Control method of pull-out laundry treating apparatus and pull-out laundry treating apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of clothes processing equipment, and particularly provides a control method of a pull-out type clothes processing equipment, aiming to solve the problem that the existing pull-out type clothes processing equipment needs to wait for an internal assisting motor to be in place before the equipment can be opened when a user opens the equipment. To this end, the pull-out type clothes processing equipment of the present application comprises a position detection device for detecting the position of a user and an assisting device for assisting the opening of the pull-out type clothes processing equipment, and the control method comprises: judging whether the distance between the user and the pull-out type clothes processing equipment is less than a preset value according to the position detection device; and controlling the opening and closing of the assisting device according to the judgment result, so as to control the assisting motor to perform a pre-start operation by judging the distance between the user and the pull-out type clothes processing equipment, thereby enabling a quick response when the user needs to open the equipment and reducing the waiting time of the user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of clothing processing equipment, specifically providing a control method for a pull-out clothing processing device and the pull-out clothing processing device itself. Background Technology

[0002] Existing pull-out garment processing equipment refers to household appliances with a sliding mechanism installed at the bottom. These appliances can be moved by external force. They are installed in a front-opening cabinet. When the user needs to use them, they pull out the appliance and put in the clothes to be processed. The appliance is then pushed back into the cabinet and begins to operate.

[0003] These pull-out home appliances typically have a motor that assists or directly drives the appliance when it is pulled out. Therefore, when a user needs the motor to open the appliance, they must wait for the internal motor to reach its operating position before the motor can provide assistance. This results in a noticeable delay that reduces the user experience.

[0004] Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a new control method for a pull-out garment processing device and a pull-out garment processing device to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, namely, to solve the problem that existing pull-out clothing handling equipment requires users to wait for the internal assist motor to be in operation before the equipment can be opened.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a control method for a pull-out clothing handling device, the pull-out clothing handling device including a position detection device for detecting a user's position and an assist device for assisting the pull-out clothing handling device in opening, the control method including: acquiring the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device; determining whether the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device is less than a preset value; and controlling the opening and closing of the assist device.

[0007] In a specific embodiment of the control method for the pull-out clothing processing device described above, the position detection device includes a distance sensor. The step of "determining whether the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing processing device is less than a preset value" further includes: determining whether the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing processing device is less than a preset value based on the data obtained by the distance sensor.

[0008] In a specific embodiment of the control method for the pull-out clothing processing device described above, the assisting device is a pull-out auxiliary motor. The step of "controlling the opening and closing of the assisting device" further includes: if the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing processing device is less than a preset value, then the pull-out auxiliary motor is turned on so that the pull-out clothing processing device jumps from a stationary state to an assisting state.

[0009] In a specific embodiment of the control method for the pull-out clothing processing device described above, the pull-out clothing processing device further includes a camera, and the step of "controlling the opening and closing of the assist device" further includes: if the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing processing device is less than a preset value, then the opening and closing of the pull-out auxiliary motor is controlled according to the image information collected by the camera.

[0010] In a specific embodiment of the control method for the pull-out clothing processing device described above, the pull-out clothing processing device further includes a lighting lamp. The step of "controlling the opening and closing of the pull-out auxiliary motor according to the image information collected by the camera if the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing processing device is less than a preset value" further includes: turning on the lighting lamp if the brightness of the image is too low.

[0011] In a specific implementation of the control method for the pull-out clothing processing device described above, the step of "controlling the opening and closing of the pull-out auxiliary motor according to the image information collected by the camera if the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing processing device is less than a preset value" further includes: if the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then the pull-out auxiliary motor is turned on; if the target in the image is not suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then the pull-out auxiliary motor is not turned on.

[0012] In a specific embodiment of the control method for the pull-out clothing processing device described above, the control method further includes: determining whether the user has pressed the pause button or the door lock unlock button; and controlling the operating status of the pull-out clothing processing device and the opening and closing of the door lock.

[0013] In a specific implementation of the control method for the pull-out clothing processing device described above, the step of "controlling the operating status of the pull-out clothing processing device and the opening and closing of the door lock" further includes: if the user presses the pause button or the door lock unlock button, the system determines whether the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device based on the image information captured by the camera.

[0014] In a specific implementation of the control method for the pull-out clothing processing device described above, the step of "if the user presses the pause button or the door lock unlock button, determining whether the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device based on the image information captured by the camera" further includes: if the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then the operation of the device is paused and the door lock is opened; if the target in the image is not suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then the device continues to operate.

