JP2000308792A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing machine which can detect precisely the flow rate of supplied water without installing a water-level sensor. SOLUTION: This washing machine has a pressure sensor 40 using an ultra- magnetic deformation element in a suspension-stick receiver metallic material 15 which fixes a suspension stick 3, and detects by the pressure sensor 40 the weight of the washing accepted in a washing and dewatering tank 4 and the weight of the supplied water. At the time when a bath-water pump 18 is actuated and a water-supply valve 16 is opened, an increase of the prescribed weight is detected according to the detection signals of the pressure sensor 40, and the flow rate of the supplied water is estimated by measuring the time required for the increase. Since such measurement is not affected by loads and cloth quality of the washing, the flow rate of the supplied water can be obtained precisely.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a washing machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional fully automatic washing machine, the flow rate of water supplied from a faucet or supplied by a bath water pump is detected using a water level sensor attached to an outer tub. Specifically, the water level is set at two locations in the outer tub, and the time required for the water level of the water stored in the outer tub to reach the upper detected water level from the lower detected water level is measured. The flow rate can be obtained.

[0003]

However, since the above-described measurement of the water supply flow rate is performed in a state where the laundry is accommodated in the washing and dewatering tub, the detection accuracy is not sufficient for the load amount and the cloth quality of the laundry. There was a problem of being affected. That is, when the load is large or when the fabric is very easy to absorb water, the supplied water is absorbed by the laundry, so that the supplied water amount is not accurately reflected in the rise in the water level.
Therefore, the error of the water supply flow rate estimated based on the rise in the water level naturally becomes large.

[0004] A water level sensor is also used to determine whether or not water has been supplied to a water level corresponding to a load amount or a washing water amount selected by a user.
Therefore, if the detection of the water level is inaccurate as described above, the amount of water stored in the washing and dewatering tub will vary greatly, and sufficient washing performance may not be exhibited or water may be wasted. There is.

Further, in a washing machine provided with a perforated washing dewatering tub having no dewatering hole on the peripheral wall, which has been commercialized in recent years,
The water level in the outer tub and the water level in the dewatering tub are not the same.
A normal washing machine only needs to detect the water level in the outer tub, but for the above reasons, a washing machine with a perforated washing / dewatering tub must detect the water level in the washing / dewatering tub, and the water level sensor There is also a problem in that the mounting structure is very complicated. There is also a strong demand that a water level sensor be omitted for cost reduction even if the washing machine has no such a structure.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and its main object is to provide:
It is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine capable of accurately measuring a water supply flow rate without being affected by a load amount or a cloth quality.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems and Embodiments of the Invention
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a washing machine comprising: a) a washing machine provided in a washing tub and a weight of water supplied to the washing tub. Weight detection means, and b) at the time of water supply, a flow calculation means for determining a water supply flow rate by measuring a time required for the weight detected by the weight detection means to increase by a predetermined amount or an increase amount of the detection weight within a predetermined time. And c) operation control means for controlling operation based on the supplied water flow rate obtained by the flow rate calculation means.

In the washing machine according to the present invention, the amount of water supplied to the washing tub is determined based on the amount of change in the weight detected by the weight detecting means. That is, for example, when the time required for the detected weight to increase by a predetermined amount is obtained, the flow rate calculating means calculates the water supply flow rate by dividing the amount of water corresponding to the weight change by the required time. The change in weight due to the supplied water is not affected by the amount of laundry, the quality of the cloth, and the like, so that the flow rate of supplied water can be accurately calculated.

As a specific embodiment of the operation control based on the water supply flow rate determined as described above, the operation time of the dehydration rinsing operation can be adjusted based on, for example, the water supply flow rate. The dehydration rinsing operation referred to here is a rinsing operation other than a pool rinsing operation or a water rinsing operation performed by stirring laundry in a state where at least a certain level of water is stored in the outer tub, and, for example, dehydration. The laundry in the washed state is sufficiently immersed in water, and then the washing / dewatering tub is rotated at a high speed to rinse the detergent contained in the laundry together with the water, or the washing / dewatering tub is moved to a certain position. Rinsing such as running down water in a shower while rotating at about the same speed to push out the detergent contained in the laundry.

