washing machine and method of controlling it

专利摘要:
WASHING MACHINE AND CONTROL METHOD A method of controlling the supply of steam in a machine is described. The method of control includes heating a predetermined space within a duct that communicates with a washing machine basket to a temperature higher than the temperature of the other space within the duct, supplying water directly to the predetermined heated space to generate steam, and providing flow of air towards the predetermined heated space, in order to supply the generated steam into the basket.
公开号:BR102013002653B1
申请号:R102013002653-0
申请日:2013-02-04
公开日:2021-06-08
发明作者:Hong NAMGOONG；Youngjin DOH；Jihong LEE；Hyunchul Choi；Kyuhwan LEE；Taewan Kim
申请人:Lg Electronics Inc；
IPC主号:

专利说明:

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0011743, filed February 6, 2012, 10-2012-011744, filed February 6, 2012, 10-2012-011745, filed February 6 February 2012, 10-2012-0011746, filed February 6, 2012, 10-2012-0045237, filed April 40, 2012, 10-2012-0058035 filed May 31, 2012 and 10-2012-0058037 , filed May 31, 2012, which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein. FUNDAMENTALS OF THE INVENTION Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a washing machine and to a method of controlling a washing machine, and more particularly to a method of controlling a steam supply mechanism of a washing machine, for example a washing machine. with clothes.
Discussion of the State of the Technique
Washing machines include tumble dryers, restorers or finishers to restore laundry, and garment washers for laundry. In general, a washing machine is an apparatus that washes clothes using washing powder and mechanical friction. Based on the configuration, more particularly, based on the orientation of a basket that accommodates garments for washing, washing machines can basically be classified into a top loading washing machine and a front loading washing machine. In a top loading washing machine, the basket is erected with a washing machine housing and has an inlet formed in an upper portion of the washing machine. In this way, a garment for washing is placed inside the basket through an opening formed in an upper portion of the housing and communicates with the entrance of the basket. Also, in a front loading washing machine, the basket faces up into a housing and a basket entrance faces a front surface of a washing machine. In this way, laundry garments are placed into the basket through an opening formed in a front surface of the housing and communicates with the basket entrance. On both a top loading washing machine and a front loading washing machine, a door is installed in the housing to open or close the housing opening.
The types of washing machines described above can have several other functions in addition to a basic washing function. For example, laundry washers can be designed to perform drying as well as washing, and can additionally include a mechanism to supply the hot air needed for drying. Additionally, laundry washers may have a so-called laundry restoring function. To achieve the function of restoring laundry garments, washing machines may include a mechanism to supply steam to laundry garments. Vapor is water in the vapor phase generated by heating liquid water, and it can have a high temperature and smoothly ensure moisture supply to garments for washing. Consequently, the steam supplied can be used, for example, to eliminate static charge, deodorize and remove creases. In addition to the restoring function of laundry garments, steam can also be used for sterilization of laundry garments due to its high temperature and humidity. Furthermore, when supplied during washing, steam creates an atmosphere of high temperature and high humidity inside a drum or basket that holds garments for washing. This atmosphere can provide a considerable improvement in washing performance.
Clothes washers can use a variety of methods to provide steam. For example, clothes washers can apply a drying mechanism to generate steam.
In the state of the art, there are laundry washers that do not require an additional device for generating steam, and thus can supply steam to garments to be washed without an increase in production costs. However, as these prior art washing machines do not propose control or optimized use of a drying mechanism, they have a difficulty in efficiently generating a sufficient amount of steam compared to an independent steam generator that is configured to generate only steam . For the same reason, additionally, prior art laundry washers cannot efficiently achieve the desired functions, i.e. restoring and sterilizing garments for washing and creating a suitable atmosphere for washing as enumerated above. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a washing machine and a method of controlling a washing machine, for example a washing machine, which substantially alleviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the prior art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine and a method of controlling a washing machine, for example a washing machine, capable of generating steam efficiently.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine and a method of controlling a washing machine, for example a washing machine, capable of efficiently carrying out desired functions by supplying steam.
Advantages, objects and aspects of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art on examination of the following or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objects and other advantages of the invention can be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims here as well as the attached figures.
To achieve these objectives and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as modalized and broadly described herein, a method of controlling a washing machine, such as a washing machine, includes heating a predetermined space within a duct that communicates with a washing machine basket and/or drum at a temperature higher than the temperature of the other space within the duct, supplying water directly to the predetermined heated space to generate steam, and providing airflow towards the predetermined space heated so as to deliver the generated steam to the garment for washing, i.e. into the basket and/or drum.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling a washing machine, such as a washing machine, includes heating a predetermined space within a duct that communicates with a basket and/or drum of the washing machine. a temperature higher than the temperature of the other space within the duct, supplying water directly to the predetermined heated space to generate steam, and providing air flow towards the predetermined heated space so as to supply the generated steam into the basket and/or drum, wherein the supply of water starts after the heating is carried out for a predetermined time, and the supply of air flow starts after the heating and the supply of water is carried out for a predetermined time.
Heating may be carried out without water supply with respect to the predetermined space, and may include actuation of the air fan installed in the duct for a predetermined time.
The water supply can directly include the ejection of droplets into the heating space.
Furthermore, the supply of water can be carried out with supply of air flow with respect to the predetermined space, and it can be carried out simultaneously with heating with respect to the predetermined space. Furthermore, heating can additionally be carried out for at least a partial time of the water supply.
Supplying air flow can be carried out simultaneously with heating and supplying water with respect to the predetermined space. Heating can be carried out additionally for at least a partial duration of the airflow supply, and the water supply can additionally be carried out for at least a partial duration of the airflow supply.
A set of heating, water supply and airflow supply can be repeated many times.
The washing machine control method may further include preliminary heating of at least the entire duct prior to heating. In addition, the method of controlling the washing machine may further include discharging at least the water remaining in the washing machine prior to heating. The washing machine control method may also include cleaning the heater inside the duct prior to heating.
The washing machine control method may further include performing first drying to supply heated air into the basket and/or drum for a predetermined time, and performing second drying to supply heated air into the basket and/or drum, the heated air having a temperature higher than the temperature of the air in the first drying, the first drying and the second drying being carried out after the steam supply operation. The washing machine control method may further include cooling garments for washing by circulating unheated air after the second drying.
The washing machine control method may further include evaluating the amount of water supplied into the predetermined space based on a rate of temperature rise within the duct for a predetermined time prior to heating. More specifically, the evaluation may include generating steam in the predetermined space of the duct during the predetermined time, and determining the rate of temperature rise of air discharged from the predetermined space during the predetermined time.
When it is judged that a sufficient amount of water is not supplied, the washing machine control method may further include performing a third drying to supply heated air into the basket and/or drum while intermittently actuating the duct mounted heater. The method of controlling the washing machine may further include performing fourth drying to supply heated air into the basket and/or drum after implementing the third drying, the heated air having a temperature higher than the temperature of the air in the third drying. The washing machine control method may further include cooling garments for washing by circulating unheated air after the fourth drying. In addition, the washing machine control method may include repeating the heating, water supply and airflow supply a pre-set number of times, if it is judged that a sufficient amount of water is supplied.
The washing machine control method may further include pausing the washing machine actuation for a predetermined time after evaluation and before heating, and pausing the washing machine actuation for a predetermined time before the first drying.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling a washing machine includes a heating preparation operation of a heater, a steam generation operation that generates steam by supplying water directly to the heater using a nozzle. , and a steam supply operation which generates air flow within a duct by rotating an air blower and which supplies generated steam to garments for washing, wherein the steam supply operation at least includes a time during the which the simultaneous actuation of the heater, the nozzle and the air fan is performed. The washing machine can comprise a duct in communication with a basket and/or drum and steam can be supplied into the drum and/or basket. The washing machine may further comprise a heater installed to be exposed to the air within the duct, and a nozzle and an air blower which are disposed within the duct.
In this case, the preparation operation, the steam generation operation, and the steam supply operation can be carried out in sequence.
That is, the steam supply operation can be carried out after the steam generation operation is completely carried out. Likewise, the steam generation operation can be carried out after the completion of the preparation operation implementation.
At the same time, the actuation time of the nozzle in the steam generation operation can be longer than the actuation time of the nozzle in the steam supply operation. That is, as the nozzle actuation time is set to a longer value in the steam generation operation, an amount of steam greater than that of the steam supply operation can be generated.
In this case, the nozzle actuation time in the steam supply operation may be half to a quarter of the nozzle actuation time in the steam generation operation and, preferably, it may be from half to one third of the actuation time of the nozzle in steam generation operation.
The heater, nozzle, and air blower can be simultaneously actuated during the time of the steam supply operation. That is, in the steam supply operation, steam can be generated as water is continuously ejected into the heater through the nozzle in a state where the heater is continuously heated. Airflow can be supplied into the duct through the actuation of the air blower during steam generation. For example, if the steam supply operation is set for 10 seconds, the heater can be actuated for 10 seconds, and water ejection through the nozzle can be achieved, and airflow can be supplied through fan actuation of air.
On the other hand, when the heater, nozzle, and air blower are simultaneously actuated during a partial time of the steam supply operation, simultaneous actuation can be performed at the final stage of the implementation time of the steam supply operation.
The steam generation operation may include stopping the air blower actuation. In this case, even though stopping the air fan can only be performed for at least a partial duration of the steam generation operation, the air fan actuation can stop during the time of the steam generation operation. In steam generation operation, heater actuation can be maintained. Even in this case, the heater actuation can be maintained for at least a partial duration of the steam generation operation, but preferably during the time of the steam generation operation.
In priming operation, nozzle actuation and air blower may stop. Nozzle actuation may stop during the time of the priming operation, and air blower actuation may stop for at least a partial duration or during the time of the priming operation. If the air fan actuation is performed during a partial time of the priming operation, the air fan actuating can stop at the initial stage of the priming operation, and it can be kept in the final stage of the priming operation.
The washing machine control method may further include preliminary rotation of the air blower installed in the duct prior to the steam supply operation. Preliminary rotation can be carried out in the final stage of the preparation operation.
In the priming operation, the actuation of the nozzle, heater and air blower on the first heater can be controlled differently than on the second heater. The priming operation may include performing the first heat to heat only the heater without actuating the nozzle and air blower, and performing the second heat to heat the heater while operating the air blower installed in the duct.
In this case, nozzle actuation may stop on the second heating.
The steam generating operation and/or the steam supplying operation may include discharging water generated by supplying the steam from the basket and/or drum. The discharge can be carried out by discharging the water in the basket and out of the washing machine through the actuation of a drain pump.
A steam supply process consisting of the preparation operation, the steam generation operation and the steam supply operation can be repeated many times.
The washing machine control method may further include circulating high temperature air through the duct prior to the priming operation.
The method of controlling the washing machine may further include discharging the remaining water in the washing machine prior to the priming operation.
The washing machine control method may further include cleaning the heater within the duct prior to the priming operation. Cleaning can be accomplished by ejecting water into the heater using the nozzle.
A drying process can be carried out after the steam supply operation. The drying process may include performing the first drying to supply heated air to the garment for washing, for example into the basket and/or drum, for a predetermined time, and performing the second drying to supply heated air to the garment for washing, for example, into the basket and/or drum, the heated air having a temperature higher than the air temperature in the first drying. First drying and second drying can be performed after the steam supply operation.
In this case, the duration of the first drying can be set to last longer than the duration of the second drying.
The implementation of the first drying may include intermittently actuating the heater installed within the duct, and the implementation of the second drying may include continuously actuating the heater.
The washing machine control method may further include cooling the garment for washing by circulating unheated air after the second drying.
The steam generation operation and the steam supply operation may include ejecting water from the nozzle to the heater, for example, through ejection pressure from the same. Additionally, the nozzle can be located between the heater and the air blower.
The nozzle can eject water in approximately the same direction as the air flow direction inside the duct.
The nozzle can eject water into the heater through ejection pressure of the same, for example, in the steam generating operation and/or in the steam supply operation.
The nozzle can eject droplets to the heater, for example, in the steam generation operation and/or in the steam supply operation.
The heater can be installed so as to be exposed to the air inside the duct, and the air blower can be actuated to allow the air inside the duct to be supplied to garments for washing by passing through the heater. That is, in the present invention, the heater can serve to generate heated air, and can be exposed to the air present within the duct. Furthermore, the heater can serve to generate steam by ejecting water to the heater within the duct.
The washing machine control method described above can be applied to a washing machine that will be described hereinafter, for example, a washing machine.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a laundry garment comprises a controller configured to carry out any of the methods described above. For this, the washing machine, such as a washing machine, can comprise at least one of a duct in communication with a basket and/or a drum, a heater installed to be exposed to the air inside the duct, and a nozzle and an air blower that are arranged inside the duct. For example, a washing machine, such as a washing machine, includes a basket in which washing water is stored and/or a drum in which laundry is accommodated, the drum being rotatably provided, a duct configured to communicate with the basket and/or drum, a heater installed in the duct and configured to heat only a predetermined space within the duct, a nozzle installed in the duct, the nozzle serving to supply water directly to the predetermined heated space so as to generate steam, and an air blower installed in the duct, the air blower serving to blow air towards the predetermined space so as to supply the generated steam to the garment for washing.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a washing machine, such as a washing machine, includes a basket in which washing water is stored and/or a drum in which laundry is accommodated, the drum being provided. rotatably, a duct configured to communicate with the basket and/or drum, a heater installed in the duct and configured to heat only a predetermined space within the duct, a nozzle installed in the duct, the nozzle serving to supply water directly to the predetermined heated space so as to generate steam, an air blower installed in the duct, the air blower serving to blow air towards the predetermined space so as to supply the generated steam to garments for washing, for example , into the basket and/or drum, and a recess formed in the duct to accommodate a predetermined amount of water so that the water in the recess is heated by steam generation.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a washing machine, such as a washing machine, includes a basket in which washing water is stored and/or a drum in which laundry is accommodated, the drum being provided. rotatably, a duct configured to communicate with the basket and/or drum, a heater installed in the duct and configured to heat only a predetermined space within the duct, a nozzle installed in the duct and serving to supply water directly to the pre-determined heated space so as to generate steam, the nozzle having a separate water agitator device fitted therein, and an air blower installed in the duct, the air blower serving to vent air towards the predetermined space so to supply the steam generated to the garment for washing.
The mouthpiece may include a head having a water ejection opening and a body integrally formed with the head, the body being configured to guide water to the head. The agitator device can be fitted to the body.
The agitator device may include a conical core extending along the central axis of the agitator device, and a flow path spirally extending around the core.
The nozzle may additionally include a positioning structure for determining a position of the agitator device. More specifically, the positioning structure may include a recess formed in either one of the mouthpiece and the agitator device, and a rib formed in the other one of the mouthpiece and the agitator device, the rib being inserted into the recess.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a washing machine, such as a washing machine, includes a basket in which washing water is stored and/or a drum in which laundry is accommodated, the drum being provided. rotatably, a duct configured to communicate with the basket and/or drum, a heater installed in the duct and adapted to be heated by receiving power, at least one nozzle installed in the duct, the nozzle serving to directly eject water into the heater heated by pressure ejection thereof, and an air blower installed in the duct, the air blower serving to generate air flow within the duct and supply steam to the garment for washing, for example, into the basket, in which the nozzle ejects water in approximately the same direction as the air flow direction.
In this case, the nozzle can be provided between the heater and the air blower.
Representing a nozzle installation position in consideration of a duct extension direction, the heater can be located on one longitudinal side of the duct, and the air blower can be located on the other longitudinal side of the duct, and the nozzle can be located between the heater and the air blower.
When the nozzle is provided between the heater and the air blower, the nozzle can be moved away from the heater by a predetermined distance so as to be located close to the air blower. That is, the nozzle can be located between the heater and the air blower, and it can be located closer to the air blower than the heater.
In other words, the nozzle can be explained as being installed close to the discharge portion through which the air, having passed through the air blower, is discharged.
The nozzle can be installed in an air blower housing surrounding the air blower.
Here, the air blower housing can include an upper housing and a lower housing, and the nozzle can be installed in the upper housing.
To install the mouthpiece, the top housing may have a slit into which the mouthpiece is inserted.
The mouthpiece can include a body and a head, and the head can be inserted into the slit and can be located within the duct. In addition, a portion of the body close to the head can be inserted into the slit and located within the duct. In this case, the longitudinal direction of the body may coincide with the nozzle ejection direction.
The at least one nozzle can include a plurality of nozzles. Each plurality of nozzles can include a body and a head, and the plurality of nozzles can be connected together via a flange.
The flange may have a mounting hole for connection to the duct. Consequently, the flange can be fixed to the duct as a fixing member (eg, a screw or a clamp) is attached to the fixing hole. Thus, the plurality of nozzles coupled to the flange can be fixed.
The nozzle can directly eject droplets into the heater. Although the nozzle can provide a jet of water to the heater, droplets can be ejected into the heater for faster and more efficient steam generation. In addition, the nozzle can allow steam generation without water loss by supplying water directly to the heater.
The nozzle may include a spirally extending flow path therein.
The washing machine may additionally include a recess formed in the duct to accommodate a predetermined amount of water so that the water in the recess is heated for steam generation.
The recess can be located below the heater. In this case, the recess can be located immediately below the heater.
At least a portion of the heater may have a bent portion that is bent down towards the recess. In this case, the folded portion can be located in the recess. Consequently, when water is collected in the recess, a bent portion may contact the water in the recess.
Unlike the method in which the heater directly contacts the water collected in the recess using a bent portion of the recess, the water collected in the recess can be indirectly heated.
To perform indirect heating, the washing machine may additionally include a thermally conductive member coupled to the heater to transfer heat from the heater. In this case, at least a portion of the thermally conductive member can be located in the recess.
The thermally conductive member may include a heat sink mounted on the heater, at least a portion of the heat sink being located in the recess.
The recess can be located below a free end of the heater. This recess arrangement can be applied for both direct heating and indirect heating.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a washing machine, such as a washing machine, includes a basket in which washing water is stored and/or a drum in which laundry garments are accommodated, the drum being provided in a rotational mode, a duct configured to communicate with the basket and/or drum, a heater installed in the duct and adapted to be heated when receiving power, a nozzle installed in the duct, the nozzle serving to directly eject water to the heater heated by ejection pressure of the same, and an air fan installed in the duct, the air fan serving to generate air flow inside the duct and supply the generated steam to the basket and/or drum, in which the nozzle is located between the heater and the air blower and ejects water in approximately the same direction as the air flow direction.
Explaining the arrangement of the configuration described above along the direction of air flow within the duct, the air blower, nozzle, and heater can be arranged in sequence. That is, if the air flow occurs by rotating the air blower, the air discharged from the air blower can pass the nozzle installation position and can reach the heater. In this case, air having passed through the heater can be supplied to the garment for washing, for example, into the drum and/or basket. In particular, the nozzle can be installed in an upper portion of the air blower housing surrounding the air blower, more specifically to an upper housing of the air blower housing.
The respective aspects of the washing machine described above can be individually applied to the washing machine, or combinations of at least two aspects can be applied to the washing machine.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
The accompanying figures, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the figures:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine in accordance with the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the washing machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a duct included in a washing machine in accordance with the present invention; FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a duct air blower housing illustrated in FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating the duct of a washing machine; FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a nozzle installed in the duct of a washing machine; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the mouthpiece of FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view illustrating the mouthpiece of FIG. 6; FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the duct; FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating the duct of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a heater installed in the duct of FIG. 9; FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the duct; FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a heater installed in the duct of FIG. 12; FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the duct; FIG. 15 is a plan view illustrating the duct of FIG. 14; FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a washing machine in accordance with the present invention; FIG. 17 is a table illustrating the control method of FIG. 16; FIGs. 18A through 18C are time graphs illustrating the control method of FIG. 16; FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of evaluating the amount of water supplied; FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating operations to be performed when a sufficient amount of water is not supplied; and FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a washing machine including a steam delivery process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention for accomplishing the objectives described above will be described with reference to the attached figures. Although the present invention is described with reference to a front loading washing machine as illustrated in the figures, the present invention can be applied to a front loading washing machine without substantial modification.
