Washing machine and method of controlling washing machine

Abstract

A washing machine may include: a tub; a sensor configured to measure a level of water in the tub; a rotatable drum in the tub to accommodate laundry; a motor configured to rotate the drum based on a driving current; a sensor configured to detect the driving current of the motor; and at least one processor configured to: with laundry accommodated in the drum, rotate the drum before water is supplied to the tub and detect a dry laundry current value (DLCV) of the motor, supply water to the tub, rotate the drum after water is supplied to the tub and detect a change amount of the water level, rotate the drum after the wet laundry agitation and detect a wet laundry current value (WLCV) of the motor, and identify a material of the laundry based on the DLCV, the change amount of the water level, and the WLCV.

1 . A washing machine comprising:
 a tub in which water is accommodatable;   a water level sensor configured to measure a water level of water accommodated in the tub;   a rotatable drum in the tub and in which laundry is accommodatable;   a motor configured to rotate the drum based on a driving current applied to the motor;   a current sensor configured to detect the driving current applied to the motor; and   at least one processor configured to:
 with laundry accommodated in the drum,
 rotate, by the motor, the drum before water is supplied to the tub to perform a dry laundry agitation and detect a dry laundry current value corresponding to the driving current detected by the current sensor during the dry laundry agitation, 
 supply water to the tub after the dry laundry agitation to perform a first supply of water, 
 rotate, by the motor, the drum after the first supply of water to perform a first wet laundry agitation and detect an amount of change of the water level measured by the water level sensor during the first wet laundry agitation, 
 rotate, by the motor, the drum after the first wet laundry agitation to perform a second wet laundry agitation and detect a wet laundry current value corresponding to the driving current detected by the current sensor during the second wet laundry agitation, and 
 identify a material of the laundry based on the dry laundry current value, the amount of change of the water level, and the wet laundry current value. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a memory storing a model that is trained to identify the material of the laundry based on the dry laundry current value, the amount of change of the water level, and the wet laundry current value,   wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, with laundry accommodated in the drum, input the dry laundry current value, the amount of change of the water level, and the wet laundry current value into the trained model to identify the material of the laundry.   
     
     
         3 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one processor is further configured to:
 with laundry accommodated in the drum,
 based on the water level measured by the water level sensor after the first wet laundry agitation, determine whether to supply water to the tub after the first wet laundry agitation to perform a second supply of water, 
 based on a determination to perform the second supply of water, supply water to the tub after the first wet laundry agitation, 
 perform the second wet laundry agitation after the second supply of water, and 
 identify the material of the laundry based on the dry laundry current value, the amount of change of the water level, the wet laundry current value, and a difference between another wet laundry current value corresponding to the driving current detected by the current sensor during the first wet laundry agitation and the wet laundry current value. 
 
   
     
     
         4 . The washing machine of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a memory storing a model that is trained to identify the material of the laundry based on the dry laundry current value, the amount of change of the water level, the wet laundry current value, and the difference,   wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, with laundry accommodated in the drum, input the dry laundry current value, the amount of change of the water level, the wet laundry current value, and the difference.   
     
     
         5 . The washing machine of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, with laundry accommodated in the drum, determine a water supply amount of the second supply of water based on the water level measured by the water level sensor after the first wet laundry agitation. 
     
     
         6 . The washing machine of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a detergent supply device configured to accommodate detergent to be supplied to the tub and connected to the tub through a connection pipe; and   a water supply device configured to supply water to the detergent supply device so that the supplied water is mixed with the detergent accommodated in the detergent supply device and the mixed water and detergent is supplied to the tub along a wall surface of the tub through the connection pipe,   wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, with laundry accommodated in the drum, control the detergent supply device and the water supply device so that water without detergent is injected into the tub during the second supply of water.   
     
