The invention relates to a technical field of laundry machines, in particular to a method for controlling a laundry machine, an apparatus for controlling a laundry machine, a laundry machine, a storage medium and a program product.

For a laundry machine with an automatic delivery function of laundry liquid, accurate delivery of laundry liquid has become an important part of laundry machine control, which can save resources and improve user experience.

In order to overcome problems in related arts, the invention provides a method for controlling a laundry machine, an apparatus for controlling a laundry machine, a laundry machine, a storage medium and a program product.

According to a first aspect of embodiments of the invention, a method for controlling a laundry machine is provided. The method for controlling a laundry machine includes:

• in response to a pause instruction, controlling the laundry machine to pause a laundry process;
• in response to a start instruction, obtaining a laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during a pause period; and
• in a case of determining that laundry is added into the laundry machine, controlling the laundry machine to perform laundry liquid delivery compensation, and controlling the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process after the laundry liquid delivery compensation is completed.

In an embodiment of the invention, in response to the start instruction, obtaining the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period, includes:

• in response to the start instruction, obtaining status information of the laundry machine during the pause period; and
• in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and a drum door is opened, obtaining the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period.

In an embodiment of the invention, in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is opened, obtaining the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period, includes:

• in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is opened, controlling a drum to run at a preset rotational speed and obtaining a water level when the drum is running at the preset rotational speed;
• determining a target water level change amount based on a water level before opening the drum door and the water level when the drum is running at the preset rotational speed; and
• determining the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period based on the target water level change amount.

In an embodiment of the invention, determining the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period based on the target water level change amount, includes:

• determining that laundry is added into the laundry machine during the pause period, in a case that the target water level change amount is greater than a threshold;
• controlling the laundry machine to perform the laundry liquid delivery compensation, and controlling the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process after the laundry liquid delivery compensation is completed, comprising:
• determining a target laundry weight corresponding to the target water level change amount based on a correspondence between water level change amounts and laundry weights;
• determining a target laundry liquid compensation amount corresponding to the target laundry weight according to a correspondence between the laundry weights and laundry liquid compensation amounts of a laundry procedure to be executed; and
• controlling the laundry machine to perform the laundry liquid delivery compensation according to the target laundry liquid compensation amount, and controlling the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process corresponding to the laundry procedure to be executed after the laundry liquid delivery compensation is completed.

In an embodiment of the invention, determining the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period based on the target water level change amount, further includes:

• determining that no laundry is added into the laundry machine during the pause period, in a case that the target water level change amount is not greater than the threshold; and
• controlling the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process.

In an embodiment of the invention, different correspondences between the laundry weights and laundry liquid compensation amounts are configured for different laundry procedures.

In an embodiment of the invention, the method further includes:
in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is not opened, controlling the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process.

In an embodiment of the invention, the method further includes:
in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after weighing and before water inflow and the drum door is opened, controlling the laundry machine to re-execute a weighing process.

In an embodiment of the invention, the method further includes:
in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused before weighing, controlling the laundry machine to execute a weighing process.

In an embodiment of the invention, the status information comprises at least one of: laundry process information when the laundry machine receives the pause instruction or a status of the drum door.

In an embodiment of the invention, in a case of determining that laundry is added into the laundry machine, before controlling the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process, the method further includes:
controlling the laundry machine to perform water inflow compensation.

According to a second aspect of embodiments of the invention, an apparatus for controlling a laundry machine is provided. The apparatus for controlling a laundry machine includes:

• a first responding module, configured to, in response to a pause instruction, control the laundry machine to pause a laundry process;
• a second responding module, configured to, in response to a start instruction, obtain a laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during a pause period; and
• a first controlling module, configured to, in a case of determining that laundry is added into the laundry machine, control the laundry machine to perform laundry liquid delivery compensation, and control the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process after the laundry liquid delivery compensation is completed.

According to a third aspect of embodiments of the invention, a laundry machine is provided. The laundry machine includes: a controller, including a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program in the memory to implement the steps of the method for controlling a laundry machine provided by the first aspect of the invention.

According to a fourth aspect of embodiments of the invention, a computer readable storage medium is provided. The storage medium stores a computer program instruction, and when the computer program instruction is executed by a processor, the steps of the method for controlling a laundry machine provided by the first aspect of the invention are implemented.

According to a fifth aspect of embodiments of the invention, a computer program product is provided. The computer product includes a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method for controlling a laundry machine provided by the first aspect of the invention are implemented.

