JP2000308790A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing machine which can exhibit certainly the effects of disentanglement actions conducted in the end of washing and rinsing and can perform smoothly dewatering after these actions. SOLUTION: This washing machine conducts disentanglement actions, when washing approaches the end and the time to begin disentanglement comes. At this time, if the amount of washing is small, a control part 18 cuts off a motor 7 before conducting disentanglement actions and stops once a pulsator 6. And, a torque motor 15 is actuated, a drain valve 14 is opened and drainage is conducted. When a prescribed amount of water is drained from an outer tank 2, the drain valve 14 is shut. The water level in the tank is lowered in this way, the motor 7 is switched on again, the pulsator 6 is reversely rotated right and left with a shorter reversal frequency than before and disentanglement actions are conducted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a washing machine which does not have a function of setting the water level of washing or rinsing according to the amount of laundry, and performs washing or rinsing at a constant water level regardless of the amount of laundry. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a coin-type washing machine installed in a coin land store has an amount of laundry (hereinafter referred to as a load amount).
Many do not have the function of setting the water level for washing or rinsing according to the conditions. In such a washing machine, washing or rinsing is always performed at a constant water level regardless of the amount of laundry.

[0003] This is for the following reason, for example.
That is, usually, in the case of a washing machine that sets the water level according to the load amount, the pulsator is rotated before water is supplied, and the load amount is detected by the ease of turning of the pulsator. In some cases, the load amount cannot be accurately detected depending on the state of the first laundry (whether the laundry is wet from the beginning) or the manner in which the laundry is put into the tub. For this reason, once the water is supplied, the load amount is determined again by another method, and if it is incorrect, control for following is performed, such as refilling the water, and the washing time tends to be longer. In coin-operated washing machines, we do not want users to wait as much as possible, so we want to avoid factors that increase washing time.

In addition, since the usage fee is set uniformly regardless of the amount of laundry, even if the amount of water is reduced, there is no economic merit for the user.

Further, in such a washing machine, if the laundry is dehydrated in a washing and dehydrating tub, the dehydration cannot be carried out smoothly if the laundry is dehydrated. An operation is performed to loosen the objects and eliminate the bias of the laundry. More specifically, in the case of easy rinsing, the pulsator is rotated left and right in the reverse direction to generate counterclockwise and clockwise water flow, but the loosening operation shortens the cycle of the left and right reverse rotation more than before. It is.

[0006]

In such a washing machine as described above, washing is performed at a water level such that water does not run short when laundry having a rated capacity is put, that is, always at a high water level.

[0007] Therefore, in such a washing machine, when washing a small amount of laundry, there is no problem for the normal washing and rinsing operation, but for the loosening performed at the end of the washing and rinsing. When the water level is too high (the amount of water is too large), the water flow is not transmitted well, and there is a problem that a sufficient loosening effect cannot be obtained.

The present invention does not have a function of setting the water level for washing or rinsing according to the amount of laundry, for example, as in a coin-type washing machine, and performs washing at a constant water level regardless of the amount of laundry. Another object of the present invention is to solve such a problem in a washing machine that performs rinsing.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a washing and dewatering tub, a pulsator rotatably provided in the washing and dewatering tub, a motor for driving the pulsator, A water supply device for supplying water to the washing and dewatering tub and a drainage device for draining water from the washing and dewatering tub are provided.In the washing or rinsing process, water is always supplied to a constant water level regardless of the amount of laundry. In the state where the pulsator is stored, washing or rinsing is performed by rotating the pulsator left and right to the left and right, and when the end of the stroke is near, the cycle of the reverse rotation of the pulsator is shorter than before to wash the laundry. A load detecting device for detecting the amount of the laundry in the washing and dewatering tub by detecting the degree of movement of the pulsator at the time of reversing rotation after the start of washing or rinsing; And a control device for operating the drainage device to discharge a predetermined amount of water in the washing and dewatering tub before loosening by the pulsator when it is detected that the amount of laundry is small. It is.

That is, during the washing or rinsing process, after the water is supplied to a certain water level regardless of the amount of the laundry, the pulsator is rotated left and right to perform the washing or rinsing operation. The load amount detecting device detects the amount of the laundry from the degree of movement of the pulsator during the reverse rotation operation.

[0011] The load amount detecting device is, for example, one of reverse rotation.
Cycle or several cycles (1 for clockwise-stop-counterclockwise-stop)
The amount of laundry is determined by detecting the total number of rotations of the motor during the period. If you have a lot of laundry,
The rotation of the laundry in the tub (cloth rotation) deteriorates, which causes resistance to the pulsator. Therefore, the speed of the pulsator hardly increases even when it is turned on, and rapidly decreases when it is turned off. For this reason, the total number of rotations decreases. On the other hand, when the amount of laundry is small, the cloth rotation is improved, so that the speed of the pulsator rapidly increases when turned on, and slowly decreases when turned off. For this reason, the total number of rotations increases. Therefore, if the total number of rotations of the motor is large, it is detected that the amount of laundry is small.

