Steam care method, control device and clothing treatment equipment

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of steam care, and more particularly to a steam care method, a control device, and a clothing treatment device. The steam care method comprises: during the humidification phase of steam care, introducing a mist containing a care agent into a clothing treatment drum; controlling the clothing treatment drum to perform at least one high-speed rotation process and at least one shaking process; determining the care agent concentration in the clothing in the clothing treatment drum, and controlling the progress of the humidification phase based on the care agent concentration. The present invention can achieve full integration of the care agent with fabric fibers, maximize the effect of the care agent, and thus achieve better clothing care results.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of steam care, and in particular to a steam care method, a control device and clothing processing equipment. Background Art

[0002] With rising health awareness, changing lifestyles, and a faster pace of life, clothing treatment equipment has become an essential tool in people's lives, bringing great convenience. Furthermore, with the advancement of technology, users are increasingly favoring high-end clothing treatment equipment with clothing care functions. These high-end clothing treatment equipment can quickly remove wrinkles, dust, and odors from clothing.

[0003] In the related art, the effect of clothing care is enhanced by adding care agents during the clothing care process. However, the care agent is added in the same way as the water mist, vibrating it into the clothing treatment drum through a steam generator in the clothing treatment device. The clothes in the clothing treatment drum come into contact with the water mist containing the care agent and passively absorb it. This method results in a relatively low utilization rate of the care agent, and the absorption is very small. The care agent can only remain on the surface of the clothes and cannot better penetrate into the fabric fibers and better act on the chemical bonds in the wrinkles of the clothes, thus failing to fully exert the effect of the care agent. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to overcome the problems of low utilization rate and small absorption of care agents in the clothing care process in the related art, which cannot fully exert the effect of the care agents, the first aspect of the present invention provides a steam care method for clothing processing equipment, the steam care method comprising:

[0005] During the humidification phase of steam care, water mist containing care agent is passed into the clothing treatment tub;

[0006] Controlling the laundry processing drum to perform at least one high-speed rotation process and at least one shaking process;

[0007] determining a concentration of a care agent in the clothes in the clothes treatment drum, and controlling the progress of the humidification stage according to the concentration of the care agent;

[0008] During the high-speed rotation process, the rotation speed of the laundry treatment drum is greater than or equal to 300 revolutions.

[0009] In some embodiments, controlling the laundry treatment drum to perform at least one high-speed rotation process and at least one shaking process includes:

[0010] The laundry processing drum is controlled to perform at least two high-speed rotation processes, and a first shaking process is performed between the two adjacent high-speed rotation processes.

[0011] In some embodiments, the controlling the laundry treatment drum to perform at least one high-speed rotation process and at least one shaking process further includes:

[0012] performing a second shaking process before the first high-speed rotation process;

[0013] The third shaking process is performed after the last high-speed rotation process.

[0014] In some embodiments, the step of determining the concentration of the care agent in the clothes in the clothes treatment tub is performed after the third shaking process.

[0015] In some embodiments, before performing the humidification phase, the steam care method includes:

[0016] Determining parameter information of the clothes in the clothes treatment drum, wherein the parameter information includes clothing material information and / or clothing type information;

[0017] The rotation speed and target care agent concentration of the high-speed rotation process are determined according to the parameter information.

[0018] In some embodiments, determining the rotation speed and target care agent concentration of the high-speed rotation process according to the parameter information includes:

[0019] According to a preset mapping relationship of parameter information-high-speed rotation speed-target care agent concentration pre-stored in the laundry processing device, the high-speed rotation speed and the target care agent concentration corresponding to the parameter information in the preset mapping relationship are determined.

[0020] In some embodiments, in the preset mapping relationship, the high-speed rotation speed is negatively correlated with the target care agent concentration.

[0021] In some embodiments, determining the progress of the humidification phase according to the concentration of the care agent includes:

[0022] When the concentration of the care agent is less than the target care agent concentration, returning to execute the last high-speed rotation process;

[0023] When the care agent concentration is greater than or equal to the target care agent concentration, the humidification phase is ended.

