Patent Description:
Generally, laundry treatment apparatuses can be classified into a front-loading type laundry treatment device and a top-loading type laundry device according to how laundry is put into and treated in the laundry treatment apparatus. In addition, laundry treatment apparatuses can also be largely classified into a washing machine for washing laundry and a drying machine for drying laundry according to how laundry is treated in the laundry treatment apparatus.

In recent years, the front-loading type washing machine has a smaller height, a larger washing capacity (i.e., a larger laundry treating capacity), and less laundry entanglement as compared to the top-loading type washing machine in which an inner tub (i.e., a washing tub) is installed upright and rotates, so that the demand for front-loading type washing machines is rapidly increasing.

On the other hand, the front-loading type washing machine includes a tub provided in a cabinet forming an exterior appearance thereof, a drum rotatable in the tub, and a driver for rotating the drum, such that contaminants of laundry can be removed by friction between laundry and wash water in the rotating drum.

In addition, an improved drying machine including a cabinet similar in shape to the external appearance of the front-loading type washing machine has recently been developed and manufactured, which allows the cabinet to include a rotatable drying drum, a driver for rotating the drying drum, and a hot air supply device for producing high-temperature drying air to perform drying of washed wet laundry and the like.

When the washing machine and the drying machine according to the prior art are installed at the same time, the washing machine and the drying machine are installed side by side in a horizontal direction on the installation surface. However, if the space for installation of both the washing machine and the drying machine is small in size, the washing machine and the drying machine are separately installed in different spaces, and wet laundry washed by the washing machine is transferred to and put into the drying machine by a user, thereby drying washed laundry.

On the other hand, in recent years, the washing machine and the drying machine are installed to be located adjacent to each other for implementation of a smaller installation space and greater convenience of use. For example, the washing machine (or the drying machine) and the drying machine (or the washing machine) may be installed in a stacked structure in which the drying machine (or the washing machine) is disposed over the washing machine (or the drying machine), or may be installed to be adjacent to each other. In addition, recently, an integrated-type laundry treatment apparatus having a stacked structure in which a washing machine or a drying machine is selectively disposed at an upper portion or a lower portion has been developed and rapidly come into widespread use.

Each of the washing machine and the drying machine according to the prior art has been designed to receive an independent power source by an independent controller thereof so that the washing machine and the drying machine can operate independently of each other. That is, each of the washing machine and the drying machine has a separate power cable for receiving a separate power source, a controller of the washing machine allows the washing machine to perform a washing cycle regardless of operation of the drying machine, and a controller of the drying machine allows the drying machine to perform a drying cycle regardless of operation of the washing machine.

However, when performing the washing cycle or the drying cycle using the washing machine or the drying machine, if current consumption of the washing machine and current consumption of the drying machine are simultaneously maximized, total current consumption of both the washing machine and the drying machine may exceed a per-household allowable value for enabling installation of the washing machine and the drying machine.

In this case, overload may occur in power supply for each household, so that a power-supply unit for each household may be shut down, or serious errors may occur in the operation time of the washing machine or the drying machine.

Therefore, when the washing machine and the drying machine are simultaneously operated, there is a need to control the operation of the washing machine or the operation of the drying machine in a manner that the washing machine or the drying machine can be controlled in response to the maximum amount of current consumption thereof.

<CIT> presents an appliance system that includes an appliance group containing at least two appliances, a first appliance designed to perform a first consumer function related to the first appliance and a second appliance that is separate from the first appliance and designed to perform a second consumer function related to the second appliance. The appliance system also includes a thermal energy generator, typically a heat pump, where the thermal energy heats at least one thermal energy bearing fluid and is operably connected to the first and second appliances to deliver thermal energy to the first and second appliances simultaneously or at different times via one or more of the thermal energy bearing fluids.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method for controlling a laundry treatment apparatus that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling a laundry treatment apparatus configured to control a washing machine and a drying machine that are simultaneously operated, so that the maximum amount of current consumption of the washing machine and the drying machine does not exceed the amount of allowable current consumption for each household.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling a laundry treatment apparatus during simultaneous operation of the washing machine and the drying machine, so that the washing machine is controlled according to the operation state of the drying machine in a manner that the maximum amount of current consumption of the washing machine and the drying machine does not exceed the amount of allowable current consumption for each household.

The object is solved by the features of the independent claim.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a laundry treatment apparatus is disclosed. The laundry treatment apparatus includes an upper treatment device and a lower treatment device. The upper treatment device includes a drying drum in which target laundry to be dried is placed, an upper driver to rotate the drying drum, a circulation passage unit through which air flows into or out of the drying drum, a heat exchanger to dehumidify and heat the air, and a steam generator to supply steam to the drying drum. The lower treatment device includes a tub to store wash water therein, a washing drum provided in the tub so that target laundry to be washed is put into the washing machine and the laundry is washed and dried, a tub heater provided in the tub to heat the wash water, and a lower driver to rotate the washing drum. The method for controlling the laundry treatment apparatus includes performing, by the lower treatment device, a washing course including a water supply step, a washing(rinsing) step, and a dehydration step, and performing, by the upper treatment device, a drying course including a hot air supply step, a fan operation step, and a dryness sensing step, wherein the lower treatment device performs the washing course by changing a configuration of at least one of an operation of the tub heater, an execution time of the washing course, and an operation of the lower driver according to a progress state of the drying course, thereby performing the washing course.

According to the present invention, a laundry treatment apparatus is provided comprising: an upper treatment device and a lower treatment device.

The upper treatment device includes a drying drum for receiving a target laundry to be dried, an upper driver to rotate the drying drum, a circulation passage unit through which air flows into or out of the drying drum, a heat exchanger to dehumidify and/or heat the air, and a steam generator for supplying steam to the drying drum.

The lower treatment device includes a tub to store wash water therein, a washing drum provided in the tub for washing and/or drying target laundry, a tub heater provided in the tub to heat the wash water, and a lower driver to rotate the washing drum.

The laundry treatment apparatus is configured to perform, by the lower treatment device, a washing course including at least one of a water supply step, a washing and/or rinsing step, and a dehydration step.

The upper treatment device is configured to perform a drying course including at least one of a hot air supply step, a fan operation step, and a dryness sensing step.

The lower treatment device is configured to perform the washing course including a changed a configuration of at least one of an operation of the tub heater, an execution time of the washing course, and an operation of the lower driver according to a progress state of the drying course.

The method and/or the apparatus may further include determining whether the drying course and the washing course overlap each other or not.

The method and/or the apparatus may further include determining a progress state of the drying course and/or determining a progress state of the washing course.

Preferably, the determining of a progress state of the drying course may be performed by the lower treatment device.

Preferably, the determining of a progress state of the washing course may be performed by the upper treatment device.

The method and/or the apparatus may further include determining, by the lower treatment device, a progress state of the drying course.

In one or more embodiments, when the drying course and the washing course do not overlap each other, performing a predetermined washing course, and when the drying course and the washing course overlap each other, determining whether the drying course and operation of the tub heater overlap each other.

In the determining whether the drying course and the operation of the tub heater overlap each other, when the drying course and the operation of the tub heater overlap each other, the washing course is configured to exclude the operation of the tub heater; and when the drying course and the operation of the tub heater do not overlap each other, a predetermined washing course is configured to be performed.

The method and/or the apparatus may further include determining whether the steam generator operates, when the operation of the steam generator and a progress of the washing course do not overlap each other, performing a predetermined washing course, and determining whether the operation of the steam generator and the washing course overlap each other.

