Laundry treating appliance with controlled mechanical energy

Abstract

A laundry treating appliance and a method for operating a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable drum defining a chamber for receiving laundry. The operation of the laundry treating appliance may be based on the mechanical energy due to the falling action of the laundry.

1 - 18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A laundry treating appliance for applying a treating cycle of operation to a load of laundry, comprising:
 a rotatable drum defining a chamber for receiving laundry;   a motor operably coupled to and configured to rotate the drum; and   a controller operably coupled to the motor and configured to determine a cumulative value indicative of the cumulative mechanical energy due to the falling action of the laundry and to terminate at least a portion of the treating cycle based on a comparison of the cumulative value with a predetermined threshold value of mechanical energy to be imparted to the laundry during the treating cycle that is a function of at least one of a laundry type and a load size.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the laundry treating appliance is one of a clothes washer, a clothes dryer, and a combination washer/dryer. 
     
     
         21 - 34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . A laundry treating appliance for applying a treating cycle of operation to a load of laundry, comprising:
 a rotatable drum defining a chamber for receiving laundry;   a motor operably coupled to and configured to rotate the drum; and   a controller operably coupled to the motor and configured to determine a rotational speed of the drum at which mechanical energy due to falling action is transmitted to laundry at a predetermined rate and to control the operation of the motor to rotate the drum based on the rotational speed.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35  wherein the laundry treating appliance is one of a clothes washer, a clothes dryer, and a combination washer/dryer. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 35  wherein the predetermined rate comprises a rate that substantially maximizes the mechanical energy transmitted to the laundry. 
     
     
         38 - 48 . (canceled) 
     
     
         49 . A laundry treating appliance for applying a treating cycle of operation to a load of laundry, comprising:
 a rotatable drum defining a chamber for receiving laundry;   a motor operably coupled to and configured to rotate the drum; and   a controller operably coupled to the motor and configured to determine a value indicative of the mechanical energy due to the falling action of the laundry based on a crest factor of a motor torque waveform for the motor and to control the operation of the laundry treating appliance based on the determined value.   
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 49  wherein the laundry treating appliance is one of a clothes washer, a clothes dryer, and a combination washer/dryer.