Washing machine and method for controlling spin-drying operation thereof

Abstract

A washing machine is provided. The washing machine includes a drum, a motor configured to provide rotation power to the drum, a balancer positioned on at least one of the front of the drum or the rear of the drum, including a plurality of mass bodies, a vibration sensor configured to detect vibration of the drum, memory storing one or more computer programs, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the motor, the vibration sensor, and the memory. The one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the washer to perform an initial step of a dehydration cycle by driving the motor, control the motor to be driven for a predetermined time at a first speed higher than that of the resonance period of the drum and obtain an eccentricity value of the drum using the vibration sensor, and based on the obtained eccentricity value, perform one of i) a first operation of re-performing the initial step of the dehydration cycle after stopping the motor, ii) a second operation of performing a high-speed dehydration cycle by increasing a speed of the motor from the first speed, or iii) a third operation of performing rebalancing by decreasing the speed of the motor to a second speed lower than the first speed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A washer, comprising:
 a drum;   a motor configured to provide rotational power to the drum;   a balancer positioned at, at least, one of a front of the drum or a rear of the drum, including a plurality of mass bodies;   a vibration sensor configured to detect a vibration of the drum;   memory storing one or more computer programs; and   one or more processors communicatively coupled to the motor, the vibration sensor, and the memory,   wherein the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the washer to:
 perform an initial step of a dehydration cycle by driving the motor, 
 control the motor to be driven for a predetermined time at a first speed higher than in a resonance period of the drum and obtain an eccentricity value of the drum using the vibration sensor, and 
 based on the obtained eccentricity value, perform one of:
 i) a first operation of re-performing the initial step of the dehydration cycle after stopping the motor, 
 ii) a second operation of performing a high-speed dehydration cycle by increasing a speed of the motor from the first speed, or 
 iii) a third operation of performing rebalancing by decreasing the speed of the motor to a second speed lower than the first speed. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The washer of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the washer to:
 compare the eccentricity value with at least one of a predetermined first reference value or a predetermined second reference value greater than the first reference value,   control the motor to perform the second operation when the eccentricity value is less than the first reference value,   control the motor to perform the first operation when the eccentricity value is the second reference value or more, and   control the motor to perform the third operation when the eccentricity value is the first reference value or more, and less than the second reference value.   
     
     
         3 . The washer of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the first reference value is a value smaller than a compensation eccentricity value of the balancer, and   wherein the second reference value is a value larger than the compensation eccentricity value of the balancer.   
     
     
         4 . The washer of  claim 2 , wherein the second reference value is a sum of the first reference value and a compensation eccentricity value of the balancer. 
     
     
         5 . The washer of  claim 2 , wherein the first reference value is an eccentricity value predetermined to be able to perform the high-speed dehydration cycle even when the rebalancing is omitted during the dehydration cycle. 
     
     
         6 . The washer of  claim 1 , wherein the third operation includes gradually increasing the speed of the motor to a speed higher than the first speed to perform the high-speed dehydration cycle after performing the rebalancing. 
     
     
         7 . The washer of  claim 1 , wherein the second speed is a value determined within a resonance period range. 
     
     
         8 . The washer of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the vibration sensor includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor, and   wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the washer to:
 obtain a front eccentricity value and a rear eccentricity value of the drum using the vibration of the drum detected by the IMU sensor. 
   
     
     
         9 . The washer of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the washer to:
 compare the front eccentricity value with at least one of the predetermined first reference value or second reference value,   compare the rear eccentricity value with at least one of the predetermined first reference value or second reference value,   control the motor to perform the second operation when both the front eccentricity value and the rear eccentricity value are less than the first reference value,   control the motor to perform the first operation when at least one of the front eccentricity value or the rear eccentricity value is the second reference value or more, and   control the motor to perform the third operation when one of the front eccentricity value and the rear eccentricity value is the first reference value or more, and both the front eccentricity value and the rear eccentricity value are less than the second reference value.   
     
     
         10 . A method performed by a dehydration cycle performed by a washer, the method comprising:
 a laundry winding operation of increasing a speed of a motor to rotate a drum to bring laundry received in the drum in tight contact with an inner wall of the drum;   a resonance period acceleration operation of rotating the drum at a first speed larger than in a resonance period by increasing the speed of the motor;   obtaining an eccentricity value using a vibration sensor; and   based on the eccentricity value, determining whether to re-perform the laundry winding operation after pausing the motor, perform a high-speed rotation operation by increasing the speed of the motor from the first speed, or perform a rebalancing operation by decreasing the speed of the motor to a second speed lower than the first speed.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the determining whether to re-perform the laundry winding operation includes:
 determining to perform the high-speed rotation operation when the eccentricity value is less than a first reference value;   determining to perform the laundry winding operation when the eccentricity value is equal to or larger than a second reference value larger than the first reference value; or   determining to perform the rebalancing operation when the eccentricity value is the first reference value or more and less than the second reference value.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 ,
 wherein the washer includes a balancer positioned at, at least, one of a front and a rear of the drum and having a plurality of mass bodies, and   wherein the first reference value is a value smaller than a compensation eccentricity value of the balancer, and the second reference value is a value larger than the compensation eccentricity value of the balancer.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 ,
 wherein the washer includes a balancer positioned at, at least, one of a front or a rear of the drum and having a plurality of mass bodies, and   wherein the second reference value is a sum of the first reference value and a compensation eccentricity value of the balancer.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the second speed is a value determined within a resonance period range. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the rebalancing operation includes performing the high-speed rotation operation by decreasing the speed of the motor to the second speed and then gradually increasing to the first speed or more. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 ,
 wherein the washer comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor, and   wherein method further comprises:
 obtaining a front eccentricity value and a rear eccentricity value of the drum using a vibration of the drum detected by the IMU sensor. 
   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 comparing the front eccentricity value with at least one of the first reference value or the second reference value;   comparing the rear eccentricity value with at least one of the first reference value or the second reference value;   controlling the motor to perform the high-speed rotation operation when both the front eccentricity value and the rear eccentricity value are less than the first reference value;   controlling the motor to re-perform the laundry winding operation when at least one of the front eccentricity value or the rear eccentricity value is the second reference value or more; and   controlling the motor to perform the rebalancing operation when one of the front eccentricity value and the rear eccentricity value is the first reference value or more, and both the front eccentricity value and the rear eccentricity value are less than the second reference value.   
     
     
         18 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing one or more computer programs including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a washer individually or collectively, cause the washer to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 performing an initial step of a dehydration cycle by driving a motor of the washer;   controlling the motor to be driven for a predetermined time at a first speed higher than in a resonance period of a drum of the washer and obtain an eccentricity value of the drum using a vibration sensor; and   based on the obtained eccentricity value, performing one of:
 i) a first operation of re-performing the initial step of the dehydration cycle after stopping the motor, 
 ii) a second operation of performing a high-speed dehydration cycle by increasing a speed of the motor from the first speed, or 
 iii) a third operation of performing rebalancing by decreasing the speed of the motor to a second speed lower than the first speed. 
   
     
     
         19 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 18 , the operations further comprising:
 comparing the eccentricity value with at least one of a predetermined first reference value or a predetermined second reference value greater than the first reference value;   controlling the motor to perform the second operation when the eccentricity value is less than the first reference value;   controlling the motor to perform the first operation when the eccentricity value is the second reference value or more; and   controlling the motor to perform the third operation when the eccentricity value is the first reference value or more, and less than the second reference value.