In the determining whether the operation of the steam generator and the washing course overlap each other, when the operation of the steam generator and the washing course overlap each other, a configuration of the washing course is changed in a manner that the washing course is performed after the operation of the steam generator is ended, and when the operation of the steam generator and the washing course do not overlap each other, a predetermined washing course is performed.

The method and/or the apparatus may further include determining, by the lower treatment device, a progress state of the drying course, when the operation of the drying course and the washing (rinsing) step do not overlap each other, performing a predetermined washing course, and when the drying course and the washing course overlap each other, determining whether the drying course and the washing (rinsing) step overlap each other.

In the determining whether the drying course and the washing (rinsing) step overlap each other, when the drying course and the washing (rinsing) step overlap each other, a configuration of the washing course is changed in a manner that a configuration of the lower driver is changed; and when the drying course and the washing (rinsing) step do not overlap each other, a predetermined washing course is configured to be performed.

An operation of changing the configuration of the lower driver is configured to control operation of the lower driver in a manner that driving efficiency of the lower driver is less than driving efficiency of the lower driver used in a predetermined washing course.

The upper treatment device changes a configuration of at least one of a time of the drying course and a heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger according to a progress state of the washing course, and performs the drying course.

The method and/or the apparatus may further include determining, by the upper treatment device, a progress state of the washing course, when the washing course and the drying course do not overlap each other, performing a predetermined normal drying course, and when the washing course and the drying course overlap each other, determining whether the dehydration step and the drying course overlap each other.

In the determining whether the dehydration step and the drying course overlap each other, when the dehydration step and the drying course overlap each other, a power-saving drying course for changing a configuration of the heat exchanger is performed, and when the dehydration step and the drying course do not overlap each other, a normal drying course is configured to be performed.

An operation of changing a configuration of the power-saving drying course is configured to control the heat exchanger such that the heat exchanger generates less heat capacity than the heat exchanger used in a predetermined normal drying course.

The power-saving drying course is performed for a relatively longer time than the normal drying course.

In the power-saving drying course, a compensation time according to a heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger is added to the power-saving drying course in preparation for a progress time of the normal drying course, so that the power-saving drying course is performed for the added resultant time.

The compensation time is increased compared to an overlapping time between the heat exchanger and the dehydration step.

The compensation time increases in inverse proportion to a heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger of the normal drying course in preparation for the heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger of the normal drying course.

The laundry treatment apparatus includes a main power line configured to receive power from an external power source, and an upper power line and a lower power line configured to receive power through the main power line in a manner that the upper power line is branched from the inside of the upper treatment device and connected to the upper treatment device, and the lower power line is branched from the inside of the lower treatment device and connected to the lower treatment device, wherein the upper treatment device and the lower treatment device are configured to simultaneously receive power through the upper power line and the lower power line, respectively.

The laundry treatment apparatus may further include an controller to determine whether their counterpart treatment devices operate or not.

Preferably, there may be an upper controller and a lower controller electrically connected to each other.

When the upper treatment device and the lower treatment device are operated, the upper controller and the lower controller may communicate to determine whether their counterpart treatment devices operate or not.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present disclosure are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Hereinafter, a laundry treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

In the following description of the present disclosure, names of constituent components to be defined are determined in consideration of their functions. Accordingly, it should be understood that the following description should not be construed as limiting technical components of the present disclosure. In addition, constituent elements defined in the present disclosure can also be called other names by those skilled in the art.

In addition, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. In the drawings, the sizes and shapes of constituent elements may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience of description.

On the other hand, the terms "first" and "second" may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms may be used to distinguish one component from another component.

It will be understood that, when an element is referred to as being "connected to" or "coupled to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element, no intervening elements are present.

In description of the present disclosure, the terms "comprising," "including," and "having" shall be understood to designate the presence of particular features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof, but not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

In description of the present disclosure, the term "and/or" may include a combination of a plurality of items or any one of a plurality of listed items. For example, "A or B" may include "only A", "only B", and/or "both A and B".

A method for controlling a laundry treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will hereinafter be described with reference to the attached drawings.

<FIG> is a perspective view illustrating a laundry treatment apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of the laundry treatment apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a block diagram illustrating constituent elements of the laundry treatment apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the laundry treatment apparatus <NUM> may include a washing machine (hereinafter referred to as a lower treatment device <NUM>) installed at a lower space to perform washing and rinsing of target laundry, and a drying machine (hereinafter referred to as an upper treatment device <NUM>) installed over the lower treatment device <NUM> to dry wet or washed laundry or target laundry to be separately dried after completion of washing.

The drying machine corresponding to the upper treatment device <NUM> can be classified into various types of drying machines configured to use a gas burner, an electric heater, a heat pump, etc. according to how to supply a heat source to the drying machine. For convenience of description and better understanding of the present disclosure, it is assumed that the upper treatment device <NUM> is implemented as the drying machine configured to use the heat pump.

However, the upper treatment device <NUM> is not limited thereto, and it should be understood that the upper treatment device <NUM> can also be implemented as all kinds of upper treatment devices each including the main components of the upper treatment device <NUM> even if different heat sources are applied thereto.

The upper treatment device <NUM> may include an upper cabinet <NUM> provided with an upper front panel <NUM>, an upper top panel <NUM>, an upper side panel <NUM>, an upper rear panel <NUM>, and an upper base <NUM>, which form an external appearance thereof; a drying drum <NUM> rotatably provided in the upper cabinet <NUM> and configured in a manner that target laundry is put into and dried therein; a circulation passage portion <NUM> through which heated air is supplied to the drying drum <NUM> and is then discharged from the drying drum <NUM> after drying target laundry; an upper driver <NUM> for rotating the drying drum <NUM> at a predetermined rotation speed; a heat exchanger <NUM> for heating air in the circulation passage portion <NUM> and supplying the heated air; an upper drain unit <NUM> for discharging condensed water generated from the heat exchanger; and a steam generator <NUM> for supplying steam into the drying drum <NUM>.

The upper front panel <NUM> may include an upper inlet <NUM> through which laundry to be dried is put into the drying drum <NUM>, and an upper door <NUM> for opening or closing the upper inlet <NUM>. A lower portion of the upper front panel <NUM> may be provided with a control panel <NUM> for controlling the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM>.

The upper side panel <NUM> and the upper rear panel <NUM> may be configured in different plates separated from each other, and may be formed integrally with each other by bending one panel. The upper side panel <NUM> and the upper rear panel <NUM> may be formed integrally with each other to increase the strength of the upper treatment device <NUM>.

The upper rear panel <NUM> may further include a service panel (not shown) that forms a rear surface of the upper treatment device <NUM> and can open or close the upper rear panel <NUM> for maintenance of the upper treatment device <NUM>.

A lower portion of the upper cabinet <NUM> may be provided with the upper base <NUM> where constituent components (e.g., the drying drum <NUM>, the circulation passage portion <NUM>, the upper driver <NUM>, the heat exchanger <NUM>, etc.) of the upper treatment device <NUM> are supported and installed.

The drying drum <NUM> may be formed in a cylindrical shape in which a front end and a rear end are opened. A front plate <NUM> and a rear plate <NUM> for rotatably supporting the drying drum <NUM> may be provided at the front side and the rear side of the drying drum <NUM>, respectively.