In the following description, the term 'actuation' refers to applying energy to a relevant component to perform a function of the relevant component. For example, 'actuation' of a heater refers to applying energy to the heater to perform heating. In addition, an ‘actuation section’ of the heater refers to a section in which power is applied to the heater. By interrupting the energy applied to the heater, this refers to turning off the 'actuation' of the heater. This is equally applied to an air blower and a nozzle.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine in accordance with the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the washing machine of FIG. 1.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a washing machine may include a housing 10 that defines an outward appearance of a washing machine and accommodates elements necessary for actuation. Housing 10 can be shaped to surround an entire washing machine. However, to ensure easy disassembly for repair, as illustrated in FIG. 1, housing 10 is shaped to surround only a portion of a washing machine. Instead, a front cover 12 is mounted on the front end of housing 10 to define a front surface of a washing machine. A control panel 13 is mounted above the front cover 12 for manual operation of a washing machine. A laundry detergent box 15 is mounted in an upper region of a washing machine. The laundry detergent box 15 may take the form of a drawer which accommodates laundry detergent and other laundry additives for washing and is configured to be pushed and pulled from a laundry washing machine. Additionally, an upper plate 14 is provided in housing 10 to define an upper surface of a washing machine. Similar to housing 10, front cover 12, top plate 14, and control panel 13 define the outward appearance of a washing machine, and can be considered as constituent parts of housing 10. Housing 10, more specifically, cover Front 12 has a front opening 11 drilled therein. The opening 11 is opened and closed through a door 20 which is also installed in the housing 10. Although the door 20 is generally circular in shape, as illustrated in FIG. 1, door 20 can be fabricated to have a substantially square shape. The square door 20 provides a user with a better view of the opening 11 and a drum inlet (not shown), which is advantageous in terms of improving the outward appearance of a washing machine. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the door 20 is provided with a glass door 21. The user can view the interior of a washing machine through the glass door 21 to check the condition of the garment to be washed.
With reference to FIG. 2, a basket 30 and a drum 40 are installed within the housing 10. The basket 30 is installed to store the washing water within the housing 10. The drum 40 is rotatably installed within the basket 30. The basket 30 can be connected to an external water source to directly receive water needed for washing. Additionally, the basket 30 can be connected to the washing powder box 15 through a connecting member such as a basket and/or a hose, and can receive washing powder and additives from the washing powder box 15. The basket 30 and the drum 40 are oriented so that the entrances thereof face towards the front side of the housing 10. The entries of the basket 30 and the drum 40 communicate with the above-mentioned opening 11 of the housing 10. the door 20 is opened, the user can place garments to be washed into the drum 40 through the opening 11 and the inlets of the basket 30 and the drum 40. To prevent leakage of the laundry garments and the wash water, a seal 22 is provided. between the opening 11 and the basket 30. The basket 30 may be formed of plastic in order to achieve a reduction in material costs and the weight of the basket 30. On the other hand, the drum 40 may be formed of a metal to achieve sufficient strength and rigidity in consideration of the fact that drum 40 must accommodate giving wet and heavy laundry garments and shock due to laundry being repeatedly applied to drum 40 during washing. The drum 40 has a plurality of through holes 40a to allow washing water from the basket 30 to be introduced into the drum 40. A power device is installed around the basket 30 and is connected to the drum 40. The drum 40 is rotated. by the power device. In general, a washing machine as illustrated in FIG. 2, includes basket 30 and drum 40, which are oriented to have a central axis that is substantially horizontal to an installation floor. However, a washing machine can include basket 30 and drum 40, which are obliquely oriented upwards. That is, the inlets of the basket 30 and the drum 40 (i.e., front portions) are located higher than the rear portions of the basket 30 and the drum 40. The inlets of the basket 30 and the drum 40 as well as the opening 11 and door 20 associated with the inlets are located higher than the inlets, opening 11 and door 20 illustrated in FIG. 2. Consequently, the user can put on or take off garments for washing in a washing machine without bending their waist.
To further improve the washing performance of a washing machine, warm or lukewarm washing water is required based on the type and condition of the garment to be laundered. To that end, a washing machine of the present invention may include a heater assembly including a heater 80 and a reservoir 33 for generating hot or lukewarm wash water. The heater assembly as illustrated in FIG. 2, is provided in basket 30, and serves to heat the washing water stored in basket 30 to a desired temperature. Heater 80 is configured to heat wash water, and reservoir 33 is configured to accommodate heater 80 and wash water.
With reference to FIG. 2, the heater assembly may include heater 80 configured to heat wash water. The heater assembly may additionally include reservoir 33 configured to accommodate heater 80. Heater 80, as illustrated, can be inserted into basket 30, more specifically into reservoir 33 through a slit 33a which is formed in reservoir 33 and has a predetermined size. The reservoir 33 may take the form of a cavity or a recess that is integrally formed in the lower part of the basket 30. Accordingly, the reservoir 33 has an open upper part and internally defines a predetermined size of space to accommodate some of the water from washing provided in basket 30. Reservoir 33, as described above, is formed in the lower part of basket 30 which is advantageous for discharging stored washing water. Therefore, a drain hole 33b is formed in the lower part of the reservoir 33 and is connected to a drain pump 90 through a drain pipe 91. In this way, the washing water inside the basket 30 can be discharged out of a washer. through the drain hole 33b, the drain pipe 91, and the drain pump 90. Alternatively, the drain hole 33b can be formed in another location of the basket 30, rather than the bottom of the reservoir 33. provision of reservoir 33 and heater 80, a washing machine can operate to heat the wash water so as to utilize the resulting hot or warm wash water for washing garments to be laundered.
At the same time, a washing machine can be configured to dry the laundry for laundered laundry for the user's convenience. To that end, a washing machine can include a drying mechanism to generate and supply hot air. As the drying mechanism, a washing machine may include a duct 100 configured to communicate with the basket 30. The duct 100 is connected at both ends thereof to the basket 30, so that air from the interior of the basket 30 as well as air from inside the drum 40 can circulate through the duct 100. The duct 100 can have a single mounting configuration, or it can be divided into a dryer duct 110 and a condenser duct 120. The drying duct 110 it is basically configured to generate hot air to dry the garment for washing, and the condensing duct 120 is configured to condense the moisture contained in the circulating air having passed through the garment for washing.
First, the drying duct 110 can be installed within the housing 10 so as to be connected with the condensing duct 120 and the basket 30. A heater 130 and an air blower 140 can be mounted in the drying duct 110. The duct condensing duct 120 may also be disposed within housing 10 and may be connected to drying duct 110 and basket 30. Condensing duct 120 may include a water supply device 160 for supplying water to permit condensation and removal of air humidity. Drying duct 110 and condensing duct 120, i.e. duct 100, as described above, may basically be disposed within housing 10, but may be partially exposed outside housing 10 as required.
Drying duct 110 can serve to heat air around heater 130 using heater 130, and can also serve to blow heated air towards tube 30 and drum 40 disposed within basket 30 using air blower 140. Heater 130 is installed so as to be exposed to air within duct 100 (more specifically, within drying duct 110). Thus, hot and cold air can be supplied from the drying duct 110 to the drum 40 through the basket 30, in order to dry the laundry for washing. Furthermore, as the air blower 140 and the heater 130 are actuated together, fresh unheated air can be supplied to the heater 130 by the air blower 140, and from there it can be heated by passing through the heater 130 so as to be supplied in basket 30 and drum 40. That is, supply of cold and hot air can be continuously carried out by simultaneous actuation of heater 130 and air blower 140. At the same time, the hot air supplied can be used to dry the garments for washing, and from there can be discharged from drum 40 to condensing duct 120 through basket 30. In condensing duct 120, moisture is removed from the discharged air using water supply device 160, through which dry air is generated. Dry air can be supplied to the drying duct 110 in order to be reheated. This supply can be accomplished by a pressure difference between the drying duct 110 and the condensing duct 120 which is caused by the actuation of the air blower 140. That is, the discharged air can be changed between hot and dry air as it passes through of the drying duct 110 and the condensing duct 120. In this way, the air inside a washing machine is continuously circulated through the basket 30, the drum 40, and the condensing and drying ducts 120 and 110, therefore being used for dry clothes for washing. In consideration of the air circulation flow, as described above, one end of the duct 100 that supplies the cold and hot air, i.e., one end or an opening of the drying duct 110 that communicates with the basket 30 and the drum 40 can serve as an outlet portion or an outlet port 110a of the duct 100. The end of the duct 100, to which moist air is directed, i.e. an end or an opening of the condensing duct 120 that communicates with the basket 30 and drum 40 can serve as a suction portion or a suction port 120a of duct 100.
The drying duct 110, more specifically the discharge portion 110a, as illustrated in FIG. 2, can be connected to seal 22 so as to communicate with basket 30 and drum 40. On the other hand, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 2, the drying duct 110, more specifically, the discharge portion 110a can be connected to an upper front region of the basket 30. In this case, the basket 30 can be provided with a suction port 31 which communicates with the duct. drying 110, and the drum 40 can be provided with a suction port 41 which communicates with the drying duct 100. In addition, the condensing duct 120, i.e. the suction portion 120a, can be connected to the rear portion. of the basket 30. To communicate with the condensing duct 120, the basket 30 can be provided, in a lower posterior region, with a discharge hatch 32. Due to the connection positions between the drying and condensing ducts 110 and 120 and the basket 30, cold and hot air may flow into drum 40 from the front portion to the rear portion of drum 40 as represented by arrows. More specifically, hot and cold air can flow from the upper front region of drum 40 to the lower rear region of drum 40. That is, hot and cold air can flow in a diagonal direction inside drum 40. As a result, the ducts drying and condensing chambers 110 and 120 can be configured to allow cold and warm air to pass completely through the space within drum 40 due to their proper mounting positions. Thus, cold and hot air can be evenly diffused within the entire space inside drum 40, which can result in a considerable improvement in drying efficiency and performance.
Duct 100 is configured to accommodate multiple elements. To ensure easy installation of the elements, duct 100, ie drying and condensing ducts 110 and 120, can be composed of separable parts. In particular, most of the elements, for example the heater 130 and the air blower 140, are connected to the drying duct 110 and therefore the drying duct 110 can be composed of separable parts. Such a separable configuration of the drying duct 110 can ensure easy removal of the interior elements of the drying duct 110 for repair. More specifically, the drying duct 110 may include a lower part 111. The lower part 111 substantially has a space therein, so that the elements can be accommodated in the space. The drying duct 110 may additionally include a cover 112 configured to cover the lower part 111. The lower part 111 and the cover 112 may be secured together using a fastening member. Duct 100 may include an air blower housing 113 configured to stably accommodate air blower 140 which is rotated at high speeds. The air blower housing 113 may also be composed of separable parts for easy installation and repair of the air blower 140. The air blower housing 113 may include a lower housing 113a configured to accommodate the air blower 140 and an upper housing 113b configured to cover the lower housing 113a. Except for the upper housing 113b to be separated, the lower housing 113a may be integrally formed with the lower portion 111 of the drying duct 110 to reduce the number of elements of the duct 100. FIGs. 3 to 5 illustrate the lower part 111 and the lower housing 113a, which are integrated with each other. In this case, it can be said that the drying duct 110 is integrated with the air blower housing 113, and thus the drying duct 110 accommodates the air blower 140. On the other hand, the lower housing 113a may be integrally formed with condensing duct 120. Drying duct 110 is used to generate and transport air at high temperature, and it requires high heat resistance and thermal conductivity. In addition, housing 113a must stably support the air blower 140 which is rotated at high speeds and therefore must have high strength and rigidity. Consequently, the lower housing 113a and the lower part 111, which are integrated with each other, can be formed of a metal. On the other hand, due to the lower housing 113a and the lower part 111 which are formed of a metal to meet particular requirements, the cover 112 and the upper housing 113b can be formed of plastic to reduce the weight of the drying duct 110.
Furthermore, a washing machine in accordance with the present invention can be configured to supply steam to garments for washing in order to provide the user with a wide range of functions. As discussed above in relation to the prior art, the supply of steam has the effects of creasing, deodorizing, and static charge elimination, thus allowing the garment to be washed to be restored. In addition, steam can serve to sterilize garments for washing and create an ideal atmosphere for washing. These functions can be performed during a washing cycle's basic washing cycle, while a washing machine may have a separate process or optimized cycle to perform the functions. A washing machine can include an independent steam generator that is designed to generate steam only, to perform the functions mentioned above by supplying steam. However, a washing machine can use a mechanism provided by other functions such as a mechanism to generate and deliver steam. For example, as described above, the drying mechanism includes heater 130 as a heat source, and duct 130 and air blower 140 as a means of transporting air to basket 30 and drum 40, and so can be used to supply steam as well as hot air. However, to carry out steam supply, it is necessary to slightly modify a conventional drying mechanism. The modified drying mechanism for steam delivery will be described hereinafter with reference to FIGs. 3 to 15. Among these figures, FIGs. 3, 5, 9, 12, and 14 illustrate duct 100 from which cover 112 is removed to more clearly show the internal configuration of duct 100.
First, for steam delivery, it is necessary to create a high temperature environment suitable for steam generation. Consequently, heater 130 can be configured to heat air within duct 100. As known, air has low thermal conductivity. Therefore, if a washing machine does not provide a means for imposingly transferring heat emitted from heater 130 to other regions of duct 100, for example, does not provide airflow through air blower 140, heater 130 may function to heat only a space occupied by the heater 130 and the surrounding space. Consequently, heater 130 can heat a local space within duct 100 to a high temperature for supplying steam. That is, heater 130 can heat a partial space within duct 100, i.e., a predetermined space S to a temperature higher than that of the remaining space of duct 100. More specifically, to achieve such heating to a higher temperature high, the heater 130 can be adapted to heat only the predetermined space S in a direct heating manner. In this case, the predetermined space S can be referred to as the heater 130. That is, the heater 130 and the predetermined space S can occupy the same space. Alternatively, predetermined space S may include a space occupied by heater 130 and the surrounding space within the duct near heater 130. That is, predetermined space S is a concept including heater 130. To achieve local heating and straight up to a high temperature, the heater 130 can quickly create a suitable environment for steam generation.
Heater 130 is installed in duct 100 (more particularly, in drying duct 110) and is heated by receiving electrical energy. Heater 130, as illustrated in FIGs. 3 and 5, may basically include a body 131. The body 131 may substantially be located in the duct 100 and serve to generate heat for heating the air. To that end, the body 131 can adopt various heating mechanisms, but it can generally take the form of a hot wire. More specifically, body 131 may be a jacket heater having a waterproof configuration to prevent failure of heater 130 due to moisture that can accumulate in duct 100. Preferably, body 131 may be folded many times in the same plane to maximize heat generation in a narrow space. Heater 130 may include a terminal 132 electrically connected to body 131 to apply electrical power to body 131. Terminal 132 may be located at a distal end of body 131. Terminal 132 may be located outside duct 100 for connection to a external power source. A sealing member may be interposed between body 131 and terminal 132 to hermetically seal duct 100 so as to prevent leakage of air and steam from duct 100.
Heater 130 can be attached to the bottom of the duct 100 (more specifically, to the bottom 111 of the drying duct 110) using the bracket 111b. In connection with the support 111b, a protrusion 111a may also be provided on the lower part of the duct 100. The protrusion 111a may protrude from the lower part of the duct 100 for a predetermined length. A pair of protrusions 111a may be provided on both sides of the bottom of the duct 100, respectively. Bracket 111b may be secured to protrusion 111a to seat heater 130. In addition, bracket 111b may be configured to support body 131 of heater 130. Bracket 111b, as illustrated, may extend through body 131 to support body 131 and can be configured to encircle the body 131. Additionally, the support 111b can have a bent portion that is bent to match the contour of the body 131. The bent portion ensures that the body 131 is securely supported without a risk of unintended movement . Bracket 111b has a through hole through which the clamping member penetrates to secure bracket 111b to protrusion 111a.
Thus, by using both the bracket 111b and the protrusion 111a, the heater 130 can be more stably secured and supported within the duct 100. In addition, the protrusion 111a serves to allow the heater 130 to be moved away from the bottom of the duct. 100 for a predetermined distance, which ensures that heater 130 can contact a greater amount of air while achieving smooth airflow. The support 111b may be formed of a metal capable of resisting the heat of the body 131.
A predetermined amount of water is needed to generate steam in the heater 130. Thus, a nozzle 150 can be added to the duct 100 to eject water into the heater 130.
In general, steam refers to water in the vapor phase generated by heating liquid water. That is, liquid water is transformed into vapor phase water through phase change when water is heated above a critical temperature. Droplet, on the other hand, refers to small particles of liquid water. That is, a droplet is generated by simply separating liquid water into small particles and does not entail phase change or heating. Thus, vapor and droplets are clearly distinguishable from each other at least in terms of their phase and temperature, and have something in common only in terms of providing moisture to an object. Droplets consist of small particles of water and have a larger surface area than liquid water. Thus, droplets can easily absorb heat and be transformed into a high-temperature vapor through phase change. For this reason, a washing machine of the present invention may utilize, as a water supply means, a nozzle 150 which can divide liquid water into small water particles, rather than an outlet which directly supplies liquid water. Nevertheless, a washing machine of the present invention can adopt a conventional outlet that delivers a small amount of water to the heater 130. On the other hand, the nozzle 150 can deliver water, i.e., a jet of water instead of droplets through. setting the pressure of the water supplied to the nozzle 150. In any case, the heater 130 creates an environment for generating steam, and thus can generate steam.
To generate steam, water can be supplied to the heater 130 in an indirect manner. For example, the nozzle 150 can supply water to a space within the duct 100 instead of the heater 130. The water can be conveyed to the heater 130 via air flow provided by the air blower 140 for steam generation. However, as water can be adhered to an inner surface of duct 100 during transport, the supplied water does not fully reach heater 130. Furthermore, as heater 130, as described above, it has ideal conditions for generating steam through local and direct heating, the heater 130 can sufficiently transform the supplied water into steam.
In consideration of the aforementioned reasons, for efficient steam generation, the nozzle 150 can supply water to the heater 130 in a direct manner. Here, the nozzle 150 can supply water to the heater 130 using its self-eject pressure. Here, the self-eject pressure is the pressure of the water supplied to the nozzle 150. The pressure of the water supplied to the nozzle 150 can allow the water ejected from the nozzle 150 to reach the heater 130. That is, the water ejected from the nozzle 150 is ejected into the heater 130 via pressure from the ejection nozzle 150 without assistance from a separate intermediate means. For the same reason, the nozzle 150 can only supply water to the heater 130. Furthermore, the nozzle 150 can eject droplets to the heater 130. As previously defined above, if the nozzle 150 directly ejects droplets to the heater 130, effective steam generation even using optimal energy usage can be achieved in consideration of an ideal environment created in the heater 130. Furthermore, if the droplet ejection direction is carried out only in the heater 130, this can ensure more effectiveness in steam generation.
The nozzle 150 can be oriented towards the heater 130. That is, an orifice of the discharge nozzle 150 can be oriented towards the heater 130. In this case, the nozzle 150 can be arranged immediately above the heater 130 or it can be arranged immediately below heater 130, in order to supply water directly to heater 130. However, water supplied from nozzle 150 (more specifically, droplets), as illustrated in FIGs. 3 and 5, is diffused within a predetermined angular range to provide water pressure, thereby traveling a predetermined distance. On the other hand, the height of the duct 100 is considerably limited to achieve a compact size of a washing machine. That is, the height of the heater 130 is also limited. Consequently, if the nozzle 150 is disposed just above or just below the heater 130, this arrangement can prevent water ejected from the nozzle 150 from being evenly diffused across the heater 130 in consideration of the angle of diffusion and distance of displacement of the water. This can prevent efficient steam generation. For the same reason, inefficient steam generation can also occur even when a pair of nozzles 150 are disposed on both sides of heater 130.
Alternatively, the nozzle 150 can be located at both ends of the heater 130, that is, in either region A and B. As described above, once the air blower 140 is actuated, the interior air of the duct 100 is discharged from air blower 140 and passes through heater 130. In consideration of the direction of air flow, region A may correspond to a region in front of heater 130 or a suction region, and region B may correspond to a region at the rear of the heater 130 or to a discharge region. In addition, region A and region B may correspond to an input and an output of heater 130, respectively. Consequently, the nozzle 150 can be located in the region in front of the heater 130 or in the suction region (i.e., in the region A) at the base of the air flow direction within the duct 100. On the other hand, the nozzle 150 can be located in the region of the back of the heater 130 or in the discharge region (ie, in region B) at the base of the air flow direction within duct 100. Even when nozzle 150 is located in region A or region B, as per described above, it may be difficult for the water supplied from the nozzle 150 to completely reach the predetermined region S, and some of the water may remain outside the predetermined region S. However, when the nozzle 150 is located in the posterior region of the heater 130 or in the discharge region B, the water that does not reach the heater 130 remains near the region at the back of the heater 130 or near the discharge region B. Consequently, if the air blower 140 is actuated, the water may be supplied in basket 30 instead of being t processed into steam. On the other hand, when the nozzle 150 is located in the region in front of the heater 130 or in the suction region A, water that does not reach the heater 130 can enter the heater 130 through the air flow provided by the air blower 140. Consequently , positioning nozzle 150 in region A can ensure efficient transformation of all supplied water into steam. Thus, to achieve efficient steam generation, the nozzle 150 can be located in the region A, that is, in the region in front of the heater 130 or in the suction region at the base of the air flow direction. Furthermore, the nozzle 150 located in region A is adapted to supply water approximately in the same direction as the direction of the air flow within the duct 100, while the nozzle 150 located in region B is adapted to supply water in a direction opposite to the direction of the air flow.
Consequently, for the same reason as discussed above, in terms of the air flow direction, the nozzle 150 can supply water to the heater 130 (i.e., to a predetermined region S including the heater 130) in approximately the same direction as the air flow. air inside duct 100. At the same time, despite the reasons discussed above, nozzle 150 can be installed in any one region or two or more regions of regions A and B, regions on either side of heater 130, and regions immediately above and below heater 130 as needed.
As discussed above, for efficient water supply and steam generation, the nozzle 150 can be configured to supply water directly to the heater 130 and can be oriented towards the heater 130. For the same reason, the nozzle 150 can deliver water in approximately the same way. direction of air flow within duct 100. To satisfy the requirements described above, as determined, it is ideal that nozzle 150 is located in region A, that is, in the region in front of heater 130 or in the suction region at the base of the air flow direction.
In the above description, the nozzle 150 has been described as being located 'approximately' in the same direction as the air flow direction. Here, the term 'approximately' means that an ejection direction of the nozzle 150 corresponds to a longitudinal direction of the rectangular duct 100. As illustrated in FIG. 3, duct 100 may have a simplified rectangular shape. The water ejected from the nozzle 150 is ejected in a straight line by ejection pressure, and the air flow within the simplified duct 100 is not necessarily a straight line. Thus, the water ejected from the nozzle 150 may not 'completely' coincide with the direction of the air flow within the duct 100. Therefore, the term 'approximately' means the direction of the air flow within the duct 100 and the direction of ejection of water from the nozzle 150 are not opposite to each other and more preferably means that an angle between the direction of ejection of water from the nozzle 150 and the direction of air flow is less than 90 degrees. More preferably, the angle between the direction of water ejection from the nozzle 150 and the direction of air flow within the duct 100 is less than 45 degrees.
