EP-4737630-A1 - CLOTHES TREATMENT APPARATUS AND CLOTHES TREATMENT APPARATUS CONTROL METHOD

EP4737630A1EP 4737630 A1EP4737630 A1EP 4737630A1EP-4737630-A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a clothes treatment apparatus comprising a control panel, which includes: a power source supply unit for receiving a power source supply command of supplying power; a display part unit for displaying weight information about clothes; a course selection unit for receiving a command of selecting any one of optional courses; an option selection unit for receiving a command of selecting any one of a plurality of options by which the execution time of a course is changed; and an execution unit for receiving an execution command of executing the course and the option selected through the course selection unit and the option selection unit, wherein a driving unit rotates, when the power source supply unit is turned on, a drum in a state in which a locking unit unlocks a door, the display part unit displays the weight information after the drum starts to rotate, the execution unit receives an execution command in a state in which the display part unit displays the weight information after the drum starts to rotate, and the option selection unit displays the plurality of options of increasing or decreasing the execution time during which the selected course is performed, so as to display, as a list of execution times during which the selected course is performed, the plurality of options of adjusting the intensity of the selected course.

Inventors

BAE, SUNCHEOL

Assignees

LG Electronics Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20240624

Claims (14)

A laundry treating apparatus comprising: a cabinet having an opening at a front side; a door coupled to the cabinet to open and close the opening; a locker arranged to lock the door to the cabinet; a drum arranged inside the cabinet to accommodate laundry; a driver connected to the drum inside the cabinet to rotate the drum; and a control panel comprising: a power part configured to receive an input of a power command to supply power; a display part configured to display weight information about the laundry a course selection part configured to receive an input of an command to select one of a plurality of courses; an option selection part configured to receive an input of an command to select one of a plurality of options for changing execution times of the course; and an execution part configured to receive an input of an execution command to execute the course selected by the course selection part and the option selected by the option selection part, wherein: based on that the power part receives the input of the power command, the driver rotates the drum while the locker maintains the door in an unlocked state; the display part is configured to is configured to display the weight information after the drum starts to rotate; the execution part is configured to receive the input of the execution command while the display part displays the weight information after the drum starts to rotate; and the option selection part is configured to display the plurality of options as indications of increase or decrease of the execution times of the selected course.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the option selection part comprises: a display area configured to display a plurality of execution times for execution of the selected course; and an input area configured to receive an input of an command to select one of the plurality of execution times displayed in the display area.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein the option selection part is configured as a touch panel, the touch panel including both the display area and the input area.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein the option selection part comprises: display area configured to display one of the execution times taken to execute the selected course; and an input area configured to receive an input of an command to change the execution time.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein the display area of the option selection part comprises a screen exposed to an outside, wherein the input area comprises a plurality of buttons disposed to be pressable on at least a portion of an outer periphery of the screen.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein a list of the execution times displayed on the option selection part varies according to a weight of the laundry.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein a list of the execution times displayed on the option selection part is displayed longer when a weight of the laundry is heavy than when the weight of the laundry is light.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein an interval between the execution times displayed on the option selection part is displayed longer when the weight of the laundry is heavy than when the weight of the laundry is light.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number of the execution times displayed on the option selection part is set smaller when the weight of the laundry is heavy than when the weight of the laundry is light.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: wherein the driver rotates the drum when the power part receives the input of the power command, wherein the option selection part displays the execution times after the drum starts to rotate.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 10, wherein the driver rotates the drum less than one full revolution when the power part receives the input of the power command, wherein the option selection part is configured to display a list of the execution times after the drum starts to rotate.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a door provided to the cabinet; and a locker arranged to fix the door to the cabinet, wherein the option selection part is configured to display the execution times while the locker maintains the door in the unlocked state.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 12, wherein, based on that the power part receives the input of the power command, the driver is configured to rotate the drum while the locker maintains the door in the unlocked state, wherein the option selection part is configured to display a list of the execution times after the drum starts to rotate.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 12, wherein the locker is configured to lock the door after the execution part receives the input of the execution command.

