Patent ID: 11970807
Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
Field: Other consumer goods (Other fields)
Classification: CPC D  E  F  H | IPC D  E  F  H

Claim 7:
8. A drain pump driving apparatus comprising:
a drain pump including a water introduction part for introducing water, a chamber connected to the water introduction part, an impeller disposed within the chamber, a motor disposed on an opposite side of the impeller as compared to the water introduction part, and a water discharge part for discharging water and connected to one side of the chamber, wherein the water discharge part is formed in a direction normal to the chamber;
a converter to output a direct current (DC) voltage;
an inverter to convert the DC voltage from the converter into an alternating current (AC) voltage based on a switching operation and to output the converted AC voltage to the motor; and
a controller configured to:
control the motor to, when a drain channel between the water introduction part and the water discharge part in the drain pump is clogged, be temporarily stopped in a period during which a speed of the motor increases and then to repeatedly rotate and stop in a first direction which is the same as a start-up direction, and
control the motor to repeatedly rotate and stop in a second direction opposite to the first direction when the drain channel between the water introduction part and the water discharge part in the drain pump is clogged even after the motor repeatedly rotates and stops in the first direction,
wherein, when the drain channel between the water introduction part and the water discharge part in the drain pump is unclogged by repeatedly rotating and stopping the motor in the second direction, the controller is configured to increase the speed of the motor in the first direction as when the drain channel between the water introduction part and the water discharge part in the drain pump is unclogged by repeatedly rotating and stopping the motor in the first direction,
wherein, in a period during which a speed of the motor increases, if a predetermined period of time elapses in a state in which a current speed of the motor does not reach a target speed, the controller controls the motor to be repeatedly turned on and off in the first direction for a first number of times, and to be repeatedly turned on and off in the second direction opposite to the first direction for a second number of times by changing a rotation direction of the motor.