Laundry washing device and control method thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of clothes washing, and specifically provides a clothes washing device and a control method thereof, aiming to solve the problem of low accuracy of the judgment result of whether the door body of the existing clothes washing device is clamping clothes. To this end, the clothes washing device comprises a shell, an inner drum and a door body, the inner drum is arranged in the shell, the shell is formed with a clothes feeding opening in communication with the opening of the inner drum, the door body is connected with the shell, and the door body can shield and / or open the clothes feeding opening; after the clothes washing device is opened and the door body is closed, first, the first image information near the clothes feeding opening is acquired, then the inner drum is controlled to rotate, and the second image information near the clothes feeding opening is acquired again, and then the running state of the clothes washing device is controlled according to the acquired first image information and second image information, so that whether the door body is clamping clothes can be accurately judged, and the problems of damage of clothes due to clamping and excessive load of the motor can be effectively avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of clothing washing technology, specifically providing a clothing washing device and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] When users load clothes into laundry appliances, especially front-loading washing machines, garments can easily get caught between the closed door and the washing machine's casing due to user negligence. This is often difficult for users to notice because the door is obscured. Furthermore, for delicate fabrics like silk, front-loading washing machines often assume the door is properly closed and do not issue any warnings. During the wash and spin cycles, the trapped garments are pulled and torn by the inner drum, damaging the clothes and increasing the load on the motor, thus shortening its lifespan.

[0003] Existing laundry equipment uses a light sensor placed between the door and the window seal to determine if clothes are caught by observing whether the sensor receives a feedback signal within a certain range. However, laundry equipment is usually placed in dark and damp locations, and the light sensor is easily affected by the surrounding environment, leading to misjudgments. In addition, light sensors are expensive, have a short lifespan, and limited application range, which is not conducive to their large-scale application in laundry equipment.

[0004] Accordingly, there is a need in the field for a new garment washing device and its control method to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, namely, to solve the problem that the accuracy of the judgment result of whether the door of the existing clothing washing equipment is not high.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a control method for a laundry washing device, the laundry washing device comprising a housing, an inner drum, and a door, the inner drum being disposed within the housing, the housing having a laundry inlet communicating with the opening of the inner drum, the door being connected to the housing, and the door being configured to cover and / or open the laundry inlet.

[0007] The control method includes:

[0008] After the laundry equipment is in the open state and the door is closed, first image information near the laundry inlet is acquired;

[0009] Control the rotation of the inner cylinder;

[0010] Acquire second image information near the clothing delivery port again;

[0011] The operating status of the laundry washing equipment is controlled based on the first image information and the second image information.

[0012] In the preferred embodiment of the above control method, the first image information and the second image information are black and white image information. The step of "controlling the operating state of the laundry equipment according to the first image information and the second image information" specifically includes:

[0013] The operating status of the laundry washing equipment is controlled based on the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information.

[0014] In the preferred embodiment of the above control method, the step of "controlling the operating state of the laundry equipment according to the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information" specifically includes:

[0015] Compare the overlap of the shadow areas in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information;

[0016] The operating status of the laundry washing equipment is controlled based on the degree of overlap between the shadow portions in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information.

[0017] In the preferred embodiment of the above control method, the step of "controlling the operating state of the laundry washing equipment based on the degree of overlap of the shadow portions in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information" includes:

[0018] If the overlap between the shadow portions in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information is less than a preset overlap threshold, then the laundry washing equipment is controlled to continue operating.

[0019] In the preferred embodiment of the above control method, the step of "controlling the operating state of the laundry washing equipment according to the degree of overlap of the shadow portions in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information" further includes:

[0020] If the overlap of the shadow portion in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information is greater than or equal to the preset overlap threshold, then further obtain color image information near the clothing delivery port.

[0021] Based on the color image information, determine the corrected overlap degree of the shadow portions in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information;

[0022] The operating status of the laundry equipment is controlled based on the corrected overlap.

[0023] In the preferred embodiment of the above control method, the step of "determining the corrected overlap of the shadow portions in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information based on the color image information" specifically includes:

[0024] Based on the color image information, obtain the clothing information of the clothes in the inner drum;

[0025] Based on the clothing information, determine the correction factor;

[0026] The product of the overlap of the shadow portions in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information and the correction coefficient is calculated, and the product is the corrected overlap.

[0027] In the preferred embodiment of the above control method, the step of "controlling the operating state of the laundry equipment according to the corrected overlap" includes:

[0028] If the corrected overlap is less than the preset overlap threshold, the laundry washing equipment is controlled to continue operating.

[0029] In the preferred embodiment of the above control method, the step of "controlling the operating state of the laundry equipment according to the corrected overlap" further includes:

[0030] If the corrected overlap is greater than or equal to the preset overlap threshold, the laundry washing equipment is controlled to stop operating.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment of the above control method, after the step of stopping the operation of the laundry equipment, the control method further includes: issuing a reminder message.

