CN111356801B

CN111356801B - Drum washing machine

Info

Publication number: CN111356801B
Application number: CN201880068625.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 竹内晴美; 广濑聪司
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Aqua Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Aqua Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-10-26
Filing date: 2018-10-23
Publication date: 2022-08-12
Anticipated expiration: 2038-10-23
Also published as: WO2019080825A1; CN111356801A; JP2019076555A; JP7104931B2

Abstract

A drum washing machine is provided, which can restrain the increase of size and cost when the drum and the rotary body can rotate in the opposite rotation direction. The drum washing machine comprises: an outer cylinder (20) disposed in the housing; a drum (22) which is disposed in the outer cylinder (20) and can rotate around an inclined shaft inclined with respect to the horizontal direction; a rotary wing (24) which is arranged at the rear part of the roller (22) and is provided with a protruding part (24a) contacted with the washings on the surface; a driving motor (100) for rotating the drum (22) and the rotary wing (24); and a transmission mechanism (T) that transmits the rotation of the drive motor (100) to the drum (22) and the rotating blade (24) and rotates the drum (22) and the rotating blade (24) in opposite rotational directions.

Description

Drum washing machine

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a drum washing machine. The drum washing machine may be continuously performed from washing to drying, or may perform washing without performing drying.

Background

Conventionally, a drum washing machine washes laundry by rotating a horizontal shaft type drum in an outer tub in which water is stored at the bottom, lifting the laundry by a lifting rib provided in the drum, dropping the laundry, and throwing the laundry onto the inner circumferential surface of the drum.

In the structure in which the laundry is agitated by the lifting ribs in this manner, the laundry is less likely to be tangled or rubbed against each other. Therefore, the drum washing machine is likely to have a smaller mechanical force acting on the laundry and a lower washing capacity than a fully automatic washing machine that washes the laundry by rotating a pulsator in a washing and spin-drying tub.

Therefore, in the drum washing machine, the following structure may be adopted: a rotating body having a protruding part on the surface is provided at the end of a drum, and the drum and the rotating body are rotated in opposite rotating directions during washing and rinsing. The rotation of the drum and the rotating body in the opposite rotating direction makes the laundry easy to twist, thereby providing a rubbing effect to the laundry and improving the washing ability of the laundry.

The following structure can be adopted: the drive unit for rotating the drum and the rotating body in opposite rotational directions includes, for example, a drive motor for the drum and a drive motor for the rotating body, and rotates the drum by transmitting rotation of the drive motor for the drum to the rotating shaft of the drum and rotates the rotating body by transmitting rotation of the drive motor for the rotating body to the rotating shaft of the rotating body (see patent document 1).

However, as described above, in the case of adopting a structure in which the drum and the rotating body are rotated by different driving motors, an arrangement space for the two driving motors is required, and the size of the apparatus main body is easily increased. In addition, the cost of two drive motors is required, and thus the product cost is likely to increase.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. H03-104684

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a drum washing machine that can suppress an increase in size and an increase in cost when a structure is employed in which a drum and a rotor can rotate in opposite rotational directions.

Means for solving the problems

A drum washing machine according to a main aspect of the present invention includes: an outer cylinder disposed in the housing; a drum disposed in the outer cylinder and rotatable about a horizontal axis or an inclined axis inclined with respect to the horizontal direction; a rotating body arranged at the rear part of the roller and provided with a convex part contacting with the washings on the surface; a driving motor for rotating the drum and the rotating body; and a transmission mechanism unit that transmits rotation of the drive motor to the drum and the rotating body so that the drum and the rotating body rotate in opposite rotational directions.

According to the above configuration, since the rotation of the drive motor can be transmitted to the drum and the rotating body by the transmission mechanism so as to rotate the drum and the rotating body in opposite rotational directions, one drive motor may be provided for the rotational drive of the drum and the rotary blade. This eliminates the need for a space for disposing the two drive motors and the cost of the two drive motors, thereby suppressing an increase in size and cost.

The drum washing machine of the present embodiment may have the following structure: the transmission mechanism includes: a first rotating shaft fixed to the rotating body; a second rotating shaft fixed to the drum; and a planetary gear mechanism including: in the planetary gear mechanism, one of the carrier and the ring gear is an output portion and the other is a fixed portion, the sun gear is connected to the first rotation shaft, the output portion is connected to the second rotation shaft, and when the sun gear rotates in a state where the fixed portion is fixed so as not to rotate, the output portion rotates in the reverse direction with respect to the sun gear via the planet gears.

For example, in the case where the ring gear is provided as the output portion, the planetary gear may be constituted by one gear that meshes with the sun gear and the ring gear. Further, for example, in the case where the carrier is provided as the output portion, the planetary gear may be constituted by two gears that rotate in opposite directions to each other and mesh with the sun gear and the ring gear.

According to the above configuration, the transmission mechanism portion for rotating the drum and the rotating body in opposite rotational directions can be realized by using the planetary gear mechanism.

In the above configuration, the drive mode of the drive motor may be switched between a first mode in which the fixed portion is fixed so as not to rotate and the drum and the rotating body rotate in opposite rotational directions, and a second mode in which the fixed portion and the sun gear rotate integrally and the drum and the rotating body rotate integrally, and the control unit may control operations of the drive motor and the clutch mechanism.

According to such a configuration, the switching by the clutch mechanism unit not only allows the drum washing machine to rotate the drum and the rotating body in opposite rotational directions, but also allows the drum washing machine to rotate the drum and the rotating body integrally.

Further, in the case of the above configuration, the control unit may be configured to perform the following operations during the washing step and/or the rinsing step: a first operation of rotating the driving motor in the first mode, rotating the drum so as to tumble laundry, and rotating the rotating body in a direction opposite to the drum; and a second operation of switching from the first mode to the second mode to rotate the driving motor and rotating the drum so that the laundry tumbles and integrally rotates the rotating body and the drum, when the magnitude of the load applied to the rotating body in the first operation exceeds a predetermined magnitude.

According to such a configuration, in the first operation in which the drum and the rotating body are rotated in opposite rotational directions, a scrubbing effect due to the laundry being wrung can be expected, and an improvement in the washing performance can be expected. On the other hand, the first operation is likely to cause entanglement of the laundry, but when a large load is applied to the rotary body during the first operation, the second operation is switched to the second operation in which the drum and the rotary body are integrally rotated.

