JP2006136650A - Maintenance support system of washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the maintenance support system of a washing machine which can objectively grasp the previous working state of a user when abnormality is generated or a claim is received and can give suitable judgment and description as to cause. <P>SOLUTION: In the washing machine which controls each operation section by a controller 30 and performs a washing process which performs watering/stirring, a rinsing process which performs draining/drying/watering/stirring, and a drying process which performs draining/drying, the controller 30 is made to memorize time data such as watering, draining, drying at the time of two or more past wash in a memory unit 34 and to output for displaying to a displaying portion 33 and a connected personal computer, etc. the time data memorized when a predetermined instructive signal is input. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a maintenance support system for a washing machine, and more particularly to a maintenance support system for a washing machine that can output data that can be effectively used by referring to the maintenance or the failure of a washing machine.

  Conventionally, electrical equipment has been provided with self-diagnosis means for failure, and self-diagnosis data of the electrical equipment is read out at the maintenance service terminal, and the maintenance service server is accessed via the communication line, and parts and repairers necessary for maintenance are provided. In addition, there is known one that obtains information necessary for maintenance such as delivery date and cost (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, in the washing machine, the controller is provided with a self-diagnostic unit that performs self-diagnosis by inputting necessary data in the state when an abnormality or failure occurs, and a memory that stores data related to the self-diagnosis results. It is known that the self-diagnosis result is displayed on the display unit of the washing machine when the operation is stopped due to the occurrence of an abnormality.
JP 2002-297809 A

  By the way, in the configuration of the above conventional washing machine, the operation is stopped due to the occurrence of an abnormality, and the user cannot respond from the displayed self-diagnosis result and the explanation of the user's instruction manual, and maintenance / repair is performed by a maintenance service person The maintenance service person will operate the controller, operate the controller, or read the data at the time of abnormality read from the memory using the maintenance terminal, etc. Assuming the cause of the abnormality based on the manual and own experience, etc., the necessary repair work will be performed on the abnormality occurrence part, but the operating state before the occurrence of the abnormality is insufficient for the user's explanation Or it is not clear because it is inaccurate, and there is a case where the root cause cannot be resolved even if the direct failure part is repaired. There was a cormorant problem.

  In addition, although the operation did not stop due to the occurrence of an abnormality, for example, when a maintenance service person is dispatched in response to a complaint that the washing time is too long, the maintenance service person explains the user's usage status and various experiences However, there is a problem that it may not be possible to fully convince the user because it is not possible to provide an appropriate countermeasure, especially when the maintenance serviceman has little experience. there were.

  In view of the above-described conventional problems, the present invention can objectively grasp the user's previous usage state when an abnormality occurs or a complaint is received, and makes an appropriate judgment or explanation about the cause. It is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine maintenance support system.

  The washing machine maintenance support system of the present invention controls each operation unit by a controller, performs a washing process for water supply / stirring, a rinsing process for draining / dehydrating / watering / stirring, and a dehydrating process for draining / dehydrating. In the washing machine, the storage means for storing the water supply time data at the past multiple times of washing in the controller, and the data output means for outputting the water supply time data stored when a predetermined instruction signal is input Is provided. The past multiple times of washing is not limited to the past washing times, such as the previous time and the previous time, but data may be stored at multiple washing intervals. Further, at the time of output by the data output means, not only a plurality of data may be output as they are, but also may be output by performing simple data processing such as calculating and outputting an average value.

  According to this configuration, a maintenance service person operates the controller or operates a personal computer connected to the controller and inputs a predetermined instruction signal to the data output means, so that a plurality of times before an abnormality occurs or a complaint is received. Since the data related to the water supply time during washing can be displayed on the display unit of the washing machine or the display screen of the personal computer, the water supply environment of the user can be displayed as objective data. As a result, for example, if the water supply time suddenly increases, it can be determined that the water supply valve has failed or the external water supply valve has been forgotten to open. If the water supply time has been long, the water supply is affected not by the washing machine itself but by the influence of the water supply environment. Appropriate judgments and explanations regarding the occurrence of anomalies and complaints can be made, such as the fact that the user can be satisfied that the time is longer and the operation time is longer. it can.