In the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the invention, in a case that the pause instruction is received, the laundry machine is controlled to pause the laundry process in response to the pause instruction. In a case that the start instruction is received after the pause instruction, which means that the laundry machine switches from executing the pause instruction to executing the start instruction, the laundry machine first obtains the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period. If it is determined that laundry is added into the laundry machine during the pause period, the laundry machine is controlled to perform the laundry liquid delivery compensation. After the delivery compensation is completed, the laundry machine is controlled to continue with the laundry process. In this way, the situation of adding too much laundry liquid due to switch of procedure scenario or the situation that the added laundry is not washed clean due to adding of laundry arising by using a unified handle approach can be avoided, the problem of inaccurate delivery of laundry liquid can be solved and user experience can be improved.

It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and do not limit the invention.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

• FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a laundry machine according to an example embodiment.
• FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a laundry machine according to an example embodiment.
• FIG. 3 is a structural block diagram of an apparatus for controlling a laundry machine according to an example embodiment.
• FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a laundry machine according to an example embodiment.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description refers to the accompanying drawings in which the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise represented. The implementations set forth in the following description of embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the invention. Instead, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with aspects related to the invention as recited in the attached claims.

Existing laundry machines generally have an automatic delivery function, which performs laundry weighing and decides the amount of laundry liquid or softener based on a laundry weight. In the long-term research, the inventors found that after a laundry machine starts a laundry process, if a user selects a wrong procedure or forgets to add the laundry in the laundry machine, the user may pause the ongoing laundry process and then select another procedure or add the laundry in the laundry machine depending on an actual situation. Facing the above situation, a unified handle approach is usually adopted in related arts, such as delivering the laundry liquid again or ignoring it directly. If the laundry liquid is delivered in the laundry machine again under the condition of procedure changing, too much foam may be generated due to excessive laundry liquid. When the laundry is added into the laundry machine, if it is ignored, the added laundry may not be washed clean.

In order to solve the above problems, the embodiments of the invention provide a method for controlling a laundry machine, an apparatus for controlling a laundry machine, a laundry machine, a storage medium and a program product. It is proposed that after the laundry machine switches from a pause instruction to a start instruction, the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period is obtained, and if it is determined that laundry is added into the laundry machine, the laundry machine is controlled to perform laundry liquid delivery compensation, and after the delivery compensation is completed, the laundry machine is controlled to continue the laundry process. In this way, the situation of adding too much laundry liquid due to switch of procedure scenario or the situation that the added laundry is not washed clean due to adding of laundry arising by using a unified handle approach, and the problem of inaccurate delivery of laundry liquid can be solved.

Before describing the embodiments of the invention in detail, the laundry process of the laundry machine will be briefly described. For some laundry machines, after putting the laundry into the laundry machines and selecting and starting the procedure, the laundry process is started, which includes weighing, water inflow, rinsing and other processes. It should be noted that the laundry process is not limited to the above example processes. For example, for some laundry machines, the laundry process may also include dehydration, drying and other processes.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a laundry machine according to an example embodiment. The method is applicable to a laundry machine. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the method includes the following steps.

At step S110, in response to a pause instruction, the laundry machine is controlled to pause a laundry process.

At step S120, in response to a start instruction, a laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during a pause period is obtained.

At step S130, in a case of determining that laundry is added into the laundry machine, the laundry machine is controlled to perform laundry liquid delivery compensation, and to continue to execute the laundry process after the laundry liquid delivery compensation is completed.

In the above technical solution, when the pause instruction is received, the laundry machine is controlled to pause the laundry process in response to the pause instruction. When the start instruction is received after the pause instruction, which means that the laundry machine switches from executing the pause instruction to executing the start instruction, the laundry machine first obtains the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period. If it is determined that laundry is added into the laundry machine during the pause period, the laundry machine is controlled to perform the laundry liquid delivery compensation. After the delivery compensation is completed, the laundry machine is controlled to continue with the laundry process. In this way, the situation of adding too much laundry liquid due to switch of procedure scenario or the situation that the added laundry is not washed clean due to adding of laundry arising by using a unified handle approach can be avoided, the problem of inaccurate delivery of laundry liquid can be solved and user experience can be improved.

In an embodiment of the invention, the laundry machine in the embodiment of the invention may be a pulsator laundry machine, a drum laundry machine, and the like.

In some implementations, the pause instruction may be generated normally by pushing a pause button, or may be generated when opening a drum door during the laundry process of the laundry machine.

