Washing machine and method for controlling the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing washing machines face challenges in identifying and addressing damage to the weight balancer, which can cause abnormal vibrations and noise, potentially leading to machine damage.
Innovation Solution
A washing machine equipped with a vibration sensor that detects vibrations of the tub during rotation, and a processor that determines whether the weight balancer is damaged by analyzing the difference in vibration magnitudes at the fundamental and harmonic frequencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the drum is accelerated at high speed during spin-drying, then water separation efficiency is improved, but severe vibration and noise occur causing potential machine damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a weight balancer as a counterweight mechanism to offset the centrifugal force and vibration generated during high-speed spin-drying. The weight balancer is positioned to counterbalance the drum's rotation, reducing the harmful vibrations and noise while maintaining high-speed operation capability for effective water separation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a weight balancer is used to prevent weight imbalance, then vibration stability is improved, but damage to the weight balancer causes abnormal vibrations and noises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a vibration sensor that continuously monitors the tub's vibration during drum rotation and provides feedback to a controller. The controller analyzes the vibration signals to detect abnormalities indicating weight balancer damage, enabling early warning and preventive maintenance before severe damage occurs, thus maintaining reliability while preserving vibration stability.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If traditional vibration monitoring is used, then general vibration detection is achieved, but specific identification of weight balancer damage is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes specific vibration frequency characteristics to identify weight balancer damage. The vibration sensor detects vibrations at the fundamental frequency corresponding to the drum's rotational speed and at harmonic frequencies. By analyzing the relationship between these frequencies, the system can precisely identify weight balancer damage rather than just detecting general vibration, achieving both ease of detection and measurement precision.
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
Enables early identification of weight balancer damage, allowing users to take proactive measures and preventing potential machine damage, while also accurately determining the cause of abnormal vibrations.
Implementation Method 1
a vibration sensor configured to detect vibration of the tub while the drum is rotating
Data Source
AI summary
A washing machine has a tub, a drum configured to be rotatable inside the tub, a weight balancer coupled to the tub, a vibration sensor configured to detect vibration of the tub while the drum is rotating, and at least one processor configured to determine whether a weight balancer is damaged based on a difference between a magnitude of the detected vibration of the tub at a fundamental frequency corresponding to a rotational speed of the drum and a magnitude of the detected vibration of the tub at a harmonic frequency of the fundamental frequency.