  In the washing machine maintenance support system of the present invention, each controller is controlled by a controller to perform a washing process for water supply / stirring, a rinsing process for draining / dehydrating / watering / stirring, and draining / dehydrating. In the washing machine that performs the dewatering process, the controller stores the drainage time data in the past multiple times of washing, and the data output that outputs the drainage time data stored when a predetermined instruction signal is input And means.

  According to this configuration, the user's drainage environment can be displayed as objective data as in the case of the water supply. For example, if the drainage time suddenly increases, it can be determined that the drainage valve has failed.If the drainage time is long, the drainage can be caused by the influence of the drainage environment, such as the drainage hose, not the washing machine itself. About the cause of abnormalities and complaints, such as being able to judge that the time is getting longer, allowing the user to convince the user that the operating time is getting longer, and making suggestions for improving the installation of the washing machine, etc. Appropriate judgments and explanations can be made.

  In the washing machine maintenance support system of the present invention, each controller is controlled by a controller to perform a washing process for water supply / stirring, a rinsing process for draining / dehydrating / watering / stirring, and draining / dehydrating. In a washing machine with a drying function for performing a dehydration process and a drying process for performing drying and blowing, when a storage means for storing drying time data for a plurality of past washing operations and a predetermined instruction signal are input to the controller Data output means for outputting the stored drying time data is provided.

  According to this configuration, the user's drying environment can be displayed as objective data as in the case of water supply or drainage. For example, if the drying time suddenly increases, it can be determined that the heater or blower fan has failed. If the drying time is long, it is not the drying function itself. It can be judged that the drying time has become longer due to clogging, etc., so that the user can be convinced of the fact that the drying time is longer, and suggestions for improvement of washing machine installation and filter cleaning situation Appropriate judgments and explanations can be made about the cause of abnormalities and complaints.

  In the washing machine maintenance support system described above, if the controller has a cloth amount detection function and stores the detected cloth amount data in the storage unit together with the time data, the user can use the data based on objective data. Thus, the washing capacity can be recognized, and the time data can be understood in relation to the washing capacity. Therefore, the user's consent can be easily obtained when the operation time is long due to the large washing capacity. In particular, since the capacity is difficult to understand at the time of drying, it is effective because the drying time may become longer or wrinkles may occur due to excessive loading of the laundry. It is also possible to propose a washing capacity for efficient driving.

  Further, the controller has a function of selecting a desired washing course from a plurality of washing courses in which various combinations of washing processes are set, and stores the selected washing course in the storage unit together with time data. Then, since each said time data can be understood in relation to a washing course, a user's consent can be obtained easily. In addition, what can be determined only by information from specific people, such as questionnaires and monitors, about the actual usage of the laundry course can be obtained objective and accurate data from many people, and can be used for product development. it can.

  In addition, if the controller has a cloth balance determination function for determining the cloth balance in the drum at the time of dehydration and stores the cloth balance defect occurrence frequency data in the storage means together with the time data, the number of unbalances is large. When the operation time is long, the user can easily understand the cause of the long operation time, and the unbalance frequency is greatly influenced by the installation environment such as the installation level of the washing machine. It is possible to suggest to the user how to improve the installation environment.

  In addition, if the controller has a power supply voltage detection function and stores the detected power supply voltage together with the drying time data in the storage means, it is difficult to obtain the drying heat energy because the power supply voltage is low. When it is longer, the user can easily be convinced of the cause of the longer operation time.

