JP2006116177A - Drum type washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drum type washing machine which accurately detects the localization of laundry so as not to turn a water tub housing a rotary drum to an abnormal vibration and abnormal noise generation state due to the localization of the laundry or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The drum type washing machine is provided with a displacement sensor 36 for detecting the displacement of the water tub 3 and a rotation speed detection means 24 for detecting the rotation number of a drum driving motor 5. In a dehydration process, clothes unbalance is judged by rotation number variation by the rotation number detection means 24 in the first cloth balance judgement process of making judgement at a rotation speed lower than the rotation speed corresponding to the resonance frequency of a water tub unit 7 and the clothes unbalance is judged by the displacement sensor 36 in a second cloth balance judgement process after that. Thus, the localization of the laundry is accurately detected and operation control not generating abnormal vibration or abnormal noise is made possible. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a drum-type washing machine that performs a washing, rinsing, and dewatering process by rotationally driving a rotating drum containing laundry.

  Since the drum-type washing machine is disposed in the water tub with the rotating drum centered in the horizontal or horizontal direction, when the laundry is stored in the rotating drum and rotated, Since laundry and water tend to be biased downward, vibration is likely to occur. In particular, when performing a dehydration process in which the rotating drum is rotated at a high speed to dehydrate the laundry, the laundry containing water is stored in the rotating drum after the washing or rinsing process is completed. Depending on the type, fabric or shape, there is a state where the rotating drum tends to gather at the biased position during rotation of the dehydration process, and if the laundry is biased, a large vibration will occur in the water tank that houses the rotating drum, Abnormal noise is generated. When a large vibration occurs, a control operation for eliminating the bias of the laundry is performed by a drive control for temporarily stopping the rotation of the rotary drum and then a re-rotation or a drive control for reducing the rotation speed of the rotary drum. Yes.

  When large vibrations occur, it is necessary to quickly detect the vibrations and perform corresponding control. As a means for detecting vibrations, vibrations are generated from the output current of the inverter circuit that controls the induction motor that rotates the rotating drum. An abnormal vibration detection method for a washing machine that detects occurrence and outputs an overvibration warning is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, a sensor that detects the shaking of the aquarium is provided, the transition from the washing or rinsing process to the dehydration process is controlled based on the vibration detection output detected by this sensor, and the dehydration operation is stopped by detecting abnormal vibration during the dehydration process. A method of operating a washing machine that performs control is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-170080 JP-A-61-098286

  However, the method of detecting the vibration from the change in the output current of the inverter circuit is a method of indirectly estimating the abnormal vibration. The bias of the laundry appears in the effective current value of the induction motor, and the unbalanced state is abnormal vibration. It is estimated that it leads to. However, the change in the effective current value of the induction motor is affected by mechanical factors such as the bearing of the motor other than when the laundry is biased, and the current setting for over vibration detection is based on the variation. Since the value is determined, there has been a problem that the excessive vibration warning is issued more than necessary and the rotation is stopped.

  In the operation method in which the vibration of the water tank is detected by the sensor, the amplitude of vibration is small even when the balance is unbalanced due to the way the laundry is stuck to the drum inner surface when the balancing process is performed by low-speed rotation. Abnormal vibration cannot be detected, and when the rotating drum is rotated at a high speed, it becomes a large vibration, and it is detected as an abnormal vibration for the first time, so detect whether abnormal vibration occurs before reaching high speed rotation. I can't. Therefore, there is a possibility that the laundry and the washing machine may be damaged before the abnormal vibration is generated and stopped, and there is a problem that a lot of wasted time is required until the rotating drum is stopped.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a drum type having a function of accurately determining the balance state of the laundry in the rotating drum according to the rotating speed of the rotating drum and reliably reducing vibration and noise during dehydration. It is to provide a washing machine.

  In order to achieve the above object, a drum-type washing machine according to the present invention includes a rotating drum that accommodates laundry and has a central axis of rotation in a horizontal direction or an inclined direction, and includes the rotating drum rotatably. A water tank elastically supported on the drum, a drum drive motor that rotationally drives the rotary drum, a rotation speed detection means that detects a rotation speed of the drum drive motor, and a displacement detection means that detects a displacement of the water tank, And a control means for controlling the drum drive motor by inputting signals from the rotational speed detection means and the displacement detection means, and the control means is configured to wash the rotary drum on its inner peripheral wall during a dehydration operation in each stroke. A first dehydration start-up step of starting up to a first predetermined rotational speed at which an object is likely to stick, and the inner circumference while the rotary drum is rotating at the first predetermined rotational speed. A first cloth balance determining step for determining whether or not the laundry is evenly adhered to the first cloth, and when the balance is determined to be good in the first cloth balance determining step, from the first predetermined rotation speed A second dewatering start-up step for starting up to a second predetermined rotational speed, and a second cloth for determining whether or not the laundry is evenly adhered to the inner peripheral wall during the second dehydration start-up step A balance determination step can be executed, and in the first cloth balance step, the cloth balance is determined based on the fluctuation range of the rotation speed detected by the rotation speed detection means, and in the second cloth balance determination step, Determines the cloth balance based on the displacement detected by the displacement detecting means.

