Laundry treating appliance and method of operation

• US 8,875,332 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2012
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• 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., Polli, Horacio B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perrin, Joseph L
• Application Number:
  US13/545,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20140013518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 815/8, 815/9
• US Class Current: 8/158
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/02 Characteristics of laundry or load
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/24 Spin speed; Drum movements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/26 Imbalance; Noise level
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/00 Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/48 Drum speed
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/58 Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
• 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 33/48 Preventing or reducing imbalance or noise
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/16 Imbalance

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 an amount of imbalance of the laundry load in the drum based on a determined average peak-to-peak value and taking corrective action when the determined amount of imbalance does not satisfy a threshold.

Claims

1. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving a laundry load, at least one balance ring coupled to the drum and containing moveable balancing material, and a motor for rotating the drum, the method comprising:

rotating the drum by operating the motor;

repeatedly determining an amplitude of a peak-to-peak value of a motor torque during the rotating of the drum to provide multiple peak-to-peak values;

determining an average peak-to-peak value from the multiple peak-to-peak values;

determining an amount of imbalance of the laundry load in the drum based on the determined average peak-to-peak value;

comparing the amount of imbalance to a threshold imbalance value; and

taking corrective action when the comparison indicates the determined amount of imbalance does not satisfy the threshold imbalance.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a magnitude of the average peak-to-peak value is proportional to the amount of imbalance.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining an amount of imbalance comprises determining a radius from a center of rotation of the drum to a center of mass of the imbalance.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein a length of the radius is inversely proportional to the amount of imbalance.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the determining the radius of the imbalance includes determining a speed at which the laundry load satellizes to define a determined satellizing speed.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein determining the determined satellizing speed comprises determining a rotational speed of the drum when a high frequency component of a torque signal of the motor satisfies a reference value.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein determining the determined satellizing speed comprises determining a rotational speed of the drum when a torque signal of the motor rotating the drum matches a reference torque signal.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the determining the radius of the imbalance includes calculating the radius of the imbalance based on the determined satellizing speed.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the determining the radius of the imbalance comprises adjusting the calculated radius based on a known radius of the drum.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining the average peak-to-peak value includes determining a running average peak-to-peak value.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the repeatedly determining the amplitude of a peak-to-peak value of the motor torque occurs during an acceleration of the drum through a satellizing speed for the laundry load.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the threshold value changes during an acceleration of the drum through the satellizing speed for the laundry load.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising repeating the comparing the amount of imbalance to the threshold value during the acceleration of the drum through the satellizing speed for the laundry load.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the threshold value during the acceleration of the drum.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the threshold value is determined from a rotational speed of the drum and inertia of the laundry load.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein determining the threshold value further comprises determining the inertia of the laundry load.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the taking corrective action comprises initiating a re-distribution phase to redistribute the laundry load within the treating chamber when the determined amount of imbalance does not satisfy the threshold.