JP2000279684A - Operation control of washing-drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation control method for a washing-drying machine wherein the time for the completion of a drying process can be estimated, a fabric damage of laundry can be prevented from occurring by preventing the inside of a tank from becoming a high temperature even when a drying process is advanced, and of which the usability is favorable. SOLUTION: In a washing-drying machine which is equipped with an external box 1, a water tank 2 which is arranged in the external box 1, and a washing- dehydrating tank 15 of which the upper surface is open, on the bottom section of which, a rotating blade 19 is provided, and which is rotatably arranged in the water tank 2, and a heating device 4 and an air blower 5 as a hot air feeding means to feed hot air into the washing-dehydrating tank 15 at the time of drying process, the hot air feeding means is controlled by a control section 20 in a manner to keep the temperature in the washing-dehydrating tank 15 at a set specified value.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for controlling the operation of a washing / drying machine which can dehydrate laundry in a washing / dewatering tub and then dry the laundry.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a drying process after a dehydration process, warm air generated from a heating device and a blower is sent into a washing and dewatering tub, and a rotating wing is rotated during the drying process to loosen the laundry. As a washing and drying machine for drying
1 is an outer box, 2 is a water tank disposed in the outer box 1, and 3 is a heating device 4 disposed on the inner bottom of the outer box 1.
And a flexible tube 27 for guiding warm air generated from the blower 5 to an upper opening of the washing and dewatering tub, which will be described later. Reference numeral 27 denotes a blowout nozzle attached to the distal end of the flexible tube 3 for blowing hot air. Is aquarium 2
Is a waterproof plate provided on the upper peripheral edge of the upper panel.

Further, reference numeral 7 denotes a motor disposed at the outer bottom of the water tank 2, reference numeral 8 denotes a belt for transmitting the rotational drive of the motor 7 from the motor pulley 9 to the main shaft pulley 10, and reference numeral 11 denotes the rotational drive from the speed reducer 12, which will be described later. A clutch 13 for switching between transmission to a dehydration tub and transmission to a rotary wing; 13, a drain valve for controlling the discharge of washing liquid to the outside from a drain hose 14 attached to the lower end of the tub 2; 2, a washing and dewatering tub rotatably provided in 2, a balancer 16 provided on the upper peripheral edge of the washing and dewatering tub 15,
17 is a dewatering hole formed on the wall of the washing and dewatering tub 15;
Numeral 19 denotes laundry contained in the washing / dewatering tub 15, and numeral 19 denotes a rotary wing disposed on the inner bottom of the washing / dewatering tub 15.

A control unit 20 is disposed in the top cover 21 on the top of the outer case 1 and controls the number of rotations and the rotation time of the motor 7, the driving of the heating device 4, the blower 5, and the like. An intake hole to be formed, 23 is an exhaust hole formed in the upper wall surface of the outer box 1, 24 is a flexible exhaust duct communicating with the uppermost part of the space between the water tub 2 and the washing and dewatering tub 15, 25
Is a temperature detector arranged above the space between the water tub 2 and the washing and dewatering tub 15, 26 is a rotation number detector for detecting the rotation number of the main shaft pulley 10, and 28 is a rotor blade vent formed in the rotor blade 19. It is.

The clutch 11 transmits the rotation of the main shaft pulley 10 directly to the washing and dewatering tub 15 when the clutch 11 is in operation, and transmits the rotation of the main shaft pulley 1 when the clutch 11 is not in operation.
The rotation of 0 is transmitted to the rotor 19 via the speed reducer 12.

In the washing / drying machine having such a configuration, the washing process
After the rinsing process is completed, the washing / dewatering tub 15 is rotated at a high speed to shift to a dehydrating process in which the water contained in the laundry 18 is blown off by centrifugal force. The laundry 18 is stuck to the inner wall surface by centrifugal force.

Therefore, in the drying process following the dewatering process, the warm air generated by the heating device 4 and the blower 5 disposed at the inner bottom of the outer box 1 is guided by the flexible tube 3 to the upper opening of the washing and dewatering tub 15. The hot air is supplied from the blowing nozzle 27 mounted on the tip of the washing / dewatering tub 15 to the upper opening of the washing and dewatering tub 15, and the laundry 18 in the washing and dewatering tub 15 is dried by applying hot air. During the drying process, the rotating blades 19 are rotated to stir the laundry 18, and the rotating operation of the rotating blades 19 causes the washing and dewatering tub 1 to rotate.
The rotating operation of No. 5 is further combined, and the laundry 18 is also stirred by the rotation of the tub, and the contact surface with the warm air is changed.

