Clothes treating apparatus and method of controlling the same

Abstract

A clothes treating apparatus is provided. The clothes treating apparatus includes a drying device including a heat exchanger, a compressor, a fan, and 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 drain pump configured to drain the condensate water stored in the tub, a water level sensor configured to detect a water level in the tub, a drum rotationally arranged in the tub, a temperature sensor configured to detect temperature of air discharged from the drum, memory storing instructions, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the drying device, the drain pump, the water level sensor, the temperature sensor, and the memory, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the clothes treating apparatus to operate the drying device, based on a start of a drying process, operate the drain pump, based on the water level in the tub reaching a preset water level while the drying process is in progress, and determine a dryness level of an object accommodated in the drum according to temperature of air discharged out of the drum, based on a number of operations of the drain pump being equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times during a preset period of time 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, 
 a fan, and 
 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 drain pump configured to drain the condensate water stored in the tub;   a water level sensor configured to detect a water level in the tub;   a drum rotationally arranged in the tub;   a temperature sensor configured to detect temperature of air discharged from the drum;   memory storing instructions; and   one or more processors communicatively coupled to the drying device, the drain pump, the water level sensor, the temperature sensor, and the memory,   wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the clothes treating apparatus to:
 operate the drying device, based on a start of a drying process, 
 operate the drain pump, based on the water level in the tub reaching a preset water level while the drying process is in progress, and 
 determine a dryness level of an object accommodated in the drum according to temperature of air discharged out of the drum, based on a number of operations of the drain pump being equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times during a preset period of time after the start of the drying process. 
   
     
     
         2 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the clothes treating apparatus to:
 determine a drain installation environment of the clothes treating apparatus, based on a change in temperature of the air discharged from the drum in response to the number of operations of the drain pump being equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times during the preset period of time after the start of the drying process.   
     
     
         3 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the clothes treating apparatus to:
 determine that the clothes treating apparatus is installed in a low-level drain installation environment, based on the change in temperature of the air discharged from the drum being equal to or less than a preset temperature.   
     
     
         4 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the clothes treating apparatus to:
 determine a dryness level of the object, based on a water level in the tub in response to determining that the clothes treating apparatus is installed in the low-level drain installation environment.   
     
     
         5 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the clothes treating apparatus to:
 determine that the clothes treating apparatus is installed in a high-level drain installation environment, based on the change in temperature of the air discharged from the drum exceeding a preset temperature.   
     
     
         6 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the clothes treating apparatus to:
 determine a dryness level of the object, based on the temperature of the air discharged from the drum in response to determining that the clothes treating apparatus is installed in the high-level drain installation environment.   
     
     
         7 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the clothes treating apparatus to:
 based on the number of operations of the drain pump being equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times during the preset period of time after the start of the drying process, finish the drying process in response to the temperature of the air discharged from the drum being equal to or higher than a preset temperature.   
     
     
         8 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the clothes treating apparatus to:
 based on the number of operations of the drain pump being less than the predetermined number of times during the preset period of time after the start of the drying process, finish the drying process according to a change in water level in the tub.   
     
     
         9 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the clothes treating apparatus to:
 based on the number of operations of the drain pump being less than the predetermined number of times during the preset period of time after the start of the drying process, determine a dryness level of the object according to the water level in the tub.   
     
     
         10 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the clothes treating apparatus to:
 initially operate the drain pump to initialize the water level in the tub, based on the start of the drying process, and   determine a dryness level of an object accommodated in the drum according to temperature of air discharged out of the drum, based on a number of operations of the drain pump being a predetermined number of times or more during a preset period of time after the initial operation of the drain pump.   
     
     
         11 . A method performed by a clothes treating apparatus comprising a drying device including a heat exchanger, a compressor, a fan, and 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:
 operating the drying device, based on a start of a drying process;   operating a drain pump for draining condensate water stored in the tub, based on a water level in the tub reaching a preset water level while the drying process is in progress; and   determining a dryness level of an object accommodated in a drum rotationally arranged in the tub according to temperature of air discharged out of the drum, based on a number of operations of the drain pump being equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times during a preset period of time after the start of the drying process.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 determining a drain installation environment of the clothes treating apparatus, based on a change in temperature of the air discharged from the drum in response to the number of operations of the drain pump being equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times during the preset period of time after the start of the drying process.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 determining that the clothes treating apparatus is installed in a low-level drain installation environment, based on the change in temperature of the air discharged from the drum.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 determining a dryness level of the object based on a water level in the tub in response to determining that the clothes treating apparatus is installed in the low-level drain installation environment.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 determining that the clothes treating apparatus is installed in a high-level drain installation environment, based on the change in temperature of the air discharged from the drum exceeding a preset temperature.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 determining a dryness level of the object based on the temperature of the air discharged from the drum in response to determining that the clothes treating apparatus is installed in the high-level drain installation environment.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 based on the number of operations of the drain pump being equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times during a present period of time after the start of the drying process, finishing the drying process in response to the temperature of the air discharged from the drum being equal to or higher than a preset temperature.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 based on the number of operations of the drain pump being less than the predetermined number of times during the preset period of time after the start of the drying process, finishing the drying process based on a change in water level in the tub.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 based on the number of operations of the drain pump being less than the predetermined number of times during the preset period of time after the start of the drying process, determining a dryness level of the object based on a water level in the tub.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 initially operating the drain pump to initialize the water level in the tub based on the start of the drying process; and   determining a dryness level of an object accommodated in the drum according to temperature of air discharged out of the drum, based on a number of operations of the drain pump being a predetermined number of times or more during a preset period of time after the initial operation of the drain pump.