Clothes Treating Apparatus and Method of Controlling the Same

This application is a continuation application, claiming priority under 35 U.S.C. § 365(c), of an International application No. PCT/KR2025/005354, filed on Apr. 21, 2025, which is based on and claims the benefit of a Korean patent application number 10-2024-0062056, filed on May 10, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and of a Korean patent application number 10-2024-0121165, filed on Sep. 5, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The disclosure relates to a clothes treating apparatus including a drying device and method of controlling the same.

The clothes treating apparatus is a device for treating and/or managing clothes. The clothes treating apparatus may include a washing machine and a dryer. The washing machine may include a washing machine with a drying function.

The washing machine with the drying function is a device to perform washing through mutual friction by agitating the laundry, water and detergent thrown into a tub by using driving force of a driving motor.

Processes performed by the washing machine with the drying function may include a washing process to wash the laundry by supplying a detergent and water into the tub that accommodates the laundry and rotating a drum, a rinsing process to rinse the laundry by supplying water into the tub and rotating the drum, and a dehydrating process to dehydrate the laundry by draining the water from the tub and rotating the drum.

The processes performed by the washing machine with the drying function may include a drying process to dry the laundry by blowing hot air produced from a drying device into the space where the laundry is accommodated. The washing machine with the drying function may include the drying device to perform the drying process. The drying device may include a heat exchanger, a compressor and a fan, and is able to discharge condensate water produced by the heat exchanger into the tub. The condensate water produced during the drying process may be stored in a lower portion of the tub.

The washing machine with the drying function may detect a water level in the tub through a water level sensor, obtain a dryness level of an object to be dried based on the water level in the tub, and based on this, finish the drying process. The water level sensor is arranged in a connection hose connected to a tub connection tube to detect pressure in the connection hose corresponding to the water level in the tub. The drain device is connected to the tub through the tub connection tube, and pumps water in the tub by operating a drain pump and drains out the water through a drain tube.

However, the water level sensor may be affected by a drain installation environment where the washing machine with the drying function is installed. When the washing machine with the drying function is installed in a high-level drain installation environment, a drain hose coupled to the drain tube of the washing machine with the drying function is connected to a drain hole located at a height of e.g., 8 ft (2.43 m) or 9 ft (2.74 m) or more, causing some of the water discharged through the drain tube to flow backward to the side of the washing machine with the drying function. The water flowing backward affects the water level in the tub. The water that has flown backward is mistaken as condensate water produced in a drying process. This may lead to wrong decision on the dryness level of an object to be dried that is based on the water level in the tub, and the drying process may not be finished at an accurate time.

The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to provide a clothes treating apparatus and method of controlling the same, capable of accurately and reliably determining a dryness level of an object to be dried even in a case that the clothes treating apparatus is installed in a high-level drain installation environment.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a clothes treating apparatus is provided. The clothes treating apparatus includes a drying device including a heat exchanger, a compressor, a fan, and a drain hole formed to drain condensate water produced by the heat exchanger, a tub arranged underneath the drying device and storing the condensate water drained through the drain hole, a drain pump configured to drain the condensate water stored in the tub, a water level sensor configured to detect a water level in the tub, a drum rotationally arranged in the tub, a temperature sensor configured to detect temperature of air discharged from the drum, memory storing instructions, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the drying device, the drain pump, the water level sensor, the temperature sensor, and the memory, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the clothes treating apparatus to operate the drying device, based on a start of a drying process, operate the drain pump, based on the water level in the tub reaching a preset water level while the drying process is in progress, and determine a dryness level of an object accommodated in the drum according to temperature of air discharged out of the drum, based on a number of operations of the drain pump being equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times during a preset period of time after the start of the drying process.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method performed by a clothes treating apparatus comprising a drying device including a heat exchanger, a compressor, a fan, and a drain hole formed to drain condensate water produced by the heat exchanger and a tub arranged underneath the drying device and storing the condensate water drained through the drain hole is provided. The method includes operating the drying device, based on a start of a drying process, operating a drain pump for draining condensate water stored in the tub, based on a water level in the tub reaching a preset water level while the drying process is in progress, and determining a dryness level of an object accommodated in a drum rotationally arranged in the tub according to temperature of air discharged out of the drum, based on a number of operations of the drain pump being equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times during a preset period of time after the start of the drying process.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