Region A corresponds to the region between heater 130 and air blower 140 in terms of a configuration of duct 100. Thus, nozzle 150 can be located between heater 130 and air blower 140 in terms of a configuration of duct 100. In other words, the nozzle 150 can be located between the heater 130 and an air flow generating source. That is, the heater 130 and the air blower 140 are respectively located on one side and the other side of the duct 100 so as to be opposed to each other at the base of a longitudinal direction of the duct 100. In this case, the nozzle 150 is located between the heater 130 provided on one side of the duct 100 and the air blower 140 provided on the other side of the duct 100. In addition, the nozzle 150 may be located between the region in front of the heater 130 and the discharge region of the air blower 140 (here, the terms 'front' and 'rear' in relation to heater 130 are explained on the basis of the direction of air flow within duct 100, and assuming that air passes through a first point and a second point within the duct 100, the first point where air reaches first is defined as the front region and the second point where air reaches later is defined as the rear region). Furthermore, as mentioned above, the water ejected from the nozzle 150 is diffused by a predetermined angle. If the nozzle 150 is arranged close to the heater 130, more specifically, close to the suction region of the heater 130, in consideration of the diffusion angle, a large part of the ejected water will be directly supplied to the surface of the inner wall of the duct 100 instead of the heater 130. As the heater 130 has the highest temperature in a predetermined region S, it is advantageous, in terms of increased steam generation efficiency, that the greatest possible amount of ejected water directly enters the heater 130 of the region. pre-determined S and spreads along heater 130. Thus, to assist as much water as possible to directly enter heater 130, nozzle 150 can be moved away from heater 130 as much as possible. When the nozzle 150 is moved away from the heater 130, in consideration of water diffusion, the water supplied will be substantially distributed along the heater 130 starting at the suction region of the heater 130, i.e. the heater inlet 130, which can reach the efficient use of the heater 130, that is, steam generation and efficient heat exchange. The greater the distance between the nozzle 150 and the heater 130, the shorter the distance between the nozzle 150 and the air blower 140. For this reason, the nozzle 150 can be located close to the air blower 140, and simultaneously can be moved away from the heater 130 for a predetermined distance. In addition, to ensure that the nozzle 150 is as far away from the heater 130 as possible, the nozzle 150 can be located close to a discharge side of the air blower 140. That is, the nozzle 150 is preferably installed close to the discharge side. of the air blower 140 from which the air having passed through the air blower 140 is discharged. When the nozzle 150 is located close to the discharge side of the air fan 140, the water supplied can be directly affected by the air flow discharged from the air fan 140, that is, by the discharge force of the air fan 140, and can be moved further so as to uniformly contact the entire heater 130. On the other hand, with airflow assistance, high water pressure may not be applied to the nozzle 150, which can result in a lower price and increased service life of the nozzle 150. Furthermore, to make arrangement close to the discharge side of the air blower 140, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, the nozzle 150 can be installed in the air blower housing 113. Additionally, to facilitate installation and repair, the nozzle 150 can be installed in the detachable upper housing 113b. As illustrated in FIG. 4, for installing the nozzle 150, the upper housing 113b has a slot 113c into which the nozzle 150 is inserted. Nozzle 150 can be inserted into slot 113c so as to be oriented towards heater 130.
With reference to FIGs. 6-8, the mouthpiece 150 may consist of a body 151 and a head 152. The body 151 may have an approximately cylindrical shape suitable for insertion into the slot 113c. Nozzle 150 is inserted into slot 113c, and head 152 for ejecting water is located within duct 100. Body 151 may have a radially extending flange 151a. The flange 151a is provided with an attachment hole, through which the nozzle 150 can be attached to the duct 100. To increase the strength of the flange 151a, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a rib 151f may be formed in the body 151 to connect the 151a and the body 151 together. Additionally, the body 151 may have a rib 151b formed on an outer periphery thereof. The rib 151b is taken by an edge of the slit 113c, which prevents the nozzle 151 from being separated from the duct 100, more specifically from the upper housing 113b. Rib 151b can serve to determine a precise installation position for the nozzle 150.
Head 152, as illustrated in FIGs. 7 and 8, may have a discharge port 152a at a distal end thereof. When water is supplied at a predetermined pressure, the discharge port 152a can be designed to split the water into small water particles, ie, droplets. Discharge orifice 152a can be designed to additionally apply pressure to the water to be supplied, thereby allowing water to diffuse through a predetermined angle and travel a predetermined distance. The diffusion angle (a) of the water to be supplied, for example, can be 40 degrees. Head 152 may have a radially extending flange 152b. Similarly, body 151 may additionally have a radially extending flange 151d to face flange 152b. If the body 151 and the head 152 are formed of plastic, the flanges 152b and 151d are fused together, whereby the body 151 and the head 152 can be coupled together. If the body 151 and the head 152 are formed of a material other than plastic, the flanges 152b and 151d can be coupled together using a clamping member. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 8 in detail, head 152 may have a rib 152c formed on flange 152b, and body 151 may have a groove 151c formed on flange 151d. As rib 152c is inserted into groove 151c, a contact area between body 151 and head 152 is increased. This ensures tighter coupling between the body 151 and the head 152. The nozzle 150, more specifically the body 151, includes a flow path 153 for guiding water supplied to the body 151. The flow path 153 as illustrated in FIGs. . 7 and 8, may spirally extend from a distal end of the body 151, i.e. from a discharge portion of the body 151. The spiral flow path 153 causes the agitated water to reach the head 152. water can be discharged from the nozzle 150 to have a greater diffusion angle and greater travel distance.
When the heater 130 generates steam, it may be necessary to transport the generated steam to the basket 30 and drum 40 and finally to the laundry to perform desired functions. Thus, to transport the generated steam, the air blower 140 can vent air towards the heater 130. That is, the air blower 140 can generate air flow to the heater 130. The generated steam can be moved along the duct 100 by the air flow, and can finally reach the garment to be washed through the basket 30 and the drum 40. In other words, the air blower 140 creates air flow within the duct 100 and supplies the generated steam to the basket 30 and drum 40. Steam can be used for desired functions, for example, restoring garments to wash and sterilizing and creating an ideal wash environment.
At the same time, as illustrated in FIGs. 9, 10, 12 and 14, the duct 100 may have a recess 114 of a predetermined size. Recess 114 can be configured to accommodate a predetermined amount of water. To accommodate a predetermined amount of water, recess 114 is formed in a lower region of duct 100 and provides a predetermined volume of space. The water remaining in the duct 100 may be collected in the space of the recess 114. More specifically, the lower portion of the recess 114 may be the lower portion of the duct 100, and may be formed in the lower portion 112 of the drying duct 110. Water
may remain in duct 100 for various reasons. For example, part of the water supplied from the nozzle 150 may remain in the duct 100 instead of being turned into steam. Even if the supplied water is transformed into steam, the steam can be condensed to water through heat exchange with duct 100. In addition, moisture contained in the air can be condensed through heat exchange with duct 100 during drying of clothing to wash. Recess 114 can be used to collect the remaining water. As clearly illustrated in FIG. 10, recess 114 may have a predetermined gradient to easily collect remaining water.
Recess 114 can additionally generate steam using water accommodated therein. Heating is required to turn the accommodated water into steam. Thus, recess 114 can be located below heater 130 so that the water accommodated in recess 114 is heated using heater 130. That is, it can be said that recess 114 is located immediately below heater 130. Furthermore, as the space within the recess 114 is heated by the heater 110, the heater 130 may extend into the space within the recess 114. That is, the heater 130, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 10, may include space within recess 114. With this configuration, in addition to steam generated using water supplied from nozzle 150, water in recess 114 may be heated by heater 130 and may be turned into steam. Thus, a substantially larger amount of steam can be provided, which allows for more effective implementation of desired functions.
More specifically, as illustrated in FIGs. 9 and 11, heater 130 may be configured to directly heat water in recess 114. To achieve direct heating, at least a portion of heater 130 is preferably located in recess 114. That is, when water is accommodated in recess 114 , a portion of heater 130 can be immersed in the water accommodated in recess 114. That is, heater 130 can directly contact water in recess 114. Although heater 130 can be immersed in water in recess 114 by various methods, as illustrated in FIGs. 9 and 11, a portion of heater 130 can be bent toward recess 114. In other words, heater 130 may have a bent portion 131a that is immersed in the water accommodated in recess 114. Thus, a bent portion 131a is preferably located in recess 114. In this case, a folded portion 131a is preferably located at a free end of heater 130, and in turn recess 114 is located below a folded portion 131a. Thus, recess 114 is located below the free end of heater 130.
As illustrated in FIGs. 12-15, heater 130 may serve to indirectly heat water in recess 114. For example, as illustrated in FIGs. 12 and 13, a thermally conductive member may be coupled to heater 130 to transfer heat from heater 130. At least a portion of the thermally conductive member is located in recess 114. Like the thermally conductive member, heater 130 may include a heat sink 133 which is mounted on heater 130 and is immersed in the water accommodated in recess 114. Heat sink 133, as illustrated, has a plurality of fins, which have a suitable configuration for radiation. At least a portion of heat sink 133 is located in recess 114. Thus, heat from heater 130 is transferred to the water in recess 114 through heat sink 133. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIGs. 14 and 15, the heater 130 may include, as the thermally conductive member, a support member 111c protruding from the lower portion of the recess 114 to support the heater 130. As mentioned above, the lower portion 111 may be formed of a metal having High thermal conductivity and strength. In this case, the support member 111c may be formed of the same metal and may be integrally formed with the lower part 111. The support member 111c may have a cavity for accommodating the heater 130 in order to stably support the heater 130 and provide the heater with a wide area of electric heating. In this way, heat from heater 130 is transferred to the water in recess 114 through support member 111c. The heater 130 comes into direct contact with the water in the recess 114 through the heat sink 133 or the support member 111c, i.e. a heating member. More specifically, the heating member 133 or 111c achieves a thermal connection between the heater 130 and the water in the recess 114, thus serving to heat the water using the heater 130.
Due to a bent portion 131a and heating member 133 or 111c as mentioned above, heater 130 can directly or indirectly contact the water in recess 114, thus serving to more effectively heat the water. The heater 130 can heat the water in the recess 114 to generate steam by heat transfer through air, even without the structure for direct or indirect contact.
Through the use of the steam delivery mechanism as described above with reference to FIGs. 2 to 15, steam can be supplied to a washing machine, whereby, for example, restoring and sterilizing garments for washing, and creating an ideal washing environment can be carried out. Additionally, many other functions can be performed by properly controlling, for example, the timing of the steam supply and an amount of steam. All of the above functions can be performed during a basic washing cycle of a washing machine. On the other hand, a washing machine may have additional cycles optimized to perform its functions. As an example of the additional cycles, hereinafter, the so-called restoration cycle which is optimized to restore garments for washing will be described with reference to FIGs. 16 to 20. To control the reset cycle, a washing machine of the present invention can include a controller. The controller can be configured to control all cycles that can be performed by a washing machine of the present invention as well as the restoration cycle that will be described hereinafter. The controller can start or stop all actuations of the respective elements of a washing machine including the steam supply mechanism described above. Consequently, all functions/actuations of the steam delivery mechanism described above and all operations of a control method which will be described hereinafter are under the control of the controller.
First, the reset cycle control method may include a set-up operation S5 in which heating of the heater 130 is performed. Heating can be carried out by various devices, more particularly by heater 130. Preparation operation S5 can basically create a high temperature environment which is suitable for steam generation. That is, the S5 preparation operation is an operation of creating a high temperature environment for steam generation. As a result of carrying out the preparation operation S5 to provide a high temperature environment before the steam generation operation S6 which will be described hereinafter, it is possible to facilitate the generation of steam in the following steam generation operation operation S6.
More specifically, in the preparation operation S5, the heater 130, which occupies a partial space within the duct 100, can be heated to a temperature higher than that of the remaining space within the duct 100. The preparation operation S5 requires heating for a considerable amount of time. short because a minimum space required for steam generation, ie only the heater 130, is heated. Consequently, the S5 priming operation can adopt temporal heating as well as local and direct heating, which can minimize energy consumption. Heating the heater 130 can be carried out for at least a partial time of the present duration of the preparation operation S5 under the assumption that it can create an environment necessary for the desired steam generation. Preferably, heating of the heater 130 can be carried out during the time of the preparation operation S5.
If an external ambient environment of heater 130 is changed during the preparation operation S5, for example, if air flow occurs around heater 130, heat emitted from heater 130 may be forcibly transferred to other regions of duct 100, thus causing unnecessary heating of these regions. Thus, local and temporal warming can be difficult. Furthermore, it can be difficult to provide the heater 130 with a suitable environment for steam generation, and excessive energy consumption can be expected. For this reason, the preparation operation S5 is preferably performed without the occurrence of air flow around the heater 130. That is, the preparation operation S5 may include stopping the actuation of the air blower 140 which generates air flow by a pre-determined time. Additionally, when air flow occurs in the entire duct 100, i.e. when air circulates through the duct 100, basket 30, drum 40, etc., this enhances the results described above. Consequently, the preparation operation S5 can be performed without air circulation using the duct 100. At the same time, the heater may not be sufficiently heated during the preparation operation S5, that is, before completing the preparation operation S5. If water is supplied to the heater 130 during the preparation operation S5, a large amount of water cannot be turned into steam, and thus a desired amount of steam cannot be generated. Consequently, the priming operation S5 can be performed without supplying water to the heater 130. That is, the priming operation S5 may include stopping the actuation of the water-ejecting nozzle 150 for a predetermined time. The elimination of the occurrence of air flow and/or water supply can preferably be maintained during the time of the preparation operation S5. However, the description is not necessarily limited to this, and elimination of occurrence of air flow and/or water supply can be maintained for a partial duration of the preparation operation S5.
To ensure the creation of a high temperature environment for steam generation, preferably, heater 130 actuation is maintained for the duration of the preparation operation S5. Furthermore, the actuation of the nozzle 150 stops for at least a partial duration of time from the implementation of the preparation operation S5. Preferably, the actuation of the nozzle 150 stops during the time of the implementation of the preparation operation S5. Furthermore, actuation of the air fan 150 can stop for at least a partial duration of time from the implementation of the set-up operation S5. The actuation of the air blower 150 in the preparation operation S5 will be described later in relation to a first heating operation S5a and a second heating operation S5b which will be described hereinafter.
Eliminating the occurrence of air flow and/or water supply as described above can be achieved through various methods. However, to achieve this elimination, the steam supply mechanism, ie the elements within the duct 100, can be primarily controlled. Control of these elements is illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18A to 18C in more detail. FIG. 17 schematically illustrates the performance of related elements during a total restoration cycle using arrows. In FIG. 17, the arrows represent the performance of the relevant elements and their duration. FIGs. 18A to 18C illustrate the performance of the relevant elements during the entire restoration cycle in more detail by adopting numerals each representing the actual implementation time of the corresponding operation. More specifically, in FIGs. 18A to 18C, numerals in “progress time” boxes represent the time (sec.) elapsed after the start of the reset cycle, and numerals written behind the respective device names represent the actual trigger time (sec.) of each operation.
For example, the air fan 140 is a main element that can generate air flow and air circulation. Thus, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, the air blower 140 can be turned off for at least a partial duration of the preparation operation S5, in order to eliminate the occurrence of air flow and/or air circulation with respect to the heater 130. That is, the air fan 140 can be switched off during the time or for at least a partial duration of the preparation operation S5. Furthermore, as described above, the nozzle 150 is a main element for supplying water within the duct 100. Thus, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, the nozzle 150 can be turned off during the priming operation S5 so as not to supply water to the heater 130.
Preferably, the stop of actuation of the air blower 140 and the nozzle 150 is maintained during the time of the preparation operation S5. However, the stop of actuation of the air blower 140 and the nozzle 150 can only be maintained for a partial duration of the preparation operation S5. At the same time, the heater 130 can be continuously actuated during the time of the preparation operation S5. Similarly, heater 130 can be actuated only for a partial duration of the preparation operation S5.
As discussed above, the occurrence of airflow can basically avoid creating an ideal high temperature environment for steam generation. As the high temperature environment is most important in the aspect of the S5 preparation operation, it may be preferable that the S5 preparation operation be carried out at least without airflow occurring. For this reason, the priming operation S5 may include stopping at least the air blower 140. That is, the priming operation S5 may include stopping the actuation of the air blower 140 while actuating the nozzle 150. Furthermore, in consideration of the steam quality to be generated additionally, at least a partial duration of the preparation operation S5 may not include occurrence of air flow and water supply. That is, the priming operation S5 may include turning off both the air blower 140 and the nozzle 150. In this case, stopping the actuation of both the air blower 140 and the nozzle 150 can be performed at the final stage of the priming operation S5. Consequently, the steam generation operation S6 which will be described hereinafter can be carried out after stopping the actuation of both ends of the air blower 140 and the nozzle 150. At the same time, despite the importance of eliminating the occurrence of air flow , the S5 preparation operation can be carried out without water supply under the occurrence of air flow. Consequently, the priming operation S5 may include stopping only the actuation of the nozzle 150 without stopping the actuation of the air blower 140 (i.e., including turning off only the nozzle 150 while actuating the air blower 140). That is, the set-up operation S5 can include turning off at least the nozzle 150. In this case, the turning off of the nozzle 150 can be performed in the final stage of the set-up operation S5. Even while actuation of air blower 140 and/or nozzle 150 selectively stops, heater 130 can be continuously actuated during the time of priming operation S5. That is, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, between the heater 130, the air blower 140, and the nozzle 150 as the main elements of the steam supply mechanism, only the heater 130 can be continuously actuated during the preparation operation S5. Nevertheless, the heater 130 can only be actuated for a partial duration of the preparation operation S5 if it can create an environment necessary for the desired steam generation, i.e. a high temperature environment during the partial time.
The S5 set-up operation can be carried out for an established first time. As described above, the actuation of heater 130 can be maintained for at least a partial duration of the first set time of set-up operation S5. Preferably, the actuation of heater 130 can be maintained for the first set time. With reference to FIG. 18, the preparation operation S5 can be carried out for a very short time, for example, for 20 seconds. However, due to the fact that the S5 preparation operation can include local and direct heating only of heater 130, it is possible to create a high temperature environment suitable for steam generation with minimal energy consumption even within short time.
After completing the preparation operation S5, the steam generation operation S6 is carried out in which water is supplied to the heated heater 130. The supply of water can be carried out by various devices, more particularly by the nozzle 150. In the operation of S6 steam generation, materials needed for steam generation can be added to the previously created heater 130 environment.
To generate steam, water can be indirectly supplied to the heater 130 using the nozzle 150. The indirect supply of water can utilize other devices, with the exception of the nozzle 150, for example a typical output device. For example, water may be supplied to another space within duct 100, rather than being supplied to heater 130, using various devices, and then being transported to heater 130 for steam generation through the air provided by the fan. air 140. However, as water can be adhered to the inner surface of duct 100 during transport, the supplied water cannot fully reach the heater 130. On the other hand, as described above, the heater 130 has ideal conditions for generating steam through of direct heating in preparation operation S5. Consequently, in the steam generation operation S6, water can be directly supplied to the heater 130. The water supply can be carried out for at least a pre-set partial duration of the steam generation operation S6 if it can generate a sufficient amount of steam for the pre-set part duration. However, preferably, the water supply can be carried out during the time of the steam generation operation S6. Furthermore, as described above, generating a sufficient amount of high quality steam requires an ideal environment, that is, a high temperature environment. Consequently, the steam generation operation S6 preferably starts or is carried out after the preparation operation S5 is carried out for a necessary time, more specifically for a pre-set time. That is, the S5 preparation operation is carried out for a pre-set time before the S6 steam generation operation starts.
As defined above, steam refers to water in the vapor phase generated by heating liquid water. Droplets, on the other hand, refer to small particles of liquid water. That is, droplets can be turned into high temperature vapor through phase change by easily absorbing heat. For this reason, in the steam generation operation S6, droplets can be ejected into the heater 130. As described above with reference to FIGs. 6 to 8, the nozzle 150 can be ideally designed to generate and deliver droplets. Furthermore, as described above with reference to FIGs. 6 to 8, the nozzle 150 ejects water into the heater 130 by ejecting pressure from the same. In steam generating operation S6, water can be ejected to heater 130 through nozzle 150 and ejection of water from nozzle 150 to heater 130 can be achieved by ejecting pressure from nozzle 150. In steam generating operation S6, water can be ejected to the heater 130 through the nozzle 150 which is provided between the air blower 140 and the heater 130. Preferably, in the steam generating operation S6, the water from the nozzle 150 is ejected in approximately the same direction as the direction of the air flow inside duct 100, to ensure droplet supply to heater 130. With droplet supply, steam generating operation S5 can achieve efficient generation of a sufficient amount of steam from heater 130. On the other hand, the nozzle 150 can supply water, that is, a stream of water or water jet instead of droplets by adjusting the pressure of the water supplied to the nozzle 150. In any case, the heater 130 can generate steam due to a suitable environment. used for steam generation. A sufficient amount of water is not yet supplied during the S6 steam generation operation and therefore a sufficient amount of steam may not be generated. If airflow to heater 130 occurs during steam generation operation S6, the resulting amount of insufficient steam can be supplied to basket 30 under the assistance of airflow. In particular, at the initial stage of the steam generation operation S6, likewise, a sufficient amount of steam may not be generated and supplied because the supplied water is dispersed by the air flow so that the flow passes the heater 130. , as a predetermined time is required to transform the supplied water into steam, a large amount of liquid water can remain inside the heater 130 during the steam generation operation S6. If airflow occurs during the steam generation operation S6 as mentioned above, a large amount of liquid water as well as steam can be transported by the airflow, thus being supplied to the basket 30. That is, in the operation of S6 steam generation, occurrence of air flow can deteriorate the quality of steam supplied to basket 30, which can prevent effective implementation of desired functions. Consequently, the steam generating operation S6 can be performed without the occurrence of air flow to the heater 130. That is, actuation of the air blower 140 preferably stops in the steam generating operation S6. Furthermore, when air flow occurs along duct 100, that is, when air circulates through duct 100 and basket 30, etc., the above-described effects may occur most notably. For this reason, the S6 steam generation operation can be carried out without air circulation. Although it is preferable that the occurrence of air flow and/or air circulation (air blower 140 actuation) is continuously eliminated during the time of the S6 steam generation operation, occurrence of air flow and/or air circulation it can be eliminated only for a partial duration of the S6 steam generation operation.
