CN112411113A - Management device for washing machine, washing machine management system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a management device for a washing machine, a washing machine management system and a program, which can automatically set the operation content of the washing machine according to the preference of a user. A management device (201) for a washing machine comprises: a questionnaire survey unit (212) for displaying questionnaire survey question information on the result of the washing operation on a display device (302) for the washing machine (1) which performs the washing operation based on the control value; and a control value changing unit (214) that receives questionnaire response information as a response to the questionnaire question information and changes the control value based on the questionnaire response information. The questionnaire question information includes, for example, the 1 st question as to whether or not the detergent effect is intended, and when the answer to the 1 st question is affirmative, the control value changing unit (214) changes the control value so as to increase the amount of the detergent, extend the washing time, extend the detergent dissolution time, or extend the pre-washing process.

Description

Management device for washing machine, washing machine management system, and program

Technical Field

The invention relates to a management device for washing machine, a washing machine management system and a program.

Background

The following patent documents 1, 2, and 3 describe washing machines that automatically set operation contents such as washing, rinsing, dewatering, and drying by detecting states of tap water, detergent liquid, dirt components, and the like.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

[ patent document 1] Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2011-

[ patent document 2] Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2014-64791

[ patent document 3] Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2018-175395

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

According to the techniques of the following patent documents 1, 2, and 3, the operation contents automatically set are operation contents which the manufacturer has previously determined to be appropriate. However, there is a "preference" of the user in the operation contents of washing, rinsing, dehydrating, drying, etc., and it is virtually impossible to automatically set the operation contents suitable for the preferences of all users. Further, although individual operation contents such as washing, rinsing, dewatering, and drying can be manually set by the user, it is complicated for the user to manually set each operation content according to his/her preference.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine management device, a washing machine management system, and a program that can automatically set the operation contents of a washing machine in accordance with the preference of a user.

Means for solving the problems

The management device for a washing machine according to the present invention for solving the above-described problems is characterized by comprising: a questionnaire survey unit that causes a display device to display questionnaire question information regarding a result of a washing operation for a washing machine that performs the washing operation based on a control value; and a control value changing unit that receives questionnaire response information as a response to the questionnaire question information, and changes the control value based on the questionnaire response information.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the invention, the operation content of the washing machine can be automatically set according to the preference of the user.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a laundry machine management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing an external structure of the washing machine in the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the washing machine with the outer lid and the box storage lid opened.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the washing machine as viewed obliquely from the top and front in a state where the outer lid and the box storage lid are open.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing an internal structure of the washing machine.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where the front panel of the washing machine is removed.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a piping path of the washing machine.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the function of the water quality sensor.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a control circuit configuration of the washing machine.

Fig. 10 is a process diagram illustrating an operation process of the washing machine.

Fig. 11 is a detailed flowchart of a main part of fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a detailed flowchart of a main part of fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a control sequence diagram of an operation for learning the preference of each performance of the user.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing various screens displayed on the smartphone.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a relationship between the answer result of the questionnaire and the point change amount.

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the conversion table stored in the server.

Description of the reference numerals

S washing machine management system

1 washing machine

201 Server (management device for washing machine)

212 questionnaire survey department (questionnaire survey unit)

214 control value changing part (control value changing unit)

300 Intelligent mobile phone (Portable communication terminal)

302 display device

304 touch sensor

Detailed Description

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The drawings are provided for the purpose of illustrating the invention in general terms. The invention is thus not limited to the examples of the figures. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the common components and the similar components, and the overlapping description thereof may be omitted.

Management system of washing machine

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a laundry machine management system S according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The washing machine management system S includes the washing machine 1, a server 201 (management device for washing machine), a push notification server 202, and a smartphone 300 (portable communication terminal). Washing machine 1 is installed in a user's home and includes control device 100 and communication unit 140.

The control device 100 includes an operation panel 14 and a microcomputer 110. The control device 100 communicates with the server 201 via the communication unit 140, the router 204, and the internet 200. The smartphone 300 communicates with the server 201 and the push notification server 202 via the communication carrier network 203 when it is outside the home. The smartphone 300 communicates with the push notification server 202 via the communication carrier network 203 and with the server 201 or the communication unit 140 via the router 204 when it is in the home.

The server 201 performs remote operation of the washing machine 1, and notifies the user's smartphone 300 of the information of the remote operation via the push notification server 202. The communication carrier network 203 is a communication network operated by a communication carrier network such as an LTE/3G network. The router 204 communicates with the washing machine 1 and the like according to protocols such as wired LAN (local Area network), wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and the like.

The server 201, the push notification server 202, and the smartphone 300 all include hardware of a general computer such as a cpu (central Processing unit), a ram (random Access memory), a rom (read Only memory), and an SSD (solid State drive), in which an os (operating system), an application program, various data, and the like are stored. The OS and application programs are deployed in RAM and executed by the CPU.

In fig. 1, functions implemented by an application program or the like of the server 201 inside the server 201 are indicated by blocks. That is, the server 201 includes a questionnaire survey unit 212 (questionnaire survey means) and a control value changing unit 214 (control value changing means). Details of their operation will be described later. The smartphone 300 includes: a display device 302 as a flat panel display, and a touch sensor 304 fixed to the display device 302.

External structure of washing machine 1

Next, the external structure of the washing machine 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 2, 3, and 4. In the illustrated example, the washing machine 1 is a washing and drying machine having a function of drying laundry. In the following description, the laundry may be referred to as "laundry".

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the washing machine 1 in the present embodiment.

In fig. 2, the washing machine 1 includes a casing 11, an upper surface cover 12, an outer cover 13, an operation panel 14, a cartridge housing cover 15, and a front panel 16. The upper surface cover 12, the outer cover 13, and the cartridge accommodating cover 15 are disposed at an upper surface rear portion, an upper surface central portion, and an upper surface front portion of the housing 11, respectively, and are pivotally supported by the housing 11 at rear end portions thereof, respectively. On the upper surface of the outer cover 13, an operation panel 14 for operating the washing machine 1 is provided.

A 1 st input portion 31 is provided below the outer cover 13. The 1 st input unit 31 functions as a manual input unit for a user to manually input a washing treatment liquid such as a detergent or a softener (finishing agent) into the water tub 21 (see fig. 4). A washing treatment liquid feeding device 30 for automatically feeding the washing treatment liquid into the water tub 21 is disposed below the box storage cover 15.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the washing machine 1 in a state where the outer lid 13 and the cartridge accommodation lid 15 are opened.

In fig. 3, the washing treatment liquid supply device 30 includes a cartridge 42, and the cartridge 42 includes a cartridge 42a for detergent and a cartridge 42b for softener. The upper end portions of the cartridges 42a and 42b are opened upward, and the opening portions thereof are referred to as detergent and softener input portions 32a and 32 b. The two may be collectively referred to as the 2 nd input unit 32. The input portions 32a and 32b are provided with input covers 43a and 43b that can be opened and closed by a user. When the inlet cover 43a is closed, the box 42a for the detergent is sealed, and when the inlet cover 43b is closed, the box 42b for the softener is sealed. The inlet covers 43a and 43b may be collectively referred to as an inlet cover 43.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the washing machine 1 as viewed obliquely from the top and front in a state where the outer cover 13 and the box storage cover 15 are opened.

As shown in fig. 4, when the outer cover 13 of the washing machine 1 is opened, an opening 11a is formed inside the housing 11. A water tub 21 functioning as a washing and dewatering tub is disposed inside the opening 11a, and the washing object can be put into the water tub 21. The 1 st input portion 31 is disposed at a position at the upper left front portion of the housing 11 and outside the water tub 21. The cartridge 42 is disposed in the upper front portion of the housing 11 and in front of the 1 st input portion 31.

The cartridge 42 stores a washing processing liquid in an amount corresponding to a plurality of times. The washing treatment liquid input device 30 measures the washing treatment liquid contained in the cartridge 42, and automatically inputs an appropriate amount of the washing treatment liquid into the water tub 21. For this purpose, the washing treatment liquid loading device 30 includes a transfer pump 46 (see fig. 6) for measuring the washing treatment liquid and transferring the washing treatment liquid from the cartridge 42 to the water tub 21.

Internal structure of washing machine 1

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the washing machine 1.

As shown in fig. 5, the washing machine 1 is provided with an outer tub 22 inside the casing 11 and a water tub 21 inside.

The outer tub 22 has: an outer tub cover 22a provided on the upper surface portion; a lid member 22b for sealing an opening provided in the outer lid 22 a; and a lowered part 22c provided at the bottom part and lowered from the other parts. The water tub 21 has a bottomed cylindrical shape with an open upper surface. The water tub 21 has: a trunk plate 21a constituting a trunk portion of the cylinder; a rotary blade 21b rotating at the bottom of the water tub 21; and a balancing ring 21c maintaining the balance of the water tub 21. A plurality of through holes 21aa for water and air to pass through are formed in the trunk plate 21 a. The balance ring 21c is a fluid balancer in which fluid is sealed.

The washing machine 1 includes: a driving device 23 for rotationally driving the water tub 21 and the rotary blade 21 b; a rotation detecting means 24 for detecting the operation of the driving means 23, and a motor current detecting means 25. The driving device 23 includes: a motor 23a that rotates the water tub 21 and the rotary blade 21 b; a clutch mechanism 23b that specifies the rotation modes (stirring, dewatering) of the water tub 21 and the rotary blade 21 b; and a rotating shaft 23c coupled to the rotating blade 21 b. The rotation shaft 23c is disposed at the center of the water tub 21 in plan view.