  Thereby, the kinetic energy due to the unbalanced centrifugal force of the laundry is small with respect to the weight of the water tank unit in which the rotating drum, the water tank and the water tank unit are integrated and the braking force of the vibration damping damper attached to the water tank, In the first cloth balance determination step of determining the cloth balance at a rotation speed at which the swinging (displacement) of the water tank unit is small, the cloth balance is determined based on the fluctuation range of the rotation speed detected by the rotation speed detecting means, and the rotation speed is determined. In the second cloth balance determination step of determining the cloth balance at a rotational speed at which the kinetic energy increases and the displacement of the water receiving unit increases relatively, the displacement detecting means that directly detects the displacement of the water tank unit. By determining the cloth balance based on the detected displacement, the laundry balance is accurately and appropriately determined according to the rotational speed of the rotating drum. Can determine the status, by performing the rotation control of the drum drive motor based on the determination result, vibration can be effectively reduced noise.

  According to the present invention, the laundry balance state can be accurately and appropriately determined in accordance with the rotational speed of the rotating drum, and the rotation of the drum drive motor is controlled based on the determination result. Vibration and noise can be effectively reduced.

  The first invention includes a rotating drum that accommodates laundry and has a central axis of rotation in a horizontal direction or an inclined direction, a water tub that rotatably includes the rotating drum and elastically supported in a washing machine body, From a drum drive motor for rotating the rotary drum, a rotation speed detection means for detecting the rotation speed of the drum drive motor, a displacement detection means for detecting the displacement of the water tank, the rotation speed detection means, the displacement detection means, etc. And a control means for controlling the drum drive motor, wherein the control means has a first predetermined rotational speed at which the laundry tends to stick to the inner peripheral wall of the rotary drum in a dewatering operation in each stroke. A first dehydration start-up step of starting up to a position and whether the laundry is evenly attached to the inner peripheral wall while the rotary drum is rotating at the first predetermined rotational speed. A first cloth balance determination step for performing the determination, and a second dehydration that rises from the first predetermined rotation speed to the second predetermined rotation speed when the balance is determined to be good in the first cloth balance determination step A first cloth balance determining step for determining whether or not the laundry is evenly attached to the inner peripheral wall during the second dehydrating and starting step; In the cloth balance step, the cloth balance is determined based on the fluctuation range of the rotation speed detected by the rotation speed detector, and in the second cloth balance determination step, the cloth balance is determined based on the displacement detected by the displacement detector. The drum type washing machine is characterized in that the weight of the water tank unit integrating the rotating drum, the water tank and the water tank unit, and the vibration isolation attached to the water tank. In the first cloth balance determination step of determining the cloth balance at a rotational speed where the kinetic energy due to the unbalanced centrifugal force of the laundry is small with respect to the braking force such as the impeller and the swinging (displacement) of the aquarium unit is small, The cloth balance is determined based on the fluctuation range of the rotation speed detected by the rotation speed detecting means, and the cloth balance is adjusted at a rotation speed at which the kinetic energy increases and the displacement of the water receiving unit becomes relatively large as the rotation speed increases. In the second cloth balance determining step for determining, the laundry is determined by the displacement detected by the displacement detecting means for directly detecting the displacement of the aquarium unit, so that the laundry is accurately and appropriately determined according to the rotational speed of the rotating drum. The balance state can be determined, and by controlling the rotation of the drum drive motor based on the determination result, vibration and noise during the dehydration process Can be effectively reduced.

  In the second invention, in particular, the control means of the drum type washing machine of the first invention corresponds to the first predetermined rotation speed corresponding to the resonance frequency of the water tank unit in which the rotating drum, the water tank, the drum drive motor and the like are integrated. By controlling the rotation speed to be lower than the rotation speed to be performed, the balance state of the laundry can be determined until the rotation degree of the rotating drum reaches a rotation speed corresponding to the resonance frequency of the water tank unit in the dehydration process. Large vibration and noise at a rotational speed corresponding to the resonance frequency of the water tank unit can be prevented.

  In the third aspect of the invention, in particular, the control unit of the drum type washing machine of the first or second aspect of the invention determines the cloth balance in the second cloth balance determination step in each of a plurality of different rotational speed increasing sections. By controlling so that the cloth balance is determined, the cloth balance corresponding to the rotation speed of the rotating drum is determined, so that the cloth balance can be accurately determined, and vibration and noise during the dehydration process can be further effectively reduced.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, the drum type washing machine according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention includes a cloth amount detection means, and the control means determines the cloth balance in the first cloth balance step. The determination value of at least one of the determination value of 1 and the second determination value for determining the cloth balance in the second cloth balance step is varied according to the cloth amount detected by the cloth amount detection means. This makes it possible to set appropriate judgment values according to the characteristics (vibration mode) of the aquarium unit's run-out associated with the tendency of weight change and unbalance position due to the amount of cloth, and more accurate Good detection can be possible.