The front plate <NUM> may be formed with an opening <NUM> communicating with the upper inlet <NUM> formed at the upper front panel <NUM>, and may include a front support <NUM> that supports a front inner circumferential surface of the drying drum <NUM> in the direction from the outer circumferential surface of the opening <NUM> to the front side of the drying drum <NUM>.

A lower portion of the front support <NUM> may be provided with a front roller <NUM> for rotatably supporting a front lower portion of the front drying drum <NUM>. A lower portion of the front plate <NUM> may be provided with a plurality of intake holes <NUM> through which air from the drying drum <NUM> is sucked into the circulation passage portion <NUM>, and an intake duct <NUM> of the circulation passage portion <NUM> is connected to the intake holes <NUM>.

The rear plate <NUM> may be coupled to the supply duct <NUM> of the circulation passage portion <NUM> to be described later, and may be formed with a plurality of supply holes <NUM> through which air flows into the drying drum <NUM>. A rear support <NUM> for supporting the rear inner circumferential surface of the drying drum <NUM> to the rear side of the drying drum <NUM> may be disposed at the outside of the supply hole <NUM>. A rear roller <NUM> for rotatably supporting the lower portion of the drying drum <NUM> may be disposed at a lower portion of the rear support <NUM>.

The flow passage <NUM> may include an intake hole <NUM> configured to suction air from the drying drum <NUM> by communicating with the intake hole <NUM>, a supply duct <NUM> configured to supply the air of the intake duct <NUM> to the drying drum <NUM>, a connection duct <NUM> configured to interconnect the intake duct <NUM> and the supply duct <NUM> and to include a heat absorption unit <NUM> and a heating unit <NUM> of the heat exchanger <NUM>, and a fan <NUM> disposed between the supply duct <NUM> and the intake duct <NUM> so that air inside the drying drum <NUM> can circulate through the intake duct <NUM>, the connection duct <NUM>, and the supply duct <NUM>.

On the other hand, a filter unit <NUM> for filtering foreign materials such as lint contained in the air sucked from the drying drum <NUM> may be detachably coupled to the intake hole <NUM> of the intake duct <NUM>. In addition, the connection duct <NUM> may be coupled to the upper base <NUM>, and may form a flow passage space in which the heat absorption unit <NUM> and the heating unit <NUM> are installed. In addition, the supply duct <NUM> may guide the air dehumidified and heated by the heat absorption unit <NUM> and the heating unit <NUM> provided in the connection duct <NUM> to the inside of the drying drum <NUM>.

In this case, the circulation passage portion <NUM> may be configured in a manner that the air inside the drying drum <NUM> is sucked into the circulation passage portion <NUM> through the intake duct <NUM> according to operation of the fan <NUM>, resulting in reduction in pressure of the drying drum <NUM>. As the pressure of the drying drum <NUM> decreases, the air outside the drying drum <NUM> can flow into the drying drum <NUM> through the supply duct <NUM>. At this time, the air flowing through the supply duct <NUM> may be heated by the heat exchanger <NUM> provided in the connection duct <NUM>, so that the heated air can flow into the drying drum <NUM>.

In this case, the fan <NUM> may be provided in any of the intake duct <NUM>, the connection duct <NUM> or the supply duct <NUM>. The following description will be given with reference to one example in which the fan <NUM> is disposed between the connection duct <NUM> and the supply duct <NUM> (i.e., one example in which the fan <NUM> is disposed at the rear side of the heating unit <NUM>).

The heat exchanger <NUM> may be implemented as various kinds of devices, each of which sequentially performs dehumidifying and heating of the air introduced into the connection duct <NUM>. The present disclosure will hereinafter be described with reference to the example in which the heat exchanger <NUM> is provided as a heat pump.

The heat exchanger <NUM> may include a heat absorption unit <NUM> provided in the connection duct <NUM> to dehumidify the air introduced into the connection duct <NUM>, a heating unit <NUM> provided in the connection duct <NUM> to heat the air having penetrated the heat absorption unit <NUM>, a compressor <NUM> to compress a refrigerant having penetrated the heating unit <NUM> and to supply the compressed refrigerant to the heat absorption unit <NUM>, and a pressure regulator <NUM> to adjust pressure of the refrigerant having penetrated the heating unit <NUM>. The above-described constituent components of the heat exchanger <NUM> may be connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe <NUM> through which the refrigerant flows.

Here, each of the heat absorption unit <NUM> and the heating unit <NUM> may include a plurality of metal plates arranged in parallel to the movement direction of air within a width direction of the connection duct <NUM> or within a height direction of the connection duct <NUM>. The heat absorption unit <NUM> and the heating unit <NUM> may be sequentially arranged in the direction from the intake duct <NUM> to the supply duct <NUM> within the connection duct <NUM>.

The upper driver <NUM> may be configured to rotate the drying drum <NUM> at a predetermined rotation speed. The upper driver <NUM> may include a motor <NUM> to generate power, a pulley <NUM> provided at a rotary shaft of the motor <NUM>, and a belt <NUM> to connect the pulley <NUM> to the outer circumferential surface of the drying drum <NUM>.

In this case, the pulley <NUM> may be provided at one end of the rotary shaft of the motor <NUM>, and the fan <NUM> of the circulation passage portion <NUM> may be provided at the other end of the rotary shaft of the motor <NUM>. That is, the fan <NUM> and the drying drum <NUM> of the circulation passage portion <NUM> can simultaneously operate by only one motor <NUM>. At this time, since the drying drum <NUM> and the drum <NUM> are driven by only one motor <NUM>, the drying drum <NUM> and the fan <NUM> may rotate at a predetermined rotation speed with a constant ratio therebetween.

Although not shown in the drawings, each of the drying drum <NUM> and the fan <NUM> may include a separate motor (not shown). When a separate motor is provided in each of the drying drum <NUM> and the fan <NUM>, the rotation speed of the drying drum <NUM> and the rotation speed of the fan <NUM> can be controlled separately from each other.

On the other hand, the upper drain unit <NUM> may be configured to discharge condensed water generated in the heat absorption unit of the heat exchanger. The upper drain unit <NUM> may include a storage body <NUM> detachably coupled to the upper cabinet <NUM> and configured to provide a space for storing water, a drain pump <NUM> provided in the upper base <NUM> to perform pumping of condensed water generated in the heat absorption unit <NUM>, and a drain pipe <NUM> to guide condensed water pumped by the drain pump <NUM> to the storage body.

Here, the storage body <NUM> may be provided as a drawer-type tank drawn out from the cabinet <NUM>, and may be configured to form a portion of the upper front panel <NUM> at the front surface of the storage body <NUM>.

On the other hand, the steam generator <NUM> may generate steam by heating the supplied water, may supply the generated steam to the inside of the drying drum <NUM>, and may sterilize laundry to be treated in the drying drum <NUM> using high-temperature steam. Furthermore, the steam generator <NUM> may remove wrinkles that may occur in laundry to be dried, and may increase the volume of laundry to be dried, thereby refreshing the laundry to be dried.

The steam generator <NUM> may receive wash water from a water supply source (not shown) located outside the laundry treatment apparatus <NUM>. The steam generator <NUM> may include a steam supply pipe <NUM> for supplying condensed water stored in the storage body <NUM> of the drain unit <NUM>, and a steam supply pipe <NUM> for guiding steam generated by the steam generator to the drying drum.