Washing machine 1 is provided with water supply unit 20 for supplying water to water tub 21, drying unit 71 for heating air to obtain dry air, fan 72 for circulating dry air, air supply duct 73, and drying duct 81 at an upper rear portion of casing 11.

The air duct 73 is disposed between the fan 72 and the blowing nozzle 74, and the drying unit 71 is disposed in a middle portion thereof. The air supply duct 73 is connected to the blow nozzle 74 via a bellows 73 a. The blowing nozzle 74 blows the dry air heated by the drying unit 71 sent by the fan 72 into the outer tub 22. The drying duct 81 is disposed between the outer tub 22 and the fan 72. The drying duct 81 is connected to the lowered part 22c of the outer tub 22 by a bellows 81a, and has a dehumidifying mechanism therein.

In the above-described structure, the washing machine 1 supplies water from the water supply unit 20 to the outer tub 22 such that the water tub 21 is immersed in the water, for example, at the time of the washing process and the rinsing process. In the washing machine 1, for example, in the drying process, the fan 72 is rotated to send air into the air blowing duct 73, and the air is heated by the drying unit 71 to obtain dry air, so that the dry air passes through the inside of the outer tub 22 and the water tub 21. Thereby, the washing machine 1 dries the laundry stored in the water tub 21. The fan 72 of the washing machine 1 sends the air passing through the inside of the outer tub 22 and the water tub 21 from the drying duct 81 to the blowing duct 73, and the same operation is repeated.

As shown in fig. 5, the washing machine 1 includes a water filling hose 51a, a supply hose 54a, and a washing hose 61 a. The water filling hose 51a is a hose that allows water to flow from the water supply unit 20 into the outer tub 22. The input hose 54a is a hose for allowing water to flow from the 1 st input unit 31 into the outer tub 22. The washing hose 61a is a hose that allows water to flow from the water supply unit 20 into the outer tub 22 when washing the water tub 21, the outer tub 22, and the like. The water filling hose 51a constitutes a part of a 1 st water supply path 51 (see fig. 7) described later. The input hose 54a constitutes a part of an input path 54 (see fig. 7) described later. The cleaning hose 61a constitutes a part of a 1 st cleaning path 61 (see fig. 7) described later.

The washing machine 1 includes a discharge path 63 through which water is discharged and a drain valve 65 that opens and closes the discharge path 63.

Washing machine 1 includes storage case 41 having storage case 42 at an upper front portion of casing 11. The cartridge 42 is movable in the vertical direction so as to be detachable from the storage case 41 or attachable to the storage case 41. Among them, the storage case 41 is preferably configured to store at least 2 or more cases 42 for the detergent and the softener so that the detergent and the softener can be automatically fed into the water tub 21.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where the front panel of the washing machine 1 is detached.

As shown in fig. 6, the storage case 41 has a horizontally long rectangular shape in front view and a vertically long rectangular shape in side view. Therefore, the overall shape of storage case 41 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is thin in the depth direction. Storage case 41 is disposed to extend in the vertical direction along the inner wall surface of front panel 16 (see fig. 2). A transfer pump 46 is disposed below the storage case 41.

Returning to fig. 5, a vibration damping member 45 for damping vibration of the washing treatment liquid is installed between the storage case 41 and the water tub 21. The damping member 45 may be attached to the case 42, or may be attached to both the storage case 41 and the case 42. By providing the vibration damping member 45 in this manner, the situation in which the washing processing liquid stored in the cartridge 42 is shaken and splashed can be suppressed.

Further, the storage case 41 is attached to the front upper portion of the housing 11, and is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the inner wall surface of the front panel 16 and the housing 11. Therefore, the washing machine 1 can suppress the sloshing of the washing process liquid stored in the cartridge 42 even if the vibration damping member 45 is not provided. Therefore, the vibration damping member 45 can also be omitted. However, in the washing machine 1, the vibration damping member 45 is provided, so that the sloshing of the washing process liquid stored in the cartridge 42 can be more effectively suppressed than the case where the vibration damping member 45 is not provided.

The 2 nd input part 32 and the cartridge 42 of the washing treatment liquid input device 30 are disposed at a position ahead of the center (for example, the rotating shaft 23c) of the water tub 21. The drying unit 71 is disposed behind the center of the water tub 21 so as to be separated from the 2 nd input part 32 and the cartridge 42. The outer tub 22 is provided with an air pressure chamber 29, and a water level sensor 28 for detecting a water level of the washing water accumulated in the outer tub 22 is provided at an upper portion thereof.

A temperature sensor 26a is provided in the blowing duct 73, and the temperature sensor 26a detects the temperature of the wind blown into the water tub 21 during the drying operation. A temperature sensor 26b for detecting the temperature of the washing water and the temperature of the air sucked into the drying duct 81 during the drying operation is provided at the lowering portion 22c of the outer tub 22. A temperature sensor 26c is provided between the lowering portion 22c and the drain valve 65. The temperature sensor 26b detects the temperature of the washing water, the temperature of the cooling water discharged from the discharge path 63 to the outside of the washing machine during the drying operation, and the like. An acceleration sensor 27 for detecting a vibration acceleration of the vibration of the outer tub 22 is provided at an upper portion of a side surface of the outer tub 22. Signals detected by the water level sensor 28, the temperature sensors 26a, 26b, and 26c, and the acceleration sensor 27 are transmitted to the control device 100.

The water quality sensor 35 is disposed at the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall 22d of the outer tub 22, and detects the conductivity of tap water before washing and washing liquid during washing (washing, rinsing, and dewatering). The water quality sensor 35 includes a base (not shown) made of synthetic resin and a pair of electrodes 36A and 36B (see fig. 8). The water quality sensor 35 has a groove (not shown) extending in the radial direction (normal direction) of the outer tub 22. The surface from the peripheral wall 22e of the outer tub 22 to the bottom wall 22d of the outer tub 22 through the grooves of the water quality sensor 35 is substantially continuous. For example, in the dehydration step during the washing operation, a part of the rinse water discharged from the through hole 21aa of the water tub 21 to the outer tub 22 falls down along the peripheral wall 22e of the outer tub 22 and flows through the groove of the water quality sensor 35 and the bottom wall 22d of the outer tub 22.

Structure of piping path of washing machine 1

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a piping path of the washing machine 1.

As shown in fig. 7, the washing machine 1 includes a 1 st water supply path 51, a 2 nd water supply path 52, a transport path 53, and a supply path 54 as piping paths used for washing the laundry.

The 1 st water supply path 51 connects the water supply unit 20 and the 1 st input part 31, and supplies water from the water supply unit 20 to the 1 st input part 31.

The 2 nd water supply path 52 connects an intermediate portion of the 1 st water supply path 51 and the delivery path 53, and supplies water from the water supply unit 20 to the delivery path 53 through the 1 st water supply path 51.

The transport path 53 connects the cartridge 42 and the 1 st input unit 31, and transports the cleaning solution discharged from the cartridge 42 by the transport pump 46.

The input path 54 connects the 1 st input unit 31 and the water tub 21 (outer tub 22), and inputs the washing processing liquid and water from the 1 st input unit 31 to the water tub 21.

A switching valve 64 for switching the flow of the liquid is disposed at a connection portion between the 2 nd water supply path 52 and the feed path 53. The switching valve 64 selectively selects either one of a "direction in which the washing processing liquid is caused to flow from the cartridge 42 to the transport path 53" and a "direction in which the water is caused to flow from the 2 nd water supply path 52 to the transport path 53". The delivery pump 46 and check valves 47a and 47b for preventing the reverse flow of the fluid are disposed on the path of the delivery path 53. The check valves 47a and 47b are disposed on the upstream side (the cassette 42 side) and the downstream side (the 1 st input unit 31 side) of the transfer pump 46, respectively. The washing machine 1 includes a 1 st washing path 61, a 2 nd washing path 62, and a discharge path 63 as piping paths used when washing the water tub 21, the outer tub 22, the storage case 41, and the like. The 1 st cleaning path 61 connects the water supply unit 20 and the 1 st input part 31, and supplies cleaning water from the water supply unit 20 to the 1 st input part 31.

The 2 nd cleaning path 62 connects the intermediate portion of the 1 st cleaning path 61 and the storage case 41, and supplies cleaning water from the water supply unit 20 to the storage case 41 through the 1 st cleaning path 61. Discharge path 63 connects storage case 41 and water discharge port 66, and discharges water from storage case 41. The discharge path 63 includes a drain pipe 63a connecting the storage case 41 and the drying duct 81, a drain pipe 63b connecting the drying duct 81 and the outer tub 22, and a drain pipe 63c connecting a drain valve 65 and a drain port 66 provided at the outer tub 22. The outer tub 22 is provided with a drain valve 65. The washing machine 1 discharges the washing treatment liquid and water from the drain port 66 to the outside through the drain pipe 63c by opening the drain valve 65.

In the case where the washing machine 1 performs automatic input (that is, in the case where the washing treatment liquid is input into the water tub 21 by the washing treatment liquid input device 30), the washing treatment liquid contained in the cartridge 42 is conveyed to the 1 st input portion 31 through the conveying path 53. Then, the washing machine 1 can put the conveyed washing treatment liquid from the 1 st input part 31 into the water tub 21 through the input path 54. Therefore, since the washing treatment liquid passes through the 1 st input part 31 both when the washing machine 1 is manually input and when it is automatically input, the amount of water used when the detergent is input can be reduced by passing water through the 1 st input part 31.

