Patent ID: 7963128

Claim:
An apparatus for sensing vibration of a washing machine including an outer tub installed within a main body, an inner tub rotatably installed within the outer tub, and a motor that drives the inner tub, the apparatus comprising: a sensing unit that senses vibration and unbalance mass when the washing machine is acceleratedly operated, the sensing unit including a vibration sensing unit that senses vibration generated from the outer tub due to rotation of the inner tub, and an unbalance sensing unit that senses rotation speed vibration of the inner tub and that calculates unbalance mass by using the sensed rotation speed vibration, wherein the vibration and the unbalance mass sensed by the sensing unit is used for performing laundry distribution for distributing the laundry put in the inner tub, wherein the vibration sensing unit includes one or more acceleration sensors installed on inner and outer surfaces of the outer tub, and the vibration sensing unit simultaneously or selectively senses the vibrations generated from the outer tub in three-axis directions; and a controller that controls driving of the motor based on the vibration and the unbalance mass sensed by the sensing unit, wherein the controller compares the sensed vibration and the sensed unbalance mass with a reference vibration and a reference unbalance mass, and controls operation of the motor to perform the laundry distribution for distributing laundry put in the inner tub or maintain accelerated operation of the motor, wherein when one or more of the sensed vibration and the sensed unbalance mass are the reference vibration or greater and the reference unbalance mass or greater, the controller stops rotating of the motor and performs the laundry distribution, and when the sensed vibration and the sensed unbalance mass are less than the reference vibration and the reference unbalance mass, the controller maintains the accelerated operation of the motor.