  It also has connection means for connecting the controller and a personal computer carried by the maintenance service person. With the personal computer connected to the controller, the data stored in the storage means can be retrieved to the personal computer via the output means in response to a command from the personal computer. If data processing is performed on a personal computer to display a description of the fault condition or information necessary for fault repair on the display screen, for example, various information is displayed in a list on the personal computer display screen and viewed by the user. This makes it easier for the user to get the user's consent. Also, by displaying the information necessary for the failure status and repairs accurately, even an inexperienced maintenance service person can make an accurate decision. Repairs can be performed to reduce judgment mistakes and extra parts replacement, and wasteful repair costs can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to display data on the water supply time, drainage time, drying time, etc. at the time of washing a plurality of times before receiving an abnormality or claim on the display unit of the washing machine or the display screen of the personal computer. It is possible to display the influence of the user's water supply, drainage, ventilation environment, etc. as objective data, thereby narrowing down the cause of the abnormality, and the operating time is prolonged due to the environmental influence of water supply, drainage, etc. The user can be easily convinced of the actual situation, and appropriate judgment and explanation can be made about the cause of the abnormality and the cause of the complaint.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a maintenance support system for a washing machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, with reference to FIGS. 1-3, the whole structure of the drum type washing machine which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. In FIG. 1, a water tub 2 is supported in a washing machine housing 1 by a suspension structure (not shown), and a rotating drum 3 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape in the water tub 2 inclines the rotation axis direction from the horizontal direction. Are arranged. The rotating drum 3 has a bottomed cylindrical opening side on the front side of the washing machine casing 1 and a bottom side on the back side of the washing machine casing 1 so that the rotation axis direction is from the front side to the back side. It arrange | positions in the water tank 2 so that it may become a downward inclination, and is rotationally driven by the drum drive motor 5 attached to the back surface of the water tank 2 via the support shaft 4 extended from the bottom face axial center position of the rotating drum 3. .

  On the front side of the aquarium 2 is formed an opening 6 for taking in and out the laundry from the rotary drum 3, and on the inclined surface formed on the front side of the washing machine casing 1 facing this opening 6. A door body 7 is provided to be freely opened and closed. Since the opening 6 opens upward and the door body 7 is provided on the upward inclined surface, the laundry body can be easily taken in and out by opening the door body 7. By forming a part or the whole of the door body 7 with a transparent body, it becomes easy to see through the inside of the rotary drum 3 from the outside.

  Further, the agitation protrusions 8 are provided at a plurality of positions on the inner peripheral wall of the rotating drum 3, and the position of the laundry is changed by the shape of the agitation protrusions 8 and the rotation driving control of the rotating drum 3 by the drum driving motor 5 to rotate the laundry. The individual positions of the laundry that are likely to gather at the lower part of the bottom side, which is the lowest position in the drum 3, are replaced, and all the laundry is uniformly given cleaning power. An even sticking state is obtained. Moreover, in the washing machine housing | casing 1, the water supply part 10 which has the water supply valve 9 for supplying water in the water tank 2, the drain valve 11 for draining the water in the water tank 2, or the drainage part which has a drain pump 12 is disposed.

  Further, in the case of a washing machine with a drying function, as shown in FIG. 2, the air in the water tank 2 exhausted from the exhaust port 13 formed in the upper part of the water tank 2 is dehumidified by a dehumidifying conduit 14, a lint collecting filter 15, An air circulation path for drying is provided through the blower duct 16 and the heating duct 17 to blow air again from the blower opening 18 into the water tank 2. A dehumidifying means 21 including a water injection nozzle 19 for spraying cooling water and a heat exchanger 20 through which water sprinkled from the water injection nozzle 19 flows is disposed in the dehumidification conduit 14. The sprinkled cooling water flows along the bottom surface of the water tank 2 and is discharged from the drainage part 12 to the outside, as indicated by broken line arrows. A blower fan 22 is disposed at a connection portion between the blower duct 16 and the heating duct 17, and a one-way air flow is formed in the drying air circulation path. A heater 23 is disposed in the heating pipe line 17 to heat the dehumidified air and feed it into the water tank 2. The heating line 17 includes a blowing temperature sensor 24 that detects the temperature of the air blown from the blowing line 16 and a hot air temperature sensor 25 that detects the temperature of the air heated by the heater 23 and sent to the blowing port 18. Are arranged. 26 is a water injection valve for the water injection nozzle 19, and 27 is a cooling water temperature sensor provided in the drainage section 12 so as to detect the temperature of the discharged cooling water.

  The drum type washing machine having the above-described configuration performs a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dehydrating process by a control operation by the controller 30 configured as shown in FIG. 3, and a drying process is performed as necessary.

