JPH105480A - Control device of washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a high-grade feeling for a washing machine, and rightly know a washing machine condition without giving an unpleasant feeling and a pain to a user by making an echo of a buzzer sound different with every operation condition of a washing machine by changing a volume of a buzzer by setting of a switch. SOLUTION: A buzzer 50 is driven by voltage from capacitors 57 and 58, and when its charging quantity changes, driving voltage changes, and a volume of the buzzer 50 also changes according to this. When transistors 53 and 54 are actuated and are connected to a power source line 51, the capacitors 57 and 58 are charged, and a volume of the buzzer 50 increases as charge makes progress. Therefore, a volume of the buzzer 50 can be freely adjusted by actuation of the transistors 53 and 54. A microcomputer 31 changes a charging quantity of the capacitors 57 and 58 according to control processing performed on a washing machine, and makes a sound of the buzzer 50 different according to respective processes of spin drying and a washing machine operating condition such as the existence of the occurrence of an abnormal situation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for a washing machine for notifying an operating state of the washing machine by a buzzer sound.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A washing machine is provided with a simple buzzer in order to inform a user of information on the operation state of the washing machine by voice. For example, JP-A-4-367
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 692 and JP-A-63-26709 describe that a buzzer is sounded in order to respond to a button input operation at the start of operation or to warn that an abnormal state has occurred. I have. Many buzzers of the washing machine are separately-excited, for example, by changing the length of the sound and the number of sounds, such as "beep", "beep", "beep, beep, beep", and the drive voltage. The information is represented by changing the pitch by changing the frequency.

FIG. 8 shows the configuration of a typical drive circuit for this type of buzzer. This drive circuit includes a power supply line 71 of a predetermined potential VCC and a transistor 72.
Are connected to a power supply line 71 and the other is grounded via a transistor 72.
The drive circuit includes an impedance matching resistor 73 connected in parallel with the buzzer 70. A rectangular wave signal is supplied from the microcomputer 74 for controlling the drive circuit, and the operation and non-operation of the transistor 72 are repeated in a short cycle, thereby generating a rectangular wave voltage at both ends of the resistor 73. Drive.

FIG. 9 shows the relationship among the output signal of the microcomputer 74, the voltage in the drive circuit, and the tone of the buzzer 70. FIG. 9A shows a microcomputer 7.
4 is a rectangular wave signal output to the base of the transistor 72, and (b) is the potential VCC 'of the terminal of the buzzer 70 connected to the transistor 72. The drive voltage of the buzzer 70 is the potential difference VCC-VCC 'between the terminal connected to the power supply line 71 and this terminal. (C) is a buzzer sound form,
Its width represents the volume.

The drive voltage changes in the same cycle as the output signal of the microcomputer 74, and the buzzer 70 emits a sound in the same cycle. Therefore, the frequency of the sound of the buzzer 70 is the same as the frequency of the output signal of the microcomputer 74, and the pitch of the sound of the buzzer 70 changes according to the frequency of the rectangular wave output of the microcomputer 74. By changing the pitch, the melody is expressed, and more information is represented by the buzzer sound than when the pitch or the number of sounds is simply changed. For example, the melody can be different for the notification sound for notifying the end of one operation and the notification sound for notifying the end of another operation.

As is apparent from FIG. 9, the buzzer 70 is
A sound is generated at a fixed volume while the rectangular wave drive voltage is applied, and is not emitted during a period when the square wave drive voltage is not applied, that is, a period when the drive voltage does not change. For this reason,
The change in sound from before the start of driving to after the end of driving is abrupt such that a loud sound suddenly appears from a silent state, and then suddenly returns to a silent state again. Further, the sound volume remains constant over the entire driving period.

[0007]

The volume of the conventional buzzer sound shown in FIG. 9 changes rapidly. Such a change in sound is shocking to human hearing, and is suitable as an emergency warning sound indicating danger or the like, but is not suitable as a normal notification sound notifying operation end or the like. If the buzzer sound changes suddenly, some people may feel discomfort or pain, and this is not preferable in a washing machine frequently used in daily life.

Further, the buzzer sound starts suddenly and stops suddenly, giving a hard impression. In addition, since the sound volume does not change during sounding, it sounds monotonously. Therefore, the buzzer sound itself has a poor texture and the impression of a washing machine provided with this buzzer is impaired. Even when the melody is expressed by changing the frequency of the drive voltage to produce sounds with different pitches and expressing the melody with the buzzer sound, the melody sounds unnatural because the volume during the sound is always constant, and the buzzer sounds No impression is obtained.