[0024] The second aspect of the present invention proposes a control device, which includes one or more processors and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions. When the one or more processors execute the program instructions, the one or more processors are used to implement any one of the steam care methods proposed in the first aspect of the present invention.

[0025] A third aspect of the present invention provides a clothes treating device, which operates according to any one of the steam care methods provided in the first aspect of the present invention, or includes the control device provided in the second aspect of the present invention.

[0026] The technical solution of the present invention may include the following beneficial effects: the present invention controls the clothing treatment drum to perform at least one high-speed rotation process and at least one shaking process during the humidification phase of steam care, and through the high-speed rotation process, more water with lower density in the mist containing the care agent is thrown out, thereby increasing the concentration of the care agent in the clothing and allowing the fabric fibers and the care agent to be more fully combined. By performing the shaking process, the clothing can be shaken and turned over, increasing the contact area between the clothing and the care agent, and improving the uniform absorption of the care agent by the clothing. The present invention can achieve full combination of the care agent and the fabric fibers, can maximize the effect of the care agent, and thus obtain better clothing care results.

[0027] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0029] Figure 1 This is one of the flow charts of a steam care method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a second flowchart of a steam care method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0031] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a clothes treating apparatus in a steam care state according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0032] Among them: 1. Shell; 2. Clothes processing drum; 3. Lifting ribs; 4. Water mist outlet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, when referring to the drawings, like numbers in different figures represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not intended to represent all embodiments consistent with the present invention. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present invention, as detailed in the appended claims.

[0034] The present embodiment is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments and examples may be combined with each other unless there is any conflict.

[0035] According to an exemplary embodiment, this embodiment proposes a steam care method, which is used for a clothing treatment device. The clothing treatment device can be a clothing treatment device that only has a steam care function, and can also have at least one of a washing function and a drying function. Figure 1 This is one of the steam care flow charts of a clothes treatment device according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 1 , the steam care method includes the following steps:

[0036] S11. During the humidification stage of the steam care, water mist containing the care agent is introduced into the clothing treatment drum;

[0037] S12, controlling the laundry processing drum to perform at least one high-speed rotation process and at least one shaking process;

[0038] S13: Determine the concentration of the care agent in the clothes in the clothes treatment drum, and control the progress of the humidification stage according to the concentration of the care agent.

[0039] In step S11 of this embodiment, the steam care process for clothes performed by the clothing treatment device includes a humidification phase. During the humidification phase, the steam generator of the clothing treatment device atomizes a mixture of a care agent and water, and then introduces the mist containing the care agent into the clothing treatment tub. The steam generator, for example, is an ultrasonic atomizer. During the mist generation process, the size of the water droplets in the mist can be regulated by controlling the vibration frequency of the ultrasonic atomizer. In a preferred embodiment, the ultrasonic atomizer is controlled to operate at a lower vibration frequency, thereby introducing larger particles of mist into the clothing treatment tub. This allows more mist to adhere to the surface of the clothes as quickly as possible due to gravity.

[0040] In step S12, while the mist containing the conditioning agent is passed into the laundry treatment drum, the laundry treatment drum is controlled to perform at least one high-speed rotation process and at least one shaking-out process. The high-speed rotation process simulates a dehydration process, utilizing the centrifugal force of the high-speed rotation to push the conditioning agent-containing mist adhering to the surface of the clothing deep into the fabric fibers. Furthermore, since the density of the conditioning agent is generally higher than that of water, a greater proportion of the water is shaken out during the high-speed rotation process. Therefore, the high-speed rotation process can increase the concentration of the conditioning agent in the clothing and allow the fabric fibers to more fully bond with the conditioning agent, achieving a better humidification effect. Exemplarily, during the high-speed rotation process, the rotation speed of the laundry treatment drum is greater than or equal to 300 rpm. The shaking-out process can shake the clothing loose and turn it over, allowing a large amount of conditioning agent-containing mist to adhere to the other side of the clothing. This ensures that the clothing absorbs the conditioning agent-containing mist more evenly, further enhancing the steam care effect.