  In FIG. 3, the control unit 31 configured by a microcomputer uses a control program stored in the storage unit 34 in accordance with a setting input such as selection of a driving course input from the setting unit 32, and uses the power switching unit 35. A control command is output to the display unit 33, and information such as an operation state is displayed on the display unit 33. Further, the storage unit 34 stores data related to the state during operation, operation history, and the like. The power switching unit 35 is configured by using a switching element such as an SCR, and in response to a control command output from the control unit 31, the drum drive motor 5, the water supply valve 9, the drain valve 11 or the drain pump, the blower fan 22, and the heater 23, ON / OFF control of the water injection valve 26 and the like is performed.

  In addition, detection signals from the cloth amount detection unit 36, the cloth balance determination unit 37, and the temperature detection unit 38 are input to the control unit 31. The cloth amount detection unit 36 is configured to detect a load state received corresponding to the amount of laundry when the drum driving motor 5 rotationally drives the rotary drum 3 at a predetermined rotational speed from the input current of the driving circuit. ing. The detected cloth amount is stored in the storage unit 34 for use in the control operation. As will be described in detail later, the cloth balance determination unit 37 determines whether the laundry is evenly adhered to the inner surface of the rotating drum 3 during dehydration by detecting the rotation unevenness of the rotating drum 3. The temperature detection unit 38 receives detection signals from the blower temperature sensor 24, the hot air temperature sensor 25, and the cooling water temperature sensor 26, detects each temperature, and outputs the detected temperature signal to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 controls the hot air temperature at the time of drying, detects the degree of drying from the air temperature and the cooling water temperature, and controls the operation at the time of drying. In other words, the temperature difference between the blast temperature and the cooling water temperature is obtained, and by detecting the temperature difference exceeding the reference value of the temperature difference corresponding to the amount of change in the cooling water temperature, it is possible to prevent excessive drying by detecting the end of drying. We try to reduce power consumption without continuing. Further, the control unit 31 has a function of receiving a detection signal from a water level detection sensor (not shown) provided in the water tank 2 and determining whether or not the specified water level has been reached.

  Next, the operation of the drum type washing machine having the above configuration will be described. Open the door body 7 and put the laundry into the rotating drum 3, put in the detergent from the detergent inlet provided in the water supply unit 10, press the power-on button of the setting unit 32, and according to the type of laundry When the selection of the driving course is input and the operation input for starting the driving is performed, the driving control by the control unit 31 is started. The operation control is basically executed in the order of a washing step, a rinsing step, and a dehydration step. When a drying function is provided, the drying step is arbitrarily executed.

  First, in order to detect the amount of laundry put into the rotating drum 3, the control unit 31 outputs a control command for rotating the rotating drum 3 at a predetermined rotational speed, and rotates the rotating drum 3. The amount of laundry is detected by the cloth amount detection unit 36 and stored in the storage unit 34. Next, the control unit 31 outputs a control command to open the water supply valve 9, and water is supplied into the water tank 2 while the water supply valve 9 is opened and the detergent put in the water supply unit 10 is mixed. The amount of water supplied into the aquarium 2 is set to a water supply time corresponding to the amount of laundry detected by the cloth amount detector 36. The water level supplied to the water tank 2 is detected by a water level detection sensor (not shown), and the water supply is stopped when the water level reaches a specified water level. The water supplied into the water tank 2 is absorbed by the laundry accommodated in the rotary drum 3 through the through holes formed in the rotary drum 3. As a result, when the water level in the water tank 2 is lowered, water supply for replenishment is similarly performed.