The operation of the washing machine includes various steps such as washing, rinsing, and dehydration, and abnormal situations such as erroneous operation of the user, such as forgetting to close the lid, and rotation failure of the dehydration tub due to uneven distribution of the laundry are likely to occur. It is desirable that the amount of information that can be represented by the buzzer sound is large in order to clearly distinguish all of them and notify the user. However, since the volume of the above-mentioned buzzer is constant, the buzzer sound does not exhibit the original characteristic of a sound that expresses information even with a change in strength.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a control device which emits a buzzer sound which has a soft sound and clearly notifies the operating state of the washing machine.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a control of a washing machine which has a buzzer which sounds at a volume corresponding to a drive voltage and which notifies the operating state of the washing machine by the sound of the buzzer. The device includes a capacitor that is charged by power from the power supply and supplies a drive voltage to the buzzer, and a switch that switches a connection and disconnection state between the power supply and the capacitor, and by changing a sound amount of the buzzer by setting the switch. The sound of the buzzer is made different for each operating state of the washing machine.

The buzzer is driven by the voltage supplied from the capacitor. When the charge amount of the capacitor changes, the drive voltage changes, and the buzzer sound volume changes accordingly. When the switch is closed and the power supply and the capacitor are connected, the capacitor is charged, and the sounding amount of the buzzer increases as the charging of the capacitor progresses.
After the capacitor is fully charged, the sound of the buzzer will be constant. When the switch is opened and the connection between the power supply and the capacitor is cut off, the power of the capacitor is consumed by driving the buzzer, the charge amount decreases, and the sound amount of the buzzer also decreases. The buzzer stops sounding when the power of the condenser runs out.

If the buzzer is sounded for a while with the switch closed, then the switch is opened and the sound of the buzzer is continued, a sound that attenuates after a certain volume is added, and the buzzer sound has a lingering sound. If the buzzer is sounded by closing the switch from a state where the capacitor is not charged, the sound volume gradually increases and then becomes constant, and a buzzer sound with a round head is obtained. If the switch is opened and closed while the buzzer is sounding, the sound amount of the buzzer changes accordingly.

Therefore, the amount of sound of the buzzer can be freely adjusted by setting the switch. The control device changes the setting of the switch according to the control processing performed on the washing machine by itself, and generates a buzzer sound according to the operation state of the washing machine such as the washing, rinsing, dehydrating processes and occurrence of abnormal situations. The sound of

A plurality of capacitors which are charged by power from a power supply and supply a driving voltage to a buzzer, and means for connecting an arbitrary number of these capacitors to a power supply at the same time are provided. By changing the number, the rate of change of the sound volume of the buzzer may be adjusted.

The amount of sound of the buzzer changes according to the amount of charge of the capacitor, and the rate of change depends on the capacity of the capacitor. The overall capacity of the capacitors is constant, but the available capacity varies depending on the number of capacitors connected to the power supply. The rate of change of the buzzer sound volume is adjusted by arbitrarily setting the number of capacitors connected simultaneously to the power supply and adjusting the available capacity stepwise. When the rate of change of the pronunciation amount changes, the duration of the lingering sound and the period during which the pronunciation amount increases change, and the sound of the buzzer sound also changes.

The change rate of the sound volume of the buzzer is set by providing input means for designating the change rate and connecting a number of capacitors corresponding to the change rate specified by the input means to a power supply. .

According to the present invention, there is also provided a washing machine control device which has a separately excited buzzer and emits a melody by the buzzer to inform the operating state of the washing machine, and receives an instruction to change the pitch of the melody emitted by the buzzer. Input means for changing the frequency of each sound constituting the melody to a frequency obtained by multiplying the frequency at that time by a predetermined number each time an instruction is received from the input means.

