EP-4741566-A1 - CLOTHES TREATING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD OF CLOTHES TREATING APPARATUS

EP4741566A1EP 4741566 A1EP4741566 A1EP 4741566A1EP-4741566-A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cloths treating apparatus, wherein, when a person or animal steps into a drum, a drive unit is controlled to rotate the drum when a power supply unit is turned on or a sensing unit senses opening and closing of a door, and then stop the drum, and a display part unit indicates an abnormal state after the drum stops.

Inventors

BAE, SUNCHEOL

Assignees

LG Electronics Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20240624

Claims (13)

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 sensor configured to sense whether the door closes the opening; a locker arranged to lock the door to the cabinet; a drum accommodated inside 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 command to supply power; a display part configured to display weight information about the laundry and an abnormal condition indicating that an animal or a person is placed inside the drum; and an execution part configured to receive an input of an execution command to execute a course for treating the laundry, wherein: the driver is configured to rotate the drum with the door unlocked by the locker when the power part receives the input of the power command; the display part is configured to display the weight information after the drum starts to rotate; and 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, wherein, based on that the person or the animal is placed inside the drum, the driver is configured to rotate the drum and then stop the drum when the power part receives the input of the command or when the sensor senses the door opened and closed, wherein the display part is configured to display the abnormal condition after the drum stops.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the driver is configured to rotate the drum and then stops the drum with the door unlocked by the locker.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein the driver is configured to rotate the drum less than one full revolution and then stops the drum with the door unlocked, wherein the display part is configured to display the abnormal condition after the drum stops.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3, wherein the display part is configured to display the abnormal condition while the locker keeps the door unlocked.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control panel further comprises: a selection part configured to receive an input of a selection command to select one of a plurality of courses, wherein, based on the abnormal condition being displayed on the display part, the selection part is deactivated to disable the input of the selection command from being received.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control panel further comprises: a selection part configured to receive an input of a selection command to select one of a plurality of courses; and an execution part configured to receive an execution command to execute the selected course, wherein, based on the abnormal condition being displayed on the display part, the execution part is deactivated to disable the input of the execution command from being received.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein, based on the abnormal condition being displayed on the display part, the locker keeps the door unlocked.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a supplier configured to supply water or steam into the drum, wherein, based on the abnormal condition being displayed on the display part, the supplier blocks supply of the water or steam into the drum.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a communication module provided inside the cabinet and configured to communicate with an external terminal or a server, wherein, based on the abnormal condition being displayed on the display part, the communication module is configured to transmit the abnormal condition to the external terminal or the server.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein, based on a sensed weight of the laundry being greater than or equal to 10 kg, the display part is configured to display the abnormal condition.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein, based on that a time taken for the drum to stop while the driver rotates and stops the drum is less than a specific time, the display part is configured to display the abnormal condition.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein, based on that the drum rotates by an angle less than a specific angle while the driver rotates and stops the drum, the display part is configured to display the abnormal condition.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein, based on only laundry being accommodated in the drum, the display part is configured to display the weight information, wherein, based on the person or the animal being placed inside the drum, the display part is configured to display the abnormal condition.

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 drying 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 displaying