  Next, the washing process is started, and the rotary drum 3 is rotationally driven by the drum drive motor 5. The rotary drum 3 is driven to rotate in the forward direction for a predetermined time at a predetermined rotational speed, then stopped for a predetermined time, and then rotated in the reverse direction for a predetermined time and then stopped for a predetermined time. Is performed as a cycle, and a first agitation control operation is executed that repeats the required time. The predetermined rotation speed in the first stirring control operation is such that the laundry hooked by the stirring protrusions 8 provided at a plurality of positions on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating drum 3 is lifted in the rotating direction by the rotation of the rotating drum 3, and the centrifugal force It is a rotational speed which shows the behavior which falls from the height position where own weight prevails. When the lifted laundry falls, the laundry has an action of tapping, and by repeating this, a washing action of removing dirt from the laundry that absorbs water containing detergent is performed. Moreover, since only the thing which touches the stirring protrusion 8 is extracted from the stacked laundry, the effect | action which replaces the position of a laundry is made. Further, by reversing the rotation direction of the rotary drum 3, the laundry is prevented from being twisted, and the position is effectively replaced. Since the action of tapping to lift and drop the laundry is affected by the amount of laundry accommodated in the rotating drum 3, it is more preferable to change the predetermined rotational speed according to the amount of laundry. Become.

  A more preferable effect can be obtained by executing the second stirring control operation after executing the first stirring control operation for the required time. In the second agitation control operation, the rotary drum 3 is rotated in the forward direction for a predetermined time at a predetermined rotational speed faster than that in the first agitation control operation, and then the rotation drive is stopped for a predetermined time, and then in the forward direction in the reverse direction. The control operation in which the rotation drive is stopped for a predetermined time after the rotation drive for a predetermined time at the same predetermined rotation speed as one cycle is repeated for a required time. The predetermined rotation speed in the second stirring control operation is a rotation speed at which the laundry can be stuck to the inner peripheral wall of the rotary drum 3 by centrifugal force generated by rotating the rotary drum 3. When the laundry is stuck to the inner peripheral wall of the rotating drum 3, the lump-shaped laundry is also unfolded and the laundry that has moved above the rotating drum 3 is stopped rotating for a predetermined time , It falls away from the inner peripheral wall of the rotating drum 3 that rotates by inertia. By spreading and dropping due to this sticking, the position and shape of the laundry are changed, and the action of tapping is also effectively performed.

  As the control operation for alternately executing the first and second agitation control operations is continued for the required time, the laundry is repositioned back and forth in the rotary drum 3, and at the same time, the washing with different behavior Even when the rotary drum 3 is inclined, it is possible to give an even cleaning force to all the laundry without deteriorating the cleaning performance.

  When the washing process is completed as described above, the control unit 31 shifts to the rinsing process, outputs a control command to open the drain valve 11, and discharges dirty washing water in the water tank 2. Further, the controller 31 performs a dehydrating operation of rotating the drum drive motor 5 at a high speed to dehydrate the washing water contained in the laundry. After the dehydration operation for a predetermined time has been carried out, the control unit 31 closes the drain valve 11, opens the water supply valve 9 and newly supplies water into the water tank 2, and then reverses the rotating drum 3 in the forward and reverse directions. By performing the agitation operation and executing the first agitation control operation and / or the second agitation control operation in the above-described washing process, the rinsing without rinsing unevenness is similarly performed by changing the position of the laundry. This rinsing process is normally performed twice, and after each rinsing process, a dehydrating operation is performed to dehydrate the water contained in the laundry, and the dehydrating operation in the second rinsing process is a dehydrating process.

  In order to surely perform the dehydrating operation in each of the above steps, the laundry is made to be evenly attached to the inner peripheral wall of the rotary drum 3, and the water contained in the laundry is removed from the water tank 2 through the through hole by centrifugal force. You need to get inside. If the laundry is biased in the rotating drum 3, not only will the dehydration be performed smoothly, but the rotating drum 3 may be shaken or vibrated due to the bias in the center of gravity, so the dehydration operation is started at the start of the dewatering operation. The action is executed.