[0010] In such a dehydration rinsing operation, the effect of rinsing largely depends on the flow rate of water supply. Therefore,
The operation control means makes the operation time of the dehydration rinsing operation relatively long when the supply water flow rate is small. Thereby, even when the supply water flow rate is relatively small, sufficient rinsing performance can be obtained during the dehydration rinsing operation.

Further, in this case, the operation control means may additionally execute a pool rinse when the flow rate of the supplied water is equal to or less than a predetermined value. That is, as described above, when the supply water flow rate is extremely small, the rinsing effect by the dehydration rinsing operation can hardly be expected. Therefore, if the pool rinsing is executed instead of or in addition to the dehydration rinsing operation, sufficient rinsing performance can be ensured.

In another embodiment, the operation control means corrects the display of the remaining operation time based on the flow rate of the water supply. That is, if the flow rate of the water supply is small, the time required for the water supply should be long. Therefore, in the configuration in which the remaining time until the operation is completed is estimated and displayed, the remaining time is slightly increased when the flow rate of the water supply is small. As a result, the error between the displayed remaining time and the time required until the actual operation ends can be reduced.

[0013] A washing machine according to a second aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes: a) detecting the weight of the laundry stored in the washing tub and the amount of water supplied to the washing tub; Weight detection means provided so as to be able to be provided; b) abnormality determination means for determining that the water supply is abnormal when the amount of change in the weight detected by the weight detection means within a predetermined time during water supply is equal to or less than a predetermined value; c. ) Abnormality notification means for notifying the abnormality when the abnormality determination means determines that the water supply is abnormal.

For example, in a washing machine that supplies water through a tap water supply channel provided with a water supply valve, it can be determined that the flow rate of the supplied water is extremely small when the amount of change in the weight detected by the weight detecting means is very small. In such a case, for example, a water supply failure due to water cutoff or the like is assumed. Therefore, the abnormality is notified by the abnormality notification means, so that the user can be quickly notified of the abnormality.

In a washing machine provided with a bath water supply channel provided with a bath water pump in addition to the tap water supply channel, when the bath water pump is operated to supply the bath water, the abnormality determining means supplies the water. In the case where an abnormality is detected, the water supply valve is opened to supply tap water, and when the abnormality determination unit detects a water supply abnormality during tap water supply, the abnormality notification unit notifies the abnormality. Is preferred.

According to this, even if the supply of the bath water becomes impossible due to a shortage of the bath water or the like, the supply of the tap water is automatically switched to the supply of the tap water. Therefore, the bath water can be used effectively, and the water supply can be surely terminated without interrupting the water supply on the way, so that washing can be easily performed.

Various types of weight detecting means can be used. For example, the weight detecting means includes a magnetostrictive element which receives an external force and a coil which detects a change in magnetic characteristics of the magnetostrictive element as a change in inductance. A pressure sensor can be used. The change in the inductance of the coil may be detected, for example, as a change in the oscillation frequency in an LC oscillator including the coil.

Such a pressure sensor is characterized in that it is small and lightweight, and has a wide detection range. Therefore, even if it is attached to any part in the washing machine, it does not occupy a large space and does not hinder the downsizing and large capacity of the washing machine. In addition, since a movable member such as a spring is not used, the movable member does not itself cause vibration, and there is no decrease in detection accuracy due to deterioration with time of the movable member.

[0019]

According to the washing machines according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, it is possible to detect the flow rate and the flow rate of water without using a water level sensor. Therefore, there is no need to provide a water level sensor, so that costs can be reduced. Also,
The present invention is also suitable for a washing machine having a structure in which it is difficult to mount a water level sensor such as a perforated washing / drying tub. Also,
Since the detection of the water supply flow rate and the water level is not affected by the amount of laundry or the quality of the laundry, highly accurate detection is possible.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the washing machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the structure of the washing machine of this embodiment. 4 outer tubs 2 inside the machine frame 1 of the washing machine
1 (only two are visible in FIG. 1), and a washing / dewatering tub 4 having a large number of dewatering holes in the peripheral wall is provided around the main shaft 5 inside the outer tub 2. It is rotatably supported. A pulsator 6 for stirring the laundry is arranged at the bottom of the washing and dewatering tub 4, and the rotational power of a motor 7 attached to the lower surface of the outer tub 2 is a motor pulley 8.
The power is transmitted to the washing / dewatering tub 4 and the pulsator 6 via the belt 9, the main pulley 10, and the power switching mechanism 11.