When the load amount detecting device detects that the amount of laundry is small, the control device operates the drainage device,
Drain water to some extent. Then, the pulsator is driven to generate the loosening water flow after the reversing rotation cycle of the pulsator is shortened and the loosening water flow is set to a water level (amount of water) at which the water flow can be sufficiently transmitted to the laundry.

On the other hand, if it is detected that there is not much laundry, loosening is performed without draining.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the washing or rinsing step, a water flow is generated in the washing and dewatering tub while always storing water to a constant water level regardless of the amount of laundry. When washing or rinsing is performed, and near the end of the stroke, a washing machine that unwinds the laundry by generating a loosening water flow different from the current water flow and detects the amount of the laundry in the washing and dewatering tub. When the amount of laundry is small, the water level in the washing and dewatering tub is lowered before performing the loosening.

That is, when it is detected that the amount of the laundry is small, the drainage is drained from the washing and dewatering tub before the loosening operation performed near the end of the washing or rinsing. The water level is lowered to such an extent that the water flow can be transmitted sufficiently.

[0016]

FIG. 1 shows an outline of a coin-type washing machine which is a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is machine frame, 2
Is an outer tank having an open upper surface, which is suspended and supported by four suspension rods 3 in the machine frame 1. Reference numeral 4 denotes a washing and dewatering tub having a plurality of dehydration holes 4a around the periphery and disposed in the outer tub 2 and also having an open upper surface. Rotate around. Reference numeral 6 denotes a pulsator rotatably disposed at the bottom of the washing and dewatering tub 4; 7 a motor connected to the washing and dewatering tub 4 and the pulsator 6 via a power transmission mechanism 8; At the time of washing and rinsing (washing with water and rinsing with water), only the pulsator 6 is rotated at a low speed, and at the time of dehydrating the laundry, the washing and dewatering tub 4 is rotated at a high speed in one direction about the rotating shaft 5 (at this time, the pulsator 6 is simultaneously rotated). High speed rotation).

Reference numeral 9 denotes an operation box, on the front of which is provided an operation section 10a comprising a start key and the like and an operation panel 10 comprising a display section 10b for displaying operating conditions and strokes. A control unit described later is provided.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a water supply pipe for dropping water from above the outer tub 2 and the washing and dewatering tub 4 to the washing and dewatering tub 4, 12 an electromagnetic water supply valve provided in the middle of the water supply pipe 11, 13
Is a drain pipe provided on the bottom wall of the outer tub 2, and 14 is a drain valve provided in the middle of the drain pipe 13, which is opened and closed by the operation of the torque motor 15. 16 is the outer tub 2
A water level sensor connected via a pressure hose 16a to an air trap 17 at the bottom of the washing and dewatering tub 4 is detected by the water level sensor 16,
The amount of water supplied to is known.

The water supply valve 12 constitutes a water supply device of the present invention, and the drain valve 14 and the torque motor 15 constitute a drainage device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a block circuit of the coin-type washing machine of the present embodiment. On the input side of the control unit 18 comprising a microcomputer, the operation unit 10a, the water level sensor 16
Is connected. The operation box 9 is provided with a coin insertion box (not shown) for inserting coins when a user performs a washing operation, and a coin of a predetermined amount for performing the washing operation is provided in the box. A coin detector 19 for detecting whether the coin has been inserted is also connected to the control unit 18. Further, the motor 7 is provided with a pulse generator 20 for generating a pulse signal in accordance with its rotation, and this pulse generator 20 is also connected to the input side of the control unit 18. The pulse generator 20 generates two pulses at substantially equal intervals during one rotation of the motor 7.

The display section 10b and the load drive section 21 are connected to the output side of the control section 18. The load driving unit 21 is made of a triac or the like, and
The water supply valve 12, the torque motor 15 and the like are driven.

The control unit 18 controls the display on the display unit 10b based on signals from the operation unit 10a, the coin detector 19, the water level sensor 16, and the pulse generator 20, and controls the load drive unit 21. Drive control.

The operation based on the above configuration will be described mainly with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the user enters a fee necessary for the washing operation and presses the start key, the washing operation is started under the control of the control unit 18. That is, the washing step, the intermediate dewatering step, the rinsing step, and the final dewatering step are sequentially performed.

When entering the washing process, the control unit 18 first
The water supply valve 12 is operated to supply water to a certain water level (S1,
S2). This constant water level is a water level corresponding to an amount of water that does not cause a shortage of water when laundry of the rated capacity is put. (In a 4.5 kg rated washing machine, the water amount is about 48 l.) Next, the control unit 18 controls the driving of the motor 7 to rotate the pulsator 6 right and left to perform a washing operation (S3).
The cycle of the reverse rotation is, for example, left 1.5 seconds on-
1.0 second off-right 1.5 second on-1.0 second off.
As a result, counterclockwise and clockwise water flows are generated alternately, and the laundry is washed.

The controller 18 detects the total number of rotations of the motor 7 during four cycles during the predetermined period during the reverse rotation operation. That is, the number P of pulses generated by the pulse generator 20
N is detected. Then, this pulse number PN is a reference value for determining that the amount of laundry is small (for example, 500 pulses).
If less than this, it is determined that the amount of laundry is small (S4 to S7).