[0015] In a second aspect, the present invention also provides a pull-out clothing processing device, the pull-out clothing processing device including a position detection device for detecting the user's position and an assist device for assisting the pull-out clothing processing device in opening, and the pull-out clothing processing device is capable of executing the control method of the pull-out clothing processing device according to any one of the above technical solutions.

[0016] With the above technical solution, the present invention can determine whether the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing processing equipment is less than a preset value based on the position detection device installed on the pull-out clothing processing equipment. If it is less than the preset value, it is determined that the user may operate the clothing processing equipment. Therefore, the system will control the assist device to start in advance and be ready to operate, so that it can provide assistance when the user pulls out the drawer at any time. This solves the problem of delay and lag in the existing pull-out clothing processing equipment, where the user has to wait for the internal assist motor to be in place before the equipment can be opened. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the main control method for the pull-out clothing handling device of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a first embodiment of the control method for the pull-out clothing handling device of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a second embodiment of the control method for the pull-out clothing handling device of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a third embodiment of the control method for the pull-out clothing handling device of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of the button functions of the control method for the pull-out clothing handling device of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0023] 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 invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the invention. Those skilled in the art can make adjustments as needed to adapt to specific applications.

[0024] In existing pull-out garment handling equipment, the garment handling equipment is usually equipped with an assist device. When users need to take clothes out of the drawer, they need to pull out the drawer. If users have to wait for the assist device to be in place before they can pull out the drawer, this unnecessary pause not only wastes time, but is also inconvenient to operate, which will undoubtedly bring a bad user experience.

[0025] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, to solve the problem that existing pull-out clothing handling devices require the user to wait for the internal assist motor to reach the correct position before the device can be opened, the pull-out clothing handling device of this invention includes a position detection device for detecting the user's position and an assist device for assisting the opening of the pull-out clothing handling device. The position detection device includes a distance sensor, and the assist device is a pull-out auxiliary motor. The control method includes:

[0026] S01. Obtain the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device;

[0027] S02. Determine whether the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device is less than the preset value;

[0028] S03, Control the opening and closing of the power assist device.

[0029] Step S01 further includes:

[0030] S011. The distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device is obtained through a distance sensor.

[0031] Step S02 further includes:

[0032] S021. Determine whether the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device is less than a preset value based on the data obtained from the distance sensor.

[0033] Step S03 further includes:

[0034] S031. If the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing processing device is less than the preset value, the pull-out auxiliary motor is turned on so that the pull-out clothing processing device jumps from the stationary state to the auxiliary assistance state.

[0035] In the above-described implementation, the clothing processing device first compares the distance between the user and the device, collected by the distance sensor, with a preset value. If the distance is greater than the preset value, it is determined that the user does not intend to open the device, and therefore the assist device does not need to be activated. If the distance is less than the preset value, it is determined that the user may open the device, and the pull-out auxiliary motor is activated to switch the pull-out clothing processing device from a stationary state to an assist state. This ensures that the pull-out auxiliary motor can provide assistance whenever the user wants to open the device, avoiding the problem of the user having to wait for the pull-out auxiliary motor to start when opening the device.

[0036] The advantages of the above implementation are as follows: by using the distance between the user and the clothing processing device as the criterion for determining whether to activate the pull-out auxiliary motor, it is possible to very accurately determine whether the user intends to open the clothing processing device. Specifically, the distance between the user and the clothing processing device can be considered a necessary condition for the user to operate the clothing processing device; that is, the user must first be close to the clothing processing device in order to open it. Therefore, using the distance information between the user and the clothing processing device as the criterion is more accurate and reasonable than other criterion conditions. In addition, regarding the setting of the preset value, those skilled in the art will understand that the range of the preset value should not be less than the distance at which the user can contact the clothing processing device, so as to ensure that the pull-out auxiliary motor can be controlled to respond before the user opens the clothing processing device. At the same time, sufficient response time should be allowed for the pull-out auxiliary motor. Therefore, the range of the preset value should be set slightly larger than the distance at which the user can contact the clothing processing device, thereby ensuring that the pull-out auxiliary motor has been in operation before the user opens the clothing processing device. On the other hand, the range of the preset value should not be too large to avoid power loss caused by ineffective starting of the pull-out auxiliary motor.

[0037] like Figure 1 , Figure 3 As shown, in one possible implementation, the pull-out garment handling device includes a distance sensor and a camera, and step S03 further includes:

[0038] S032. If the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device is less than the preset value, the opening and closing of the pull-out auxiliary motor will be controlled according to the image information collected by the camera.