[0032] In another aspect, the present invention also provides a clothing washing apparatus capable of performing the control method described in any of the preferred technical solutions above.

[0033] With the above technical solution, the laundry washing device of the present invention includes a shell, an inner drum, and a door. The inner drum is disposed inside the shell, and a clothing inlet is formed on the shell that communicates with the opening of the inner drum. The door is connected to the shell and is configured to cover and / or open the clothing inlet. Based on the above structural configuration, when the laundry washing device of the present invention is in the open state and the door is closed, it first acquires first image information near the clothing inlet, then controls the inner drum to rotate. After the inner drum rotates, it acquires second image information near the clothing inlet again, and controls the operating state of the laundry washing device according to the acquired first and second image information. This allows for accurate determination of whether the door is clamping clothing, thereby effectively preventing damage to clothing due to clamping and also effectively preventing excessive load on the motor of the laundry washing device, thus improving the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0035] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the main steps of the control method of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the specific steps of a preferred embodiment of the control method of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0037] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make adjustments as needed to adapt to specific applications. For example, the laundry equipment described in this invention can be a drum washing machine, a pulsator washing machine, or a washer-dryer combo; these are not limiting. Those skilled in the art can define the application of the control method of the present invention according to actual usage requirements. Such changes in the application do not deviate from the basic principles of the present invention and fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] It should be noted that in the description of this invention, terms such as "inner" and "outer," which indicate directional or positional relationships, are merely for ease of description and do not indicate or imply that the structure must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0039] Furthermore, in the description of this preferred embodiment, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connection," "linked," and "connected" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to mechanical connections, electrical connections, direct connections, indirect connections through an intermediate medium, or connections within two components. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention.

[0040] Furthermore, it should be noted that although the various steps of the control method of the present invention are described in a specific order in the description of the present invention, these orders are not restrictive. Without departing from the basic principles of the present invention, those skilled in the art can perform the steps in different orders.

[0041] Specifically, the laundry washing device of the present invention includes a housing, a door, an outer tub, and an inner tub rotatably disposed within the outer tub. Both the outer tub and the inner tub are disposed within the housing. The housing has a laundry inlet communicating with the opening of the inner tub. The door is connected to the housing and is configured to cover and / or open the laundry inlet. Specifically, the door has a first door lock structure, and the housing has a second door lock structure matching the first door lock structure. The door achieves the opening and covering of the laundry inlet through the first and second door lock structures. Of course, the present invention does not impose any limitations on the specific structure or location of the first and second door lock structures, as long as they can achieve the opening and covering of the laundry inlet.

[0042] It should be noted that this invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific shape of the clothing loading port, as long as it enables the loading and unloading of clothing; nor does it impose any restrictions on the specific structure of the door and the housing, or the specific connection method between the door and the housing, which can be set by those skilled in the art according to actual conditions. Furthermore, it should also be noted that this invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific structure of the clothing washing device, which can be set by those skilled in the art according to actual conditions.

[0043] Furthermore, the laundry washing equipment also includes a camera device and a controller. The camera device is used to acquire image information near the laundry inlet. Of course, those skilled in the art can set the specific structure, location, and number of the camera device according to actual conditions, and the present invention does not impose any restrictions in this regard. The controller can acquire image information captured by the camera device and can also control the operating status of the laundry washing equipment, such as controlling the start and stop of the washing process, which is not limiting. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific structure and model of the controller, and the controller can be either the original controller of the laundry washing equipment or a controller separately set up to execute the control method of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can set the structure and model of the controller according to actual usage requirements.

[0044] First refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the main steps of the control method of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, based on the laundry equipment described in the above embodiments, the control method of the present invention mainly includes the following steps:

[0045] S1: After the laundry equipment is in the open state and the door is closed, acquire the first image information near the laundry inlet;

[0046] S2: Controls the rotation of the inner cylinder;

[0047] S3: Acquire second image information near the clothing delivery port again;

[0048] S4: Control the operating status of the laundry equipment based on the first image information and the second image information.

[0049] First, in step S1, after the laundry equipment is in the open state and the door is closed, the controller acquires first image information of the vicinity of the clothing inlet captured by the camera device. It should be noted that the present invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific timing of acquiring the first image information. The controller can acquire it before the laundry equipment starts processing clothes, or it can acquire it immediately after the laundry equipment has started its processing program. These are not limiting factors, and those skilled in the art can set them themselves.

[0050] Next, in step S2, the controller controls the inner drum to rotate, thereby changing the position of the clothing inside the inner drum to further determine whether the door is trapping the clothing. It should be noted that this invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific rotation speed, operating time, number of rotations, or operating mode of the inner drum, as long as it ensures that the position of the clothing inside the inner drum changes to a certain extent to facilitate the determination of whether the door is trapping clothing. Those skilled in the art can set these parameters according to actual conditions.