  In the fifth invention, in particular, the displacement detection means of the drum type washing machine according to any one of the first to fourth inventions includes one excitation coil and at least two detection coils arranged coaxially with the excitation coil. And a core movable at the axial center of the excitation coil and the detection coil, and either the detection coil or the core is configured to move in conjunction with the displacement of the water tank. Thus, two displacements having different characteristics can be detected. For example, cloth amount detection and clothing imbalance detection can be performed, and the detection can be accurately and simply performed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a main configuration of a drum type washing machine 1 according to the embodiment. In the washing machine housing 6, the rotating drum 2 is accommodated in the water tub 3, and the rotating shaft 2 a of the rotating drum 2 is pivotally supported by a bearing 68 provided on the back surface of the water tub 3 and a drum driving motor is connected to the rotating shaft 2 a. The water tank unit 7 connected to 5 is inclined to the front-up state. Since this water tank unit 7 has heavy components such as the bearing 68 and the drum drive motor 5 attached to the back side thereof, the position of the center of gravity tends to be close to the back and becomes unstable. A first coil spring 71 is supported between the upper support fitting 75 fixed to the upper part of the water tank 3 and the upper surface of the washing machine housing 6 by supporting the water tank unit 7 below the front side from the center of gravity position by 70. The water tank unit 7 is urged toward the front side by the above, and a second coil spring 72 is installed between the back surface below the support height position by the vibration damping damper 70 and the back surface of the washing machine housing 6. Thus, it is corrected that the water tank unit 7 supported by the anti-vibration damper 70 nearer to the front side than the center of gravity position falls to the back side, and is configured to have a high vibration damping effect.

  A rotating drum 2 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape is rotatably supported in the aquarium 3, and the rotating drum 2 is rotated by a drum drive motor 5 attached to the back surface of the aquarium 3 so that the rotation speed can be changed and the rotation direction can be switched. Driven. Further, since the rotary drum 2 is inclined so that the rotation axis direction thereof is inclined downward from the front side to the back side as shown in the drawing, the inclination formed on the front side of the washing machine casing 6 When the door body 9 that can be opened and closed on the surface is opened, there is no need to bend in the operation of putting the laundry in and out of the rotating drum 2, and there is a space on the front side of the drum type washing machine 1. Since it is not necessary to ensure, it can be comprised in the drum type washing machine 1 which can be installed also in narrow spaces, such as a washroom.

  Although not shown in the drawings, the drum type washing machine has a drying function provided with a blower fan that blows warm air in the rotating drum 2 and a heater that generates warm air, and the like, and a series of processes including washing, rinsing, dehydration, and drying. There is provided a control device for controlling the driving operation based on the instruction input from the user and the operation state monitoring of each part.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control device rectifies AC power 31 by a rectifier 32 and drives the drum by an inverter circuit 26 using DC power smoothed by a smoothing circuit including a choke coil 33 and a smoothing capacitor 34 as drive power. The motor 5 is driven to rotate, and the rotation of the drum drive motor 5 is controlled based on the driving instruction input from the input setting means 21 and the monitoring information of the driving state detected by each detecting means, and the load driving means 37 supplies water. The operation of the valve 14, the drain valve 13, the blower fan 17, and the heater 18 is controlled.

  The drum drive motor 5 includes a stator having three-phase windings 5a, 5b, and 5c, and a rotor having a two-pole permanent magnet, and is configured as a DC brushless motor provided with three position detection elements 24a, 24b, and 24c. Then, the rotation is controlled by the PWM control inverter circuit 26 constituted by the switching elements 26a to 26f. The rotor position detection signals detected by the position detection elements 24a, 24b, and 24c are input to the control means 20, and on / off states of the switching elements 26a to 26f are PWM-controlled by the drive circuit 25 based on the rotor position detection signals. Thus, energization of the three-phase windings 5a, 5b, and 5c of the stator is controlled to rotate the rotor at a required rotational speed. The control means 20 detects the period each time the signal state of any of the three position detection means 24a, 24b, 24c changes, and calculates the rotational speed of the rotor from the period (rotation speed detection means).

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, between the lower support bracket 74 to which the anti-vibration damper 70 that supports the aquarium unit 7 from below is attached and the support base 73 fixed to the base of the washing machine housing 6, A displacement sensor (displacement detection means) 36 is attached.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the displacement sensor 36 includes a detection coil portion 40 and a displacement rod portion 41 that is configured to move forward and backward within the detection coil portion 40. In the displacement sensor 36, a lower mounting plate 46 having a lower universal joint 44 provided at the lower end of the detection coil portion 40 is mounted on a support base 73, and an upper mounting plate 47 having an upper universal joint 45 provided at the upper end of the displacement rod portion 41. Is attached to the lower support fitting 74, and the displacement amount of the water tank unit 7 due to the vibration is detected following the vibration of the water tank unit 7 in the three-dimensional direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the detection coil unit 40 is obtained by covering a coil body 57 in which three windings 61, 62, and 63 wound around a bobbin 60 are connected to a connector 65 with a resin mold body 67, The rod body 43 of the displacement rod portion 41 is configured to be slidably fitted on the outer periphery of a cylinder body 58 into which the rod body 43 is movably fitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the coil body 57 has a primary winding 61 wound around a substantially central portion of a bobbin 60 provided with winding connection rods 59a, 59b, 59c. The second secondary winding 63 is wound so as to partially overlap, the first secondary winding 62 is wound between the winding connection rods 59a and 59b, and the ends of each winding are connected to the respective winding connection rods 59a, A three-winding coil in which three windings are wound around a bobbin 60 is obtained by soldering to six connection members 64 embedded in 59b and 59c. As shown in the displacement amount detection circuit of FIG. 8, the three windings of the primary winding 61, the first secondary winding 62, and the second secondary winding 63 have their one line ends at the ground potential and the other lines. The ends are individually connected by wiring to a four-terminal connector 65 so as to be pulled out independently. As shown in FIG. 5, the four connection plates 66 a, 66 b, 66 c, 66 d, one end of which is an extension of the connection blades of the four terminals of the connector 65, are soldered to predetermined portions of the connection member 64. Each winding is finished in a state of being connected to the connector 65 without wiring. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the coil body 57 is externally exposed at the insertion portion of the connector 65 and is covered with a resin mold body 67 to improve moisture resistance and vibration resistance.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when a push-up spring 78 is arranged on a flange 69 formed below a cylinder body 58 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shaft shape, and a coil body 57 is fitted thereon, the coil body 57 is biased upward by the push-up spring 78, so that the cylinder body 58 holds the coil body 57 by screwing the nut 79 into the threaded portion 58a formed at the upper end of the cylinder body 58. The height position of the coil body 57 inserted into the cylinder body 58 can be adjusted by the screwing position of the nut 79. As shown in FIG. 5, a slit is formed at the lower end of the bobbin 60 exposed below the resin mold body 67 of the coil body 57, and a convex portion formed at the fitting portion of the push-up spring 78 of the cylinder body 58. The coil body 57 is held on the cylinder body 58 so as not to rotate because the coil body 57 (not shown) is fitted into the notch portion of the cut.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the displacement rod portion 41 fitted into the cylinder body 58 of the detection coil portion 40 having the above-described configuration is circular in a rod body 43 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shaft shape. A ferrite (magnetic body) 42 formed in a columnar shape is inserted, a spacer 48 formed of a non-magnetic material is inserted thereon, a pressing spring 49 is disposed on the spacer 48, and a spherical shape of the upper universal joint 45 is provided at one end. By screwing the cap 50 in which the body 45a is formed into a screw portion formed at the upper end of the rod body 43, the ferrite 42 is fixed in a fixed position. Due to the structure in which the ferrite 42 is fixed at a predetermined position by this spring bias, it is possible to prevent the displacement rod body 41 from being deformed due to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the rod body 43 and the ferrite 42 which are resin materials. Since the temperature change of the washing machine is severe, such a structure that prevents deformation due to thermal expansion is suitable for application to the washing machine.

