U.S. patent application number 12/480857 was filed with the patent office on 2009-12-10 for method of compensating power failure of washing machine.
This patent application is currently assigned to Daewoo Electronics Corporation. Invention is credited to Sung Koo Kang.
Application Number | 20090300854 12/480857 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41398967 |
Filed Date | 2009-12-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090300854 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kang; Sung Koo |
December 10, 2009 |
METHOD OF COMPENSATING POWER FAILURE OF WASHING MACHINE
Abstract
Disclosed herein is a method of compensating power failure of a
washing machine. The method includes performing a selected cycle,
determining whether power supply is interrupted during the selected
cycle, storing information of a current performed cycle in a memory
if the power supply is interrupted, determining whether the power
supply is restarted, and restarting the stored cycle if the power
supply is restarted.
Inventors: |
Kang; Sung Koo; (Incheon,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OCCHIUTI ROHLICEK & TSAO, LLP
10 FAWCETT STREET
CAMBRIDGE
MA
02138
US
|
Assignee: |
Daewoo Electronics
Corporation
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
41398967 |
Appl. No.: |
12/480857 |
Filed: |
June 9, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
8/159 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 25/00 20130101;
D06F 2103/68 20200201; D06F 33/00 20130101; D06F 33/47 20200201;
D06F 39/00 20130101; D06F 33/46 20200201; D06F 2105/50
20200201 |
Class at
Publication: |
8/159 |
International
Class: |
D06F 39/00 20060101
D06F039/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 9, 2008 |
KR |
10-2008-0053875 |
Claims
1. A method of compensating power failure of a washing machine,
comprising: performing a selected cycle; determining whether power
supply is interrupted during the selected cycle; storing
information of a current performed cycle in a memory if the power
supply is interrupted; determining whether the power supply is
restarted; and restarting the stored cycle if the power supply is
restarted.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the restarting the
stored cycle comprises performing the stored cycle from an initial
stage of the stored cycle.
3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising continuously
performing the current performed cycle if the power supply is not
interrupted.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein interruption of the
power supply is determined according to whether a pulse by an
alternating power is interrupted for a preset period of time.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to Korean patent
application number 10-2008-0053875, filed on Jun. 9, 2008, which is
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a washing machine and, more
particularly, to a method of compensating power failure of a
washing machine to allow operation of the washing machine to
restart from a cycle, which has been stopped due to power failure,
when power supply is restarted after the power failure.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a typical drum washing
machine. Referring to FIG. 1, the drum washing machine includes a
cabinet 1, a tub 2 disposed inside the cabinet 1 to receive wash
water, a drum 3 rotatably disposed inside the tub 2 to receive
laundry, a drive motor 4 rotating the drum 3, a water supply device
5 supplying wash water to the tub 2, and a drainage device 7
draining the wash water from the tub 2 to an outside of the cabinet
1.
[0006] When a user turns on the washing machine and selects a
desired cycle with laundry received in the drum 3, wash water is
supplied into the tub 2 by the water supply device 5 connected to a
water source (not shown) outside the cabinet 1. Then, the drum 3 is
rotated by the drive motor 4 to perform the selected cycle.
[0007] In a conventional method of operating the washing machine,
when power is resupplied to the washing machine after power
failure, the washing machine does not remember a cycle performed
prior to power failure and returns back to an initial state,
thereby suffering energy loss and damage of laundry caused by
repetition of an unnecessary cycle.
[0008] Therefore, there is a need to solve such problems of the
washing machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention is conceived to solve the problems as
described above, and an aspect of the present invention is to
provide a method of compensating power failure of a washing machine
to allow operation of the washing machine to restart from a cycle,
which has been stopped due to power failure, when power supply is
restarted after the power failure.
[0010] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a
method of compensating power failure of a washing machine includes
performing a selected cycle; determining whether power supply is
interrupted during the selected cycle; storing information of a
current performed cycle in a memory if the power supply is
interrupted; determining whether the power supply is restarted; and
restarting the stored cycle if the power supply is restarted.
[0011] The restarting the stored cycle may include performing the
stored cycle from an initial stage of the stored cycle.
[0012] The method may further include continuously performing the
current performed cycle if the power supply is not interrupted.