As described above, the washing machine 1 conveys the washing process liquid stored in the cartridge 42 from the cartridge 42 to the 1 st input portion 31 through the conveying path 53. At this time, although a part of the cleaning solution remains in the delivery path 53, the cleaning solution remaining in the delivery path 53 can be delivered to the 1 st input unit 31 by the water supplied from the 2 nd water supply path 52. The 2 nd water supply path 52 is connected to an intermediate portion of the 1 st water supply path 51. Therefore, even if the unexpected pressure application to the delivery path 53 occurs assuming that the delivery path 53 is clogged, the washing machine 1 can release the pressure applied to the delivery path 53 to the outside (the water tub 21 side) through the 1 st water supply path 51. Therefore, even when such a phenomenon occurs, the washing machine 1 can reduce the pressure applied to the conveyance path 53. Thereby, the washing machine 1 can maintain the performance of the conveyance path 53 for a relatively long time.

The washing machine 1 can wash the 1 st input part 31 by flowing the washing water from the water supply unit 20 to the 1 st input part 31 along the 1 st washing path 61. In addition, washing machine 1 can wash storage case 41 by flowing water for washing from water supply unit 20 to storage case 41 along 2 nd washing path 62. A nozzle (not shown) that fits into the lower portion of the cartridge 42, for example, is provided at the bottom of the storage case 41, and according to the present embodiment, the nozzle can be cleaned together with the storage case 41.

Further, the washing machine 1 can discharge the washing water supplied to the 1 st washing path 61 to the water tub 21 along the input path 54, and discharge the washing water supplied to the 2 nd washing path 62 to the water tub 21 along the drain pipe 63a (via the drying duct 81). Accordingly, the washing machine 1 can wash the water tub 21 and the outer tub 22.

Circuit structure of washing machine 1

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the function of the water quality sensor 35.

As shown in fig. 8, the water quality sensor 35 includes a pair of electrodes 36A, 36B, coils 38a, 39a, and an oscillation circuit 39. Here, the pair of electrodes 36A and 36B are connected to the coil 38a, and the resonant circuit 38 is formed by these electrodes. The coil 38a is magnetically coupled to the coil 39a, and the coil 39a is connected to the oscillation circuit 39. The oscillation circuit 39 transmits a signal corresponding to the electric conductivity between the electrodes 36A and 36B to a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a "microcomputer") 110 of the control device 100. A capacitor (not shown) is provided as a component inside the oscillation circuit 39. The characteristic of the water quality sensor 35 changes due to the capacitance of the capacitor, and the resistance value range of the water quality that is easy to read changes.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a control circuit configuration of the washing machine 1.

In fig. 9, the control device 100 includes a microcomputer 110 and drive circuits 129a to 129 i. The microcomputer 110 includes a storage unit 111, a process control unit 112, a rotation speed calculation unit 113, a clothes weight calculation unit 114, a conductivity measurement unit 115, a detergent amount-washing time determination unit 116, a detergent state determination unit 117, a sudsing determination unit 118, and a washing treatment liquid input determination unit 119.

Here, the microcomputer 110 includes hardware of a general computer such as a CPU (central Processing unit), a DSP (digital Signal processor), a ram (random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), and the like, and the ROM and the EEPROM store a control program executed by the CPU, a microprogram executed by the DSP, various data, and the like. In fig. 9, functions realized by a control program, a microprogram, and the like in the microcomputer 110 are indicated by blocks.

Specifically, the microcomputer 110 includes a storage unit 111, a process control unit 112, a rotation speed calculation unit 113, a clothes weight calculation unit 114, a conductivity measurement unit 115, a detergent amount-washing time determination unit 116, a detergent state determination unit 117, a foaming determination unit 118, and a washing treatment liquid input determination unit 119. The microcomputer 110 is connected to the operation panel 14. The operation panel 14 includes an LED14a for displaying various information to the user and an operation switch 14b for the user to operate. Thus, the microcomputer 110 controls the operation state of the washing machine 1 based on the operation instruction of the user to the operation panel 14.

The microcomputer 110 controls the communication unit 140 connected to the router 204 (see fig. 1) of the home network, and receives an operation instruction of the remote operation service from the server 201. Thus, the microcomputer 110 can control the washing machine 1 based on both the operation of the operation panel 14 of the washing machine 1 and the remote operation from the server 201. The storage unit 111 is constituted by the RAM, ROM, EEPROM, and the like described above, and stores programs executed by the microcomputer 110, various data, and the like. In particular, the storage unit 111 stores operation modes of various operation routes. When the operation route is designated from the operation panel 14 or the like, the microcomputer 110 reads out an operation mode corresponding to the operation route from the storage unit 111. The operation mode determines the contents of the washing step, the rinsing step, the dewatering step, and the drying step.

The process control unit 112 controls each unit of the washing machine 1 based on the content of each process described above. For example, the process control unit 112 controls the driving of the water supply unit 20 via the drive circuit 129a, and controls the driving of the drain valve 65 via the drive circuit 129 b. The process control unit 112 controls the drive of the switching valve 64 via the drive circuit 129c, controls the drive of the motor 23a of the drive device 23 via the drive circuit 129e for the motor, switches the clutch mechanism 23b via the drive circuit 129f for the clutch, and controls the drive circuit 129g for the heater switch. Thus, the process control unit 112 has a function of controlling energization of the drying unit 71 (referred to as a "heater" in the figure), controlling the fan 72 via the fan drive circuit 129h, and controlling driving of the transfer pump 46 via the transfer pump drive circuit 129 i.

The rotation speed calculation unit 113 has a function of calculating the rotation speed of the motor 23a based on a detection value from the rotation detection device 24 (see fig. 5).

The laundry weight calculating unit 114 has a function of calculating the weight of laundry in the water tub 21 based on the rotational speed calculated by the rotational speed calculating unit 113 and the detection value of the motor current detecting device 25. When the weight of the washing object increases, a load for rotating the water tub 21 becomes large, and it is necessary to increase the motor current flowing in the motor 23 a. Therefore, the weight of the laundry can be calculated based on the motor current and the rotation speed of the motor 23 a.

The conductivity measuring unit 115 has a function of measuring the conductivity of the tap water and the cleaning solution using the detection value from the water quality sensor 35.

The detergent amount-washing time determination unit 116 has a function of determining the amount of detergent and the washing time of the laundry based on the conductivity or the like measured by the conductivity measurement unit 115, and details thereof will be described later.

The detergent state determination unit 117 has a function of determining the state of the detergent based on the conductivity or the like measured by the conductivity measurement unit 115, and the details thereof will be described later.

The foaming determination unit 118 has a function of determining a washing time, a water amount, and a motor rotation speed based on the state of the washing liquid determined by the conductivity measurement unit 115 and the detergent state determination unit 117, and details thereof will be described later.

The cleaning treatment liquid input determination unit 119 has a function of controlling input of the cleaning treatment liquid. More specifically, the washing treatment liquid input determination unit 119 controls the transfer pump 46 by the drive circuit 129i for the transfer pump based on the detergent amount determined by the detergent amount/washing time determination unit 116.

Process control of washing machine 1

Fig. 10 is a process diagram illustrating a series of operation steps in the washing operation (washing, rinsing, dewatering, etc.) of the washing machine 1.

First, when the power of the washing machine 1 is turned on by the user, the process proceeds to step S0. Here, the microcomputer 110 controls the communication unit 140 (see fig. 1) and communicates with the server 201 via the router 204 of the home network. At this time, information such as a control value stored in server 201 is received and stored in storage unit 111. In step S0, the process control unit 112 receives an input of selection of an operation route and a washing treatment liquid input setting (ON/OFF) by the user.

Next, in step S1, the user puts the laundry into the water tub 21. When the user operates the operation panel 14 to give an operation start instruction, the process control unit 112 (see fig. 9) rotates the rotary blade 21b (see fig. 5). The laundry weight calculating part 114 of the microcomputer 110 performs a laundry amount calculation for the laundry before water supply.

Next, in step S2, the process control unit 112 discharges tap water into the outer tub 22. A hose (not shown) connected to the water supply unit 20 may contain air therein. Then, the process control unit 112 discharges the compressed air into the outer tub 22 together with the tap water.

In step S3, the detergent amount-washing time determination unit 116 calculates the amount of detergent to be put in and the time required until washing is completed based on the amount of clothes, the temperature of tap water, and the hardness of water, and displays the result on the operation panel 14. Here, the temperature of the tap water and the hardness of the water are detected and stored in the storage unit 111 in the previous rinsing operation (step S30 described later), and therefore the storage contents thereof are used. Since the temperature of tap water and the hardness of tap water change slowly and not rapidly every day, the amount of detergent can be determined using the temperature of tap water and the hardness of tap water measured at the last washing. When the washing machine 1 is set to perform the first operation, an initial value (for example, water temperature of 15 ℃ C., hardness of 120ppm) that does not cause a significant deterioration in washing performance may be used.