The lower treatment device <NUM> may include a lower cabinet <NUM> provided with a lower front panel <NUM>, a lower side panel <NUM>, a lower rear panel <NUM>, a lower top panel <NUM>, and a lower base panel 219a, which form an external appearance thereof. The lower cabinet <NUM> may include a tub <NUM> to store wash water therein, a washing drum <NUM> rotatably provided in the tub <NUM> and configured to wash target laundry, a lower driver <NUM> provided at the rear side of the tub <NUM> so as to rotate the washing drum <NUM>, a water supply unit <NUM> to supply wash water to the tub <NUM>, a detergent supply unit <NUM> to mix wash water supplied from the water supply unit with detergent so as to supply a mixture of the wash water and the detergent, and a lower drain unit <NUM> to discharge wash water stored in the tub <NUM>.

The lower front panel <NUM> may include a lower inlet <NUM> through which laundry to be washed can be put into the washing drum <NUM>, and a lower door <NUM> to open or close the lower inlet <NUM>.

The lower side panel <NUM> and the lower rear panel <NUM> may be configured in different plates separated from each other, and may be formed integrally with each other by bending one panel. The lower side panel <NUM> and the lower rear panel <NUM> may be formed integrally with each other to increase the strength of the lower treatment device <NUM>.

The lower front panel <NUM> may be formed on the same extension surface as the upper front panel <NUM>, and the lower side panel <NUM> may be formed on the same extension surface as the upper side panel <NUM>. That is, each of the lower front panel <NUM> and the upper front panel <NUM> may include a control panel <NUM> located below the upper front panel <NUM>, so that the lower front panel <NUM> and the upper front panel <NUM> can be formed to be disposed in the same plane.

In addition, the upper side panel <NUM> may form left and right side surfaces of the upper treatment device <NUM>, the lower side panel <NUM> may form left and right side surfaces of the lower treatment device <NUM>, and at the same time the upper side panel <NUM> and the lower side panel <NUM> may be formed to be disposed in the same plane.

On the other hand, the lower top panel <NUM> may be disposed over the lower front panel <NUM> and the lower side panel <NUM>, may serve to partition the lower treatment device <NUM> and the upper treatment device <NUM>, and may thus support the lower treatment device <NUM> and the upper treatment device <NUM>.

In addition, when a fire occurs in the lower treatment device <NUM> or the upper treatment device <NUM>, the lower top panel <NUM> may serve as a flameproof panel to prevent the fire generated in the lower treatment device <NUM> or the upper treatment device <NUM> from moving to another treatment device.

The lower rear panel <NUM> may form the rear surface of the lower treatment device <NUM>, and may further include a service panel (not shown) that can open and/or close the lower rear panel <NUM> for maintenance of the lower treatment device <NUM>. Also, a water supply pipe <NUM> of the water supply unit <NUM> to be described later and a drain pipe <NUM> of the lower drain unit <NUM> may be formed to penetrate the lower rear panel <NUM>.

On the other hand, the upper treatment device <NUM> may be disposed over the lower treatment device <NUM>, and a top surface of the lower treatment device <NUM> may be covered by the upper treatment device <NUM>.

The tub <NUM> may be formed in a cylindrical shape that is movable by a suspension <NUM> such as a spring or a damper, and may be formed in the lower cabinet <NUM>. A tub heater <NUM> for heating wash water stored in the tub <NUM> may be provided at an inner lower portion of the tub <NUM>.

In this case, a tub opening <NUM> communicating with the lower inlet <NUM> formed at the lower front panel <NUM> may be formed in front of the tub <NUM>. Here, the lower inlet <NUM> and the tub opening <NUM> of the lower front panel <NUM> may further include a bellows-shaped gasket <NUM> for maintaining watertightness during movement of the tub <NUM>.

The lower driver <NUM> may be provided at the rear surface of the tub <NUM> to rotate the washing drum <NUM>. The lower driver <NUM> may include an outer-rotor-type motor <NUM> provided at the rear surface of the tub <NUM>, and a rotary shaft <NUM> configured to penetrate the rear surface of the tub <NUM> to transmit the rotational force of the motor <NUM>.

The washing drum <NUM> may be formed in a cylindrical shape that is rotatably provided in the tub <NUM> by connecting to the rotary shaft <NUM>. The washing drum <NUM> may be provided with a drum opening <NUM> communicating with the tub opening <NUM> formed in the tub <NUM> in which laundry is put and disposed. In addition, a plurality of dehydration holes <NUM> for movement of wash water and a plurality of lifters <NUM> may be provided at the inner circumferential surface of the wash drum <NUM>.

The water supply unit <NUM> may receive wash water from an external water supply source (not shown) located outside the laundry treatment device <NUM>. The water supply unit <NUM> may include a water supply pipe <NUM> connected to the external water supply source, a detergent supply unit <NUM> configured to mix wash water and detergent by connecting to the water supply pipe <NUM> and to supply a mixture of the wash water and the detergent to the tub <NUM>, and a supply hose <NUM> configured to interconnect the detergent supply unit <NUM> and the tub <NUM>.

The lower drain unit <NUM> may be disposed below the tub <NUM> to discharge wash water used to wash laundry to the outside of the tub <NUM>. The lower drain unit <NUM> may include a drain hose <NUM> connected to a lower bottom surface of the tub <NUM>, a drain pump <NUM> included in the drain hose <NUM> to pump wash water, and a drain pipe <NUM> to discharge wash water pumped by the drain pump <NUM> to the outside of the lower treatment device <NUM>.

The above-described laundry treatment apparatus <NUM> may be configured in a manner that the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> are disposed in a vertical direction, and may be controlled by only one control panel <NUM> to implement a sense of unity in design.

The control panel <NUM> may be disposed at a front lower surface of the upper treatment device <NUM> or at a front upper surface of the lower treatment device <NUM>. For convenience of description, the following embodiment will hereinafter be described with reference to one example in which the control panel <NUM> is disposed at a lower portion of the upper treatment device <NUM>.

The control panel <NUM> may be disposed below the upper front panel <NUM>. The control panel <NUM> may include an upper operation unit <NUM> to control the upper treatment device <NUM>, an upper display <NUM> to display an operation state of the upper treatment device <NUM>, a lower operation unit <NUM> to control the lower treatment device <NUM>, and a lower display <NUM> to display an operation state of the lower treatment device <NUM>.

In addition, the upper treatment device <NUM> may include an upper controller <NUM>, and the lower treatment device <NUM> may include a lower controller <NUM>. The upper controller <NUM> and the lower controller <NUM> may be provided to communicate with each other, so that the lower treatment device <NUM> (or the upper treatment device <NUM>) may interact with the upper treatment device <NUM> (or the lower treatment device <NUM>) according to operation of the upper treatment device <NUM> (or the lower treatment device <NUM>).

That is, the upper controller <NUM> and the lower controller <NUM> may be electrically connected to each other. As a result, when the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> are operated, the upper controller <NUM> and the lower controller <NUM> can determine whether their counterpart treatment devices operate or not. The operations of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> can be controlled and changed according to whether their counterpart treatment device operates or not.

On the other hand, each of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> may receive a power-supply voltage from the external power source (P) using a power line (not shown). In this case, the user should connect the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> to the external power source using separate power lines, resulting in occurrence of user inconvenience and having an adverse effect on aesthetics.

As can be seen from <FIG>, the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> may be connected to each other using only one main power line (P1). The upper power line <NUM> and the lower power line <NUM> may be branched from the main power line (P1), so that the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> can be simultaneously powered on.

