EP2319972B1 - Appareil électroménager permettant de traiter materiaux souples avec capteur de déplacement et méthode pour mesurer le poids d' articles souples chargés - Google Patents

Appareil électroménager permettant de traiter materiaux souples avec capteur de déplacement et méthode pour mesurer le poids d' articles souples chargés Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2319972B1
EP2319972B1 EP10196804.8A EP10196804A EP2319972B1 EP 2319972 B1 EP2319972 B1 EP 2319972B1 EP 10196804 A EP10196804 A EP 10196804A EP 2319972 B1 EP2319972 B1 EP 2319972B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
household appliance
relative displacement
coil
oscillation frequency
soft goods
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EP10196804.8A
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP2319972A1 (fr
EP2319972B2 (fr
Inventor
Valerio Aisa
Roberto Baldelli
Luciano Burzella
Federica Minni
Fabrizio Concettoni
Valeria Animobono
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Whirlpool EMEA SpA
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Indesit Co SpA
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Application filed by Indesit Co SpA filed Critical Indesit Co SpA
Priority to SI200731419T priority Critical patent/SI2319972T1/sl
Priority to PL10196804T priority patent/PL2319972T3/pl
Publication of EP2319972A1 publication Critical patent/EP2319972A1/fr
Publication of EP2319972B1 publication Critical patent/EP2319972B1/fr
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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F34/00—Details of control systems for washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F34/08—Control circuits or arrangements thereof
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F33/00—Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers 
    • D06F33/30—Control of washing machines characterised by the purpose or target of the control 
    • D06F33/48—Preventing or reducing imbalance or noise
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
    • D06F2103/26—Unbalance; Noise level