  Next, the starting operation in the dehydrating operation will be described. When the dehydrating operation is started, the cloth balance determination unit 37 determines whether the cloth balance is good or bad. The determination of the cloth balance is made by detecting the rotation unevenness of the rotary drum 3, and the rotation unevenness is detected by an electrical angle so that the stator of the drum drive motor 5 composed of a DC brushless motor can face the permanent magnet of the rotor. If position detection means consisting of Hall elements are arranged at intervals of 120 degrees and pulses output from these three position detection means are not output at predetermined intervals, it is detected that the rotation drum 3 is uneven in rotation. Then, it is detected that the cloth balance is poor. Specifically, first, a predetermined initial determination value for determining the quality of the cloth balance is set, the number of determination repetitions is initialized, and then the drum drive motor 5 is moved to a first predetermined rotation speed (for example, 90 r / min). To launch. The time required to raise the drum drive motor 5 to the first predetermined rotation speed is controlled based on the stored cloth amount data. When the amount of laundry is large, the rotational speed of the drum drive motor 5 that has been raised to the second predetermined rotational speed (for example, 40 r / min) at the first predetermined time t1 is maintained until the second predetermined time t2. Thus, the first predetermined rotational speed is raised in the time up to the third required time t3. In addition, when the amount of laundry is small, the time from the second predetermined time t2 to the first predetermined rotation speed is controlled to be short. Since the centrifugal force is greater than the gravity acting on the laundry by this control, the laundry tends to stick to the inner peripheral wall of the rotating drum 3.

  If the laundry is evenly adhered to the inner peripheral wall of the rotating drum 3, the rotating drum 3 rotates normally without rotation unevenness. Therefore, in the subsequent cloth balance determination, it is determined that the balance is good. The part 31 can be dehydrated from the laundry by a dehydration operation of rotating the drum drive motor 5 at a high speed. On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination of the cloth balance that the rotating drum 3 is uneven in rotation, that is, the laundry is biased, the control unit 31 stops the rotation of the rotating drum 3 and is determined appropriately. The above startup operation is repeated until the number of repetitions is reached. It should be noted that the determination value of whether or not the cloth balance is good may be changed during the above repetition. Then, after repeating the above operation, if it is determined that the cloth balance is good, a dehydrating operation is performed to dehydrate the laundry. At that time, when the determination value is changed, it is preferable to change the dehydration rotation speed.

  If the cloth balance is not determined to be good, it is determined that the laundry state is not improved by repeated start-up operations, that is, the laundry has a complicated entanglement, and the user is notified of the laundry by anomaly notification. Encourage them to eliminate tangled things. Further, when the rotational driving direction of the rotary drum 3 when starting up to the first predetermined rotational speed is changed for each repetition, the action direction applied to the laundry is different, so that the state where the laundry is intertwined is further eliminated. It becomes easy.

  Next, in a washing machine with a drying function, a drying process can be performed as necessary after the dehydration process. When execution of the drying process is selected and input by the setting unit 32, the drum driving motor 5 rotates the rotating drum 3 to turn on the blower fan 22 and the heater 23, opens the water injection valve 26, and the water tank 2. The laundry is dried by dehumidification and heating by circulating the air through the drying air circulation path. In that case, based on the detection signal from the ventilation temperature sensor 24 and the cooling water temperature sensor 27, the temperature detection part 38 detects ventilation temperature and cooling water temperature, the control part 31 calculates | requires those temperature differences, cooling water temperature The drying process is completed by continuing the detection until the completion of the drying is detected by detecting the temperature difference exceeding the reference value of the temperature difference corresponding to the amount of change.

  In the washing machine having the basic configuration as described above, in the present embodiment, the controller 30 uses the control unit 31 to perform the water supply time, drainage time, and drying time at the previous time and two times before or after the previous washing. And the time data is stored in the storage unit 34 together with the cloth amount data detected by the cloth amount detection unit 36. Further, the selected washing course and cloth balance failure occurrence frequency data are stored together with the time data, and further, the power supply voltage is detected, and the detected power supply voltage is stored together with the drying time data.

  Further, when the maintenance service person performs a required setting operation from the maintenance setting unit 39 provided in the controller 30, the data output command signal is input to the control unit 31, and each of the data stored in the storage unit 34 is stored. Is displayed on the display unit 33.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 30 is provided with a connector 42 for exchanging data with the outside, such as a personal computer 40 carried by a maintenance serviceman. The connector 42 and the personal computer 40 are provided. A general-purpose port such as an RS232C port or a USB port can be connected via the connection means 41. As shown in FIG. 3, the controller 30 is provided with a transmission / reception unit 43 between the connector 42 and the control unit 31 for exchanging commands and data with the control unit 31. In addition, the controller 30 includes a self-diagnosis unit 44 that inputs necessary data from the control unit 31 and performs self-diagnosis when an abnormality or failure occurs, and stores the result in the storage unit 34, or when the operation is stopped. The self-diagnosis result is displayed on the display unit 33.