Here, the main power line (P1) may be selectively connected to the upper treatment device <NUM> or the lower treatment device <NUM>. The main power line (P1) may be branched from any one of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> that are stacked, so that the remaining lower treatment device <NUM> or the remaining upper treatment device <NUM> can be powered on.

On the other hand, the upper treatment device <NUM> includes an upper power-supply controller <NUM>, and the lower treatment device <NUM> includes a lower power-supply controller <NUM>, so that AC power supplied to the upper power line <NUM> and the lower power line <NUM> through the main power line can be converted into DC power that can be used in the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM>.

In this case, DC power converted by the upper power-supply controller <NUM> may be selectively supplied to constituent elements (scheduled to use DC power) of the upper treatment device <NUM> by the upper controller <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM>. For example, DC power converted by the upper power-supply controller <NUM> may be provided to the upper driver <NUM>, the heat exchanger <NUM>, and the steam generator <NUM> under control of the upper controller <NUM>, such that the upper treatment device <NUM> can be turned on or off or can be quantitatively controlled.

In addition, DC power converted by the lower power-supply controller <NUM> may be selectively supplied to constituent elements (scheduled to use DC power) of the lower treatment device <NUM> by the lower controller <NUM> of the lower treatment device <NUM>. For example, DC power converted by the lower power-supply controller <NUM> may be provided to the lower driver <NUM> and a tub heater <NUM> under control of the upper controller <NUM>, such that the lower treatment device <NUM> can be turned on or off or can be quantitatively controlled.

On the other hand, the lower treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> may be configured to simultaneously receive power from the external power source (P) through one main power line (P1). Power supplied to the main power line (P1) can be simultaneously supplied to the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> through the upper power line <NUM> and the lower power line <NUM>.

A method for operating the laundry treatment apparatus <NUM> according to the present disclosure will hereinafter be described with reference to <FIG>.

When the external power source (P) is connected to the laundry treatment apparatus <NUM> through the main power line (P1), the upper treatment device <NUM> may receive power from the external power source (P) through the main power line (P1) and the upper power line <NUM> (S110), the lower treatment device <NUM> may receive power from the external power source (P) through the main power line (P1) and the upper power line <NUM> (S210), so that each of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> may start operation.

On the other hand, the laundry treatment apparatus <NUM> may be classified into the upper treatment device <NUM> serving as the drying machine and the lower treatment device <NUM> serving as the washing machine. For convenience of description, operation of the upper treatment device <NUM> and operation of the lower treatment device <NUM> are distinguished from each other and will hereinafter be described in different ways.

The operation of the lower treatment device <NUM> will hereinafter be described with reference to <FIG>. In this case, the lower treatment device <NUM> may be implemented as a washing machine or a drying machine. For convenience of description, the present disclosure will hereinafter be described with reference to one example in which the lower treatment device <NUM> is implemented as a washing machine.

Since the main power line (P1) is connected to the external power source (P), the lower treatment device <NUM> may receive power through the lower power line <NUM> (S110). Here, the lower controller <NUM> of the lower treatment device <NUM> may wait for the user to input an operation command and to select a washing course (S120).

In this case, the user may select and input a washing course or the like of the lower treatment device <NUM> through the lower operation unit <NUM> provided in the lower controller <NUM> of the control panel <NUM> of the laundry treatment apparatus <NUM>. In this case, when the user has not yet input a desired washing course to the lower controller <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> may wait to receive user input.

On the other hand, when the user selects and inputs a desired washing course to the lower treatment device <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> may detect the amount of laundry placed in the lower treatment device <NUM> (S140). Here, the amount of laundry may be used as basic information for performing the washing course to be selected by the user. The amount of water supplied in the water supply step forming the washing course, a washing (rinsing) time of the washing (rinsing) step, and dehydration times of the dehydration step can vary depending on the amount of laundry to be washed.

Thereafter, the lower controller <NUM> may determine (or set) the operation condition for each step constituting the washing course in addition to the laundry amount condition, according to the operation states of the upper treatment device <NUM> and according to whether the upper treatment device <NUM> starts operation (S150).

Here, the step (S <NUM>) of determining the washing course according to the operation states of the upper treatment device <NUM> may be classified into a first step (S <NUM>) for determining whether the upper treatment device <NUM> starts operation and a second step (S <NUM>) for determining a washing course by changing the detailed setting of the washing course according to the operation states of the upper treatment device <NUM>.

The step (S151) of determining the operation of the upper treatment device <NUM> may be classified into a first step (See <FIG>) that is changed according to the operation states of the upper treatment device <NUM> regardless of the progress of the drying course, and a second step (see <FIG> and <FIG>) for setting the washing course according to the progress of the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>.

First, a method for setting the washing course according to the operation of the upper treatment device <NUM> will hereinafter be described with reference to <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, prior to operation of the lower treatment device <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> may determine whether to operate the upper treatment device <NUM>, and may determine whether to operate the tub heater <NUM> for heating wash water in the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> according to the operation states of the upper treatment device <NUM>.

That is, when the lower treatment device <NUM> starts operation simultaneously with the operation (the progress of a drying course) of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the tub heater <NUM> of the lower treatment device <NUM> heats wash water, total current consumption of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> may exceed an allowable current value for each house.

Therefore, when the upper treatment device <NUM> starts operation (the progress of a drying course) simultaneously with the operation of the lower treatment device <NUM> (the progress of a washing course), the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> can be corrected (or changed) and established in a manner that current consumption of the lower treatment device <NUM> can be reduced and the lower treatment device <NUM> can operate within the allowable current value for each household.

Specifically, the lower controller <NUM> may determine whether the upper treatment device <NUM> operates, and may determine whether the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner (S 152a).

Here, when the lower controller determines that the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> do not overlap each other in operation, the lower controller may set a general washing course without changing the washing course setting (S <NUM>), thereby operating the lower treatment device <NUM>.

In contrast, when the lower controller <NUM> determines that the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> overlap each other in operation, the lower controller <NUM> may determine whether the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the operation of using the tub heater <NUM> during the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are simultaneously performed (S153a).

In this case, if it is determined that the operation of using the tub heater <NUM> in the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> do not overlap each other in operation, the lower controller <NUM> may set a general washing course without changing the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> so that the lower treatment device <NUM> can operate.

In contrast, if it is determined that the operation of using the tub heater <NUM> and the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner during the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM>, the washing course may be set in a state excluding the use of the tub heater <NUM> during the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM>, so that the washing course can be performed (S154a).

That is, when the operation of the upper treatment device <NUM> (the progress of a drying course) and the operation (the progress of a washing course) of the lower treatment device <NUM> are simultaneously performed, the use of the tub heater <NUM> is excluded during the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM>, and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> can be corrected (or changed) and established in a manner that current consumption of the lower treatment device <NUM> can be reduced and the lower treatment device <NUM> can operate within the allowable current value for each household.

Therefore, as described above, when the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> are simultaneously performed, the use of the tub heater <NUM> in the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> is stopped during the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> so that current consumption of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the upper treatment device <NUM> may be determined not to exceed the maximum allowable current value for each household.

A method for setting the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> according to progress of the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> will hereinafter be described with reference to <FIG>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, prior to operation of the lower treatment device <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> may determine whether to set (or establish) the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, and may determine whether to perform the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> according to the setting of the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>.

