Method for controlling washing machine having drying function

• US 20070163056A1
• Filed: 11/29/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jong, Lee, Bong
• Application Number:
  US11/605,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20070163056A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 8/149.200
• 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 2103/08 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/24 Spin speed; Drum movements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/38 Time, e.g. duration
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/28 Electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/30 Blowers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 25/00 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 Class Codes: D06F 58/38 of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity

Abstract

A method for controlling a washing machine having a drying function is disclosed. The method for controlling the washing machine having a drying function includes: a) dehydrating laundry if a command for performing a drying operation is inputted by a user; and b) drying the laundry after the dehydrating step. The dehydrating step a) includes: measuring time until a rotational velocity of a drum reaches a predetermined velocity; calculating an amount of the laundry based on the measured time; determining a dehydration velocity and dehydration time according to the calculated amount of the laundry; and rotating the drum at the dehydration velocity for the dehydration time. The drying step b) includes: hot-air drying the laundry by operating a heater and a blower fan to supply hot air into the drum until dryness of the laundry reaches a predetermined target dryness; and if the dryness of the laundry reaches the predetermined target dryness, cool-air drying the laundry by stopping operation of the heater while keeping operation of the blower fan to supply air of low temperature into the drum for a predetermined time.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a washing machine having a drying function which includes a drum and a drying device for drying laundry by supplying hot dry air into the drum, the method comprising:

a) dehydrating the laundry if a command for performing a drying operation is inputted by a user; and

b) drying the laundry after the dehydrating step a).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the command is a command for independently performing only the drying operation.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dehydrating step a) includes:

rotating the drum at a predetermined velocity (V1) for a predetermined time (T1).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dehydrating step a) includes:

measuring time until a rotational velocity of the drum reaches a predetermined velocity (V2);

calculating an amount of the laundry based on the measured time;

determining a dehydration velocity (V3) and dehydration time (T2) according to the calculated amount of the laundry; and

rotating the drum at the dehydration velocity (V3) for the dehydration time (T2).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dehydrating step a) includes:

rotating the drum while the drying device is in a non-operating state.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dehydrating step a) includes:

rotating the drum and driving the drying device at the same time.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drying device includes a blower fan which forcedly sucks external air and blows the air into the drum, and a heater which heats the air sucked by the blower fan to supply hot air into the drum,

whereby the drying step b) includes:

hot-air drying the laundry by operating the heater and the blower fan to supply the hot air into the drum until dryness of the laundry reaches a predetermined target dryness; and

if the dryness of the laundry reaches the predetermined target dryness, cool-air drying the laundry by stopping operation of the heater while keeping operation of the blower fan to supply air of low temperature into the drum for a predetermined time (T3).

8. A method for controlling a washing machine having a drying function which includes a drum and a drying device for drying laundry by supplying hot dry air into the drum, the method comprising:

a) dehydrating the laundry if a command for performing a drying operation is inputted by a user;

b) disentangling the laundry tangled during the dehydrating step a); and

c) drying the laundry after the disentangling step b).

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the command is a command for independently performing only the drying operation.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the dehydrating step a) includes:

rotating the drum at a predetermined velocity (V1) for a predetermined time (T1).

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the dehydrating step a) includes:

measuring time until a rotational velocity of the drum reaches a predetermined velocity (V2);

calculating an amount of the laundry based on the measured time;

determining a dehydration velocity (V3) and dehydration time (T2) according to the calculated amount of the laundry; and

rotating the drum at the dehydration velocity (V3) for the dehydration time (T2).

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the dehydrating step a) includes:

rotating the drum while the drying device is in a non-operating state.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the dehydrating step a) includes:

rotating the drum and driving the drying device at the same time.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the disentangling step b) includes:

dispersing the laundry by alternately rotating the drum in a given rotation direction and in a reverse direction.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein the drying device includes a blower fan which forcedly sucks external air and blows the air into the drum, and a heater which heats the air sucked by the blower fan to supply hot air into the drum,

whereby the drying step c) includes:

hot-air drying the laundry by operating the heater and the blower fan to supply the hot air into the drum until dryness of the laundry reaches a predetermined target dryness; and

if the dryness of the laundry reaches the predetermined target dryness, cool-air drying the laundry by stopping operation of the heater while keeping operation of the blower fan to supply air of low temperature into the drum for a predetermined time (T3).