Laundry treating appliance and method of control

• US 9,157,177 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: McAllister, Karl David, Buendia, Ali R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perrin, Joseph L
• Application Number:
  US13/332,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20130160216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,392 Days
• Field of Search: 815/8, 815/9, 68/120.4, 68/122.3, 68/24
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/04 Quantity, e.g. weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/06 Type or material
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/20 Operation modes, e.g. delicate laundry washing programs, service modes or refreshment cycles
• 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 2105/58 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 33/32 Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/18 Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

A method of operating a laundry treating appliance to control a rotational speed of a drum to move the laundry within the drum according to a predetermined category of movement.

Claims

1. A method for operating a laundry treating appliance having a drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treatment, a motor operably coupled to and rotating the drum, a controller coupled to and controlling the motor, and a user interface operably coupled to the controller, wherein the controller controls the motor according to a cycle of operation selected via the user interface, the method comprising:

establishing a desired movement of the laundry within the treating chamber;

controlling the speed of the motor to control the rotational speed of the drum by the controller providing a speed control signal to the motor;

receiving by the controller a torque signal indicative of the torque of the motor;

monitoring by the controller of an amplitude and a frequency of a ripple in the torque signal;

determining by the controller a category of movement of the laundry from a predetermined group of movement categories by comparing the monitored amplitude and frequency to corresponding pairs of amplitude and frequency reference values for each of the movement categories, the movement categories selected from the group consisting of sliding, rolling, tumbling, and satellizing; and

controlling by the controller the speed of the motor until the determined category of movement of the laundry satisfies the desired movement of the laundry.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein establishing the desired movement of the laundry is based on an amount of mechanical action to be imparted to the laundry.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein establishing the amount of mechanical action is based on a cycle of operation selected via the user interface or a fabric type of the laundry.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein establishing the amount of mechanical action is based on both of a cycle of operation selected via the user interface and a fabric type of the laundry.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein establishing the desired movement is based on a cycle of operation selected via the user interface or a fabric type of the laundry.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein establishing the desired movement is based on a cycle of operation selected via the user interface and at least one of a fabric type of the laundry, an amount of laundry, an amount of laundry and absorbed liquid, or combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the movement categories comprise at least three of sliding, rolling, tumbling, or satellizing.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the movement categories comprise at least sliding, rolling, tumbling, and satellizing.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the rolling movement category has a greater amplitude and a greater frequency than the sliding movement category.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the tumbling movement category has a greater amplitude and a greater frequency than the rolling movement category.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the satellizing movement category has a lower amplitude and a lower frequency than the sliding movement category.