That is, in a situation where operation of the steam generator <NUM> is included in the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> during operation of the upper treatment device <NUM>, if the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> are simultaneously operated, total current consumption of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> may exceed the allowable current value for each household.

Therefore, during operation of the upper treatment device <NUM>, when the drying course includes the operation of the steam generator <NUM> and is performed simultaneously with activation of the lower treatment device <NUM> in an overlapping manner, the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> starts operation after staying in a standby mode until the steam generator <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> starts operation, so that the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> can be corrected (or changed) and established in a manner that the lower treatment device <NUM> can operate within the allowable current value for each household.

Specifically, the lower controller <NUM> may determine whether the upper treatment device operates or not, and may determine whether the operation of the steam generator <NUM> is included in the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> (S 152b).

In this case, when the operation of the steam generator <NUM> is not included in the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> may set a general washing course without changing the setting of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> (S160), thereby operating the lower treatment device <NUM>.

On the other hand, when the operation of the steam generator <NUM> is included in the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> may determine whether the operation of the steam generator for use in the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner (S153b).

In this case, if it is determined that the operation of the steam generator <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are not performed in an overlapping manner during the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> may set a general washing course without changing the setting of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> (S160), thereby operating the lower treatment device <NUM>.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the operation of the steam generator <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner during execution of the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> changes the start time point of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> to another time point after the operation of the steam generator <NUM> is finished during the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, sets the changed washing course, and operates the lower treatment device <NUM> in the set washing course (S154b).

In other words, if it is determined that the operation of the steam generator <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner during the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> changes the start time point of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> to another time point located after the end point of the operation of the steam generator <NUM> during the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, so that the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> can be changed and set in a manner that current consumption of the lower treatment device <NUM> can be reduced and the lower treatment device <NUM> can thus operate within the allowable current value for each household.

Therefore, as described above, in a situation where the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> are simultaneously performed, if the operation of the steam generator <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner, the start time point of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> may be delayed until the steam generator <NUM> stops operation, so that current consumption of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the upper treatment device <NUM> may be configured not to exceed the maximum allowable value for each household.

Another setting of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> according to a method for performing the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> will hereinafter be described with reference to <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, prior to operation of the lower treatment device <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> may determine setting of the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, and may control a method for operating the lower driver <NUM> from among the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> according to execution of the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>.

That is, in order to perform the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> as well as to perform the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> during operation of the upper treatment device <NUM>, the heat exchanger <NUM> can start operation and the lower driver <NUM> can perform the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM>. In this case, total current consumption of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> can exceed the allowable current value for each household.

Therefore, when the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> is performed to overlap with the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, the operation of the lower driver <NUM> of the lower treatment device <NUM> is controlled in a manner that current consumption of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> is within the allowable current value for each household. In this way, the operation of the lower driver <NUM> of the lower treatment device <NUM> can be changed and set as described above.

Specifically, in order for the upper treatment device <NUM> to perform the drying course by determining whether or not the upper treatment device <NUM> operates, the lower controller <NUM> can determine whether the heat exchanger <NUM> is operating or not (S152c).

Here, when the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> is underway or when the heat exchanger <NUM> is not operated, the lower controller <NUM> may set a general washing course without changing the setting of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> (S160), and may operate the lower treatment device <NUM> in the set washing course.

In contrast, when the heat exchanger <NUM> is operating during execution of the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> may determine whether the operation time point of the heat exchanger is performed to overlap with the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> (S153c).

In this case, if it is determined that the operation time of the heat exchanger <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> do not overlap each other during the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, a general washing course may be established without changing the setting of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM>, so that the lower treatment device <NUM> can operate in the washing course.

In contrast, if it is determined that the operation time of the heat exchanger <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner during the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> may control the lower driver <NUM> that performs the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> (S154c).

Specifically, the lower controller <NUM> may change a current washing course to another washing course in a manner that driving efficiency of the lower driver <NUM> can be reduced in the washing (rinsing) step of the washing course during execution of the washing course. Thereafter, the lower treatment device <NUM> can operate in the changed washing course.

In other words, if it is determined that the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner, the lower treatment device <NUM> may be controlled in a manner that driving efficiency of the lower driver can be reduced and current consumption of the lower treatment device <NUM> can also be reduced, and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> may be changed to another washing course in a manner that the lower treatment device <NUM> can operate within the allowable current value for each house, so that the changed washing course can be set and established.

Therefore, in a situation where the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> are simultaneously performed, if the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner, the lower driver of the lower treatment device <NUM> is controlled in a manner that current consumption of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> does not exceed the maximum allowable current value for each housel.

On the other hand, as described above, when the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> is completely configured according to a method for determining the operation of the upper treatment device <NUM> by the lower controller <NUM>, the lower controller <NUM> may sequentially perform the water supply step S171, the washing (rinsing) step S172, the draining step S173, and the dehydration step S174 according to the washing course established as shown in <FIG>.

In this case, the additional water supply step (not shown) and the draining step (not shown) may be further provided between the respective steps of the washing course, and as such a detailed description thereof will herein be omitted for convenience of description.

In contrast, during execution of the washing course, when the operation of the steam generator <NUM> and the washing course are performed in an overlapping manner during the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> as described above, the washing course may be performed after operation of the steam generator <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> has been completed.

On the other hand, in the water supply step S171, the water supply unit <NUM> starts operation according to the amount of laundry detected in the above-described laundry amount sensing step S140, so that wash water can be supplied into the tub <NUM> and the supplied water can be stored in the tub <NUM>.

In this case, in the water supply step S171 or the washing (rinsing) step S172, the wash water stored in the tub <NUM> may be heated by the tub heater <NUM> so as to increase washing performance of laundry, and the washing (rinsing) step S172 may be performed using the heated water.

On the other hand, during execution of the above-described wash supply step S171 and the washing (rinsing) step S172, the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the operation of the tub heater <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner as described above, the washing (or rinsing) step S172 may be performed without using the tub heater <NUM>.

In the washing (rinsing) step S172, the washing drum <NUM> may rotate in forward and backward directions according to the operation of the lower driver <NUM>, laundry placed in the washing drum <NUM> may move and tumble so that the laundry can be washed and contaminants remaining in the laundry can be removed.

In contrast, in the washing (rinsing) step S172, when the heat exchanger <NUM> starts operation in a manner that the drying course is performed by the upper treatment device <NUM>, the operation of the lower driver <NUM> can be controlled. In this case, the lower driver <NUM> may be controlled in a manner that the sum of current consumption of the upper treatment device <NUM> and current consumption of the lower treatment device <NUM> does not exceed the allowable current value for each household.

In contrast, the washing (rinsing) step may be performed in a manner that a washing cycle and a rinsing cycle can be performed separately from each other, so that the washing cycle and the rinsing cycle can be performed by rotation of the tub <NUM> according to the operation of the lower driver <NUM>.

In the dehydration step S174, the washing drum <NUM> may rotate at a high speed according to the operation of the lower driver <NUM>, so that wash water remaining in the rinsed laundry can be dehydrated.

In this case, the washing course may include various kinds of washing courses according to a combination of the water supply step S171, the washing (rinsing) step S172, the dehydration step S174, etc. Such washing course can be implemented as various washing courses, and as such a detailed description thereof will herein be omitted for convenience of description.

The method for operating the upper treatment device <NUM> will hereinafter be described with reference to <FIG>. Here, the upper treatment device <NUM> can be implemented as a drying machine or a washing machine. For convenience of description, the following embodiment will hereinafter be described with reference to one example in which the upper treatment device <NUM> is implemented as the drying machine.