[0041] In one example, controlling the laundry processing drum to perform at least one high-speed rotation process and at least one shaking-out process includes: controlling the laundry processing drum to perform at least two high-speed rotation processes, and performing a first shaking-out process between the two adjacent high-speed rotation processes. During the first high-speed rotation process of the two adjacent high-speed rotation processes, the care agent in the water mist attached to the clothes penetrates into the clothes while most of the water is shaken out. Then, the first shaking-out process is performed to shake and turn the clothes over, so that a large amount of water mist containing the care agent is also attached to the other side of the clothes. Then, the high-speed rotation process is performed again, so that the care agent in the water mist attached to the turned clothes penetrates into the clothes while most of the water is shaken out, thereby ensuring that the care agent is evenly penetrated into the clothes.

[0042] The rotation speed and / or duration of two adjacent high-speed rotation processes can be the same or different. In one achievable embodiment, the two adjacent high-speed rotation processes are the nth high-speed rotation process and the n+1th high-speed rotation process, respectively. The rotation speed of the nth high-speed rotation process is less than the rotation speed of the n+1th high-speed rotation process, and / or the duration of the nth high-speed rotation process is less than the duration of the n+1th high-speed rotation process, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1. This is because the higher the rotation speed and the longer the duration of the high-speed rotation, the more obvious the effect of reducing the concentration of the care agent on the clothes. After the previous high-speed rotation process, the concentration of the care agent on the clothes has increased to a certain extent. After the clothes are turned over in the first shaking process, the rotation speed and / or duration of the subsequent high-speed rotation process can be appropriately increased to prevent the concentration of the care agent on the clothes from exceeding the target care agent concentration.

[0043] In one example, controlling the laundry treatment drum to perform at least one high-speed rotation process and at least one shaking-out process includes: performing a second shaking-out process before the first high-speed rotation process, and performing a third shaking-out process after the last high-speed rotation process. Before performing the first high-speed rotation process, the second shaking-out process is performed to shake out clumped laundry and flatten it as much as possible, thereby increasing the contact area between the laundry and the wall of the laundry treatment drum, thereby improving the uniform absorption of the water mist containing the care agent by the laundry, and also preparing for the subsequent first high-speed rotation process. After the last high-speed rotation process, the third shaking-out process is performed to further shake and turn the laundry over to improve the uniformity of the adhesion of the water mist containing the care agent to the laundry, thereby improving the accuracy of the subsequent care agent concentration detection results.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment, after the third shaking process, the step of determining the concentration of the conditioning agent in the laundry within the laundry treatment tub is performed. Since the laundry is likely to cling to the walls of the laundry treatment tub after the final high-speed spin, the third shaking process allows the laundry to be freed from the tub walls and dispersed. Performing the conditioning agent concentration determination step at this point can improve the accuracy of the detection results.

[0045] In step S13, after completing at least one high-speed spin cycle and at least one shake-out cycle, the concentration of the conditioning agent in the clothing is tested to determine whether the concentration meets the requirements, thereby determining the progress of the humidification phase. In one implementation, the clothing in the laundry treatment drum is illuminated by ultraviolet light of a specific wavelength emitted by an optical system. Since the conditioning agent in the clothing absorbs light, the absorption of ultraviolet light and white light by the clothing is detected to determine the conditioning agent content in the clothing. The conditioning agent concentration is then determined using the Beer Lambert law. In one example, the progress of the humidification phase is controlled based on the conditioning agent concentration, including: if the conditioning agent concentration is less than a target conditioning agent concentration, returning to the last high-speed spin cycle; if the conditioning agent concentration is greater than or equal to the target conditioning agent concentration, ending the humidification phase and entering the subsequent drying phase.

