EP-4737636-A1 - CLOTHING TREATMENT DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING CLOTHING TREATMENT DEVICE

EP4737636A1EP 4737636 A1EP4737636 A1EP 4737636A1EP-4737636-A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a clothing treatment device comprising a control panel, which includes a display part unit for displaying the running time of a washing course and a drying course, wherein the display part unit first displays the running time of the washing course after a drum is rotated, and the display parted running time of the washing course is changed to the running time of the drying course when a selection command for selecting the drying course is input into a selection unit.

Inventors

BAE, SUNCHEOL
CHO, Younghan

Assignees

LG Electronics Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20240624

Claims (15)

A laundry treatment device comprising: a cabinet having a front opening; a door coupled to the cabinet to open and close the opening; a sensor configured to sense whether the door has closed the opening; a locker configured to lock the door to the cabinet; a drum accommodated in the cabinet to accommodate laundry; a driver connected to the drum to rotate the drum; and a control panel comprising: a power part configured to receive an input of a power-on command to supply power; a selection part configured to receive an input of a selection command to select one of a washing course and a drying course; a display part configured to display weight information including execution times of the washing course and the drying course; and an execution part configured to receive an input of an execution command to execute a course for treatment of the laundry, wherein: the driver is configured to rotate the drum with the locker unlocked when the input is received through the power part; the display part is configured to display the weight information after the drum starts rotating; and the execution part is configured to receive the input of the execution command while the display part is displaying the weight information after the drum starts rotating, wherein the display part is configured to first display the execution time of the washing course, and then display the execution time of the drying course when the selection command for selecting the drying course is input through the selection part.
The laundry treatment device of claim 1, wherein the driver is provided to rotate the drum when the input is received through the power part or when the door closes the opening, wherein the display part displays the execution time of the washing course after the drum rotates.
The laundry treatment device of claim 1, wherein the display part is provided to display the execution time of the washing course and the execution time of the drying course differently when a weight of the laundry accommodated in the drum changes.
The laundry treatment device of claim 1, wherein the display part is provided to display the execution time of the washing course or the drying course while the locker leaves the door unlocked.
The laundry treatment device of claim 1, wherein, based on that a weight of the laundry accommodated in the drum remains the same and that moisture content of the laundry changes, the display part is provided to display the execution time of the drying course differently.
The laundry treatment device of claim 5, wherein the display part is provided to display the execution time of the drying course after the drum rotates and stops two or more times.
The laundry treatment device of claim 6, wherein, based on that the input is received through the power part or that the door closes the opening, the display part is provided to display the execution time of the washing course after the drum rotates, wherein, based on that the input of the selection command to select the drying course is received through the selection part, the display part is provided to display the execution time of the drying course after the drum rotates additionally.
The laundry treatment device of claim 7, wherein, based on that the input is received through the power part or that the door closes the opening, the driver is provided to rotate the drum less than one full revolution, wherein, based on that the input of the selection command to select the drying course is received through the selection part, the driver is provided to rotate the drum less than one full revolution additionally.
The laundry treatment device of claim 8, wherein the driver is provided to rotate the drum such that the number of times of the drum rotates and stops after the selection part is the input is greater than the number of times of the drum rotates and stops after the power part is input or the door closes the opening.
The laundry treatment device of claim 8, wherein the driver is provided to rotate rotate the drum such that at least one of a rotation angle or a rotation speed of the drum after the selection part is the input is different from the at least one of the rotation angle or the rotation speed of the drum after the power part is the input or the door closes the opening.
The laundry treatment device of claim 8, wherein the driver is provided to rotate the drum such that a rotation time of the drum after the selection part is input is shorter than a rotation time of the drum than after the power part is input or the door closes the opening.
The laundry treatment device of claim 8, wherein the driver is provided to rotate the drum such that a rotate time of of the drum after the selection part is input is longer than a rotate time of the drum than after the power part is input or the door closes the opening.
The laundry treatment device of claim 1, wherein, based on that an amount of the laundry accommodated in the drum is greater than a reference amount: the driver is provided to rotate the drum more than when the amount of the laundry accommodated in the drum is less than or equal to the reference amount; and the display part is provided to display the execution time of the washing course or the drying course after the rotation of the drum is completed.
The laundry treatment device of claim 13, wherein the driver is provided to rotate the drum such that the number of times the drum rotates and stops when the amount of the laundry accommodated in the drum is greater than the reference amount is greater than when the amount of the laundry accommodated in the drum is less than the reference amount.
The laundry treatment device of claim 1, further comprising: a tub arranged to accommodate the drum; a water supply part arranged to supply water to the tub; a drainage part arranged to drain water from the tub; a circulation duct connected to the tub to circulate air inside the drum; and a heat exchanger disposed inside the circulation duct to exchange heat with the air.

Description

[Technical Field] The present disclosure relates to a laundry treatment device and a method of controlling the same. More specifically, it relates to a laundry treatment device capable of supplying steam and hot air to laundry to perform a drying cycle including sterilization, wrinkle removal, deodorization, and drying, and a control method thereof. [Background Art] Generally, a laundry treatment device refers to a device capable of performing one or more of washing, drying, or managing laundry. Here, the laundry treatment device may perform only the washing, drying, or management function, or may perform all the washing, drying, and management functions. Such a laundry treatment device 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 treatment device (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 treatment device performs a course. Referring to FIG. 1-(a), the conventional laundry treatment device may include a power supply step (S1) of supplying power to the laundry treatment device by turning on the power button, a selection step (S2) of selecting an appropriate course or option on the control panel of the laundry treatment device, and a start step (S3) of pressing a 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 treatment device 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 treatment device 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 treatment device 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 treatment devices, 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 treatment device. FIG. 1-(b) illustrates the rotation state of the drum when the conventional laundry treatment device senses weight. Referring to FIG. 1-(b), the conventional laundry treatment device 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 treatment device 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 treatment device 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 treatment device 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 treatment device to detect the weight of the laundry may inevitably exceed the time needed to rotate the drum continuously. In addition, in conventional laundry treatment devices, because the time required for the weight detection step (S5) is set relatively long, the time display step (S6) of displaying the execution time of