At the same time, as the water supplied during steam generation operation S6 absorbs heat emitted from heater 130, the temperature of heater 130 may drop. Such a drop in temperature can prevent heater 130 from having an ideal environment for steam generation. Thus, it can be difficult to generate a sufficient amount of steam and achieve high quality steam due to the presence of a large amount of liquid water. Consequently, it is preferred that the heater 130 is heated in the steam generating operation S6 in order to maintain the ideal environment for steam generation during the steam generating operation S6. For this reason, the steam generation operation S6 can be carried out together with heating the heater 130. In this case, the heating can be carried out for a partial duration of the steam generation operation S6, and in addition it can be carried out during the time of steam generation operation S6. Nevertheless, as the heater 130 has been sufficiently heated, steam can be generated to some extent in the steam generating operation S6 even without further heating. Thus, the steam generation operation S6 can be carried out without additional heating of the heater 130.
Although eliminating the occurrence of airflow and/or implementing heating can be accomplished through various methods, it can be easily achieved by controlling the steam supply mechanism, ie the elements within duct 100. For example, as per illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, the air blower 140 can be turned off during the steam generating operation S6 in order to prevent the occurrence of air flow with respect to the heater 130. Preferably, the stopping of the actuation of the air blower 140 can be maintained during the time of the S6 steam generation operation. However, the actuation of the air blower 140 can only stop for a partial duration of the S6 steam generation operation. In the case where the actuation of the air fan 140 stops only for a partial duration of the steam generation operation S6, the stopping of the actuation of the air fan 140 is preferably carried out in the final stage of the steam generation operation S6. That is, the air blower 140 can be actuated in the first half of the steam generating operation S6, and actuation of the air blower can stop in the second half of the steam generating operation S6. As described above, heater 130 is a primary element for heating heater 130. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, heater 130 can be actuated during the steam generation operation S6 to generate heating necessary for the ideal environment of heater 130. In this case, heater 130 can be actuated at least only for a partial time of the steam operation. steam generation S6. Preferably, heater 130 can be actuated during the time of the steam generation operation S6. In addition, as mentioned above, to perform the S6 steam generation operation that does not require additional heating, the heater 130 can be turned off during the S6 steam generation operation. The stop of the heater 130 actuation can be maintained during the time of the steam generation operation S6. Preferably, the nozzle 150 can be continuously actuated during the time of the steam generation operation S6. However, the nozzle 150 can only be actuated for a partial duration of the steam generation operation S6 if it can generate a sufficient amount of steam for the partial duration.
As discussed above, the occurrence of airflow basically prevents the generation of a sufficient amount of high quality steam. As steam generation is the most important aspect of the S6 steam generation operation, it may be preferable that the S6 steam generation operation be carried out at least without airflow occurring. Furthermore, in consideration of the ambient steam generation, the steam generation operation S6 can be carried out together with heating the heater 130 without the occurrence of air flow. For these reasons, steam generating operation S6 may include stopping actuation of at least air blower 140. In addition, steam generating operation S6 may include stopping actuation of air blower 140, but actuating heater 150 .
Heater 130 is limited in size and may have difficulty completely turning water into steam when excess water is supplied for a substantially long time. Thus, it is preferable that the steam generation operation S6 is carried out for a second set time which is shorter than the first set time. The actuation of the nozzle 150 can be maintained for a partial duration of the second set time. Preferably, actuation of nozzle 150 is maintained for the time of the second set time. As illustrated in FIG. 18B, the steam generation operation S6 can be carried out for a shorter time than the preparation operation S5, for example, for 7 seconds. With the steam generating operation S6 which is carried out for a short time, an appropriate amount of water can be supplied to the heater 130 and be completely transformed into steam.
After steam generation operation S6 is completed, air can be vented to heater 130 in order to move the generated steam (S7). That is, air flow to heater 130 can occur to allow the generated steam to be supplied to basket 30 (S7). The occurrence of air flow can be accomplished by various methods, more particularly by turning the air blower 140. Thus, the steam supply operation S7 performed after the steam generation operation S6 is a supply operation of the generated steam for the basket 30. The S7 steam supply operation is performed after the S6 steam generation operation is finished. Thus, the preparation operation S5, the steam generation operation S6, and the steam supply operation S7 are carried out in sequence, and the next operation is carried out after the completion of the previous operation.
The generated steam is moved along the duct 100 by the air flow, and is primarily supplied to the basket 30. Thereafter, the steam can finally reach the garment for washing via the drum 40. The steam is used for desired functions, for example, restoring and sterilizing garments for washing, or creating an ideal washing environment. If the air flow can carry all or a sufficient amount of the generated steam to the basket 30, the air flow can occur for a partial duration of the steam supply operation S7. However, preferably, the air flow can take place during the time of the steam supply operation S7. Furthermore, as described above, due to the fact that steam supply operation S7 has a precondition of generating a sufficient amount of steam to be supplied to basket 30, it is preferred that steam supply operation S7 start after the S6 steam generation operation has been carried out for a desired time, preferably for a pre-set time. That is, the steam generation operation S6 is carried out for a pre-set time before the steam supply operation S7 starts. Furthermore, as the steam generation operation S6 is performed after the preparation operation S5 is carried out for a predetermined time, the steam supply operation S7 starts after the preparation operation S5 and the steam generation operation S6 be carried out sequentially for a pre-determined time.
At the same time, the air inside the basket 30 and/or the drum 40 has a lower temperature than the steam supplied. The supplied steam can be condensed into water by exchanging heat with the air inside the basket 30 and/or the drum 40. Consequently, during the steam supply operation S7, a certain amount of the generated steam may be lost during transport, and may not reach the garment to be washed. Furthermore, it can be difficult to provide garments to wash with a sufficient amount of steam to achieve the desired effects. For this reason, water can be supplied to the heater 130 during the steam supply operation S7 to ensure continuous steam generation. That is, the steam supplying operation S7 can be performed together with supplying water to the heater 130. In this case, in addition to the steam generating operation S6, steam is continuously generated even during the steam supplying operation S7. Thus, a sufficient amount of water to compensate for water loss during transport can be prepared within a short time. Consequently, despite the loss of water during transport, a washing machine can provide the garment for washing with a sufficient amount of steam that the user can visually perceive, which ensures reliable acquisition of desirable effects using steam. The supply of water can be carried out for at least a partial duration of the steam supply operation S7. Preferably, to generate a larger amount of steam, the supply of water can be carried out during the time of the steam supply operation S7. If the water supply is carried out only for a part time of the steam supply operation S7, it is preferable that the water supply is carried out in the final stage of the steam supply operation S7.
As the water supplied during the steam supply operation S7 is transformed into steam by absorbing heat from the heater 130, the temperature drop can prevent the heater 130 from acquiring an ideal environment for steam generation. Thus, to maintain the ideal environment for steam generation during the S7 steam supply operation, it is preferable to carry out heating of the heater 130 even during the S7 steam supply operation. For this reason, the steam supply operation S7 can be performed together with heating the heater 130. Keeping the ideal environment for steam generation through heating, the generation of steam during the steam supply operation S7 can be carried out in such a way. more stable to achieve a sufficient amount of steam. In this case, heating can be carried out for at least a partial duration of the steam supply operation S7, and preferably, it may be carried out during the time of the steam supply operation S7, in order to maintain the ideal environment for steam generation . When the water supply (actuation of the nozzle 150) is performed during the steam supply operation S7, preferably, the actuation of the heater 130 may depend on the actuation of the nozzle 150. That is, when the steam supply operation S7 includes actuation of the nozzle 150 and heater 130, actuation of nozzle 150 is preferably performed simultaneously with actuation of heater 130.
Although water supply and/or heating can be accomplished by various methods, they can be easily achieved by controlling the steam supply mechanism, ie, the elements within the duct 100. For example, the nozzle 150 and the heater 130 can be actuated for at least a partial time of the steam supply operation S7, in order to achieve the supply of water and heating. In this case, the actuation of the nozzle 150 and the actuation of the heater 130 are preferably carried out in the final stage of the steam supply operation S7. However, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, the actuation of the nozzle 150 and heater 130 is preferably maintained during the time of the steam supply operation S7, to achieve efficient steam generation and to maintain the ideal environment for steam generation.
As illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18, the air blower 140 can be continuously actuated during the time of the steam supply operation S7. In addition, the air blower 140, as illustrated in FIG. 18B, can be actuated for an additional time (eg 1 second in FIG. 18B) after the start of steam supply operation S7. That is, the air fan 140 can be actuated for a predetermined time (eg 1 second) in the initial stage of a pause operation S8. The additional actuation is advantageous for discharging all the remaining steam into duct 100. Nevertheless, the air blower 140 can only be actuated for a partial time of the steam supply operation S7 if the air flow can carry all or an amount. enough of the steam generated into the basket 30.
As described above with reference to FIGs. 6 to 8, the nozzle 150 ejects water to the heater 130 by means of its ejection pressure. In the steam supply operation S7, water can be ejected to the heater 130 by means of the nozzle 150 and the ejection of water from the nozzle 150 to the heater 130 can be achieved by means of the ejection pressure of the nozzle 150. In steam supply operation S7, water can be ejected to heater 130 by means of nozzle 150 which is provided between air blower 140 and heater 130. Preferably, in steam supply operation S7, water from nozzle 150 is ejected in approximately the same direction as the direction of air flow within duct 100 to supply water droplets to heater 130.
The steam supply operation S7 described above basically has a precondition that the air flow is generated within the duct 100 to supply the steam generated in the steam generation operation S6 into the basket 30. air 140 is held for at least a partial time of the steam supply operation S7 and preferably is held for the time of the steam supply operation S7. Additionally, the actuation of the heater 130 and the actuation of the nozzle 150 can be selectively performed in the steam supply operation S7. With the selective actuation of heater 130 and nozzle 150, in steam supply operation S7, only nozzle 150 actuation can be maintained (without heater 130 actuation), only heater 130 actuation can be maintained (without the actuation of the nozzle 150), or the heater 130 and the nozzle 150 can be actuated simultaneously. As described above, the heater 130 is actuated during at least a partial time of the steam supply operation S7, and is preferably actuated during the time of the steam supply operation S7. The nozzle 150 is actuated during at least a partial time of the steam supply operation S7 and is preferably actuated during the time of the steam supply operation S7.
In the case where the heater 130 and the nozzle 150 are actuated simultaneously, it can be said that the air blower 140, the heater 130 and the nozzle 150 are actuated simultaneously in the steam supply operation S7. In that case, the actuation of the air blower 130, heater 130 and nozzle 150 can be performed during at least a partial time of the steam supply operation S7, and preferably, it may be performed during the time of the steam supply operation S7. If the actuation of the air blower 130, the heater 130 and the nozzle 150 is carried out during a partial time of the steam supply operation S7, preferably, the simultaneous actuation is carried out in the final stage of the steam supply operation S7.
At the same time, water can be generated in basket 30 by means of steam supplied in steam supply operation S7. For example, the air inside the basket 30 and/or drum 40 has a lower temperature than the steam supplied. Therefore, the supplied steam can be condensed to water by means of heat exchange with the air inside the basket 30 and/or the drum 40. Consequently, even in the steam generation operation S6, the generated steam can be condensed by means of heat exchangers even within duct 100, and condensed water can be supplied into basket 30 by means of airflow. Therefore, the condensed water can finally be collected in the basket 30. As illustrated in FIG. 2, if the reservoir 33 is provided in the basket 30, the condensed water can be collected in the reservoir 33. The condensed water can cause the dry wash clothes to become damp, which may prevent the performance of the desired functions through the supply. of steam. For that reason, the water generated by the steam supply during the steam generation and supply of steam operations S6 and S7 can be discarded from the basket 30. For water drainage, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, drain pump 90 can be actuated. Once the drain pump 90 is actuated, the water in reservoir 33 can be discharged out of a washing machine through drain hole 33b and drain pipe 91. Discharge of water can be carried out during the time of operations steam generation and steam supply S6 and S7. Naturally, water disposal can only be carried out during a partial time of steam generation and steam supply operations S6 and S7 if rapid water disposal is possible. Likewise, even the drain pump 90 can be actuated during the time of the steam generation and steam supply operations S6 and S7, or it may be actuated only during a partial time of the steam generation and steam supply operations S6 and S7.
The heater 130 is limited in size and therefore, delivering all the steam generated in the heater 130 into the basket 30 does not take much time. Therefore, the steam supply operation S7 can be carried out for a third set time which is shorter than the second set time. The actuation of heater 130, nozzle 150, and air blower 140 can be maintained for at least a partial duration of the third set time and is preferably maintained for the duration of the third set time. In an explanation based only on the actuation time of the nozzle 150, the actuation time of the nozzle 150 in the steam generation operation S6 is set to be greater than the actuation time of the nozzle 150 in the steam supply operation S7. In this case, the actuation time of the nozzle 150 in the S7 steam supply operation may be half or a quarter of the actuation time of the nozzle 150 in the S6 steam generation operation and preferably may be half or a third of the actuation time of the nozzle 150 in the S6 steam generation operation. As illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, the steam supply operation S7 can be carried out for a shorter time than the steam generation operation S6, for example, for 3 seconds. By efficiently implementing the desired functions in the respective operations S5 to S7 as described above, the implementation times of the operations can be gradually reduced as illustrated in FIG. 18B, which can minimize power consumption.
As described above, heater 130 can be continuously actuated during the time of operations S5 to S7. However, this continuous actuation can cause heater 130 to overheat. Therefore, to prevent heater 130 from overheating, the temperature of heater 130 can be directly controlled. For example, if the air temperature inside duct 100 or the temperature of heater 130 rises to 85°C, heater 130 can be turned off. On the other hand, if the air temperature inside duct 100 or the temperature of heater 130 drops to 70°C, heater 130 can again be actuated.
At the same time, in the steam supply operation S7, in order to effectively transport the generated steam into the basket 30, it is necessary to generate sufficient airflow to the heater 130. Sufficient airflow can occur when the air blower 140 is rotated at predetermined revolutions per minute or more, and it takes some time for the air blower 140 to reach appropriate revolutions per minute. In particular, it takes the longest time to restart the rotation of the air blower 140 in a state where the actuation of the air blower 140 stops completely. However, in consideration of other related operations, the steam supply operation S7 is optimally set to be carried out for a relatively short time. Therefore, the actuation time of the air blower 140 in appropriate revolutions per minute may be less than the duration of the steam supply operation S7. Therefore, sufficient airflow may not occur during the S7 steam supply operation and therefore effective transport of the generated steam may not be possible. For this reason, to maximize the performance of the air blower 140 during the steam supply operation S7, the air blower 140 can be preliminarily rotated, i.e. actuated before the steam supply operation S7. If the air blower 140 is pre-rotated before the steam supply operation S7, the steam supply operation S7 may start during the rotation of the air blower 140. Consequently, the revolutions per minute of the air blower 140 may increase quickly to appropriate revolutions per minute in the initial stage of the S7 steam delivery operation, which can ensure a continuous occurrence of sufficient airflow.
Preliminary rotation of the air blower 140 can be performed in steam generation operation S6. However, as discussed above, the occurrence of airflow in the S6 steam generating operation is not preferred as it causes deterioration in steam quantity and quality. Therefore, preliminary rotation of the air blower 140 can be carried out in preparation operation S5. That is, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, the preparation operation S5 may additionally include rotation, i.e., actuation of the air blower 140 for a predetermined time. Although the occurrence of airflow in the S5 priming operation does not have a direct effect on steam generation, it can avoid local heating and increase in energy consumption. Therefore, the actuation of the air fan 140 can only be carried out during a partial time of the preparation operation S5. Furthermore, since the air blower 140 is not actuated during the steam generation operation S6, if the air blower 140 is rotated only at the initial stage of the preparation operation S5, the rotation of the air blower 140 may not be maintained even due to inertia until the S7 steam supply operation starts. Consequently, the actuation of the air blower 140 is carried out in the final stage of the preparation operation S5 as clearly illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B. Preferably, the actuation of the air blower 140 can be carried out only in the final stage of the preparation operation S5.
As mentioned above, the occurrence of airflow is not preferred even in the S5 set-up operation and therefore the actuation of the air fan 140 is considerably limited. The air blower 140 is only turned on for a predetermined time in order to be rotated by means of power. After the predetermined time has elapsed, the air blower 140 is directly turned off, and continues to rotate by inertia. In addition, the air blower 140 can be rotated at low revolutions per minute during its predetermined turn-on time. The priming operation S5 can be divided into the first heating operation S5a and the second heating operation S5b based on the actuation of the air fan 140. As illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, the first heating operation S5a corresponds to the first half of the preparation operation S5 and does not include the actuation of the air fan 140. Therefore, in the first heating operation S5a, only the heating of the heater 130 is performed without supplying water and airflow occurrence. The second heating operation S5b corresponds to the second half of the preparation operation S5 and includes the actuation of the air fan 140 described above. Therefore, in the second heating operation S5b, the actuation of the air fan 140 and the heating of the heater 130 are carried out simultaneously. More specifically, the air blower 140 is turned on so as to be power-rotated for a predetermined time, i.e. during the second heating operation S5b. That is, air flow to heater 130 can occur in the second heating operation S5b. However, as described above, the air fan 140 is actuated at low revolutions per minute, which minimizes a negative effect on the heating of heater 130 due to air flow. At the same time, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, the air blower 140 can be continuously actuated during the time of the second heating operation S5b. In addition, the air blower 140, as illustrated in FIG. 18B, can be actuated for an additional time (eg 1 second in FIG. 18B) after the start of the second heating operation S5b. Subsequently, the air blower 140 is immediately switched off after completion of the second heating operation S5b. Once the air blower 140 is turned off, the air blower 140 is rotated by means of inertia during the steam generating operation S6. Therefore, since the air blower 140 is rotated at considerably low revolutions per minute during the steam generating operation S6, no substantial airflow to the heater 130 takes place. The rotation inertia of the air blower 140 is continued to the steam supply operation S7. Therefore, when steam supply operation S7 starts, the air blower 140 continues to rotate at low revolutions per minute. Thereby, a time required to start the rotation of the stopped air blower 140 at the initial stage of the steam supply operation S7 is reduced, and the rapid increase of the revolutions per minute of the air blower 140 to an appropriate value is possible. Consequently, sufficient air flow can occur continuously and the generated steam can be effectively transported during the time of the steam supply operation S7.
The actuation described above involves the actuation of the air fan 140 and the occurrence of air flow. Therefore, the preparation operation S5, including the actuation described above, is carried out without supplying water to the heater 130 and without actuation of the nozzle 150. Furthermore, since the air blower 140 is rotated at low revolutions per minute, the air circulation through duct 100 does not occur. Therefore, preparation operation S5 can be carried out without air circulation through duct 100 even during actuation of air fan 140. That is, actuation of air fan 140 does not have a large effect on the local heating and on the creation of the heat generation environment in the S5 preparation operation. If an efficient supply of a desired amount of steam can be performed in steam supply operation S7 even without actuation of air blower 140, actuation of air blower 140 is preferably eliminated. As discussed above, in any case, it is more effective to carry out the S5 priming operation without water supply and airflow occurring. That is, the actuation of the air blower 140 is selective, and not essential.
As described above, the preparation operation S5, the steam generation operation S6, and the steam supply operation S7 are functionally associated with each other for supplying steam. Therefore, as illustrated in FIGs. 16, 17 and 18B, these operations S5 to S7 constitute a single functional process, that is, a process of supplying steam P2. Restorative effects of laundry garments, i.e. creasing, static charge-eliminating and deodorizing effects, can be achieved by simply supplying a sufficient amount of steam. As described above, the P2 steam supply process can achieve the generation of a sufficient amount of steam, and the P2 steam supply process can perform the desired restoration functions without additional operations which will be described hereinafter. A set of operations S5 to S7, i.e. steam supply process P2, can be repeated several times and a larger amount of steam can be continuously supplied into basket 30 to maximize the restorative effects. As described above with reference to FIG. 18B, the steam supply process P2 can be repeated twelve times. In addition, as required, the P2 steam supply process can be repeated thirteen and fourteen times or more. Performing the P2 steam supply process once requires 30 seconds and therefore performing the P2 steam supply process twelve times requires approximately 360 seconds. However, a small delay may occur during the repetition of process P2, and an additional delay may occur for control purposes. Consequently, a subsequent operation of the P2 steam supply process may not start after exactly 360 seconds.
The operations S5, S6 and S7 described above will hereinafter be described on the basis of whether the actuation of the heater 130, the air blower 140 and the nozzle 150 is performed or not.
The heater 130 can be actuated during the entire S5 preparation operation, the S6 steam generation operation, and the S7 steam supply operation. However, as in the above description of the respective operations, the actuation of the heater 130 is performed intermittently or stops in some operations or at least in a partial time of some operations.
The air blower 140 can be actuated during at least a partial time of the steam supply operation S7, and is preferably actuated during the time of the steam supply operation S7. Additionally, to achieve faster actuation of the air blower 140 in the steam supply operation S7, the actuation of the air blower 140 can be maintained for a predetermined time, i.e. for at least a partial time of the preparation operation S5 and preferably it can be kept in the final stage of the S5 preparation operation. Additionally, the actuation of the air blower 140 preferably stops in the steam generation operation S6.
The nozzle 150 can be actuated during at least a partial time of the steam generation operation S6, and is preferably actuated during the time of the steam generation operation S6. Since the actuation of the nozzle 150 causes the ejection of water to the heater 130, preferably the actuation of the nozzle 150 stops in the preparation operation S5 which creates a heat generating environment. At the same time, the nozzle 150 can be actuated during at least a partial time of the steam supply operation S7, and is preferably actuated during the time of the steam supply operation S7. Although the steam supply operation S7 is an operation of supplying the steam generated into the basket 30, in order to help the user to visually verify that a sufficient amount of steam is generated and is supplied into the basket 30, the actuation the heater 130, the nozzle 150 and the air blower 140 can be carried out simultaneously during at least a partial time of the steam supply operation S7. Preferably, the actuation of the heater 130, the nozzle 150 and the air blower 140 can be performed simultaneously during the time of the steam supply operation S7.