In the drying step, the warm air generated from the heating device 4 and the blower 5 is guided to the upper opening of the washing and dewatering tub 15 by the flexible tube 3 as described above. Fresh air is taken in from an opening formed in the bottom part, heated, and sent to the flexible tube 3. And washing and dewatering tub 1
The warm air containing moisture after contact with the laundry 18 in 5 is
The water is discharged out of the machine through a dewatering hole 17 provided in the washing and dewatering tub 15, through a flexible exhaust duct 24 communicating with the uppermost part of the space between the water tub 2 and the washing and dewatering tub 15.

By the way, the rotating blades 19 loosen the laundry 18 by rotating as described above, and calculate the weight of the laundry 18 by detecting the load of the laundry 18 on the rotating blades 19, The dry state is detected based on this weight. The detection of the dry state is based on the fact that the weight of the laundry 18 is reduced because moisture is removed from the laundry 18 as the drying progresses. For example, the number of inertial pulses of the rotating rotor 19 is measured, or the current value of the motor 7 which varies according to the load amount is measured.

Further, as the drying proceeds, the water contained in the laundry 18 decreases and the temperature in the washing machine rises, and this temperature rise is used as the temperature of exhaust air from the washing and dewatering tub 15 as a temperature detector. The detection is also performed at 25. When the exhaust gas temperature reaches a predetermined value, it is determined that the drying has been completed, and the drying process is completed.

[0011]

In the drying process, the laundry 18
As a method of drying, the outside air taken in is heated and heated, and supplied to the washing and dewatering tub 15 to wash the laundry 18.
Discharging hot air containing moisture after contact with the
In a so-called exhaust type washer / dryer, if the outside air temperature varies depending on the season, such as summer or winter, the temperature of the hot air when supplied to the washing and dewatering tub differs even if it is heated, The time until the end of drying also differs. Therefore, even when drying the same amount of laundry, the fact that the time until the end of the drying varies depending on the season is inconvenient for the user because the end time cannot be predicted.

[0012] From the start to the end of the drying process, the amount of hot air to be supplied is made substantially the same, and the determination of the end of the drying is made.
Since the detection is performed by detecting that the water content of the laundry 18 has decreased and the exhaust gas temperature has risen to a predetermined value, the temperature in the washing and dewatering tub 15 becomes high immediately before the end of drying, and depending on the cloth quality of the laundry 18, For example, in the case of synthetic fibers, the cloth may shrink due to the high temperature and damage to the cloth may occur.

[0013] Further, when the temperature in the tub becomes high, the quality of the washing machine members made of synthetic resin such as plastic is deteriorated by heat, and the strength of the members is reduced, and the safe use period is reduced. There was a fear.

The end of drying is regarded as a change in the load, and the laundry 18
When the weight of the laundry 18 is reduced due to a decrease in the water content, the inside of the tub becomes hot, and the same problem as described above occurs.

Since the method of judging the end of drying based on the change in the exhaust gas temperature and the load of the laundry is based on the decrease in the moisture contained in the laundry 18, the end point is reached. Can be determined, but the drying temperature of the hot air varies depending on the outside air temperature (ambient temperature) to be sucked in, the drying speed differs, and therefore, it is not possible to predict when to end the operation, and for the user, it is It was difficult to schedule and it was not easy to use.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, to predict the time when the drying process is completed, to prevent the inside of the tub from becoming hot even when the drying process proceeds, and to prevent the laundry from being damaged. It is an object of the present invention to provide a user-friendly operation control method for a washer / dryer, which can prevent the occurrence of the problem.

[0017]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention firstly comprises an outer box, a water tank disposed in the outer box, a rotating blade at the bottom with an open upper surface, A washing and drying machine comprising: a washing and dewatering tub rotatably disposed in a water tub; and hot air supply means for supplying warm air into the washing and dewatering tub during a drying process. By controlling the hot air supply means so as to maintain the temperature of the set at a predetermined value, when the outside air sucked by the exhaust type washing and drying machine is heated and supplied to the washing and dewatering tub as hot air,
Even if the temperature of the outside air to be taken in varies depending on the season, etc., the temperature of the hot air supplied to the washing and dewatering tub is maintained at a predetermined value, so that the drying speed is constant, and if the amount of laundry is the same, the time until drying is completed Are the same, and usability is improved.

Further, even if the laundry is dried in the drying process and the moisture contained in the laundry is reduced, the temperature in the washing and dewatering tub is maintained at a predetermined value, and the temperature in the washing and dewatering tub is maintained at a high temperature higher than the predetermined value. No. Therefore, even if the laundry is a fabric such as a synthetic fiber that shrinks at a high temperature, the fabric is not damaged. In addition, the plastic member of the washing machine can be prevented from being deformed by temperature, and the plastic member can be effectively reused after the washing machine is disassembled.