Here, the predetermined number may be a value larger than 1 or a positive value smaller than 1. When the predetermined number is greater than one, the frequency increases and the melody becomes higher. When the predetermined number is less than one, the frequency decreases and the melody becomes lower. By changing the frequency each time an instruction is received from the input means, the pitch of the melody changes stepwise.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a control device for a washing machine of the present invention is applied to a fully automatic washing machine will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of the entire washing machine. 1
1 is an outer box, 12 is a water tub, 13 is a washing and dewatering tub serving as both a washing tub and a dehydrating tub, 14 is a pulsator, 15 is a drive motor, 1
Reference numeral 6 denotes a water supply pipe, reference numeral 17 denotes a water supply valve, reference numeral 18 denotes a drain pipe, reference numeral 19 denotes a drain valve, reference numeral 20 denotes an anti-vibration mechanism for supporting and supporting the water tank 12, reference numeral 21 denotes a lid, and reference numeral 22 denotes a switch for detecting the open / close state of the lid 21. . Reference numeral 23 denotes a switch for detecting a rotational deviation of the washing / dewatering tub 13 during dehydration, and reference numeral 24 denotes a sensor for detecting a water level in the water tub.

Numeral 30 denotes a control unit which controls the water supply and water level to the water tub 12 and the washing / dewatering tub 13 by opening and closing the water supply valve 17, and the drainage by opening and closing the drain valve 19, including the progress of the steps of washing, rinsing and spinning It controls the operation of the entire washing machine, such as the rotation of the drive motor 15 and the speed setting thereof. FIG. 2 shows a circuit configuration of the entire washing machine centering on the control device 30.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 25 denotes an AC power supply for supplying power to the drive motor 15 and the control device 30. The control device 30 includes a microcomputer 31, an operation unit 32, a display unit 33, a notification unit 34, a switching device 35, and a cloth amount detection unit 36. The switching device 35 supplies power to the drive motor 15 having the phase-advancing condenser 26, the water supply valve 17 and the drain valve 19, and controls the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 15 and the opening and closing of the water supply valve 17 and the drain valve 19. I do. The amount-of-cloth detecting unit 36 monitors the terminal voltage of the phase-advancing capacitor 26, and detects the amount of laundry to be washed from the number of pulses during a period in which power supply to the drive motor 15 is stopped when the drive motor 15 rotates in the reverse direction. I do. Specifically, it is determined that the cloth amount is small if the number of pulses within the predetermined time is large, and that the cloth amount is large if the number of pulses is small.

The microcomputer 31 includes a switch 2
The open / close state of the lid 21 is determined based on the open / close state of the switch 2, and similarly, the presence / absence of rotational fluctuation of the washing / dewatering tub 13 during spin-drying is determined based on the open / close state of the switch 23. Further, the level of the water level in the water tank 12 is detected from the output of the water level sensor 24.

FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the operation unit 32 and the display unit 33.
Shown in The operation unit 32 instructs a power button 41 for instructing supply and stop of power from the power supply 25, an operation start button 42 for instructing start and stop of operation of the washing machine, and instructs a course according to the type and amount of the laundry. In addition to a course switching button 43 for automatically setting washing, rinsing, dehydrating each time, a button group 44 for changing the number of times of rinsing or a water level, for giving an instruction to a notification unit 34 described later, 3 buttons 45, 4
6 and 47 are provided.

The display unit 33 comprises a fluorescent display tube,
2, the process in progress, the remaining time until the end of all the processes, the amount of laundry in the washing / dewatering tub 13 and the like are displayed. The notification unit 34 notifies the progress of the operation performed by the washing machine, responds to the input operation of the operation unit 32, and warns when an abnormal situation occurs, by using a buzzer sound. The configuration and operation of the notification unit 34 will be described later in detail.

When the power supply is started by operating the power button 41, the control device 30 accepts another button operation of the operation section 32, and emits a response sound from the notification section 34 every time the operation is performed. When an operation start instruction is given by the operation start button 42, the control device 30 causes the drive motor 15 to perform positive and negative reversal several times to cause the pulsator 14 to perform positive and reverse reversal. The detected cloth amount and the water level suitable for it are displayed on the display unit 33. At this time, the control device 30 determines whether or not the lid 21 is closed by the switch 22.

When the lid 21 is closed, the water supply valve 1
After opening 7 and supplying water to an appropriate water level according to the cloth amount, the rotation of the pulsator 14 by the drive motor 15 is started,
The washing cloth is washed by stirring the water in the washing dehydration tub 13. When it is detected that the lid 21 is open, it is predicted that the detergent, the softening agent or the bleaching agent has not been put into the exclusive box. Therefore, it waits for a predetermined time until the lid 21 is closed without supplying water. When the lid 21 is closed, water supply is started. If it is not detected that the lid 21 is closed within the predetermined time, washing cannot be started, and the notification unit 34 issues a predetermined warning sound to urge the user to take action.

