CONTROL METHOD FOR PARTITIONED WASHING MACHINE, PARTITIONED WASHING MACHINE, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202411499587.5 filed on Oct. 24, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of washing machines, and in particular to a control method for a partitioned washing machine, a partitioned washing machine, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

BACKGROUND

In the related art, a heater may be set in a washing machine to heat the air or water in the clothing treatment area, thereby improving the clothing treatment efficiency.

However, in a partitioned washing machine, multiple heaters are usually set to heat multiple clothing treatment areas. Therefore, a method for controlling multiple heaters in a partitioned washing machine is urgently needed.

SUMMARY

A first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure provides a control method for a partitioned washing machine, including: in response to receipt of a start-up instruction for a first heater, acquiring the current operation state of the second heater; in response to the operation state of the second heater being an active state, controlling the second heater to shut down; controlling the first heater to start up; and in response to the operation data corresponding to the first heater meeting the preset condition, controlling the second heater to start up.

A second aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure provides a partitioned washing machine, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the control method for the partitioned washing machine provided in the first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure is implemented.

A third aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure proposes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium has computer-executable instructions stored therein. The computer-executable instructions are configured to implement the control method for the partitioned washing machine provided in the first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure when executed by the processor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent and easy to understand from the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a control method for a partitioned washing machine provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a control method for a partitioned washing machine provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a control method for a partitioned washing machine provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a control apparatus for a partitioned washing machine provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are examples and are intended for use in explaining the present disclosure, and cannot be understood as limiting the present disclosure.

In the related art, a variable power heater, of which the heating power decreases as the temperature increases, may be used in a washing machine, thereby avoiding excessive temperature and energy waste.

However, since the power of the variable power heater is large at the start-up time, if at least one variable power heater in the partitioned washing machine starts up and other heaters are also in the active state, it may cause excessive current and cause tripping, thereby posing a safety hazard. However, if only one heater is in operation at each moment in order to avoid excessive current, it will affect the heating efficiency of the partitioned washing machine.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a control method for a partitioned washing machine, which allows multiple heaters in a partitioned washing machine to heat simultaneously while avoiding excessive current, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the partitioned washing machine.

The method, apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium in the embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a control method for a partitioned washing machine provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control method for the partitioned washing machine may include the following steps 101, 102, 103, and 104.

Step 101, in response to receipt of a start-up instruction for the first heater, acquiring the current operation state of the second heater.

In some embodiments, the partitioned washing machine may include multiple independent areas for treating clothes, and each area may dry and/or wash clothes. The diameter of each area may be the same or different. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

The first heater and the second heater are devices for heating the clothing treatment areas in the partitioned washing machine, or devices for heating water in the clothing treatment areas, or devices for heating air entering the clothing treatment areas. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

In some embodiments, a heater may heat one clothing treatment area or multiple clothing treatment areas. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

In some embodiments, the partitioned washing machine may include a first partition and a second partition. The first heater is a heater corresponding to the first partition in the partitioned washing machine. The second heater is a heater corresponding to the second partition in the partitioned washing machine. The diameter of the first partition is smaller than the diameter of the second partition. The first partition and the second partition are washing drums of different diameters, such as the inner or outer drum of a drum washing machine, and the inner or outer drum of a pulsator washing machine.

The first partition and the second partition are two independent areas in the partitioned washing machine for treating clothes.

In some embodiments, it is determined that the start-up instruction for the first heater is received when an instruction corresponding to the first partition is received, such as drying, heating and washing, etc., which requires heating of the first partition.

In some embodiments, the type of the first heater is configured such that the heating power is negatively correlated with the temperature of the first heater, and the type of the second heater is configured such that the heating power is constant.

In some embodiments, the heater of a type, which is configured such that the heating power is negatively correlated with the temperature of the heater, may be a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) thermistor.