In step S3, only when the setting for the washing process liquid input is ON in step S0, the drive circuit 129i controls the transfer pump 46 based ON the detergent amount determined by the detergent amount/washing time determination unit 116, and supplies the washing process liquid to the 1 st input unit 31 through the transfer path 53.

In step S4, the process control unit 112 opens the water supply unit 20 to supply the detergent and water to the 1 st input unit 31 and the tub 22. Here, when the water level reaches the predetermined water level, the process control unit 112 closes the water supply unit 20. When water is supplied to the 1 st input part 31, the 1 st water supply path 51 and the 2 nd water supply path 52 are branched, so that the cleaning solution remaining in the delivery path 53 can be delivered to the 1 st input part 31.

In step S5, the process control unit 112 measures the temperature of the supplied water containing the detergent by the temperature sensor 26b (or the temperature sensor 26 c). Next, the process control unit 112 measures the conductivity by the water quality sensor 35 after performing the mixing process for homogenizing the detergent and the water. Next, the process controller 112 determines the detergent dissolution time based on the water temperature and the electrical conductivity of the tap water. The details of which will be described later.

In step S6, the process controller 112 drives the motor 23a to rotate the water tub 21 and the rotary blade 21b for the detergent dissolving time determined in step S5, and dissolves the detergent with the generated water flow to generate a high-concentration detergent solution. The method of generating the high-concentration detergent solution is not limited to the method of rotating both the water tub 21 and the rotary blade 21b, and may be a method of rotating only the rotary blade 21b or a method of rotating in reverse by a circulation pump (not shown).

In step S7, the conductivity measuring unit 115 measures the conductivity of the detergent solution generated by the water quality sensor 35, and the detergent state determining unit 117 re-evaluates the determined detergent type to determine the concentration of the detergent actually put in. Since the detergent is dissolved in a certain amount of water in the detergent solution thus produced, the change in the concentration of the detergent can be detected as the change in the conductivity. When the amount of the detergent to be injected is large (the concentration of the detergent is high), the conductivity becomes large as compared with when the amount of the detergent to be injected is small (the concentration of the detergent is low). Therefore, even when the rinsing operation is determined to be 1 time by the foaming determination unit 118, the rinsing operation can be changed to 2 times when the amount of the detergent to be supplied is large. In step S7, in order to improve the accuracy of measuring the conductivity, the water tub 21 and the rotary blade 21b that are rotating for dissolving the detergent are once stopped, and then, in subsequent step S8, the rotation is restarted. Therefore, if this step S7 is skipped, the entire operation time can be further shortened.

In step S8, the process control part 112 rotates the water tub 21 and the rotary blade 21b and supplies water from the water supply unit 20 to a water amount (water level) smaller than the water amount in the following main washing process (S13 to S19). Since the 1 st input part 31 is also supplied with water at the same time, the delivery path 53 can be cleaned with water branched to be supplied to the 1 st water supply path 51 and the 2 nd water supply path 52 at the same time.

In step S9, a pre-washing process is performed. That is, the process control unit 112 washes the laundry with a detergent solution having a high concentration in a state of a water amount smaller than that in the subsequent main washing process (S13 to S19). Hereinafter, the operation of penetrating the laundry with the detergent solution of high concentration while rotating the rotary blades 21b by the driving device 23 in a state of a low water level lower than that in the main washing step is referred to as high concentration washing. The high concentration washing step in the present embodiment is operated at a constant water level without supplying water, but may be operated while supplying water. However, as in the detergent dissolving operation of step S6, an operation performed in another step (discontinuously) until the water level reaches the predetermined water level is not included in the high-concentration washing step.

In the present embodiment, in the case of a liquid detergent or a liquid detergent (concentrated), high-concentration cleaning is performed while rotating the motor (rotary blade 21b) at a higher rotation speed than in the case of a powder detergent. This makes it possible to suppress foaming in the case of high-concentration washing in which foaming is easy, and to improve the washing performance in the case of using a liquid detergent.

Further, in the present embodiment, the operation time of the high-concentration cleaning step of about 30 seconds in the related art is set to be about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Thus, the oil stains on the food can be effectively washed away by prolonging the operation time of the high-concentration washing step. On the other hand, there is a need to consider a "reduction in the operating time" for reducing the overall washing time. Therefore, it is preferable to shorten the operation time of the main washing step while prolonging the operation time of the high concentration washing step.

In step S10, first, laundry weight calculation unit 114 calculates the weight of the laundry containing water. Then, the clothing quality (water absorbency) of the clothing is determined from the weight of the clothing containing no water calculated in step S1 and the weight of the clothing containing water calculated in step S10. The following steps are controlled according to the cloth quality of the clothes obtained by the discrimination.

In step S11, the process controller 112 acquires the water temperature before the washing process. This is because the chemical action of the detergent is improved when the water temperature is high, the cleaning ability is improved, and the washing time can be shortened. By measuring the water temperature before the washing process, the correct water temperature can be detected even when washing is performed using the residual hot water of the tub, for example, and the washing time can be changed. When the measured water temperature is high and the hardness of water is low, the washing time can be shortened by skipping step S18 and step S19, which will be described later.

By measuring the conductivity of the cleaning liquid using the water quality sensor 35 in this manner, the ease of foaming in the cleaning step can be controlled by the foaming determination unit 118, and the cleaning time can be controlled (shortened or lengthened). The storage unit 111 stores a table for determining the washing time (shortening or extending time) in advance according to the degree of fouling. A plurality of threshold values may be set according to the cloth amount calculated in step S1.

In step S12, the process control unit 112 supplies water to the water tub 21 to a predetermined set water level. In step S13, the process control unit 112 performs the 1 st main wash, and then measures the conductivity of the water. Let the degree of fouling at this point in time based on the measured conductivity be d 1. In step S14, the process control unit 112 performs "unwinding" for the 1 st time, and then measures the conductivity of the water. Let the degree of fouling at this point in time based on the measured conductivity be d 2. In steps S15 and S16, the process control part 112 performs the 2 nd main washing and the "disentangling" as in steps S13 and S14. The fouling degree was d3 and d4, respectively. In steps S17 and S18, the process control part 112 performs the 3 rd time main washing and the "disentangling". The fouling degree was d5 and d6, respectively. In step S19, the process control unit 112 executes the 4 th main wash. Let the degree of fouling at this time be d 7.

In step S20, the process control unit 112 monitors the unbalanced state of the laundry and determines whether or not to shift to the dehydration.

In step S21, the process control unit 112 opens the drain valve 65 to drain the washing water in the outer tub 22.

In step S22, the process control unit 112 rotates the water tub 21 to dehydrate the water contained in the laundry.

In step S23, the process control unit 112 closes the drain valve 65, opens the water supply unit 20, and supplies rinse water to the water tub 21. Then, while rotating water tub 21, rinse water is sprayed to the laundry in water tub 21.

In step S24, process control unit 112 closes water supply unit 20 while rotating water tub 21, and removes rinse water from the laundry.

In step S25, the process control unit 112 closes the drain valve 65, opens the water supply unit 20, and supplies rinse water to the water tub 21. Then, while rotating water tub 21, rinse water is sprayed to the laundry in water tub 21.

In step S26, the process control unit 112 closes the water supply unit 20, stops the water tub 21, opens the drain valve 65, and discharges the rinse water in the outer tub 22.

In step S27, the process control part 112 rotates the water tub 21 to dehydrate the water contained in the laundry.

The execution of the spin shower rinsing in steps S23 and S25 is determined by the bubbling determination unit 118. When the number of times of the spin shower rinsing is determined to be 1, the foaming determination unit 118 can set the number of times of the spin shower rinsing to 1 by sending a command to skip step S23 to step S27 to the process control unit 112.

In step S28, when the dehydration is normally completed, the inside of the tub 22 is in a state of no water, and the conductivity in the state of no water is measured by operating the water quality sensor 35. The conductivity measured here is stored in the storage unit 111 as an initial value, and can be used to determine a failure of the water quality sensor 35 and correct deterioration due to dirt or the like adhering to the electrode unit.

In step S29, the process control unit 112 closes the drain valve 65 and opens the water supply unit 20 to supply the rinse water to the tub 22 to the water level at which the water hardness is detected.

In step S30, the conductivity measuring unit 115 operates the water quality sensor 35 and the temperature sensor 26b (or the temperature sensor 26c), measures the water temperature and the conductivity of the rinse water, and calculates the hardness of the water. The water temperature and the water hardness measured here are stored in the storage unit 111, and are used to determine the amount of detergent and the washing time for the next time.

In step S30, the process control unit 112 supplies the washing liquid to the water tub 21 only when the input of the washing liquid is set to ON in step S0. That is, the process control unit 112 measures the water temperature and the conductivity of the rinse water to calculate the hardness of the water in step S30, and then controls the transfer pump 46 by the drive circuit 129i based on the finish amount determined by the detergent amount/wash time determination unit 116. Thereby, the finishing agent is supplied to the 1 st input portion 31 through the conveying path 53.

In step S31, the process control unit 112 supplies water to the set water level.

In step S32, the process control unit 112 rotates the rotary blade 21b (or the water tub 21) to stir the laundry with the rinse water stored in the outer tub 22, opens the water supply unit 20, and introduces the finishing agent into the water tub 21. Further, since water is also supplied to the 1 st input part 31 at the same time, water is separately supplied to the 1 st water supply path 51 and the 2 nd water supply path 52. This enables the cleaning solution remaining in the transport path 53 to be transported to the 1 st input unit 31.

