Clothing treating apparatus

Abstract

The present invention relates to a clothing treating apparatus which provides various optimized drum motion combinations capable of preventing damage to or shrinking of clothing in each of a preheating section, a constant rate drying section, a reduced 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 air supply step is divided into a preheating period, a constant-rate drying period, and a falling-rate drying period,   wherein the falling-rate drying period is set to be entered when a discharge temperature of the circulation flow channel rises to a temperature equal to or higher than a reference temperature or dryness of the laundry reaches a set value,   wherein the rotation step includes a rolling motion of rotating the drum to allow the laundry to fall or roll at a vertical level lower than a vertical level of a center of the drum,   wherein the rolling motion is performed in the falling-rate drying period.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the rolling motion is performed when entering the falling-rate drying period. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the rolling motion is performed until the dryness of the laundry reaches a specific value in the falling-rate drying period. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the rolling motion is performed for a set time period when entering the falling-rate drying period. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the rotation step includes a hanging motion where a high-speed period where the laundry rotates in a state of 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 rolling motion is performed before the hanging motion.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein a duration of the rolling motion in the falling-rate drying period is set to be longer than a duration of the hanging motion. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the hanging motion is terminated when the dryness of the laundry reaches a completion value higher than the specific value. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the rolling motion is provided to rotates the drum at a constant speed in one direction. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the rotation step includes a shaking motion including repeatedly increasing and decreasing a rotation speed of the drum in a predetermined period,
 wherein the rolling motion is performed after the shaking motion.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the shaking motion is performed before entering the falling-rate drying period. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the shaking motion periodically varies 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,
 wherein the rolling motion is performed after the shaking motion is terminated.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the rolling motion rotates the drum at a speed lower than the third speed. 
     
     
         13 . 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 high-speed period for rotating the drum at a first speed and a low-speed period for rotating the drum at a second speed lower than the first speed or a third speed lower than the second speed; and 
 a rolling motion including a protection period for rotating the drum at a protection speed, 
   wherein the protection speed is set to be lower than the third speed.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein a duration of the rolling motion is set to be longer than a duration of the shaking motion. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the rolling motion is performed later than the shaking motion. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the air supply 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 shaking motion is performed in the constant-rate drying period,   wherein the rolling motion is performed in the falling-rate drying period.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the protection speed is set to a speed for the laundry to be prevented from ascending upwardly of a center of the drum. 
     
     
         18 . 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 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 falling-rate drying period is set to allow the drum to rotate more slowly in an early stage than in a late stage of the falling-rate drying period.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the drum is provided to rotates such that the laundry is separated from an inner wall of the drum or rolls in the early stage of the falling-rate drying period. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the drum is provided to rotates such that the laundry rotates once or more while being attached to an inner wall of the drum in the late stage of the falling-rate drying period.