[0051] Furthermore, in step S3, the controller again acquires second image information of the vicinity of the clothing delivery port from the same position and angle captured by the camera device. It should be noted that the present invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific image information types of the first and second image information; those skilled in the art can set them according to actual circumstances.

[0052] Next, in step S4, the controller controls the operating status of the laundry equipment based on the first image information and the second image information.

[0053] It should be noted that the present invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific execution logic of step S4. For example, the controller can control the operating state of the laundry equipment according to the degree of change of the second image information relative to the first image information. Of course, this is not restrictive, and those skilled in the art can set it according to the actual situation.

[0054] See next Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the specific steps of a preferred embodiment of the control method of the present invention. Figure 2As shown, based on the laundry equipment described in the above embodiments, the control method of the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0055] S101: After the laundry equipment is in the open state and the door is closed, acquire the first black and white image information near the laundry inlet;

[0056] S102: Controls the rotation of the inner cylinder;

[0057] S103: Acquire the second black-and-white image information near the clothing delivery port again;

[0058] S104: Compare the overlap of the shaded areas in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information;

[0059] S105: If the overlap of the shadow portion in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information is less than the preset overlap threshold, then control the laundry equipment to continue operating.

[0060] S106: If the overlap of the shadow portion in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information is greater than or equal to a preset overlap threshold, then further obtain color image information near the clothing delivery port.

[0061] S107: Obtain clothing information of the clothes being washed based on the color image information;

[0062] S108: Determine the correction factor based on the clothing information;

[0063] S109: Calculate the product of the overlap of the shadow parts in the first black and white image information and the correction coefficient. This product is the corrected overlap.

[0064] S110: If the corrected overlap is less than the preset overlap threshold, control the laundry equipment to continue operating;

[0065] S111: If the correction overlap is greater than or equal to the preset overlap threshold, control the laundry equipment to stop running;

[0066] S112: Issue a reminder message.

[0067] In this preferred embodiment, the first image information and the second image information are black and white image information, so as to more accurately determine whether the door is caught on clothing.

[0068] First, in step S101, after the laundry washing equipment is in the open state and the door is closed, the controller acquires a first black-and-white image of the area near the clothing inlet captured by the camera device. It should be noted that this invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific timing of acquiring the first black-and-white image. The controller can acquire it before the laundry washing equipment starts processing clothes, or it can acquire it immediately after the laundry washing equipment starts its processing program. These are not limiting factors, and those skilled in the art can set the timing themselves.

[0069] Next, in step S102, the controller controls the inner drum to rotate, thereby changing the position of the clothing inside the inner drum to further determine whether the door is trapping the clothing. It should be noted that the present invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific rotation speed, operating time, number of rotations, or operating mode of the inner drum, as long as it ensures that the position of the clothing inside the inner drum changes to a certain extent to facilitate the determination of whether the door is trapping clothing. Those skilled in the art can set these parameters according to actual conditions.

[0070] Furthermore, in step S103, the controller again acquires a second black-and-white image of the area near the clothing delivery port, taken by the camera device at the same location and angle.

[0071] Next, the controller controls the operating state of the laundry equipment based on the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information. It should be noted that this invention does not impose any limitations on the specific execution logic of this step. For example, the controller can control the operating state of the laundry equipment based on the degree of change of the second image information relative to the first image information. Of course, this is not restrictive, and those skilled in the art can set it according to actual circumstances.

[0072] In a preferred embodiment, in step S104, the controller compares the overlap of the shadow portions in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information. Of course, the present invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific comparison method of the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information. For example, the controller can extract multiple pigment points at corresponding positions and determine the overlap of the shadow portions in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information based on the pigment points.

[0073] Furthermore, the controller controls the operating state of the laundry washing equipment based on the degree of overlap of the shadow portions in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information. Specifically, in this preferred embodiment, in step S105, if the degree of overlap of the shadow portions in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information is less than the preset overlap threshold, it indicates that after the position of the clothes in the inner drum is changed by rotating the inner drum, there are no clothes in the vicinity of the clothes inlet that remain unchanged, that is, the door does not trap clothes, and the controller controls the laundry washing equipment to continue running its running program.

[0074] More preferably, in step S106, if the overlap of the shadow portion in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information is greater than or equal to the preset overlap threshold, it indicates that even after changing the position of the clothes in the inner drum, there may still be the same clothes near the clothes delivery port, that is, the door may have a problem of clothes being caught. Then the controller further acquires the color image information of the area near the clothes delivery port captured by the camera device.

[0075] It should be noted that the present invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific setting value of the preset overlap threshold. It can be set according to the actual environment in which the laundry equipment is located, or according to the specific structure of the laundry equipment. These are not restrictive, and those skilled in the art can set them according to the actual situation.