In the steam supply operation S6, in which the nozzle 150 is actuated to generate steam without actuation of the air blower 140, the generated steam is invisible under an environment in which the duct 100, basket 30 and drum 40 are kept in high temperatures. Therefore, when only the air blower 140 is actuated to supply the generated steam into the drum 40 after the steam supply operation S6, the steam supplied is invisible even if the user sees the inside of the drum 40 through the port. clear glass 21. Therefore, the user cannot check the steam supply, which causes poor reliability of the product.
On the other hand, according to the present invention, in the case where the air blower 140 is actuated during an additional generation of steam by means of the actuation of the nozzle 150 and the heater 130 in the steam supply operation S7, the interior of the duct 100 and drum 40 (including basket 30) are kept at a relatively low temperature, causing at least part of the generated steam to condense, which has the effect of providing visible steam. That is, the simultaneous actuation of nozzle 150, heater 130 and air blower 140 is useful to provide visible steam due to the creation of the relatively low temperature environment. Therefore, the user can visually check the steam supplied by the steam supply operation S7 through the glass door 21. Allowing the user to visually check the steam supply can provide the user with product reliability.
At the same time, if a washing machine suitable for the supply of steam due to the employment of a steam supply mechanism can be prepared in advance, the steam supply process P2; S5 to S7 can be performed more efficiently. Therefore, pretreatment operations for preparing a washing machine described above will be described hereinafter. In pre-treatment operations, the operations described above S5 to S7 as well as all other operations that will be described hereinafter, if they are described as performing or eliminating any functions, this basically means that the implementation or elimination of functions is maintained during a pre-set time of the corresponding operation or during a partial time of the corresponding operation. Likewise, the same logic is applied to a description in which elements associated with functions are activated or deactivated. Furthermore, if any functions and/or the actuation of any elements are not mentioned in the respective operations below, it may mean that the functions are not performed and the elements are not actuated, that is, they are turned off in the corresponding operation. As mentioned above, the logic described above can be applied in common to all the operations that are described in the present invention.
The pre-treatment operations that will be described hereinafter may include a voltage detection operation S1, a heater cleaning operation S2, a waste water discharge operation S3, a preliminary heating operation S4 and a quantity evaluation operation. of water supply S12. Operations S1, S2, S3, S4 and S12 can be performed in common before the P2 steam supply process, or some of the S1, S2, S3, S4 and S12 operations can be selectively performed before the P2 steam supply process . If at least two of the operations S1, S2, S3, S4 and S12 are carried out before the P2 steam supply process, the sequence of implementation of the at least two pre-treatment operations can be changed according to an actuation environment of a washing machine.
In the following description, for convenience, the voltage detection operation S1, the heater cleaning operation S2, and the waste water discharge operation S3 are defined as constituting a pre-treatment process P1, and the evaluation operation of the S12 water supply quantity is defined as a P6 verification process.
First, as a pre-treatment operation, duct 100 can be preliminarily heated before preparation operation S5 (S4). Preliminary heating operation S4 can be performed by various methods, but it can be performed by circulating high temperature air inside duct 100 and basket 30 connected to duct 100. Air circulation can be easily achieved using the elements within the duct 100 that constitute the steam delivery mechanism. For example, referring to FIGs. 17 and 18B, to circulate air at high temperature, the air blower 140 and heater 130 can be actuated. If heater 130 emits heat, heat is transferred along duct 100 by airflow generated by air blower 140. Through heat transfer and airflow, the air and elements within duct 100 can be heated. More specifically, through heat transfer and air flow, the duct 100 (including the steam delivery mechanism), the basket 30 and the drum 40, as well as the air within them, can be heated. That is, unlike priming operation S5 in which local heating of heater 130 is achieved using heater 130, preliminary heating operation S4 can achieve substantial heating of an entire washing machine including duct 100 and internal elements of the same, as are basket 30 and drum 40. Furthermore, unlike set-up operation S5 which adopts direct heating of heater 130, preliminary heating operation S4 can indirectly heat an entire washing machine using air circulation. As illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, the air blower 140 and the heater 130 can be continuously actuated during the time of the preheating operation S4. At the same time, as illustrated in FIG. 18A, the air blower 140 can be actuated for an additional time (eg 1 second in FIG. 18A) after the start of the preliminary heating operation S4. That is, the air blower 140 can be actuated for a predetermined time (eg 1 second) in the initial stage of the operation of evaluating the amount of water supply S12 which will be described hereinafter.
As described above, since the entire duct 100 is primarily heated by means of the preliminary heating operation S4, it is possible to substantially avoid that the steam provided by means of the steam supply process P2; S5 to S7 is condensed in duct 100 before reaching basket 30 and drum 40. In addition, since preliminary heating operation S4 attempts to heat the entire basket 30 and the entire drum 40, it is possible to avoid condensing the steam inside the basket 30 and the drum 40. Consequently, a sufficient amount of steam can be supplied without unnecessary losses, enabling the effective implementation of the desired functions. The preliminary heating operation S4 can be carried out, for example, for 50 seconds, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18A.
As described above, waste water from a washer, more particularly within the duct 100, the basket 30 and the drum 40, can prevent the effective implementation of the desired functions caused by the supply of steam. Residual water can also cause unexpected condensation of the steam supplied and can cause dry-cleaning garments to become damp again. For these reasons, the discharge of waste water from a washing machine can be carried out (S3). Unloading operation S3 can be performed at any time before preparation operation S5. Water present in a washing machine can be heat exchanged with high temperature air, which can deteriorate the efficiency of the S4 pre-heating operation. Therefore, the unloading operation S3 as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18A, can be performed before the preliminary heating operation S4. To perform the S3 flushing operation, the drain pump 90 can be actuated. Once the drain pump 90 is actuated, the water inside the basket 30 can be discharged out of a washing machine through the drain hole 33b and the drain pipe 91. Furthermore, to facilitate the discharge of water, the circulation of unheated air can be performed during the S3 flushing operation. To circulate unheated air, only air blower 140 can be actuated for a predetermined time (eg 3 seconds) without actuation of heater 130 during flushing operation S3 (see FIGs. 17 and 18A). In that case, the air fan 140 is preferably actuated in the final stage of the discharge operation S3. That is, the air blower 140 can start to be actuated during actuation of the drain pump 90 in the discharge operation S3, and the discharge operation S3 ends as the actuation of the drain pump 90 stops. During air circulation, unheated air, that is, air at room temperature acts to transport the water present in duct 100, basket 30 and drum 40 circulating through duct 100, basket 30 and drum 40, and finally to collect the water in the basket 30, more particularly at the bottom of the basket 30. If the reservoir 33 is provided at the bottom of the basket 30, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the waste water can be collected into the reservoir 33. It is impossible to discharge the waste water from the duct 100 by simply actuating the drain pump 90. However, through the use of air circulation, even water in the duct 100 can be transported and unloaded. Therefore, waste water can be discharged more effectively through air circulation. The unloading operation S3 can be carried out, for example, for 15 seconds as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18A.
During repeated operation of a washing machine, impurities such as cotton fibers, etc., can adhere to the surface of the heater 130. These impurities can prevent the heater 130 from operating. performed before the preparation operation S5 (S2). The S2 cleaning operation can be performed at any time before the S5 preparation operation. However, the cleaning operation S2 is designed to use a predetermined amount of water for efficient and quick cleaning of the heater 130, and can be performed before the flushing operation S2 to enable the flushing of water used for cleaning as illustrated in FIGs. . 17 and 18A. More specifically, to perform cleaning operation S2, nozzle 150 ejects a predetermined amount of water to heater 130. If excess water is ejected to heater 130, a large amount of water may remain in duct 100, which may have a negative effect on the following operations, as mentioned above. Therefore, the nozzle 150 may intermittently eject water to the heater 130. For example, the nozzle 150 may eject water for 0.3 seconds and then be turned off for 2.5 seconds. The ejection and shutdown of the nozzle 150 can be repeated, for example, four times. As a result of the removal of impurities from the heater 130 by means of the cleaning operation S2, a stable performance of the heater 130 in the following operations, more particularly in the steam supply process P2, can be achieved. In addition, in the S2 cleaning operation, the ejected water can serve to cool the entire heater 130. In this way, the entire surface of the heater 130 can have a uniform temperature, which ensures a more stable and effective performance of the heater 130 in operations following. At the same time, as described above, a large amount of steam is continuously supplied into the basket 30 in the steam supply process P2. Since the laundry detergent box 15 is connected to the basket 30, some of the steam may leak from a washing machine through the laundry detergent box 15. The discharged steam can burn the user and may deteriorate the reliability of a laundry washing machine. clothing. To prevent steam leakage, a predetermined amount of water is supplied into the washing powder box 15 in cleaning operation S2. More specifically, a valve connected to the washing powder box 15 is opened for a short time (eg 0.1 seconds) and therefore water can be supplied into the washing powder box 15. With the water supplied, the The inside of the laundry detergent box 15 and the inside of a pipe connecting the laundry detergent box 15 and the basket 30 to each other become wet. In this way, the steam leaked from the basket 30 is condensed by means of moisture present inside the pipe connection and inside the soap powder box 15, which prevents the leakage of steam from the soap powder box 15. A large amount of water is used to clean the heater 130 and prevent steam leakage as described above, and residual water can deteriorate the efficiency of the following operations. Consequently, even during the S2 cleaning operation, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18A, the drain pump 90 can be actuated to discharge the used water. Although the actuation of the drain pump 90 in the cleaning operation S2 can be performed for at least a partial time of the cleaning operation S2, preferably, the drain pump 90 is actuated during the time of the cleaning operation S2. The cleaning operation S2 can be performed, for example, 12 seconds as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18A.
To perform more efficient control, the voltage applied to the washing machine can be detected (S1). Control based on voltage detection will be described in more detail in the relevant part of the description.
As described above, operations S1 to S4 can create an ideal environment for the following operations S5 to S7, that is, for the steam supply process P2. That is, operations S1 to S4 work to prepare the P2 steam supply process. Therefore, as illustrated in FIGs. 16, 17, and 18A, operations S1 to S4 constitute a single functional process, that is, the pre-treatment process P1. The P1 pretreatment process creates an ideal environment for steam generation and steam delivery, and is substantially an auxiliary process of the P2 steam delivery process. If the P2 steam supply process is independently applied to supply steam to a basic wash cycle or other individual cycles except the garment wash restoration cycle as mentioned above, the P1 pretreatment process can be selectively applied to these cycles.
At the same time, the steam supplied in the P2 steam supply process can serve to restore garments to wash through crease stripping, static charge elimination and deodorization due to a desired high temperature and high humidity of the garment. However, to maximize the effects of the restoration function, certain post-treatments may additionally be required. In addition, since the steam supplied provides the laundry garment with moisture, for the user's convenience, an after-treatment to remove moisture from the restored laundry garment may be required.
As such a post-treatment, a first drying operation S9 can be carried out first after the steam supplying operation S7. As known, a fibrous tissue rearrangement process is required to remove creases. Rearrangement of fibrous tissue requires a provision of a certain amount of moisture and a slow removal of moisture in fibers for a sufficient time. That is, the slow removal of moisture can ensure the smooth restoration of deformed fibrous tissue to its original state. If the fibers are dried at an excessively high temperature, only moisture can be quickly removed from the fibers, which causes fibrous tissue to deform. For this reason, to slowly remove moisture, the first drying operation S9 can dry the laundry garment by heating the laundry garment to a relatively low temperature. That is, the first drying operation S9 can substantially correspond to a low drying temperature.
Although the first drying operation S9 can be carried out by various methods, it can be carried out by supplying slightly heated air, i.e. air with relatively low temperature, into the basket 30 for a predetermined time. The supplied heated air can finally be supplied to the garment for washing within the drum 40. The supply of heated air can be easily achieved using the elements within the duct 100 that make up the steam supply mechanism. For example, referring to FIGs. 17 and 18C, air blower 140 and heater 130 can be actuated to supply heated air. If the heater 130 emits heat, the surrounding air is heated by the heat, and the heated air can be transported along the duct 100 by means of the air flow provided by the air blower 140. The heated air can reach the garment for washing. by flowing air through basket 30 and drum 40. If heater 130 is actuated continuously, the temperature of the supply air increases continuously and therefore it is difficult to keep the air at a relatively low temperature. Consequently, to supply air that is heated to a relatively low temperature, heater 130 can be actuated intermittently. For example, heater 130 can be actuated for 30 seconds and turned off for 40 seconds, and actuation and shutdown can be repeated. Additionally, to supply air that is heated to a relatively low temperature, the temperature of the air or heater 130 can be directly controlled. For example, heater 130 can be actuated if the temperature of the air in duct 100 or the temperature of heater 130 drops to a first set temperature. In this case, the first temperature set can be 57°C. Furthermore, if the temperature of the air inside the duct 100 or the temperature of the heater 130 increases at a second set temperature, the heater 130 can be turned off. In this case, the second set temperature is higher than the first set temperature and, for example, it could be 58°C. On the other hand, as described above, the air temperature or heater temperature 130 can be kept at the first set temperature or the second set temperature (eg 57°C to 58°C) which is within a temperature range relatively low even through simple control of the heater 130 based on temperature. Thus, in addition to simple temperature-based control of heater 130, intermittent actuation of heater 130 may not be perforce performed. Furthermore, the inner temperature of the basket 30 exceeds an ambient temperature in the steam supply process P2, and the first drying operation S9 requires a relatively low temperature environment. Therefore, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18C, the actuation of heater 130 may start after air blower 140 is actuated for a predetermined time (eg 3 seconds). That is, only the air blower 140 is actuated for a predetermined time in the initial stage of the first drying operation S9 and subsequently the air blower 140 and heater 130 can be actuated simultaneously.
As the slightly heated air, i.e. relatively low temperature air, is supplied to the laundry by means of the first drying step S9 described above, fibrous fabrics of the laundry garment can be slowly dried and rearranged. Therefore, restoration of wrinkle-free washing garments can be achieved. The first drying operation S9 can be carried out, for example, for 9 minutes and 30 seconds as illustrated in FIG. 18C to slowly dry garments to wash for a sufficient time.
Since the steam supplied causes the garment to be washed wet, it is necessary to completely remove the moisture from the garment to be washed. Consequently, a second drying operation S10 is performed after the first drying operation S9. To remove moisture from the laundry garment within a short time, the second drying operation S10 can be performed to dry the laundry garment at a high temperature, i.e. at least one temperature higher than that in the first drying step S9. That is, the second drying operation S10 can correspond to a high temperature drying compared to the first drying operation S9.
Although the second drying operation S10 can be carried out by various methods, the second drying operation S10 can be carried out by supplying air having a considerably high temperature into the basket 30. At least the second drying operation S10 can supply air having a temperature higher than that in the first drying operation S9. For example, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18C, similar to the first heating operation S9, the air blower 140 and heater 130 can be actuated to supply heated air, i.e., high temperature air. Unlike the intermittent operation of the first drying operation S9, the heater 130 can be continuously actuated to continuously supply high temperature air. However, while heater 130 is continuously actuated, heater 13 may overheat. Therefore, to prevent heater 130 from overheating, the air temperature or the temperature of heater 130 can be directly controlled. For example, if the temperature of the air inside duct 100 or the temperature of heater 130 increases at a third set temperature higher (e.g. 95°C) than the second set temperature, heater 130 can be turned off. On the other hand, if the air temperature inside duct 100 or the temperature of heater 130 drops to a lower fourth set temperature (eg 90°C) than the third set temperature, heater 130 can again be actuated. The fourth set temperature is higher than the second set temperature and is lower than the third set temperature. As heated air, i.e. high temperature air, is supplied to the garment to be washed by means of the second drying operation S10 described above, the garment to be washed can be completely dried within a short time. The second drying operation S10 can be carried out, for example, for a time less than 1 minute than that in the first drying operation S9 as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18C. That is, the duration of the first drying operation S9 is longer than the duration of the second drying operation S10.
As described above, the first and second drying operations S9 and S10 are associated with each other to provide a drying function as an after-treatment. Therefore, as illustrated in FIGs. 16 and 17, these operations S9 and S10 constitute a single functional process, that is, a drying process P4.
After the P2 steam supply process is completed, a large amount of steam is present inside a washing machine. As the steam condenses, a thin membrane of water forms on the surfaces of duct 100, basket 30, drum 40 and their internal elements. Thereby, if the drying operations S9 and S10 are carried out after the steam supply process P2, i.e. the steam supply operation S7, the water membrane is easily evaporated and the resulting water droplets are supplied to the garment. to wash, which can result in a considerable deterioration of the drying efficiency. Furthermore, the water membrane can prevent the actuation of some elements, more particularly of the heater 130. For this reason, the actuation of a washing machine is paused for a predetermined time before the first drying operation S9 and after the operation of steam supply S7 (S8). That is, the pause operation S8 is performed between the steam supply operation S7 and the first drying operation S9. In other words, the pause operation S8 is performed between the steam supply process P2 and the drying process P4. As illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, the actuation of all elements of a washing machine, with the exception of the drum 40 and a motor for rotation of the drum 40, temporarily stops during the pause operation S8. Therefore, the water membrane formed in the elements condenses and the resulting condensed water is collected. Condensed water is not easily evaporated, unlike the water membrane, and moisture is not supplied to garments for washing during drying operations S9 and S10. Removal of the water membrane can ensure normal operation of the heater 130. For this reason, the S8 pause operation can prevent the reduction of drying efficiency. Pause operation S8 can be performed, for example, for 3 minutes (180 seconds) as illustrated in FIG. 18B. Pause operation S8 performs an independent function to remove membrane water from the elements, that is, to remove moisture and therefore can be referred to as a unique P3 moisture removal process similar to the other processes as defined above.
Laundry garments that have undergone drying operations S9 and S10 acquire a high temperature through the heated air. This can burn the wearer through the heated laundry garment, and the wearer cannot wear the dry-cleaning garment even though the removal of moisture from the laundry garment has been completed. For this reason, laundry garments can be cooled down after the second drying operation S10 (S11). More specifically, the S11 cooling operation can provide unheated air to garments for washing. For example, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18C, to provide unheated air, only the air fan 140 can be actuated to provide air flow at room temperature without actuation of heater 130 in cooling operation S11. Unheated air, i.e. air at room temperature, is conveyed through duct 100, basket 30 and drum 40 to, from there, finally be supplied to the garment for washing. Air supplied at room temperature can be used to cool garments to be washed by means of heat exchange between the air and garments to be washed. As a result, the user can directly put on the restored laundry garment, which increases the user's convenience. Furthermore, air supplied at ambient temperature can act to cool all elements of a washing machine, including duct 100, basket 30, and drum 40 to some extent. It can also substantially prevent the user from getting burned. Cooling operation S11 can be carried out, for example, for 8 minutes as illustrated in FIG. 18B. The S11 cooling operation performs an independent function and therefore can be referred to as a P5 single cooling process similar to the other processes as defined above. As needed, as illustrated in FIG. 17, a washing machine and laundry can be additionally subjected to natural cooling by means of air at room temperature for a predetermined time after the S11 cooling operation.
The restoration cycle illustrated in FIG. 16 can be completed by continuously performing operations S1 to S11. In consideration of functions, the P2 steam delivery process can efficiently generate a sufficient amount of high quality steam through optimal control of the steam delivery mechanism, thus performing the desired functions of the restoration cycle. As auxiliary processes of the P2 steam supply process, the P1 pretreatment process creates an ideal environment for steam generation and the P3 moisture removal process creates an ideal environment for drying. Drying and cooling processes P4 and P5 carry out post-treatments such as drying and cooling. With the proper association of these processes, the restoration cycle can effectively perform the desired functions such as crease removal, static charge elimination and deodorization.
At the same time, if nozzle 150 is abnormally actuated or fails, the amount of water supplied to heater 130 in steam generation operation S6 of steam supply process P2 may be less than a preset value, or the water supply may stop. Unlike other elements, abnormal performance or failure of nozzle 150 can cause heater 130 to readily overheat and damage the washing machine. As mentioned above, the abnormal performance or failure of the nozzle 150 can have a direct effect on the amount of water supplied into the duct 100, more specifically, the amount of water supplied into the heater 130 (hereinafter referred to as 'amount of supply of water') and therefore the abnormal performance or failure of the nozzle 150 can be evaluated by evaluating the amount of water supply. For that reason, as illustrated in FIGs. 16 to 18C, the restoration cycle may additionally include an operation of evaluating the amount of water supplied to the heater 130 (S12). The restoration cycle including the operation of evaluating the amount of water supply S12 will hereinafter be described with reference to FIGs. 16 to 20.
In the water supply quantity evaluation operation S12, the quantity of water ejected to the heater 130 through the nozzle 150 is evaluated. The S12 water supply quantity evaluation operation makes it possible to directly measure the quantity of water that is actually supplied. However, direct measurement can require expensive devices and can increase the cost of manufacturing a washing machine. Therefore, the operation of evaluating the amount of water supply S12 can be performed by evaluating only whether sufficient amount of water is supplied to the heater 130 or not. That is, the valuation operation S12 may adopt an indirect method of valuing the amount of water supply. As described above in relation to the steam supply process P2, if the water supplied from the nozzle 150 is transformed into steam, this naturally increases the temperature of the air inside the duct 100. More specifically, if a pre-set amount of water is supplied , a sufficient amount of steam is generated and the air temperature inside the duct 100 may increase to a certain level. On the other hand, if the amount of water supply is reduced or the water supply stops, a smaller amount of steam may be generated and the air temperature may drop. Considering this result, there is a direct correlation between the amount of water supply and a rate of increase in air temperature within duct 100. That is, a larger amount of water supply causes a greater rate of temperature increase, and a smaller amount of water supply causes a lower rate of temperature rise. Therefore, in the water supply quantity assessment operation S12 using the indirect assessment method, the quantity of water supplied to the heater 130 can be assessed based on a rate of temperature rise within the duct 100 for a predetermined time.