The lower end of the hanging rod 3 penetrates a mounting piece 12 projecting outward from the bottom wall of the outer tub 2, and a vibration isolator 13 provided with a compression coil spring is provided at the tip. The upper end of the coil spring is fixed to the mounting piece 12, and when the load of the outer tub 2 is applied to the vibration isolator 13 via the mounting piece 12, the coil spring expands and contracts to absorb the vibration of the outer tub 2. On the other hand, the upper end of the hanging bar 3 is held movably in the vertical direction by a hanging bar receiving bracket 15 fixed to a mounting piece 14 projecting inward from the machine frame 1. One of
A pressure sensor 4 is provided on each of the
0 is provided.

At the upper rear of the machine frame 1, a water supply mechanism
A tap water supply pipe 1 provided with a water supply valve 16 on the way.
7 is provided, and a bath water supply pipe 19 provided with a bath water pump 18 is provided, and water supplied from outside through the water supply pipes 17 and 19 is a water inlet provided with a detergent container and a soft finish agent container. Water is poured into the washing and dewatering tub 4 from 20. In addition, a drain port 21 is provided at the bottom of the outer tub 2, and is connected to an upright drain hose 24 via a drain valve 22 and a drain passage 23. The drain valve 22 is provided with a torque motor. When the torque motor is driven, the wire is pulled to open the drain valve 22, and further, a clutch (not shown) in the power switching mechanism 11 is driven to wash. The dewatering tub 4 and the pulsator 6 are connected and the brake (not shown) is released. Thus, when the drain valve 22 is closed, the power switching mechanism 11 rotates only the pulsator 6, and when the drain valve 22 is opened, the washing / dewatering tub 4 and the pulsator 6 are integrally rotated.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of the pressure sensor 40. The pressure sensor 40 includes a columnar giant magnetostrictive element 41 and a coil 42 wound around the giant magnetostrictive element 41.
And a bottomed cylindrical case 43 surrounding the coil 42
And a pressure receiving portion 44 provided in close contact with one end surface of the giant magnetostrictive element 41 and protruding from the opening end surface of the case 43. The giant magnetostrictive element 41 is an element whose magnetic properties change according to the speed and magnitude of the force when deformed by receiving an external load such as mechanical compression, extension, and torsion. That is, in the pressure sensor 40, for example, as shown in FIG.
4 receives an external load and receives the giant magnetostrictive element 41 through the pressure receiving portion 44.
When pressure is applied to the upper end surface of the coil 42, the self-inductance of the coil 42 changes.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the magnitude of the external load and the inductance in the pressure sensor 40. As is clear from FIG. 3, the pressure sensor 40 has such a characteristic that the smaller the external load is, the larger the change of the inductance with respect to the same external load change is, that is, the higher the detection sensitivity is. In the washing machine of the present embodiment, the pressure sensor 40 receives an external load due to the weight of the outer tub 2 suspended and supported by the hanging bar 3 and the washing / dewatering tub 4 inside the outer tub 2, and stores the laundry in the washing / dewatering tub 4. When the water is washed or the water is stored in the outer tub 2, the external load increases by the weight of the laundry or the water. As shown in FIG. 3, the detection sensitivity of the pressure sensor 40 is relatively high in the detection area of the amount of laundry (that is, the load amount) required to precisely detect the weight, and the weight is roughly detected. It will be relatively low in the water weight detection area, which only needs to be done. That is,
The detection sensitivity of the pressure sensor 40 is adapted to the detection of the target weight.