[0046] The target concentration of the conditioning agent and the high-speed rotation speed can be set by the user, or by determining clothing parameter information before entering the humidification phase and then using this information to determine the target concentration of the conditioning agent and / or the high-speed rotation speed. This parameter information includes information about the clothing material and / or type of clothing. Through extensive experimentation and analysis, we have learned that different fabric materials and types of clothing require different concentrations of conditioning agent to achieve optimal steam care results. Each type of fabric has its own unique properties when it comes to materials such as cotton, linen, chemical fiber, wool, silk, shirts, suits, and mink. Cotton and linen absorb water easily and are relatively thick. Chemical fiber does not absorb water easily and loses water easily. Wool has difficulty absorbing and losing water, requiring a longer time. Silk is relatively light and thin, requiring a higher concentration of care agent to achieve a better spreading state and smoothness effect. Shirts are relatively bulky and also require a higher concentration of care agent to better remove wrinkles. The overall shape of a suit is relatively hard and wide, which is not good for absorbing water, but a lower concentration of care agent can achieve a better wrinkle removal effect. Mink requires a moderate concentration of care agent to smooth the hair, make it shiny, and improve its smoothness. To achieve this effect, different speeds need to be used for different materials and types of clothing during high-speed rotation to meet different care agent concentration requirements.

[0047] There are many ways to confirm clothing parameter information, for example, by obtaining image information of the clothing and determining the clothing parameter information based on the analysis of the image information of the clothing; or, by obtaining the washing label data information of the clothing to determine the clothing parameter information; or, by the user selecting or inputting the clothing parameter information on the control panel of the clothing processing device.

[0048] In one example, determining the high-speed rotation speed and target conditioning agent concentration of the high-speed rotation process based on parameter information includes: determining the high-speed rotation speed and target conditioning agent concentration corresponding to the parameter information in the preset mapping relationship based on a preset mapping relationship of parameter information, high-speed rotation speed, and target conditioning agent concentration pre-stored in the clothing treatment device. Table 1 below is an example of a preset mapping relationship of parameter information, high-speed rotation speed, and target conditioning agent concentration.

[0049] Table 1:

[0050] Clothing material / type Target care agent concentration High speed rotation Cotton and linen 22％-26％ 600~700rpm chemical fiber 24％-28％ 450~550rpm wool 17％-21％ 850~950rpm silk 31％-35％ 300~400rpm shirt 19％-23％ 750~800rpm suits 5％-6％ 1200~1400rpm mink 12％-15％ 1000~1100rpm

[0051] In a preferred embodiment, in a preset mapping relationship, the high-speed rotation speed is negatively correlated with the target conditioning agent concentration. That is, when the target conditioning agent concentration is high, a lower rotation speed is used during high-speed rotation, which can retain more conditioning agent in the clothing. When the target conditioning agent concentration is low, a higher rotation speed is used during high-speed rotation, which can retain less conditioning agent in the clothing.

[0052] The technical solution of this embodiment is described in detail below with reference to specific examples:

[0053] Figure 2 This is a second flow chart of a steam care method according to an exemplary embodiment, Figure 2 , the steam care method includes the following steps:

[0054] S201, receiving a control instruction of a clothing care program;

[0055] S202, determining clothing parameter information, and determining a high-speed rotation speed and a target care agent concentration according to the clothing parameter information;

[0056] S203, introducing water mist containing a care agent into the clothing treatment tub;

[0057] S204, performing the first shaking process to flatten the clothes;

[0058] S205, executing the first high-speed rotation process, which lasts for time t1;

[0059] S206, performing a second shaking process, shaking out the clothes and turning them over;

[0060] S207, executing the second high-speed rotation process, lasting for t2 time;

[0061] S208, performing a third shaking process, shaking out the clothes and turning them over;

[0062] S209, determining whether the concentration of the care agent in the clothes in the clothes treatment drum reaches the target care agent concentration. If the determination result is yes, proceed to S210; if the determination result is no, return to S207;

[0063] S210, entering the drying stage;

[0064] S211, program execution ends.