Further, in the case of adopting the above configuration, the following configuration may be adopted: the control unit performs a first operation and then a second operation in a washing process and/or a rinsing process, wherein the first operation is an operation of rotating the driving motor in the first mode, rotating the drum so as to tumble laundry, and rotating the rotating body and the drum in a reverse direction; the second operation is an operation of switching from the first mode to the second mode, rotating the drive motor, rotating the drum so as to tumble laundry, and rotating the rotating body and the drum together.

According to this configuration, although the first operation can expect the rubbing effect due to the twisting of the laundry, the second operation performed after the first operation allows the laundry to be moved without twisting, and the twisting is easily eliminated. Therefore, the scrub washing effect can be obtained while suppressing the temperature rise and the stalling of the drive motor due to the winding or the like.

Further, in the case of adopting the above configuration, the following configuration may be adopted: the control unit performs the second operation after performing the first operation when the load amount of the laundry in the drum is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and performs only the first operation and does not perform the second operation when the load amount of the laundry in the drum is less than the predetermined amount.

According to such a configuration, when the load of the laundry is small and the temperature rise and the rotation lock of the drive motor due to the entanglement or the like are not easily generated, the scrubbing effect of the laundry can be greatly exhibited by performing only the first operation.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a drum washing machine capable of suppressing an increase in size and an increase in cost in the case of adopting a structure in which a drum and a rotor can rotate in opposite rotational directions.

The effects and significance of the present invention will be further clarified by the following description of the embodiments. However, the following embodiments are merely examples for carrying out the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiments.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view showing a structure of a drum washing machine according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of the driving unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of the driving unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a front view of a rotor showing a structure of the rotor of the drive motor according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a structure of a planetary gear mechanism according to the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a rear portion of the bearing unit of the embodiment.

Fig. 7 (a), (b), and (c) are diagrams showing the structure of the clutch member according to the embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing a structure of the drum washing machine according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the control unit in the washing step and the rinsing step according to the embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the control unit in the washing step and the rinsing step in modification 1.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing the structure of a drive unit according to modification 2.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of a planetary gear mechanism according to modification 2.

Description of the reference numerals

10: a housing; 20: an outer cylinder; 22: a drum; 24: a rotary wing (rotary body); 24 a: a projecting part; 30: a drive section; 100: a drive motor; 200: a wing shaft (first rotation shaft); 300: a drum shaft (second rotation shaft); 400: a planetary gear mechanism; 410: a sun gear; 420: a ring gear; 430: a planet wheel; 440: a planet carrier; 600: a clutch mechanism section; 701: a control unit; t: a transmission mechanism part.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a drum washing machine having no drying function, which is an embodiment of the drum washing machine according to the present invention, will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view showing the structure of a drum washing machine 1 according to the present embodiment.

The drum washing machine 1 includes a cabinet 10 constituting an external appearance. The front surface 10a of the housing 10 is inclined from the center to the upper part, and a laundry inlet 11 is formed on the inclined surface. The inlet 11 is covered with a door 12 that can be opened and closed.

Inside the casing 10, an outer cylinder 20 is elastically supported by a plurality of dampers 21. The drum 22 is rotatably disposed in the outer cylinder 20. The outer cylinder 20 and the roller 22 are inclined with respect to the horizontal direction so that the rear surface side becomes lower. Thereby, the drum 22 rotates around an inclined axis inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. The inclination angles of the outer cylinder 20 and the roller 22 can be set to about 10 to 20 degrees. The opening 20a on the front surface of the outer cylinder 20 and the opening 22a on the front surface of the drum 22 face the inlet 11, and are closed together with the inlet 11 by the door 12. A plurality of dewatering holes 22b are formed in the inner circumferential wall of the drum 22. Further, three lifters 23 are provided at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner circumferential surface of the drum 22.

A rotary wing 24 is rotatably disposed at the rear of the drum 22. The rotary wing 24 has an approximately circular disk shape. A plurality of protrusions 24a radially extending from the center portion are formed on the surface of the rotor blade 24. The rotary wing 24 rotates coaxially with the drum 22. The rotor blade 24 corresponds to a rotor of the present invention.

A driving unit 30 for generating torque to drive the drum 22 and the rotary wing 24 is disposed behind the outer cylinder 20. The driving unit 30 rotates the drum 22 and the rotary wing 24 in opposite rotational directions at different rotational speeds during the washing process and the rinsing process. Specifically, drive unit 30 rotates drum 22 at a rotation speed at which the centrifugal force applied to the laundry in drum 22 is smaller than the gravity, and rotates rotary wing 24 in a rotation direction opposite to the rotation direction of drum 22 at a rotation speed higher than the rotation speed of drum 22. On the other hand, during the spin-drying process, the driving unit 30 rotates the drum 22 and the rotary blades 24 together at a rotation speed at which the centrifugal force applied to the laundry in the drum 22 is much greater than the gravity. The detailed structure of the driving unit 30 will be described later.

A drain port 20b is formed in the bottom of the outer cylinder 20. A drain valve 40 is provided in the drain port portion 20 b. The drain valve 40 is connected to a drain hose 41. When the drain valve 40 is opened, the water stored in the outer tub 20 is discharged to the outside of the washing machine through the drain hose 41.

A detergent box 50 is disposed at an upper front portion in the cabinet 10. In the detergent box 50, a detergent container 50a for storing detergent is housed so as to be freely removable from the front. The detergent box 50 is connected to a water supply valve 51 disposed at a rear upper portion in the cabinet 10 through a water supply hose 52. Further, the detergent box 50 is connected to an upper portion of the outer tub 20 through a water injection pipe 53. When the water supply valve 51 is opened, tap water is supplied from the faucet into the outer tub 20 through the water supply hose 52, the detergent box 50, and the water filling pipe 53. At this time, the detergent contained in the detergent container 50a is flushed by the water and supplied into the outer tub 20.

Next, the structure of the driving unit 30 will be described in detail.