FIG. 4 is an electrical configuration diagram of a main part of the washing machine. The LC oscillator 31 generates an oscillation having a frequency corresponding to the inductance by resonance of the inductance and the capacitor of the coil 42 of the pressure sensor 40. The frequency detection unit 32 detects the frequency of the oscillation waveform, and inputs the detection result to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 includes a CPU that executes various arithmetic processes, a memory that stores an operation program, a timer, and the like. In addition to the frequency detection unit 32, the operation unit 33, the display unit 34, the motor 7, the bath water pump 18 , A water supply valve 16 and a drain valve 22 are connected.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a standard washing process in the washing machine of the present embodiment. The operation of the washing machine will be schematically described with reference to FIG. When the washing is started, first, a predetermined amount of water is supplied into the washing / dewatering tub 4 (step S51), and the pulsator 6 is rotated at a predetermined speed to execute a washing operation (step S52). When the washing operation is completed, the water in the washing and dewatering tub 4 is drained (step S53), and the washing and dewatering tub 4 and the pulsator 6 are integrally rotated at a high speed to execute intermediate dehydration (step S54). By this intermediate dewatering, detergent water soaked into the laundry is scattered and removed.

Next, a shower rinsing operation is performed as the first rinsing (step S55). In the shower rinsing operation, water is poured onto the laundry in a shower form from the water inlet 20 while rotating the washing and dewatering tub 4 with an appropriate speed change, so that the detergent soaked in the laundry is pushed out while the laundry is cleaned. It is to contain enough water. After the end of the shower rinsing operation, the above step S5
Intermediate dehydration is performed by the process in step S56 similar to step 4, and the detergent component contained in the laundry is scattered and removed together with the water. Thereafter, a predetermined amount of water is supplied into the washing / dewatering tub 4 (step S57). Then, the rinsing operation is performed by rotating the pulsator 6 as in step S52 (step S58). When the rinsing operation is completed, the water in the washing and dewatering tub 4 is drained (step S58).
59) Finally, the final spin-drying is performed by rotating the washing spin-drying tub 4 and the pulsator 6 at a high speed as in the case of the intermediate spin-drying (step S60).

The time required for each operation except for water supply and drainage mainly depends on the washing course selected by the user and the load detected as described later. Therefore, at the stage when the load amount is detected, the required time for each operation can be almost grasped, and the total required time for washing can be estimated by adding the required time for water supply and drainage. Therefore, in the washing machine of the present embodiment, the remaining operation time counted based on the estimated required time is displayed on the display unit 3.
4, the user can be visually informed of the approximate time until the washing is completed.

The washing machine according to the present embodiment is characterized by the control at the time of water supply performed in step S51. More specifically, at the time of water supply, water supply control is performed using a detection signal (actually, a frequency detection signal corresponding to the weight) from the pressure sensor 40, and a water supply flow rate is estimated and depends on the water supply flow rate. It controls the operation. 6 and 7 are control flowcharts at the time of this water supply. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, a control operation centering on the control unit 30 in the washing machine of the present embodiment will be described.

First, the control unit 30 starts the motor 7 and rotates the washing / dewatering tub 4 at about 30 rpm (step S).
1). Then, at 0.5 second intervals, four times, that is,
Each time is rotated by about 90 °, the frequency corresponding to the external load at that point is read from the frequency detection unit 32, and the average value thereof is calculated (step S2). The control unit 30 calculates a load amount based on the calculated average value (Step S3).
The external load applied to the pressure sensor 40 increases due to the weight of the laundry accommodated in the washing and dewatering tub 4, but by detecting the external load every time the washing and dewatering tub 4 rotates 90 °,
By averaging variations due to uneven distribution of laundry, it is possible to perform highly accurate load amount detection. In order to determine the load amount from the average value of the external loads, a configuration may be adopted in which the correspondence between the two is measured by a preliminary experiment and stored in a memory, and the load amount is acquired with reference to the memory.

Once the load has been determined in this way,
The washing water level and the strength of the water flow during the washing operation or the rinsing operation are selected according to the load amount (step S4). Furthermore,
The specified weight W1 and the set weight W2 are calculated as comparison reference values used after the water supply is actually started (step S5). The specified weight W1 is the sum of the load amount and the weight of water corresponding to the specified water amount for detecting the feedwater flow rate. For example, if the specified water amount is 10 L (liter), 10 kg is added to the detected load amount. The sum is the specified weight W1. On the other hand, the set weight W2 is obtained by adding the load amount and the weight of water corresponding to the water amount of the washing water level,
For example, when the water level of the washing water level is 40 L, the set weight W2 is obtained by adding 40 kg to the load amount.