  In the above configuration, the maintenance service person operates the controller 30 or operates the personal computer 40 or the like connected to the controller 30, so that the water supply time and drainage time at the time of washing a plurality of times before the occurrence of an abnormality or a complaint are received. Since the data related to the drying time can be displayed on the display unit 33 of the washing machine or the display screen 45 of the personal computer 40, the user's water supply environment, drainage environment, and drying environment can be displayed as objective data. As a result, for example, when the water supply time suddenly increases, it can be determined that the water supply valve 9 has failed or the external water supply valve has been forgotten to open. It can be determined that the water supply time has become longer, and therefore the user can be convinced of the fact that the operation time is longer. If the drainage time suddenly becomes longer, it can be determined that the drainage valve 11 has failed. If the drainage time has been long, the drainage time is affected by the drainage environment, such as the drainage hose, not the washing machine itself. Therefore, the user can be convinced of the actual situation that the operation time is longer, and the improvement of the washing machine can be proposed. If the drying time suddenly becomes long, it can be determined that the heater 23, the blower fan 22 or the like is out of order. If the drying time is long, not the drying function itself but the ventilation status during drying and the filter 15 It can be determined that the drying time is getting longer due to clogging, etc., so that the user can be convinced of the fact that the drying time is getting longer, suggesting improvements to the washing machine installation and filter cleaning conditions Appropriate judgments and explanations can be made about the causes of abnormalities and complaints.

  Further, since the controller 30 has the cloth amount detection unit 36 and stores the determined cloth amount data together with the time data in the storage unit 34, the user recognizes the washing capacity based on the objective data. Since each time data can be understood in relation to it, the user's consent can be easily obtained when the operation time is long due to the large washing capacity. In particular, since the capacity is difficult to understand at the time of drying, it is effective because the drying time may become longer or wrinkles may occur due to excessive loading of the laundry. It is also possible to propose a washing capacity for efficient driving.

  Further, the controller 30 has a function of selecting a desired washing course from a plurality of washing courses in which various combinations of washing processes are set, and stores the selected washing course together with time data in the storage unit 34. Since it is doing so, since each said time data can be understood in relation to a washing course, a user's consent can be obtained easily. In addition, what can be determined only by information from specific people, such as questionnaires and monitors, about the actual usage of the laundry course can be obtained objective and accurate data from many people, and can be used for product development. it can.

  In addition, since the controller 30 has a cloth balance determination unit 37 that determines the cloth balance in the drum at the time of dewatering, and stores the cloth balance defect occurrence frequency data together with the time data in the storage unit 34, If the operation time is long due to a large number of balances, the user can easily convince the cause of the long operation time, and the number of unbalances depends on the installation environment such as the installation level of the washing machine. Because it is greatly affected, it is possible to suggest improvements to the installation environment to the user.

  Further, since the controller 30 has a power supply voltage detection function and stores the detected power supply voltage together with the drying time data in the storage unit 34, it is difficult to obtain drying heat energy because the power supply voltage is low. When the drying time is long, the user can easily be convinced of the cause of the long operation time.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, with the personal computer 40 connected to the controller 30, the various data stored in the storage unit 34 are taken out by the personal computer 40 in accordance with a command from the personal computer 40 and processed by the personal computer 40. For example, when an abnormality occurs, the data can be displayed on the display screen 45 of the personal computer 40 in a data state as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, it is displayed in which driving process the occurrence of abnormality, the operation course selected at the time of operation, the amount of laundry and dry cloth, the number of repetitions of abnormality, the number of times of previous or previous operation, the water supply time, The drainage time, drying time, the number of imbalance detections during dehydration, etc. are displayed as average values for each stroke.

