the motor;

comparing the detected voltage and current with a reference voltage and a reference current each corresponding to a preset rpm; and

detecting an rpm of the motor based on the comparison result.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of dividing the detected rpm into a plurality of bandwidths comprises:

setting a low speed bandwidth as an unbalance detecting bandwidth,

setting a middle speed bandwidth as a resonance detecting bandwidth; and

setting a high speed bandwidth as a maximum speed determining bandwidth.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of detecting a vibration amount of a tub comprises detecting a vibration amount of the tub in one axis direction and in a multi-axis direction.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of detecting a vibration amount of a tub comprises detecting a maximum vibration-detection sensitivity at the divided rpm bandwidths with using one multi-axis inertia sensor consisting of a plurality of axis sensors.

12. An apparatus for sensing vibration of a washing machine, comprising:

an rpm detecting unit for detecting an rpm of a motor;

an rpm bandwidth dividing unit for dividing the detected rpm into a plurality of bandwidths; and

a vibration amount detecting unit for detecting a vibration amount of a tub at the divided bandwidths.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the rpm detecting unit comprises an encoder for calculating the number of rotations of a rotor of the motor so as to detect the rpm of the motor.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the rpm detecting unit comprises a hole sensor for detecting a current in a rotation direction of the motor so as to detect the rpm of the motor.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the rpm detecting unit comprises a plurality of vibration amount sensors for detecting each vibration amount of the tub in one axis direction and in a multi-axis direction.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the vibration amount detecting unit comprises one multi-axis inertia sensor consisting of a plurality of axis sensors having each maximum vibration-detection sensitivity at each rpm bandwidth.