It should be noted that the heater of a type, which is configured such that the heating power is negatively correlated with the temperature of the heater, has the lowest temperature and the highest heating efficiency at the start-up time, and the heating efficiency decreases as the temperature increases.

In some embodiments, the operation state of the second heater may be an active state or an inactive state.

It should be noted that if the type of the first heater is configured such that the heating power is negatively correlated with the temperature of the first heater, the heating power is relatively high for a time period after the first heater starts up. If the second heater is in the active state, direct start-up of the first heater may cause the current of the partitioned washing machine to be too large. Therefore, in order to avoid tripping caused by excessive current, the operation state of the second heater may be acquired first. If the second heater is inactive, the first heater may directly start up. However, if the second heater is active, it is necessary to further determine how to start up the first heater.

Step 102, in response to the operation state of the second heater being the active state, controlling the second heater to shut down.

In some embodiments, the type of the first heater is configured such that the heating power is negatively correlated with the temperature of the first heater, and the type of the second heater is configured such that the heating power is constant. If the first heater starts up during the operation of the second heater, since the heating power of the first heater is the largest at the start-up time, it may cause excessive current of the partitioned washing machine at the start-up moment of the first heater. Therefore, in order to avoid tripping caused by excessive current, the second heater may shut down first.

Step 103, controlling the first heater to start up.

It should be noted that after the second heater shuts down, the heating power in the partitioned washing machine is 0, and the first heater may start up directly.

Step 104, in response to the operation data corresponding to the first heater meeting a preset condition, controlling the second heater to start up.

In some embodiments, the preset condition may indicate any of the following: the active duration corresponding to the heater reaches the duration threshold; or the heating power corresponding to the heater is less than the power threshold.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the active duration of the first heater reaches the duration threshold, the second heater is controlled to start up.

It should be noted that when the active duration of the first heater reaches the duration threshold, the sum of the heating power of the first heater and the heating power of the second heater at the start-up time is less than the rated heating power of the partitioned washing machine. At this time, the second heater may be controlled to start up, so that the first heater and the second heater can operate at the same time without causing excessive current.

The duration threshold may be preset. For example, the duration threshold may be 30 seconds, 20 seconds, etc. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the heating power of the first heater is less than the power threshold, the second heater is controlled to start up.

It should be noted that the sum of the power threshold and the heating power of the second heater at the start-up time is less than the rated heating power of the partitioned washing machine. Therefore, when the heating power of the first heater is less than the power threshold, the second heater may be controlled to start up, so that the first heater and the second heater can operate at the same time without causing excessive current.

In some embodiments, the duration threshold is greater than the change duration, and the change duration is the duration for the heater to decrease from the heating power at the start-up time to the power threshold. Thus, it can be ensured that after the active duration of the first heater reaches the duration threshold, the sum of the heating power of the first heater and the heating power of the second heater at the start-up time is less than the rated heating power of the partitioned washing machine.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the start-up instruction for the first heater is received, the current operation state of the second heater is acquired. When the operation state of the second heater is the active state, the second heater is controlled to shut down. Then, the first heater is controlled to start up. Finally, when the operation data corresponding to the first heater meets the preset condition, the second heater is controlled to start up. Thus, the second heater shuts down first, and then the first heater starts up. In this case, after the first heater starts up and for a time period in which the heating power is the highest, only the first heater is in operation. When the operation data corresponding to the first heater meets the preset condition, the second heater is controlled to start up. Therefore, it is ensured that when the second heater is active, the heating power of the first heater and the heating power of the second heater will not cause the current of the partitioned washing machine to be too large. While ensuring safety, the first heater and the second heater can operate at the same time, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the partitioned washing machine.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a control method for a partitioned washing machine provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the control method for the partitioned washing machine may include the following steps 201, 202, and 203.

Step 201, in response to receipt of a start-up instruction for the second heater, acquiring the current operation state of the first heater.

