# US 12,215,454 B2 · Washer 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 12,215,454 B2 - Document ID: US12215454B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/728,431 - Filed: 2022-04-25 - Published: 2022-11-24 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2021-05-21 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Junhyun Park; Kanghyun Kim; Seunghun Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215454B2 ## CPC - D06F 33/32: Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry - D06F 37/304: {Arrangements or adaptations of electric motors} - D06F 34/10: Power supply arrangements, e.g. stand-by circuits - D06F 34/18: Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight - D06F 37/30: Driving arrangements (control circuits or arrangements D06F34/08) - D06F 2103/04: Quantity, e.g. weight or variation of weight - D06F 2103/24: Spin speed; Drum movements - D06F 2103/46: of the motor driving the drum - D06F 2105/00: Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers - D06F 2105/48: Drum speed - D06F 2105/58: Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user - D06F: LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES ## Abstract A washer includes a drum, a motor connected to the drum, a motor drive connected to the motor and configured to supply a driving current to the motor to rotate the drum, and a processor connected to the motor drive. The processor is configured to control the motor drive to supply the driving current to the motor to rotate the motor at a target speed and to determine a magnitude of a load accommodated in the drum while controlling a rotational speed of the motor within a predetermined range. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A washer comprising: a drum; a motor connected to the drum; a motor drive connected to the motor and configured to supply a driving current to the motor to rotate the drum; and a processor connected to the motor drive, and configured to: control the motor drive to supply the driving current to the motor to rotate the motor at a target speed; and determine a magnitude of a load accommodated in the drum while controlling a rotational speed of the motor within a predetermined range. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The washer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to periodically control the rotational speed of the motor within 5% of the target speed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The washer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to periodically control within 0.5% of the rotational speed of the motor during spin-drying. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The washer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: control the motor drive to supply the driving current comprising a sinusoidal current to the motor, and determine the magnitude of the load accommodated in the drum based on a change in the rotational speed of the motor caused by the driving current comprising the sinusoidal current. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The washer of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a target speed signal comprising a sinusoidal waveform to the motor drive so as to supply the driving current comprising the sinusoidal current to the motor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The washer of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to control the motor drive to control the rotational speed of the motor based on the magnitude of the load. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The washer of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to: control the motor drive to supply a first driving current comprising the sinusoidal current to the motor before supplying water to the drum; and adjust an amount of water supplied to the drum based on a value of a first rotational speed of the motor caused by the first driving current. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The washer of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to: control the motor drive to supply a second driving current comprising the sinusoidal current to the motor after supplying water to the drum; control the motor drive to control the rotational speed of the motor based on a value of a second rotational speed of the motor caused by the second driving current; and determine a magnitude of a load accommodated in the drum based on a ratio of the value of the first rotational speed to the value of the second rotational speed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The washer of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to: identify a magnitude of a dry load accommodated in the drum based on a change in the first rotational speed of the motor; and identify a magnitude of a wet load accommodated in the drum based on a change in the second rotational speed of the motor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The washer of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to control the motor drive to control the rotational speed of the motor based on a ratio of the magnitude of the wet load to the magnitude of the dry load. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The washer of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to: control the motor drive to rotate the motor at a first speed based on the ratio of the magnitude of the wet load to the magnitude of the dry load being less than a first reference value; and control the motor drive to rotate the motor at a second speed, which is less than the first speed, based on the ratio of the magnitude of the wet load to the magnitude of the dry load being equal to or greater than the first reference value. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The washer of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to; control the motor drive to supply a third driving current comprising the sinusoidal current to the motor during rotating the motor at a third speed for a spin-drying operation of the washer; and identify a magnitude of a spin-dried load of the drum based on a value of a third rotational speed of the motor comprising a sinusoidal waveform caused by the third driving current. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The washer of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to control the motor drive to control the rotational speed of the motor based on the magnitude of the spin-dried load. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The washer of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: control the motor drive to reduce the rotational speed of the motor based on a ratio of the magnitude of the spin-dried load to the magnitude of the dry load being less than a second reference value; and control the motor drive to maintain the rotational speed of the motor based on the ratio of the magnitude of the spin-dried load to the magnitude of the dry load being equal to or greater than the second reference value. ### Claim 15 A control method of a washer comprising: controlling, by a processor, a motor drive to supply a driving current to a motor; rotating a drum connected to the motor at a target speed; controlling a rotational speed of the motor within a predetermined range; determining a magnitude of a load accommodated in the drum in response to the controlling of the rotational speed of the motor within the predetermined range; and controlling the rotational speed of the motor based on the magnitude of the load. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The control method of claim 15, further comprising: controlling the motor drive to supply the driving current comprising a sinusoidal current to the motor, and determining the magnitude of the load accommodated in the drum based on a change in the rotational speed of the motor caused by the driving current comprising the sinusoidal current. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The control method of claim 16, wherein the controlling of the motor drive to supply the driving current further comprises transmitting a target speed signal comprising a sinusoidal waveform to the motor drive. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The control method of claim 16, further comprising controlling the motor drive to control the rotational speed of the motor based on the magnitude of the load. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The control method of claim 16, further comprising: controlling the motor drive to supply a first driving current comprising the sinusoidal current to the motor before supplying water to the drum; and adjusting an amount of water supplied to the drum based on a value of a first rotational speed of the motor caused by the first driving current. ### Claim 20 A washer comprising: a drum; a motor connected to the drum; a motor drive connected to the motor and configured to supply a driving current to the motor to rotate the drum; and a processor connected to the motor drive, and configured to: control the motor drive to supply the driving current comprising a sinusoidal current to the motor; and determine a magnitude of a load accommodated in the drum based on a change in a rotational speed of the motor caused by the driving current comprising the sinusoidal current.