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a household appliance for treating soft goods according to the preamble of claim 1.
  • the invention relates to household laundry washing machines.
  • laundry washing machine is used herein to designate a machine suited to carrying out at least one wash treatment on soft goods.
  • a laundry washing machine may be a so-called “washing machine” (intended for washing only) or a so-called “washing/drying machine”, which can also carry out a drying treatment on soft goods (in particular by means of hot air blown into the wash tub by a blower assembly).
  • Known household appliances for treating soft goods include a swinging assembly into which the items to be treated are loaded.
  • the swinging assembly is elastically constrained to a frame by means of a suspension system.
  • the swinging assembly comprises a tub in which soft goods are washed.
  • Soft goods can be loaded from the front side, through an opening obtained in the front wall of the machine, or from the top, through an opening obtained in the top wall of the machine.
  • sensing devices are available for the household appliances currently available on the market to measure the relative displacement of the swinging assembly with respect to the appliance frame, in order to detect, for example, the mass or weight of the laundry being present inside the appliance and/or the value of any load imbalance during the operation of the appliance and/or the quantity of wash water supplied into the tub.
  • Said sensing devices are often built in one of the mechanical components of the household appliance.
  • the sensing devices used for measuring the relative displacement of the swinging assembly with respect to the appliance frame may suitably be mounted to one of the dampers comprised in the suspension system of the appliance.
  • the relative displacement between the piston and the cylinder of the damper is used to detect the relative displacement of the swinging assembly with respect to the frame.
  • Patent DE4319614 describes a front-loading laundry washing machine with a swinging assembly suspended on two springs and connected to the frame through two dampers.
  • a Hall-effect sensing device is installed on the piston and a permanent magnet is installed on the cylinder.
  • the relative displacement between the cylinder and the piston thus translates into a corresponding relative displacement between the magnet and the Hall sensor, so that the output of the latter is a voltage value which is proportional to said relative displacement.
  • Patents EP1220961 and EP1094239 disclose a damper for a laundry washing machine wherein a coil is applied to one of the two movable elements (cylinder and piston), while a ferromagnetic element is applied to the other element which can affect the inductance value of the coil depending on its position in the latter.
  • a coil is applied to one of the two movable elements (cylinder and piston), while a ferromagnetic element is applied to the other element which can affect the inductance value of the coil depending on its position in the latter.
  • this solution also has some limitations affecting the displacement detection, which are related to the capability of the electronics to detect small voltage variations.
  • the measurement of the relative displacement between the piston and the cylinder of the damper is translated into a direct voltage obtained by processing, through a suitable electronic circuit, the signal generated by the associated sensor, the latter being a Hall-effect sensor or a coil, respectively.
  • Document JP 6-246087 discloses a washing machine wherein an outer tub is suspended from a machine frame through a plurality of suspension rods provided with weight sensors consisting of cores and coils.
  • the invention is based on the general idea of providing an electronic module comprising an oscillator circuit, the oscillation frequency of which depends on the impedance of a coil located on one of the two telescopically coupled elements.
  • the relative displacement between the two elements is thus determined by an electronic detection module as a function of the oscillation frequency of said oscillator circuit, which is measured, for example, by a microcontroller included in said electronic module.
  • the relative displacement S is therefore measured by exploiting the fact that the value of the inductance L of the coil depends on the axial penetration x of one of the two elements within the volume of the coil itself.
  • the frequency value f of the signal preferably a square-wave signal, generated by the oscillator circuit (which incorporates the coil) depends on said inductance value L, and is therefore related to said relative displacement S.
  • the present invention also provides for assessing one or more quantities associated with said relative displacement S (such as, for example, the weight of the soft goods contained in the drum of the washing machine and/or the quantity of water supplied into the tub and/or the imbalance of the laundry load) by measuring a value of frequency instead of a value of voltage amplitude as in the prior art.
  • quantities associated with said relative displacement S such as, for example, the weight of the soft goods contained in the drum of the washing machine and/or the quantity of water supplied into the tub and/or the imbalance of the laundry load
  • a microcontroller included in the electronic module according to the present invention processes locally the signal output by the oscillator circuit in order to obtain, based on its frequency f, the value of the relative displacement S between the two elements and/or of any other physical quantities associated with said relative displacement S (such as the weight of the laundry placed in the drum of the washing or washing/drying machine).
  • the microcontroller sends the result of said processing to the electronic control system of the household appliance over a suitable digital communication line.
  • said local processing may take into account one or more external interference factors adversely affecting the quality of the relative displacement reading S.
  • Fig. 1 shows a damper 1 included in the suspension system of a laundry washing machine according to the present invention.
  • Said laundry washing machine which may be a washing or washing/drying machine, comprises a frame and a swinging assembly, the latter comprising in turn a drum adapted to house soft goods to be treated and to be rotated about its axis by means of a motor device, and a tub adapted to contain water and/or wash liquid used for performing the treatment.
  • a suspension system connects the swinging assembly to the frame while keeping it elastically suspended.
  • Said household appliance also comprises an electronic control system with a central controller, and possibly an interface device adapted to provide information to the user of the household appliance.
  • Said interface device may be a luminous device, e.g. an electronic display or a LED array, or else an acoustic device, e.g. a buzzer or a voice synthesizer.
  • a laundry washing machine which is the subject of the present invention, comprises, in its suspension system, dampers connected to the swinging assembly (i.e. to the tub assembly) through an upper fixing and to the frame through a bottom fixing hinged to a pin.