     
         7 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a detergent supply device configured to accommodate detergent to be supplied to the tub and connected to the tub through a connection pipe; and   a water supply device configured to supply water to the detergent supply device so that the supplied water is mixed with the detergent accommodated in the detergent supply device and the mixed water and detergent is supplied to the tub along a wall surface of the tub through the connection pipe,   wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
 with laundry accommodated in the drum,
 determine a first amount of detergent to be supplied to the tub based on a weight of the laundry detected before the first wet laundry agitation, 
 control the detergent supply device and the water supply device so that, during the first supply of water, the first amount of detergent is injected into the tub, 
 determine a second amount of detergent to be supplied to the tub based on the identified material of the laundry, and 
 in response to the material of the laundry being identified, control the detergent supply device and the water supply device so that the second amount of detergent is additionally injected into the tub. 
 
   
     
     
         8 . The washing machine of  claim 7 , wherein
 the water supply device includes:
 a water supply pipe connecting an external water source and the detergent supply device, and 
 a water supply valve configured to open and close to respectively open and close the water supply pipe. 
   
     
     
         9 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a user interface,   wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, with laundry accommodated in the drum, control the user interface to output information about a start of a washing process between the dry laundry agitation and the first supply of water.   
     
     
         10 . The washing machine of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, with laundry accommodated in the drum, perform a washing cycle based on the identified material of the laundry. 
     
     
         11 . A method of controlling a washing machine including a tub in which water is accommodatable, a water level sensor configured to measure a water level of water accommodated in the tub, a rotatable drum in the tub and in which laundry is accommodatable, a motor configured to rotate the drum based on a driving current applied to the motor, a current sensor configured to detect the driving current applied to the motor, and at least one processor, the method comprising:
 by the at least one processor,
 with laundry accommodated in the drum,
 rotating, by the motor, the drum before water is supplied to the tub to perform a dry laundry agitation and detecting a dry laundry current value corresponding to the driving current detected by the current sensor during the dry laundry agitation, 
 supplying water to the tub after the dry laundry agitation to perform a first supply of water, 
 rotating, by the motor, the drum after the first supply of water to perform a first wet laundry agitation and detecting an amount of change of the water level measured by the water level sensor during the first wet laundry agitation, 
 rotating, by the motor, the drum after the first wet laundry agitation to perform a second wet laundry agitation and detecting a wet laundry current value corresponding to the driving current detected by the current sensor during the second wet laundry agitation; and 
 identifying a material of the laundry based on the dry laundry current value, the amount of change of a water level, and the wet laundry current value. 
 
   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein
 the washing machine further includes a memory storing a model that is trained to identify the material of the laundry based on the dry laundry current value, the amount of change of the water level, and the wet laundry current value, and   the identifying of the material of the laundry further includes inputting the dry laundry current value, the amount of change of the water level, and the wet laundry current value into the trained model to identify the material of the laundry.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 by the at least one processor,
 with laundry accommodated in the drum,
 based on the water level measured by the water level sensor after the first wet laundry agitation, determining whether to supply water to the tub after the first wet laundry agitation to perform a second supply of water, 
 based on a determination to perform the second supply of water, supplying water to the tub after the first wet laundry agitation, and 
 performing the second wet laundry agitation after the second supply of water, 
 
   wherein the identifying of the material of the laundry includes identifying the material of the laundry based on the dry laundry current value, the amount of change of the water level, the wet laundry current value, and a difference between another wet laundry current value corresponding to the driving current detected by the current sensor during the first wet laundry agitation and the wet laundry current value.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein
 the washing machine further includes a memory storing a model that is trained to identify the material of the laundry based on the dry laundry current value, the amount of change of the water level, the wet laundry current value, and the difference, and   the identifying of the material of the laundry includes inputting the dry laundry current value, the amount of change of the water level, the wet laundry current value, and the difference into the trained model to identify the material of the laundry.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 by the at least one processor,
 with laundry accommodated in the drum,
 determining a water supply amount of the second supply of water based on the water level measured by the water level sensor after the first wet laundry agitation.