Continuous high speed inertia detection
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsBrian P. JANKE, Peter E. ZASOWSKI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A laundry treating appliance has a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving a laundry load for treatment according to at least one cycle of operation and operated such that the extraction of liquid from the laundry load is controlled based on the inertia of the laundry load.
Claims24
A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving a laundry load for treatment according to at least one cycle of operation, the method comprising:
- extracting liquid from the laundry by rotating the drum at a speed plateau where the rotational speed of the drum is greater than a satellizing speed;
- monitoring the inertia of the laundry load during the speed plateau;
- determining a decay rate of the monitored inertia;
- and
- terminating the extracting of liquid upon the decay rate satisfying a reference value.
A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving a laundry load for treatment according to at least one cycle of operation, and a motor rotating the rotatable drum, the method comprising:
- extracting liquid from the laundry load by applying a constant speed control signal to the motor to rotate the drum at a maximum speed plateau for a given cycle of operation;
- repeatedly determining the inertia of the laundry load during the maximum speed plateau by oscillating the rotational speed of the drum about the maximum speed plateau and determining the inertia from the oscillations;
- determining a change in the inertia from the repeated determinations of inertia;
- and
- terminating the extracting of liquid upon the change in inertia satisfying a reference value.
A laundry treating appliance for treating a laundry load according to at least one cycle of operation, comprising:
- a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving the laundry load;
- a motor rotatably driving the drum in response to a speed control signal;
- and
- a controller operably coupled to the motor and providing a speed control signal to the motor to rotate the drum at a maximum speed plateau to effect an extracting of liquid from the laundry load, repeatedly determining the inertia of the laundry load during the maximum speed plateau by oscillating the rotational speed of the drum about the maximum speed plateau and determining the inertia from the oscillations, determining a change in the inertia from the repeated determinations of inertia, and terminating the maximum speed plateau upon the change in inertia satisfying a reference value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.