  Further, since the ferrite 42 is obtained by pressure-molding and sintering the raw material powder, the ferrite 42 is easily broken by an impact or the like, but even if it is broken in the rod body 43, the hollow portion is pressed by the pressing spring 49. Since it is pressed on the step, no electrical influence is maintained. Accordingly, the ferrite 42 does not necessarily have a predetermined length, and a plurality of short lengths can be stacked and stored, so that it is flexible such as application of a standard size product or application of a short size that is difficult to break. Correspondence is possible. Further, it is desirable that the pressing spring 49 is made of a non-magnetic material, and the pressing spring 49 acts like an extension of the ferrite 42 that is a magnetic body, so that the effect of regulating the length of the ferrite 42 is not impaired. . Here, since the ferrite 42 is urged by the pressing spring 49 via the spacer 48 which is a nonmagnetic material, the pressing spring 49 may be either a magnetic material or a nonmagnetic material, and the range of material selection is expanded. can do. Further, by providing a space on the inner tip side of the rod body 43 and forming a drain hole 51 that opens from the space to the outside, even when condensation occurs inside the rod body 43 due to a temperature change. Condensed water can be discharged.

  The rod body 43 of the displacement rod portion 41 having the above-described configuration is inserted into the cylinder body 58 of the detection coil portion 40 so as to be movable forward and backward, and operates like a relationship between the piston and the cylinder. It is necessary to reduce the coefficient of friction with the body 58. In general, the friction coefficient can be reduced by applying a lubricant such as grease to the sliding part, but fiber powder and dust are likely to adhere to the applied lubricant, and the performance should be maintained over a long period of time. Is difficult. Here, the rod body 43 and the cylinder body 58 are constituted by a combination of materials having a small friction coefficient between them and good wear resistance. For example, by forming one side with polyacetal and the other side with polyamide, a state with less sliding friction can be obtained without using a lubricating material, and these materials are also excellent in wear resistance. It is valid. Further, when the rod body 43 suddenly advances and retracts in the cylinder body 58, the air in the cylinder body 58 is compressed or expanded, so that the resistance to the forward and backward movement applied by the displacement rod portion 41 is eliminated. In addition, it is preferable to provide an air vent hole 80 that opens from the inside of the hollow portion to the outside at the lower end side of the cylinder body 58. The air vent hole 80 is also effective for discharging moisture or condensed water that has entered the cylinder body 58.

  The displacement sensor 36 is disposed between the aquarium unit 7 and the base portion of the washing machine housing 6 as shown in FIG. 1 to detect the amount of displacement of the aquarium unit 7. Is a three-dimensional direction, and the base portion of the washing machine housing 6 is in a constant state, so that an attachment structure that does not break or come off the installation position due to the shake of the water tank unit 7 is required.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the displacement rod portion 41 forms a spherical body 45 a at the upper end of the cap 50 screwed to the upper end of the rod body 43, and is attached to the lower support metal fitting 74 fixed to the water tank unit 7. The upper mounting plate 47 to be mounted is formed with a bowl-shaped body 45b having an inner diameter corresponding to the diameter of the spherical body 45a, and an upper universal joint 45 is formed by fitting the spherical body 45a into the bowl-shaped body 45b. In addition, the detection coil unit 40 forms a spherical body 44 a at the lower end of the cylinder body 58, and the bowl-shaped body 44 b is attached to the lower mounting plate 46 that is attached to the support base 73 fixed to the base of the washing machine housing 6. The lower universal joint 44 is formed by fitting the spherical body 44a into the bowl-shaped body 44b. Due to the mounting structure of the displacement sensor 36 provided with the upper and lower universal joints, the displacement sensor 36 flexibly follows the shake of the water tank unit 7 and moves forward and backward with respect to the detection coil 40 of the displacement rod 41 corresponding to the shake amount. A quantity is obtained.