In step S33, the process control unit 112 performs the 1 st rinsing agitation after the finish is put in, and then measures the conductivity of the water. As shown in fig. 5, since the water quality sensor 35 in the present embodiment is provided at the lower portion (bottom portion) of the outer tub 22, the water quality sensor 35 is submerged in water during the rinsing step, and the conductivity of the rinse water can be measured. Let the rinse degree at this time point based on the measured conductivity be s 1.

In steps S34 and S35, the process control unit 112 similarly performs the rinsing agitation for the 2 nd and 3 rd times after the finish is input. The rinse degree at each time point was designated as s2 and s 3.

In this way, the rinsing time can be controlled (shortened or lengthened) by measuring the conductivity of the rinsing water using the water quality sensor 35 at the time of the rinsing process. More specifically, the storage unit 111 stores a table for determining the rinsing time (shortening or lengthening time) in advance based on the amount of change in the conductivity of the rinsing water. The amount of change in conductivity of the rinse water may be compared with the conductivity of the tap water measured in step S30. The amount of change in conductivity of the rinse water can be used to shorten and lengthen the rinsing time, and also to increase or decrease the number of times of rinsing. Therefore, the rinsing operation may be performed 1 time by the detergent state determination unit 117. Even if the foaming determination unit 118 determines that the detergent is a concentrated liquid detergent and the rinsing operation is determined to be 1 time, if it is determined that the rinsing is insufficient, the additional rinsing operation can be executed. The timing for operating the water quality sensor 35 in the rinsing step is not limited to the execution of steps S33 to S35, and the rinsing time may be controlled (shortened or lengthened) by operating the water quality sensor during the execution of steps S23, S25, and the like. In step S23 or S25, the process control unit 112 may control (shorten or lengthen) the rinsing time based on the texture of the laundry determined in step S10.

In step S36, the process control unit 112 monitors the unbalanced state of the laundry and determines whether or not to shift to the final dehydration.

In step S37, the process control unit 112 opens the drain valve 65 to drain the rinse water from the outer tub 22. In order to stabilize the start-up during the dehydration, the process may be shifted to step S38 (dehydration step) in a state where a certain amount of rinse water remains.

In step S38, the process control part 112 rotates the water tub 21 at a high speed to dehydrate the water contained in the laundry. By measuring the water removed from the laundry using the water quality sensor 35, the amount of water contained in the laundry can be determined. In the dehydration step, by rotating the water tub 21, the water contained in the laundry is separated from the laundry and discharged from the through hole 21aa of the water tub 21 toward the inner surface of the peripheral wall 22e of the outer tub 22. The water discharged to the peripheral wall 22e flows down along the inner surface of the peripheral wall 22e by the action of gravity and flows into the groove of the water quality sensor 35. Thereby, the water quality sensor 35 can detect the conductivity of water at the time of dehydration.

That is, in the water quality sensor 35 during dehydration, since water flows into the tank portion of the water quality sensor 35, the detected value (electrical conductivity) changes according to the amount of water passing therethrough. For example, when the laundry is highly water-absorbent clothes such as a bath towel, the amount of discharged water is also large, and the detection value (electrical conductivity) is high. On the other hand, when the laundry is clothes having low water absorbency such as a shirt, the amount of discharged water is small, and the detection value (electrical conductivity) is low.

In this way, the dehydration time can be controlled (shortened or lengthened) by measuring the conductivity of the water removed from the laundry using the water quality sensor 35 at the time of the dehydration process. The storage unit 111 stores a table for determining the dewatering time (shortening or extending time) in advance. A plurality of threshold values may be set according to the cloth amount calculated in step S1.

The timing of operating the water quality sensor 35 in the dehydration step is not limited to the step S38, and the water quality sensor 35 may be operated in another dehydration step (steps S22, S24, and S27). Further, the dehydration time may be controlled (shortened or lengthened) in accordance with the detection result of the water quality sensor 35.

In step S39, the process control unit 112 rotates the fan 72 by the drive circuit 129h, sends air to the air blowing duct 73, heats the air by the drying unit (heater) 71 to obtain dry air, and passes the dry air through the inside of the outer tub 22 and the water tub 21. Thereby, the washing machine 1 dries the laundry (cloth items) stored in the water tub 21. The washing machine 1 can send the air passing through the inside of the outer tub 22 and the water tub 21 from the drying duct 81 to the blowing duct 73 by the fan 72, and can repeat the same operation.

In step S40, the process control unit 112 rotates the fan 72 via the drive circuit 129h to send air into the air blowing duct 73, and dry air is passed through the outer tub 22 and the water tub 21. Before step S40 is executed, the laundry (cloth items) inside the water tub 21 is dried to a high temperature state. By executing step S40, washing machine 1 can lower the temperature of the laundry (cloth items) stored inside water tub 21. The washing machine 1 can send the air passing through the inside of the outer tub 22 and the water tub 21 from the drying duct 81 to the blowing duct 73 by the fan 72, and can repeat the same operation.

In step S99, microcomputer 110 controls communication section 140 to connect to server 201 via router 204 of the home network. At this time, the information stored in the microcomputer 110 is transmitted to the server 201, and the server 201 receives the information. Then, the micom 110 turns off the power of the washing machine 1.

Details of step S5

Fig. 11 is a detailed flowchart of step S5 described above.

In fig. 11, when the process proceeds to step S51, the process controller 112 measures the temperature of the supplied water containing the detergent (water temperature) using the temperature sensor 26b (or the temperature sensor 26 c). Next, when the process proceeds to step S52, the detergent state determination unit 117 determines the detergent state. More specifically, the detergent state determination unit 117 determines whether the type of detergent is a liquid detergent or a powder detergent. The detergent state determination will be described later with reference to fig. 12.

Next, in step S53, it is determined whether or not the measured water temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold value t 1. Here, if it is judged as "YES" (water temperature > t1), the process proceeds to step S54, and if judged as "NO" (water temperature. ltoreq.t 1), the process proceeds to step S55. Here, since it has been experimentally found that the dissolution of the detergent greatly changes around about 10 ℃, in the present embodiment, 13 ℃ slightly higher than 10 ℃ is set as the threshold t1 in consideration of the variation.

In step S54, it is determined whether the detergent is a liquid detergent based on the processing result of step S52 described above. Here, if it is judged as yes (liquid detergent), the process proceeds to step S56, and the detergent dissolution time is set to a prescribed value T0. If it is determined as "no" (not liquid detergent) in step S54, the process proceeds to step S57, and the detergent dissolution time is set to a prescribed value T1. Also, in step S55, it is determined whether the detergent is a liquid detergent. Here, if it is judged as yes (liquid detergent), the process proceeds to step S58, and the detergent dissolution time is set to a prescribed value T2. Further, if it is determined no (not liquid detergent) in step S55, the process proceeds to step S59, and the detergent dissolution time is set to a prescribed value T3.

In consideration of the solubility of the liquid detergent and the powder detergent in water, it is preferable that the detergent dissolution time T1 be longer than the detergent dissolution time T0, and the detergent dissolution time T3 be longer than the detergent dissolution time T2. Further, since the detergent is hardly dissolved in water when the water temperature is low, it is preferable to make the detergent dissolution time T2 longer than the detergent dissolution time T0 and the detergent dissolution time T3 longer than the detergent dissolution time T1.

Further, in step S0, in the case where the washing process liquid input is set to ON, the detergent input into the outer tub 22 is a liquid detergent, and thus step S56 or S58 is performed. In step S56 or S58, the rotation speed of the motor 23a or the operation of a not-shown circulation pump can be suppressed, and energy consumption can be reduced.

However, when the powder detergent is put into the 1 st putting section 31 by an erroneous operation of the user, the determination in steps S54 and S55 can be forcibly made "no" by performing a predetermined operation on the operation panel 14. Thus, in step S57 or S59, the detergent dissolution time can be set to T1 or T3.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the detergent dissolution time T0 to T3 can be set according to the type of detergent and the water temperature, and when liquid cleaning is used or the water temperature is high, the entire operation time can be shortened by shortening the detergent dissolution time.

Details of step S52

Fig. 12 is a detailed flowchart of step S52 described above.

In fig. 12, when the process proceeds to step S520, the process control section 112 controls the motor 23a via the drive circuit 129e to rotate the water tub 21 and the rotary blade 21 b. Thus, the detergent and water supplied into the outer tub 22 and the water tub 21 generate a water flow, and the detergent and water can be uniformed. Here, when the detergent is a powder detergent, the detergent and the water are not easily homogenized, and therefore, the process control unit 112 sets the rotation speed of the motor 23a to be high. On the other hand, in the case where the detergent is a liquid detergent, the detergent and water are easily homogenized, and therefore, the process controller 112 sets the rotation speed of the motor 23a lower than in the case of a powder detergent.

In step S520, the detergent and the water are homogenized by the rotation of the water tub 21 and the rotary blade 21b, but the detergent and the water may be homogenized by a circulation pump, not shown, by rotating the water tub 21 and the rotary blade 21 b.

Since the step S520 is a step of stirring the detergent and the water at the highest concentration in the washing step, the rotation speed of the motor 23a can be suppressed, and the risk of foaming can be suppressed. Further, as described above, when the washing treatment liquid input is set to ON in step S0, the detergent input to the outer tub 22 is a liquid detergent, and therefore the rotation speed of the motor 23a in step S520 can be suppressed.

