Washer Drum Deceleration Sensing for Water-Filled Laundry Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry treating apparatuses, particularly washing machines with dehydration drying functions, face challenges in accurately determining the presence of water-filled laundry, leading to inefficient dehydration drying operations and potential maldistribution of laundry during high-speed rotation, which can cause vibration and noise.
Innovation Solution
A method that controls the drum's rotation speed to determine the dryness level and water content of laundry by measuring deceleration times and comparing them to reference values, allowing for targeted dehydration drying operations based on whether the laundry contains water-filled laundry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If dehydration drying operation is performed without accurate detection of water-filled laundry, then drying efficiency is reduced, but if high-speed rotation is used to detect water-filled laundry, then maldistribution and vibration occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs detection of water-filled laundry at a low rotation speed (first rotation speed) before conducting the dehydration drying operation at high speed. This preliminary detection action prevents maldistribution and vibration by identifying water-filled laundry beforehand, allowing the system to adjust drying parameters or avoid high-speed rotation with problematic laundry loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the rotation speed of the drum based on the detected dryness level. The system uses a first rotation speed for detection and a second rotation speed for dehydration drying, switching between these speeds based on whether water-filled laundry is detected. This dynamic speed adjustment optimizes both detection accuracy and drying efficiency while preventing harmful vibrations.
2Productivity
If drum rotation speed is increased for dehydration drying, then drying efficiency improves, but vibration and noise increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the dryness level of laundry is detected during or before the dehydration drying operation. Based on this feedback information, the control unit adjusts the rotation speed of the drum. If the laundry is determined to be sufficiently dry or contains water-filled items, the system reduces rotation speed to minimize vibration and noise while maintaining adequate drying efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the rotation speed parameter dynamically during the dehydration drying operation. The system transitions from a second rotation speed (used for detection or low-water-content laundry) to a first rotation speed (used for high-water-content laundry), and can adjust between these parameters based on real-time detection of laundry dryness and water content, optimizing the balance between drying efficiency and vibration control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method effectively prevents maldistribution and vibration by ensuring accurate detection of water-filled laundry, optimizing dehydration drying operations and reducing noise and impact on the drum and tub.
Implementation Method 1
measuring inertia of the laundry in the drum based on acceleration of the drum to the reference RPM
Implementation Method 2
a dryer performs a dehydration drying operation of removing moisture from the laundry
Data Source
AI summary
Control of a laundry treating apparatus, in which a drum is controlled to accelerate to a first rate of rotation and then decelerate from the first rate of rotation to a second rate of rotation. A deceleration time taken for the drum having accelerated to the first rate of rotation to be decelerated to the second rate of rotation is determined and at least one of a dryness level and a percentage of water content of laundry received in the drum is determined based on the deceleration time. A determination is made as to whether the laundry in the drum includes water-filled laundry based on at least one of the dryness level and the percentage of water content of the laundry and dehydration drying of the laundry in the drum is controlled based on the determination of whether the laundry in the drum includes water-filled laundry.