  As described above, the detection coil unit 40 is provided with the connector 65, and lead connection is made to the connector 65. Therefore, when the detection coil unit 40 rotates, the lead connected to the connector 65 may be disconnected or disconnected. Accordingly, the lower universal joint 44 is formed with a rotation prevention structure that prevents the rotation of the detection coil unit 40 while maintaining a free movement.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of cylindrical protrusions 52a and 52b projecting from the spherical surface to both sides in the diameter direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod body 43 are formed on the spherical body 44a constituting the lower universal joint 44. Has been. Engagement grooves 53a and 53b are formed in positions corresponding to the cylindrical protrusions 52a and 52b in the bowl-shaped body 44b corresponding to the spherical body 44a. As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 7, the engagement grooves 53a and 53b are formed on the cylindrical protrusions 52a and 52b with the shaft-shaped inner periphery of the rod body 43 and the center of the spherical body 44a as the center of rotation. It forms on the locus | trajectory of the cylindrical protrusion 52a, 52b when it falls in the position direction. Since the cylindrical protrusions 52a and 52b are formed in the diameter direction of the spherical body 44a, the cylindrical protrusions 52a and 52b are held in the engaging grooves 53a and 53b even if the axis C of the rod body 43 is tilted in the 360 degree direction. can do. Accordingly, although the universal joint 44 maintains the free movement due to the engagement of the spherical body 44a and the bowl-shaped body 44b with respect to the swing of the detection coil section 40 in the 360 degree direction, the detection coil section 40 is rotated around its axis. The rotation is prevented from the cylindrical protrusions 52a and 52b being fitted in the engaging grooves 53a and 53b. Further, the cylindrical protrusions 52a and 52b protruding from the spherical body 44a on both sides are formed so as to have different diameters, and the engagement grooves 53a and 53b corresponding to the respective cylindrical protrusions 52a and 52b are also formed to have different widths. Thus, the mounting direction of the detection coil unit 40 can be restricted, and the wiring connection to the connector 65 can be kept constant.

  The spherical body 44a and the bowl-shaped body 44b constituting the lower universal joint 44 and the spherical body 45a and the bowl-shaped body 45b constituting the upper universal joint 45 also have the sliding relationship between the rod body 43 and the cylinder body 58 described above. Similarly, the spherical bodies 44a and 45a and the bowl-shaped bodies 44b and 45b are formed of a combination of materials with a small friction coefficient so that the friction coefficient becomes small. In this configuration, since the spherical body 44a is integrally formed at one end of the cylinder body 58, the lower mounting plate 46 and the cylinder body 58, which are integrally formed with the bowl-shaped body 44b, are formed of different types with different friction coefficients. By configuring in combination, an engagement relationship with good slidability can be obtained without applying a lubricant such as grease to the sliding portion. Similarly, in the upper universal joint 45, the upper mounting plate 47 formed integrally with the flange 45b and the cap 50 formed integrally with the spherical body 45a are configured in a combination of different forming materials. For example, it is preferable that one of the combinations of the forming materials having a small friction coefficient is polyacetal and the other is polyamide.

  In order to configure the opposing member of the sliding contact portion to be a combination of materials having a small friction coefficient as described above, the constituent material of each component in the entire displacement sensor 36 is formed as described below. It is preferable to select the material. The sliding contact portions are the upper and lower universal joints 44 and 45 as described above, and are sliding portions between the rod body 43 and the cylinder body 58.

  Engagement grooves 53a and 53b are formed in the hook-shaped body 44b provided on the lower mounting plate 46 to prevent the detection coil portion 40 from rotating, but the hook-shaped body 45b provided on the upper mounting plate 47 is engaged. Even if the joint grooves 53a and 53b are formed, there is no hindrance to the free movement of the spherical body 45a. Therefore, the upper mounting plate 47 and the lower mounting plate 46 can be common parts. Assuming that the material section for forming the upper mounting plate 47 and the lower mounting plate 46 by resin molding is (B), a cylinder body 58 and a cap integrally formed with spherical bodies 44a and 45a facing the bowl-shaped bodies 44b and 45b, respectively. The material classification for forming 50 by resin molding is (C). Further, since the forming material for resin-molding the rod body 43 slidingly moving in the cylinder body 58 is different from the forming material for the cylinder body 58, the material classification is (B). Since the rod body 43 is provided with the cap 50 and the spherical body 45a is integrally formed on the cap 50, such a material division is possible, and the sliding contact portion is made of a material (B) (C) having a small friction coefficient. It becomes possible to face each other. The material section (B) can be selected as, for example, polyacetal, and the material section (C) can be selected as, for example, polyamide.

  Moreover, since the displacement sensor 36 can detect the displacement in the substantially same direction as the axial center direction of the vibration damping damper 70, the vibration of the water tank unit 7 can be accurately detected. Furthermore, since the mounting of the displacement sensor 36 can share a metal fitting for mounting the vibration damping damper 70, there is no waste of providing a separate mounting member for mounting the displacement sensor 36, and a reliable mounting is possible. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the displacement sensor 36 is attached to the lower support bracket 74 and the support base 73, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. It is possible to carry out by a simple operation of simply inserting the stop protrusion 55 into the mounting hole formed in the lower support fitting 74 or the support base 73. That is, the engagement piece 54 formed in a bent shape is inserted into the hole formed in the lower support bracket 74 or the support base 73 from an oblique direction, and the locking projection 55 is lowered so that the mounting surface and the mounting surface are parallel to each other. When pushed into the hole formed in the support fitting 74 or the support base 73, the detent formed on the locking projection 5 is locked to the edge of the hole, so that it can be mounted without using fastening means such as screws. it can.