Since the main power line (P1) is connected to the external power source (P), the upper treatment device <NUM> may receive power through the upper power line <NUM> (S210). In this case, the upper controller <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> may wait for the user to input an operation command and to select a desired drying course (S220).

In this case, the user may select and input a drying course, etc. of the upper treatment device <NUM> through the upper operation unit <NUM> mounted to the upper controller <NUM> of the control panel <NUM> of the laundry treatment apparatus <NUM> (S230). In this case, the upper controller <NUM> may wait for the user input in a situation where the drying course is not input by the user.

Here, the upper treatment device <NUM> may include various drying courses for drying various types of laundry in the same manner as in the lower treatment device <NUM>, so that various drying courses are implemented in a manner that the steam supply, the rotation speed of the drying drum, and air temperature are adjusted in different ways. The drying course can be implemented in various ways, and as such a detailed description thereof will herein be omitted for convenience of description.

On the other hand, if the user selects and inputs a desired drying course, the upper controller <NUM> may sense the amount of laundry placed in the upper treatment device <NUM> (S240). Here, the amount of laundry may be used as basic information for performing the drying course to be selected by the user, and the steam supply, the temperature of hot water, and the drying times can be changed according to the amount of laundry.

Thereafter, in addition to the laundry amount condition indicating the amount of laundry, the upper controller <NUM> may set and establish the operation conditions of the respective steps constituting the drying course according to the progress of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> (S250).

In this case, the setting step (S250) of the drying course according to the operation states of the lower treatment device <NUM> may be classified into the step S251 for determining the operation states of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the other step S260 for setting (or establishing) the washing course by changing the condition of the drying course to another condition according to the operation states of the lower treatment device <NUM>.

The step S251 for determining the operation state of the lower treatment device <NUM> may include changing the setting (see <FIG>) of the drying course according to the progress of the drying step S174 during the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM>.

Thereafter, a method for setting the drying course of the upper treatment device according to operation states of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> will hereinafter be described with reference to <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, the upper controller <NUM> may determine the setting state of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> prior to operation of the upper treatment device <NUM>, and may control the operation of the heat exchanger <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> according to the progress of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM>.

That is, in order for the lower treatment device <NUM> to perform the dehydration step S174 during execution of the washing course, when the heat exchanger <NUM> for enabling the upper treatment device <NUM> to perform the drying course operates together with the lower driver <NUM>, total current consumption of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> can exceed the allowable current value for each household.

Therefore, when the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> is performed to overlap with the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM>, the operation of the heat exchanger <NUM> is controlled in a manner that current consumption of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the lower treatment device <NUM> can be within the allowable current value for each house, the operation of the heat exchanger <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> may be changed and set (or established).

Specifically, the upper controller <NUM> may determine whether the lower treatment device <NUM> operates, and may determine whether the lower driver <NUM> operates such that the lower treatment device <NUM> can perform the dehydration step (S174) during execution of the washing course (S252a).

In this case, when the lower treatment device <NUM> performs the washing course or the dehydration step S174 is not performed, the upper controller <NUM> may set a general dehydration course without changing the setting of the dehydration course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, such that the upper treatment device <NUM> can start operation in the dehydration course.

On the other hand, during execution of the washing course of the lower treatment device, the upper controller <NUM> may determine whether the operation time of the heat exchanger <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the dehydration step from among the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner (S253c).

In this case, if it is determined that the dehydration step S174 from among the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the operation of the heat exchanger <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> do not overlap each other, the upper controller <NUM> may set (or establish) a normal drying course without changing the setting of the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> (S260), so that the upper treatment device <NUM> can operate.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the dehydration step S174 from among the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the operation of the heat exchanger <NUM> from among the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner, the upper controller <NUM> may switch the operation of the heat exchanger <NUM> to a power-saving drying course during the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>, and may thus perform the drying course in the power-saving drying course (S254a).

In addition, when the lower treatment device <NUM> and the upper treatment device <NUM> are simultaneously operated, the upper controller <NUM> may determine whether the dehydration step S174 is performed during the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM>.

In this case, the upper controller <NUM> may determine whether the lower treatment device <NUM> operates (S251), and may perform a normal drying course and a power-saving drying course according to whether the dehydration step S174 of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> is performed.

That is, the upper controller <NUM> may determine whether the lower treatment device <NUM> operates (S251), and may determine whether the dehydration step S174 is performed during execution of the washing course. In a situation where the lower treatment device <NUM> does not operate or stays in the standby mode, when the remaining steps other than the dehydration step (S174) are performed in the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM>, the normal drying course can be performed.

However, when the lower treatment device <NUM> is in operation and the dehydration step (S174) from among the washing course is performed by the operation state of the lower treatment device <NUM>, the upper controller <NUM> may change the drying course to the power-saving drying course, and may perform drying of laundry.

On the other hand, the above-described normal drying course and the power-saving drying course may be different from each other in terms of operation of the compressor <NUM> of the heat exchanger <NUM>. That is, the normal drying course may be activated in a manner that the compressor <NUM> can discharge a general rated heat capacity. The power-saving drying course may be activated in a manner that the compressor <NUM> can discharge less heat capacity than the rated heat capacity. In this case, the amount of heat capacity discharged from the compressor <NUM> in the power-saving drying course may be about half of heat capacity discharged from the compressor <NUM> in the normal drying course.

That is, if it is determined that the dehydration step S174 of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner, the operation of the heat exchanger <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> is controlled to reduce current consumption of the upper treatment device <NUM> so that the upper treatment device <NUM> can operate within the allowable current value for each house, and the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> can be changed to another course and the changed course is then established.

Therefore, in a situation where the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are simultaneously performed as described above, when the operation of the heat exchanger <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the dehydration step from among the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner, the heat exchanger <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> is controlled so that the amount of current used in the lower treatment device <NUM> and the upper treatment device <NUM> does not exceed the maximum allowable current value for each household.

On the other hand, when the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> is completely established according to how the upper controller <NUM> determines the operation state of the lower treatment device <NUM>, the upper controller <NUM> may sequentially perform the steam supply step (S271), the hot air supply step (S272), the fan operation step (S273), and the dryness sensing step (S274) according to the drying course established as shown in <FIG>.

Here, the normal drying course and the power-saving drying course may equally include the steam supply step (S271), the hot air supply step (S272), the fan operation step (S273), and the dryness sensing step (S274). In the hot air supply step (S272), there is a difference in heat capacity and operation time that are generated by the compressor <NUM> of the heat exchanger <NUM>.

Specifically, the steam supply step (S271) may include heating water to be supplied to the steam generator <NUM>, and supplying the heated water to the drying drum <NUM>. In contrast, when the steam supply step (S271) is performed by the upper treatment device <NUM>, the lower treatment device <NUM> to be used for the washing course may be in a standby mode until the steam supply (S271) is ended, and may then perform the washing course after completion of the steam supply step (S271).

The hot air supply step (S272) may be activated such that the compressor <NUM> of the heat exchanger <NUM> can discharge the heat capacity configured in each of the heat absorption unit <NUM> and the heating unit <NUM>. In this case, the compressor <NUM> of the heat exchanger <NUM> may be controlled in a manner that the rated heat capacity can be discharged outside in the normal drying course according to setting of the upper controller <NUM>. When the operation of the compressor <NUM> of the heat exchanger <NUM> and the dehydration step (S174) of the lower treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner, less heat capacity than the rated heat capacity can be discharged outside in the power-saving drying course.

