Laundry treating appliance and method of operation

• US 8,863,558 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2012
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Janke, Brian P., Richmond, Peter J., Zasowski, Peter E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perrin, Joseph L
• Application Number:
  US13/545,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20140013517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 68/120.2, 68/120.4, 68/120.6, 68/231, 68/24, 815/8, 815/9
• US Class Current: 68/12.02
• 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 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 33/32 Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/28 Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress

Abstract

A laundry treating appliance for treating a laundry load according to at least one cycle of operation and a method of operating a laundry treating appliance to determine a speed at which the laundry satellizes, comparing the same to a given amount or range, and altering execution of the at least one cycle of operation based on comparison such that the laundry treating appliance may be operated in an effective and efficient manner.

Claims

1. A laundry treating appliance for treating laundry according to at least one cycle of operation, comprising:

a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving the laundry for treatment;

a motor rotationally driving the drum;

a laundry size sensor providing a size output indicative of an amount of the laundry in the treating chamber;

a speed sensor providing a speed output indicative of a rotational speed of the drum; and

a controller receiving as inputs the size output and the speed output and controlling the motor to control the rotational speed of the drum to implement the at least one cycle of operation by setting a satellizing speed range based on the size output, accelerating the drum through an actual satellizing speed for the laundry regardless of the set satellizing speed range, determining the rotational speed of the drum at which the laundry actually satellizes to define a determined satellizing speed, comparing the determined satellizing speed to the satellizing speed range, and altering execution of the at least one cycle of operation when the determined satellizing speed is not within the satellizing speed range.

2. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the controller sets the satellizing speed range by conducting a table lookup of the satellizing speed range from a table of a plurality of satellizing speed ranges from a memory containing the table.

3. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the controller alters execution of the at least one cycle of operation by setting an operational parameter for the cycle of operation based on the comparison.

4. The laundry treating appliance of claim 3 wherein in setting the operational parameter the controller uses a default satellizing speed in place of the determined satellizing speed when the determined satellizing speed falls outside the satellizing speed range.

5. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the controller alters execution of the at least one cycle of operation by at least one of initiating, altering, and ceasing a phase of the at least one cycle of operation.

6. The laundry treating appliance of claim 5 wherein the initiating the phase comprises the controller initiating a re-distribution phase to redistribute the laundry within the treating chamber when the satellizing speed falls outside the satellizing range.