Thereafter, priming water is supplied to the bath water pump 18 for a predetermined time (step S6), and the bath water pump 18 is operated (step S7). At the same time or before or after that, a timer t1 is started (step S1).
8). When the bath water pump 18 is operated, the remaining water in the bath is sucked into the bath water supply pipe 19, and water is supplied from the water inlet 20 into the washing / dewatering tub 4. When water accumulates in the outer tank 2, the external load applied to the pressure sensor 40 increases by that much. Therefore, the control unit 30 calculates the actual weight (the weight obtained by adding the load amount and the weight of the water stored in the outer tank 2) based on the detection signal read from the frequency detection unit 32, and the actual weight is defined. It is determined whether the weight has reached W1 (step S9).

If the amount of supplied water is insufficient to the specified amount, it is determined in step S9 that the actual weight has not reached the specified weight W1, and it is determined whether or not the time t1 of the timer exceeds 4 minutes. Is determined (step S10). The comparison reference time at this time is the maximum time required for storing the specified amount of water when it can be determined that the water supply is being performed normally, and assumes the lowest water supply flow rate within the allowable range. And is appropriately determined in advance. Time t in step S10
If 1 is within 4 minutes, the process returns to step S9, and it is determined again whether the actual weight has reached the specified weight W1.

For example, when bath water hardly remains in the bathtub, when a dust filter provided at the end of the bath water supply pipe 19 is clogged, when the bath water supply pipe 19 is too long, etc. When the flow rate is extremely small or almost no water can be supplied, it is determined in step S10 that four minutes have elapsed. Then, it is next determined whether or not it is tap water supply (step S11). If it is bath water supply, the process proceeds to step S12 to open the water supply valve 16. Thereby, supply of tap water is started.

After the water supply valve 16 is opened in step S12, the process returns to step S8, and the timer t
1 is cleared once and timing is started again. If the bath water supply is performed smoothly, or if the tap water supply is performed smoothly after the transition from the bath water supply to the tap water supply as described above, the step is performed before the time t1 reaches 4 minutes. In S9, it is determined that the actual weight has reached the specified weight W1. Then, the controller 30 stops the timer t1 by the timer (step S14), and calculates the water supply flow rate based on the timer t1 (step S15). For example, as described above, if the prescribed water volume is 10 L and the time t1 is 1 minute, the water supply flow rate is obtained as 10 L / min.

If the bath water supply is not smooth, the process proceeds to the tap water supply as described above. If, for example, the water supply is not smooth, such as when the water supply is cut off, the above-mentioned steps are performed after the shift to the tap water supply. In S10, it is determined that four minutes have elapsed. In such a case, since the washing cannot be completed, the process proceeds from step S11 to S13, in which an abnormality is notified by, for example, sounding a buzzer, and all driving operations are stopped.

After calculating the water supply flow rate in step S15, the control unit 30 corrects the set time of the shower rinsing operation in step S55 and corrects the remaining operation time display according to the water supply flow rate. That is, first, it is determined whether or not the feedwater flow rate is 15 L / min or more (step S16). When the feedwater flow rate is 15 L / min or more, the set time of the shower rinsing operation is reduced from the standard 30 seconds to 10 seconds. To 20 seconds (step S17). Further, the display of the remaining operation time is reduced by one minute (step S18). When the water supply flow rate is not 15 L / min or more, the water supply flow rate is 10 L
/ Min is determined (step S19), and when the water supply flow rate is 10L / min or less, the set time of the shower rinsing operation is extended from the standard 30 seconds to 10 seconds to 40 seconds (step S20). . The remaining operation time display is set to 1
It is extended by an amount (step S21). Thereafter, the timer is temporarily cleared and time counting t2 is started (step S22). The processing in step S22 may be performed after the end of step S14.

As described above, in the shower rinsing operation, rinsing is performed mainly by pouring water from the water inlet 20 onto the laundry in a shower-like manner. Therefore, if the amount of water discharged from the water inlet 20 is small, Low rinsing performance per unit time. In such a case, sufficient rinsing performance is ensured by lengthening the set time of the shower rinsing operation. Conversely, when the amount of water discharged from the water inlet 20 is large, the rinsing performance per unit time is high, so that sufficient rinsing performance can be obtained in a relatively short time. In that case, by shortening the set time of the shower rinsing operation, the entire operation time required can be reduced.