On the other hand, the fan operation step (S273) may enable circulation of the air of the circulation passage unit <NUM> so that the dried and heated air from the heat absorption unit <NUM> and the heating unit <NUM> can flow into the drying drum <NUM>. The dryness sensing step (S274) may determine whether laundry to be dried in the drying drum <NUM> is dry or not.

In this case, in each of the hot air supply step (S272), the fan operation step (S273), and the dryness sensing step (S274), the drying drum <NUM> may rotate at a constant speed by operation of the upper driver <NUM>, so that laundry placed in the drying drum <NUM> can be in contact with the air that is heated by the heat exchanger <NUM> and moves by the circulation passage unit <NUM>.

In addition, when drying of laundry is not completed in the dryness sensing step (S274), the above-described hot air supply step (S272) and the fan operation step (S273) are repeated/continued to proceed with drying of laundry. Thus, if laundry drying is completed in the dryness sensing step (S274), the drying course can be ended.

In this case, when the power-saving drying course is performed, a compensation time addition step (not shown) in addition to the hot air supply step (S272), the fan operation step (S273), and the dryness sensing step (S274) may be further included in the power-saving drying course. That is, the hot air supply step (S272) for use in the power-saving drying course may be activated in a manner that the compressor <NUM> of the heat exchanger <NUM> can discharge less heat capacity than a heat capacity predetermined in each of the heat absorption unit <NUM> and the heating unit <NUM>.

Here, when the dehydration step S174 is performed by the lower treatment device <NUM>, the hot air supply step for use in the power-saving drying course may prevent power consumption of the lower driver <NUM> required when the lower treatment device <NUM> performs the dehydration step (S174) from exceeding the rated current of the external power source (P) installed in each house. In addition, the hot air supply step for use in the power-saving drying course may prevent power consumption of the heat exchanger <NUM> required when the upper treatment device <NUM> performs the general dehydration course from exceeding the rated current of the external power source (P) installed in each house.

That is, in a situation where the lower treatment device <NUM> performs the dehydration step (S174) of the washing course, when the upper treatment device <NUM> performs the normal drying course, overload may occur in the external power source (P), so that the external power (P) can be blocked. Therefore, according to whether the lower treatment device <NUM> is activated during the operation of the upper treatment device <NUM>, there is a need to control current consumption of the upper treatment device <NUM>.

On the other hand, heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger <NUM> in the power-saving drying course may be smaller than heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger <NUM> in the normal drying course. Preferably, heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger <NUM> in the power-saving drying course may be about half of the heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger <NUM> in the normal drying course.

On the other hand, the running time of the power-saving drying course may be longer than the running time of the normal drying course. That is, heat capacity generated in the operation of the heat exchanger <NUM> in the power-saving drying course may be less than heat capacity generated in the operation of the heat exchanger <NUM> in the normal drying course, and the temperature of air required to dry laundry may decrease.

Therefore, it is preferable that the running time of the power-saving drying course to be lengthened for laundry drying. That is, the drying time for use in the power-saving drying course may be longer than the drying time for use in the normal drying course.

In this case, the addition of a compensation time of the power-saving drying course may correspond to the total amount of heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger <NUM> and heat capacity caused by the drying time. That is, in the power-saving drying course, as heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger <NUM> decreases as compared to the normal drying course, the drying time of the power-saving drying course may relatively increase to compensate for less heat capacity.

Specifically, the drying time for use in the power-saving drying course may be defined as an increase in time according to an overlap between the dehydration step (S174) of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the power-saving drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM>. That is, when heat capacity corresponding to half of the normal drying course occurs in the power-saving drying course, as the dehydration step (S174) of the lower treatment device <NUM> is performed, the drying time may additionally increase by a predetermined time in which the upper treatment device <NUM> performs the power-saving drying course.

For example, as the dehydration step (S174) of the lower treatment device <NUM> is underway, the upper treatment device <NUM> transitions from the normal drying course to the power-saving drying course, and the heat exchanger performs the power-saving drying course during a first time. In this case, the upper controller <NUM> may add the first time to the normal drying course time, so that the power-saving drying course can be additionally performed during the sum of the first time and the normal drying course time.

In this case, although the above-described embodiment in which heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger <NUM> in the power-saving drying course occurs as much as half of the heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger <NUM> in the normal drying course has been disclosed as an example for convenience of description, other implementations are also possible. When heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger in the power-saving drying course is less than half of the heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger <NUM> in the normal drying course, the added drying time may increase in inverse proportion to heat capacity generated by the heat exchanger <NUM> in the power-saving drying course.

On the other hand, the dryness sensing step (S274) may include determining the degree of dryness of laundry dried in the normal drying course or the power-saving drying course. When drying of laundry is not completed, the hot air supply step (S272) and the fan operation step (S273) are repeated/continued to perform drying of laundry. When drying of laundry is completed in the dryness sensing step (S274), the normal drying course or the power-saving drying course can be ended.

According to the above-described method for controlling the laundry treatment apparatus, when the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> are simultaneously performed, the use of the tub heater <NUM> within the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> is stopped, so that current consumption of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the upper treatment device <NUM> may not exceed the maximum allowable value for each household.

In addition, according to the method for controlling the laundry treatment apparatus, in a situation where the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> are simultaneously performed, when the operation of the steam generator <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner, the operation time of the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> may begin after the operation of the steam generator <NUM> is ended, so that current consumption of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the upper treatment device <NUM> does not exceed the maximum allowable value for each household.

In addition, according to the method for controlling the laundry treatment apparatus, in a situation where the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the drying course of the upper treatment device <NUM> are simultaneously performed, when the operation of the steam generator <NUM> of the upper treatment device <NUM> and the washing course of the lower treatment device <NUM> are performed in an overlapping manner, the lower driver of the lower treatment device <NUM> is controlled in a manner that current consumption of the lower treatment device <NUM> and the upper treatment device <NUM> does not exceed the maximum allowable value for each household.

Claim 1:
A laundry treatment apparatus including:
an upper treatment device (<NUM>) that includes a drying drum (<NUM>) for receiving a target laundry to be dried, an upper driver (<NUM>) to rotate the drying drum (<NUM>), a circulation passage unit (<NUM>) through which air flows into or out of the drying drum (<NUM>), a heat exchanger (<NUM>) to dehumidify and/or heat the air, and a steam generator (<NUM>) for supplying steam to the drying drum (<NUM>); and
a lower treatment device (<NUM>) that includes a tub (<NUM>) to store wash water therein, a washing drum (<NUM>) provided in the tub (<NUM>) for washing and/or drying target laundry, a tub heater (<NUM>) provided in the tub (<NUM>) to heat the wash water, and a lower driver (<NUM>) to rotate the washing drum (<NUM>);
wherein the laundry treatment apparatus is configured to:
- perform, by the lower treatment device (<NUM>), a washing course including at least one of a water supply step, a washing step, a rinsing step, and a dehydration step; and
- perform, by the upper treatment device (<NUM>), a drying course including at least one of a hot air supply step, a fan operation step, and a dryness sensing step; and
wherein the lower treatment device (<NUM>) is configured to perform the washing course including changing a configuration of at least one of an operation of the tub heater (<NUM>), an execution time of the washing course, and an operation of the lower driver (<NUM>), according to a progress state of the drying course.