At the time when the washing is completed and the loosening is started (S9), that is, for example, when the washing is performed for 10 minutes, the loosening operation is performed after 9 minutes have elapsed from the start of the washing.

If the amount of laundry is small, the control unit 18 turns off the motor 7 and temporarily stops the pulsator 6 before starting the loosening operation. And the torque motor 15
Is operated to open the drain valve 14 to drain water. When a predetermined amount (for example, about 20 l) of water is discharged from the outer tank 2,
The drain valve 14 is closed. (S10, S11) After the water level in the tank is reduced in this way, the motor 7
Is turned on again, the pulsator 6 is rotated left and right at a shorter inversion cycle than before, and a loosening operation is performed (S1).
2). The cycle at this time is, for example, left 0.3 seconds on-0.3 seconds off-right 0.3 seconds on-0.3 seconds off.

As a result, a loosening water flow is generated, and the laundry entangled by washing up to that time is loosened.

When the one-minute loosening is completed, all the water in the outer tub 2 is drained, the washing process is completed, and the process shifts to the intermediate dewatering process (S13, S14).

In S6, if the pulse number PN is larger than the reference value, it is determined that the laundry is not small (S6).
8) The control unit 18 performs the above-described loosening operation without lowering the water level.

When the washing process is completed, the process proceeds to the rinsing process via the intermediate dewatering process. In the rinsing process, after the shower rinsing, a rinsing is performed (water is rinsed up to a certain water level). For this reason, in the rinsing, as in the washing process, if the amount of the laundry is small, the laundry is drained once and then the loosening operation is performed. Then, after the rinsing step, a final dewatering step is performed, and the washing operation ends.

As is apparent from the above description, the control unit 18 constitutes the control device of the present invention, and the pulse generator 20 and the control unit 18 constitute the load detection device of the present invention.

The above embodiment is one embodiment, and it is apparent that changes and modifications can be made within the spirit of the present invention. For example, the load amount may be detected by the number of times of inertial rotation of the motor when the motor is turned off. In this case, if the amount of laundry is small and the cloth rotation is good, the number of times of inertial rotation increases.

The present invention is not limited to a coin-type washing machine, but may be applied to a commercially available fully automatic washing machine.

[0036]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, in a washing machine that performs washing at a constant water level regardless of the amount of laundry, even if the amount of laundry is small, it is easy to wash. The loosening operation performed at the end of the step can surely exhibit the loosening effect, and the subsequent dehydration can be smoothly performed.

In particular, in the configuration of the first aspect, the detection of the amount of the laundry is always performed under a constant water level during the left-right reversal rotation operation during washing or rinsing. Therefore, unlike those that detect without water before water supply,
There is no need to provide a separate detection time, and there is no risk that the laundry will be damaged. Further, the detection accuracy is not affected by the degree of wetness of the laundry. In addition, unlike the one in which the water level is automatically set, the load amount is always detected at a constant water level and is not affected by the difference in water level, so there is no need to provide many reference values for each water amount, Control is not complicated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side longitudinal sectional view showing an outline of a coin-type washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram of the coin-type washing machine.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the coin-type washing machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 4 washing and dewatering tub 6 pulsator 7 motor 12 water supply valve (water supply device) 14 drain valve (drainage device) 15 torque motor (drainage device) 18 control unit (control device, load amount detection device) 20 pulse generator (load amount detection) apparatus)

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor ▲ Hirose ▼ Hisanori F-term (reference) 3B155 AA10 BA04 BA08 BA16 BB16 CA16 CB06 CC01 HC06 KA02 KA18 KA31 KA34 KB11 LA14 LB16 LB30 LB31 LC14 LC28 MA01 MA06 MA08

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A washing and dewatering tub, a pulsator rotatably provided in the washing and dewatering tub, a motor for driving the pulsator, a water supply device for supplying water to the washing and dewatering tub, A drainage device for draining from the washing and dewatering tub is provided.In the washing or rinsing process, the pulsator is rotated left and right in a state where water is always accumulated to a constant water level regardless of the amount of laundry and washed. Or, when performing the rinsing and nearing the end of the stroke, in a washing machine that unwinds the laundry by shortening the cycle of the reversing rotation of the pulsator, the pulsator is reversibly rotated after the start of washing or rinsing. A load amount detection device that detects the amount of laundry in the washing and dewatering tub by detecting the degree of movement of the laundry, and when the amount of laundry is detected to be small by the load amount detection device, Serial before performing loosened by pulsator, a washing machine, characterized in that said by operating the drainage device and a control device for discharging the water in the predetermined amount the washing and dewatering in the water tank. 2. In the washing or rinsing step, a water flow is generated in the washing and dewatering tub to perform washing or rinsing in a state where water is always stored to a constant water level regardless of the amount of laundry. Near the end, in a washing machine that loosens laundry by generating a loosening water flow different from the current flow, the amount of laundry in the washing and dewatering tub is detected, and when the amount of laundry is small, 3. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the water level in the washing and dewatering tub is lowered before performing the loosening.