Further, as described above, the remaining operation time includes the time required for supplying water, and therefore, when the flow rate of supplied water is small, the time required for supplying water tends to be longer and the overall required operation time tends to be longer. Therefore, by correcting the display of the remaining operation time in steps S18 and S21, it is possible to reduce the time error at the end of the actual operation.

During the above-described processing, bath water supply or tap water supply by the bath water pump 18 is continuously performed. Therefore, the control unit 30 calculates the actual weight based on the detection signal read from the frequency detection unit 32 in the same manner as the processing in step S9, and determines whether the actual weight has reached the set weight W2 (step S23). ). If the supplied water is insufficient for the set water amount, it is determined in step S23 that the actual weight has not reached the set weight W2, and then it is determined whether or not the time t2 of the timer has exceeded eight minutes. (Step S24). The comparison reference time at this time is the maximum time limit required for storing the set amount of water when it can be determined that the water supply is being performed normally, and assumes the lowest water supply flow rate within the allowable range. Is appropriately determined in advance. If the time t2 is within 8 minutes in step S24, the flow returns to step S23, and the actual weight is set to the set weight W2.
Is determined again.

For example, if a problem occurs in the supply of bath water after the specified amount of water is stored after the supply of bath water and before the set amount of water is stored, it is determined that eight minutes have elapsed in step S24. It is determined that the water supply is not tap water supply in step S25, and the water supply valve 16 is opened (step S26). Thereby, supply of tap water is started. On the other hand, if it is determined that eight minutes have elapsed in step S24 when tap water is already being supplied, the process proceeds from step S25 to step S27, and similarly to step S13, an abnormality is notified and the operation is stopped. Is done.

After the water supply valve 16 is opened in step S26, the process returns to step S22, where the timer t2 is cleared once and the timer starts again. If the bath water supply is performed smoothly, or if the tap water supply is performed smoothly after the transition from bath water supply to tap water supply as described above, the step is performed before the time t2 reaches 8 minutes. In S23, it is determined that the actual weight has reached the set weight W2. Then, the control unit 30 stops the operation of the bath water pump 18 (Step S28), closes the water supply valve 16 (Step S29), and ends a series of water supply processing.

As described above, in the washing machine of the above-described embodiment, the water supply is controlled by using the detection signal of the pressure sensor 40 instead of using the water level sensor generally provided in the conventional washing machine. At the same time, the water supply flow rate is estimated using the detection signal of the pressure sensor 40, and control relating to the operation depending on the water supply flow rate is realized.

Next, a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Unlike the washing machine of the above embodiment, the washing machine of this embodiment does not include a bath water pump. That is, the water supply is performed only by controlling the opening and closing of the water supply valve 16.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are control flowcharts at the time of supplying water in the washing machine of this embodiment. The same processes as those shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are denoted by the same step numbers, and description thereof will be omitted.

In this washing machine, after calculating the specified weight W1 and the set weight W2 in step S5, the water supply valve 1 is immediately turned on.
6 to start tap water supply (step S3).
1). If it is determined in step S10 or S24 that the respective comparison reference time exceeds 4 minutes or 8 minutes during water supply, it is determined that there is a problem in the tap water supply, and immediately an abnormality is notified and the operation is performed. Is stopped (step S1
3, S27). Thus, it is possible to promptly notify the user that washing cannot be performed due to a problem with tap water supply.

In each of the above embodiments, the set time of the shower rinsing operation is corrected in accordance with the flow rate of the water supply. For example, the time limit in the flow rate of the water supply clears the time limits in steps S10 and S24, but is very small. In such a case, even if the shower rinsing operation is performed, the rinsing effect may hardly be obtained. Therefore, as another embodiment of the present invention, for example, the water supply flow rate is set to a predetermined value (eg,
/ Min) or less, the reservoir rinsing may be performed once more. For example, in the washing process shown in FIG. 5, after draining in step S59, steps S57 to S57 are performed.
Step 59 is executed again to ensure sufficient rinsing performance. Of course, in this case, performing the shower rinsing operation in step S55 is a waste of time, and thus the shower rinsing operation may be omitted.