In the disclosure, phrases, such as “A or B”, “at least one of A and B”, “at least one of A or B”, “A, B or C”, “at least one of A, B and C”, and “at least one of A, B, or C” may include any one or all possible combinations of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase among the phrases.

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Terms such as “1st”, “2nd”, “primary”, or “secondary” may be used simply to distinguish an element from other elements, without limiting the element in other aspects (e.g., importance or order).

When an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being “(functionally or communicatively) coupled” or “connected” to another element (e.g., a second element), the first element may be connected to the second element, directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third element.

It will be understood that when the terms “includes”, “comprises”, “including”, and/or “comprising” are used in the disclosure, they specify the presence of the specified features, figures, steps, operations, components, members, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, figures, steps, operations, components, members, or combinations thereof.

When a given element is referred to as being “connected to”, “coupled to”, “supported by” or “in contact with” another element, it is to be understood that it may be directly or indirectly connected to, coupled to, supported by, or in contact with the other element. When a given element is indirectly connected to, coupled to, supported by, or in contact with another element, it is to be understood that it may be connected to, coupled to, supported by, or in contact with the other element through a third element.

It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it may be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present.

A washing machine according to various embodiments may perform washing, rinsing, spin-drying, and drying processes. The washing machine is an example of a clothes treating apparatus, and the clothes treating apparatus is a concept including a device capable of washing clothes (objects to be washed, and objects to be dried), a device capable of drying clothes, and a device capable of washing and drying clothes.

The washing machine according to various embodiments may include a top-loading washing machine in which a laundry inlet for inserting or removing laundry is provided to face upward, or a front-loading washing machine in which a laundry inlet is provided to face forward. The washing machine according to various embodiments may include a washing machine of a loading type other than the top-loading washing machine and the front-loading washing machine.

For the top-loading washing machine, laundry may be washed using water current generated by a rotating body such as a pulsator. For the front-loading washing machine, laundry may be washed by repeatedly lifting and lowering laundry by rotating a drum. The front-loading washing machine may include a dryer combined washing machine capable of drying laundry stored in a drum. The dryer combined washing machine may include a hot air supply device for supplying high-temperature air into the drum and a condensing device for removing moisture from air discharged from the drum. For example, the dryer combined washing machine may include a heat pump device. The washing machine according to various embodiments may include a washing machine using a washing method other than the above-described washing method.

The washing machine according to various embodiments may include a housing accommodating various components therein. The housing may be provided in the form of a box including a laundry inlet on one side thereof.

The washing machine may include a door for opening and closing the laundry inlet. The door may be rotatably mounted to the housing by a hinge. At least a portion of the door may be transparent or translucent to allow the inside of the housing to be visible.

The washing machine may include a tub disposed within the housing to store water. The tub may be formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with a tub opening formed on one side thereof. The tub may be disposed inside the housing in such a way that the tub opening corresponds to the laundry inlet.

The tub may be connected to the housing by a damper. The damper may absorb vibration generated when the drum rotates, and the damper may reduce vibration transmitted to the housing.

The washing machine may include a drum provided to accommodate laundry.

The drum may be disposed inside the tub such that a drum opening provided on one side of the drum corresponds to the laundry inlet and the tub opening. Laundry may pass sequentially through the laundry inlet, the tub opening, and the drum opening and then be received in the drum or removed from the drum.

