Patent ID: 8578532

Claim:
A method of operating a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable drum defining a chamber for receiving a load of laundry to be treated according to a treating cycle, the method comprising: determining a cumulative value indicative of the cumulative mechanical energy due to the falling action of the laundry for at least a portion of the treating cycle by determining a crest factor of a motor torque waveform for a motor rotating the drum to indicate falling action of the laundry, and if falling action is indicated, determining an area beneath the motor torque waveform for a motor rotating the drum and summing the area over time; comparing the determined cumulative value with a predetermined threshold value of mechanical energy to be imparted to the laundry during the treating cycle as a function of at least one of a laundry type and a load size; and terminating at least a portion of the treating cycle based on the comparison of the cumulative value with the predetermined threshold value.