CLOTHES TREATING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20190330790A1
• Filed: 12/07/2017
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2016
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KO, Cheolsoo, KIM, Hyojun
• Granted Patent: US 11,885,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/08 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/30 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/38 Time, e.g. duration
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/42 related to filters or pumps
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/44 Current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/50 related to heat pumps, e.g. pressure or flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/54 related to blowers or fans
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/26 Heat pumps
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/30 Blowers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/34 Filtering, e.g. control of lint removal devices
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/52 Changing sequence of operational steps; Carrying out additional operational steps; Modifying operational steps, e.g. by extending duration of steps
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/62 Stopping or disabling machine operation
• 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 58/04 Details controlling or regulating devices D06F34/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/20 General details of domestic laundry dryers D06F59/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/206 Heat pump arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/22 Lint collecting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/24 Condensing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/38 of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/50 Responding to irregular working conditions, e.g. malfunctioning of blowers
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 35/04 : the means being electric
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/02 : with compressor of reciprocating-piston type F25B1/005, F25B1/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/04 : with compressor of rotary type F25B1/005, F25B1/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/024 : by controlling the electric parameters, e.g. current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/0251 : with on-off operation
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/2513 : Expansion valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/21152 : at the discharge side of the compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 31/002 : Lubrication
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/02 : for compression type machines, plants or systems

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for controlling a clothes treating apparatus, the method comprising: a circulation step of circulating air by operating a fan; a heat exchange step of opening a refrigerant pipe by controlling an expansion valve, and circulating a refrigerant by operating a compressor; a circulation termination step of terminating the operation of the fan when the dryness level of clothes stored in a receiving part reaches a predetermined reference dryness level or when the elapsed time of the heat exchange step reaches a predetermined reference time; and a return step of closing the refrigerant pipe by controlling the expansion valve, and returning the refrigerant and lubricant in the refrigerant pipe to the compressor by operating the compressor.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a clothes treating apparatus including a container configured to accommodate clothes therein, a duct forming a passage for circulating air inside the container therethrough, a fan provided in the duct, a refrigerant pipe forming a refrigerant circulation passage, an evaporator configured to evaporate refrigerant by exchanging heat with air, a condenser configured to condense the refrigerant by exchanging heat with air passed through the evaporator, a compressor configured to compress the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator and transferring the compressed refrigerant to the condenser, and an expansion valve configured to open and close the refrigerant pipe, the method comprising:

operating the fan a first time to circulate air through the duct and the container;

opening the expansion valve a first time and operating the compressor a first time to circulate the refrigerant through the refrigerant pipe;

terminating the operation of the fan the first time when a dryness level of clothes stored in the container has reached a predetermined reference dryness level or a reference time has elapsed; and

closing the expansion valve a first time and operating the compressor a second time to cycle the refrigerant and a lubricant from the refrigerant pipe to the compressor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the compressor includes a compression unit configured to revolve within a compressor chamber, and a number of revolutions of the compression unit is configured to be less when the expansion valve is closed the first time than when the expansion valve is open the first time.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the compressor includes a compression unit configured to make a linear reciprocating motion inside a compressor chamber, and a reciprocating cycle of the compression unit is configured to be longer when the expansion valve is closed the first time than when the expansion valve is open the first time.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a terminating the operation of the compressor the second time, and operating the fan a second time after terminating the operation of the compressor the second time.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the amount of a foreign material remaining on a filter configured to filter air introduced into the duct is equal to or larger than a predetermined reference amount;

terminating operation of the fan the first time when the amount of the foreign material remaining on the filter is equal to or larger than the predetermined reference amount; and

operating a filter cleaning unit configured to spray water onto the filter after the operation of the fan the first time is terminated.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising closing the expansion valve a second time, and retrieving the refrigerant and the lubricant from the refrigerant pipe to the compressor by operating the compressor a third time—