  Like the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment, the aquarium unit 7 is disposed in a diagonally upward direction, and a position closer to the front side than the center of gravity is supported by the anti-vibration damper 70 from below, and the first and second In the case where the vibration damping structure in which the water tank unit 7 is elastically held at a predetermined position by the coil springs 71 and 72 is applied, the action of the vibration damping damper 70 appears particularly remarkably. By mounting the displacement sensor 36 in substantially the same direction as the vibration damping direction, the displacement of the water tank unit 7 can be detected more reliably.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the displacement detection of the water tank unit 7 by the displacement sensor 36 is performed by connecting an oscillation circuit 81 and a detection circuit 82 to a connector 65 provided in the detection coil unit 40. When the aquarium unit 7 is at a predetermined position and is not displaced, the ferrite 42 is located at the reference position where the amount of movement of the displacement rod portion 41 relative to the detection coil portion 40 does not change. When a constant output excitation signal is applied to the first secondary winding 62, the signal output excited by the first secondary winding 62 and the signal output excited by the second secondary winding 63 are in a constant state. The oscillating circuit 81 applies a sine wave or triangular wave having a predetermined frequency as an excitation signal to the primary winding 61, and thereby detects signal outputs excited by the first secondary winding 62 and the second secondary winding 63, respectively. By rectifying and smoothing at 82, a voltage output corresponding to the displacement is obtained.

  Here, since the reference position is an empty state in which the laundry is not stored in the rotary drum 2 and the lower end of the ferrite 42 is substantially in the same position as the lower end of the primary winding 61, the reference position is set. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, when the height position of the detection coil portion 40 biased upward by the push-up spring 78 by rotating the nut 79 is adjusted with respect to the displacement rod portion 41, Can be adjusted. Since the ferrite 42 is not visible, the output signal of each of the first secondary winding 62 and the second secondary winding 63 is output from the detection circuit 82 as a voltage corresponding to the reference position when the rotary drum 2 is empty in the setting operation. It can be easily adjusted by rotating the nut 79 as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the displacement rod portion 41 moves forward and backward in the detection coil portion 40 as the water tank unit 7 is displaced, the position of the ferrite 42 changes, so that the first secondary winding 62 is excited. The voltage obtained from the output signal by the detection circuit 82 becomes a change curve as shown in A1 in the figure. In the illustrated example, the change is almost linear within a range of 10 mm on the extension side and 15 mm on the compression side with respect to the reference position. Since the expansion / contraction range is within a range in which the laundry can be stored in the rotary drum 2, the sinking position of the water tank unit 7 is displaced depending on the amount of the laundry put into the rotary drum 2. The obtained output voltage of the detection circuit 82 can also be used for cloth amount detection.

  On the other hand, the output voltage obtained by the detection circuit 82 from the output signal excited by the second secondary winding 63 changes as shown in A2 in the figure. In the range of 10 mm on the extension side and 40 mm on the compression side from the reference position, there is a substantially linear change. This is the maximum in which the laundry is stored in the rotating drum 2 and water enters the water tank 3 in the washing process. Since the load can be covered, the change in the output voltage obtained by the detection circuit 82 from the output signal of the second secondary winding 63 is suitable for displacement detection accompanying the vibration of the water tank unit 7.

  The aquarium unit 7 generally has a plurality of resonance frequencies. For example, one of the rotation speeds corresponding to the resonance frequency is in the vicinity of 120 r / min (referred to as the primary resonance rotation speed), and the other is in the vicinity of 250 r / min (referred to as the secondary resonance rotation speed). It is in. Furthermore, it exists at 1000 r / min or more.

  The drum-type washing machine 1 configured as described above opens the door body 9, puts the laundry into the rotating drum 2, and selects the operation course from the input setting means 21 provided at the upper front side of the washing machine casing 6. By performing the input and the operation start input, the operation operation corresponding to the instructed operation course is started, and the required operation is executed under the control of the control means 20. The amount of laundry put into the rotary drum 2 is detected by the cloth amount detection means 30, and the control means 20 controls the opening and closing of the water supply valve 14 so that a water supply amount corresponding to the amount of laundry is obtained. The amount of water supplied into the water tank 3 is monitored by the detection means 16. In the cloth amount detection, since the current flowing through the inverter circuit 26 changes according to the load state received by the drum drive motor 5 when the rotary drum 2 is started up at a predetermined rotation speed, the resistor 28 connected in series with the current circuit. The amount of current is detected by the current detection circuit 29 from the both-end voltage, and the cloth amount detection means 30 detects the amount of laundry from the amount of current. Since the cloth amount can be detected by the displacement sensor 36 described above, the current detection means 27 constituted by the resistor 28 and the current detection circuit 29 is configured to be used for torque detection of the drum drive motor 5. You can also.