  • the dampers provide the very important function of damping the oscillations of the swinging assembly, mostly during the spin phases.
  • Said dampers comprise a cylinder, i.e. a cylindrical tubular element, within which a piston, which typically is also a cylindrical tubular element, slides and is braked by a braking element capable of generating adequate friction between the outer surface of the piston and the inner surface of the cylinder.
  • the damper 1 shown in Fig. 1 which is adapted to be installed in a household appliance according to the present invention, comprises two elements (piston 4 and cylinder 3) telescopically coupled together through two ends. Said elements are adapted to move reciprocally, in particular the first element being adapted to slide relative to the second element in an essentially straight direction.
  • Both the piston 4 and the cylinder 3 have preferably an axially symmetrical shape, in particular a cylindrical shape, and are both preferably hollow.
  • a braking element 5, preferably made of a material having a high friction coefficient, is constrained to one of the two elements of the damper 1 (e.g. the cylinder 3), so as to come into contact with the other element (e.g. the piston 4), thus countering the relative sliding motion between the two elements.
  • the electronic detection module 6 is electrically connected to the central controller of the household appliance by means of the wiring 14 (which may also act as a digital communication line). In the preferred embodiment, the electronic detection module is powered through the central controller.
  • the wiring 14 may have its wires welded to the electronic module 6 or else, according to a technically equivalent solution, it may use a suitable connector on the electronic module 6, which allows to connect the electric wires that connect the electronic module 6 to the central controller.
  • FIG. 2a shows a schematic diagram of an analog electric circuit, known in the art because described in detail, for example, in patent EP654140 , through which it is possible to obtain the value of the relative displacement between the two movable elements (cylinder and piston) of a damper of a laundry washing machine, by appropriately processing the voltage signal detected across the impedance coil Z3, the inductance L of which depends on the relative displacement between cylinder and piston.
  • the sinusoidal signal V3, having fixed frequency f 0 is read by a special analog detection module AM which, through suitable analog AC-DC conversion, filtering and scaling steps performed on the output signal, transforms the latter into a direct signal Vdc, the value of which is dependent on the coil inductance value L and therefore also on the relative position of the two movable elements of the damper, on which said inductance L depends.
  • the known method usually adopted for measuring variations in the coil inductance L is characterized by the following three steps:
  • circuit diagram of Fig. 2b is based on a new method for detecting the displacement S provided as an alternative to the one known in the art and characterized by the following steps:
  • the measurement of the oscillation frequency also allows to determine any other physical quantity related to the relative displacement S.
  • a sinusoidal signal having constant frequency f 0 is forced through the voltage generator G and the voltage drop V3 is measured across the coil terminals;
  • the method according to the invention does not employ a voltage generator with fixed-frequency, but a non stable oscillator OSC with square-wave signal and variable frequency f, the frequency f being dependent on the coil inductance value L, and the frequency f is measured digitally.
  • the measured quantity is processed in a purely analog manner in the former case, whereas it its processed in a fully digital manner in the latter case.
  • the use of digital processing techniques allows to cut down the cost of the solution according to the invention: all measurement, calibration and data processing operations can be carried out by using a low-cost microcontroller MC (e.g. an 8-pin commercial microcontroller, typically costing around $0.4-0.5).
  • a further advantage of the solution according to the present invention is that the electronic detection module 6 can provide the central controller of the household appliance, directly and in digital format (e.g. over a serial channel), with the value of the quantity (e.g. the weight of the laundry loaded in the drum of the washing machine) associated with the relative displacement S of the two movable elements of the damper.
  • the datum output by the analog detection module AM in known solutions Fig. 2a
  • the output variable, consisting of the direct voltage Vdc must be subsequently converted into digital format and processed by the control system of the appliance for the purpose of obtaining the value of the desired quantity (e.g. the weight of the laundry loaded in the drum of the appliance).
  • FIG. 3 diagrammatically shows the following:
  • the piston 4 is drawn with a continuous line in a first position and with a dotted line in a second position, said first position being the position of the piston 4 before a relative displacement S occurs with respect to the cylinder 3 (and therefore with respect to the coil 9, which is integral with the cylinder 3), and said second position being the position of the piston 4 after a relative displacement S has occurred.
  • the value of the relative displacement S between the piston 4 and the cylinder 3 is given by the difference between the initial value x 0 of the axial penetration of the piston 4 in the inner volume of the coil 9 and the final value x 1 of the axial penetration of the piston 4 in the inner volume of the coil 9.
  • the coil 9 is electrically connected (by means of the wiring 8) to an oscillator circuit 12 and determines, based on its inductance value L, the oscillation frequency f of the alternating signal generated by said oscillator circuit 12.
  • the alternating signal generated by the oscillator circuit 12 consists of a square wave having a voltage swinging between a low voltage level (associated with logic level 0) and a high voltage level (associated with logic level 1).
  • the signal generated by the oscillator circuit is sent to a digital input of the microcontroller 16 which, through a suitable digital counter CNT, measures the number of oscillations per second of the signal, i.e. it determines the oscillation frequency f of the oscillator circuit 12. Based on the reading of the frequency value f, the microcontroller 16 calculates the relative displacement S of the piston 4 with respect to the cylinder 3 of the damper 1, and thus also, for example, the weight of the contents of the drum of the washing machine. The relationship between the oscillator frequency value and the weight of the laundry being present in the drum of the washing machine is determined experimentally and can be expressed through a mathematical algorithm or data tables managed by the control program of the microcontroller 16.
