Control method for commercial washing machine

Abstract

A control method for a commercial washing machine that is capable of reducing washing time unnecessarily wasted during a washing or rinsing operation in which a water supplying process, a washing or rinsing process, a draining process, and a spin-drying process are repeatedly performed according to a corresponding course, the washing or rinsing operation being carried out before a main spin-drying operation, thereby improving the economy of the commercial washing machine is disclosed. The control method includes detecting the amount of laundry after the completion of a draining process, detecting the eccentricity of a drum and determining whether the eccentricity of the drum has been resolved by rotating the drum at an eccentricity detecting RPM after the step of detecting the amount of laundry, and performing a spin drying process with the drum being rotated at different RPMs depending upon the determination as to whether the eccentricity of the drum has been resolved.

1 . A control method for a commercial washing machine, performed during a washing or rinsing operation in which the corresponding operation is carried out using wash water and the wash water is discharged, the control method comprising:
 detecting the amount of laundry received in a drum;   detecting the eccentricity of the drum and determining whether the eccentricity of the drum has been resolved, during the rotation of the drum, by rotating the drum for a predetermined period of time such that the laundry can be moved; and   performing a spin-drying process with the drum being rotated at different rotation speeds depending upon the determination as to whether the eccentricity of the drum has been resolved.   
   
   
       2 . The control method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of performing the spin-drying process is carried out during the washing operation or the rinsing operation. 
   
   
       3 . The control method according to  claim 2 , wherein the step of detecting the eccentricity of the drum includes
 rotating the drum at a predetermined rotation speed for the predetermined period of time such that the laundry can be moved, and   determining whether the eccentric rotation of the drum has been resolved.   
   
   
       4 . The control method according to  claim 3 , wherein the determination as to whether the eccentric rotation of the drum has been resolved is made by detecting the eccentricity amount of the drum and determining whether the detected eccentricity amount is less than a predetermined reference eccentricity amount. 
   
   
       5 . The control method according to  claim 4 , wherein, when it is determined at the step of detecting the eccentricity of the drum that the eccentricity of the drum has not been resolved, the step of performing the spin-drying process is carried out with the drum being rotated at an informal spin-drying RPM for a predetermined period of time. 
   
   
       6 . The control method according to  claim 5 , wherein the informal spin-drying RPM is more than the RPM at which the drum is rotated at the step of detecting the eccentricity of the laundry. 
   
   
       7 . The control method according to  claim 5 , wherein the informal spin-drying RPM is the same as the RPM at which the drum is rotated at the step of detecting the eccentricity of the laundry. 
   
   
       8 . The control method according to  claim 5 , wherein, when it is determined at the step of detecting the eccentricity of the drum that the eccentricity of the drum has been resolved, the step of performing the spin-drying process is carried out with the drum being rotated at a formal spin-drying RPM. 
   
   
       9 . The control method according to  claim 8 , wherein the formal spin-drying RPM is more than the RPM at which the drum is rotated at the step of detecting the eccentricity of the laundry. 
   
   
       10 . The control method according to  claim 8 , wherein the formal spin-drying RPM is more than the informal spin-drying RPM. 
   
   
       11 . The control method according to  claim 4 , wherein the step of detecting the eccentricity of the drum is carried out a predetermined number of times until it is determined that the detected eccentricity amount is less than the reference eccentricity amount. 
   
   
       12 . The control method according to  claim 11 , wherein the predetermined number of times at the step of detecting the eccentricity of the drum is limited to 5 times or less. 
   
   
       13 . The control method according to  claim 11 , wherein, when it is determined at the step of detecting the eccentricity of the drum that the detected eccentricity amount is less than the reference eccentricity amount, the step of detecting the eccentricity of the drum is terminated, and the step of performing the spin-drying process is carried out with the drum being rotated at a formal spin-drying RPM. 
   
   
       14 . The control method according to  claim 5 , wherein the predetermined period of time at the step of performing the spin-drying process is between 10 seconds and 30 seconds. 
   
   
       15 . The control method according to  claim 3 , wherein the predetermined rotation speed at the step of detecting the eccentricity of the drum is between 100 rpm and 120 rpm. 
   
   
       16 . The control method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 performing a water-supplying process after the step of performing the spin-drying process.   
   
   
       17 . A control method for a commercial washing machine, performed during a washing or rinsing operation in which a water supplying process, a draining process, and a spin-drying process are repeatedly performed, the washing or rinsing operation being carried out before a final spin-drying operation, the control method comprising:
 detecting the amount of laundry received in a drum after the draining process is completed;   detecting the eccentricity of the drum and determining whether the drum is rotated in an eccentric fashion by rotating the drum for a predetermined period of time such that the laundry is redistributed; and   performing a spin-drying process, the step of performing the spin-drying process including performing a formal spin-drying process upon determination at the step of detecting the eccentricity of the drum that the drum is not rotated in the eccentric fashion and an informal spin-drying process upon determination at the step of detecting the eccentricity of the drum that the drum is rotated in the eccentric fashion.   
   
   
       18 . The control method according to  claim 17 , wherein the rotation RPM of the drum at the step of performing the informal spin-drying process is equal to or greater than the rotation RPM of the drum at the step of detecting the eccentricity of the drum and less than the rotation RPM of the drum at the step of performing the formal spin-drying process.