JP2001218996A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To indicate the state of each of various operating steps of washing in an easily understandable manner. SOLUTION: Dot marks which wary from one sensing step to another are provided. Further, each of the dot marks varies by blinking a plurality of types of patterns which are different in the number of dots. In this manner, the state of progress, the state of detection, and the laundry finished state are visually indicated, which makes the state of the operating steps easy to understand.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sensor for detecting information required for various types of washing, such as a sensor for detecting a state of a washing liquid in a washing machine for washing clothes with a detergent such as liquid or powder. The present invention relates to a device for displaying a visual image easily.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional display employs a method of blinking a display light of a cloth amount and a cloth quality detection sensor to display a sensor detection state. In addition, the progress status in each step is displayed by blinking an indicator lamp.

[0003]

The above-mentioned prior art merely displays the operation of the sensor and the progress of the passage of time, and displays the finished state and the progress of the washing of the laundry at a glance. I can't say that.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to enable a visual display including a finished state of laundry that is changed by control based on sensor detection.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, different dot marks are provided for each sensing process, and the dot marks are changed while blinking several kinds of patterns having different numbers of dots. In this way, the display is made easy to understand.

According to the present invention, it is possible to inform the user of the current sensing process and to know at a glance the finished state and progress of each process.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the washing machine adopting the present invention has a construction in which an outer tub 4 is suspended by a suspension rod 2 and three or four vibration isolators in an outer frame 1 made of a steel plate.

A washing and dewatering tub 5 is rotatably provided in the outer tub 4 for storing water during washing. A large number of dewatering holes 5a are provided in the washing and dewatering tub. A pulsator 6 for washing and stirring is arranged in the center of the washing and dewatering tub. A driving motor 7, a clutch 8 for dehydration and washing switching, a drain valve motor 9 for clutch operation and opening and closing of a drain valve are installed on the bottom of the outer tub 4, and a high frequency for measuring the electric conductivity of the washing liquid is provided on the bottom side wall. The electrode portion of the conductivity sensor 10 (hereinafter referred to as the conductivity sensor) is installed so as to penetrate the bottom surface of the outer tank 4 and be immersed in water.

In FIG. 2, a conductive sensor 10 comprises an electrode portion formed by printing carbon on the surface of stainless steel or brass, and an external connection terminal portion 10c.
The outer tank 4 is adhesively fixed to the bottom of the outer tank 4 with an adhesive 11. At this time, the electrode 10b and the sensor case 10a are substantially on the same plane.

The height H from the bottom of the outer tank 4 to the electrode is
The height is set to be equal to or less than the residual water level of the residual water activation system for dehydrating from a state in which water is slightly stored in the outer tank in order to reduce the relative unbalance amount during dehydration. Further, the structure is such that no dewatering hole 5a of the washing and dewatering tub is provided at a position lower than the height H.

An operation panel 13 is provided at a rear portion of the top cover 12, and a water supply solenoid valve 14 for supplying water from a tap water tap into the tank is provided in the operation panel 13.
The outlet of the water supply electromagnet 14 supplies water directly to the washing and dewatering tub 5. A sensor water supply port 15 for supplying water between the water supply port 15a in the tub and the outer tub 4 provided in the tub cover 16 and the washing and dewatering tub 5.
b (the water supply solenoid valve 14 and the sensor water supply port 15b are connected by a flexible hose).
Approximately below the sensor water inlet 15b, the conductive sensor 10
Is located. The operation panel 13 further includes a water level sensor (not shown) for detecting the water level of the outer tub 4, a control board 17 for controlling the washing machine, and a display unit. The control board, as shown in FIG.
Microcomputer, power supply circuit, LED display circuit, external operation switch circuit, solenoid output circuit, output circuit,
And a high-frequency oscillation circuit for controlling the conduction sensor 10, a sensor reading circuit, and the like.

The conductivity sensor 10 includes an insulating transformer 17
a, through the sensor reading circuit, the change in impedance that changes according to the state between the electrodes 10b of the conductive sensor 10 (water only, detergent concentration, amount of dirt, etc.) is detected as a change in the primary side voltage of the insulating transformer 17a. To the outer tank 4 by comparison operation with data stored in advance.
It detects the type and state of the washing liquid inside and the type of clothing.

Next, an operation of the washing machine and a control method by the electric conduction sensor 10 will be described. When detergent and laundry are turned on, the power switch is turned on, a "standard" fully automatic course is set by an operation switch, and a "start" button is pressed to execute a fully automatic operation.

First, the water supply electromagnetic valve 14 is opened to start water supply. Next, when the water supply reaches the specified cloth amount sensing water level, the water supply is stopped once, and a cloth amount sensing step of stirring for about 30 seconds is executed in order to detect the amount of clothing and determine the set water level. At this time, the “cloth amount” on the display flashes to indicate the cloth amount sensing state.