In some embodiments, the partitioned washing machine may include a first partition and a second partition. The first heater is a heater corresponding to the first partition in the partitioned washing machine, and the second heater is a heater corresponding to the second partition in the partitioned washing machine. When an instruction corresponding to the second partition is received, such as drying, heating and washing, etc. that requires heating of the second partition, it is determined that the start-up instruction for the first heater is received.

In some embodiments, the operation state of the first heater may be an active state or an inactive state.

In some embodiments, the type of the first heater is configured such that the heating power is negatively correlated with the temperature of the first heater.

In some embodiments, the type of the second heater may be configured such that the heating power is negatively correlated with the temperature of the second heater, or that the heating power is constant.

It should be noted that if the type of the first heater is configured such that the heating power is negatively correlated with the temperature of the first heater, the heating power is high for a time period after the first heater just starts up. In this case, if the second heater directly starts up, it may cause the current of the partitioned washing machine to be too large. Therefore, in order to avoid tripping caused by excessive current, the operation state of the first heater may be acquired first. If the first heater is not active, the second heater may start up directly. However, if the first heater is active, the operation data of the first heater needs to be further analyzed.

Step 202, in response to the operation state of the first heater being the active state, acquiring the operation data corresponding to the first heater.

The operation data corresponding to the first heater may be the active duration of the first heater, or the heating power of the first heater. The present disclosure is not limited to in this regard.

Step 203, in response to the operation data corresponding to the first heater meeting the preset condition, controlling the second heater to start up.

In some embodiments, the preset condition may include any of the following: the active duration corresponding to the heater reaches the duration threshold; or the heating power corresponding to the heater is less than the power threshold.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the active duration of the first heater reaches the duration threshold, the second heater is controlled to start up.

It should be noted that when the active duration of the first heater reaches the duration threshold, the sum of the heating power of the first heater and the heating power of the second heater at the start-up time is less than the rated heating power of the partitioned washing machine. At this time, the second heater may be controlled to start up, so that the first heater and the second heater can operate at the same time without causing excessive current.

The duration threshold may be preset. For example, the duration threshold may be 30 seconds, 20 seconds, etc. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the heating power of the first heater is less than the power threshold, the second heater is controlled to start up.

It should be noted that the sum of the power threshold and the heating power of the second heater at the start-up time is less than the rated heating power of the partitioned washing machine. Therefore, when the heating power of the first heater is less than the power threshold, the second heater may be controlled to start up, so that the first heater and the second heater can operate at the same time without causing excessive current.

In some embodiments, the duration threshold is greater than the change duration, and the change duration is the duration for the heater to drop from the heating power at the start-up time to the power threshold. Thereby, it is ensured that after the active duration of the first heater reaches the duration threshold, the sum of the heating power of the first heater and the heating power of the second heater at the start-up time is less than the rated heating power of the partitioned washing machine.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when a start-up instruction for the second heater is received, the current operation state of the first heater is acquired. When the operation state of the first heater is the active state, the operation data corresponding to the first heater is acquired. When the operation data corresponding to the first heater meets the preset condition, the second heater is controlled to start up. Thus, when the operation data corresponding to the first heater meets the preset condition, the second heater may be controlled to start up. This helps to avoid the situation where the first heater just starts up while the second heater is active, causing the heating efficiency to be relatively high. Thus, it is ensured that when the first heater and the second heater are operating at the same time, the heating power of the first heater and the heating power of the second heater will not cause the current of the partitioned washing machine to be too large. Therefore, the heating efficiency of the partitioned washing machine can be improved while ensuring safety.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a control method for a partitioned washing machine provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the control method for the partitioned washing machine may include the following steps 301, 302, and 303.

Step 301, in response to receipt of a start-up instruction for the first heater, acquiring the current operation state of the second heater.

The specific implementation of step 301 may refer to the detailed description in other embodiments of the present disclosure, and will not be described in detail here.