[0039] Step S032 further includes:

[0040] S0321. If the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then turn on the pull-out auxiliary motor.

[0041] S0322. If the target in the image is not suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then the pull-out auxiliary motor shall not be turned on.

[0042] In the above-described implementation, the garment handling device can more precisely control the pull-out auxiliary motor by combining information obtained from the distance sensor and the camera. Specifically, as mentioned earlier, the distance between the user and the garment handling device can be used as a necessary condition for the user to operate the device. Therefore, in this implementation, the distance between the user and the garment handling device is first determined. When the distance is less than a preset value, it indicates that the user may intend to open the garment handling device. However, the distance sensor can only obtain distance information of objects around the garment handling device and does not distinguish whether the objects around the device are the user or whether it is appropriate to open the device. Therefore, there may be a situation where a child or... When pets pass by the clothing processing equipment, the pull-out auxiliary motor will still enter a pre-start state. This unnecessary operation undoubtedly wastes electricity and causes ineffective wear and tear on the equipment. Therefore, this embodiment adds a step to determine whether to turn on the pull-out auxiliary motor based on image information captured by the camera. First, image information of users suitable for opening the clothing processing equipment is recorded in the controller of the clothing processing equipment. When it is found that the object entering the clothing processing equipment within the preset value is a user whose information has been recorded, the pull-out auxiliary motor is controlled to open. When it is found that the object entering the clothing processing equipment within the preset value is not a user whose information has been recorded, the pull-out auxiliary motor is not turned on. In this way, the ineffective operation of the pull-out auxiliary motor is avoided, and more precise control of the pull-out auxiliary motor is achieved.

[0043] like Figure 1 , Figure 4 As shown, in one possible implementation, the pull-out garment handling device includes a distance sensor, a camera, and a light, and step S03 further includes:

[0044] S033. If the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device is less than the preset value, the opening and closing of the pull-out auxiliary motor will be controlled according to the image information collected by the camera.

[0045] Step S033 further includes:

[0046] S0331. Determine if the image brightness is too low;

[0047] S03211. If the image brightness is too low, turn on the lighting.

[0048] S0332. If the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then turn on the pull-out auxiliary motor.

[0049] S0333. If the target in the image is not suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then the pull-out auxiliary motor shall not be turned on.

[0050] Under the above-described implementation method, this solution can control the pull-out auxiliary motor under poor visibility conditions such as at night or on cloudy days outdoors. Specifically, the distance sensor first acquires the distance between the objects around the clothing processing equipment and the clothing processing equipment. When the distance between the objects around the clothing processing equipment and the clothing processing equipment is less than a preset value, the camera is controlled to acquire image information of the objects around the clothing processing equipment and the brightness of the image information is judged. If it is found that the brightness of the acquired image information is too low to recognize the image content, the lighting is controlled to turn on and illuminate the objects around the clothing processing equipment. Then, based on the image information acquired by the camera, the pull-out auxiliary motor is controlled to determine whether the objects around the clothing processing equipment are suitable for opening the clothing processing equipment. The specific control process and judgment basis have been mentioned above and will not be repeated here. In addition, regarding the lighting, those skilled in the art will understand that, for energy-saving considerations, LED lights can be selected. The lighting is set above the clothing processing equipment to illuminate the objects around the clothing processing equipment. In addition, regarding the illumination angle of the lighting, direct illumination of the user's eyes should be avoided as much as possible. Preferably, it can be set to an illumination angle from top to bottom, or two lights can be set to illuminate the user from both sides.

[0051] like Figure 1 , Figure 5 As shown, in one possible implementation, the pull-out garment processing device further includes a door module with a door lock. The garment processing device also includes a pause button and a door lock unlock button. The control method for the pull-out garment processing device further includes:

[0052] S04. Determine whether the user has pressed the pause button or the door lock unlock button;

[0053] S05. Control the operating status of the pull-out garment processing equipment and the opening and closing of the door lock.

[0054] Step S05 further includes:

[0055] S051. If the user presses the pause button or the door lock unlock button, the system will determine whether the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device based on the image information captured by the camera.

[0056] Step S051 further includes:

[0057] S0511. If the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then pause the operation of the device and unlock the door.

[0058] S0512. If the target in the image is not suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then continue to operate the device.