  • the household appliance for treating soft goods in particular the laundry washing machine, according to the present invention, is of the electronically controlled type and includes a central controller 17 adapted to control the household appliance by adjusting and controlling the various laundry treatment phases based on instructions received from the user and on data detected by sensor means, among which the data supplied by the electronic detection module 6.
  • the household appliance comprises a frame and a swinging assembly.
  • the swinging assembly is connected to the frame by means of a suspension system, which comprises a pair of elements telescopically coupled to each other through two respective ends, wherein a first of said two ends comprises ferromagnetic material and a second of said two ends comprises a coil 9.
  • the household appliance comprises an electronic detection module 6 adapted to detect a relative displacement S of said two ends.
  • Said electronic detection module 6 comprises an oscillator circuit 12 having an oscillation frequency f which depends on the impedance L of the coil 9, and processing means, operationally connected to said oscillator 12 and adapted to detect said oscillation frequency f and to determine, as a function of said oscillation frequency f, at least one piece of information which can be associated with the relative displacement S.
  • Said piece of information may also be associated, in particular in static conditions, wherein no relative displacement S has occurred between the cylinder 3 and the piston 4, with the absolute position of the swinging assembly with respect to the frame, which can be deduced from the absolute value of the axial penetration x of the end of the piston 4, made of ferromagnetic material, in the inner volume of the coil 9.
  • the coil 9 is located on the cylinder 3 of the damper, whereas the piston 4 includes at least a portion made of ferromagnetic material which travels in the cylinder 3, thereby changing the inductance of the coil 9.
  • Said embodiment can be modified, without departing from the scope of the present invention, according to a fully technically equivalent alternative configuration, by associating the coil 9 with the piston 4 and by manufacturing the cylinder 3 from ferromagnetic material, as shown in Fig. 4 .
  • Fig. 4 uses the same reference number as Fig. 1 to designate means which are identical or equivalent to those already shown in Fig. 1 .
  • the piston 4 has one end 41 telescopically coupled to one end of the cylinder 3.
  • the end 41 is hollow and is wound with a coil 9 connected to the electronic detection module 6 by means of a wiring 8.
  • the cylinder 3 has one end 31 at least partly made of ferromagnetic material, which is inserted telescopically in the cavity of the end 41 of the piston 4.
  • the relative displacement of the end 31 with respect to the end 41 causes a variation in the inductance of the coil 9.
  • This variation determines a variation in the oscillation frequency f of an oscillator 12 comprised in the electronic detection module 6.
  • Said electronic detection module 6 comprises a microcontroller 16 which, being fitted with a suitable counter CNT, measures the oscillation frequency f of the oscillator circuit 12 and determines the relative displacement between the cylinder 3 and the piston 4.
  • the counter CNT is operationally connected to the oscillator circuit 12 and is adapted to count the phase transitions of the output signal generated by the oscillator circuit 12.
  • the microcontroller 16 is adapted to transmit to the central controller 17, over a digital communication line, a piece of information which can be associated with the relative displacement S of the swinging assembly with respect to the frame.
  • the digital communication line between the microcontroller 16 and the central controller 17 includes appropriate transmission means, typically of the electric type, and the transmission of suitable digital signals is managed through appropriate communication protocols.
  • the central controller 17 can therefore exert at least one control action on the household appliance.
  • said information may be a measurement of the mass or weight of the contents of the swinging assembly or of a portion of the contents of the swinging assembly.
  • said piece of information is the value of the mass or weight of the soft goods loaded in the swinging assembly before a wash treatment is started: the central controller 17 can use this measurement of the mass or weight of the soft goods loaded in the swinging assembly for calculating at least one parameter related to a subsequent wash treatment, said parameter being preferably the appropriate quantity of water or the appropriate quantity of washing agents.
  • said piece of information which can be associated with the relative displacement S of the swinging assembly with respect to the frame may be the measurement of the mass or weight of the water or wash liquid in the swinging assembly during the operation of the household appliance.
  • the microcontroller 16 is a slave unit of the central controller 17, whereto it is connected by means of the wiring 14, and the microcontroller 16 can receive instructions from the central controller 17.
  • microcontroller 16 may be positioned without distinction either on the same PCB board housing the oscillator circuit or at a distance from said circuit.
  • the entire electronic module 6 is located near the coil 9 in order to minimize the length of the connections between microcontroller 16, oscillator circuit 12 and coil 9, thus ensuring the utmost immunity to electromagnetic noise.
  • a calibration step may be performed, e.g. during the final testing of the household appliance, for making the microcontroller 16 capable of associating any possible reading of the frequency f of the square-wave signal generated by the oscillator 12 with a digital signal which is interpreted by the central controller 17 as being representative of a particular value of the relative displacement of the swinging assembly with respect to the frame and/or of a particular value of one or more physical quantities related to said relative displacement (such as the mass or weight of the soft goods contained in the drum).
  • the microcontroller 16 transmits a digital signal to the central controller 17 over the communication line consisting of the wiring 14.
  • the digital transmission from the microcontroller 16 to the central controller 17 is much more robust than a simple analog connection between the analog module AM (shown in Fig. 2a ) and the central controller 17, since it is essentially immune from noise and does not require any special shielding for the wiring 14 connecting the electronic module 6 to the central controller 17.
  • This ensures high reliability and accuracy of the measurements carried out by using the value of the frequency f of the square-wave signal generated by the oscillator 12, corresponding to the measurement of the relative displacement of the swinging assembly with respect to the frame and to the measurements of the mass or weight of the contents of the swinging assembly.