FIG. 4 shows a circuit configuration of the notification unit 34. The notification unit 34 includes a separately excited buzzer 50 and power supply lines 51 and 52 for supplying a constant voltage generated from the power of the power supply 25. The potential of one power supply line 51 is VCC and the other power supply line 52 is grounded. Two power lines 51,
52, two sets of pnp transistors 53 and 54, resistors 55 and 56, and capacitors 57 and 58 connected in series with each other are provided.
Is connected to a connection point between the resistor 55 and the capacitor 57, and is connected via a diode 59 to a connection point between the resistor 56 and the capacitor 58. Buzzer 50
Is connected to a power supply line 52 via an npn-type transistor 60.
A resistor 61 for impedance matching is provided between the 0 terminals 50a and 50b.

The bases of the transistors 53, 54 and 60 are respectively connected to the output terminal 31 of the microcomputer 31.
a, 31b, and 31c. The microcomputer 31 controls the operation of the transistor 53 by the signal SP1 output from the terminal 31a, and controls the operation of the transistor 54 by the signal SP2 output from the terminal 31b. The microcomputer 31 includes the transistor 5
Control is performed such that either one of 3, 54 is not operated or both are not operated.

When the transistor 53 operates, the capacitor 57 is charged, but the diode 59 is charged.
As a result, the current is blocked, so that the capacitor 58 does not become charged. On the other hand, when the transistor 54 operates, both the capacitor 57 and the capacitor 58 are charged. Therefore, the available capacitor capacity changes depending on which one of the transistors 53 and 54 is operated.

The microcomputer 31 includes a buzzer 50
A two-level signal SD is output from the terminal 31c to control the operation of the transistor 60 in order to apply a rectangular wave drive voltage to the transistor 60. Hereinafter, this signal SD is referred to as a drive control signal. When the drive control signal SD is at a high level (hereinafter, referred to as H level), the transistor 60 operates, and when the drive control signal SD is at a low level (hereinafter, referred to as L level), the transistor 60 does not operate. When causing the buzzer 50 to sound, the microcomputer 31 changes the level of the drive control signal SD at a cycle corresponding to the sounding frequency.

When the microcomputer 31 outputs the L level to the output terminal 31c as the drive control signal SD, the transistor 60 does not operate, so that no current flows through the resistor 61. The microcomputer 31 controls the drive control signal S
When D is set to H level, the transistor 60 operates and a current flows through the resistor 61. As a result, a potential difference is generated between both terminals 50a and 50b of the buzzer 50, and this becomes a driving voltage of the buzzer 50. However, the buzzer 50 does not sound unless the driving voltage repeatedly changes in a short time. Since the potential of the first terminal 50a of the buzzer 50 changes according to the charge amount of the capacitor 57, the drive voltage also changes according to the charge amount of the capacitor 57.

When the transistor 53 is operated, if the charging of the capacitor 57 is not completed, the capacitor 57 is charged.
7 increases as the charge amount increases. When the capacitor 57 is fully charged, the current flowing through the resistor 61 becomes constant, and the driving voltage also becomes constant. When the transistor 54 is operated, if the charging of the capacitors 57 and 58 is not completed, the capacitors 57 and 58 are charged,
The magnitude of the drive voltage increases as the charge amount of the capacitor 57 increases. When the capacitor 57 is fully charged, the current flowing through the resistor 61 becomes constant, and the driving voltage also becomes constant. When the drive voltage increases, the sound volume of the buzzer 50 also increases.

When the transistors 60 are operated when the transistors 53 and 54 are not operated, the capacitor 5
The power of 7, 58 is consumed, and the drive voltage decreases. As the drive voltage decreases, the sound volume of the buzzer 50 decreases. Note that, when the transistors 53 and 54 are not operating, when the capacitors 57 and 58 are not charged at all or when the drive control signal SD is at the L level and the transistor 60 does not operate, no current flows through the resistor 61. No drive voltage of 50 results. At this time, the buzzer 50 does not sound.