when the operation of the fan the first time is terminated.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a length of time of the operation of the compressor the third time is set to be equal to or shorter than a length of time of operation of the filter cleaning unit.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising operating the fan at a higher RPM than the operation of the fan the first time, after operating the filter cleaning unit.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein when the predetermined reference drying level has not been reached or the reference time has not lapsed after operating the filter cleaning unit, the compressor is operated for a fourth time and the fan is operated for a second time.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the fan includes an impeller provided inside the duct and a motor configured to rotate the impeller, and

wherein an RPM of the impeller is maintained at a predetermined reference RPM when the fan is operated the first time, and when the amount of current supplied to the motor to maintain the predetermined reference RPM is equal to or less than a reference current amount, the filter cleaner is operated.

11. The method according to claim 5, wherein the container includes a tub configured to accommodate water therein and a drum rotatably provided inside the tub and configured to accommodate laundry therein, and

wherein when a pressure sensed by a pressure sensor configured to sense an internal pressure of the tub is equal to higher than a predetermined reference pressure, the filter cleaner is operated.

12. The method according to claim 5, wherein when a temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference temperature, the filter cleaning unit is operated.

13. A clothes treating apparatus comprising:

a container configured to accommodate laundry therein;

a duct that forms a passage through which air from inside the container is circulated;

a fan provided in the duct;

a heat pump provided in the duct, the heat pump including;

a refrigerant pipe that forms a refrigerant circulation passage through which refrigerant flows;

an evaporator connected to the refrigerant pipe and configured to evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat with air introduced into the duct;

a condenser connected to the refrigerant pipe and configured to condense the refrigerant by exchanging heat with air passed through the evaporator;

a compressor configured to compress the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator and discharge the compressed refrigerant to the condenser; and

an expansion valve configured to open and close the refrigerant pipe; and

a controller configured to control the fan and the heat pump,

wherein when the controller determines that an operation of the fan is completed, the controller is configured to close the expansion valve and drive the compressor to circulate the refrigerant and a lubricant from the refrigerant pipe to the compressor.

14. The clothes treating apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a sensor provided inside the container or the duct, the sensor configured to measure a moisture level of the laundry provided in the container,

wherein when the controller determines that the moisture level of the laundry has reached a predetermined reference level, the controller is configured to terminate the operation of the fan.

15. The clothes treating apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a filter configured to filter air introduced into the duct from the container,

wherein when the controller determines that an amount of a foreign material attached to the filter is equal to or larger than a predetermined reference amount, the controller is configured to terminate the operation of the fan.

16. The clothes treating apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a filter cleaning unit configured to remove the foreign material attached to the filter,

wherein when the controller determines that the amount of the foreign material attached to the filter is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference amount and terminates the operation of the fan, the controller is configured to control the filter cleaner to clean the filter.

17. A method of controlling a laundry apparatus including a tub, duct through which air from the tub is circulated, a fan configured to circulate the air through the duct, a heat pump arranged in the duct and including a refrigerant pipe, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, and an expansion valve and a controller configured to control the compressor, the fan, and the expansion valve, the method comprising:

rotating the fan at a first fan RPM;

opening the expansion valve and driving the compressor at a first compressor RPM;

measuring a moisture content of laundry accommodated in the tub;

stopping the rotation of the fan;

closing the expansions valve; and

driving the compressor at a second compressor RPM lower than the first compressor RPM for a predetermined amount of time.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether a filter provided at an inlet of the duct is clogged before measuring the moisture content of the laundry;

stopping the rotation of the fan;

spraying water on the filter to remove foreign contaminants from the filter;

stopping the spraying of the water on the filter; and

rotating the fan at a second fan RPM higher than the first fan RPM.

19. The method according to claim 18 further comprising driving the fan a second time after the compressor is driven at the second compressor RPM for the predetermined amount of time.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the determining whether the filter is clogged is determined by one of measuring a fan RPM and comparing it to the first fan RPM, measuring a temperature of the refrigerant circulated through the refrigerant pipe;

and measuring an internal air pressure of the tub.