  • the microcontroller 16 which is adapted to generate, through the measurement of the frequency f of the alternating voltage signal generated by the oscillator circuit 12, a digital signal being representative of the relative displacement S of the swinging assembly with respect to the frame and/or of any other physical quantities related to said relative displacement S (among which, for example, the mass or weight of the soft goods contained in the drum), is also adapted to process the measured value of the frequency f of the square-wave voltage signal generated by the oscillator circuit 12 in order to compensate for any errors caused by external interference. For instance, the microcontroller 16 subjects the measured value of the frequency f to a digital processing step in order to compensate for any errors due to external environmental factors (e.g. temperature) or to wear of mechanical components of the suspension system of the household appliance.
  • external environmental factors e.g. temperature
  • Said compensation may take place on the basis of signals sent by sensor means adapted to detect operating parameters of the appliance (e.g. according to the output signal of a temperature sensor 18 located on the header 13 for detecting the temperature near the damper 1, said header being suitably secured thereto), or else on the basis of algorithms taking into account the variation over time of the elasticity and/or damping characteristics of the suspension system of the household appliance. More in detail, said algorithms consist of software code portions created on the basis of data acquired experimentally and adapted to counter the loss of accuracy and reliability over time of both the measurement of the relative displacement of the swinging assembly with respect to the appliance frame and the measurement of any other physical quantity which can be obtained from said relative displacement.
  • the laundry washing machine comprises sensor means operationally connected to the microcontroller 16 and adapted to detect operating parameters of the household appliance, wherein at least one of said sensor means may be incorporated into the electronic module 6.
  • the electronic module 6 shown in Fig. 3 also comprises a temperature sensor 18, which is preferably an NTC type sensor, used for determining the value of the temperature in the area of the header 13.
  • the temperature sensor 18 may be suitably interfaced with an analog channel of the microcontroller 16 or incorporated into the microcontroller 16 (since low-cost microcontrollers having a built-in temperature sensor are currently available on the market).
  • said area is in fact subject to the action of the nearby braking element 5, which dissipates a portion of the kinetic energy of the swinging assembly as heat: in particular, said action of the braking element 5 of the damper 1 is perceived as a temperature value being higher than room temperature, which may cause drifts altering the measurement of the relative displacement of the swinging assembly with respect to the appliance frame.
  • this temperature variation can affect the friction in the damper, thus changing the laws that regulate the relationship between displacement and other associated quantities, such as the weight of the soft goods loaded in a washing machine.
  • the temperature sensor 18 generates an auxiliary electric signal being representative of the temperature in the area of the header 13, and then sends it to the microcontroller 16.
  • the microcontroller 16 takes into account the auxiliary electric signal received from the temperature sensor 18 for generating the information to be sent to the central controller 17 over a digital communication line.
  • the microcontroller 16 compensates the measured value of the relative displacement of the swinging assembly with respect to the appliance frame (or of any other physical quantity related to said displacement) based on the temperature value detected by the temperature sensor 18, considering how the electric characteristics of the coil 9 and of the oscillator circuit 12 change as a function of temperature.
  • the temperature sensor 18 is included in the architecture of the electronic module 6.
  • different sensor means may be conveniently associated with the electronic module 6 in order to detect different physical quantities: for example, a (relative or absolute) humidity sensor adapted to detect the humidity in the air surrounding the electronic module 6 and to prevent said electronic module 6 from suffering any damage due to excessive humidity, or a microphone adapted to detect the noise produced by the laundry washing machine in order to provide a warning in the event that there is a risk of impending failure of the damper 1 or of any other components of the laundry washing machine according to the present invention.
  • the microcontroller 16 may also be adapted to counter the effects caused by wear of the household appliance, which translates into variations over time in the elasticity and damping characteristics of the suspension system of the laundry washing machine and therefore in the frequency of the signal generated by the oscillator 12.
  • Said variations in the elasticity and/or damping characteristics are detected as the number of operation cycles of the appliance increases, and are due to wear occurring over time.
  • the electronic module 6 according to the present invention is to be used for detecting the mass or weight of the contents of the swinging assembly of the laundry washing machine, it should be taken into consideration that, as time goes by, a different relative displacement of the swinging assembly may occur, the mass or weight of the contents of the swinging assembly being equal.
  • the microcontroller 16 may be made capable of compensating for the effect exerted by variations over time in the elasticity and/or damping characteristics of the suspension system of the laundry washing machine on the detection of the mass or weight of the contents of the swinging assembly.
  • the microcontroller 16 may, by way of non-limiting example, count the number of operation cycles carried out by the machine and then, based on said number, associate the value of the frequency f of the signal generated by the oscillator 12 with one of several experimentally obtained corrective factors, stored in the internal memory of the microcontroller 16.
  • the microcontroller 16 performs a compensation action which allows to obtain a sufficiently accurate and reliable measurement of the mass or weight of the contents of the swinging assembly over time.
  • the information relating to the treatment cycles carried out by the household appliance can be transmitted to the microcontroller 16 by the central controller 17.
  • the present invention offers the additional advantage of significantly reducing the workload of the electronic control system of the household appliance, in particular of the central controller 17.
  • the information sent by the microcontroller 16 of the electronic module 6 can be used by the central controller 17 directly, without requiring any further processing, since said processing has already been carried out upstream of the central controller 17.
  • the latter simply has to decode the digital signal sent by the microcontroller 16 to have the information contained therein available for controlling the household appliance.
  • the transmission of the above information from the microcontroller 16 to the central controller 17 may be provided by using well-known communication techniques.