  Here, the operation in the dehydration process will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, when the dehydration process starts in step 100, a draining operation for draining the washing water in the water tank 3 is performed in step 101. Thereafter, after initialization of data (N = 1) in step 102, in order to loosen the clothes in step 103, the rotating drum 2 is rotated forward at a third predetermined rotational speed (for example, about 40 r / min). Reverse operation (unraveling process) is performed. Next, in step 103, the laundry is gradually raised to a fourth predetermined rotational speed (about 70 r / min) that allows the laundry to stick to the inner surface of the rotary drum 2. Thereafter, the rotational speed of the rotary drum 2 is further increased, and in step 104, the rotary drum 2 is maintained at a first predetermined rotational speed lower than the primary resonance rotational speed (for example, about 90 r / min) for a predetermined time. I do. At this time, if it is detected that the signals from the rotational speed detection means (position detection means 24a, 24b, 24c) are not output at a predetermined interval, the rotational drum 2 is in a state of uneven rotation, i.e. It can be determined that the cloth is poorly adhered to the peripheral wall and the cloth balance is poor. Therefore, the balance state of the laundry in the rotary drum 2 can be determined by setting the fluctuation range of the rotation speed of the drum drive motor 5 as the cloth balance determination value. That is, the difference between the control target rotation speed and the actual rotation speed (rotation unevenness) is integrated by the rotation speed detection means in this section, and the laundry balance state is determined.

  If it is determined that the rotation unevenness is large and the balance state is poor, the rotary drum 2 is stopped at 107 through step 106, 1 is added to N at step 108, and the process returns to step 103. When the operations of Steps 103 to 108 are repeated a predetermined number of times, that is, when N = 4 in Step 106, the process proceeds to Step 109, and the laundry bias correction operation such as water supply is performed, and the process proceeds to the next step of Step 114. .

  If it is determined in step 105 that the rotation unevenness is small and the balance is good, the rotational speed is further increased, and in step 110, the water tank in the section A: 100 to 140 r / min (near the primary resonance rotational speed) When the vibration displacement of the unit 7 is detected by the displacement sensor 36 and the vibration displacement is equal to or greater than the first determination value, it is determined that the cloth balance state is bad, and the process returns to step 103 through steps 106 to 108. . If the vibration displacement is less than the first determination value in step 110, it is determined that the cloth balance state is good, and the process proceeds to step 111.

  In step 111, the current detection means 27 detects the current flowing through the inverter circuit 26. At this time, even if it is determined in step 110 that the vibration displacement of the water tank unit 7 is small and the cloth balance is good, the laundry is away from the corresponding position of the displacement sensor 36, for example, when it is biased to the front side of the rotary drum 2. Although the vibration displacement detected by the displacement sensor 36 is small, the actual vibration displacement of the aquarium unit 7 is large, and a so-called soot-flooding phenomenon in which only the front side pivots greatly occurs. As a result, abnormal vibration and noise are generated. Therefore, when such a dust tree phenomenon occurs, the rotary drum 2 does not rotate smoothly. Therefore, an abnormal load is applied to the drum drive motor 5, and an overcurrent flows through the inverter circuit 26. It will be. That is, in step 111, the current flowing through the inverter circuit 26 is detected by the current detection means 27. If the current value is equal to or greater than the first predetermined value, it is determined that the cloth balance state is bad, and steps 106 to 108 are performed. Then, the operation returning to step 103 is performed. In step 111, if the current flowing through the inverter circuit 26 by the current detection means 27 is less than the first predetermined value, it is determined that the cloth balance state is good, and the process proceeds to step 112.

  In Step 112, when the vibration displacement of the water tank unit 7 in the section B: 141 to 330 r / min (near the secondary resonance rotation speed) is detected by the displacement sensor 36 and the vibration displacement is equal to or greater than the second determination value. Then, it is determined that the cloth balance state is bad, and the operation returns to step 103 through steps 106 to 108 as in the case of step 110. If the vibration displacement is less than the second determination value in step 112, it is determined that the cloth balance state is good, and the process proceeds to step 113.

  In step 113, the current detection means 27 detects the current flowing through the inverter circuit 26. Also in this case, the abnormal vibration of the water tank unit 7 is detected as in step 111. If the current flowing through the inverter circuit 26 is detected by the current detection means 27 and the current value is equal to or greater than the second predetermined value, it is determined that the cloth balance state is bad, and the operation returns to step 103 through steps 106 to 108. Do. If the current flowing through the inverter circuit 26 by the current detection means 27 is less than the second predetermined value, it is determined that the cloth balance state is good, and the process proceeds to step 114.

  In step 114, vibration displacement of the aquarium unit is directly detected by the displacement sensor 36 in section C: 600 to 700 r / min (vibration convergence, stable rotation speed range), and an unbalanced state is determined.

  Here, when the vibration displacement is less than the third determination value, it is determined that the cloth balance state is good, and the process proceeds to step 115. In step 115, the rotary drum 2 is rotated at a second predetermined rotational speed (maximum rotational speed: for example, about 900 r / min) for a first predetermined time, and then the rotation of the rotary drum 2 is stopped in step 116. In step 117, the process proceeds to the next process.

  If the vibration displacement is greater than or equal to the third determination value in step 114, it is determined that the cloth balance state is bad, and the process proceeds to step 118. In step 118, the rotary drum 2 is rotated for a second predetermined time longer than the first predetermined time at a fifth predetermined rotation speed (for example, about 800 r / min) lower than the second predetermined rotation speed. Thereafter, the rotation of the rotary drum 2 is stopped at step 116 and the process proceeds to the next step at step 117.