Next, in step S521, the conductivity measuring unit 115 measures the conductivity of the homogenized water by the water quality sensor 35. In measuring the conductivity, in order to improve the measurement accuracy, the conductivity measuring part 115 stops the water supply to the outer tub 22 by the water supply unit 20, the circulation by the circulation pump (not shown), and the rotation of the water tub 21 and the rotary blade 21 b. Further, at this time, it is preferable that the water flow in the outer tub 22 and the water tub 21 is smooth and the high concentration washing liquid is not foamed. Therefore, in step S520, the rotation speed of the motor 23a may be kept low. Accordingly, since the water flow generated in the outer tub 22 becomes weak, the time until the rotation of the motor 23a is stopped and the time until the water flow in the outer tub 22 is stabilized can be shortened, and the accuracy of measuring the conductivity can be improved in a short time.

Next, when the process proceeds to step S522, the detergent state determination unit 117 determines whether or not the conductivity is less than the threshold EC 1. Here, if it is determined "yes", the process proceeds to step S524, and the detergent state determination unit 117 determines that the applied detergent is "liquid detergent (concentrated)". The detergent state determination unit 117 switches the characteristic of the water quality sensor 35 to "liquid detergent (concentrated)" according to the determination result. The process control unit 112 selects "washing method (a)" most suitable for "liquid detergent (concentrated)" as the washing method. The "washing method (a)" is a washing method in which rinsing is performed 1 time, for example. On the other hand, when the determination in step S522 is no, the process proceeds to step S523, where it is determined whether the conductivity is less than the threshold EC 2. Here, when the determination is yes (i.e., when EC1 ≦ conductivity < EC 2), the process proceeds to step S525, and detergent state determination unit 117 determines that the applied detergent is "liquid detergent". The process control unit 112 selects a "washing method (B)" most suitable for the "liquid detergent" as the washing method. The "washing method (B)" is a washing method in which rinsing is performed 2 times, for example.

When the determination in step S523 is "no" (that is, when EC2 is equal to or less than the electric conductivity), the process proceeds to step S526, and the detergent state determination unit 117 determines that the applied detergent is "powder detergent". The process control unit 112 selects a "washing method (C)" most suitable for the "powdered detergent" as the washing method. The above-described washing methods (a) to (C) differ in washing time, water amount, rotation speed of the motor 23a, and the like. For example, powder detergents tend to foam easily. Therefore, the washing method (C) using a powder detergent is preferable to shorten the washing time, increase the amount of water, reduce the detergent concentration, or reduce the rotation speed of the motor so that bubbles are less likely to be generated, as compared with the washing method (a) using a liquid detergent (concentrated). This suppresses foaming, prevents deterioration of cleaning performance, and prevents insufficient rinsing. On the other hand, the liquid detergent (concentrated) tends to be less likely to foam, and the washing method (a) of the liquid detergent (concentrated) may be performed by increasing the washing time, decreasing the amount of water, increasing the detergent concentration, or increasing the rotation speed of the motor. This can improve the cleaning performance while keeping the risk of foaming low.

Further, since the liquid detergent tends to have an electric conductivity in the vicinity of the middle between the powder detergent and the liquid detergent (concentrated), it is preferable to set the washing method (B) at the middle between the washing methods (a) and (C). In the present embodiment, since an appropriate washing method is selected by detecting the type of detergent, not based on the "state of foaming", it is not necessary to provide a sensor for detecting foaming. Further, it is also possible not to distinguish whether or not the liquid detergent is of a concentrated type. That is, both of them may be used in the same washing method regardless of the kind of the liquid detergent. Although not shown, the foaming determination unit 118 can improve the accuracy of the foaming determination unit 118 by detecting not only the type of detergent but also factors that are likely to foam, such as the water temperature, the water hardness, and the usage state of the tub water in step S524, step S525, and step S526. Since the concentrated liquid detergent that can be used for 1 time of the rinsing operation has a lower conductivity than the liquid detergent for 2 times of the rinsing operation, the number of times of rinsing may be changed based on the determination result of the foaming determination unit 118.

Study action

Fig. 13 is a control sequence diagram of an operation for learning the preference of each performance of the user.

In step S202 of fig. 13, when the user turns on the power of washing machine 1, washing machine 1 requests the latest control value to server 201 (step S204). Wherein the "control values" are values of various "control parameters" in the washing machine 1. For example, when the "control parameter" is "the rotation speed of the motor 23 a", the "control value" is a value of "300 rpm". When receiving a request for a control value from washing machine 1, control value changing unit 214 of server 201 (see fig. 1) transmits the latest control value stored in the request to washing machine 1 (step S206). As a result, control device 100 of washing machine 1 stores the latest control value in storage unit 111, and washing machine 1 enters the standby state.

Thereafter, the user gives an operation start instruction to the washing machine 1 in the standby state through the operation panel 14 (step S208). Instead of this step S208, the user can also issue an operation start instruction from the smartphone 300 (step S210). This operation start instruction can be given on the operation route detail screen 310 shown in fig. 14. The details of the operation route detail screen 310 will be described later, and in the operation route detail screen 310, the user can confirm or correct the operation contents (operation contents such as washing, rinsing, spin-drying, and drying) before the washing start instruction.

Upon receiving the operation start instruction in step S208 or S210, washing machine 1 performs the washing operation. More specifically, the washing machine 1 performs the operation steps of steps S1 to S40 (see fig. 10) described above. When the washing operation is finished, washing machine 1 transmits operation end information notifying that the washing is finished and washing information obtained during the washing period to server 201 (step S212). Here, the processing of steps S208, S210 in fig. 13 corresponds to step S0 in fig. 10, and the processing of step S212 in fig. 13 corresponds to step S99 in fig. 10.

Upon receiving the operation end information, the questionnaire survey unit 212 (see fig. 1) of the server 201 transmits questionnaire question information to the smartphone 300 via the push notification server 202 (see fig. 1) (step S214). Here, "questionnaire question information" is information for specifying the contents of a questionnaire, and for example, the contents of character strings shown in the respective buttons 332 to 342 on the questionnaire answer screen 330 (see fig. 14) are questionnaire question information. When receiving the questionnaire question information, the smartphone 300 can display a notification screen indicating that the question information is received, and thereby can prompt the user to answer the questionnaire.

When the user performs a predetermined operation in the smartphone 300, a questionnaire response screen 330 (see fig. 14) for the user to answer the questionnaire is displayed. The details of the questionnaire response screen 330 are described later, and when the user answers the questionnaire, the questionnaire result is transmitted to the server 201 as questionnaire response information in the questionnaire response screen 330 (step S216). The "questionnaire response information" is, for example, the selected/unselected state of each of the buttons 332 to 342.

The control value changing unit 214 of the server 201 (see fig. 1) executes the questionnaire response processing when receiving the questionnaire response information (step S218). The contents of which are listed below.

(1) Common ID management of wash information and questionnaire survey: the control value changing unit 214 of the server 201 assigns an ID (identification information) to each washing machine 1, and stores the ID in association with the washing information. In step S216, the questionnaire response information received by control value changing unit 214 is also given the same ID as that of corresponding washing machine 1, and the washing information is associated with the questionnaire response information.

(2) Numeralization of questionnaire surveys

The control value changing unit 214 of the server 201 changes the control values of some of the control parameters in accordance with the questionnaire response information. Here, the control parameter whose control value changes in accordance with the questionnaire response information is referred to as a questionnaire-corresponding parameter. The control value changing unit 214 stores the value of the point value for all the questionnaire-related parameters. Here, the point value is similar to the control value in determining the control content of the control parameter (questionnaire-related parameter). The control value has various specifications (dimensions), an initial value and a variation width, and the point value has a uniform range of, for example, — 100 to +100, and the initial value is "0".

Further, the control value changing unit 214 defines a control parameter (questionnaire) for changing the point value for a combination of answers to all questionnaire itemsCorresponding parameter) and the amount of change in the dot value (hereinafter referred to as the dot amount of change). For example, in the questionnaire response screen 330, the selected/unselected states of the 6 buttons 332 to 342 are switched as a whole, and there is "2⁶A combination of 64 "answers. Server 201 defines a questionnaire correspondence parameter and a point count change amount that change the point count value in correspondence with the combination of these 64 answers. Here, the point change amount has a positive value in the case of enhancing (increasing) the control content, and has a negative value in the case of weakening (decreasing) the control content.

(3) The point value calculation/storage control value changing unit 214 accumulates the amount of point change every time a questionnaire survey is executed, and stores the accumulation result as a point value. Thus, the point value changes from a positive value to a negative value, from a negative value to a positive value, from a positive value to a larger positive value, or from a negative value to a smaller negative value, and changes in accordance with the questionnaire response information. In this way, by updating the point value based on the questionnaire response information and storing the latest control value based on the point value in the control value changing unit 214 of the server 201, it is possible to reflect the preference of the user to the control value and to cause the control value changing unit 214 to learn the preference of the user. The changed control value is transferred to washing machine 1 when step S204 is executed in washing machine 1, as described above.

In fig. 13, when the process proceeds to step S220, the server 201 transmits the status display screen update information to the smartphone 300. This is to notify the smartphone 300 of the latest control value. The smartphone 300 displays the radar map display screen 350 (see fig. 14) corresponding to the latest control value in accordance with this. Details of the radar chart display screen 350 will be described later.