Fig. 2 and 3 are sectional views showing the structure of the driving unit 30 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a state in which the driving mode of the driving unit 30 is switched to the biaxial driving mode, and fig. 3 shows a state in which the driving mode of the driving unit 30 is switched to the uniaxial driving mode.

The drive section 30 includes: a driving motor 100, a wing shaft 200, a drum shaft 300, a planetary gear mechanism 400, a bearing unit 500, and a clutch mechanism portion 600. In the drive unit 30, the vane shaft 200, the drum shaft 300, and the planetary gear mechanism 400 function as a transmission mechanism T that transmits the rotation of the drive motor 100 to the drum 22 and the rotary vanes 24 to rotate the drum 22 and the rotary vanes 24 in opposite rotational directions. The wing shaft 200 corresponds to a first rotation shaft of the present invention, and the drum shaft 300 corresponds to a second rotation shaft of the present invention.

The driving motor 100 generates a torque for driving the rotary wing 24 and the drum 22. The wing shaft 200 is rotated by the torque of the driving motor 100, and the rotation is transmitted to the rotary wing 24. The planetary gear mechanism 400 transmits the rotation of the wing shaft 200, i.e., the rotation of the rotor 110 of the driving motor 100, to the drum shaft 300 after reducing the speed. The planetary gear mechanism 400 transmits rotation in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the drum shaft 300 and the rotation direction of the wing shaft 200. The drum shaft 300 rotates coaxially with the wing shaft 200 and in the opposite direction to the wing shaft 200 at a rotation speed reduced by the planetary gear mechanism 400, and transmits the rotation to the drum 22. The bearing unit 500 rotatably supports the blade shaft 200 and the drum shaft 300. The clutch mechanism 600 switches the drive mode of the drive unit 30 between a two-shaft drive mode in which the wing shaft 200, which is the rotary wing 24, is rotatable at a rotation speed equal to the rotation speed of the drive motor 100 and the drum shaft 300, which is the drum 22, is rotatable in the reverse direction of the wing shaft 200 at a rotation speed reduced by the planetary gear mechanism 400, and a single-shaft drive mode in which the wing shaft 200, which is the rotary wing 24 and the drum 22, the drum shaft 300, and the planetary gear mechanism 400 are integrally rotatable at a rotation speed equal to the rotation speed of the drive motor 100. The biaxial drive mode corresponds to the first mode of the present invention, and the uniaxial drive mode corresponds to the second mode of the present invention.

The driving motor 100 is an outer rotor type DC brushless motor, and includes a rotor 110 and a stator 120. The rotor 110 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and permanent magnets 111 are arranged over the entire circumference of the inner circumferential surface thereof.

Fig. 4 is a front view of rotor 110 showing the structure of rotor 110 of drive motor 100 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 4, a circular boss portion 112 is formed at the center of the rotor 110. A boss hole 113 for fixing the wing shaft 200 is formed in the boss portion 112, and an annular engaged recess 114 is formed in the outer periphery of the boss hole 113. The outer peripheral portion of the engaged concave portion 114 has a concave-convex portion 114a over the entire periphery.

Returning to fig. 2 and 3, the stator 120 includes a winding 121 on the outer periphery. When a driving current is supplied from a motor driving unit described later to the winding 121 of the stator 120, the rotor 110 rotates.

The drum shaft 300 has a hollow shape and encloses the wing shaft 200 and the planetary gear mechanism 400. The drum shaft 300 has a central portion bulging outward, and the bulging portion serves as a housing portion 300a of the planetary gear mechanism 400.

The planetary gear mechanism 400 includes: sun gear 410, annular ring gear 420 surrounding sun gear 410, four planetary gears 430 interposed between sun gear 410 and ring gear 420, and carrier 440 rotatably holding planetary gears 430.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of the planetary gear mechanism 400 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line a-a' of fig. 2, and for convenience of explanation, the configuration of the vane shaft 200, the drum shaft 300, and the planetary gear mechanism 400 is not shown.

The sun gear 410 is made of metal and fixed to the middle of the wing shaft 200. The ring gear 420 is formed of resin. As shown in fig. 5, key portions 421 extending in the front-rear direction are formed at a plurality of positions on the outer peripheral surface of the ring gear 420, and key groove portions 301 corresponding to the key portions 421 are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the drum shaft 300. The drum shaft 300 and the ring gear 420 are fixed in the circumferential direction by engaging the key portion 421 with the key groove 301. Each planetary gear 430 is formed of resin, and meshes with the sun gear 410 and the ring gear 420.

The carrier 440 includes a front frame 441, a rear frame 442, four support shafts 443, and a frame shaft 444. The front frame 441 and the rear frame 442 have a disc shape, and sandwich the four planetary gears 430 from both sides. Four support shafts 443 are provided between the front frame 441 and the rear frame 442, and the planetary gears 430 are rotatably attached to the support shafts 443. The frame shaft 444 is formed integrally with the rear frame 442 and extends rearward from the rear surface of the rear frame 442. The frame shaft 444 is coaxial with the drum shaft 300, and has a hollow interior for inserting the blade shaft 200.

Referring back to fig. 2 and 3, the bearing unit 500 is provided with a cylindrical bearing portion 510 at the center. Inside the bearing portion 510, rolling

bearings

511 and 512 are provided at the front and rear portions, and a mechanical seal 513 is provided at the front end portion. The outer peripheral surface of the drum shaft 300 is received by rolling

bearings

511 and 512, and smoothly rotates in the bearing 510. In addition, water is prevented from entering between the bearing portion 510 and the drum shaft 300 by the mechanical seal 513.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a rear portion of the bearing unit 500 of the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 6, a spline 514 is formed on the inner surface of the rear end of the bearing portion 510 over the entire circumference.

In the bearing unit 500, a fixed flange portion 520 is formed around the bearing portion 510. A mounting boss 521 is formed at the lower end of the fixed flange 520.

The bearing unit 500 is fixed to the rear surface of the outer cylinder 20 at the fixing flange portion 520 by a fixing method such as screw fastening. In a state where the driving unit 30 is attached to the outer cylinder 20, the wing shaft 200 and the drum shaft 300 face the inside of the outer cylinder 20. The drum 22 is fixed to the drum shaft 300, and the rotary wing 24 is fixed to the wing shaft 200. The rear end of the wing shaft 200 protrudes rearward from the frame shaft 444 and is fixed to the boss hole 113 of the rotor 110.