  • the communication between the microcontroller 16 and the central controller 17 by means of the wiring 14 may be a unidirectional communication (e.g. according to the PWM technique, wherein the information is coded by acting on the duty cycle of the digital signal, which therefore consists of a series of pulses having constant amplitude and frequency and variable width), or preferably a bidirectional communication (by way of non-limiting example, one may use a UART-type asynchronous serial bidirectional communication).
  • the microcontroller 16 transmits to the central controller 17, in the form of a digital signal, a piece of information which can be associated with the relative displacement of the swinging assembly with respect to the appliance frame (i.e. the relative displacement reading o any other physical quantity related to said relative displacement) and which is suitably compensated for temperature and wear of the mechanical components of the appliance.
  • the microcontroller 16 receives from the central controller 17 data which is useful for the microcontroller 16.
  • the central controller 17 may transmit to the microcontroller 16 the value of the rotational speed of the drum of the laundry washing machine, so that the microcontroller 16 can take it into account when assessing the variation over time in the elasticity and/or damping characteristics of the suspension system.
  • the central controller 17 may send to the microcontroller 16 information relating to the dynamic state of the system, so that the microcontroller 16 can more easily discern whether the ongoing measurement is a static measurement (such as a measurement of the mass or weight of the laundry contained in the drum before the wash treatment is started) or a dynamic measurement (such as a measurement of load imbalance during the operation of the household appliance).
  • the information indicating the value of the mass or weight of the laundry may be used by the machine for treating soft goods for the purpose of both providing useful information to the user through its own interface device (e.g. the laundry washing machine may warn the user when the maximum laundry load which can be treated by the household appliance has been reached, depending on the type of fabric, or it may suggest the appropriate quantity of washing agents to be used for a certain quantity of laundry loaded in the drum, or it may give advice as to the most appropriate wash program) and of automatically adapting the characteristic parameters of the treatment, in particular of the wash treatment, to the quantity of laundry loaded in the drum by the user, so as to optimize the consumption of the household appliance (if the laundry washing machine is fitted with a high-capacity washing agent dispensing device, knowing the value of the mass or weight of the laundry loaded in the drum will allow for an optimal metering of the washing agents).
  • the laundry washing machine may warn the user when the maximum laundry load which can be treated by the household appliance has been reached, depending on the type of fabric, or it may suggest the appropriate quantity of washing agents to be
  • the central controller 17 transmits to the microcontroller 16 (assuming the existence of a bidirectional communication line between the two) at least one datum which can be used by the microcontroller 16 as a synchronism signal.
  • the measurement concerns the mass or weight of the laundry loaded in the drum of the laundry washing machine, it is useful to adopt a synchronism signal indicating an empty condition inside the swinging assembly of the household appliance, which allows the microcontroller 16 to associate the offset detected when receiving the synchronism signal with the tare value.
  • Said synchronism signal transforms the measurements of the mass or weight of the contents of the swinging assembly of the laundry washing machine into differential measurements, the value of the mass or weight of the laundry loaded in the drum being therefore calculated by the microcontroller 16 as a difference between the mass or weight value corresponding to the frequency value instantaneously associated with the square-wave signal generated by the oscillator circuit 12 and the mass or weight value corresponding to the frequency value associated with the square-wave signal generated when the synchronism signal is sent.
  • the synchronism signal may be provided by the signal indicating that the door of the laundry washing machine has been opened, which is sent to the microcontroller 16 by the central controller 17 after having received it from the door locking device.
  • a dedicated calibration push-button may be provided inside the interface device, i.e. a push-button available to the user to notify the empty condition inside the swinging assembly to the central controller 17: in this case, the synchronism signal may be provided by a signal indicating that said push-button has been pressed.
  • the electronic detection module 6 can also operate as a water or wash liquid quantity sensor. In fact, by using the start signal of the laundry washing machine as a synchronism signal once the laundry has been loaded in the drum, it is possible to measure the mass or weight of the water or wash liquid inside the swinging assembly.
  • the mass and weight of the water or wash liquid can be calculated by the microcontroller 16 as a difference between the mass or weight value obtained instantaneously during the operation of the laundry washing machine and the mass or weight value obtained when the synchronism signal is sent, i.e. when the laundry washing machine is started.
  • the electronic detection module 6 allows the central controller 17 to control the water intake and/or drain means of the laundry washing machine (determining the opening and closing times thereof) solely as a function of the information relating to the mass or weight of the water or wash liquid being present inside the swinging assembly.
  • the electronic detection module 6 may also be used for controlling the drying treatment.
  • the microcontroller 16 can transmit to the central controller 17, instant by instant, the information relating to the mass or weight of the swinging assembly, and the central controller 17 can use said information to control the drying treatment.
  • the microcontroller 16 can determine the quantity of water progressively removed from the laundry by calculating it based on the reduction in the mass or weight of the contents of the swinging assembly, and the central controller 17 can stop the drying treatment when the quantity of water removed from the laundry reaches a predetermined percentage of the quantity of water contained inside the swinging assembly at the end of the wash treatment.
  • the household appliance according to the present invention besides overcoming the above-mentioned inherent drawbacks of the prior art, also offers the additional advantage of allowing to use the electronic module 6 for controlling many operational phases of the household appliance without increasing the workload of the central controller 17.
  • the detection of the relative displacement of the swinging assembly with respect to the frame may be provided by using a pair of telescopically coupled elements not necessarily consisting of the piston and cylinder of a damper. These two elements may be a pair of elements specifically conceived for said detection, but nonetheless having no function as a damper.