In some implementations, in the case of determining that laundry is added, in addition to controlling the laundry machine to perform the laundry liquid delivery compensation, the laundry machine is also controlled to perform water inflow compensation in order to ensure a laundry effect. After the laundry liquid delivery compensation and the water inflow compensation are completed, the laundry machine is controlled to continue the laundry process.

In some implementations, in response to the start instruction, obtaining the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period, includes:
in response to the start instruction, obtaining status information of the laundry machine during the pause period; and in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and a drum door is opened, obtaining the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period.

The laundry machine being paused after water inflow includes: the laundry machine being paused during the water inflow and paused during rinsing after the water inflow is completed.

In some implementations, the status information may include a variety of information. In an embodiment of the invention, the status information includes at least one of: laundry process information when the laundry machine receives the pause instruction or a status of the drum door. The laundry process information is used to determine which laundry process the laundry machine is in. The status of the drum door includes two statuses: opened or closed.

In the embodiment of the invention, in response to the start instruction, the laundry machine first obtains the status information of the laundry machine during the pause period, and then obtains the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period when it is determined that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is opened, which improves the necessity of obtaining the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period, and reduces process redundancy.

In some implementations, in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is opened, obtaining the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period, includes:
in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is opened, controlling a drum to run at a preset rotational speed and obtaining a water level when the drum is running at the preset rotational speed; determining a target water level change amount based on a water level before opening the drum door and the water level when the drum is running at the preset rotational speed; and determining the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period based on the target water level change amount.

In the embodiment of the invention, when it is determined, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is opened, the laundry machine controls the drum to run at a preset rotational speed for a preset period. By calculating the change amount between the water level before opening the drum door and the water level when the drum is running at the preset rotational speed, i.e., the target water level change amount, the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period is determined based on the target water level change amount.

By controlling the drum to run at the preset rotational speed, distribution uniformity of laundry in the drum is improved, and an accuracy of acquisition of water level is improved.

In some implementations, determining the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period based on the target water level change amount, includes: determining that laundry is added into the laundry machine during the pause period in a case that the target water level change amount is greater than a threshold. Correspondingly, controlling the laundry machine to perform the laundry liquid delivery compensation, and controlling the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process after the delivery compensation is completed, includes: determining a target laundry weight corresponding to the target water level change amount based on a correspondence between water level change amounts and laundry weights; determining a target laundry liquid compensation amount corresponding to the target laundry weight according to a correspondence between the laundry weights and laundry liquid compensation amounts of a laundry procedure to be executed; and controlling the laundry machine to perform the laundry liquid delivery compensation according to the target laundry liquid compensation amount, and controlling the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process corresponding to the laundry procedure to be executed after the laundry liquid delivery compensation is completed.

In the embodiment of the invention, the threshold for the water level change amount is set in consideration of normal water level fluctuation caused by water level detection and other factors. If the water level change amount is greater than the threshold, it means that a change of water level is not caused by normal water level fluctuation, but by adding additional laundry, and thus it is determined that the laundry is added into the laundry machine during the pause period. Otherwise, it means that the change of water level is caused by normal water level fluctuation, and no additional laundry is added into the laundry machine during the pause period.

In addition, it is possible that the correspondence between the water level change amounts and the laundry weights is preset, so that after the target water level change amount is determined, the target laundry weight corresponding to the target water level change amount is determined based on the correspondence between the water level change amounts and the laundry weights.

The correspondence between the laundry weights and the laundry liquid compensation amounts may also be preset, and different correspondences between the laundry weights and the laundry liquid compensation amounts are set depending on different laundry procedures to be executed. Therefore, after determining the target laundry weight, the target laundry liquid compensation amount corresponding to the target laundry weight is determined according to the correspondence between the laundry weights and the laundry liquid compensation amounts of the laundry procedure to be executed, which can improve an accuracy of laundry liquid delivery.

In an embodiment of the invention, the laundry procedure to be executed may be, for example, a selected procedure, such as wool washing, chemical fiber washing, quick washing, etc. Therefore, there is a correspondence between the laundry weights and the laundry liquid compensation amounts for wool washing. For the chemical fiber washing, there is also a correspondence between the laundry weights and the laundry liquid compensation amounts. For the quick washing, there is also a correspondence between the laundry weights and the laundry liquid compensation amounts.

In some implementations, after obtaining the status information of the laundry machine during the pause period in response to the start instruction, it may be determined, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is not opened, in this case, the method of the embodiment of the invention includes:
in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is not opened, controlling the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process.

The laundry machine being paused after water inflow include the laundry machine being paused during the water inflow and paused during rinsing after the water inflow is completed.