The clutch mechanism portion 600 includes: clutch body 610, clutch spring 620, clutch lever 630, lever support 640, clutch drive 650, relay rod 660, and mounting plate 670.

Fig. 7 (a), (b), and (c) are views showing the structure of the clutch body 610 of the present embodiment, and are a front view, a right side view, and a rear view of the clutch body 610, respectively.

As shown in fig. 7 (a), (b), and (c), the clutch body 610 has a substantially disk shape. An annular spline 611 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion of the clutch member 610. The spline 611 is formed to engage with the spline 514 of the bearing unit 500. Further, a flange portion 612 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the clutch body 610 behind the spline 611. An annular engagement flange portion 613 is formed at the rear end portion of the clutch body 610. The engaging flange portion 613 has the same shape as the engaged recess portion 114 of the rotor 110, and has an uneven portion 613a on the outer peripheral portion over the entire periphery. When the engaging flange portion 613 is inserted into the engaged recess portion 114, the concave and

convex portions

613a and 114a are engaged with each other.

A carrier shaft 444 is inserted into the shaft hole 614 of the clutch body 610. The spline 614a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole 614 engages with the spline 444a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the holder shaft 444. Thus, the clutch body 610 is allowed to move in the forward and backward direction with respect to the holder shaft 444, and rotation in the circumferential direction is restricted.

In the clutch body 610, an annular housing groove 615 is formed outside the shaft hole 614, and a clutch spring 620 is housed in the housing groove 615. One end of the clutch spring 620 is in contact with the rear end of the bearing 510, and the other end is in contact with the bottom surface of the housing groove 615.

Returning to fig. 2 and 3, a pressing portion 631 is formed at the upper end of the clutch lever 630, and the pressing portion 631 contacts the rear surface of the flange portion 612 of the clutch body 610 and presses the flange portion 612 forward. Clutch lever 630 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 641 provided in lever support portion 640. A mounting shaft 632 is formed at the lower end of clutch lever 630.

Clutch drive device 650 is disposed below clutch lever 630. The clutch drive device 650 includes a torque motor 651, and a disk-shaped cam 652 that rotates about a horizontal axis by the torque of the torque motor 651. A cam shaft 653 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the cam 652. The rotation center of the cam 652 coincides with the center of the mounting shaft 632 of the clutch lever 630 in the front-rear direction.

The relay rod 660 extends in the vertical direction and couples the clutch lever 630 and the cam 652. The relay rod 660 has an upper end fitted to the mounting shaft 632 of the clutch lever 630 and a lower end fitted to the cam shaft 653 of the cam 652. The relay rod 660 is integrally formed with a spring 661 at an intermediate position. The spring 661 is an extension spring.

The lever support portion 640 and the clutch drive device 650 are fixed to the mounting plate 670 by a fixing method such as screw fastening. The mounting plate 670 is fixed to the mounting boss 521 of the bearing unit 500 by screws.

When the drive mode of the drive unit 30 is switched from the single-shaft drive mode to the double-shaft drive mode, as shown in fig. 2, the cam 652 is rotated by the torque motor 651 so that the cam shaft 653 is positioned at the lowermost position. As the cam 652 rotates, the lower end portion of the clutch lever 630 is pulled downward by the relay rod 660. The clutch lever 630 rotates forward about the support shaft 641, and the pressing portion 631 presses the clutch body 610 forward. The clutch body 610 moves forward against the elastic force of the clutch spring 620, and the spline 611 of the clutch body 610 engages with the spline 514 of the bearing unit 500.

In the clutch case 610, when the camshaft 653 moves to an intermediate predetermined position, the spline 611 reaches a position where it engages with the spline 514. At this time, the spring 661 of the relay rod 660 is in a natural length state. Since the clutch body 610 does not move beyond the engagement position, when the cam shaft 653 moves from the predetermined position to the lowermost position, the spring 661 extends downward as shown in fig. 2. Then, the clutch lever 630 is pulled by the spring 661 and rotated forward, and therefore, the pressing portion 631 applies a pressing force to the clutch member 610 at the engagement position. This enables spline 611 to be firmly engaged with spline 514.

When the spline 611 engages with the spline 514, the rotation of the clutch body 610 in the circumferential direction with respect to the bearing unit 500 is restricted and the clutch body is in a non-rotatable state, and therefore the carrier shaft 444 of the planetary gear mechanism 400, i.e., the carrier 440, is fixed in a non-rotatable state. In this state, when the rotor 110 rotates, the wing shaft 200 rotates at a rotational speed equal to the rotational speed of the rotor 110, and the rotary wing 24 coupled to the wing shaft 200 also rotates at a rotational speed equal to the rotational speed of the rotor 110. As the wing shaft 200 rotates, the sun gear 410 rotates in the planetary gear mechanism 400. As described above, the carrier 440 is in a fixed state, and therefore the planetary gear 430 rotates only with the rotation of the sun gear 410 and cannot revolve. The planetary gear 430 rotates in the reverse direction of the sun gear 410, and the ring gear 420 rotates in the reverse direction of the sun gear 410 (see fig. 5). Accordingly, the drum shaft 300 fixed to the ring gear 420 rotates in the direction opposite to the wing shaft 200 at a lower rotation speed than the wing shaft 200, and the drum 22 fixed to the drum shaft 300 rotates in the direction opposite to the wing 24 at a lower rotation speed than the wing 24. In other words, the rotary wing 24 rotates in the opposite direction to the drum 22 at a higher rotation speed than the drum 22.

On the other hand, when the mode of the drive unit 30 is switched from the biaxial drive mode to the uniaxial drive mode, as shown in fig. 3, the cam 652 is rotated by the torque motor 651 so that the cam shaft 653 is positioned uppermost. When the cam 652 rotates and the cam shaft 653 moves upward, first, the spring 661 contracts. When the spring 661 returns to the natural length, the relay rod 660 moves upward as the cam shaft 653 moves thereafter, and the lower end portion of the clutch lever 630 is pushed by the relay rod 660 and moves upward. The clutch lever 630 rotates rearward about the support shaft 641, and the pressing portion 631 separates from the flange portion 612 of the clutch body 610. The clutch body 610 moves rearward by the elastic force of the clutch spring 620, and the engagement flange 613 of the clutch body 610 engages with the engaged recess 114 of the rotor 110.