As described above, a rate of temperature rise caused by steam generation is evaluated by indirectly evaluating the water supply amount in the water supply amount evaluating operation S12. Therefore, evaluating the rate of temperature rise essentially requires steam generation. For this reason, the operation of evaluating the quantity of water supply S12 can basically include the generation of steam. As known, when water is turned into steam, the volume of water expands a lot. Therefore, the generated steam is naturally discharged from the space S occupied by the heater 130. For this reason, to precisely measure a rate of temperature rise, the water supply quantity evaluation operation S12 can measure and determine a rate of rise in temperature. temperature of the air at a position close to heater 130 for a predetermined time. In other words, the rate of increase in temperature of air discharged from space S5 occupied by heater 130 during the predetermined time can be measured and determined. That is, in the water supply quantity evaluation operation S12, the rate of increase of the air temperature is measured on the basis of the air that is present outside the space S occupied by the heater 130 and is mixed and heated by the steam downloaded. As the discharged air and steam directly enter the discharge portion 110a of the duct 110, the rate of increase in the temperature of the air in the discharge portion 110a of the duct 110 can be measured in the water supply quantity evaluation operation S12. That is, the discharge portion 110a substantially means a region behind the heater 130, and the rate of increase in the temperature of the air discharged back from the heater 130 can be measured in the operation of evaluating the amount of water supply S12. To control the drying of laundry garments, the discharge portion 110a can be equipped with a sensor that measures the temperature of the circulating hot air. In this case, the sensor can be used in both drying operations S9 and S10 (including a typical laundry drying operation for washing), as well as in the water supply quantity evaluation operation S12. Therefore, the operation of evaluating the amount of water supply S12 described above is very advantageous for reducing the manufacturing costs of a washing machine. In addition, the S12 water supply quantity evaluation operation can be performed at any time during the restoration cycle. In addition, since the steam generation operation S6 performs the steam generation required for measuring the rate of temperature rise, the water supply quantity evaluation operation S12 can be performed in the steam generation operation S6 during the P2 steam supply process. However, to quickly and accurately assess the abnormal performance of the nozzle 150, the water supply quantity assessment operation S12 can be performed immediately before the steam supply process P2, that is, immediately before the preparation operation S5 as illustrated in FIGs. 16, 17e18A.
The operation of evaluating the amount of water supply S12 will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 19 based on the basic concept described above.
As described above, the amount of water supply is evaluated using the rate of increase in air temperature due to steam generation. Therefore, in the operation of evaluating the quantity of water supply S12, firstly, steam is generated from the heater 130 inside the duct 100 for a predetermined time. During the generation of steam, the heater 130 within the duct 100 is heated as described above in connection with the steam supply process P2 (S12a). In addition, water is directly ejected to the heated heater 130 for a predetermined time (S12a). That is, the supply and heating operation S12a is similar to the preparation operation S5 and the steam generation operation S6 of the steam supply process P2 described above. To carry out the supply and heating operation S12a as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18A, heater 130 and nozzle 150 can be actuated. As described above in relation to the preparation operation S5 and the steam generation operation S6, it is preferable to supply water after the implementation of heating for a predetermined time, to achieve a proper steam generation. That is, it is preferred that the nozzle 150 is actuated after the heater 130 is actuated for a predetermined time. However, to quickly measure the rate of increase in air temperature in subsequent operations, accelerated steam generation can be achieved. Consequently, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18A, the actuation of heater 130 and nozzle 150 starts simultaneously in supply and heating operation S12a. The S12 evaluation operation is not intended to supply steam as in the P2 steam supply process, and may not require the actuation of the air blower 140. The S12a supply and heating operation can be continued for the duration of the S12 evaluation operation and, for example, it can be held for 10 seconds.
If supply and heating operation S12a is carried out, ie if steam generation starts, a first temperature can be measured (S12b). The first temperature corresponds to the temperature of the air discharged back from the heater 130. In other words, the first temperature corresponds to the temperature of the air that is present outside the heater 130 and is mixed and heated by the steam discharged from the heater 130. As described above, the first temperature may correspond to the temperature of the air in the discharge portion 110a of the duct 100. Steam is generated as soon as the supply and heating operation S12a starts and is naturally discharged from the heater 130. Therefore, the measurement operation S12b can be carried out at any time after the start of the supply and heating operation S12a. However, to achieve reliability in measuring the rate of temperature rise, the measurement operation S12b is preferably carried out immediately after the implementation of the supply and heating operation S12a, that is, immediately after the generation of steam. At the same time, the amount of steam generation is not large in the initial stage of the supply and heating operation S12a and a smooth discharge of steam from the space S occupied by the heater 130 may not be achieved. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 18A, the air blower 140 can be actuated for at least a partial time of the supply and heating operation S12a corresponding to the steam generation operation. In that case, the air fan 140 is preferably actuated in the initial stage of the supply and heating operation S12a. For example, the air fan 140 can be actuated for a short time (eg 1 second) in the initial stage of supply and heating operation S12a. Steam can be smoothly discharged from the heater 130 at the initial stage of the supply and heating operation S12a by means of the air flow provided by the air blower 140. Thereby, the heater 130, the air blower 140 and the nozzle 150 are actuated simultaneously for a predetermined time in the initial stage of the supply and heating operation S12a and subsequently actuation of the air blower 140 stops and only the heater 130 and the nozzle 150 are actuated.
After the measurement operation S12b is completed, a second temperature, which is the temperature of the air discharged back from the heater 130 after a predetermined time has elapsed, is measured (S12c). That is, after the first temperature has been measured and the predetermined time has elapsed, the second temperature is measured. Air, which is a measurement object in measurement operation S12c, is equal to air as described above in relation to measurement operation S9b.
After the S12c measurement operation is completed, the rate of temperature rise can be calculated from the first and second measured temperature (S12d). In general, the rate of temperature rise can be acquired by subtracting the first temperature from the second temperature. The rate of temperature increase of the air discharged from the heater 130 during the predetermined time can be determined by means of the operations described above S12baS12d.
Subsequently, the calculated temperature rise rate can be compared to a predetermined reference value (S12e). If the calculated temperature rise rate is less than a predetermined reference value in the S12e comparison operation, it means that the temperature rise is not enough. The result also means that the amount of water supply is less than a predetermined value and therefore means that a sufficient amount of water is not supplied or the water supply stops and therefore a sufficient amount of steam is not generated. . Consequently, it can be appreciated that an insufficient amount of water less than a predetermined value is provided if the calculated temperature rise rate is less than a predetermined reference value (S12f). On the other hand, if the calculated temperature rise rate is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value in the S12e comparison operation, it means that the temperature rise is sufficient. The result also means that the amount of water supply exceeds a predetermined value and therefore a sufficient amount of water is not supplied and a sufficient amount of steam is generated. Consequently, it can be assessed that a sufficient amount of water that is at least greater than a predetermined value is provided if the calculated rate of temperature rise is equal to or greater than the reference value (S12g). In the comparison and evaluation operations S12f and S12g, the predetermined reference value can be acquired experimentally or analytically and can be, for example, 5°C.
If it is evaluated in evaluation operation S12g that a sufficient amount of water greater than a predetermined value is supplied, the normal performance of the nozzle 150 without failure can be evaluated.
At the same time, if it is judged in the evaluation operation S12e that a sufficient amount of water greater than a predetermined value is supplied, a first algorithm for generating and supplying steam into basket 30 can be carried out. Additionally, if it is judged in the evaluation operation S12e that a sufficient amount of water less than the predetermined value is supplied, a second algorithm having no steam generation can be performed.
The first algorithm includes a steam algorithm for supplying steam into basket 30, and a drying algorithm for supplying hot air into basket 30. In that case, the steam algorithm includes the process of supplying steam P2 described above, and the drying algorithm includes at least one of the first and second drying operations described above, and preferably includes both the first and second drying operations. The second algorithm includes at least one of the third and fourth drying operations which will be described below, and preferably includes both the third and fourth drying operations.
If it is judged in the evaluation operation S12e of the water supply amount evaluating operation S12 that a sufficient amount of water greater than the predetermined value is supplied, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the preparation operation S5 can be carried out in succession. That is, the P2 steam supply process can be carried out. Then, a set of operations S5 to S7, that is, the steam supply process P2, can be repeated at pre-established times.
After the water supply quantity assessment operation S12 is completed using steam, a large amount of steam is present within the duct 100. The steam can be condensed on the surface of the elements within the duct 100, thus preventing actuation. of these elements. In particular, the condensed water can prevent the heater 130 from actuating during the steam supply process P2. For this reason, the operation of a washing machine is paused for a predetermined time after the operation of evaluating the amount of water supply S12 and before the implementation of the first algorithm or the second algorithm (S13). That is, the pause operation S13 is performed between the water supply quantity evaluation operation S12 and the preparation operation S5 of the first algorithm. As illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, the actuations of all elements of a washing machine, except for the drum 40 and the motor for the rotation of the drum 40, temporarily stop during the pause operation S13. Therefore, the water condensed on the elements within the duct 100, including the heater 130, can be evaporated or naturally fall from these elements by means of the weight of the same. For that reason, elements within duct 100, including heater 130, can be actuated normally in the following operations. As illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18B, the air blower 140 can be actuated during pause operation S13. The air flow provided by the air blower 140 can facilitate the removal of condensed water. In addition, the air flow serves to cool the surface of heater 130, thus allowing the entire heater 130 to have a uniform surface temperature. Therefore, the heater 130 can more stably achieve the desired performance in the preparation operation S5 of the next first algorithm. At the same time, the air blower 140, as illustrated in FIG. 18B, can be actuated for a predetermined time (eg 1 second) after the start of the pause operation S13. That is, the air blower 140 can be actuated for a predetermined time (eg 1 second) in the initial stage of the preparation operation S5. Pause operation S13 can be performed, for example, for 5 seconds.
As described above, in the evaluation operation S12, it is possible to check whether the nozzle 150 is normal or not by evaluating the amount of water supply. The pause operation S13 is an after-treatment and minimizes the effect of the evaluation operation S12 with respect to the following operations. Therefore, the evaluation and pause operations S12 and S13 are functionally associated with each other, and constitute a single process, i.e. a verification process P6 as illustrated in FIGs. 16,17, 18A and 18B.
If it is evaluated in the evaluation operation S12e that an insufficient amount of water less than a predetermined value is supplied (S12f), the abnormal performance or failure of the nozzle 150 can be evaluated. Abnormal performance of the nozzle 150 can be caused by various reasons and, for example, includes the case where the water pressure supplied to the nozzle 150 is abnormally low. Abnormal actuation or failure of nozzle 150, as mentioned above, can cause heater 130 to overheat and damage a washing machine. Consequently, if it is judged that a sufficient amount of water is not supplied as in the S12f evaluation operation, a washing machine operation may stop for safety reasons. Nevertheless, the reset cycle can perform the desired functions even in an abnormal state. In particular, if the nozzle 150 can function to supply water although the amount of water supply is small, the reset cycle can be modified to perform the desired functions. To that end, FIG. 20 illustrates alternative operations.
As illustrated in FIG. 20, if it is judged that an insufficient amount of water less than a predetermined value is supplied (S12f), the steam supply process P2 can no longer be carried out or repeated. That is, the generation and supply of additional steam stops. Instead, the second algorithm is performed. The second algorithm is an algorithm that has no steam generation and includes a third S14 drying operation. Since crease removal can be the most important function in the restoration cycle, the third drying operation S14 can remove creases. As described above, the slow removal of moisture can ensure a smooth restoration of deformed fibrous tissue to its original state. If fiber is dried at an excessively high temperature, only moisture can be quickly removed from the fibers without removing creases. For this reason, to slowly remove moisture from the laundry garment, the third drying operation S14 can dry the laundry garment by heating the laundry garment to a relatively low temperature. That is, the third drying operation S14 can correspond to a low drying temperature similar to the first drying operation S9.
The third drying operation S14 can be carried out by supplying slightly heated air, i.e. air with relatively low temperature, into the basket 30 for a predetermined time. To supply the heated air, the air blower 140 and heater 130 can be actuated. In addition, to supply slightly heated air, ie air with relatively low temperature, heater 130 can be actuated intermittently (S14a). For example, heater 130 can be actuated for 40 seconds and turned off for 30 seconds and actuation and shutdown can be repeated. Additionally, since the third drying operation S10 is carried out in a state where high temperature steam is not supplied, the temperature of the garment to be washed and the surrounding air temperature in the third drying operation S10 are lower than those in the first drying operation S9. Consequently, despite the intermittent actuation of the same heater 130, the heater actuation time (40 seconds) in drying operation S14 is set to be greater than the heater actuation time (30 seconds) in the first drying operation S9.
Similarly, stopping the P2 steam supply process may not provide a sufficient amount of moisture to the garment for washing in the third drying step S14. However, as described above, even in the first drying operation S9, it is advantageous to provide a predetermined amount of moisture and remove the moisture provided for effective crease removal. For this reason, moisture can be supplied to garments for washing in the third drying operation S14 (S14b). Providing moisture to laundry garments can be achieved in a number of ways. For example, steam water or liquid water can be supplied to garments for washing. However, as mentioned above, it is difficult to supply steam as water in the vapor phase in the third drying operation S14. On the other hand, water droplets, which consist of small particles of liquid water, are effective enough to provide moisture for washing garments. Therefore, water droplets can be supplied to the garment for washing in the S14b moisture supply operation. That is, the water droplets can be supplied into the basket 30 so as to be supplied at least to the laundry. The delivery of water droplets can be achieved in a number of ways. For example, if the nozzle 150 can still be actuated even though it is in an abnormal state, that is, if the nozzle 150 can still deliver a small amount of water, the nozzle 150 may eject droplets of water. Air flow can occur continuously in order to supply heated air to the garment for washing during the third drying operation S14. That is, the air blower 140 can be continuously actuated during the third drying operation S14. Consequently, the water droplets ejected from the nozzle 150 can be transported by means of the air flow provided by the air blower 140 and can reach the laundry through the duct 100, the basket 30, and the drum 40. most of the ejected water droplets can be turned into steam by passing through the heater 130, which ensures the effective implementation of the desired functions of the restoration cycle. As a warning in case the nozzle 150 fails completely, a washing machine can be equipped with a separate device to supply moisture directly to the washing garment, more particularly to eject water droplets. The separate device can be actuated together or independently of the nozzle 150. The water droplets supplied by means of the separate device can be at least partially transformed into steam by means of a high temperature environment within the basket 30. In addition, the nozzle 150 and the separate device can deliver liquid water directly instead of water droplets to provide moisture to garments for washing.
Moisture supply operation S14b can be started at any time during the third drying operation S14. However, supplying moisture under a high temperature environment is basically advantageous for the following operation of removing the supplied moisture. Furthermore, it is preferred that water droplets are ejected at the highest possible temperature in order to partially transform the supplied water droplets into steam. Consequently, the operation of supplying moisture S14b can be performed while heating the air to be supplied to the garment for washing. That is, in the S14b moisture supply operation, moisture can be supplied during the actuation of heater 130 when heater 130 is actuated intermittently. That is, through the intermittent actuation of heater 130, the third drying operation S14 includes an actuation duration for actuation of heater 130 and a switch-off duration for switching off heater 130. In this case, the moisture supply operation S14b it can be performed during the operating time of the heater 130. In addition, to achieve more reliable effects, the S14b moisture supply operation can be performed only while the air supplied to the laundry is heated. That is, in moisture supply operation S14b, moisture can be supplied only for the actuation of heater 130 as heater 130 is actuated intermittently. More specifically, the moisture supply operation S14b is preferably carried out for 40 seconds, during which time the heater 130 is actuated. More preferably, the moisture supply operation S14b is carried out during a partial time of the final stage (e.g., the last 10 seconds) of the duration of operation of the heater 130, during which the highest ambient temperature can be generated. If excess moisture is provided, this causes the laundry garment to be moistened rather than removing creases from the laundry garment. Consequently, the moisture supply operation S14b is carried out only for a partial time of the third drying operation S14. For the same reason, preferably, the moisture supply operation S14b is carried out only during the first half of the third drying operation S14. The third drying operation S14 is carried out in a state where high temperature steam is not supplied and can be carried out, for example, for 20 minutes to achieve sufficient time for crease removal. The duration of the third drying operation S14 is set to be greater than that of the similar first drying operation S9. Moisture supply operation S14b can be carried out during the first half of the third drying operation S14 of 20 minutes, that is, for 11 minutes after the start of the third drying operation S14.
It is necessary to remove moisture from laundry garments as laundry garments are moistened using the moisture provided. Consequently, the second algorithm includes a fourth drying operation S15 which is performed after the third drying operation S14. The fourth drying operation S15 may be substantially the same as the second drying operation S10 described above in terms of detailed functions and operations. Consequently, all aspects discussed in relation to the second drying operation S10 can be directly applied to the fourth drying operation S15 and therefore a further description of the same will be omitted.
The third and fourth drying operations S14 and S15 described above are associated with each other to perform the restoration function when steam supply is impossible and to provide the drying function. Consequently, as illustrated in FIG. 20, operations S14 and S15 can constitute a single functional process, i.e. a drying and restoring process P7.
Since the laundry garment which has passed through the drying operations described above has a high temperature due to the heated air, the laundry garment can be cooled down after the fourth drying step S15 (S16). The S16 cooling operation can be substantially the same as the S11 cooling operation described above in terms of its detailed functions and operations. Consequently, all aspects discussed in relation to the S11 cooling operation can be directly applied to the S16 cooling operation. Therefore, an additional description of it will be omitted from now on. Cooling operation S16 also performs an independent function and can be referred to as a single cooling process P8 similar to the previously defined process. As needed, as illustrated in FIG. 17, the natural cooling of laundry clothes and a washing machine can additionally be carried out by air at room temperature after cooling operation S16.
The restoration cycle as illustrated in FIG. 20 includes operations S14 to S16 modified to perform the desired functions even when supplying sufficient steam or supplying steam alone is impossible. In the modified restoration cycle, instead of steam, water droplets can be supplied to the garment for washing to provide the required moisture. Also, in the modified restoration cycle, steam can be partially supplied. Furthermore, the elimination of static charge as well as crease removal can be achieved through the proper actuation of related elements. Consequently, even when the steam supply stops, the modified restoration cycle can realize an optimized control of the elements of a washing machine, thus realizing the desired restoration functions.
The laundry can be dropped in at least any of the operations described above S1 to S13. For the tipping of laundry garments, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18A to 18C, the drum 40 is rotatable. For example, the drum 40 can be continuously rotated in a given direction and the garment to be washed is raised to a predetermined height by means of elevators provided on the drum 40 and subsequently falls down and this movement of the garment to be washed is repeated. That is, the laundry is overturned. Since the drum 40 and the laundry garment inside the drum 40 have a large weight, they are greatly affected by inertia. Therefore, the rotation of drum 40 does not require a continuous power supply by the motor. Even if the motor is turned off the rotation of the drum 40 and laundry can be continued for a predetermined time by inertia. Consequently, the motor can be actuated intermittently during rotation of the drum 40. For example, as illustrated in FIGs. 17 and 18A to 18C, the engine can be started for 16 seconds and then turned off for 4 seconds to reduce power consumption. The rotation of the drum 40 can ensure the effective tipping of the garment for washing and the effective implementation of the desired functions in the respective operations S1 to S13. Thereby, the tipping of the laundry for washing, i.e. the rotation of the drum 40, can be carried out continuously during all the operations S1 to S13. In addition, wash garment tipping can be directly applied even to operations S14 to S16 during the modified restoration cycle described above. Furthermore, as long as effective tipping of the garment for washing is possible, other movements of the drum 40 can be applied. For example, instead of the tipping described above, drum 40 can be rotated in a given direction for a predetermined time and then rotated in an opposite direction, and this set rotation can be repeated continuously. Additionally, other moves can be applied as needed.
At the same time, the steam supply process P2: S3 to S5 as discussed above can be directly applied to a basic wash cycle or other individual cycles, except for the restoration cycle due to independent steam generation and supply functions. same. FIG. 23 illustrates a basic wash cycle to which the steam delivery process is applied. The functions of the steam supply process in the basic wash cycle will hereinafter be described by way of example with reference to FIG. 23.
In general, the wash cycle may include an S100 wash water supply operation, an S200 wash operation, an S300 rinse operation, and an S400 dewatering operation. If a washing machine has a drying structure as illustrated in FIG. 2, the wash cycle may additionally include an S500 drying operation after the S400 dehydrating operation.
If the steam supply process is carried out before the S100 wash water supply operation and/or during the S100 wash water supply operation (P2a and P2b), the garment to be washed may be pre-wetted by the steam supplied and the wash water provided may be heated. If the steam supply process is carried out before the S200 washing operation and/or during the S200 washing operation (P2c and P2d), the steam supplied will serve to heat the air and washing water inside the basket 30 and the drum 40, thus creating an advantageous high temperature environment for washing. If the steam supply process is carried out before the S300 rinse operation and/or during the S300 rinse operation (P2e and P2f), the steam supplied will similarly serve to heat the air and eliminate water in order to facilitate rinsing. If the steam supply process is carried out before the S400 dewatering operation and/or during the S400 dewatering operation (P2g and P2h), the steam supplied will mainly serve to sterilize the garment for washing. If the steam supply process is carried out before the S500 drying operation and/or during the S500 drying operation (P2i and P2j), the steam supplied will serve to greatly increase the temperature inside the basket 30 and drum 40, causing , thus, an easy evaporation of moisture from the garment for washing. As needed, to finally sterilize the garment for washing, the P2k steam supply process can be carried out after the S500 drying operation. The steam supply process P2a to P2j described above basically works to sterilize garments for washing using steam. In addition to aiding the steam supply process, preparation process P1 can also be carried out.
As described above, the P2 steam supply process according to the present invention can create an advantageous atmosphere for washing by supplying a sufficient amount of steam, which can result in a considerable improvement of the washing performance. Additionally, the P2 steam supply process can sterilize garments for washing and, for example, can eliminate allergens.
In consideration of the steam supply mechanism described above, the restoration cycle and the basic wash cycle, a washing machine in accordance with the present invention uses a high temperature air supply mechanism, i.e. a drying mechanism. for steam generation and steam supply with only minor modifications. The control method of the present invention, in particular the P2 steam supply process, provides optimized control of the drying mechanism, i.e. a modified steam supply mechanism. Consequently, the present invention achieves minimal modification and optimized control for efficient generation and delivery of a sufficient amount of high quality steam. For that reason, the present invention effectively provides garment washing with improved restorative and sterilization effects, washing performance and various other functions with minimized increase in manufacturing costs.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