The control device 30 drives the buzzer 50 in two modes. In the first mode, the operation and non-operation of the transistor 60 are repeated in a short cycle while the transistor 53 or 54 is operated. In the second mode, the operation and non-operation of the transistor 60 are repeated in a short cycle in a state where both the transistors 53 and 54 are not operated. The driving power of the buzzer 50 is supplied from the power supply lines 51 and 52 in the first mode and from the capacitors 57 and 58 in the second mode. In any of the modes, the potential Va of the terminal 50a of the buzzer 50 is supplied. Is equal to the charged potential of the capacitor 57, so that a drive voltage corresponding to the voltage of the capacitor 57 is applied to the buzzer 50.

The switching of the driving mode is performed by the signals SP1 and SP2, and the generation of the rectangular wave driving voltage is performed by the driving control signal SD. The drive control signal SD is H
When the drive control signal SD is at the L level, the resistance 1
The potential difference between both ends of 6 becomes zero. Microcomputer 3
When 1 changes the level of the drive control signal SD in a short cycle, the potential difference between both ends of the resistor 61 also changes in the same cycle, thereby generating a square wave drive voltage. The buzzer 50 is excited in the same cycle by the rectangular drive voltage, and as a result emits a sound having the same frequency as the drive control signal SD.

The control of the sound of the buzzer 50 by the microcomputer 31 will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 shows a first control example. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the passage of time, and here, the buzzer 50 is sounded during a period from time T1 to time T3. The buzzer 50 is driven in the first mode in the period T1 to T2, and is driven in the second mode in the period T2 to T3. In this control example, the transistor 54 is not operated.

(A) is a drive control signal SD applied to the transistor 60, (b) is operation and non-operation of the transistor 53, (c) is a potential Va at the first terminal 50a of the buzzer 50, and (d) is a buzzer. The potential Vb at the second terminal 50 b of FIG. The potential difference (Va-Vb) between the first terminal 50a and the second terminal 50b is the drive voltage of the buzzer 50. The drive control signal SD is a frequency within the human audible frequency band, and is actually a period that is extremely short compared to the sounding time length.
(A) schematically shows an enlarged cycle. Terminal 5
The potential Vb of 0b changes according to the level change of the drive control signal SD, and this is also schematically shown in FIG.

The microcomputer 31 sets the drive control signal SD to the L level before the time T1, and sets the drive control signal SD to a rectangular wave of a constant frequency in which the H and L levels alternately appear during the period from the time T1 to the time T4. Thereafter, it is set to L level again. Also, the microcomputer 31 operates the transistor 53 before the time T1 and operates the transistors 53 for the periods T1 to T3.
It is stopped at a predetermined time T2. The capacitor 57 is charged before the buzzer 50 sounds.

Before the time T1, the drive control signal SD is at the L level and the transistor 60 does not operate, so that the drive voltage becomes 0 and the buzzer 50 does not sound. When the supply of the rectangular wave drive control signal SD is started at time T1,
The intermittent operation of the transistor 60 starts, the driving voltage also becomes a rectangular wave of the same frequency, and the buzzer 50 emits the same frequency. At this time, the transistor 53 is operating,
Since the terminal 50a is connected to the power supply line 51, its potential Va is equal to the potential VC when the capacitor 57 is fully charged.
C ′ is kept constant, and the peak value of the driving voltage is also kept constant.

At time T2, the transistor 53 stops operating, and the connection between the terminal 50a of the buzzer 50 and the power supply line 51 is cut off. At this time, the square wave drive control signal S
The supply of D is continued, and the buzzer 50 continues to emit sound by the electric power supplied from the condenser 57. As the power of the capacitor 57 is consumed, the drive voltage decreases, and the sound volume of the buzzer 50 decreases accordingly.
Time T when the stored power of the capacitor 57 is exhausted
At 3, the buzzer 50 stops sounding. At a time T4 after a short time, the drive control signal SD becomes L level, and the transistor 60 stops operating.

The width of the tone shown in (e) represents the sound volume of the buzzer 50. Since the charging of the condenser 57 has been completed in advance, the buzzer 50 emits the sound at the maximum volume from the start of the sound generation at the time T1. This sound generation amount continues until the time T2 when the operation of the transistor 53 stops. Timing T2
Thereafter, the sound volume of the buzzer 50 gradually decreases and disappears at time T3. Therefore, in the above-described control, the buzzer sound is generated by adding a lingering sound after sounding at a fixed amount, and gives a softer sound impression than a buzzer sound that ends suddenly with a fixed volume.

The microcomputer 31 determines the time T
At 5, the transistor 53 is operated to charge the capacitor 57 in preparation for the next sound generation. Note that when the buzzer 50 is not sounded for a long time or when the control shown in the second control example is performed, the transistor 53 is kept in an operation stop state and the capacitor 57 is not charged.