Description

[Technical Field] The present disclosure relates to a laundry treating apparatus and a method of controlling the same. More specifically, it relates to a laundry treating apparatus capable of supplying steam and hot air to laundry to perform a refresh cycle including sterilization, wrinkle removal, deodorization, and drying, and a control method thereof. [Background Art] Generally, a laundry treating apparatus refers to a apparatus capable of performing one or more of washing, drying, or managing laundry. Here, the laundry treating apparatus may perform only the washing, drying, or management function, or may perform all the washing, drying, and management functions. Such a laundry treating apparatus includes any course for washing, drying, or managing laundry, and the execution time of the course is calculated based on the weight of the laundry. For example, when the weight of the laundry is large, the execution time is set relatively long. When the weight of the laundry is small, the execution time is set relatively short. FIG. 1 illustrates a method of performing a course by a conventional laundry treating apparatus (see, for example, Korean Patent Application Publication Nos. 10-2009-0077097 and 10-2008-0102611). FIG. 1-(a) illustrates a control method in which a conventional laundry treating apparatus performs a course. Referring to FIG. 1-(a), the conventional laundry treating apparatus may include a power supply step S1 of supplying power to the laundry treating apparatus by turning on the power button, a selection step S2 of selecting an appropriate course or option on the control panel of the laundry treating apparatus, and a start step S3 of pressing an execution button to execute the course in which multiple options are set. When the start step S3 is performed, a door locking step S4 may be performed to lock the door to the cabinet. The conventional laundry treating apparatus performs a weight detection step S5 of detecting the weight based on the applied electrical current while rotating the drum that accommodates the laundry. Once the weight of the laundry is calculated, the controller of the conventional laundry treating apparatus performs a time display step S6 of displaying the expected execution time of the selected course to the user, and an execution step (S7) of automatically executing the course. As a result, the weight detection step S5 and the time display step S6 of the conventional laundry treating apparatus are performed after the user has input the start step S3 of executing the course. Therefore, the user is forced to input the execution of the course without receiving information about the weight of the laundry or the expected execution time. Consequently, the user cannot actively control the execution time of the course or option, and the time display step S6 can only provide simple information to the user as a service. Further, when the execution time displayed in the time display step S6 is not suitable for the user's current intention or situation, the user is not given the opportunity to actively take action by adding or removing laundry. Also, in conventional laundry treating apparatuses, when the execution time of the selected course or option does not meet the intention, the user cannot cancel or change the course unless they actively take measures, such as turning off the power of the washing machine. This inconvenience becomes more pronounced when remotely controlling the conventional laundry treating apparatus. FIG. 1-(b) illustrates the rotation state of the drum when the conventional laundry treating apparatus senses weight. Referring to FIG. 1-(b), the conventional laundry treating apparatus rotates the drum D in direction I for at least one full revolution to detect the weight of the laundry L. Specifically, while rotating the drum D in direction I, the conventional laundry treating apparatus measures the current applied to or output from the driver that rotates the drum, thereby calculating the weight of the laundry L. When the conventional laundry treating apparatus rotates the drum D to detect the weight, the laundry L on the bottom surface of the drum rises inside the drum D and falls in direction II due to gravity, colliding with the inner wall of the drum and affecting the current of the driver. Therefore, in order to accurately detect the weight of the laundry L despite variations in the driver current, the conventional laundry treating apparatus must rotate the drum D continuously in direction I for at least one full revolution and align the applied or output current values, which is a limitation. As a result, the time required for the conventional laundry treating apparatus to detect the weight of the laundry may inevitably exceed the time needed to rotate the drum continuously. In addition, in conventional laundry treating apparatuses, because the time required for the weight detection step S5 is set relatively long, the time display step S6 of displayin