Further, the server 201 can transmit the status display screen update information to the smartphone 300 based on the accumulated result of the questionnaire, and graphically represent the control parameters of the user's preference.

(please refer to the radar chart display screen 350 of FIG. 14). This allows the user to confirm in a more understandable format how the questionnaire response information, which is the questionnaire result, affects the control.

Specific example of Screen display

(operation route detail screen 310)

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing various screens displayed by the smartphone 300.

As described above, in the washing machine 1, the user can select a desired operation route from various operation routes. The operation route may be selected on the operation panel 14 (see fig. 2) of the washing machine 1, or may be selected on an operation route selection screen (not shown) displayed on the smartphone 300.

When the operation route is designated in the smartphone 300, the microcomputer 110 (see fig. 9) of the washing machine 1 reads out the operation mode corresponding to the designated operation route from the storage unit 111. When the smartphone 300 is notified of the operation mode, the smartphone 300 displays, for example, an operation route detail screen 310 shown at the left end of fig. 14. In the operation route detail screen 310, the user can check or correct the operation contents (operation contents such as washing, rinsing, spin-drying, and drying) before the washing start instruction.

The main menu bar 380 is displayed at the upper end of the operation route detail screen 310, and the sub menu bar 390 is displayed at the lower end. The main menu bar 380 displays a "back" button 382 and a help button 384. The side menu field 390 displays a home button 391, a foreground button 392, a status confirmation button 393, a support button 394, and a setting button 395.

Below main menu bar 380, a "wash" button 312 and a "wash-dry" button 314 are displayed. A start button 326 and a star button 328 are displayed above the sub-menu bar 390. Here, the "wash" button 312 mainly displays a control value for "wash" between the "wash" button 312 and the start button 326, and the "wash-dry" button 314 mainly displays a control value for "wash-dry" between the "wash" button 312 and the start button 326.

The water amount display section 316 displays the designation of the water amount. The "washing" display section 318 displays the time of the "washing" step. The "rinse" display unit 320 displays the contents of the "rinse" step. The "warm air fog" display unit 324 displays the contents of the "warm air fog" step. The operation route detail screen 310 in the illustrated example shows an example of "i-me-flow AI route". Therefore, when another operation route is selected, the display units 316, 318, 320, and 324 display different contents from those in the illustrated example.

After confirming or correcting the operation contents on the operation route detail screen 310, the user instructs the smartphone 300 to start the operation when the start button 326 is pressed (step S210 in fig. 13).

(questionnaire answer screen 330)

As described above, in step S214 of fig. 13, questionnaire question information is transmitted from the server 201 to the smartphone 300. After that, when a predetermined operation is performed on the smartphone 300, the smartphone 300 displays the questionnaire response screen 330 shown at the center of fig. 14. The main menu bar 380 and the sub menu bar 390 are displayed at the upper and lower ends of the questionnaire response screen 330 in the same manner as the route detail screen 310.

Between main menu column 380 and side menu column 390, "please select the item that was intended on the last i's flow AI route, is displayed. "message," stain removal effect "button 332," laundry damage "button 334," detergent use amount "button 336," rinsing effect "button 338," dehydration weak "button 340," run length "button 342, and answer button 346.

Each of the buttons 332 to 342 is switched to a selected/unselected (ON/OFF) state whenever a user clicks. The "stain removal effect" button 332 is selected when the "stain removal effect" is intended, and is not selected when the "stain removal effect" is not intended. The "laundry damage" button 334 is selected when the "laundry damage" is intended, and is not selected when the "laundry damage" is not intended. The "detergent usage amount is large" button 336 is selected when the "detergent usage amount is large", and is not selected when the "detergent usage amount is not large".

The "rinse effect" button 338 is selected when the "rinse effect" is intended, and is not selected when the "rinse effect" is not intended. The "dehydration weak" button 340 is selected when the "dehydration weak" is considered, and is not selected when the "dehydration weak" is not considered. The "long operation time" button 342 is selected when the "long operation time" is considered, and is not selected when the "long operation time" is not considered. The user switches the selected/unselected state by clicking each button 332-342. When answer button 346 is pressed at the time point when the selected/unselected state is a desired result, the selected/unselected state is transmitted to server 201 as questionnaire response information as described in step S216 in fig. 13.

(Radar chart display 350)

As described above, in step S220 of fig. 13, the server 201 transmits the status display screen update information to the smartphone 300. Then, the user performs a predetermined operation in the smartphone 300 by displaying the radar chart on the right-hand side display screen 350 in fig. 14 on the smartphone 300. At the upper and lower end portions of the radar chart display screen 350, the main menu bar 380 and the sub menu bar 390 are displayed in the same manner as the operation route detail screen 310. Between main menu column 380 and side menu column 390, an initialization button 352, a radar map 354, a detergent amount indicator 356, an on-time indicator 358, a questionnaire button 360, and an "on" button 362 are displayed.

When the user clicks the initialization button 352, the smartphone 300 outputs an instruction (of the initial value specified by the return value) to the server 201 to initialize the control value in the "i'm flow AI route". The radar chart 354 shows the evaluation results of 6 types of evaluation items, that is, "reliably dry," satisfactorily remove dirt "," reliably float water "," suppress damage to clothes "," satisfactorily wring out and "suppress wrinkles after dewatering", for the currently set control value.

The detergent amount indicator 356 indicates the evaluation result regarding the amount of detergent. The operating time indicator 358 indicates the result of evaluation regarding the operating time. When the user clicks the questionnaire survey button 360, the smartphone 300 transitions the display screen to the questionnaire survey answer screen 330. When the user clicks the "operation" button 362, the smartphone 300 shifts the display screen to an operation route selection screen (not shown).

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a relationship between questionnaire response information and the amount of point change.

In the questionnaire response screens 330A and 330B shown in fig. 15, the shadow is given to the button in the selected state and the shadow is not given to the button in the unselected state among the buttons 332 to 342.

For example, in the questionnaire response screen 330A, the "stain removal effect" button 332 is in the selected state, and the other buttons 334 to 342 are in the unselected state. The point change amount of the control parameter "washing time" corresponding to the questionnaire response screen 330A is "+ 10", and the point change amount of the control parameter "detergent amount" is "+ 5". Therefore, when the answer button 346 is clicked on the questionnaire answer screen 330A, the point value of the control parameter "washing time" is increased by "10", and the point value of the "detergent amount" is increased by "5".

In the questionnaire response screen 330B, the "stain removal effect" button 332 and the "clothing damage" button 334 are in a selected state, and the other buttons 336 to 342 are in an unselected state. The control parameter "washing time" corresponding to the questionnaire response screen 330B has a point variation of "-10" and the control parameter "detergent amount" has a point variation of "+ 10". Therefore, when the answer button 346 is clicked in the questionnaire answer screen 330B, the point value of the control parameter "washing time" is decreased by "10", and the point value of the "detergent amount" is increased by "10".

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the conversion table stored in the server 201.

Fig. 16 shows a washing schedule table 402 and a washing dose table 404 as examples of conversion tables. The washing schedule 402 specifies the relationship of the point value of the "washing time" to the control value. For example, if the point value is in the range of "+ 11 to + 50", the control value of the washing time is set to "16 minutes". The detergent amount table 404 specifies a relationship between a point value of "detergent amount" and a control value. For example, if the point value is in the range of "+ 11 to + 50", the control value of the detergent amount is set to "1.1 times". More specifically, this means "an amount of 1.1 times the predetermined reference amount per unit weight of the object to be washed".

Change of learning action

(example 1)

Next, an example other than the example shown in fig. 15 will be described with respect to a method of determining a point value and a control value of response information to a questionnaire.

For example, as shown in the questionnaire response screen 330A of fig. 15, when the user sets the "stain removal effect" button 332 to the selected state (when the user answers "stain removal effect is felt to be satisfactory"), the process control unit 112 can improve the stain removal effect as compared with the previous washing operation by increasing the "amount of detergent to be supplied" in step S3 of fig. 10 or by extending the main washing time in steps S13 to S19. In contrast, when the "stain-removing effect" button 332 is in the unselected state, the process control unit 112 decreases the "amount of detergent to be put in" in step S3 of fig. 10, or shortens the main washing time in steps S13 to S19. Thus, excessive cleaning is suppressed, the amount of detergent used is suppressed, the operation time is shortened, energy consumption is suppressed, and the washing operation with the daily operation cost suppressed can be realized.

In the above example, the detergent amount and the main washing time are changed based on the questionnaire response information, but the target of the change may be the detergent dissolution time in step S4, the time of the pre-washing step in step S9, the amount of water supplied in each step, the rotational speed and the operation rate of the rotary blade 21b operated in each step, and the like in fig. 10. The drying unit 71 and the fan 72 may be driven to heat the laundry with warm wind based on the questionnaire response information.

(example 2)

For example, when the user selects the "laundry damage" button 334 (when the answer is "clothes damage is present"), the process control unit 112 can suppress the laundry damage compared to the previous washing operation by shortening the main washing time in steps S13 to S19 in fig. 10 or shortening the rinsing and stirring time in steps S33 to S35. In contrast, when "laundry damage" button 334 is set to the unselected state, step control unit 112 extends the main washing time in steps S13 to S19 of fig. 10 or the rinsing agitation time in steps S33 to S35, thereby improving the soil removal effect and the rinsing effect compared to the previous washing operation.