FIG. 6 shows a second control example. (A) ~
(E) is the same as FIG. Here, the transistor 54 is not operated. In the first control example shown in FIG. 5, the capacitor 53 is charged in advance by operating the transistor 53 before the sounding of the buzzer 50 starts. However, in the second control, the capacitor 57 has no stored power. Start pronunciation. Microcomputer 31
Changes the drive control signal SD from the L level to a rectangular wave in which the H and L levels alternately appear, and at the same time, starts the operation of the transistor 53.

The charging of the capacitor 57 is started by the operation of the transistor 53, and the intermittent operation of the transistor 60 is started by the driving control signal SD of the rectangular wave to generate a driving voltage of the rectangular wave. It is done. Buzzer 5 at sounding start time T1
The potential Va of the first terminal 50a of 0 is 0 and the driving voltage (not shown) is also 0, but as the charging of the capacitor 57 proceeds, the potential Va increases and the peak value of the driving voltage also increases. Therefore, the sound volume of the buzzer 50 is initially 0, but gradually increases, and reaches the maximum volume when the charging of the capacitor 57 is completed.

After the sounding at the maximum volume is continued for a while, the microcomputer 31 stops the operation of the transistor 53 at time T2. As a result, the mode is switched from the first mode to the second mode, and driving of the buzzer 50 by the stored power of the capacitor 57 is started. Potential VCC 'at the time of maximum charging of the capacitor 57 at the time of mode switching
The potential Va of the terminal 50a, which is equal to the current, decreases with power consumption, and the drive voltage also gradually decreases. In response to this, the sound volume of the buzzer gradually decreases from the maximum volume, and the sound generation stops when the charging power of the capacitor 57 is exhausted.

In the above control, a lingering sound is added after sounding at the maximum volume, and a period during which the sound volume gradually increases before sounding at the maximum volume. For this reason, the head of the buzzer sound is rounded as shown in (e), and is softer than the buzzer sound of the first control example which sounds at the maximum volume from the start of the sounding simply by adding the lingering sound. It has a buzzing sound.

Since the sound volume at the start of sound generation and the length of the period of increase in sound volume depend on the remaining power of the capacitor 57, the sound volume of the buzzer 50 at the beginning of sound generation varies for each sound according to the remaining power of the capacitor 57. And become unstable. However, by starting sounding with the remaining power of the condenser 57 being eliminated as described above, the sound volume at the beginning of sounding can be constantly kept constant.

In the above two control examples, the transistor 54
Is not operated, and the mode is switched by switching the operation and non-operation of the transistor 53.
The mode may be switched by operating or not operating the transistor 54 without operating the transistor 3. In this case, the capacitor 58 is used in addition to the capacitor 57, and the capacity increases. Therefore, the attenuation rate of the sound generation amount in the second operation mode is reduced, and the period T2 to T3 of the lingering sound in FIGS. Similarly, the rate of increase in the amount of sound of the buzzer when the sound of the buzzer is started from a state in which the capacitor is not charged decreases, and the time until the sound volume reaches a certain level in FIG. 6 increases.

The control device 30 provides the user with information on the operating state of the washing machine by means of a buzzer sound. There are several types of information to be provided. For example, as a notification sound for notifying the normal operation, a driving start sound when the driving start button 42 of the operation unit 32 is operated, a response sound when detecting that another button is operated, or when all the processes are completed. And the like, and as a warning sound when an abnormality occurs, a lid opening warning sound when the lid 21 is not closed within a predetermined time after the start of operation, and a rotational shake of the washing and dewatering tub 13 during dehydration. When the water level does not rise to the predetermined water level within a predetermined time due to a running shake warning sound at the time of occurrence, a water cut or a poor connection of a hose, or the like, there is a water supply abnormality warning sound or the like.

The control device 30 distinguishes these several types of states by combining the number of times of the buzzer sound, the duration, the change in the intensity, and the change in the pitch. The pitch of the buzzer sound can be easily changed only by changing the frequency of the drive control signal SD. The melody is expressed by the change in pitch.

The microcomputer 31 stores a large number of melodies as the notification sound and the warning sound, and the user can switch the melody of the notification sound and the warning sound as desired. This operation is performed by a melody switching button 46 provided on the operation unit 32. When the melody is switched by operating the melody switching button 46, the microcomputer 31 emits the melody once. Thereby, the user can confirm a new melody. Note that the warning sound may not be switched, and only the notification sound may be switched.