[0059] In the above-described implementation, the pull-out garment processing device can also control its operating status based on user operation and image information captured by the camera. Specifically, after determining whether to turn on the pull-out auxiliary motor, the user can still press a button on the garment processing device regardless of whether the auxiliary motor is turned on. Therefore, the garment processing device then needs to determine whether the user has pressed the pause button and the door lock unlock button. If the user has pressed these buttons, the device will determine whether the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out garment processing device based on the image information captured by the camera. The determination process is the same as the aforementioned determination process and will not be repeated here. After the determination is completed, if the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out garment processing device, the device will be paused and the door lock will be opened. If the target in the image is not suitable for operating the pull-out garment processing device, the door lock will not be opened and the device will continue to operate.

[0060] The advantages of the above-described implementation are as follows: Unlike the aforementioned determination of whether to turn on the pull-out auxiliary motor, which aims to avoid unnecessary energy consumption, this implementation determines whether the user is suitable to operate the pull-out clothing processing device. This prevents the device from stopping when it shouldn't, and also avoids the adverse consequences of children who are not capable of operating the device accidentally turning it on. It's worth noting that although children who are not capable of operating the device cannot start the pull-out auxiliary motor, the motor only provides assistance and does not lock the drawer. Therefore, even without the assistance of the motor, a child may still pull the drawer out of the device. Thus, this implementation controls the device's operation and door lock by judging the image information captured by the camera, ensuring normal operation while also locking the device and preventing accidental drawer pull-out.

[0061] It should be noted that the above embodiments are merely used to illustrate the principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Without departing from the principles of the present invention, those skilled in the art can adjust the above structure so that the present invention can be applied to more specific application scenarios.

[0062] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a pull-out clothing processing device, including a position detection device for detecting the user's position and an assist device for assisting the pull-out clothing processing device in opening, and the pull-out clothing processing device is capable of executing the control method of the pull-out clothing processing device according to any one of the above technical solutions.

[0063] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described pull-out garment handling device also includes other known structures, such as processors, controllers, and memories. These memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, serial memory, parallel memory, or registers. Processors include, but are not limited to, CPLD / FPGA, DSP, ARM processors, and MIPS processors. To avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments of this disclosure, these known structures are not shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0064] 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 pull-out garment processing device, characterized in that, The pull-out clothing handling device includes a position detection device for detecting the user's position and an assist device for assisting the pull-out clothing handling device in opening. The position detection device includes a distance sensor, and the assist device is a pull-out auxiliary motor. The control method includes: Obtain the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device; Determine whether the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device is less than a preset value; Control the opening and closing of the assist device; The step of "determining whether the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device is less than a preset value" further includes: Based on the data obtained by the distance sensor, it is determined whether the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing processing device is less than a preset value; The step of "controlling the opening and closing of the assist device" further includes: If the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing processing device is less than a preset value, the pull-out auxiliary motor is turned on so that the pull-out clothing processing device jumps from a stationary state to an auxiliary assistance state. The pull-out garment handling device also includes a camera, and the step of "controlling the opening and closing of the assist device" further includes: If the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing processing device is less than a preset value, the opening and closing of the pull-out auxiliary motor is controlled according to the image information captured by the camera. The control method further includes: Determine if the user has pressed the pause button or the door lock unlock button; Control the operating status of the pull-out clothing handling equipment and the opening and closing of the door lock; If the user presses the pause button or the door lock unlock button, the system will determine whether the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device based on the image information captured by the camera. If the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then pause the operation of the device and unlock the door; If the target in the image is not suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then the device continues to operate.

2. The control method for the pull-out garment processing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pull-out clothing handling device also includes a light. The step of "controlling the opening and closing of the pull-out auxiliary motor based on the image information captured by the camera if the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device is less than a preset value" further includes: If the image brightness is too low, turn on the lighting.

3. The control method for the pull-out garment processing equipment according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The step of "controlling the opening and closing of the pull-out auxiliary motor based on the image information captured by the camera if the distance between the user and the pull-out clothing handling device is less than a preset value" further includes: If the target in the image is suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, then the pull-out auxiliary motor is turned on. If the target in the image is not suitable for operating the pull-out clothing processing device, the pull-out auxiliary motor will not be turned on.

4. A pull-out garment processing device, characterized in that, The pull-out clothing processing device includes a position detection device for detecting the user's position and an assist device for assisting the pull-out clothing processing device in opening, and the pull-out clothing processing device is capable of executing the control method of the pull-out clothing processing device according to any one of claims 1-3.

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