Multi-motor driving device and apparatus and method of driving motor for washing machine using same

A method of driving a motor for a washing machine, the washing machine motor comprising a double stator and a double rotor respectively having first and second U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase stator coils, the motor driving method comprising the steps of:

• judging an operation mode based on a control signal by a motor controller;
• controlling a three-phase alternating-current (AC) power generated from an inverter to be output to the first U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase stator coils in the case that the judged operation mode is a washing mode or rinsing mode, to thus make an outer rotor of the double rotor rotated to thereby make a pulsator rotated;
• and
• controlling the three-phase AC power generated from the inverter to be output to the second U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase stator coils in the case that the judged operation mode is a dewatering mode, to thus make an inner rotor of the double rotor rotated to thereby make a dewatering tub rotated.

A multi-motor driving device that three-phase drives a plurality of motors that are connected in parallel to each other, the multi-motor driving device comprising:

• a motor controller for generating drive signals to thus control driving of the plurality of motors;
• an inverter that generates a three-phase alternating-current (AC) power according to the drive signals, in which any one-phase AC power of the three-phase AC power is applied in common to any one-phase coil of the plurality of motors;
• and
• a switching unit for switching to apply the remaining two-phase AC power of the three-phase AC power to any two-phase stator coils of the plurality of motors, according to the control of the motor controller.