Next, water is supplied to a water level automatically set according to the cloth amount, and a cloth quality sensing step for detecting the quality of clothing is executed. At this time, the display unit turns off the “cloth amount” and blinks the “cloth” to indicate the cloth sensing state. Washing, rinsing, dehydration time, method, and the like are determined by fuzzy control based on the cloth amount and the cloth sensing data, and washing is started.
At this time, the value V _WS of the conductivity after the end of the water supply is measured. At this time, only the “dirt” mark blinks in the A pattern,
Indicates the initial state of washing. Next, the conductivity V _W2 after stirring for 2 to 5 minutes is measured and stored in the microcomputer. At this time, the "dirt" mark changes while blinking from the B pattern to the C pattern depending on the degree of dirt removal. Further, the conductivity V _Wf immediately before the completion of the washing and stirring is measured. The display unit turns off all the marks if the dirt is removed, then turns off the "dirt" display and the frame to indicate the end of the washing process.

When the washing is completed, the first rinsing drainage and dehydration process is performed. The drainage at this time is performed until the water is completely drained, and the conductivity V _Df after the drainage is measured.

Next, the water supply for rinsing is started, and when the water supply to the specified water level is completed, the electric conductivity V _RS1 is measured, and the stirring of the tin is performed. Then, the first conductivity V _Rf1 of the rinse immediately before the end of the rinse and stirring is measured and stored in the microcomputer.

Next, the second drainage, dehydration and rinsing steps are performed. The second rinsing also performs substantially the same process as the first rinsing, measures the electric conductivity after the completion of water supply and immediately before the end of the rinsing and stirring, and stores the values as V _RS2 and V _Rf1 in the microcomputer. At this time, "Nigori" in the rinse display section
The display of the section flashes only in the microcomputer A in the pattern A and changes to the pattern B in blinking until the first water supply of the rinse is completed. Next, depending on the rinsing condition immediately before the end of stirring, if the sample is rinsed to the specified concentration, the pattern changes to the C pattern. Next, rinse 2
If the sample has been rinsed to the specified concentration according to the rinsing condition before the end of the second stirring, all the marks are turned off, then the letters “stain” and the frame are turned off and the end of rinsing is displayed.

When the rinsing is completed, a final dewatering process is started. During dehydration, the water contained in the laundry is centrifugal,
It is repelled by the outer tub 4, descends along the wall surface of the outer tub 4, reaches between the electrode portions of the conductive sensor 10, and the sensor output changes. As the dehydration time elapses, the amount of water coming out of the laundry gradually decreases, and the value of the electric conductivity output during dehydration approaches the value of air. Here, a threshold value V _S is provided between the electric conductivity V _Rf2 immediately before the final rinsing and stirring and the electric conductivity V _{Df of the} air measured at the time of drainage, and the time T from the start of dehydration to the time below the threshold value is measured. At this time, the “squeezing” display section changes only the “squeezing” mark while sequentially blinking from the A pattern to the C pattern according to the degree of dehydration, and at the end of the dehydration, all the marks, characters, and frames are turned off. Indicates the end of dehydration.

As described above, the electric conductivity in each of the washing steps of water supply, washing, rinsing, and dehydration is measured, and each value is stored in the microcomputer, and is compared with previously programmed data and calculated. In addition, the optimum washing course is executed by controlling the execution time and stroke of each process, and the detection state of the sensor and the progress of each stroke can be seen at a glance.

When the cloth level sensing is performed by setting the standard course and the water level is set, the standard course according to the pre-programmed cloth amount is determined. For example, cloth amount 4.0k
g, when the high water level is set, "wash 9 minutes, rinse first time dehydration 2 minutes stirring 2 minutes, rinse second time dehydration 2.5 minutes stirring 2.5
Min, dehydration 5 minutes ", and the time and number of each of the washing, rinsing, and dehydrating steps are corrected as follows.

(1) Detection of “Detergent Melting State” by Detergent Injection Method Current detergents (particularly, synthetic detergents and powdered soaps) are:
The degree of melting differs depending on the charging method. For example, when previously dissolved in water and put into the bottom of the washing tub, the detergent when washing is easy to dissolve, while the detergent when the detergent is put after putting the clothes and after detecting the cloth amount is hard to dissolve. In some cases, washing may be completed with variations in washing-off or with detergent attached to clothing. In particular, this tendency occurs as the washing capacity increases. Therefore, to solve the above problem,
The calculation of the conductivity values V _WS and V _W2 detects the degree of melting of the detergent, and corrects the washing time and the strength of the water flow.

(2) Detection of "wash-off condition" due to the amount of dirt Since the conductivity during the washing process changes depending on the amount of dirt, the result of the calculation using the values of the conductivity V _WS , V _W2 and V _Wf By detecting the degree of dirt in the washing liquid,
The type of dirt such as mud and oil dirt can be detected,
By compensating for the washing time and the intensity of the water flow, a washing machine with excellent washout can be obtained.

(3) Detection of "detergent type" Detergents are liquid and powdered detergents (synthetic detergents and powdered soaps)
The degree of change in the conductivity of the liquid detergent is small with respect to the detergent concentration, and the degree of change in the conductivity of the powder detergent is large. The type of the detergent is calculated by calculating the values of the conductivity V _Wf and V _RS1. , And correct the rinsing time and frequency and the rinsing method (reservoir or water rinsing, etc.) according to the detergent. By sufficiently rinsing soap, problems such as yellowing of clothes due to insufficient rinsing can be prevented.