Secondly, the drying step includes a rotating operation of rotating the rotating blades to rotate the loaded laundry, and a means for detecting a rotating state of the rotating blades is provided. If the load of the laundry in the initial stage of the drying process is determined based on the output of the drying process, the drying speed in the drying process is kept constant regardless of the level of the outside air temperature (ambient temperature). Is proportional to only the load amount. Therefore, the drying end time of the laundry can be predicted on the basis of the load amount determined in the initial stage of the drying process, and the prediction can be set with high accuracy.

Third, since the predetermined temperature value in the washing and dewatering tub can be selected according to the quality of the laundry to be dried, for example, in the case of a laundry of a cloth that shrinks at a high temperature such as synthetic fiber, By setting the temperature in the tank low, damage to the fibers can be reduced.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of a washing and drying machine in which an operation control method of the washing and drying machine of the present invention is implemented.
Since it has already been described, the detailed description is omitted here. In the method of the present invention, the washing step, the rinsing step, the dehydrating step, the drying step and the operation are further advanced, or the drying step alone is operated, but the drying temperature suitable for the cloth quality of the laundry 18 is controlled. Set in section 20. The set temperature of this drying is, for example, 50 ° C. or less for synthetic fibers such as acrylics which are sensitive to high temperatures, and 80 ° C. for hemp and cotton which are strong against high temperatures.
The temperature is set to be lower than or equal to ° C., for example, a course is set such as a synthetic fiber course and a cotton course.

When the drying process starts, the rotating blades 19 are reversed in the initial stage to rotate the laundry 18, and the rotating state of the rotating blades 19 is detected by the rotating blade rotation state detecting means. Is introduced into the control unit 20.
The rotating blade rotation state detection means uses, for example, a pulse generator attached to the motor 7, a rotation number detector 26 for detecting the number of rotations of the main shaft pulley 10, and the motor 7, and an inertia detected by the pulse generator. A change in the rotation of the rotor 19 is detected based on the number of rotation pulses and a fluctuating current value of the motor 7. The rotor 19 is stopped after rotating by inertia due to the amount of the laundry 18 on the rotor 19. Since the time until this time is different, the number of inertia rotation pulses and the current value of the motor are measured to detect the load (weight) of the laundry 18.

The rotation of the rotary wings 19 is for detecting the load (weight) of the laundry 18 as described above, but the rotation and dehydration of the washing and dewatering tub 15 are rotating at a high speed close to 900 rpm. In the state where the rotation of the washing and dewatering tub 15 is temporarily stopped from the process and the process is shifted to the drying process, the laundry 18 is moved by the centrifugal force due to the high speed rotation of the washing and dewatering tub 15 in the dehydrating process. Since it is stuck to the inner wall surface, the operation of reversing the rotating wing 19 in the forward / reverse direction is also the operation of scraping the laundry 18 from the wall surface onto the rotating wing 19. The reversal operation of the rotary wing 19 is performed, for example, at a rotation speed of 1
Reciprocation is performed by alternately repeating clockwise rotation and counterclockwise rotation at a cycle of 30 rpm at 1 second on and 0.5 second off.

When the drying process starts in this way, the outside air sucked into the washing machine is heated by the heating device 4 and supplied from the blower 5 to the washing and dewatering tub 15 from the blowing nozzle 27 at the tip thereof through the flexible tube 3. , The laundry 18.

In this case, the temperature in the washing and dewatering tub 15 is different from the temperature detected by the temperature detector 25, which is different from the temperature set in advance in the control unit 20 as a course for each type of fabric such as synthetic fiber and cotton. Then, the heating device 4 is automatically set according to the course selected so that the heating device 4 is controlled to be strong / weak / off.

Thus, even if the temperature of the hot air supplied to the washing and dewatering tub 15 fluctuates slightly depending on the level of the outside air temperature, the actual temperature in the washing and dewatering tub 15 is controlled to be a predetermined temperature. The drying speed can be kept constant. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fabric from being damaged due to the high temperature of the hot air just before the end of the drying process. Further, in this method, there is no exhaust duct 24 communicating with the washing and dewatering tub 15, and
The same applies to the case where the exhaust gas from the exhaust nozzle 5 is directly led to the exhaust hole 23. In this case, the temperature detector 25 is connected to the outlet nozzle 2 which is known to change in conjunction with the temperature in the washing and dewatering tub 15.
7, the bottom of the top cover 21, or the like.

By the way, the laundry 18 immediately after the start of the drying process has been dehydrated, and it is estimated that the moisture content is, for example, 75% for cotton and less than that for synthetic fiber from the dehydration rate specified for the washing machine. In addition, the drying temperature in the drying process is maintained at the set predetermined value, and the drying process proceeds at a constant drying speed. Therefore, the load and the cloth of the laundry 18 in this state determined as described above are determined. The end time of the drying process can be accurately predicted based on a separately selected course.