权利要求:
Claims (13)
[0001]
1. Method of controlling a washing machine, the washing machine comprising a heater (130), a nozzle (150) and an air blower (140) which are disposed within a duct (100), the method comprising: a heating preparation operation (S5) of the heater (130); a steam generating operation (S6) which generates steam by directly supplying water to the heater (130) using the nozzle (150); and a steam supply operation (S7) which generates air flow within the duct (100) by rotating the air blower (140) and for supplying the generated steam to the garment for washing, characterized in that the operation of supply of steam (S7) at least includes a time during which the simultaneous actuation of the heater (130), the nozzle (150) and the air blower (140) and the steam generation operation (S6) and the steam supply operation (S7) includes ejecting water from the nozzle (150) directly to the heater (130) from the nozzle (150) installed in an air blower housing (113) surrounding the air blower (140 ) installed close to an air blower discharge portion (140) through which air which has passed through the air blower (140) is discharged, wherein the heater (130) is located on a longitudinal side of the duct (100) , and the air blower (140) is located on the other longitudinal side of the duct (100).
[0002]
2. Control method according to claim 1, characterized in that the preparation operation (S5), the steam generation operation (S6), and the steam supply operation (S7) are carried out in sequence , and/or in which the steam supply operation (S7) is carried out after the steam generation operation (S6) is completely carried out, and/or in which the actuation time of the nozzle (150) in the generation operation of steam (S6) is greater than the nozzle actuation time (150) in the steam supply operation (S7).
[0003]
3. Control method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the actuation time of the nozzle (150) in the steam supply operation (S7) is from half to a quarter of the time of actuation of the nozzle (150) in the steam generation operation (S6).
[0004]
4. Control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the heater (130), the nozzle (150) and the air fan (140) are simultaneously actuated during the time of the operation of steam supply (S7), and/or, wherein the heater (130), the nozzle (150) and the air blower (140) are simultaneously actuated in the final stage of the implementation duration of the steam supply operation.
[0005]
5. Control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the steam generation operation (S6) includes stopping the actuation of the air fan (140).
[0006]
6. Control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the heater (130) is actuated for at least a partial time of the implementation time of the steam generation operation (S6).
[0007]
7. Control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the actuation of the nozzle (150) and/or the air fan (140) stops in the preparation operation.
[0008]
8. Control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it additionally comprises the preliminary rotation of the air fan (140) before the steam supply operation (S7) and/or in a final stage of the preparation operation (S5).
[0009]
9. Control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the preparation operation (S5) includes: performing first heating (S5a) to heat only the heater (130) without actuating the nozzle ( 150) and the air blower (140); and perform second heating (S5b) to heat the heater (130) while operating the air fan (140) installed in the duct (100).
[0010]
10. Control method according to claim 9, characterized in that the actuation of the nozzle (150) stops in the second heating (S5b).
[0011]
11. Control method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a steam supply process (P2) consisting of the preparation operation (S5), steam generation operation (S6) and Steam supply operation (S7) is repeated many times.
[0012]
12. Control method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it additionally comprises high temperature air circulation along the duct (100), and/or cleaning of the heater (130) within the duct (100) through the actuation of the nozzle (150).
[0013]
13. Control method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the steam generation operation (S6) and the steam supply operation (S7) include water ejection in approximately the same direction the direction of the air flow inside the duct (100).