Claims (14)

  1. Appareil électroménager permettant de traiter des matières textiles, en particulier, machine à laver le linge, comportant :
    - un ensemble à mouvement oscillant retenu, de façon élastique, à une structure au moyen d'un système de suspension comprenant une paire d'éléments (3,4) couplés l'un à l'autre de façon télescopique par leurs deux extrémités respectives, dans lequel une première desdites deux extrémités comporte un matériau ferromagnétique et une seconde des deux dites extrémités comporte une bobine (9), et
    - un module de détection électronique (6) conçu pour détecter un déplacement relatif des deux dites extrémités,
    caractérisé en ce que ledit module électronique (6) est placé sur l'un des deux dits éléments (3,4) et comporte un circuit d'oscillateur (12), dont la fréquence d'oscillation est fonction de l'impédance de ladite bobine (9), et des moyens de traitement connectés fonctionnellement au dit oscillateur et conçus pour mesurer ladite fréquence d'oscillation et pour déterminer, en fonction de ladite fréquence d'oscillation, au moins une partie de l'information qui peut être associée au dit déplacement relatif, ladite information étant la mesure du volume ou du poids des matières textiles chargées dans ledit ensemble à mouvement oscillant avant que lesdites matières textiles soient soumises à un traitement, en particulier à un traitement de lavage.
  2. Appareil électroménager selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que ledit circuit d'oscillateur (12) est conçu pour générer un signal carré.
  3. Appareil électroménager selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que ledit oscillateur est un multivibrateur non stable.
  4. Appareil électroménager selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce qu'il comporte des moyens de capteur connectés fonctionnellement au dit microcontrôleur (16) et conçus pour détecter des paramètres de fonctionnement dudit appareil électroménager.
  5. Appareil électroménager selon la revendication 4, caractérisé en ce que lesdits moyens de capteur comprennent un capteur de température (18), de préférence un capteur du type NTC.
  6. Appareil électroménager selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce qu'il comporte un dispositif d'interface à travers lequel ledit appareil électroménager communique ladite information à un utilisateur.
  7. Appareil électroménager selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce ladite bobine (9) est placée sur une extrémité du cylindre (3) d'un amortisseur (1).
  8. Appareil électroménager selon la revendication 7, caractérisé en ce que ladite extrémité comportant un matériau ferromagnétique est une extrémité d'un piston (4) dudit amortisseur (1).
  9. Appareil électroménager selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce ladite bobine (9) est placée sur une extrémité (41) du piston (4) d'un amortisseur (1).
  10. Appareil électroménager selon la revendication 9, caractérisé en ce que ladite extrémité (31) comportant un matériau ferromagnétique est une extrémité d'un cylindre dudit amortisseur (1).
  11. Procédé permettant de mesurer le volume ou le poids de matières textiles chargées dans un ensemble à mouvement oscillant d'une machine à laver avant que lesdites matières textiles ne soient soumises à un traitement par la machine à laver, comprenant les étapes suivantes :
    - détecter un déplacement relatif entre deux éléments du système à mouvement oscillant, dans lequel lesdits deux éléments (3, 4) sont couplés ensemble de façon télescopique par leurs deux extrémités, une première des deux dites extrémités comportant un matériau ferromagnétique et la seconde des deux dites extrémités comportant une bobine (9), caractérisé en ce qu'un module de détection électronique (6) conçu pour détecter le déplacement relatif des extrémités desdits éléments (3, 4) est placé sur l'un des deux dits éléments et comporte un circuit d'oscillateur (12),
    - une fréquence d'oscillation d'un circuit d'oscillateur (12) est détectée, laquelle fréquence d'oscillation est fonction de l'impédance de ladite bobine (9) placée sur l'un des deux dits éléments,
    - ledit déplacement relatif est déterminé en fonction de ladite fréquence d'oscillation.
  12. Procédé selon la revendication 11, caractérisé en c que ledit déplacement relatif est déterminé sur la base d'une information, mesurée par les moyens de capteur, se rapportant à des paramètres de fonctionnement dudit appareil électroménager.
  13. Procédé selon la revendication 11 ou 12, caractérisé en ce que ledit déplacement relatif est déterminé sur la base de l'information, transmise par un contrôleur central dudit appareil électroménager, concernant l'usure dudit appareil électroménager.
  14. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 11 à 13, caractérisé par le fait de comporter une étape de calibrage, réalisée lorsque ledit ensemble à mouvement oscillant est au repos, dans le but de détecter une fréquence d'oscillation au repos dudit circuit d'oscillateur (12).
EP10196804.8A 2006-07-27 2007-07-26 Appareil électroménager permettant de traiter materiaux souples avec capteur de déplacement Active EP2319972B2 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SI200731419T SI2319972T1 (sl) 2006-07-27 2007-07-26 Gospodinjski stroj za obdelavo mehkih predmetov z zaznavalom pomika in postopek za merjenje teĹľe naloĹľenih mehkih predmetov
PL10196804T PL2319972T3 (pl) 2006-07-27 2007-07-26 Urządzenie gospodarstwa domowego, do obróbki tekstyliów, z czujnikiem przemieszczenia oraz sposób mierzenia ciężaru załadowanych tekstyliów

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT000551A ITTO20060551A1 (it) 2006-07-27 2006-07-27 Elettrodomestico per il trattamento di capi tessili con sensore di spostamento
PCT/IB2007/002119 WO2008012651A2 (fr) 2006-07-27 2007-07-26 Appareil électroménager permettant de traiter des tissus avec capteur de déplacement
EP07825005A EP2087160B1 (fr) 2006-07-27 2007-07-26 Appareil électroménager permettant de traiter des tissus avec capteur de déplacement

Related Parent Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP07825005.7 Division 2007-07-26
EP07825005A Division EP2087160B1 (fr) 2006-07-27 2007-07-26 Appareil électroménager permettant de traiter des tissus avec capteur de déplacement

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2319972A1 EP2319972A1 (fr) 2011-05-11
EP2319972B1 true EP2319972B1 (fr) 2013-11-20
EP2319972B2 EP2319972B2 (fr) 2023-08-02

Family

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Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP07825005A Not-in-force EP2087160B1 (fr) 2006-07-27 2007-07-26 Appareil électroménager permettant de traiter des tissus avec capteur de déplacement
EP10196804.8A Active EP2319972B2 (fr) 2006-07-27 2007-07-26 Appareil électroménager permettant de traiter materiaux souples avec capteur de déplacement

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP07825005A Not-in-force EP2087160B1 (fr) 2006-07-27 2007-07-26 Appareil électroménager permettant de traiter des tissus avec capteur de déplacement

Country Status (8)

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EP (2) EP2087160B1 (fr)
AT (1) ATE506480T1 (fr)
DE (1) DE602007014092D1 (fr)
ES (2) ES2446670T3 (fr)
IT (1) ITTO20060551A1 (fr)
PL (2) PL2087160T3 (fr)
SI (2) SI2319972T1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2008012651A2 (fr)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ITTO20070943A1 (it) 2007-12-27 2009-06-28 Indesit Co Spa Metodo per stimare il peso del contenuto di un elettrodomestico
DE102008049907B4 (de) 2008-10-02 2016-08-04 Suspa Gmbh Dämpfer mit Sensor
DE102009028772A1 (de) * 2009-08-21 2011-02-24 BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH Wasserführendes Hausgerät mit einem Dämpfer
EP2372184B1 (fr) * 2010-03-31 2013-05-29 Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V. Appareil domestique
JP5616700B2 (ja) * 2010-06-25 2014-10-29 パナソニック株式会社 センサ装置
DE102013226371A1 (de) * 2013-12-18 2015-06-18 BSH Hausgeräte GmbH Haushaltsgerät zur Pflege von Wäschestücken umfassend eine kapazitive Sensoreinrichtung und Verfahren zum Betreiben eines solchen Haushaltsgeräts
DE102015204392B4 (de) * 2015-03-11 2023-12-07 BSH Hausgeräte GmbH Hausgerät zum Behandeln von Wäsche

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2204325C2 (de) † 1972-01-26 1984-05-30 Bosch-Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH, 7000 Stuttgart Zum Schleudern dienende Trommelwaschmaschine
JPH0564695A (ja) † 1991-09-06 1993-03-19 Sanyo Electric Co Ltd 洗濯機
JPH0526086U (ja) † 1991-09-18 1993-04-06 三洋電機株式会社 洗濯機
JPH0531784U (ja) † 1991-09-24 1993-04-27 三洋電機株式会社 洗濯機
JPH0584382A (ja) † 1991-09-30 1993-04-06 Sanyo Electric Co Ltd 洗濯機
JPH05293300A (ja) † 1992-04-21 1993-11-09 Toshiba Corp ランドリー装置
DE4225968A1 (de) 1992-08-06 1994-02-10 Micro Epsilon Messtechnik Berührungslos arbeitendes Wegmeßsystem und Verfahren zur berührungslosen Wegmessung
JP2973727B2 (ja) † 1992-09-07 1999-11-08 松下電器産業株式会社 ドラム式洗濯機
JP3148451B2 (ja) † 1993-02-26 2001-03-19 三洋電機株式会社 洗濯機
DE4319614C1 (de) 1993-06-14 1994-08-18 Bauknecht Hausgeraete Trommelwaschmaschine
JPH09313777A (ja) * 1996-06-04 1997-12-09 Nippon Kentetsu Co Ltd 全自動洗濯機のアンバランス検出スイッチ
DE10046712A1 (de) * 1999-10-14 2001-04-19 Suspa Holding Gmbh Dämpfer
DE19950747A1 (de) † 1999-10-21 2001-04-26 Suspa Holding Gmbh Dämpfer
JP2002035466A (ja) † 2000-07-26 2002-02-05 Toshiba Corp ドラム式洗濯機

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
PL2319972T3 (pl) 2014-09-30
DE602007014092D1 (de) 2011-06-01
SI2087160T1 (sl) 2011-08-31
PL2087160T3 (pl) 2011-09-30
EP2087160B1 (fr) 2011-04-20
WO2008012651A2 (fr) 2008-01-31
WO2008012651A3 (fr) 2008-05-22
EP2319972A1 (fr) 2011-05-11
EP2087160A2 (fr) 2009-08-12
ITTO20060551A1 (it) 2008-01-27
ATE506480T1 (de) 2011-05-15
ES2446670T3 (es) 2014-03-10
ES2363817T3 (es) 2011-08-17
SI2319972T1 (sl) 2014-04-30
EP2319972B2 (fr) 2023-08-02

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