# US 12,006,615 B2 · Washing machine and control method thereof

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,006,615 B2
- Document ID: US12006615B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/340,577
- Filed: 2021-06-07
- Published: 2021-12-16
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2020-06-15
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kosaku Adachi; Hiroyuki Miyake
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12006615B2

## CPC

- D06F 34/08: Control circuits or arrangements thereof
- D06F 34/04: Signal transfer or data transmission arrangements
- D06F 34/06: Timing arrangements
- H02M 1/0054: {Transistor switching losses (periodically suspending operation of switching converter in low power mode H02M1/0035)}
- H02M 1/12: Arrangements for reducing harmonics from AC input or output
- H02M 7/003: {Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections}
- H02M 7/53871: {with automatic control of output voltage or current}
- H02M 7/5395: by pulse-width modulation
- H02P 27/085: {wherein the PWM mode is adapted on the running conditions of the motor, e.g. the switching frequency}
- H02P 29/50: Reduction of harmonics
- D06F 33/48: Preventing or reducing imbalance or noise
- D06F 37/30: Driving arrangements (control circuits or arrangements D06F34/08)
- H02P 2209/13: Different type of waveforms depending on the mode of operation
- Y02B 70/10: Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
- D06F: LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P)
- H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS

## Abstract

A washing machine is provided. The washing machine includes an inner tub, a motor connected to the inner tub through a rotating shaft, an inverter circuit operatively connected to the motor and comprising three pairs of bridged switching elements, and at least one processor configured to provide a modulation signal to the inverter circuit to turn on or off the three pairs of bridged switching elements so as to convert DC power into AC power. The at least one processor is further configured to provide the modulation signal to two pairs of switching elements among the three pairs of bridged switching elements for a first time period in a first mode, provide the modulation signal to the three pairs of bridged switching elements for a second time period in a second mode, ad alternately perform the first mode and the second mode.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A washing machine comprising:
an inner tub;
a motor connected to the inner tub through a rotating shaft;
an inverter circuit operatively connected to the motor and comprising three pairs of bridged switching elements; and
at least one processor configured to provide a modulation signal to the inverter circuit to turn on or off the three pairs of bridged switching elements so as to convert DC power into AC power,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
provide the modulation signal to two pairs of switching elements among the three pairs of bridged switching elements for a first time period in a first mode,
provide the modulation signal to the three pairs of bridged switching elements for a second time period in a second mode, and
alternately perform the first mode and the second mode,
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: provide a first carrier signal for a first pulse width modulation in the first mode, provide a second carrier signal for a second pulse width modulation in the second mode, and
wherein a frequency of the second carrier signal is a frequency between 0.4 times and 0.6 times a frequency of the first carrier signal and is a frequency to maintain a shape of a first order harmonic wave due to a two-phase modulation in a FFT analysis.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to allow the first time period in the first mode to be greater than the second time period in the second mode.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to allow a ratio of the second time period to a sum of the first time period and the second time period to be between 5% and 50%.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to change the first time period and the second time period based on a modulation rate of the inverter circuit.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to change a ratio of the second time period to a sum of the first time period and the second time period based on a modulation rate of the inverter circuit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform switching between the first mode and the second mode, based on a modulation rate of the inverter circuit being less than or equal to a reference value.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The washing machine of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
increase the ratio of the second time period to the sum of the first time period and the second time period as the modulation rate of the inverter circuit decreases, and
reduce the ratio of the second time period to the sum of the first time period and the second time period as the modulation rate of the inverter circuit increases.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The washing machine of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of inverter circuits comprising the inverter circuit,
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide AC power to each of the plurality of inverter circuits, independently of each other.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The washing machine of claim 1, further comprising n inverter circuits comprising the inverter circuit,
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
provide n carrier signals that modulate a modulation signal output to the n inverter circuits, and
allow the n carrier signals to be shifted from each other by 360/n°.

### Claim 10

A control method of a washing machine comprising an inner tub and a motor connected to the inner tub through a rotating shaft, the method comprising:
providing a modulation signal turning on or off three pairs of bridged switching elements to an inverter circuit operatively connected to the motor, the inverter circuit comprising the three pairs of bridged switching elements,
wherein the providing of the modulation signal to the inverter circuit comprises:
alternately performing a first mode and a second mode,
providing the modulation signal to two pairs of switching elements among the three pairs of bridged switching elements for a first time period in the first mode, and
providing the modulation signal to the three pairs of bridged switching elements for a second time period in the second mode,
wherein the providing of the modulation signal to the inverter circuit further comprises:
providing a first carrier signal for a first pulse width modulation in the first mode, and
providing a second carrier signal for a second pulse width modulation in the second mode, and
wherein a frequency of the second carrier signal is a frequency between 0.4 times and 0.6 times the frequency of a first carrier signal and is a frequency to maintain a shape of a first order harmonic wave due to a two-phase modulation in a FFT analysis.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the first time period in the first mode is greater than the second time period in the second mode.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein a ratio of the second time period to a sum of the first time period and the second time period is between 5% and 50%.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the providing of the modulation signal to the inverter circuit further comprises changing the first time period and the second time period based on a modulation rate of the inverter circuit.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the providing of the modulation signal to the inverter circuit further comprises changing a ratio of the second time period to a sum of the first time period and the second time period based on a modulation rate of the inverter circuit.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the alternately performing of the first mode and the second mode comprises switching from the first mode to the second mode at a certain point of time.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the alternately performing of the first mode and the second mode comprises alternately performing the first mode and the second mode based on a modulation rate of the inverter circuit being less than or equal to a reference value.