(4) Change of "Rinse Condition" Depending on Detergent Solution Concentration and Clothing Type When the same rinsing method is performed, the initial detergent concentration and the final rinsing solution concentration differ depending on the type of clothes to be washed. That is, when the clothes are the same, rinsing may be insufficient when the detergent concentration is high, and may be excessive (water waste) when the detergent concentration is low. Further, in the case where the detergent liquid is the same, in the case of cotton clothing, the desorbability of the detergent is poor, so that the detergent must be sufficiently rinsed. In the case of synthetic fibers, the desorbability is good, and rinsing lightly results in sufficient rinsing.

[0027] Therefore, the operation of the detection of the rinsing degree is a value V _RS1 and V _Rf1 and V _RS2 of the conductivity V _{R f2,}
Satisfactory rinsing can be obtained by detecting the electrical conductivity of the rinsing agitation liquid, performing rinsing until the concentration falls below a predetermined concentration, and using a rinsing method according to the washing liquid concentration and the type of clothing. It is.

In particular, when the rinsing condition of the final rinsing is detected, it is determined that the rinsing is insufficient, and when the water rinsing is added for a set time, the conductivity after the completion of the water rinsing set time is measured again to determine that the rinsing is insufficient. In this case, a more satisfactory rinse can be obtained by adding an additional water rinse. When the two water-injection rinses are completed, the process proceeds to the final dehydration regardless of the degree of rinsing, and the use of a large amount of waste water due to failure or malfunction of the conductive sensor 10 is prevented.

(5) "Types of clothing (cotton, synthetic fiber, etc.)"
Considering the rinsing method and dehydration time for the quality of the clothes to be washed, cotton that is difficult to desorb moisture (including detergent) can be changed by changing the rinsing method and extending the dehydration time to reduce the rinsing condition and dehydration rate. Can be improved. In the case of synthetic fibers and blends having good desorption properties, the above performance is sufficient by rinsing and dewatering for a short time.

Therefore, the type of clothing is detected by the electric conductivity value V.
By calculating _Wf and _VRS1 , it is possible to judge the quality of clothing more accurately. Based on this data, the rinsing method and dehydration time are determined. For cotton, the dehydration rate is improved, and for synthetic fibers and blends, wrinkles are improved. The optimum rinsing and dehydration time for automatically obtaining the lowest dehydration rate are automatically set.

(6) "Water content" depending on the amount and type of laundry
Of Dehydration Time by Detecting "Amount" Dehydration time is determined according to the type of clothing in (5).
However, in actuality, the rotation speed is constant due to the amount of clothing, mechanical loss, etc.
The time to reach is different and the actual dehydration time is different
Therefore, it is necessary to correct the required dehydration time. How to correct
As described above, the conductivity of
The electric conductivity value V is detected by the sensor 10. _Rf2And V_DfWhen
The threshold V between_SIf the output of conductivity is dehydration start
Is measured until the value falls below the threshold. At this time
By adjusting the dehydration time according to the length of the interval T, the cloth
Determine the optimal dewatering time for the quantity and fabric.

The threshold value V _S is used to correct the conductivity V _Rf2 immediately before the end of the final rinsing and stirring depending on the hardness and temperature of the used water, thereby enabling highly accurate detection of the water content. The threshold value V _S is calculated by the following equation, and the optimum threshold value is determined by the value of N.

In the various detection methods using the conductivity sensor 10 having a threshold value V _S = {(V _Rf2 + V _Df ) / N} + V _Df or more, correction values are tabulated in the microcomputer for each optimum water level that matches the cloth amount and the cloth quality. By doing so, fine control is possible.

[0034]

According to the present invention, it is possible to inform the user of the current sensing process and to know at a glance the finished state and progress of each process, so that the user can leave the washing to the machine with confidence. While being able to
There is an effect that it is possible to prevent erroneously determining the operation of the washing machine and requesting repair as a failure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a washing machine equipped with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the washing liquid state detection sensor taken along line AA.

FIG. 3 is a controller block circuit diagram.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between an applied voltage frequency and conductivity.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a sensor control method in each washing step.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a sensor control method in each washing step.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a sensor control method in each washing step.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a sensor control method in each washing step.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a sensor control method in each washing step.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display unit of the washing machine.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a sensor monitor operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 ... Outer tub, 5 ... Washing and dewatering tub, 6 ... Pulsator, 7 ... Motor, 10 ... Conductivity sensor.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A washing machine comprising a sensor for detecting the degree of dirt and a display unit for displaying the degree of progress of washing, wherein the display unit changes the number of dots for displaying the degree of progress according to the degree of dirt. A washing machine characterized by being made to work. 2. A washing machine comprising: a sensor for detecting a degree of dirt; and a display unit for displaying a state of progress of washing, wherein the display unit has an area composed of a plurality of display dots,
A washing machine characterized in that light emission in the area is reduced as dirt is removed.