Clothes treating apparatus and method of controlling the same

Abstract

Disclosed is a clothes treating apparatus comprising: a drying device including a heat exchanger, a compressor and a fan and having a drain hole formed to drain condensate water produced by the heat exchanger; a tub arranged underneath the drying device and storing the condensate water drained through the drain hole; a water level sensor configured to detect a water level in the tub; and a controller configured to start a drying process, operate the drying device based on the start of the drying process, and determine a load for drying to be one of no-load and a small load based on the water level in the tub failing to reach a preset water level while a preset time elapses after the start of the drying process.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A clothes treating apparatus comprising:
 a drying device including a heat exchanger, a compressor, and a fan, and having a drain hole formed to drain condensate water produced by the heat exchanger;   a tub arranged underneath the drying device and storing the condensate water drained through the drain hole;   a water level sensor configured to detect a water level in the tub; and   a controller configured to:   start a drying process,   operate the drying device based on the start of the drying process, and   determine a load for drying to be one of a no-load and a small load based on the water level in the tub having yet to reach a preset water level while a preset time elapses after the start of the drying process.   
     
     
         2 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a drain pump configured to drain the condensate water stored in the tub,   wherein the controller is configured to operate the drain pump based on the water level in the tub reaching the preset water level.   
     
     
         3 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to terminate the drying process in response to the load for drying determined to be the no-load or the small load. 
     
     
         4 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine the load for drying to be the no-load based on maintaining the water level in the tub at a first water level or less for a first time, and   determine the load for drying to be the small load based on not maintaining the water level in the tub at the first water level or less for the first time.   
     
     
         5 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to the load for drying determined to be the small load, reduce a rotation speed of at least one of a motor configured to rotate a drum rotationally arranged in the tub and the fan. 
     
     
         6 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a drum rotationally arranged in the tub;   a first temperature sensor configured to detect an inlet temperature of the drum; and   a second temperature sensor configured to detect an outlet temperature of the drum,   wherein the controller is further configured to determine the load for drying to be the no-load based on a temperature difference between an inlet and an outlet of the drum being lower than a preset temperature at a first point in time after the start of the drying process and a water level in the tub being lower than a first water level lower than the preset water level for a first time shorter than the preset time.   
     
     
         7 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the controller is further configured to terminate the drying process based on the load for drying determined to be the no-load even before a lapse of the preset time after the drying process is started. 
     
     
         8 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the controller is further configured to, based on the temperature difference between the inlet and the outlet of the drum being higher than the preset temperature or the water level in the tub being higher than the first water level, determine the load for drying to be the small load based on the water level in the tub having yet to reach the preset water level for the preset time. 
     
     
         9 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 after determining that the load for drying to be the small load, detect a water level of the tub after a second preset time;   determine that the water level in the tub exceeds a drain water level; and   based on the water level in the tub exceeding the drain water level, terminate the detecting of the small load.   
     
     
         10 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 after determining that the load for drying to be the small load, detect a water level of the tub after a second preset time;   determine that the water level in the tub does not exceed a drain water level; and   based on the water level in the tub not exceeding the drain water level, terminate the drying process.   
     
     
         11 . A method of controlling a clothes treating apparatus comprising a drying device including a heat exchanger, a compressor and a fan and having a drain hole formed to drain condensate water produced by the heat exchanger; and a tub arranged underneath the drying device and storing the condensate water drained through the drain hole, the method comprising:
 starting a drying process;   operating the drying device based on the start of the drying process; and   determining a load for drying to be one of a no-load and a small load based on a water level in the tub having yet to reach a preset water level while a preset time elapses after the start of the drying process.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 operating a drain pump for draining the condensate water stored in the tub based on the water level in the tub reaching the preset water level.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the determining of the load for drying comprises:
 determining the load for drying to be the no-load based on maintaining the water level in the tub at a first water level or less for a first time, and   determining the load for drying to be the small load based on not maintaining the water level in the tub at the first water level or less for the first time.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 in response to the load for drying determined to be the small load, reducing a rotation speed of at least one of a motor for rotating a drum rotationally arranged in the tub and the fan.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 terminating the drying process in response to the load for drying determined to be the no-load or the small load.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the clothes treating apparatus further comprises:
 a drum rotationally arranged in the tub;   a first temperature sensor configured to detect an inlet temperature of the drum; and   a second temperature sensor configured to detect an outlet temperature of the drum, wherein the determining of the load for drying comprises determining the load for drying to be the no-load based on a temperature difference between an inlet and an outlet of the drum being lower than a preset temperature at a first point in time after the start of the drying process and the water level in the tub being lower than a first water level lower than the preset water level for a first time shorter than the preset time.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 terminating the drying process based on the load for drying determined to be the no-load even before a lapse of the preset time after the drying process is started.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the determining of the load for drying comprises, in response to the temperature difference between the inlet and the outlet of the drum being higher than the preset temperature or the water level in the tub being higher than the first water level, determining the load for drying to be the small load based on the water level in the tub having yet to reach the preset water level for the preset time. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 after determining that the load for drying to be the small load, detecting a water level of the tub after a second preset time;   determining that the water level in the tub exceeds a drain water level; and   based on the water level in the tub exceeding the drain water level, terminating the detecting of the small load.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 after determining that the load for drying to be the small load, detecting a water level of the tub after a second preset time;   determining that the water level in the tub does not exceed a drain water level; and   based on the water level in the tub not exceeding the drain water level, terminating the drying process.