Therefore, if the laundry is of the same cloth and of the same load, the drying speed is constant regardless of the level of the outside air temperature, so that the drying process ends in the same drying time.

[0029]

As described above, the method for controlling the operation of a washing / drying machine according to the present invention comprises, first, an outer box, a water tank disposed in the outer box, and a rotating blade at the bottom with an open top. A washing and drying unit provided rotatably disposed in the water tub, and a hot air supply means for supplying hot air into the washing and dewatering tub during a drying process; By controlling the hot air supply means so as to maintain the temperature in the dewatering tub at a predetermined value, the outside air sucked by the exhaust type washer-dryer is heated and supplied to the washing and dewatering tub as warm air. In the case, even if the temperature of the outside air to be taken in varies depending on the season, etc., the temperature of the hot air supplied to the washing and dewatering tub is maintained at a predetermined value, so the drying speed is constant. Time is the same, and usability is improved.

Further, even if the laundry is dried in the drying process and the moisture contained in the laundry is reduced, the temperature in the washing and dewatering tub is maintained at a predetermined value. Is kept at 80 ° C. or less, which is a temperature at which the cloth is not damaged. In addition, the plastic member of the washing machine can be prevented from being deformed by temperature, and the plastic member can be effectively reused after the washing machine is disassembled.

Secondly, the drying step includes a rotating operation of rotating the rotating blades to rotate the loaded laundry, and a means for detecting a rotating state of the rotating blades is provided. If the load of the laundry in the initial stage of the drying process is determined based on the output of the drying process, the drying speed in the drying process is kept constant regardless of the level of the outside air temperature (ambient temperature). Is proportional to only the load amount. Therefore, the drying end time of the laundry can be predicted on the basis of the load amount determined in the initial stage of the drying process, and the prediction can be set with high accuracy.

Third, since the predetermined temperature value in the washing and dewatering tub can be selected depending on the quality of the laundry to be dried, for example, in the case of a laundry of a cloth that shrinks at a high temperature such as synthetic fiber, By setting the temperature in the tank low, damage to the fibers can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of a washing and drying machine in which an operation control method of the present invention is implemented.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Outer box, 2 ... Water tank, 3 ... Flexible tube, 4 ... Heating device, 5 ... Blower, 6
... waterproof plate, 7 ... motor, 8 ... belt 9 ...
Motor pulley, 10 ... spindle pulley, 11 ... clutch,
12: reducer, 13: drain valve, 14: drain hose,
Reference numeral 15: washing and dewatering tub, 16: balancer, 17: dehydrating hole, 18: laundry, 19: rotary wing, 20: control unit, 21: top cover, 22: intake hole, 23
... Exhaust hole, 24 ... Exhaust duct, 25 ... Temperature detector
26: Rotational speed detector, 27: Blowing nozzle, 28: Rotor blade vent

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Katsunori Ishii 1-1-1 Yamate, Funabashi-shi, Chiba Prefecture Inside Nippon Steel Corporation (72) Inventor Kunio Inose 1-1-1 Yamate, Funabashi-shi, Chiba Japan (72) Inventor Mamoru Katano 1-1-1 Yamate, Funabashi-shi, Chiba Japan Incorporated Steel Corporation (72) Inventor Yoshio Yoshida 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsui Electric Inside (72) Inventor Shinichi Nakamura 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsui Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaji Kukino 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Electric (72) Inventor Shinsuke Ise 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (72) Inventor Kazuhiko Manya Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Eye No. 2 No. 3 Mitsubishi Electric Co., Ltd. in the F-term (reference) 3B155 AA16 BB02 BB20 CB08 CB10 CB27 CB49 CB52 CB55 KA02 KA27 KA33 KA34 KB08 KB11 LB02 LC02 LC03 LC30 LC33 MA01

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An outer box, a water tank disposed in the outer box,
A washing and dewatering tub having an opening at the top and a rotor at the bottom and rotatably disposed in the water tub, and hot air supply means for supplying hot air into the washing and dewatering tub during a drying process. A method for controlling the operation of the washing and drying machine, wherein the hot air supply means is controlled so as to maintain the temperature in the washing and dewatering tub at a predetermined value. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drying step includes a rotating operation of rotating the rotating blades to rotate the loaded laundry, and providing a means for detecting a rotating state of the rotating blades. The operation control method for a washing / drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the drying end time of the laundry is predicted based on the following. 3. The operation control method for a washing and drying machine according to claim 1, wherein the set predetermined temperature value in the washing and dewatering tub can be selected according to the quality of the laundry to be dried.