Method and apparatus for determining laundry load size

• US 8,215,134 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Ashrafzadeh, Farhad, Bellinger, Ryan Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Kornakov, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLIGHTLY, ERIC WAYNE
• Application Number:
  US13/355,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20120118022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 169 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 68/12.04
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/04 Quantity, e.g. weight or variation of weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/24 Spin speed; Drum movements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/48 Drum speed
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/18 Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight

Abstract

A laundry treatment appliance includes: a drum defining a laundry treatment chamber configured to hold laundry; a motor coupled to the drum and configured to rotate the drum; and a controller coupled to the motor and configured to determine a parameter representative of a rotational speed of the laundry in the drum and determine a laundry load size based on the parameter.

Claims

1. A laundry treatment appliance comprising:

a drum defining a laundry treatment chamber configured to hold laundry;

a motor coupled to the drum and configured to rotate the drum; and

a controller coupled to the motor and configured to determine a parameter representative of a rotational speed of the laundry in the drum and determine a laundry load size based on the parameter, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a parameter representative of a rotational speed of the drum and compare the parameter representative of the rotational speed of the laundry in the drum and the parameter representative of the rotational speed of the drum.

2. The appliance according to claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to determine a difference between the parameters when comparing the parameters and determine the laundry load size based on the difference between the parameters.

3. The appliance according to claim 2 wherein the determining of the parameters comprises determining the parameters from data obtained while operating the drum at a steady state.

4. The appliance according to claim 1 wherein the parameter representative of the rotational speed of the laundry in the drum is determined from a characteristic of the motor.

5. The appliance according to claim 4 wherein the characteristic of the motor is motor torque.

6. The appliance according to claim 5 wherein the characteristic of the motor is in a frequency domain.

7. The appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid supply system coupled to the controller and configured to supply liquid to the laundry treatment chamber, wherein the liquid supply system wets the laundry prior to determining the parameter.

8. The appliance according to claim 1 wherein the laundry treating appliance is a washing machine.

9. The appliance according to claim 8 wherein the washing machine is a horizontal axis washing machine.