Clothes treating apparatus and method for controlling the same

Abstract

A clothes treating apparatus and a method for controlling the same can prevent a safety incident caused by steam and hot air and improve the safety of the clothes treating apparatus by preventing the door from being opened and closed randomly in the steam step and the dry step.

1 . A clothes treating apparatus, comprising:
 a casing having a clothes treating space and a doorway, through which clothes are put into and taken out of the clothes treatment space—;   a clothes treatment device that treats clothes disposed within the clothes treatment space;   a door that opens and closes the doorway;   an opening and closing detection sensor that detects the opening and closing of the door; and   a controller that stops a certain operation of the clothes treatment device when the opening of the door is detected by the opening and closing detection sensor.   
   
   
       2 . The clothes treatment apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the clothes treatment device comprises:
 a steam supply device that supplies steam into the clothes treatment space; and   a dry air supply device that supplies dry air into the clothes treatment space, wherein the controller stops operation of the steam supply device or the dry air supply device when the opening of the door is detected by the opening and closing detection sensor.   
   
   
       3 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the opening and closing detection sensor comprises a first contact positioned on the door and a second contact positioned on the casing. 
   
   
       4 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a locking device that locks the door to the casing during the certain operation of the clothes treatment device. 
   
   
       5 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the locking device comprises a latch formed on one of the door and the casing and a corresponding opening formed on the other of the door and the casing. 
   
   
       6 . A clothes treating apparatus, comprising:
 a casing having a clothes treatment space and a doorway, through which clothes are put into and taken out of the clothes treatment space;   a clothes treatment device that treats clothes disposed within the clothes treatment space;   a door that opens and closes the doorway;   a locking device that locks the door to the casing; and   a controller that locks the door to the casing using the locking device during a certain operation of the clothes treatment device.   
   
   
       7 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the clothes treatment device comprises:
 a steam supply device that supplies steam into the clothes treatment space; and   a dry air supply device that supplies dry air into the clothes treatment space, wherein the controller locks the door to the casing using the locking device during operation of the steam supply device or the dry air supply device.   
   
   
       8 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the locking device comprises a latch formed on one of the door and the casing and a corresponding opening formed on the other of the door and the casing. 
   
   
       9 . A method for controlling a clothes treating apparatus, the clothes treating apparatus comprising a casing having a clothes treatment space and a doorway, through which clothes are put into and taken out of the clothes treatment space and a door that opens and closes the doorway, the method comprising:
 treating clothes disposed in the clothes treatment space by operating a clothes treatment device; and   locking the door using a locking device during the clothes treating step.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claims 9 , wherein treating clothes disposed in the clothes treatment space by operating a clothes treatment device comprises:
 supplying steam into the clothes treatment space by operating a steam supply device; and   supplying dry air into the clothes treatment space by operating a dry air supply device, wherein locking the door using the locking device during the clothes treating step comprises locking the door using the locking device during the steam supplying step or the dry air supplying step.   
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising supplying a low temperature dry air into the clothes treatment space by operating the dry air supply device after finishing the dry air supplying step, wherein, in the low temperature air supplying step, when the door is opened, the operation of the dry air supply device is stopped. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein, in the low temperature air supplying step, when the door is closed again, the dry air supply device is re-operated. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the clothes treating apparatus further comprises an operating portion which allows a user to operate the clothes treating apparatus, and wherein, in the low temperature air supplying step, when the door is closed again, the operating portion receives an operation signal from the user to re-operate the dry air supply device. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising preheating clothes treatment space by operating the dry air supply device before the steam supplying step, wherein, in the preheating step, when the door is opened, operation of the dry air supply device is stopped. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein, in the preheating step, when the door is closed again, the dry air supply device is re-operated. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the clothes treating apparatus further comprises an operating portion which allows a user to operate the clothes treating apparatus, and wherein, in the preheating step, when the door is closed again, the operating portion receives an operation signal from the user to re-operate the dry air supply device. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein locking the door using the locking device during the clothes treating step comprises locking the door if a temperature within the clothes treatment space is higher than a set temperature. 
   
   
       18 . A method for controlling a clothes treating apparatus, the clothes treating apparatus comprising a casing having a clothes treatment space and a doorway, through which clothes are put into and taken out of the clothes treatment space and a door that opens and closes the doorway, the method comprising:
 treating clothes disposed in the clothes treatment space by operating a clothes treatment device; and   stopping a certain operation of the clothes treatment device by a controller if an opening and closing detection sensor detects that the door is opened during the clothes treating step.   
   
   
       19 . The method of  claims 18 , wherein treating clothes disposed in the clothes treatment space by operating a clothes treatment device comprises:
 supplying steam into the clothes treatment space by operating a steam supply device; and   supplying dry air into the clothes treatment space by operating a dry air supply device, wherein stopping the certain operation of the clothes treating device comprises stopping operation of the steam supply device or the dry air supply device by the controller if the opening and closing detection sensor detects that the door is opened during the steam supplying step or the dry air supply step, respectively.   
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising supplying a low temperature dry air into the clothes treatment space by operating the dry air supply device after finishing the dry air supplying step, wherein, in the low temperature air supplying step, when the door is opened, operation of the dry air supply device is stopped.