In the above example, the main washing time and the rinsing agitation time are changed based on the questionnaire response information, and the changed objects may be the detergent dissolution time in step S4, the time of the previous washing step in step S9, the amount of water supplied in each step, the rotation speed and the operation rate of the rotary blade 21b operated in each step, the rotation speed and the acceleration rate of the motor 23a during dehydration in each step, and the like in fig. 10. The drying unit 71 and the fan 72 may be driven to heat the laundry with warm wind based on the questionnaire response information.

(example 3)

Further, as shown in questionnaire response screen 330B of fig. 15, when the user selects both "stain removal effect" button 332 and "laundry damage" button 334, it is considered that the washing time is shortened and the amount of detergent is increased. However, as another example, the process controller 112 may increase the amount of the detergent to be put in step S3 in fig. 10, and shorten the rinsing agitation time in steps S33 to S35 without changing the main washing time in steps S13 to S19. This makes it possible to satisfactorily remove dirt and suppress damage to clothes as compared with the previous operation.

In the above example, the example in which the amount of the detergent to be supplied, the main washing time or the rinsing agitation time is changed based on the questionnaire survey response information has been described, but the target to be changed may be the detergent dissolution time in step S4 of fig. 10, the time of the pre-washing step in step S9, the amount of water supplied in each step, the rotational speed and the operation rate of the rotary blade 21b operated in each step, the rotational speed and the acceleration rate of the motor 23a during the dehydration in each step, and the like. The drying unit 71 and the fan 72 may be driven to heat the laundry with warm wind based on the questionnaire response information.

Effects of the embodiment

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the management device (201) for a washing machine includes: a questionnaire survey unit (212) for displaying questionnaire question information on the result of the washing operation on a display device (302) for the washing machine (1) performing the washing operation based on the control value; and a control value changing unit (214) that receives questionnaire response information as a response to the questionnaire question information and changes the control value based on the questionnaire response information.

Thus, the operation content of the washing machine can be automatically set according to the preference of the user.

The questionnaire question information includes a 1 st question as to whether or not the detergent effect is intended, and a control value changing unit (214) changes the control value so as to increase the amount of the detergent, extend the washing time, extend the detergent dissolution time, and extend the pre-washing process when the answer to the 1 st question is affirmative.

Thus, when the user answers the meaning of the stain removal effect, the control value can be changed so that the stain removal effect is performed well.

The questionnaire question information includes a 2 nd question as to whether or not the laundry damage is concerned, and the control value changing unit (214) changes the control value so as to achieve any one of shortening the washing time, shortening the rinsing and stirring time, reducing the rotation speed of the motor, and reducing the operation rate of the motor when the answer to the 2 nd question is affirmative.

Thus, when the user answers the intention of clothes damage, the control value can be changed to suppress clothes damage.

In addition, when the answer to the 1 st question and the answer to the 2 nd question are both affirmative, the control value changing unit (214) changes the control value so as to achieve either one of shortening the washing time and increasing the amount of detergent and shortening the rinsing agitation time and increasing the amount of detergent.

Thus, when the user answers that the stain removal effect is intended and the user is intended to damage the laundry, the control value can be changed so that the stain removal effect becomes good and damage to the laundry is suppressed.

(modification)

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made. The above-described embodiments are merely examples for easily understanding the present invention and are not limited to having all the configurations described. Further, another structure may be added to the structure of the above embodiment, and a part of the structure may be replaced with another structure. The control lines and information lines shown in the drawings are considered to be necessary for the description, and do not necessarily indicate all the control lines and information lines necessary for the product. In practice, almost all structures can be considered to be connected to each other. Modifications of the above embodiment are possible, for example, as described below.

(1) In the above embodiment, the vertical washing and drying machine in which the rotation axis of the washing and dehydrating tub is substantially vertical was described as the washing machine 1, but the washing machine 1 is not limited to this, and may be a drum-type washing and drying machine in which the rotation axis of the washing and dehydrating tub is substantially horizontal, a vertical washing machine having no drying function, or a drum-type washing machine.

(2) The water quality sensor 35 in the above embodiment is not limited to the structure described in the above embodiment, and may be any structure as long as it can detect the conductivity of the detergent liquid. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the characteristics are switched by changing the capacitance of a capacitor (not shown) included in the oscillation circuit 39, but the resistance and the constant of the coil may be changed.

(3) In the above embodiment, the operation panel 14 and the smartphone 300 of the washing machine 1 are operated by the user's hand, but the operation panel 14 and the smartphone 300 may be controlled by the user's voice input.

(4) In the above embodiment, the questionnaire response information is converted into a point value and converted into a numerical value, and the point value is converted into a control value. However, instead of converting the questionnaire response information into a point value and digitizing it, the questionnaire response information may be converted directly into a control value.

(5) In the above embodiment, the operation of heating the laundry with warm air by driving the drying unit 71 and the fan 72 is described. However, the means for heating the laundry is not limited to the warm air of the drying unit 71, and the laundry and the washing water may be heated by another heat source (not shown) submerged in the water.

(6) In the above-described specific examples 1 and 3, an example is described in which, when the user selects "desire to improve the stain-removing effect", the amount of the detergent in step S3 in fig. 10 is changed so as to improve the stain-removing effect. However, as long as washing machine 1 is equipped with washing treatment liquid supply device 30, the timing of supplying the detergent does not necessarily need to be step S3 of fig. 10. For example, in the main washing step of steps S13 to S19, a detergent may be additionally added. Therefore, when the amount of dirt is large, the detergent can be additionally added to improve the cleaning effect.

(7) In the above-mentioned specific example 2, an example is given in which the main washing time is shortened or the rinsing agitation time in steps S33 to S35 is shortened when the user selects "desires to suppress the cloth damage". Similarly, example 3 exemplifies a case where the rinsing agitation time を is shortened. However, the amount and timing of the softener to be fed can be adjusted as long as the washing machine 1 is equipped with the washing treatment liquid feeding device 30. This eliminates the "stiff feeling" that the user feels due to "clothes damage".

(8) In the above-described specific examples 1 to 3, based on the questionnaire response information, the control contents of a part of the washing, rinsing, dehydrating, and drying processes are changed. However, the operation route may be replaced with another operation route provided in the washing machine 1. For example, when the user selects "desire to improve the cleaning effect", the washing machine 1 may be operated in an "operation route for improving the cleaning effect". In addition, when the user selects "hope to improve the rinsing effect", the washing machine 1 can be operated in the "operation route with improved rinsing performance".

(9) In the above embodiment, the server 201 includes the functions of the questionnaire survey unit 212 and the control value change unit 214. However, the control device 100 or the smartphone 300 of the washing machine 1 may have functions of the questionnaire survey unit 212 and the control value changing unit 214. Thereby, the washing machine 1 can be controlled with a reduced number of hardware.

(10) Since hardware such as the control device 100, the server 201, the push notification server 202, and the smartphone 300 in the above-described embodiment can be realized by a general computer, the process charts, the flowcharts, the control sequence charts, and the programs for executing the various processes described above, which are shown in fig. 10 to 13, may be stored in a storage medium or distributed via a transmission path.

(11) The process flow charts, control sequence charts, and the above-described processes shown in fig. 10 to 13 have been described as processes using software of a program in the above-described embodiment, but a part or all of them may be replaced with processes using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an fpga (field Programmable Gate array).

Claims (8)

1. A management device for a washing machine, comprising:

a questionnaire survey unit that causes a display device to display questionnaire question information regarding a result of a washing operation for a washing machine that performs the washing operation based on a control value; and

and a control value changing unit that receives questionnaire response information as a response to the questionnaire question information, and changes the control value based on the questionnaire response information.

2. The management apparatus for a washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the questionnaire question information includes the 1 st question whether or not the stain removal effect is conscious,

the control value changing unit changes the control value so as to increase the amount of the detergent, extend the washing time, extend the detergent dissolution time, or extend the pre-washing process, when the answer to the 1 st question is affirmative.

3. The management apparatus for a washing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the questionnaire question information includes the 2 nd question whether or not the clothing damage is conscious,

the control value changing unit changes the control value to achieve any one of shortening the washing time, shortening the rinsing agitation time, reducing the rotation speed of the motor, and reducing the operation rate of the motor, when the answer to the 2 nd question is affirmative.

4. The management apparatus for a washing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

the control value changing unit changes the control value so as to achieve either one of shortening the washing time and increasing the detergent amount and shortening the rinsing agitation time and increasing the detergent amount when both the 1 st question and the 2 nd question are answered in the affirmative.

5. A management device for a washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that:

the questionnaire survey section and the control value change section are provided in the washing machine.

6. A management device for a washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that:

the questionnaire survey section and the control value change section are provided in a portable communication terminal.

7. A washing machine management system, comprising:

a washing machine performing a washing operation based on the control value; and

the control value changing unit receives questionnaire response information that is a response to the questionnaire question information, and changes the control value based on the questionnaire response information.

8. A computer medium storing a program, characterized in that:

the program is for causing a computer to function as a questionnaire survey unit and a control value change unit, wherein,

the questionnaire survey unit causes a display device to display questionnaire question information on a result of a washing operation for a washing machine performing the washing operation based on a control value,

the control value changing unit receives questionnaire response information as an answer to the questionnaire question information, and changes the control value based on the questionnaire response information.

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