FIG. 7 shows musical notes and buzzer sounds of several examples of melodies used by the control device 30 as standard notification sounds and warning sounds. (A) is a response sound to a button operation, (b) is a driving start sound, (c) is a driving end sound, (d)
Is a lid opening warning sound, and (e) is a rotation shake warning sound. In each of these, the duration of one quarter note is set to 0.64 seconds.

The operation response sound in (a) is G (783 Hz:
It consists only of the sound of c), with a constant volume of 0.19 seconds followed by a lingering sound of 0.45 seconds. The operation start sound of (b) is
E, G, C, E (659, 783, 1046, 1318
Hz: Mi, S, Do, Mi). The first three tones are produced for 0.08 seconds each while increasing the volume, and the last one is produced for 0.72 seconds including the lingering sound. When the operation start button 42 is operated when the operation of the washing machine is temporarily stopped, the operation response sound shown in FIG.

The operation end sound of (c) is B, G, A, B,
G, C, C (987, 783, 880, 987, 78
3, 1046, 1046 Hz: S, S, La, S, S,
Do, do), each sound has a duration of 0.32,
0.16, 0.16, 0.32, 0.32, 0.64,
0.64 seconds. The first sound, the fourth sound, and the fifth sound are attenuated after a certain volume, and the next sound is generated during the decay. The second and third sounds are attenuated from the beginning, and are replaced by the next sound on the way. The last two sounds decay after a certain volume until the sound disappears.

The lid opening warning sound of (d) is E, C (131).
8, 1046 Hz: three repetitions of two tones. The sound of E lasts for 0.16 seconds at a constant volume, and the sound of C disappears for 0.48 seconds while attenuating. The rotation shake warning sound of (e) is a single sound of E (1318 Hz: mi),
Sustains at a constant volume for 1.92 seconds. Rotational shake warning sound
The reason why the sound is set to be high and hard is that the user is usually away from the washing machine at the start of spin-drying, and it is necessary to reliably notify the distant user of the abnormality.

The pitch of each melody can be changed according to the user's preference. This is performed by operating the pitch switching button 47 of the operation unit 32. Microcomputer 31
Each time the pitch switch button 47 is operated, the frequency of each sound of the melody is stored at a predetermined multiple of the frequency at that time. For example, if the frequency is multiplied by 1.4 with one operation of the pitch switching button 47, the pitch of one octave is raised by two button operations. To lower the pitch of the melody,
The pitch switching button 47 and the melody switching button 46 are simultaneously operated. If the frequency is multiplied by 0.71 in one simultaneous operation, the pitch is reduced by approximately one octave in two simultaneous operations.

When the microcomputer 31 stores the new frequency, the melody is generated at the new pitch from the next time. Each time the microcomputer 31 changes the frequency of the melody, the microcomputer 31 sounds the melody once. Thereby, the user can confirm the new pitch of the melody.

In the melody example described above, a quarter note 1
Although the length of the beat is fixed, it may be changed for each melody. Further, instead of operating the transistor 53, the transistor 54 may be operated to increase the capacitance of the capacitor, thereby decreasing the attenuation rate or the increase rate of the sound volume of the buzzer 50. By changing the decay rate or increase rate of the volume, for example, the duration of the lingering sound changes, and the sound of the buzzer sound changes. Switching the capacitor capacity
This is performed for each melody by the reverberation switching button 45 provided on the operation unit 32.

The microcomputer 31 has a reverberation switching button 4
Each time 5 is operated, the size of the capacitor is switched, and the size of the capacitor is stored as information on the melody. Then, one of the transistors 53 and 54 is operated according to the new capacitor capacity, and the melody is sounded. Thus, the user can confirm the sound of the new melody.

The warning sound shown in FIG. 7E is suddenly terminated similarly to the conventional buzzer sound. However, this sound pattern stops the operating transistor 53 or 54 and simultaneously sets the drive control signal SD to L. It is obtained by fixing the level or the H level. When the drive control signal is fixed at the L level, the operation of the transistor 60 is stopped, so that the capacitors 57 and 58 are kept charged. When the drive control signal is fixed at the H level, the buzzer 50 stops sounding but the transistor 60 continues to operate.
The electric charges of the capacitors 57 and 58 are discharged via the resistor 61 and the transistor 60 and disappear after a short time.

