Laundry Drum Speed Control Using Motor Current Flow Characteristics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treating appliances fail to effectively control the drum speed based on the flow characteristics of laundry, leading to inadequate washing performance, as they primarily focus on the amount of laundry rather than its flow characteristics during acceleration.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treating appliance equipped with a motor, current detector, and controller that determines motion speeds by analyzing current change functions and derivatives, allowing for optimized rolling, tumbling, or filtration motions based on the flow characteristics of the laundry, using machine learning to adjust the drum speed accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the conventional method determines laundry amount by adding up motor speed at given time intervals during acceleration, then the amount of laundry can be determined, but the flow characteristics of the laundry in the drum during acceleration cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the analysis of laundry characteristics into two distinct components: (1) laundry amount determination through speed accumulation at given time intervals, and (2) flow characteristic determination through current value analysis at the same time intervals. This segmentation allows both types of information to be extracted independently from the motor acceleration process without interfering with each other.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a one-dimensional measurement (speed accumulation for laundry amount) to a two-dimensional analysis by introducing current values as a second dimension of measurement. By analyzing both speed and current values during motor acceleration, the system extracts complementary information: speed data provides laundry amount while current data provides flow characteristics, thereby preventing information loss.
2Ease of operation
If the drum speed is controlled based only on the amount of laundry, then the control is simple, but the washing performance is inadequate due to ignoring flow characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where both laundry amount and flow characteristics are measured during motor acceleration, and these measurements are fed back to determine the appropriate drum speed. The controller uses the flow characteristic information (derived from current values) to adjust the drum speed selection, creating a closed-loop control system that adapts to the actual laundry state rather than relying on simple predefined settings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the control parameters from solely laundry amount to a combination of laundry amount and flow characteristics. By introducing flow characteristic as an additional parameter derived from motor current analysis, the system enables more nuanced drum speed selection that accounts for both the quantity and the flow behavior of the laundry, thereby improving washing performance while maintaining operational simplicity through automated parameter adjustment.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the same drum speed is used for the same amount of laundry without considering flow characteristics, then the control is consistent, but the treatment cannot be optimized for different laundry types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static drum speed selection (based only on laundry amount) into a dynamic control system that adapts to different laundry types. By analyzing motor current values during acceleration to determine flow characteristics, the system dynamically adjusts the drum speed selection to match the specific flow behavior of the laundry, enabling optimized treatment for different laundry types while maintaining consistency through systematic decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the system to self-adjust drum speed based on automatic flow characteristic detection. The controller automatically analyzes current values during motor acceleration, determines the flow characteristics of the laundry, and selects the appropriate drum speed without requiring manual intervention or laundry type specification by the user, thereby achieving both consistency and adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
The laundry treating appliance according to the present disclosure may comprise a drum that receives laundry and is capable of rotating, a motor rotating the drum, a current detector detecting a current of the motor and a controller controlling the motor to accelerate rotation of the drum and obtaining a function of current change based on the current detected by the current detector during the acceleration of the drum, and determining a first motion speed based on decreasing of a first derivative of the function of current change, wherein the controller controls the motor to stop and then controls the motor to rotate in the first motion speed.