Clothes treatment apparatus

Abstract

The present invention relates to a clothes treatment apparatus which provides various optimized drum motion combinations that can prevent damage to clothes or prevent shrinkage of the clothes in each of the preheating section, a constant rate drying section, a falling rate drying section, and a cooling section.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus including a drum configured to accommodate laundry therein, a driver configured to rotate the drum, a circulation flow channel providing a space where air of the drum is circulated or moisture contained in air is condensed, and a heat exchanger assembly configured to heat air flowing through the circulation flow channel, the method comprising:
 an air supply step of supplying heated air to the drum via the heat exchanger assembly; and   a rotation step of rotating the drum during the air supply,   wherein the rotation step includes a shaking motion of periodically varying a rotation speed of the drum in two or more areas.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the shaking motion includes periodically varying the rotation speed of the drum to at least two of a first speed for the laundry to rotate while being attached to an inner wall of the drum, a second speed lower than the first speed, and a third speed lower than the second speed. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the shaking motion includes sequentially varying the speed of the drum to the second speed, the first speed, and the third speed. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein a time period for the speed of the drum to vary in the shaking motion is set longer than a time period for the drum to rotate once and shorter than 1 minute. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the shaking motion varies the speed of the drum to all of the second speed, the first speed, and the third speed within one minute. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the rotation step includes a tumbling motion of rotating the drum such that the laundry is separated from or falls from an inner wall of the drum at a point lower than a high point of the drum,
 wherein the shaking motion is performed after the tumbling motion.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the rotation step further includes a hanging motion where a high-speed period where the laundry rotates while being attached to the inner wall of the drum and a low-speed period where the laundry rotates while falling from the inner wall of the drum are periodically performed,
 wherein the hanging motion is performed after the tumbling motion,   wherein the shaking motion is performed after the hanging motion.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the rotation step includes a rolling motion of rotating the drum such that the laundry falls from a point lower than a center of the drum,
 wherein the shaking motion is performed before the rolling motion.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the air supply step is divided into a preheating period, a constant-rate drying period, and a falling-rate drying period based on at least one of a state of the heat exchanger assembly, a temperature of air discharged to the circulation flow channel, dryness of the laundry, and an operation time of the heat exchanger assembly,
 wherein the constant-rate drying period is entered when a temperature of a refrigerant of the heat exchanger assembly reaches a reference value in the preheating period or when the heat exchanger assembly operates for a reference time,   wherein the shaking motion is performed in the constant-rate drying period.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the shaking motion is performed when the dryness of the laundry reaches a target value in the constant-rate drying period. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the falling-rate drying period is entered when a discharge temperature of the circulation flow channel rises to a temperature equal to or higher than a reference temperature or the dryness of the laundry reaches a set value,
 wherein the shaking motion is performed before entering the falling-rate drying period.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the rotation step further includes a tumbling motion for rotating the drum such that the laundry is separated from or falls from an inner wall of the drum at a point lower than a high point of the drum,
 wherein the shaking motion is performed after the tumbling motion in the constant-rate drying period.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein a duration of the shaking motion is set to be shorter than a duration of the tumbling motion. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the rotation step further includes a hanging motion where a high-speed period where the laundry rotates while being attached to an inner wall of the drum and a low-speed period where the laundry rotates while falling from the inner wall of the drum are periodically performed,
 wherein the shaking motion is performed before the hanging motion.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein a duration of the shaking motion is set longer than a duration of the hanging motion.