Further, in the above embodiment, the water supply capacity is estimated based on the time required for the detected weight to increase by the weight of the prescribed water amount (timed t1). The water supply capacity may be estimated based on

In the above embodiment, the pressure sensor 40 is attached to the hanging bar holder 15, but the weight of the laundry stored in the washing and dewatering tub 4 and the weight of the supplied water are detected. Any position in the washing machine may be provided as long as possible. Specifically, for example, it can be configured to be embedded in a rubber leg supporting the machine frame 1 of the washing machine to detect an external load received from the floor surface.

Further, in the above embodiment, the pressure sensor 40 is provided only in one of the four hanging bar receiving members 15, but if the pressure sensor 40 is provided in each of the hanging bar receiving members 15, Thus, accurate weight detection is possible without rotating the washing / dewatering tub 4.

Further, the weight detecting means in the washing machine according to the present invention is not limited to the pressure sensor having the above-described structure, but may employ various types of weight sensors capable of detecting the weight in real time.

Further, it is apparent that changes and modifications can be made as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. For example, in each of the above embodiments, the present invention was applied to a spiral type fully automatic washing machine in which a washing and dewatering tub was rotatably arranged about a vertical axis, but the drum was rotated about a horizontal axis. Obviously, the present invention can be applied to a freely disposed drum type washing machine.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a pressure sensor used in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the magnitude of an external load applied to the pressure sensor and inductance.

FIG. 4 is an electrical configuration diagram of a main part of the washing machine according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a standard washing process in the washing machine of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a control flowchart at the time of water supply in the washing machine of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a control flowchart at the time of water supply in the washing machine of the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a control flowchart at the time of supplying water in a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a control flowchart for supplying water in a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Machine frame 2 ... Outer tub 3 ... Hanging rod 4 ... Washing dehydration tub 7 ... Motor 15 ... Hanging rod receiving bracket 16 ... Water supply valve 17 ... Tap water supply pipe 18 ... Bath water pump 19 ... Bath water supply pipe 30 ... Control Unit 31 LC oscillator 32 Frequency detection unit 40 Pressure sensor 41 Giant magnetostrictive element 42 Coil 43 Case 44 Pressure receiving unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3B155 AA04 AA06 AA17 BB05 BB18 BB19 CB42 FA29 FD06 JB06 KA02 KA18 KA28 KB10 LB02 LB29 MA01 MA02 MA05 MA06

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. a) weight detecting means provided to detect the weight of laundry stored in a washing tub and water supplied to the washing tub; and b) the weight detecting means at the time of water supply. Flow rate calculating means for determining the feed water flow rate by measuring the time required for the detected weight to increase by a predetermined amount or the increase amount of the detected weight within the predetermined time; c) based on the feed water flow rate obtained by the flow rate calculating means A washing machine, comprising: operation control means for controlling the operation of the washing machine. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the operation control means adjusts the operation time of the dehydration rinsing operation based on the flow rate of the water supply. 3. The washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the operation control means additionally executes a pool rinse when the flow rate of the supplied water is equal to or less than a predetermined value. 4. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the operation control means corrects the display of the remaining operation time based on the flow rate of the supplied water. 5. A weight detecting means provided to detect the weight of the laundry contained in the washing tub and the water supplied to the washing tub, and b) the weight detecting means during water supply. Abnormality determination means for determining that there is a water supply abnormality when the amount of change in the detected weight within a predetermined time is equal to or less than a predetermined value; c) abnormality notification for notifying the abnormality when the abnormality determination means determines that there is a water supply abnormality. Means, and a washing machine. 6. A washing machine having a tap water supply channel provided with a water supply valve and a bath water supply channel provided with a bath water pump, wherein the bath water supply is performed by operating the bath water pump. When the abnormality determination means detects a water supply abnormality, the water supply valve is opened to supply tap water, and when the abnormality determination means detects a water supply abnormality at the time of tap water supply, the abnormality notification means is provided. The washing machine according to claim 5, wherein the alarm notifies an abnormality. 7. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the weight detecting means is a pressure sensor including a magnetostrictive element that receives an external force and a coil that detects a change in magnetic characteristics of the magnetostrictive element as a change in inductance. 7. The washing machine according to any one of 6.