Fabric treatment apparatus and control method thereof
AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.
InventorsHyukjin Ahn, Sungmin Ye, Minji Kim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fabric treatment apparatus including a steam spray device for heating water to generate steam and for spraying the generated steam into a space in which fabric is received and a water supply valve for adjusting flow of water supplied to the steam spray device to generate steam. A control method of the fabric treatment apparatus including controlling the water supply valve to be repeatedly opened and closed according to a first pattern and controlling the water supply valve to be repeatedly opened and closed according to a second pattern, the second pattern supplying a larger amount of water than in the first pattern for the same time period.
Claims12
A control method of a fabric treatment apparatus comprising a steam spray device and a water supply valve, the control method comprising:
- a step (a) of controlling, by a controller, the water supply valve to be repeatedly opened and closed according to a first pattern;
- and
- a step (b) of controlling, by the controller, the water supply valve to be repeatedly opened and closed according to a second pattern wherein the second pattern supplies a larger amount of water than in the first pattern for the same time period,
- wherein a second pattern duty cycle of the water supply valve is greater than a first pattern duty cycle of the water supply valve,
- wherein the control method further comprising:
- sensing, by a temperature sensing unit, a temperature in the steam spray device during execution of the step (a),
- wherein the step (b) is performed when the sensed temperature reaches a predetermined upper limit of temperature,
- wherein the steam spray device comprises a steam generation heater for heating water, and
- wherein the control method further comprises:
- sensing, by a temperature sensing unit, a temperature in the steam spray device in which the steam is generated during execution of the step (a);
- stopping, by the controller, operation of the steam generation heater when the sensed temperature reaches a predetermined upper limit of temperature;
- and
- resuming, by the controller, the operation of the steam generation heater when the temperature in the steam spray device is lowered to a predetermined lower limit of temperature in a state in which the operation of the steam generation heater is stopped.
A fabric treatment apparatus comprising:
- a fabric receiving unit having a space for receiving fabric formed therein;
- a steam spray device for heating water to generate steam and spraying the generated steam into the fabric receiving unit;
- a temperature sensing unit for sending a temperature in the steam spray device;
- a water supply valve for adjusting water flow to the steam spray device;
- and
- a controller for controlling the water supply valve to be repeatedly opened and closed according to a first pattern and then controlling the water supply valve to be repeatedly opened and closed according to a second pattern,
- wherein the second pattern supplies a larger amount of water than in the first pattern for the same time period,
- wherein a second pattern duty cycle of the water supply valve is greater than a first pattern duty cycle of the water supply valve,
- wherein the controller controls operation of the steam generation heater to be stopped when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensing unit reaches a predetermined upper limit of temperature while the water supply valve is operated according to the first pattern, and
- wherein the controller controls the operation of the steam generation heater to be resumed when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensing unit is lowered to a predetermined lower limit of temperature in a state in which the operation of the steam generation heater is stopped.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.