  In addition, when a maintenance service person is dispatched in response to a complaint such as that it takes too much time to wash, although no abnormality has occurred, as shown in FIG. Displays the time, drying time, number of imbalance detection, selected operation course, amount of washing cloth and amount of dry cloth, etc., as well as the number of previous and previous operations, water supply time, drainage time, drying time, number of imbalance detection, etc. Is displayed as an average value for each stroke. As a result, the failure state and the information necessary for the repair can be clearly understood from the display screen 45, and even if the washing machine itself is not broken, the user can confirm that the complaint is caused by the installation environment from the display screen 45. You can explain it so that you can understand it, and you can propose countermeasures.

  In this embodiment, the drum type washing machine has been described. However, since it is not affected by the washing method, it can be used in a vertical washing machine or a vertical washing dryer.

  Although the connection means 41 is described separately from the controller 30 in FIG. 4, the connection means 41 may be built in the controller 30.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to display data on the water supply time, drainage time, drying time, etc. at the time of washing a plurality of times before receiving an abnormality or claim on the display unit of the washing machine or the display screen of the personal computer. It is possible to display the impact of the user's water supply, drainage, ventilation environment, etc. as objective data, thereby making it possible to make appropriate judgments and explanations about the cause of abnormalities and complaints. Can be used effectively.

Sectional drawing which shows the principal part structure of the drum type washing machine with which one Embodiment of the maintenance support system of the washing machine of this invention is applied. Sectional drawing which shows the principal part structure of the drum type washing machine with a drying function to which the embodiment is applied. The control block diagram of the drum type washing machine. The perspective view which shows the system configuration | structure of the embodiment. Explanatory drawing of an example of the display screen at the time of abnormality generation | occurrence | production of the embodiment. Explanatory drawing of an example of the display screen at the time of the normal claim of the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Washing machine housing | casing 3 Rotating drum 30 Controller 31 Control part 32 Setting part 33 Display part 34 Memory | storage part 36 Cloth amount detection part 37 Cloth balance determination part 40 Personal computer 41 Connection means 45 Display screen

Claims (8)

  In the washing machine that controls each operation part with the controller, performs the washing process for water supply / stirring, the rinsing process for draining / dehydrating / watering / stirring, and the dehydrating process for draining / dehydrating, the controller A washing machine comprising: storage means for storing water supply time data for a plurality of times of washing; and data output means for outputting water supply time data stored when a predetermined instruction signal is input Maintenance support system.   In the washing machine that controls each operation part with the controller, performs the washing process for water supply / stirring, the rinsing process for draining / dehydrating / watering / stirring, and the dehydrating process for draining / dehydrating, the controller A washing machine comprising: storage means for storing drainage time data for a plurality of times of washing; and data output means for outputting drainage time data stored when a predetermined instruction signal is input. Maintenance support system.   Each controller is controlled by a controller to perform a washing process for supplying and stirring water, a rinsing process for draining, dehydrating, supplying water, and stirring, a dehydrating process for discharging and dewatering, and a drying process for drying and blowing. In the washing machine with a drying function, storage means for storing drying time data at the time of a plurality of past washings in the controller, and data output means for outputting drying time data stored when a predetermined instruction signal is input And a washing machine maintenance support system.   The maintenance support system for a washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller has a cloth amount detection function, and stores the detected cloth amount data together with time data in a storage means.   The controller has a function of selecting a desired washing course from a plurality of washing courses in which various combinations of each washing process are set, and stores the selected washing course together with time data in a storage means. The maintenance support system for a washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   4. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller has a cloth balance determination function for determining a cloth balance in the drum at the time of dewatering, and stores the cloth balance defect occurrence frequency data together with time data in the storage means. A maintenance support system for the washing machine according to the above.   4. The maintenance support system for a washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the controller has a power supply voltage detection function and stores the detected power supply voltage together with the drying time data in a storage means. With connection means to connect the controller and the personal computer carried by the maintenance serviceman, with the personal computer connected to the controller, take out the data stored in the storage means through the data output means by the command from the personal computer, The maintenance support system for a washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein data is processed by a personal computer to display a description of a failure state and information necessary for failure repair on a display screen. .

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