A washing machine includes: a tub; a drum of metal material configured to be rotated in the tub; an induction heater configured to be fixed to the tub in a state of being separated from the drum, and to heat the drum; a first temperature sensor configured to have a tube of metal material heated by the induction heater and a thermistor disposed in the tube, at least a part of the tube being exposed between the tub and the drum; a second temperature sensor configured to be disposed in a position further away than the first temperature sensor from the induction heater in a circumferential direction, and detect a temperature of air between the tub and the drum; and a controller configured to control the induction heater based on a first detection value of the first temperature sensor and a second detection value of the second temperature sensor.

A clothes treatment apparatus and a method for controlling a clothes treatment apparatus are provided. The method may include feeding heated hot air to clothes or other items received in a drum, and dehydrating the clothes or other items by performing a first rotation cycle for rotating the drum at a first RPM for a predetermined period of time. The first RPM may be a RPM that allows a centrifugal force applied to the clothes or other items during rotation of the drum to exceed gravity.

The present invention comprises an apparatus having a base that has the ability to inlet air, a heater contained within the core of the base whereby the heater can be turned on or turned off either manually, or an auto-fashion, circuitry that allows control of the clothes drying process, outlets that deliver hot air, cool air, or alternating hot air, cool air be passed to attached clothes and a hanging mechanism that allows various clothes to be hung on the apparatus.

A method of operating a dryer appliance includes determining a remaining moisture content of a load of articles to be dried in the dryer appliance and estimating an energy requirement for drying the load of articles based on the determined remaining moisture content of the load of articles. The method also includes activating a heating system of the dryer appliance during a dry cycle of the dryer appliance while tracking an energy output of the heating system during the dry cycle. The method further includes comparing the tracked energy output to the estimated energy requirement. When the tracked energy output is greater than a predetermined threshold percentage of the estimated energy requirement, a user notification is provided.

A user interface includes a touch-sensitive display and a display control unit for controlling the display. A method for controlling a household appliance using the graphical user interface includes the steps of: displaying a first graphical representation on the display, the first graphical representation including symbols, each symbol being associated with an appliance subunit of the household appliance; when a symbol is touched by a touching means, transmitting control signals from the control unit to the display to change the first graphical representation into a second graphical representation; displaying information regarding a change of a setting value of the appliance entity associated with the touched symbol when the touching means is dragged from a first position to a second position at the display; and changing the graphical representation at the display from the second graphical representation to a third graphical representation when lifting the touching means from the display.

A system in which the operation of an electric motor is controlled by electronically controlled switches. The system includes the motor having a run winding and a start winding, a heating component, and a motor control subsystem. A control unit closes a first switch to energize the run winding, closes a second switch to energize the start winding, determines based on an amplitude and a lag time of a current flowing through the motor whether the motor has started and is running normally, and if so, opens the second switch to de-energize the start winding and closes a third switch to activate the heating component. The control unit determines whether the motor has started and is running normally by comparing the real time amplitude and lag time of the current to a plurality of stored amplitudes and lag times associated with different operating conditions.

A method for operating a clothes treating apparatus comprising a hot air supplying unit provided with a heater and a blowing device, and having a drying function of drying clothes by supplying hot air into a drum by use of the hot air supplying unit, includes rotating the drum with the clothes introduced therein, and supplying hot air into the drum by using the heater and the blowing device while the drum is rotated, wherein an air flow rate supplied by the blowing device changes during the hot air supplying step.

Methods and systems for the thermo-vacuum drying and processing of objects such as clothes. A vacuum ejector driven by high-pressure steam is employed to evacuate evaporated moisture mixed with air from a dryer vessel producing an intensification of the drying process such as can significantly reduce the energy and time requirements for the drying process and increase water utilization.

A clothes dryer has a heat exchanger supplied with heat energy from a building's central heating system, or external heat generation units including district heating systems. Air is drawn by a fan axially through the heat exchanger, and back into it at a location so that it diffuses through the exchanger to mix with freshly-drawn-in air before being delivered upwardly into a drum inlet manifold. The drum inlet manifold also had an electrical element for use when hot water is not available. The fan is between the heat exchanger and the drum inlet manifold, and blows into the manifold, helping to prevent fluff-build-up on an electrical element in the drum inlet manifold, with consequent reduced fire risk. The heat exchange assembly is compact, beneath the drum inlet manifold, and is driven by the same drive as the drum. This allows the dryer to be as compact as a conventional household with only an electrical element heat source.

A method for controlling an exhaust type clothes dryer may include measuring humidity of air passing through an interior of the drum to sense a degree of dryness of a target item, and discharging air that has passed through the drum or recirculating at least a portion of air that has passed through the drum to the drum by comparing a degree of dryness of the target item with a predetermined reference value. In the recirculating of air, an amount of recirculated air may be increased according to an increase in the degree of dryness of the target item by adjusting a degree of opening of a recirculation channel.