When the engagement flange portion 613 is engaged with the engaged recess portion 114, the rotation of the clutch body 610 in the circumferential direction with respect to the rotor 110 is restricted, and the clutch body 610 is rotatable together with the rotor 110. In this state, when the rotor 110 rotates, the wing shaft 200 and the clutch body 610 rotate at a rotational speed equal to the rotational speed of the rotor 110. At this time, in the planetary gear mechanism 400, the sun gear 410 and the carrier 440 rotate at the same rotational speed as the rotor 110. Thereby, ring gear 420 rotates at the same rotational speed as sun gear 410 and carrier 440, and drum shaft 300 fixed to ring gear 420 rotates at the same rotational speed as rotor 110. That is, in the driving unit 30, the wing shaft 200, the planetary gear mechanism 400, and the drum shaft 300 rotate integrally. Thereby, the drum 22 and the rotary wing 24 rotate integrally.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing the structure of drum washing machine 1 according to the present embodiment.

The drum washing machine 1 includes, in addition to the above-described structure: a control unit 701, a storage unit 702, an operation unit 703, a water level sensor 704, a current detection unit 705, a motor drive unit 706, a water supply drive unit 707, a drain drive unit 708, a clutch drive unit 709, and a door lock device 710.

The operation unit 703 includes: a power button 703a, a start button 703b, and a mode selection button 703 c. The power button 703a is a button for turning on and off the power of the drum washing machine 1. The start button 703b is a button for starting the operation. The mode selection button 703c is a button for selecting an arbitrary operation mode from a plurality of operation modes of the washing operation. The operation unit 703 outputs an input signal corresponding to a button operated by the user to the control unit 701.

The water level sensor 704 detects the water level in the outer tub 20, and outputs a water level detection signal corresponding to the detected water level to the controller 701.

The motor driving unit 706 supplies a driving current to the driving motor 100 according to a control signal from the control unit 701. The motor driving unit 706 includes a rotation sensor 706a that detects a rotation speed of the drive motor 100, an inverter circuit, and the like, and adjusts the drive power so that the drive motor 100 rotates at the target rotation speed set by the control unit 701.

The current detection unit 705 detects a drive current supplied from the motor drive unit 706 to the drive motor 100, and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the magnitude of the drive current to the control unit 701.

The water supply driving unit 707 supplies a driving current to the water supply valve 51 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 701. The drain driving unit 708 supplies a driving current to the drain valve 40 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 701.

The clutch driving device 650 includes a first detection sensor 654 and a second detection sensor 655. The first detection sensor 654 detects that the drive mode of the drive unit 30 is switched to the biaxial drive mode, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 701. The second detection sensor 655 detects that the drive mode of the drive unit 30 is switched to the single-axis drive mode, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 701. The clutch driving unit 709 supplies a driving current to the torque motor 651 in accordance with a control signal output from the control unit 701 based on detection signals from the first detection sensor 654 and the second detection sensor 655.

The door lock device 710 locks and unlocks the door 12 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 701.

The storage section 702 includes an EEPROM, a RAM, and the like. The storage unit 702 stores programs for executing washing operations in various washing operation modes. The storage unit 702 stores various parameters and various control flags for executing these programs.

The controller 701 controls the motor driver 706, the water supply driver 707, the drain driver 708, the clutch driver 709, the door lock device 710, and the like based on signals from the operation unit 703, the water level sensor 704, the current detector 705, and the like, in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 702.

The drum washing machine 1 performs washing operations in various operation modes based on the operation of the operation unit 703 by the user. In the washing operation, a washing process, an intermediate dehydration process, a rinsing process, and a final dehydration process are sequentially performed. Depending on the operation mode, the intermediate dehydration step and the rinsing step may be performed twice or more.

In the washing process and the rinsing process, the driving mode of the driving unit 30 is switched to the biaxial driving mode. The water is stored in the outer tub 20 until the water does not reach a predetermined water level at the lower edge of the inlet 11, so that the laundry in the drum 22 is immersed in the water. Then, in a state where the outer tube 20 stores water, the drive motor 100 repeats normal rotation and reverse rotation. Thereby, the drum 22 repeats normal rotation and reverse rotation. The rotary wing 24 rotates in the reverse direction with respect to the drum 22, rotates in the reverse direction when the drum 22 rotates in the forward direction, and rotates in the forward direction when the drum 22 rotates in the reverse direction. At this time, drum 22 rotates at a rotational speed at which the centrifugal force acting on the laundry in drum 22 is smaller than the gravity, and rotary wing 24 rotates at a rotational speed higher than the rotational speed of drum 22.

The laundry in the drum 22 is lifted by the lifting ribs 23 and then dropped, i.e., tumbled, thereby being thrown onto the inner circumferential surface of the drum 22. In addition, at the rear of the drum 22, the laundry is in contact with the protruding portion 24a of the rotating wing 24, and the laundry is rubbed by the protruding portion 24a or agitated by the protruding portion 24 a. Thereby, the laundry is washed or rinsed. In particular, since the rotation direction of the drum 22 is different from that of the rotary wing 24, the laundry is easily twisted, and a twisting effect in which the laundry is twisted can be expected.

In this way, in washing and rinsing, not only the mechanical force generated by the rotation of the drum 22 but also the mechanical force generated by the rotary wing 24 is applied to the laundry, and therefore, improvement in cleaning performance can be expected. In the intermediate dehydration process and the final dehydration process, the driving mode of the driving section 30 is switched to the single-shaft driving mode. In the spin-drying operation, the driving motor 100 rotates at a high speed in one direction, and the drum 22 and the rotary blades 24 rotate integrally at a rotational speed at which the centrifugal force acting on the laundry in the drum 22 is much greater than the gravity. The laundry is pushed to the inner circumferential surface of the drum 22 by the centrifugal force, and is dehydrated.

In this way, since the drum 22 and the rotary wing 24 rotate integrally during the dehydration, the laundry adhered to the drum 22 can be favorably dehydrated without being agitated by the rotary wing 24.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the control unit 701 in the washing step and the rinsing step according to the present embodiment.