[0076] Next, the controller determines the corrected overlap degree of the shadow portions in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information based on the color image information. Specifically, in step S107, the controller obtains the clothing information of the clothes in the inner drum based on the color image information; further, in step S108, the controller determines the correction coefficient based on the clothing information.

[0077] It should be noted that the present invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific information type of the clothing information. For example, the clothing information may be the thickness information or material information of the clothing. Thicker and rougher clothing has poor light transmittance, which may lead to a problem that the accuracy of the overlap of the shadow parts in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information is not high. Therefore, the controller determines a correction coefficient based on the clothing information obtained from the color image information to ensure that the clothing washing device of the present invention can accurately determine whether there is a problem of clothing being caught in the door.

[0078] Further, in step S109, the controller calculates the product of the overlap of the shadow portions in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information and the correction coefficient. The product is the corrected overlap, which corrects the overlap of the shadow portions in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information. This effectively ensures that the clothing washing device of the present invention can accurately determine whether there is a problem of clothing being caught in the door, thereby improving the user experience.

[0079] Next, the controller controls the operating state of the laundry equipment based on the corrected overlap. Of course, this invention does not impose any limitations on the specific control logic of this step; those skilled in the art can set it according to actual conditions.

[0080] Preferably, in step S110, if the corrected overlap degree is less than the preset overlap degree threshold, it indicates that there is no problem of clothes being caught in the door, and the controller controls the laundry equipment to continue operating. Further, in step S111, if the corrected overlap degree is greater than or equal to the preset overlap degree threshold, it indicates that there is a problem of clothes being caught in the door, and the controller controls the laundry equipment to stop operating. This effectively avoids pulling damage caused by the continued rotation of the inner drum and also effectively ensures the service life of the laundry equipment's motor.

[0081] More preferably, in step S112, after the laundry equipment stops operating, the controller controls the warning device of the laundry equipment to issue a reminder message to the user that there is a problem of clothing being caught in the door. This effectively avoids damage to clothing and excessive motor load, and also reminds the user to address the problem of clothing being caught in the door in a timely manner, so that the user can continue to use the laundry equipment and avoid delaying the clothing processing process. It should be noted that the present invention does not impose any restrictions on the specific type of the reminder message; it can be a text reminder or a voice reminder, and those skilled in the art can set it according to the actual situation.

[0082] The technical solution of the present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of protection of the present invention is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principles of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after such changes or substitutions will all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method for a laundry washing machine, characterized in that, The laundry washing equipment includes a housing, an inner drum, and a door. The inner drum is disposed inside the housing, and the housing has a laundry inlet that communicates with the opening of the inner drum. The door is connected to the housing and is configured to cover and / or open the laundry inlet. The control method includes: After the laundry equipment is in the open state and the door is closed, first image information near the laundry inlet is acquired; Control the rotation of the inner cylinder; The second image information near the clothing delivery port is acquired again; both the first and second image information are black and white image information. The steps of controlling the operating state of the laundry equipment based on the first image information and the second image information specifically include: controlling the operating state of the laundry equipment based on the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information, the steps of which include: Compare the overlap of the shadow areas in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information; The operating status of the laundry washing equipment is controlled based on the degree of overlap between the shadow portions in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of "controlling the operating state of the laundry washing equipment based on the degree of overlap of the shadow areas in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information" includes: If the overlap between the shadow portions in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information is less than a preset overlap threshold, then the laundry washing equipment is controlled to continue operating.

3. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of "controlling the operating state of the laundry washing equipment based on the degree of overlap of the shadow areas in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information" further includes: If the overlap of the shadow portion in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information is greater than or equal to the preset overlap threshold, then further obtain color image information near the clothing delivery port. Based on the color image information, determine the corrected overlap degree of the shadow portions in the first black and white image information and the second black and white image information; The operating status of the laundry equipment is controlled based on the corrected overlap.

4. The control method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of "determining the corrected overlap of the shadow portions in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information based on the color image information" specifically includes: Based on the color image information, obtain the clothing information of the clothes in the inner drum; Based on the clothing information, determine the correction factor; The product of the overlap of the shadow portions in the first black-and-white image information and the second black-and-white image information and the correction coefficient is calculated, and the product is the corrected overlap.

5. The control method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of "controlling the operating state of the laundry equipment according to the corrected overlap" includes: If the corrected overlap is less than the preset overlap threshold, the laundry washing equipment is controlled to continue operating.

6. The control method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of "controlling the operating state of the laundry equipment according to the corrected overlap" further includes: If the corrected overlap is greater than or equal to the preset overlap threshold, the laundry washing equipment is controlled to stop operating.

7. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that, After the step of stopping the laundry equipment, the control method further includes issuing a reminder message.

8. A clothing washing device, characterized in that, The laundry washing equipment is capable of performing the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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