The drum may perform each operation according to washing, rinsing, and/or spin-drying while rotating in the tub. A plurality of through holes may be formed in a cylindrical wall of the drum to allow water stored in the tub to be introduced into or to be discharged from the drum.

The washing machine may include a driving device configured to rotate the drum. The driving device may include a drive motor and a rotating shaft for transmitting a driving force generated by the drive motor to the drum. The rotating shaft may penetrate the tub to be connected to the drum.

The driving device may perform respective operations according to washing, rinsing, and/or spin-drying, or drying processes by rotating the drum in a forward or reverse direction.

The washing machine may include a water supply device configured to supply water to the tub. The water supply device may include a water supply pipe and a water supply valve disposed in the water supply pipe. The water supply pipe may be connected to an external water supply source. The water supply pipe may extend from an external water supply source to a detergent supply device and/or the tub. Water may be supplied to the tub through the detergent supply device. Alternatively, water may be supplied to the tub without passing through the detergent supply device.

The water supply valve may open or close the water supply pipe in response to an electrical signal from a controller. The water supply valve may allow or block the supply of water to the tub from an external water supply source. The water supply valve may include a solenoid valve configured to open or close in response to an electrical signal.

The washing machine may include the detergent supply device configured to supply detergent to the tub. The detergent supply device may include a manual detergent supply device that requires a user to enter detergent to be used for each washing, and an automatic detergent supply device that stores a large amount of detergent and automatically adds a predetermined amount of detergent during washing. The detergent supply device may include a detergent container for storing detergent. The detergent supply device may be configured to supply detergent into the tub during a water supply process. Water supplied through the water supply pipe may be mixed with detergent via the detergent supply device. Water mixed with detergent may be supplied into the tub. Detergent is used as a term including detergent for pre-washing, detergent for main washing, fabric softener, bleach, etc., and the detergent container may be partitioned into a storage region for the pre-washing detergent, a storage region for the main washing detergent, a storage region for the fabric softener, and a storage region for the bleach.

The washing machine may include a drainage device configured to discharge water contained in the tub to the outside. The drainage device may include a drain pipe extending from a bottom of the tub to the outside of the housing, a drain valve disposed on the drain pipe to open or close the drain pipe, and a pump disposed on the drain pipe. The pump may pump water from the drain pipe to the outside of the housing.

The washing machine may include a control panel disposed on one side of the housing. The control panel may provide a user interface for interaction between a user and the washing machine. The user interface may include at least one input interface and at least one output interface.

The at least one input interface may convert sensory information received from a user into an electrical signal.

The at least one input interface may include a power button, an operation button, a course selection dial (or a course selection button), and a washing/rinsing/spin-drying setting button. The at least one input interface may include a tact switch, a push switch, a slide switch, a toggle switch, a micro switch, a touch switch, a touch pad, a touch screen, a jog dial, and/or a microphone.

The at least one output interface may visually or audibly transmit information related to the operation of the washing machine to a user.

For example, the at least one output interface may transmit information related to a washing course, operation time of the washing machine, and washing/rinsing/spin-drying settings to the user. Information about the operation of the washing machine may be output via a screen, an indicator, or a voice. The at least one output interface may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, a light emitting diode (LED) panel, or a speaker.

The washing machine may include a communication module for wired and/or wireless communication with an external device.

The communication module may include at least one of a short-range wireless communication module and a long-range wireless communication module.

The communication module may transmit data to an external device (e.g., a server, a user device, and/or a home appliance) or receive data from the external device. For example, the communication module may establish communication with a server and/or a user device and/or a home appliance, and transmit and receive various types of data.

For the communication, the communication module may establish a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the external devices, and support the performance of the communication through the established communication channel. According to an embodiment, the communication module may include a wireless communication module (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). Among these communication modules, the corresponding communication module may communicate with an external device through a first network (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network such as a legacy cellular network, a fifth generation (5G) network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN or wide area network WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be integrated as a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as a plurality of separate components (e.g., multiple chips).