In the embodiment of the invention, the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is not opened, since the drum door is closed, it means that no additional laundry is added into the laundry machine. Even if there is a pause, the laundry machine does not need to compensate for the laundry liquid after receiving the start instruction, so the laundry machine is directly controlled to continue with the normal laundry process.

In some implementations, after obtaining the status information of the laundry machine during the pause period in response to the start instruction, it may be determined, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after weighing and before water inflow and the drum door is opened, in this case, the method of the embodiment of the invention includes:

in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after weighing and before water inflow and the drum door is opened, controlling the laundry machine to re-execute a weighing process.

The laundry machine being paused after weighing and before water inflow includes: the laundry machine being paused during weighing and paused after weighing and before water inflow.

In the embodiment of the invention, the laundry machine is paused after weighing and before water inflow and the drum door is opened, since there is no water inflow, the laundry liquid has not been delivered, regardless of whether or not the drum door is opened to add the laundry, the laundry machine determines the laundry weight by re-weighing after receiving the start instruction, so that the laundry liquid may be delivered normally according to the laundry weight.

In some implementations, after obtaining the status information of the laundry machine during the pause period in response to the start instruction, it may be determined, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after weighing and before water inflow and the dram door is not opened, in this case, the laundry machine may be controlled to continue the laundry process after receiving the start instruction.

In some implementations, after obtaining the status information of the laundry machine during the pause period in response to the start instruction, it may be determined, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused before weighing, in this case, the method of the embodiment of the invention includes:
in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused before weighing, controlling the laundry machine to execute a weighing process.

In the embodiment of the invention, the laundry machine is paused before weighing, regardless of whether or not the drum door is opened to add the laundry, the laundry machine may be controlled to normally execute the weighing process after receiving the start instruction, so that the laundry liquid may be delivered normally according to the laundry weight.

It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, in the embodiments of the invention, the laundry machine performs the laundry process of the laundry procedure by default after executing any process. For example, if the laundry process of the laundry procedure includes weighing, water inflow and rinsing sequentially by default, after executing the weighing process (whether the weighing process is re-executed or the weighing process is normally executed), the water inflow and rinsing processes are performed sequentially.

In some implementations, the laundry machine may switch the laundry procedure during the pause period, after receiving the start instruction, the laundry machine is controlled to continue to execute the laundry process corresponding to the switched procedure.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the method for controlling a laundry machine of the invention will be described in an embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, after the laundry machine starts the laundry process, the user may initiate an operation to control the laundry machine to be paused, and the laundry machine generates a pause instruction and then pauses the ongoing laundry process. After the laundry machine pauses the ongoing laundry process, the user may select another procedure or open the drum door to add additional laundry according to actual needs and then activate the laundry machine, and the laundry machine generates a start instruction and makes a judgment for processes such as weighing, opening the drum door, water inflow, etc.

If a judgment result of the process of weighing is no, it means that the laundry machine is paused before weighing, then the laundry process is continued.

If the judgment result of the process of weighing is yes, a judgment result of the process of water inflow is no, and the judgment result of the process of opening the drum door is yes, it means that the laundry machine is paused after weighing and before water inflow and the drum door is opened, then re-weighing is performed and the laundry process is continued.

If the judgment result of the process of weighing is yes, the judgment result of the process of water inflow is yes, and the judgment result of the process of opening the drum door is no, it means that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is not opened, then the laundry process is continued.

If the judgment result of the process of weighing is yes, the judgment result of the process of water inflow is yes, and the judgment result of the process of opening the drum door is yes, it means that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is opened, then the drum is controlled to run at a preset rational speed for a preset time period, and a water level change amount before and after the preset period of time is calculated to determine whether the water level change amount is greater than a threshold. If the water level change amount is greater than the threshold, a target laundry weight is determined based on a correspondence between the water level change amount and the target laundry weight, and a target laundry liquid compensation amount is further determined based on a correspondence between the laundry weight and the target laundry liquid compensation amount of a laundry procedure, then the laundry machine is controlled to perform laundry liquid delivery compensation and water inflow compensation. After the laundry liquid delivery compensation and the water inflow compensation are completed, the laundry machine is controlled to continue to execute the laundry process. If the water level change amount is less than the threshold, then the laundry process is continued.