The control operation of the control unit 701 for the washing step and the rinsing step will be described below with reference to fig. 9.

When the washing process or the rinsing process is started, the control part 701 supplies water into the outer tub 20 (S101). That is, the control unit 701 performs control as follows: the water supply valve 51 is opened to supply water into the outer tube 20, and when the water level in the outer tube 20 reaches a predetermined level, the water supply valve 51 is closed to stop the supply of water into the outer tube 20.

When the water supply is completed, the control unit 701 switches the driving mode of the driving unit 30 from the single-shaft driving mode to the double-shaft driving mode by the clutch mechanism unit 600 (S102). Then, as the reverse rotation biaxial operation, the control section 701 rotates the drive motor 100 in the normal direction and then in the reverse direction (S103). For example, the on time of the normal rotation and the reverse rotation is set to about 10 seconds, and the off time is set to about 1 second. The drive motor 100 rotates the drum 22 at a predetermined target rotational speed, for example, at 45rpm and rotates the rotary blades 24 at 90 rpm. As described above, drum 22 rotates at a rotational speed at which the centrifugal force acting on the laundry in drum 22 is smaller than the gravity, and rotary wing 24 rotates in the opposite direction to drum 22 at a higher speed than drum 22. The reverse biaxial operation corresponds to the first operation of the present invention.

The rotation sensor 706a detects the rotation speed of the drive motor 100 at the time of normal rotation and reverse rotation, and the control unit 701 determines whether the rotation speed of the drive motor 100 at the time of normal rotation and reverse rotation has increased to or above a threshold value based on the detection result (S104). The threshold value is a rotational speed lower than the target rotational speed, and is set to a rotational speed at which the drive motor 100 cannot rotate when a load of a degree that may cause a trouble such as a stall of the drive motor 100 is applied to the rotary wing 24, for example.

When the rotation speed of the drive motor 100 is increased to the threshold value or more at the time of the normal rotation and the reverse rotation (yes in S104), and when the operation time set for the washing or rinsing has not elapsed (no in S105), the control section 701 returns to S103 to rotate the drive motor 100 forward and reverse again. Thereafter, the control unit 701 determines the rotation speed of the drive motor 100 in S104.

When the operation time has elapsed while the rotation speed of the drive motor 100 is kept not higher than the threshold value (yes in S105), the control section 701 ends the reverse biaxial operation and opens the drain valve 40 to drain water from the inside of the outer cylinder 20 (S106). When the draining is completed, the washing process or the rinsing process is finished.

In the counter-rotating biaxial operation, the drum 22 and the rotary wings 24 rotate in opposite rotational directions, and therefore, a rubbing effect due to the laundry being rubbed can be expected. On the other hand, entanglement of the laundry is likely to occur, and a tangled lump of the laundry is likely to occur. When a large amount of laundry is put into the drum 22, a large laundry mass is likely to be generated, and when the large laundry mass is caught between the door 12 and the rotary wing 24, a large load due to the laundry is likely to be applied to the rotary wing 24. In the case where a large load is applied to the rotary wing 24, the driving load of the driving motor 100 increases. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the wing shaft 200 is directly coupled to the rotor 110 of the drive motor 100, unlike a configuration in which a pulley is provided in the middle, for example, release of force due to sliding of the pulley cannot be expected, and the load applied to the rotary wing 24 directly acts on the drive motor 100. Therefore, there is a concern that the temperature rise of the drive motor 100 becomes large or the drive motor 100 is locked.

When a large load exceeding a predetermined load is applied to the rotary wing 24 due to entanglement of laundry, the rotational speed of the drive motor 100 at the time of normal rotation and at the time of reverse rotation can be prevented from increasing to a threshold value or more. Thus, when it is determined in S104 that the rotation speed of drive motor 100 has not increased to or above the threshold value (S104: no), control unit 701 switches the drive mode of drive unit 30 from the double-shaft drive mode to the single-shaft drive mode via clutch mechanism 600 (S107). Then, as the single-axis operation, the control unit 701 rotates the drive motor 100 forward and backward (S108). For example, as in the case of the double-axis operation in the reverse rotation, the on time of the normal rotation and the reverse rotation is set to about 10 seconds, and the off time is set to about 1 second. The drive motor 100 rotates the drum 22 at a predetermined target rotational speed, for example, at 45rpm and rotates the rotary blades 24 at 90 rpm. Drum 22 rotates at a rotational speed at which the centrifugal force acting on the laundry in drum 22 is smaller than the gravity, and rotary wing 24 rotates integrally with drum 22. In the single-shaft operation, the rotary wing 24 is stationary with respect to the drum 22, and therefore, a large load is not applied to the rotary wing 24. This prevents the temperature of drive motor 100 from rising and stalling. The single-shaft operation corresponds to the second operation of the present invention.

Until the operation time elapses (no in S109), the controller 701 repeats normal rotation and reverse rotation of the drive motor 100, and beat washing by tumbling of the laundry is continued in the drum 22. When the operation time has elapsed (yes in S109), the controller 701 ends the single-shaft operation, opens the drain valve 40, and drains water from the inside of the outer cylinder 20 (S106). When the draining is completed, the washing process or the rinsing process is finished.

< effects of the embodiment >

According to the present embodiment, since the rotation of the drive motor 100 can be transmitted to the drum 22 and the rotary wing 24 via the transmission mechanism T, and the drum 22 and the rotary wing 24 can be rotated in the opposite rotational directions, only one drive motor 100 may be provided for the rotational driving of the drum 22 and the rotary wing 24. This eliminates the need for a space for disposing the two drive motors, and also eliminates the need for the cost of the two drive motors, thereby suppressing an increase in size and cost.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the transmission mechanism portion T for rotating the drum 22 and the rotary wing 24 in opposite rotational directions can be realized using the planetary gear mechanism 400.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the switching by the clutch mechanism 600 allows the drum washing machine 1 to perform not only the operation of rotating the drum 22 and the rotor blades 24 in opposite rotational directions but also the operation of rotating the drum 22 and the rotor blades 24 integrally.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when a large load is applied to the rotary wing 24 in the reverse double-shaft operation in which the drive motor 100 is rotated in the double-shaft drive mode, the single-shaft operation in which the drive motor 100 is rotated in the single-shaft drive mode is switched, and therefore, a large load is prevented from being applied to the drive motor 100, and a temperature rise or a stall of the drive motor 100 is less likely to occur. Further, the progress of entanglement of the laundry is suppressed, and damage to the cloth and the like can be prevented.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications other than those described above are possible.

