Washing machine and method of controlling washing machine
AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.
InventorsYoungjong Kim, Taechul Moon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of controlling a washing machine is provided. A first laundry load is first detected based on a rotational property of a pulsator. A second laundry load is detected based on a property that varies in accordance with a vertical load applied from a tub. Finally, it is determined if laundry loaded in the drum is in a dry state or a wet state by comparing the first laundry load with the second laundry load.
Claims14
A method of controlling a washing machine comprising a casing, a tub suspended in the casing, a drum rotatably provided in the tub, a pulsator rotatably provided in the drum, and a driving unit rotating the pulsator, the method comprising:
- (a) controlling the driving unit to rotate the pulsator while a certain amount of laundry is being provided in the drum;
- (b) measuring a first property that varies in accordance with a resistant load applied to the driving unit while the pulsator is being rotated;
- (c) calculating a first laundry load based on the first property;
- (d) measuring a second property that varies in accordance with a vertical load applied by the tub while the certain amount of laundry is being provided in the drum;
- (e) calculating a second laundry load based on the second property;
- (f) determining that the laundry provided in the drum is in a dry state when the first laundry load calculated in (c) and the second laundry load calculated in (e) are substantially identical values;
- and
- (g) determining that the laundry provided in the drum is in a wet state when a difference between the first laundry load calculated in (c) and the second laundry load calculated in (e) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.