Step 302, in response to the operation state of the second heater being the active state, acquiring the operation data corresponding to the second heater.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the type of the first heater may be configured such that the heating power is negatively correlated with the temperature of the first heater, and the type of the second heater may be configured such that the heating power is negatively correlated with the temperature of the second heater.

Step 303, in response to the operation data corresponding to the second heater meeting the preset condition, controlling the first heater to start up.

The operation data of the second heater may be the active duration of the second heater, or the heating power corresponding to the second heater.

In some embodiments, the preset condition may include any of the following: the active duration corresponding to the heater reaches the duration threshold; the heating power corresponding to the heater is less than the power threshold.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the active duration of the second heater reaches the duration threshold, the first heater is controlled to start up.

It should be noted that when the active duration of the second heater reaches the duration threshold, the sum of the heating power of the second heater and the heating power of the first heater at the start-up time is less than the rated heating power of the partitioned washing machine. At this time, the first heater may be controlled to start up, so that the first heater and the second heater can operate at the same time without causing excessive current.

The duration threshold may be preset. For example, the duration threshold may be 30 seconds, 20 seconds, etc. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the duration threshold corresponding to the first heater and the duration threshold corresponding to the second heater may be the same or different. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the heating power of the second heater is less than the power threshold, the first heater is controlled to start up.

It should be noted that the sum of the power threshold and the heating power of the first heater at the start-up time is less than the rated heating power of the partitioned washing machine. Therefore, when the heating power of the second heater is less than the power threshold, the first heater may be controlled to start up, so that the first heater and the second heater can operate at the same time without causing excessive current.

In some embodiments, the duration threshold is greater than the change duration, and the change duration is the duration for the heater to drop from the heating power at the start-up time to the power threshold. Thus, it is ensured that after the active duration of the second heater reaches the duration threshold, the sum of the heating power of the second heater and the heating power of the first heater at the start-up time is less than the rated heating power of the partitioned washing machine.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the power threshold corresponding to the first heater and the power threshold corresponding to the second heater may be the same or different. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when a start-up instruction for the first heater is received, and the operation state of the second heater is the active state, the operation data corresponding to the second heater is acquired. When the operation data corresponding to the second heater meets the preset condition, the first heater is controlled to start up. Thus, when the operation data corresponding to the second heater meets the preset condition, the first heater may be controlled to start up. This helps to avoid the situation where the second heater just starts up while the first heater is active, causing the heating efficiency to be relatively large. Thus, it is ensured that when the first heater and the second heater are operating at the same time, the heating power of the first heater and the heating power of the second heater will not cause the current of the partitioned washing machine to be too large. The heating efficiency of the partitioned washing machine can be improved while ensuring safety.

In order to realize the above embodiment(s), the present disclosure further provides a control apparatus for a partitioned washing machine.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the control apparatus for the partitioned washing machine provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control apparatus 400 for the partitioned washing machine may include: an acquisition module 401, a first control module 402, a second control module 403, and a third control module 404.

The acquisition module 401 is configured to acquire the current operation state of the second heater in response to receipt of a start-up instruction for the first heater.

The first control module 402 is configured to control the second heater to shut down in response to the operation state of the second heater being the active state.

The second control module 403 is configured to control the first heater to start up.

The third control module 404 is configured to control the second heater to start up in response to the operation data corresponding to the first heater meeting the preset condition.

According to the control apparatus 400 for the partitioned washing machine in an embodiment of the present disclosure, when receiving the start-up instruction for the first heater, the current operation state of the second heater is acquired. When the operation state of the second heater is the active state, the second heater is controlled to shut down. Then, the first heater is controlled to start up. Finally, the second heater is controlled to start up when the operation data corresponding to the first heater meets the preset condition. Thus, the second heater shuts down first, and then the first heater starts up. In this case, after the first heater starts up and during a time period in which the heating power is the highest, only the first heater is in operation. When the operation data corresponding to the first heater meets the preset condition, the second heater is controlled to start up. It is ensured that when the second heater is active, the heating power of the first heater and the heating power of the second heater will not cause the current of the partitioned washing machine to be too large. While ensuring safety, the first heater and the second heater can operate at the same time, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the partitioned washing machine.

