Laundry treating appliance and method of operation

• US 9,200,400 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2012
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2012
• 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:
  US13/633,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20140090181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/00 User input for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
• 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 2103/26 Imbalance; Noise level
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/46 Drum speed; Actuation of motors, e.g. starting or interrupting
• 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 23/04 and rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/48 Preventing or reducing imbalance or noise

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 control the rotation of the drum to distribute the laundry load with an acceptable amount of imbalance such that the laundry treating appliance may be operated in an effective and efficient manner.

Claims

1. A method of operation of a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving a laundry load for treatment, and a motor operably coupled to the drum for rotating the drum, the method comprising:

a) determining an amount of the laundry load within the treating chamber;

b) setting an acceleration profile comprising setting at least one acceleration rate based on the determined amount of the laundry load;

c) accelerating the drum, with the motor, according to the acceleration profile from a non-satellizing speed to a satellizing speed;

d) monitoring the amount of imbalance of the drum during the accelerating;

e) decelerating the drum from the satellizing speed to a non-satellizing speed when the imbalance is unacceptable;

f) re-setting the acceleration profile to a different acceleration profile and repeating c)-f) until the imbalance is acceptable; and

g) storing the different acceleration profile for a corresponding load amount when the imbalance is acceptable to define an acceptable acceleration profile.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining an amount of laundry comprises determining an inertia value indicative of the inertia of the laundry load.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the determining the inertia value comprises determining a motor torque.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the determining the inertia value is made during an acceleration ramp of the drum.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the acceleration ramp of the drum is the accelerating the drum in c).

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the setting at least one acceleration rate comprises conducting a table look-up of an acceleration rate corresponding to the determined amount of the laundry load.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the conducting a table look-up of an acceleration rate corresponding to the determined amount of the laundry load comprises looking up a range of an amount of laundry in which the determined amount of the laundry load falls.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the different acceleration profile has an increased or decreased acceleration rate.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein increasing the acceleration rate occurs when the determined amount of the laundry load resides within a lower half of the range.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing the acceptable acceleration profile comprises storing the at least one acceleration rate to define an acceptable acceleration rate.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the storing the acceptable acceleration rate comprises determining an average of acceptable acceleration rates and storing the average.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the storing the acceptable acceleration rate comprises storing at least some most recent acceptable acceleration rates and the average.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the average comprises at least one of a running average and a sliding average.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring the amount of imbalance comprises monitoring the motor torque.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the monitoring the motor torque comprises monitoring the motor torque in the frequency domain.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the decelerating the drum comprises shutting off power to the motor.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the decelerating the drum comprises dynamically braking the drum with the motor.