Clothing processing apparatus and method for controlling clothing processing apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to a clothing processing apparatus comprising: a tub including a tub body which provides a space in which water is stored, and a tub inlet which is provided to pass through one surface of the tub body; a drum including a drum body which is rotatably provided within the tub and in which clothes are stored, and a drum inlet which is provided to pass through one surface of the drum body and communicates with the tub inlet; a water supply unit which supplies water into the tub; a detergent supply unit which supplies a detergent into the tub; and a sensor which is provided to sense a capacitance change in the tub body and can sense at least one of the height of foam generated in the tub body and the height of water stored in the tub body.

1 . An apparatus for treating laundry, the apparatus comprising:
 a tub having a tub body providing a space for storing water and a tub entrance perforating one surface of the tub body;   a drum having a drum body rotatably provided within the tub to store the laundry and a drum entrance perforating one surface of the drum body to communicate with the tub entrance;   a water supply unit supplying water to the tub;   a detergent supply unit supplying detergent to the tub; and   a sensor detecting a change in capacitance inside the tub body to sense at least one of a height of foam generated within the tub body or a height of the water stored in the tub body.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the tub body is provided as a cylinder in a hollow shape having a central axis parallel to a ground, wherein the tub entrance is provided in any one of a front surface or a rear surface of the cylinder, and wherein the sensor is fixed to at least one of the front surface or the rear surface. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the sensor is fixed at a position capable of determining whether the foam within the tub body has reached a preset reference height. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , further comprising a driving unit providing a motive power necessary for rotation of the drum, wherein the reference height is set to a height of the foam at which a rotational speed of the drum becomes lower than a set speed by 10% or more when a power of a preset reference power amount is supplied to the driving unit. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the reference height is set to a multitude of heights corresponding to a multitude of reference water levels set to increase in proportion to an amount of the laundry put into the drum and wherein the number of the sensors is equal to the number of the reference heights. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the reference water level comprises a lowest water level set to a water level at which a lowest point of a circumferential surface of the drum body is submerged, a highest water level located at a point higher than the lowest water level and lower than a horizontal line passing through a center of the tub entrance, and an intermediate water level located between the lowest water level and the highest water level,
 wherein the reference height comprises a first reference height positioned between the lowest water level and the intermediate water level, a second reference height positioned between the intermediate water level and the highest water level, and a third reference height positioned at a point higher than the highest water level, and   wherein the sensor comprises a first sensor fixed to the front surface and positioned at the first reference height, a second sensor positioned at the second reference height, and a third sensor positioned at the third reference height.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the sensor is fixed at a position capable of determining whether a water level inside the tub body reaches a reference water level. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the reference water level comprises a lowest water level set to a water level at which a lowest point of a circumferential surface of the drum body is submerged, a highest water level located at a point higher than the lowest water level and lower than a horizontal line passing through a center of the tub entrance, and an intermediate water level located between the lowest water level and the highest water level and
 wherein the sensor comprises a first sensor positioned at the same height as the lowest water level, a second sensor positioned at the same height as the intermediate water level, and a third sensor positioned at the same height as the highest water level.   
     
     
         11 . A method of controlling a laundry treating apparatus comprising a tub providing a space for storing water, a drum rotatably provided in the tub to store laundry, a water supply unit supplying water to the tub, a detergent supply unit supplying detergent to the tub, and a sensor detecting a change in capacitance inside a tub body to sense at least one of a height of foam generated inside the tub body or a height of water stored in the tub body, the method comprising:
 a laundry amount detecting step of determine an amount of the laundry stored in the drum by rotating the drum;   a water supply step of supplying the water to the tub through a water supply unit according to a laundry amount;   a detergent supply step of supplying the detergent to the tub by the detergent supply unit;   a washing step of removing foreign substances from the laundry by rotating the drum; and   a measuring step of measuring by the sensor whether capacitance inside the tub body has increased and a time for which the capacitance has continued to increase during the washing step.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein when the capacitance inside the tub body is equal to or greater than a reference capacitance (e.g., when the foam inside the tub body reaches a reference height) and a state in which the capacitance is greater than or equal to the reference capacitance continues for a first reference time or more, the washing step decreases a rotational speed of the drum. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the washing step is configured to alternately execute clockwise rotation and counterclockwise rotation of the drum and
 wherein when the capacitance inside the tub body is equal to or greater than a reference capacitance and a state in which the capacitance is equal to or greater than the reference capacitance continues for a first reference time or more, the washing step sets a rotation direction change period of the drum to be long.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 an intermediate drain step of draining the water stored in the tub when the capacitance inside the tub body is equal to or greater than a reference capacitance and a state in which the capacitance is greater than or equal to the reference capacitance continues for more than a second reference time longer than the first reference time; and   a water resupply step of supplying water to the tub after completion of the intermediate drain step.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 an observation motion executing step of rotating the drum at a rotational speed of inducing a centrifugal force less than 1G in either a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, the observation motion executing step executed in progress of the washing step;   a draining step of draining the water stored in the tub when the capacitance measured by the sensor in progress of the observation motion executing step is less than a reference capacitance or a holding time of a state in which the capacitance is equal to or greater than the reference capacitance is less than a preset third reference time;   a dewatering step of removing water from the laundry by rotating the drum at a rotational speed of inducing a centrifugal force equal to or greater than 1G; and   a rinsing step of separating the detergent and foreign substances from the laundry by rotating the drum at a rotational speed of inducing the centrifugal force less than 1G after supplying water to the tub after completion of the dewatering step.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a draining step of draining the water stored in the tub when the capacitance measured by the sensor in progress of the observation motion executing step is equal to or greater than the reference capacitance and a holding time of a state in which the capacitance is greater than or equal to the reference capacitance is greater than or equal to the third reference time; and   a rinsing step of separating the detergent and foreign substances from the laundry by rotating the drum after supplying water to the tub.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a draining step of draining the water stored in the tub when the capacitance measured by the sensor in progress of the observation motion executing step is equal to or greater than the reference capacitance and a holding time of a state in which the capacitance is greater than or equal to the reference capacitance is greater than or equal to the third reference time;   a foam removing step of simultaneously executing a process of supplying the water to the tub by the water supply unit and a process of draining the water supplied to the tub by a drain unit; and   a dewatering step of removing water from the laundry by rotating the drum at a rotational speed of inducing the centrifugal force equal to or greater 1G based on completing the foam removing step.