In order to realize the above embodiment(s), the present disclosure further provides a washing machine, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the control method for the partitioned washing machine in the embodiments of the present disclosure is implemented.

In some embodiments, the partitioned washing machine has the width of 550 mm to 650 mm and the height of 800 mm to 900 mm. In some embodiments, the depth of the partitioned washing machine is not limited.

In some embodiments, the partitioned washing machine includes a first partition and a second partition, the diameter of the first partition is 175 mm to 185 mm, and the diameter of the second partition is 533 mm to 543 mm.

In some embodiments, the type of the first heater corresponding to the first partition is configured such that the heating power is negatively correlated with the temperature of the first heater, and the type of the second heater corresponding to the second partition is configured such that the heating power is negatively correlated with the temperature of the second heater, or the heating power is constant.

In order to implement any of the embodiment(s), the present disclosure further provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions. The non-transitory computer-executable instructions are configured to implement the control method for the partitioned washing machine provided in any of the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure when executed by the processor.

In order to implement any of the embodiment(s), the present disclosure further provides a computer program product, including a computer program. The computer program is executed by the processor to implement the control method for the partitioned washing machine provided in any of the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure.

In the description of the present specification, the description of reference terms such as “one embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “example”, “specific example”, or “some examples” means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in combination with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In the present specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable way. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and incorporate different embodiments or examples described in the present specification and the features of different embodiments or examples without contradiction.

In addition, the terms “first” and “second” are used only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as “first” and “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of “multiple” is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

Any process or method description in a flowchart or otherwise described herein may be understood to represent a module, segment, or portion of codes including one or more executable instructions for implementing the steps of a custom logic function or process. The scope of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed out of the order shown or discussed, including in a substantially simultaneous way or in a reverse order depending on the functions involved. This shall be understood by a person skilled in the art to which the embodiments of the present disclosure belong.

The logic and/or steps represented in a flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, may be considered as an ordered list of executable instructions for implementing a logic function, and may be specifically implemented in any computer-readable medium for use by an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus (such as a computer-based system, a system including a processor, or other system that can fetch instructions from an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus and execute instructions), or in conjunction with such instruction execution system, device, or apparatus. For the purposes of the present specification, “computer-readable medium” may be any device that may contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit a program for use by an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus, or in conjunction with such instruction execution system, device, or apparatus. More specific examples of the computer-readable medium (a non-exhaustive list) include the following: an electrical connection with one or more wirings (electronic device), a portable computer disk case (magnetic device), a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a fiber optic device, and a portable compact disk read-only memory (CDROM). In addition, the computer-readable medium may even be paper or other suitable medium on which the program is printed. This is because the program may be acquired electronically, for example, by optically scanning the paper or other medium, followed by editing, interpreting, or processing in other suitable ways as necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

It should be understood that various parts of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above-mentioned embodiments, multiple steps or methods may be implemented in software or firmware stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented by hardware, as in another embodiment, it may be implemented by any one of the following technologies known in the art or their combination: a discrete logic circuit having a logic gate circuit for implementing a logical function for a data signal, a dedicated integrated circuit having a suitable combination of logic gate circuits, a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

A person skilled in the art can understand that all or some of the steps in any of the methods of the embodiment(s) may be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a program. The program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which, when executed, includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiment(s).

In addition, various functional units in various embodiments of the present disclosure may be integrated into a processing module, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one module. The above integrated module may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module. If the integrated module is implemented in the form of a software function module and sold or used as an independent product, it may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

The storage medium mentioned may be a read-only memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, etc. Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are examples and are not to be construed as limitations of the present disclosure. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace, and vary the above embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure.