JP2000254385A - Drum type washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent washings effectively from sticking or entangling each other. SOLUTION: A washing machine motor 17, which makes a drum rotate directly, is driven and controlled by an inverter main circuit 39 and a control circuit 44. The control circuit 44 works as a small angle rotating action controlling means. That is, one cycle is defined as making a washing machine motor 17 rotate by 30 degrees forward in a mechanical angle (the rotating speed is 50 rpm) and rotate by 30 degrees backward in a small period and five cycles are repeated in five seconds, so that a drum rotates forward and backward in five cycles.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drum type washing machine having a function of loosening laundry.

[0002]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a drum type washing machine,
As is well known, a water tank is provided in an outer box, a drum is provided in the water tank so as to be rotatable around a substantially horizontal axis, and the rotation of the motor is transmitted to the drum via a belt transmission mechanism. There is. The belt transmission mechanism has a configuration including a driving pulley, a driven pulley, and a belt. However, this method has a problem that the number of parts is large, and a slip occurs in the belt portion, the belt swings, and vibration and noise are generated.

As an improvement, the present inventor has considered a configuration in which the drum is directly driven by a motor in a form in which the rotating shaft of the drum is directly connected to the rotor of the motor. In this case, the number of parts can be reduced and vibration and noise can be reduced, and the rotation of the motor can be directly transmitted to the drum. Therefore, the degree of freedom in controlling the rotation of the drum increases. On the other hand, in the case of a drum-type washing machine, the laundry may be stuck to the inner surface of the drum, or the laundry may be entangled.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to effectively prevent a laundry from sticking or entanglement while utilizing a configuration in which a drum is directly driven by a motor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a drum type washing machine that can be used.

[0005]

A first aspect of the present invention provides a water tub supported in an outer box, and a drum provided rotatably about a substantially horizontal axis in the water tub to store laundry. ,
The motor includes a motor for directly rotating the drum, and a micro-angle rotation operation control means for controlling the motor so as to rotate the drum forward and backward a plurality of times within a rotation angle of 90 degrees or less.

In this configuration, the drum is rotated forward and backward a plurality of times within a rotation angle of 90 degrees or less, that is, within "1/4" rotation. To remove the laundry stuck to
It is possible to loosen the lump of laundry in the upper part of the drum, to eliminate imbalance during dehydration, and to improve the ease of taking out the laundry after drying. Become. In this case, since the drum is directly driven to rotate by the motor, there is no rotation transmission loss from the motor to the drum, so that the drum can be reliably operated and the reliability can be improved.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the micro-angle rotation operation control means controls the motor so as to rotate the drum forward and backward a plurality of times at a rotation angle of 10 degrees or more and 30 degrees or less. Having. By thus rotating the drum forward and backward a plurality of times at a rotation angle of 30 degrees or less, the drum can be rotated back and forth in a shorter cycle, and the peeling action and the loosening action on the laundry can be further ensured. In addition, since the rotation angle of the drum is set to 10 degrees or more, the vibration of the drum does not occur.

[0008] The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that the minute angle rotation operation control means executes control at the start of operation. Unraveling the laundry prior to the washing process is extremely effective in improving the washing effect.
However, in the above configuration, when the operation is started by the micro-angle rotation operation control means at the start of the operation, the laundry is inevitably loosened before the washing process, so that the washing effect is improved. Become.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the micro-angle rotation operation control means executes control after the spin-drying process. Since the drum is rotated at a high speed in the spin-drying process, the laundry often sticks to the inner surface of the drum in the spin-drying process end state. However, in the above configuration, since the micro-angle rotation operation control means performs control after the spin-drying process, even if the laundry is stuck to the inner surface of the drum, it can be satisfactorily removed. In the case where the rinsing step is performed after the dewatering step, the rinsing effect in the rinsing step is improved.

The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the micro-angle rotation operation control means executes control during the drying process or after the drying process. During the drying process, the laundry may be stuck in the drum. Alternatively, at the end of the drying process, the laundry may be gathered at the back and may be difficult to remove. However, in the above configuration, the micro-angle rotation operation control means executes the control during the drying process or after the drying process, so that the laundry can be loosened during the drying process, or the laundry after the drying operation is completed. Can be improved.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided rotation unevenness detecting means for detecting rotation unevenness of the drum, and the micro-angle rotation operation control means executes control when the rotation unevenness is detected by the rotation unevenness detecting means. It has a characteristic in such a place. If it is possible to detect a state in which the laundry is stuck to the drum or a state in which the laundry is clumped, it is possible to execute the minute angle rotation operation control at a necessary time, which is preferable. . In this case, it is important to be able to detect a sticking state or a lump occurrence state of the laundry, but according to the present inventor, it is possible to detect the sticking / lump occurrence state by detecting the rotation unevenness of the drum. I understood. However, in the above configuration, the minute angle rotation operation control means executes the control when the rotation unevenness is detected by the rotation unevenness detection means. Can be resolved, stuck and clumps can be resolved quickly,
There is no needless control.

The invention of claim 7 is characterized in that the water supply process and the control execution of the minute angle rotation operation control means are performed simultaneously. By executing the control of the small angle rotation operation control means, it is possible to peel off the laundry stuck to the inner surface of the drum or to loosen the lumped laundry at the upper part in the drum, but in this case, in the water supply process, When the control is executed, the supplied water can be expected to exert a peeling action on the laundry and an action of imparting flexibility to the laundry, and the synergistic action thereof can more effectively eliminate sticking and clumps.

The invention of claim 8 is characterized in that the washing course includes a washing course for executing the micro-angle rotation operation control means at a predetermined water level and a predetermined time. The invention of claim 8 is made focusing on the following points. That is, rotating the drum forward and backward multiple times within a rotation angle of 90 degrees or less can be expected to have a weak washing effect on the laundry if there is predetermined water in the water tub. Then
Since the washing course includes a washing course for executing the small angle rotation operation control means at a predetermined water level and a predetermined time, a delicate washing effect on the laundry can be expected by executing the course.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a manual input means operated by the user, and the minute angle rotation operation control means executes control based on the operation of the manual input means. It has a characteristic where it is. For example, when the user takes out the laundry after finishing the drying process, the laundry may not be loosened. Alternatively, the same may occur when the operation is temporarily stopped and the laundry is taken out. However, in the above configuration, if the user operates the manual input means in such a case, the user can perform a desired minute angle rotation operation.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the execution time of the minute angle rotation operation control means is within 5 seconds. As described above, since the small-angle rotation operation rotates the drum forward and backward in a short cycle as described above, a large starting load may be applied to the motor and its electrical and mechanical drive parts in the forward and reverse directions. In the above configuration,
Since the execution time of the small angle rotation operation control means is set to 5 seconds or less, the load on the motor and its electric and mechanical driving parts can be reduced.

An eleventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a heater is provided and the micro-angle rotation operation control means does not execute control when the heater is energized. Since the small angle rotation operation rotates the drum forward and reverse in a short cycle, a large starting load is applied to the motor in the forward and reverse directions, and the motor current also increases. In such a situation, if the heater used in the drying process is energized, the power breaker may be cut off exceeding the rated current value of the home. However, in the above configuration, when the heater is energized, the control of the minute angle rotation operation is not performed, so that an excessive current does not flow.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, in FIG. 2, the outer box 1 of the drum type washing machine has a rectangular box shape as a whole, and a circular laundry entrance 2a is formed in a front plate portion 2 thereof. Inside the outer case 1, there are provided, for example, four sets (only two sets are shown) of suspensions 4 constituting a vibration damping mechanism.
, So that it is elastically supported.

The water tank 3 has a body 5, a rear plate 6, and a front plate 7, all of which are formed of a metal plate, and the front plate 7 has a circular shape. Opening 7a is formed. The opening 7a and the laundry entrance 2a are connected so as to be communicated with each other by a generally cylindrical connecting member 8 made of an elastic material, for example, rubber, which has a cylindrical shape as a whole. The laundry entrance 2a is opened and closed by a door 9.

A drum 10 is rotatably provided inside the water tank 3. The drum 10 includes, for example, a body 11 formed of a metal plate and a rear member 12.
And the front plate 13. The torso 1
A large number of holes 11a are formed in one peripheral wall portion, and a circular opening 13a is formed in the front plate portion 13. Further, the rear surface member 12 is configured by attaching a porous plate member 12b to a frame member 12a having a plurality of ventilation holes.

A drum shaft 14 is attached to the center of the rear member 12 of the drum 10 so as to protrude rearward. The drum shaft 14 is attached through the rear plate 6 of the water tank 13. The bearing housing 15 is rotatably supported via a bearing 16, so that the drum 10 is rotatably provided.

Further, the drum 10 is directly driven by a washing machine motor (corresponding to the motor of the first aspect) 17 which is an outer rotor type and is a brushless motor. That is, a rotor 18 having a permanent magnet is attached to the rear end of the drum shaft 14 so as to be integrally rotatable, and a stator core and a coil are mounted on the bearing housing 15 so as to be located inside the rotor 18. Is provided. Therefore, when the rotor 18 is rotated, the drum 10 is directly driven to rotate via the drum shaft 14.

A water supply device 20 is provided on the upper front side in the outer box 1, and this water supply device 20 has an electromagnetic water supply valve 21 (see FIG. 1) for normal water supply and an electromagnetic water supply valve 21 for supplying a softer. A water supply valve 22 (see FIG. 1) is provided, and water discharged from each of the water supply valves 21 and 22 is supplied with a dedicated water supply pipe 21a.
And 22a to the water tank 3. Further, a drain valve 24 which is opened and closed by a drain valve motor 23 (see FIG. 1) is provided at the bottom of the water tank 3, and the water in the water tank 3 is drained to the outside by opening the drain valve 24. It has become.

From the rear part of the water tank 3 upward and forward,
A hot air supply device 25 with a heat exchanger is provided and will be described. That is, the rear plate portion 6 of the water tank 3 includes:
A warm air return port 26 is formed. This hot air return port 26
Is connected to one end of a heat exchanger 27 for exchanging heat between the outside air and the warm air. The other end of the heat exchanger 27 is connected to the suction side of a blower casing 29 through a bellows-like connecting duct 28. It is connected. On the discharge side of the blow casing 29,
The duct 30, the heating device 31, and one end of the duct 32 are sequentially connected. And the other end of this duct 32
It is connected to the hot air discharge port 8 a formed in the connection member 8 and communicates with the inside of the water tank 3.

A fan (not shown) is provided inside the blower casing 29. The fan is driven by a drying fan motor 33 (see FIG. 1). A drying heater 34 (see FIG. 1) corresponding to the heater of claim 11 is provided therein. Further, water for condensing moisture is supplied into the heat exchanger 27 and drained, and the water is supplied by an electromagnetic water supply valve 35 (see FIG. 1) for drying. Has become.

In such a hot air supply device 25,
During the drying operation, the drum 10 is rotated, the drying fan motor 33 is driven to rotate, and the drying heater 34 is energized and heated. The fan is rotated by the drying fan motor 33, and the air in the drum 10 is sucked from the hot air return port 26 as shown by the arrow A, and the heat exchanger 27, the connection duct 28, the blower casing 29, the duct 30, Device 3
1. It passes through the duct 32 and is returned into the water tank 3 from the hot air discharge port 8a. By this circulation, the air is warmed and heat exchanged (dehumidified). The door 9 is locked in a closed state when a solenoid 36 (see FIG. 1) for door lock is energized, and is unlocked when the power is cut off.

Next, the electrical configuration will be described with reference to FIG.
That is, both terminals of the AC power supply 37 are connected to the DC power supply circuit 3 having a voltage doubler rectifier circuit and a smoothing capacitor.
8 are connected. DC buses 38a and 38b are derived from output terminals of the DC power supply circuit 38, and an inverter main circuit 39 is connected to the DC buses 38a and 38b. The inverter main circuit 39 includes three-phase bridge-connected switching elements 40 a to 40 f made of, for example, IGBTs, and these switching elements 40 a
To 40f are connected in parallel with freewheel diodes 41a to 41f, respectively. And
The output terminals 42u, 42v of this inverter main circuit 39,
42w is a three-phase winding 17u of the washing machine motor 17, 17
v, 17w. In addition, control terminals (gates) of the switching elements 40a to 40f of the inverter main circuit 39 are connected to a drive circuit 43 including, for example, a photocoupler. The drive circuit 43 is controlled by a control signal from the control circuit 44 to perform on / off control of each of the switching elements 40a to 40f.

The position detection signals output from the Hall ICs 45u, 45v, 45w, which are the position detection elements of the washing machine motor 17, are provided to the control circuit 44. The control circuit 44 includes a microcomputer, has a program for driving the washing machine motor 17 to rotate, and controls on / off of the switching elements 40a to 40f based on the position detection signal. And PWM control to make each winding 17u, 17
PWM control and energization timing control of the applied voltage with respect to v and 17w are performed, so that the rotation of the washing machine motor 17 is controlled. Further, the rotation speed of the motor 17 is also detected based on the position detection signal.

FIG. 3 shows the on / off pattern of each of the switching elements 40a to 40f at one electrical angle, and energization by on / off control at this one electrical angle (pattern 1, pattern 2,... ), The drum 10 rotates in the positive direction of the so-called mechanical angle “30 degrees”. By the on / off control in the opposite direction, the drum 10 rotates in the opposite direction by the mechanical angle “30 degrees”.

The control circuit 44 has a program for the washing / drying operation. In accordance with the program, the water supply valves 21, 22, 35 according to the inputs of the switch input section 46 and the water level detecting section 47. The driving of the drain valve motor 23, the drying heater 34, the drying fan motor 33, the solenoid 36 for door lock, and the washing machine motor 17 are controlled to control the washing / drying operation. In this case, the control circuit 44 also functions as a micro-angle rotation operation control unit. The switch input section 46 includes an automatic operation course selection switch, a delicate course selection switch, a minute angle rotation operation designation switch as a manual input means, a start switch for both temporary stop and the like. The water level detector 47 detects the water level in the water tank 3.

The washing / drying operation control and minute angle rotation operation control in the control circuit 44 will be described. Now, when the automatic driving course is selected by the automatic driving course selection switch and the start switch is operated, FIGS.
According to the operation table of FIG. 6 (these FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are temporally continuous), each device is controlled (the hatched portion in each drawing indicates the operation ON) and each process is executed. I do. The door lock solenoid 36 is turned on (closed state lock), and when the corresponding stroke is completed or when the operation is temporarily stopped by the pause switch, the power is cut off and the lock is released. . Hereinafter, each process will be described, but the operations of the water supply valves 21, 22, and 35, the drain valve motor 23, the drying heater 34, the drying fan motor 33, the solenoid 36 for door lock, and the washing machine motor 17 are related to the present invention. It is described in part.

(1) Each step in the washing operation (1-1) Capacity detection step: This is a step in which the washing machine motor 17 is energized in a constant energizing pattern, and the electric power is cut off at 600 rpm. Rotation speed is 330 rpm
The time (fall) to the meter is measured to detect the capacity (weight) of the laundry. Thereafter, the motor 17 is braked by, for example, DC braking.

(1-2) Water supply process: This is a process of supplying a predetermined amount of water into the water tank 3 by turning on the water supply valve 21 for normal water supply. (1-3) Washing process: In this operation, the washing machine motor 17 is repeatedly turned on for 27 seconds in the normal direction (50 rpm), paused for 3 seconds, and turned on for 50 seconds in the reverse direction (50 rpm).

(2) Each step in the rinsing operation (this is performed three times) (2-1) Dehydration step ...
The rotation speed is gradually increased to rpm, 600 rpm, and 900 rpm, and each rotation speed is continued for a predetermined time. During the initial rotation of 100 rpm in this process, the rotation speed is periodically reduced to 80 rpm on the way to perform dewatering and loosening.

(2-2) Brake stroke ... This brakes the washing machine motor 17. (2-3) Micro-angle rotation operation control step ... This is the control circuit 4
4 is the stroke control by the small angle rotation operation control means. That is, the water supply valve 21 is energized and opened (this is a water supply process), and the washing machine motor 17 is rotated in the forward direction by a mechanical angle of 30 degrees (rotation speed is 50 rpm), and after a short period of time, is rotated in the reverse direction. The rotation of 30 degrees is regarded as one cycle, and 5 cycles are repeated for 5 seconds. As a result, the drum 10 rotates forward and backward for five cycles.

Since the small-angle rotation operation control step executed at this time is after the spin-drying step, for example, when the laundry adheres to the inner surface of the drum 10 due to spin-drying, the small-angle rotation operation is performed by the small-angle rotation operation. You can peel off things. In this case, since the water supply process is performed at the same time, the supplied water can be expected to exert a peeling action on the laundry and an action of imparting flexibility to the laundry, and the synergistic action thereof can more effectively eliminate sticking. .

(2-4) Water supply process: Same as described above.
In this case, it can be said that this is a continuation from the water supply process at the time of the minute angle rotation operation control process. (2-5) Rinse step: Same as the above-mentioned (1-3) Wash step. (2-6) Pause process.

(3) Each stroke in the final rinsing operation This executes the same stroke as the above-mentioned rinsing operation. What is characteristic here is that the micro-angle rotation operation control step is performed after the spin-drying step and at the same time as the water supply step, whereby the sticking of the laundry can be more effectively eliminated as described above. . In the water supply process in this case, water is supplied by a water supply valve 22 for inputting by a softer or the like.

(4) Each step in the final dehydration operation (4-1) Final dehydration step This is almost the same as the above (2-1) Dehydration step, but the duration of 900 rpm is longer. (4-2) Brake stroke: Same as above.

(4-3) Micro-angle rotation operation control process: As described above. In this case as well, as described above, the sticking of the laundry can be more effectively eliminated. In particular, in this final dehydration process,
The user may take out the laundry arbitrarily, and the removal of the laundry is facilitated by removing (peeling) the laundry.

(5) Each Step in Drying Operation (5-1) Pause Step (5-2) Drying Step ...
It is repeatedly turned on for 7 seconds (55 rpm), paused for 3 seconds, and turned on for 57 seconds (55 rpm) in the reverse direction. At this time, the water supply valve 35 for drying, the drain valve motor 23, the drying heater 34,
The drying fan motor 33 is energized to be turned on, and the air in the water tank 3 is warmed, dehumidified and circulated as described above.

(5-3) Cooling process: The washing machine motor 17 is repeatedly turned on for 57 seconds in the forward direction (55 rpm), paused for 3 seconds, and turned on for 57 seconds in the reverse direction (55 rpm). The water supply valve 35 for drying and the drying heater 34 are turned off, and cool air is circulated.

(5-4) Micro-angle rotation operation control process: Same as described above. In this case, at the end of the previous drying process,
Laundry may collect in the back and may be difficult to remove. However, the small-angle rotation operation control step executed after the drying step makes it possible to satisfactorily loosen the laundry and improve the ease of taking out the laundry.

(6) Each step in soft keeping operation (6-1) Pause step (6-2) Soft operation step ... This is the washing machine motor 17
Is repeatedly turned on for 12 seconds (55 rpm) in the forward direction, paused for 3 seconds, and turned on for 12 seconds (55 rpm) in the reverse direction.

When the delicate course is selected by operating the delicate course selection switch and the start switch is operated, the control circuit 44 controls each device as shown in the operation time chart shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 7 shows the operation of the normal water supply valve 21 and the drain valve motor 23, and omits other devices.

In this delicate course, the washing operation (water supply step, washing step), the rinsing operation performed twice (dehydration step, brake step, water supply step, first rinsing step, second rinsing step,
A rinsing stroke) and a final dehydration operation (final dehydration stroke, brake stroke) are executed.

In the washing step, water is stored up to a predetermined water level, and during a period of 27 minutes required for the washing step,
The micro-angle rotation operation control for 5 seconds is performed a plurality of times with a 30-second pause. One minute angle rotation operation control is performed by turning the washing machine motor 17 in the forward direction with a mechanical angle of 3 degrees, as in the case described above.
Five cycles of 5 seconds are repeated as one cycle of rotating 0 degrees (rotation speed is 50 rpm) and rotating 30 degrees in the reverse direction after a short time. This causes the drum 10 to rotate forward and backward for five cycles. Also, in the first rinsing step and the second rinsing step, the micro-angle rotation operation control is similarly performed during a predetermined required time.

In this delicate course, since the minute angle rotation operation control is executed at a predetermined water level and a predetermined time, the drum 10 can be expected to exert a weak washing action on the laundry by short-period forward / reverse rotation. As a result, a delicate washing effect on laundry can be expected.

According to the above-described embodiment, since the motor 17 is controlled so as to rotate the drum 10 forward and backward a plurality of times at a rotation angle of 30 degrees, the drum 10 can be reciprocated in a short cycle. Thus, the laundry stuck to the inner surface of the drum 10 can be satisfactorily peeled off, and the laundry accumulated in the drum 10 can be satisfactorily released. Further, it is possible to eliminate imbalance at the time of dehydration and to improve the ease of taking out the laundry after drying. In this case, since the drum 10 is directly driven to rotate by the motor 17, there is no rotation transmission loss from the motor 17 to the drum 10, so that the drum can be reliably operated and reliability can be improved.

In particular, since the rotation angle of the drum 10 is 10 degrees or more, the drum 10 does not generate vibration. That is, when the rotation angle of the drum 10 is set to 10 degrees or less, the drum 10 is rotated forward and backward in a very short cycle, and the vibration of the drum 10 may occur. There is no. The initial object can be achieved by rotating the drum 10 forward and backward multiple times within a rotation angle of 90 degrees or less.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the micro-angle rotation operation control is executed after the spin-drying process. Therefore, even if the laundry sticks to the inner surface of the drum 10 during the spin-drying process, it is good. In a case where the rinsing step is performed after the dewatering step, the rinsing effect in the rinsing step can be improved.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the micro-angle rotation operation control is executed after the drying process is completed. Therefore, at the time of the completion of the drying process, the laundry is gathered at the back of the drum 10 so that it is difficult to take out the laundry. However, it is possible to loosen the laundry and improve the ease of taking out the laundry. Note that the minute angle rotation operation control may be performed during the drying process. By doing so, it is possible to loosen the laundry during the drying process, assuming that the laundry is in a state of being clumped in the drum during the drying process, thereby contributing to an improvement in the drying effect.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the water supply process and the execution of the micro-angle rotation operation control are performed simultaneously, so that the supplied water causes the peeling effect on the laundry and the flexibility imparting effect on the laundry. Can be expected, and the synergistic action thereof can more effectively eliminate sticking and clumps.

Further, since the washing course has a course for executing the minute angle rotation operation control at a predetermined water level and a predetermined time, a weak washing action can be expected on the laundry, and a delicate washing effect on the laundry. Can be expected. Further, a minute angle rotation operation designating switch as a manual input means operated by the user is provided, and when this switch is operated, the minute angle rotation operation control is executed. It is possible to perform an angular rotation operation, and it is possible to peel and unravel laundry as needed by a user, which is convenient.

In particular, according to the present embodiment, the execution time of the minute angle rotation operation control is set to 5 seconds or less.
The load on the rotating shaft 14 and the bearing 16, which are mechanical drive parts, can be reduced, and the service life can be extended.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when the drying heater 34 is energized, the minute angle rotation operation control is not executed, so that an excessive current can be prevented from flowing. That is, the above-described minute angle rotation operation increases the motor current.
When the power is supplied to the power supply 4, the power breaker may be cut off in excess of the rated current value at home. However, such a problem does not occur in the above configuration.

In the above-described embodiment, the micro-angle rotation operation control may be performed at the start of the operation, that is, before the washing operation. By doing so, the laundry can be loosened by the micro-angle rotation operation control prior to the washing process, which can contribute to the improvement of the washing effect.

Next, FIGS. 8 and 9 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
It is a figure for explaining rotation speed D1-D12 for every 0 degree, and Drawing 9 is a figure showing change of rotation speed during one rotation. This embodiment is characterized in that the control circuit 44 has a function of detecting rotation unevenness of the drum 10 and executes a minute angle rotation operation control when the rotation unevenness is detected. .

That is, the control circuit 44 individually measures the rotation speeds D1 to D12 of the drum 10 during a rotation angle of 30 degrees, and calculates the integrated value S of the absolute value of the difference between each rotation speed D1 to D12 and the average speed Dav. Then, it is determined whether or not the rotation unevenness is large based on the magnitude of the integrated value S. The rotation speeds D1 to D12 during the rotation angle of 30 degrees are counted each time the mechanical angle of the motor 17 rotates from the initial angle 0 to 30 degrees, and are calculated from the count values T1 to T12. Note that the average speed Dav is obtained by dividing the total value of the rotation speeds D1 to D12 for each 30 degrees by 12.
The timing of detecting such uneven rotation is preferably at the beginning of the dehydration process. In this case, it is preferable to energize in a predetermined energizing pattern such that the rotation speed of the motor 17 does not become too high (around 100 rpm).

According to this embodiment, by detecting the uneven rotation of the drum 10, it is possible to detect the state of sticking and clumping of the laundry, and to execute the small angle rotation operation control when the uneven rotation is detected. Therefore, when sticking or clumps occur, they can be resolved with good timing, so that the sticking or clumps can be quickly eliminated and unnecessary control can be eliminated.

[0060]

As apparent from the above description, the present invention has the following effects. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the configuration is such that the drum is directly driven to rotate by the motor and the motor is controlled to rotate the drum forward and reverse multiple times within a rotation angle of 90 degrees or less. Since the means is provided, it is possible to peel off the laundry stuck to the inner surface of the drum, or to loosen the clumped laundry at the upper portion of the drum, and further,
It is also possible to eliminate imbalance during dehydration and improve the ease of taking out laundry after drying.Furthermore, there is no loss of rotation transmission from the motor to the drum, and the drum is reliably rotated at a small angle. It can be operated and the reliability can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the minute angle rotation operation control means controls the motor so as to rotate the drum forward and backward a plurality of times at a rotation angle of 10 degrees or more and 30 degrees or less.
The drum can be rotated back and forth in a shorter cycle, so that the peeling action and the loosening action on the laundry can be further ensured, and the vibration of the drum does not occur. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the minute angle rotation operation control means executes the control at the start of the operation, which can contribute to the improvement of the washing effect.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the micro-angle rotation operation control means executes the control after the spin-drying process, even if the laundry is stuck to the inner surface of the drum, it may occur. This can be satisfactorily removed, which can contribute to the improvement of the rinsing effect in the subsequent rinsing process. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the micro-angle rotation operation control means executes the control during the drying process or after the drying process is completed, it can contribute to the improvement of the insertion effect and can be performed after the drying operation is completed. It is also possible to improve the convenience of taking out the laundry.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided uneven rotation detecting means for detecting uneven rotation of the drum, and the micro-angle rotation operation control means performs control when the uneven rotation is detected by the uneven rotation detecting means. Because it is supposed to run
When sticking or clumps occur, they can be resolved with good timing, and the sticking or clumps can be quickly eliminated and unnecessary control can be eliminated. According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the water supply process and the control execution of the micro-angle rotation operation control means are performed at the same time, it is possible to more effectively eliminate the sticking and clumping of the laundry.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the washing course includes a washing course for executing the micro-angle rotation operation control means at a predetermined water level and a predetermined time, by executing this course, the laundry can be washed. A delicate washing effect can be obtained. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the manual input means operated by the user, and the micro-angle rotation operation control means executes the control when the manual input means is operated. Thus, the user can perform a desired small angle rotation operation.

According to the tenth aspect, the execution time of the minute angle rotation operation control means is set to 5 seconds or less, so that the load on the motor and its electric and mechanical driving parts can be reduced, and the service life can be reduced. Can be long. According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since the heater is provided and the micro-angle rotation operation control means does not execute the control when the heater is energized, it is possible to prevent the generation of an excessive current.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an electrical configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a drum type washing machine.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an on / off pattern of a switching element.

FIG. 4 is a time chart of operation contents.

FIG. 5 is a time chart of operation contents.

FIG. 6 is a time chart of operation contents.

FIG. 7 is a time chart of operation contents.

FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a view for explaining rotation speeds D1 to D12 for every rotation angle of the motor of 30 degrees.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a change in rotation speed during one rotation of a motor.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 is a water tank, 10 is a drum, 17 is a washing machine motor (motor), 20 is a water supply device, 25 is a hot air supply device, 33 is a fan motor, 34 is a drying heater (heater), 39 is an inverter main circuit, and 40a to 40f is a switching element, 44
Denotes a control circuit (small-angle rotation operation control means, uneven rotation detection means).

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Fumihiro Imamura 991, Anata-cho, Seto-shi, Aichi Prefecture Inside the Toshiba Aichi Plant (72) Inventor Yoshiyuki Makino 991, Anata-cho, Seto-shi, Aichi Toshiba A.B.E. Nagoya Office Co., Ltd. LA16 LB02 LB19 LB20 LB29 LC02 LC07 LC15 LC28 MA01 MA05 MA07 MA09

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A water tub supported in an outer box, a drum provided rotatably about a substantially horizontal axis in the water tub and containing a laundry, and a motor for directly driving the drum to rotate. A drum-type washing machine comprising: a small-angle rotation operation control means for controlling the motor so that the drum is rotated forward and backward a plurality of times within a rotation angle of 90 degrees or less. 2. The micro-angle rotation operation control means includes:
2. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the motor is controlled so as to rotate forward and backward a plurality of times at a rotation angle of 0 degrees or more and 30 degrees or less. 3. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the small angle rotation operation control means executes control at the start of operation. 4. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the micro-angle rotation operation control means executes control after the dehydration process. 5. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the minute angle rotation operation control means executes the control during a drying process or after the drying process is completed. 6. An uneven rotation detecting means for detecting uneven rotation of the drum, wherein the small angle rotation operation control means executes control when the uneven rotation is detected by the uneven rotation detecting means. The drum-type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein: 7. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the water supply process and the control execution of the minute angle rotation operation control means are performed simultaneously. 8. The drum-type washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a washing course for executing the minute angle rotation operation control means at a predetermined water level and a predetermined time as the washing course. 9. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising manual input means operated by a user, wherein the minute angle rotation operation control means executes control based on the operation of the manual input means. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein 10. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the execution time of the minute angle rotation operation control means is within 5 seconds. 11. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a heater, wherein the micro-angle rotation operation control means does not execute the control when the heater is energized.