[0013] Interruption of the power supply may be determined according
to whether a pulse by an alternating power is interrupted for a
preset period of time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a conventional drum washing
machine;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a drum washing machine
according to one embodiment of the present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method of compensating power
failure of a washing machine according to one embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention
will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings. Herein, the present invention will be described with
reference to a drum washing machine as an example. It should be
noted that the drawings are not to precise scale and may be
exaggerated in thickness of lines or size of components for
descriptive convenience and clarity. Furthermore, the terms used
herein are defined by taking functions of the present invention
into account and can be changed according to the custom or
intention of users or operators. Therefore, definition of the terms
should be made according to the overall disclosures set forth
herein.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a drum washing machine
according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is
a flowchart of a method of compensating power failure of a washing
machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the method of compensating power
failure of a washing machine according to this embodiment includes
performing a selected cycle with power supplied from a power supply
unit 10 to a drive motor 4 and a controller 50 in S10; determining
whether power supply to the washing machine is interrupted in S20;
storing information of a current performed cycle in a memory 52 if
the power supply is interrupted in S30; determining whether the
power supply to the washing machine is restarted in S40; and
restarting the current performed cycle stored in the memory 52 if
the power supply is restarted in S50 or continuously performing the
current selected cycle if the power supply is not interrupted in
S60.
[0021] When performing the selected cycle in S10, at least one of a
washing cycle, a rinsing cycle, and a spin-drying cycle selected
through an operation panel (not shown) by a user is performed. The
respective cycles are individually or sequentially performed
according to user selection.
[0022] While performing the selected cycle in S10, the controller
50 continuously determines whether power failure occurs to
interrupt power supply to the washing machine in S20. Here,
interruption of the power supply is determined according to whether
a pulse by an alternating power is interrupted for a preset period
of time while the selected cycle is performed in S10. In this
embodiment, the preset period of time is 1 second. Accordingly, in
S20, the controller 50 determines that power failure occurs when a
pulse generated by a certain frequency of the alternating current
supplied to the washing machine is interrupted for 1 second.
Although the preset period of time is set to 1 second in this
embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. Thus,
when the preset period of time is set shorter than 1 second, the
washing machine can detect even momentary power failure, thereby
enabling compensation for the momentary power failure.
[0023] If it is determined that the power supply is not
interrupted, the controller 50 allows the washing machine to
perform the current performed cycle in S60, and terminates the
washing operation after completing the selected cycle.
[0024] If the power supply is not interrupted, information of the
current performed cycle is stored in the memory 52 in S30. For
example, if the current cycle is a washing cycle, information of
the washing cycle is stored in the memory 52, and if the current
cycle is a spin-drying cycle, information of the spin-drying cycle
is stored in the memory 52. Here, the information of the current
cycle includes the kind of the cycle, elapsed time of the cycle,
remaining time of the cycle, and the like.
[0025] The controller 50 determines whether the power supply to the
washing machine is restarted in S40. In other words, when the power
supply is restarted, power is also supplied from the power supply
unit 10 to the controller 50, so that the controller 50 can
immediately detect power resupply.
[0026] If the power supply is restarted, the controller 50 restarts
the cycle, which has been stopped due to the power failure, using
the information of the cycle stored in the memory 52, in S50. Then,
the controller 50 terminates the washing operation after completing
the selected cycle. At this time, the restarted cycle is performed
from an initial course of the performed cycle.
[0027] For example, the spin-drying cycle is divided into a
preliminary spin-drying course in which the drum 3 is rotated at a
low speed to allow laundry to be uniformly distributed in the drum
3, and a main spin-drying course in which the drum 3 is rotated at
a high speed to remove moisture from the laundry. If power failure
occurs during the main spin-drying course, an initial course of the
spin-drying cycle, that is, the preliminary spin-drying course, is
newly started when power supply is restarted. As a result, the
laundry can be uniformly distributed in the drum 3 before the main
spin-drying course performed at a high speed, thereby reducing
noise and vibration caused by non-uniform distribution of the
laundry during the spin-drying cycle.
[0028] As such, if the cycle stored in the memory is a main course
of the cycle, a preliminary course of the cycle as an initial stage
of the cycle is performed before a main course of the cycle,
thereby reducing noise and vibration, which can be generated when
directly restarting the main course of the cycle.
[0029] As apparent from the above description, according to one
embodiment of the invention, operation of the washing machine can
be restarted from a cycle which has been stopped due to power
failure, when power supply is restarted after the power failure, so
that the washing machine can suppress repetition of an unnecessary
cycle, thereby preventing damage of laundry while reducing time and
cost for washing operation.
[0030] Further, according to one embodiment, a preliminary course
of a cycle stored in a memory is performed before a main course of
the cycle, thereby reducing noise and vibration of the washing
machine, which can be generated upon restarting the cycle by
resupply of power.
[0031] Although some embodiments have been provided to illustrate
the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the
embodiments are given by way of illustration only, and that various
modifications and equivalent embodiments can be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the description of the drum washing machine as provided
herein is only one example of the present invention, and the
present invention can be applied to other products. Accordingly,
the scope and spirit of the present invention should be limited
only by the following claims.
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