< modification example 1>

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the control unit 701 in the washing step and the rinsing step in modification 1.

Next, the control operation of the control unit 701 in the washing step and the rinsing step in the present modification will be described with reference to fig. 10.

When the washing process or the rinsing process is started, the control part 701 supplies water into the outer tub 20 (S201). When the water supply is completed, control unit 701 determines whether or not the load amount of the laundry in drum 22 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (S202). The load of the laundry is determined before the washing process. For example, in the single-shaft drive mode, the rotation of drum 22 is accelerated until the laundry is attached to the inner surface of drum 22 at a rotation speed, and in this state, the drive current supplied to drive motor 100 is detected by current detection unit 705. The larger the load amount is, the larger the load applied to the drive motor 100 when the drum 22 rotates is, and the larger the drive current is. The control unit 701 determines the load amount based on the magnitude of the drive current. Of course, the control unit 701 may determine the load amount by another known method.

As described above, the temperature rise of the drive motor 100 due to the winding during the reverse rotation biaxial operation and the load of the laundry locked in the drum 22 are likely to occur when the load is large, and are unlikely to occur when the load is small.

When the load amount is smaller than the predetermined amount (S202: no), the control unit 701 switches the driving mode of the driving unit 30 from the single-axis driving mode to the double-axis driving mode by the clutch mechanism unit 600 (S203), and repeats the normal rotation and the reverse rotation of the driving motor 100 until the operation time elapses (S205: no) (S204). That is, only the reverse biaxial operation is performed without performing the uniaxial operation. As in the case of the counter-rotating biaxial operation of the above embodiment, for example, the on time of the normal rotation and the counter rotation is set to about 10 seconds, and the off time is set to about 1 second. The target rotational speed of the drive motor 100 is set to, for example, a rotational speed at which the drum 22 is rotated at 45rpm and the rotary wing 24 is rotated at 90 rpm.

When the operation time has elapsed (yes in S205), the controller 701 ends the reverse biaxial operation, and opens the drain valve 40 to drain water from the inside of the outer cylinder 20 (S206). When the draining is completed, the washing process or the rinsing process is finished.

On the other hand, when the load amount is equal to or larger than the predetermined amount (yes in S202), the control unit 701 first switches the driving mode of the driving unit 30 from the single-shaft driving mode to the double-shaft driving mode by the clutch mechanism unit 600 (S207), and performs the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the driving motor 100 (S208). Namely, the reverse biaxial operation is performed. However, the on time of the normal rotation and the reverse rotation at this time is shorter than the on time when the load amount is smaller than a predetermined amount, and is set to about 5 seconds, for example.

When the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the drive motor 100 are repeated only a first number of times (for example, ten times) (S209: yes), the control section 701 switches the drive mode of the drive section 30 from the biaxial drive mode to the uniaxial drive mode by the clutch mechanism section 600 (S210), and performs the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the drive motor 100 (S211). Namely, a single-shaft operation is performed. In this case, as in the single-axis operation of the above embodiment, for example, the on time of the normal rotation and the reverse rotation is set to about 10 seconds, and the off time is set to about 1 second. The target rotational speed of the drive motor 100 is set to, for example, a rotational speed at which the drum 22 is rotated at 45rpm and the rotary wing 24 is rotated at 90 rpm.

When the normal rotation and the reverse rotation of the driving motor 100 are repeated only a second number of times (for example, ten times) (S212: yes), if the operation time has not elapsed (S213: no), the control section 701 switches the driving mode of the driving section 30 from the single-shaft driving mode to the double-shaft driving mode again by the clutch mechanism section 600 (S207), and performs the normal rotation and the reverse rotation of the driving motor 100 (S208).

In this manner, the reverse double-shaft operation and the single-shaft operation are repeated until the operation time elapses. As described above, in the reverse biaxial operation, although the rubbing effect by rubbing the laundry is expected, the entanglement of the laundry is easily generated on the other hand, but the entanglement is easily eliminated by moving the laundry without rubbing the laundry by the uniaxial operation performed after the reverse biaxial operation. That is, even if the reverse biaxial operation is repeated, the winding is not easily advanced. Therefore, the scrub effect can be obtained while suppressing temperature rise and rotation blockage of the drive motor 100 due to winding or the like.

When the operation time has elapsed (yes in S213), the controller 701 ends the repetition of the reverse biaxial operation and the uniaxial operation, and opens the drain valve 40 to drain water from the inside of the outer tube 20 (S206). When the draining is completed, the washing process or the rinsing process is finished.

According to the configuration of the present modification, when the load of the laundry is small and the temperature rise and the stalling of the drive motor 100 due to the winding or the like are not easily caused, the scrubbing effect of the laundry can be greatly exhibited by performing only the reverse biaxial operation. In addition, when the load of the laundry is large and the temperature rise and the stalling of the drive motor 100 due to the winding or the like are likely to occur, the scrub effect can be obtained while suppressing the temperature rise and the stalling of the drive motor 100 by performing the single-shaft operation after the double-shaft operation is reversed.

< modification example 2>

Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing the structure of a drive unit 30 according to modification 2. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the structure of a planetary gear mechanism 400 according to modification 2. Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken along line B-B' of fig. 11, and for convenience of explanation, the configuration of the wing shaft 200, the drum shaft 300, and the planetary gear mechanism 400 is not shown.

In the above embodiment, the drum shaft 300 is fixed to the ring gear 420, and the carrier shaft 444, i.e., the carrier 440, is coupled to the clutch body 610. Thus, in the double-shaft drive mode, when the wing shaft 200 rotates in a state where the carrier 440 is fixed to the clutch body 610, the planetary gear 430 rotates with the rotation of the sun gear 410, and the ring gear 420 rotates in the opposite direction to the sun gear 410 at a slower rotation speed than the sun gear 410.