In this embodiment, in order to switch the capacity of the capacitor of the notification unit 34, the transistor 5
3, a resistor 55, a capacitor 57 and a transistor 5
4, a combination of a resistor 56 and a capacitor 58 is connected via a diode 59. This makes it possible to switch the capacitance in two stages.
If a set of a resistor and a capacitor is further provided and similarly connected by a diode, the capacity can be switched in three or more stages.

In order to adjust the buzzer sound, the operation unit 3
2 is provided with a reverberation switching button 45, a melody switching button 46, and a pitch switching button 47, but it is also possible to adjust the buzzer sound without providing these. In this case, one function of these three switching buttons 45, 46, and 47 is performed by operating two or more other buttons of the operation unit 32 at the same time or by continuing to press one button. In such a configuration, the number of operation members can be reduced although the operation is slightly complicated.

[0064]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the notification sound generated by the buzzer of the washing machine can be made to have a soft sound, and the user is uncomfortable even when the washing machine is frequently used. It does not cause any pain or pain, and the washing machine has a sense of quality. In addition, by making the buzzer sound strong and easy, it is easy to identify the sound.Even when issuing various types of notification sounds and warning sounds, the user should be able to know the state of the washing machine without fail by each notification sound and warning sound. Can be.

According to the control device of the second aspect, it is possible to finely adjust the degree of the volume change of the notification sound and the warning sound.

In the control device according to the third aspect, the notification sound and the warning sound can be set to the user's favorite sound.

According to the control device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible for the user to set the pitch of the melody that the washing machine emits as a notification sound or a warning sound according to the user's preference and ease of hearing. In addition, by making the melody of the warning sound a treble that can be heard from a relatively long distance,
Even when an abnormality occurs when the user is away from the washing machine, the user can know the occurrence of the abnormality.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a fully automatic washing machine to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of the entire washing machine centering on a control device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing appearances of an operation unit and a display unit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of a notification unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a first control example of sounding of a buzzer.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second control example of buzzer sound generation.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a melody of a notification sound and a warning sound.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional buzzer drive circuit.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between a control signal of a conventional buzzer driving circuit and a buzzer sound.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Water tank 13 Washing dehydration tub 14 Pulsator 15 Drive motor 17 Water supply valve 19 Drain valve 21 Lid 22 Lid open / closed detection switch 23 Rotational shake detection switch 24 Water level sensor 25 Power supply 26 Phase-advancing capacitor 30 Control device 31 Microcomputer 32 Operation unit 33 Display unit 34 notification unit 35 switching device 36 cloth amount detection unit 41 power button 42 operation start button 45 reverberation switching button 46 melody switching button 47 pitch switch button 50 separately excited buzzer 50a, 50b buzzer terminal 51, 52 power supply line 53, 54 transistor 55 , 56 resistor 57, 58 capacitor 59 diode 60 transistor 61 resistor SD drive control signal

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A washing machine control device having a buzzer that sounds at a volume corresponding to a driving voltage, and informing a washing machine of an operating state by a sound of the buzzer, wherein the buzzer is charged with electric power from a power supply and the driving voltage is supplied to the buzzer. And a switch for switching between a connected state and a disconnected state of the power supply and the condenser, and the sound of the buzzer is changed by changing the sound volume of the buzzer by setting the switch. A control device for a washing machine, wherein the control device is different for each operation state. 2. A plurality of capacitors charged by power from the power supply and supplying a drive voltage to the buzzer;
Means for simultaneously connecting an arbitrary number of these capacitors to the power supply, and changing the number of capacitors connected to the power supply to adjust the rate of change of the sound volume of the buzzer. The control device for a washing machine according to claim 1. 3. An input means for designating a rate of change of the buzzer sound volume, wherein a number of capacitors corresponding to the rate of change specified by the input means are connected to the power supply. Item 3. A control device for a washing machine according to item 2. 4. A control device for a washing machine having a separately excited buzzer, which emits a melody by the buzzer to inform the operating state of the washing machine, wherein the instruction for changing the pitch of the melody emitted by the buzzer is received. A control device for a washing machine, comprising: input means, wherein each time an instruction is received from the input means, the frequency of each sound constituting the melody is changed to a frequency obtained by multiplying a frequency at that time by a predetermined number. .