[0065] According to an exemplary embodiment, this embodiment proposes a control device, which includes one or more processors and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions. When the one or more processors execute the program instructions, the one or more processors are used to implement the steam care method proposed in any of the above embodiments.

[0066] According to an exemplary embodiment, this embodiment provides a clothes treating device, which operates according to the steam care method provided in any of the above embodiments, or the control device provided in the above embodiments.

[0067] In one example, the structure of the clothes processing device is as follows Figure 3 As shown, the laundry treatment drum includes a shell 1, in which a laundry treatment drum 2 is provided. A control panel is provided on the front panel of the shell 1, through which the user can issue steam care mode control instructions to the laundry treatment device. The inner wall of the laundry treatment drum is provided with a plurality of lifting ribs 3 arranged at intervals along the inner wall surface of the laundry treatment drum. The laundry treatment device also includes a steam generating device (not shown in the figure), and the water mist outlet 4 of the steam generating device is connected to the laundry treatment drum 2. In the steam care mode, the state of the clothes in the laundry treatment drum 2 is as follows: Figure 3 The clothes treating device of this embodiment can fully combine the clothes care agent with the fabric fibers in the steam care mode, and can maximize the effect of the clothes care agent, so that the clothes can achieve a good steam care effect after care.

[0068] Other embodiments of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the embodiments disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow from the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

[0069] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exact construction described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A steam care method for clothing treatment equipment, characterized in that: The steam care method comprises: During the humidification phase of steam care, water mist containing care agent is passed into the clothing treatment tub; Controlling the laundry processing drum to perform at least one high-speed rotation process and at least one shaking process; determining a concentration of a care agent in the clothes in the clothes treatment drum, and controlling the progress of the humidification stage according to the concentration of the care agent; During the high-speed rotation, the rotation speed of the laundry treatment drum is greater than or equal to 300 revolutions; Before performing the humidification phase, the steam care method includes: Determining parameter information of the clothes in the clothes treatment drum, wherein the parameter information includes clothing material information and / or clothing type information; determining a rotation speed and a target care agent concentration during the high-speed rotation process according to the parameter information; The determining of the rotation speed and target care agent concentration of the high-speed rotation process according to the parameter information includes: Determining the high-speed rotation speed and the target care agent concentration corresponding to the parameter information in the preset mapping relationship according to a preset mapping relationship of parameter information, high-speed rotation speed, and target care agent concentration pre-stored in the laundry processing device; In the preset mapping relationship, the high-speed rotation speed is negatively correlated with the target care agent concentration.

2. The steam care method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controlling the laundry processing drum to perform at least one high-speed rotation process and at least one shaking process comprises: The laundry processing drum is controlled to perform at least two high-speed rotation processes, and a first shaking process is performed between the two adjacent high-speed rotation processes.

3. The steam care method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The controlling the laundry treatment drum to perform at least one high-speed rotation process and at least one shaking process further includes: performing a second shaking process before the first high-speed rotation process; The third shaking process is performed after the last high-speed rotation process.

4. The steam care method according to claim 3, characterized in that: After the third shaking process, the step of determining the concentration of the care agent in the clothes in the clothes treatment tub is performed.

5. The steam care method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of determining the progress of the humidification stage according to the concentration of the care agent includes: When the concentration of the care agent is less than the target care agent concentration, returning to perform the last high-speed rotation process; When the care agent concentration is greater than or equal to the target care agent concentration, the humidification phase is ended.

6. A control device, characterized in that: It includes one or more processors and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions. When the one or more processors execute the program instructions, the one or more processors are used to implement the steam care method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A clothes processing device, characterized in that: The laundry treatment device operates according to the steam care method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or includes the control device according to claim 6.

Images