However, as shown in fig. 11, the drum shaft 300 may be fixed to the carrier 440. In this case, a shaft portion 422 having a tip end portion protruding rearward from the drum shaft 300 is attached to the ring gear 420. The clutch body 610 is coupled to the shaft portion 422. That is, the clutch body 610 is coupled to the ring gear 420 via the shaft portion 422. As shown in fig. 12, the planetary gear mechanism 400 includes a planetary gear 430a including a first gear 431 and a second gear 432 that rotate in opposite directions. The first gear 431 meshes with the sun gear 410, and the second gear 432 meshes with the ring gear 420. The support shaft 443 of the carrier 440 rotatably supports the first gear 431 and the second gear 432. In the biaxial drive mode, when the wing shaft 200 rotates in a state where the ring gear 420 is fixed by the clutch body 610, the planetary gear 430a rotates and revolves with the rotation of the sun gear 410, and the carrier 440 rotates in the opposite direction to the sun gear 410 at a slower rotation speed than the sun gear 410. Accordingly, the drum shaft 300 fixed to the carrier 440 rotates in the opposite direction to the wing shaft 200 fixed to the sun gear 410.

< other modifications >

In the above embodiment, in the reverse rotation biaxial operation, the magnitude of the load applied to the rotary wing 24 is determined based on the rotation speed of the drive motor 100 in the normal rotation and in the reverse rotation. However, the load applied to the rotary wing 24 may be determined based on the magnitude of the drive current supplied to the drive motor 100 when the drive motor 100 is rotating in the forward direction or in the reverse direction.

In modification 1, the load amount of the laundry in drum 22 is determined during the washing step and the rinsing step, and the operation including the reverse biaxial operation and the uniaxial operation is performed when the load amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (S207 to S213). However, the operation including the reverse biaxial operation and the uniaxial operation may be performed regardless of the load amount in the washing process and the rinsing process.

Further, in modification 1 described above, the on time of the normal rotation and the reverse rotation of the drive motor 100 in the reverse rotation biaxial operation when the load amount is equal to or larger than the predetermined amount is made shorter than the on time of the normal rotation and the reverse rotation of the drive motor 100 in the reverse rotation biaxial operation when the load amount is smaller than the predetermined amount, so that the trouble such as the stalling of the drive motor 100 is less likely to occur. However, the on-times of both may be the same.

Further, in the reverse rotation biaxial operation of modification 1, when the load applied to the rotary wing 24 increases during the normal rotation and the reverse rotation of the drive motor 100, the switching to the single-axis operation may be performed in the same manner as the control operation of fig. 9 of the above embodiment.

Further, the control operation of fig. 9 of the above embodiment and the control operation of fig. 10 of the above modified example 1 may be performed only in any of the washing step and the rinsing step.

Further, in the above embodiment, the transmission mechanism T is configured to rotate the drum 22 and the rotary wing 24 at different rotational speeds. However, the transmission mechanism T may be configured to rotate the drum 22 and the rotary wing 24 at the same rotational speed.

Further, although drive motor 100 is an outer rotor type DC brushless motor in the above embodiment, another type of drive motor may be used for drive unit 30.

Further, in the above embodiment, the drum 22 rotates around the inclined axis inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. However, the drum washing machine 1 may be configured such that the drum 22 rotates about a horizontal axis.

Further, the drum washing machine 1 of the above embodiment does not have a drying function, but the present invention can be applied to a drum washing and drying machine which is a drum washing and drying machine having a drying function.

The embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various ways as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea shown in the claims.

Claims

1. A drum washing machine is characterized by comprising:

an outer cylinder disposed in the housing;

a drum disposed in the outer cylinder and rotatable about a horizontal axis or an inclined axis inclined with respect to the horizontal direction;

a rotating body arranged at the rear part of the roller and provided with a convex part contacting with the washings on the surface;

a driving motor for rotating the drum and the rotating body; and

a transmission mechanism unit that transmits rotation of the drive motor to the drum and the rotating body so that the drum and the rotating body rotate in opposite rotational directions;

the transmission mechanism includes:

a first rotating shaft fixed to the rotating body;

a second rotating shaft fixed to the drum; and

a planetary gear mechanism comprising: a sun gear, an annular ring gear surrounding the sun gear, a plurality of planetary gears meshing with the sun gear and the ring gear, and a carrier rotatably holding the planetary gears,

in the planetary gear mechanism, one of the carrier and the ring gear is an output portion and the other is a fixed portion, the sun gear is connected to the first rotation shaft, the output portion is connected to the second rotation shaft, and the output portion rotates in the reverse direction with the planet gear and the sun gear interposed therebetween when the sun gear rotates in a state in which the fixed portion is fixed so as not to rotate;

a clutch mechanism unit that switches a drive mode of the drive motor between a first mode in which the fixed unit is fixed so as not to rotate and the drum and the rotating body rotate in opposite rotational directions, and a second mode in which the fixed unit and the sun gear rotate integrally and the drum and the rotating body rotate integrally; and

a control unit for controlling the operation of the drive motor and the clutch mechanism unit; the control part operates as follows in the washing process and/or the rinsing process:

a first operation of rotating the driving motor in the first mode, rotating the drum so as to tumble laundry, and rotating the rotating body in a direction opposite to the drum;

and a second operation of switching from the first mode to the second mode to rotate the driving motor and rotating the drum so that the laundry tumbles and integrally rotates the rotating body and the drum, when the magnitude of the load applied to the rotating body in the first operation exceeds a predetermined magnitude.

2. A drum washing machine according to claim 1,

the control unit performs a first operation and then a second operation in a washing process and/or a rinsing process, wherein the first operation is an operation of rotating the driving motor in the first mode, rotating the drum so as to tumble laundry, and rotating the rotating body and the drum in a reverse direction; the second operation is an operation of switching from the first mode to the second mode, rotating the drive motor, rotating the drum so as to tumble the laundry, and rotating the rotating body and the drum together.

3. A drum washing machine according to claim 2,

the control part is used for controlling the operation of the motor,

the second operation is performed after the first operation when the load amount of the laundry in the drum is equal to or more than a predetermined amount,

when the load amount of the laundry in the drum is less than a predetermined amount, only the first operation is performed and the second operation is not performed.