  At this time, since the second predetermined time is set longer than the first predetermined time by the amount that the fifth predetermined rotation speed is lower than the second predetermined rotation speed, the predetermined dewatering performance can be ensured.

  Since the vibration state of the water tank unit 7 in the vicinity of the primary resonance rotation speed to be determined, the vicinity of the secondary resonance rotation speed, the vibration convergence, and the stable rotation speed range is different depending on the resonance frequency of the water tank unit 7. By setting the determination value for each, it is possible to determine the cloth balance more appropriately and accurately.

  In general, when the amount of laundry is small, the laundry is gathered on the bottom side of the rotating drum 2 so that the rear part of the water tank unit 7 is easily shaken. Tend to be smaller. In addition, since the weight of the water tank unit 7 (anti-vibration damper 70) is small due to its low weight, it is difficult to contact members such as the washing machine casing 6. Furthermore, if moisture is removed from the laundry due to dehydration, the amount of unbalance tends to decrease significantly, so even if there is a slight amount of vibration, the possibility of large vibrations is low. The value can be set loosely.

  On the other hand, when the amount of laundry is large, an imbalance occurs also on the door body 9 side of the rotating drum 2 away from the center of gravity of the aquarium unit 7, so that the vibration of the entire aquarium unit 7 is likely to increase, Since the sinking of the water tank unit 7 (vibration damper 70) is also large, it is easy to come into contact with members such as the washing machine housing 6. Furthermore, since it is difficult for moisture to escape from the laundry even after dehydration, vibrations are unlikely to decrease, and there is a high possibility that large vibrations will occur. Therefore, it is necessary to set a judgment value for cloth balance judgment strictly.

  That is, the determination value for determining the cloth balance in steps 105, 110, 112 and 114 and the predetermined value of the current flowing in the inverter circuit 26 in steps 111 and 113 are set to appropriate values according to the amount of laundry. Judgment with high accuracy is possible.

  As described above, the drum type washing machine according to the present invention can accurately and appropriately determine the laundry balance state according to the rotation speed of the rotating drum, and the rotation of the drum drive motor can be determined based on the determination result. By controlling, vibration and noise during the dehydration process can be effectively reduced. Therefore, not only drum-type washing machines but also drum-type washing / drying machines having a drying function, or rotating shafts are omitted. The present invention can also be applied to uses such as a fully automatic washing machine and a fully automatic washing / drying machine having a vertical direction.

Sectional drawing which shows the principal part structure of the drum type washing machine which concerns on embodiment The circuit diagram which shows the structure of the control apparatus of a drum type washing machine same as the above The perspective view which shows the structure of a displacement sensor Sectional view showing the configuration of the displacement sensor The perspective view which shows the structure of the coil body which comprises a displacement sensor. Perspective view showing the structure of the lower universal joint Cross-sectional view of a bowl-shaped body constituting the lower universal joint Circuit diagram showing configuration of displacement detection circuit using displacement sensor Graph showing change in output voltage obtained from displacement detection circuit Flow chart of dehydration process of drum type washing machine

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Drum type washing machine 2 Rotating drum 3 Water tank 5 Drum drive motor 6 Washing machine housing (washing machine body)
20 control means 24 position detection means (rotational speed detection means)
36 Displacement sensor (displacement detection means)

Claims (5)

A rotating drum that accommodates the laundry and has a rotation center axis in the horizontal or inclined direction, a water tank that rotatably includes the rotating drum and is elastically supported in the washing machine body, and rotationally drives the rotating drum The drum drive motor, the rotation speed detection means for detecting the rotation speed of the drum drive motor, the displacement detection means for detecting the displacement of the water tank, and the signals from the rotation speed detection means and the displacement detection means are input. Control means for controlling the drum drive motor, wherein the control means raises the rotating drum to a first predetermined rotational speed at which the laundry easily sticks to the inner peripheral wall in the dehydrating operation in each stroke. A dehydration start-up step and a first determination of whether or not the laundry is evenly adhered to the inner peripheral wall while the rotating drum is rotating at the first predetermined rotation speed. A second dehydration start-up step for starting up from the first predetermined rotation speed to a second predetermined rotation speed when the balance is determined to be good in the first cloth balance determination step; A second cloth balance determination step for determining whether or not the laundry is evenly adhered to the inner peripheral wall during the second dehydration start-up step, and in the first cloth balance step, The cloth balance is determined based on the fluctuation range of the rotation speed detected by the rotation speed detection means, and the cloth balance is determined based on the displacement detected by the displacement detection means in the second cloth balance determination step. Drum-type washing machine featuring. The control means sets the first predetermined rotation speed to a rotation speed lower than a rotation speed corresponding to a resonance frequency of a water tank unit in which a rotary drum, a water tank, a drum drive motor and the like are integrated. Drum-type washing machine. 3. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the control means performs the determination of the cloth balance in the second cloth balance determination step in a plurality of different rotation speed increasing sections. A cloth amount detection means is provided, and the control means includes a first determination value for determining the cloth balance in the first cloth balance process and a second determination value for determining the cloth balance in the second cloth balance process. The drum type washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the determination values is varied in accordance with the amount of cloth detected by the cloth amount detecting means. The displacement detection means includes one excitation coil, at least two detection coils arranged coaxially with the excitation coil, and a core movable at the axial center of the excitation coil and the detection coil. The drum type washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein either one of the coil and the core moves in conjunction with displacement of the water tank.

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