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公开号 | 公开日

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US20130298337A1|2013-11-14|

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US9334601B2|2016-05-10|

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US20130198971A1|2013-08-08|

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CN103243516A|2013-08-14|

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BR102013002643A2|2015-07-28|

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US9085843B2|2015-07-21|

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US20130199250A1|2013-08-08|

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EP2623665A1|2013-08-07|

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RU2536030C2|2014-12-20|

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BR102013002643B1|2021-04-06|

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EP2623662A1|2013-08-07|

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US20130198970A1|2013-08-08|

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CN103243516B|2015-12-09|

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EP2623665B1|2015-06-17|

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US9328449B2|2016-05-03|

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CN103243523B|2017-08-08|

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AU2013200562B2|2014-09-11|

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CN103334254A|2013-10-02|

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US9644306B2|2017-05-09|

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RU2013104451A|2014-08-10|

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EP2623664A1|2013-08-07|

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CN103243517B|2016-06-08|

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ES2544310T3|2015-08-28|

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RU2537276C2|2014-12-27|

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CN103243518B|2016-08-10|

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JP5695103B2|2015-04-01|

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EP2623662B1|2018-04-04|

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CN103243517A|2013-08-14|

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US20130198972A1|2013-08-08|

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EP2623664B1|2019-10-02|

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CN103243523A|2013-08-14|

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JP2013158650A|2013-08-19|

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AU2013200562A1|2013-08-22|

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EP2636785B1|2019-07-03|

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EP2636785A1|2013-09-11|

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EP2623663B1|2018-04-04|

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EP2623663A1|2013-08-07|

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US9328448B2|2016-05-03|

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RU2013104452A|2014-08-10|

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CN103243518A|2013-08-14|

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BR102013002653A2|2015-08-04|

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法律状态:
2015-08-04| B03A| Publication of a patent application or of a certificate of addition of invention [chapter 3.1 patent gazette]|

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2018-03-27| B06F| Objections, documents and/or translations needed after an examination request according [chapter 6.6 patent gazette]|

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2019-08-20| B06U| Preliminary requirement: requests with searches performed by other patent offices: procedure suspended [chapter 6.21 patent gazette]|

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2021-02-02| B06A| Notification to applicant to reply to the report for non-patentability or inadequacy of the application [chapter 6.1 patent gazette]|

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2021-03-23| B09A| Decision: intention to grant [chapter 9.1 patent gazette]|

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2021-06-08| B16A| Patent or certificate of addition of invention granted|Free format text: PRAZO DE VALIDADE: 20 (VINTE) ANOS CONTADOS A PARTIR DE 04/02/2013, OBSERVADAS AS CONDICOES LEGAIS. |

优先权:

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申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题

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KR10-2012-0011746|2012-02-06|

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KR10-2012-0011743|2012-02-06|

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KR1020120011745A|KR101498085B1|2012-02-06|2012-02-06|Method for controlling washing machine|

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KR10-2012-0045237|2012-04-30|

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KR1020120045237A|KR101513046B1|2012-04-30|2012-04-30|Method for controlling washing machine|

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KR1020120058037A|KR101443647B1|2012-05-31|2012-05-31|Method for controlling washing machine|

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