FIG. 3 is a structural block diagram of an apparatus 300 for controlling a laundry machine according to an example embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the apparatus 300 for controlling a laundry machine includes:

• a first responding module 310, configured to, in response to a pause instruction, control the laundry machine to pause a laundry process;
• a second responding module 320, configured to, in response to a start instruction, obtain a laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during a pause period; and
• a first controlling module 330, configured to, in a case of determining that laundry is added into the laundry machine, control the laundry machine to perform laundry liquid delivery compensation, and control the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process after the laundry liquid delivery compensation is completed.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second responding module 320 includes:
a first obtaining sub-module, configured to, in response to the start instruction, obtain status information of the laundry machine during the pause period; and
a second obtaining sub-module, configured to, in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and a drum door is opened, obtain the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second obtaining sub-module includes:

• a control unit, configured to, in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is opened, control a drum to run at a preset rotational speed and obtain a water level when the drum is running at the preset rotational speed;
• a first determining unit, configured to determine a target water level change amount based on a water level before opening the drum door and the water level when the drum is running at the preset rotational speed; and
• a second determining unit, configured to determine the laundry adding condition of the laundry machine during the pause period based on the target water level change amount.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second determining unit includes:
a determining sub-unit, configured to determine that laundry is added into the laundry machine during the pause period in a case that the target water level change amount is greater than a threshold.

Correspondingly, the first controlling module 330 is further configured to: determine a target laundry weight corresponding to the target water level change amount based on a correspondence between water level change amounts and laundry weights; determine a target laundry liquid compensation amount corresponding to the target laundry weight according to a correspondence between the laundry weights and laundry liquid compensation amounts for a laundry procedure to be executed; and control the laundry machine to perform the laundry liquid delivery compensation according to the target laundry liquid compensation amount, and control the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process corresponding to the laundry procedure to be executed after the laundry liquid delivery compensation is completed.

In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus 300 for controlling a laundry machine further includes:
a second controlling module, configured to, in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused after water inflow and the drum door is not opened, control the laundry machine to continue to execute the laundry process.

In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus 300 for controlling a laundry machine further includes:
a third controlling module, configured to, in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused w after weighing and before water inflow and the drum door is opened, control the laundry machine to re-execute a weighing process.

In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus 300 for controlling a laundry machine further includes:
a fourth controlling module, configured to, in a case of determining, according to the status information, that the laundry machine is paused before weighing, control the laundry machine to execute a weighing process.

Regarding the apparatus 300 for controlling a laundry machine in the above embodiment, the specific way in which each module performs operations has been described in detail in the method embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

The invention also provides a laundry machine. The laundry machine includes: a controller, including a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program in the memory to realize the steps of the method for controlling a laundry machine provided by the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a laundry machine 400 according to an example embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the laundry machine 400 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 402, a memory 404, a power component 406, an audio component 408, a sensor component 410, a communication component 412 and a processor 414.

The processing component 402 generally controls the overall operation of the laundry machine 400, such as display, prompt tone and operation of various laundry procedures. The processing component 402 may include one or more processors 414 to execute instructions to complete all or part of the steps of the method for controlling a laundry machine described above. In addition, the processing component 402 may include one or more modules to facilitate interactions between the processing component 402 and other components.

The memory 404 is configured to store various types of data to support operations of the laundry machine 400. Examples of these data include instructions, data, etc. for any application or method operating on the laundry machine 400.

The power component 406 provides power to various components of the laundry machine 400. The power component 406 may include a power management system, one or more power sources, and other components associated with generating, managing and distributing power for the laundry machine 400.

The audio component 408 is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, the audio component 408 includes a microphone, which is configured to receive external audio signals when the laundry machine 400 is in an operation mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signal may be further stored in the memory 404 or transmitted via the communication component 412. In some embodiments, the audio component 408 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

The sensor component 410 includes one or more sensors to provide status assessments of various aspects of the laundry machine 400. In some embodiments, the sensor component 410 may further include a flow meter, an acceleration sensor, a pressure sensor, a vibration sensor and a temperature sensor.

The communication component 412 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communications between the laundry machine 400 and other devices. Laundry machine 400 can access wireless networks based on communication standards, such as Wi-Fi, 4G or 5G, or a combination thereof.

The invention also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The medium includes computer program instructions, and when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the steps of the method for controlling a laundry machine provided by the invention are realized.

The invention also provides a computer program product. The product includes a computer program that can be executed by a programmable device, and the computer program has a code portion for executing the method for controlling a laundry machine described above when being executed by the programmable device.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed here. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following the general principles thereof and including such departures from the invention as come within known or customary practice in the art. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as illustrative only, with a true scope of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the exact structure that has been described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention only be limited by the attached claims.