JP2011067295A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing machine capable of effectively washing or drying articles to be washed or dried by uniformly blowing steam thereto. <P>SOLUTION: The laundry 30 to be washed or dried is accommodated in a rotary drum 3 and the weight of the laundry 30 is detected. The rotating speed of the laundry 30 is determined according to the detected weight. The washing machine is constituted such that the laundry 30 is moved to the inner face side of the rotary drum 3 and is stuck to the inner face of the rotary drum 3 by a centrifugal force when rotating the rotary drum 3 around a center shaft. Steam is blown to the laundry 30 by discharging the steam from the steam discharging opening 8 to a cavity formed by the rotating laundry 30 rotating while sticking to the inner face of the rotary drum 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine that controls the rotation of a rotating drum that accommodates an object to be washed or dried.

  A washing machine having a clothes drying function generally performs a washing process and a drying process in one washing and dewatering tank (hereinafter referred to as a water tank). In the washing process, the clothes and the washing liquid (detergent) are stirred in the water tank to remove the dirt on the clothes, and then rinse and dehydration are performed with the rinse liquid. In the drying process, the clothes in the water tank after dehydration are heated to dry the clothes. Since the drying process is performed after the washing process, the clothes are wrinkled in the washing process, and if the drying process is performed in this state, the clothes are dried in a state where the wrinkles are hardened.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a washing machine that sprays mist on wrinkled clothing and then stirs the clothing while applying warm air to dry the clothing without leaving wrinkles. The washing machine described in Patent Document 1 determines the time for spraying mist based on the amount of clothing in the water tank. The mist is supplied into the water tank for the determined time, and then warm air is supplied to the clothing. As a result, the clothes can be dried while stretching the wrinkles.

Japanese Patent No. 3669319

  However, it is necessary to spray mist evenly over the entire clothing in order to stretch the wrinkles of the clothing, but when the clothing becomes partially solidified in the water tank, the mist is sprayed only on the clothing surface, You may not be able to get enough wrinkles.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine capable of effectively washing and drying by spraying steam evenly on an object to be washed or dried. It is in.

  The washing machine according to the present invention is a washing machine that rotates a bottomed cylindrical storage tub that stores an object to be washed or dried around a central axis. Injecting means for injecting steam toward the part is provided.

  In the present invention, since the object in the storage tank is moved to the inner surface side of the storage tank by centrifugal force by rotating the storage tank, the object is not solidified from the lower side of the storage tank to the central axis (not stacked). ) When the container is rotated, the steam is sprayed from the opening to the center, and the steam is blown onto the object, so that the object is more evenly than when the steam is sprayed onto the object solidified on the central axis. Can be steamed. Moreover, when it rotates so that a target object may stick to the inner surface of a storage tank, the cavity by a target object is formed on the central axis containing the center part of a storage tank. And a vapor | steam can be sprayed more uniformly with respect to a target object by injecting a vapor | steam to the center part, ie, the formed cavity part.

  As a result, when drying an object, it is impossible to remove wrinkles in the area where the steam was not blown even if the object was stretched after drying. Wheat can be removed with steam. In addition, when washing an object, the temperature of the object can be increased efficiently, so that the cleaning power can be improved.

  The washing machine according to the present invention further includes weight detection means for detecting the weight of the object stored in the storage tub, and when the weight of the object detected by the weight detection means is a predetermined value or more, The storage tank is rotated at a higher rotational speed than when the weight is less than the predetermined value.

  In the present invention, as the weight of the object increases, the rotational speed of the storage tank is increased. When the number of rotations is increased when the number of objects is small, the objects are extremely stuck to the inner surface of the storage tank, there are no gaps between the objects, and the injected vapor adheres only to the surface of the objects. On the other hand, when the number of rotations is insufficient when there are many objects, the object does not stick to the wall surface of the storage tank, and the object is solidified in the storage tank, so that steam is injected only to a part of the object. Therefore, by increasing the rotation speed of the storage tank as the weight of the object increases, it is possible to uniformly inject the steam onto the object.

  The washing machine according to the present invention further includes a blower fan that blows air into the storage tub, and a fan rotation control unit that controls rotation of the blower fan, wherein the fan rotation control unit rotates the blower fan. In this case, the number of revolutions when the spraying means sprays steam is lower than when the steam is not sprayed.

  In the present invention, when steam is blown into the storage tank during jetting, steam cannot be jetted onto the object due to the influence of the wind, so during the jetting of steam, by reducing the rotational speed of the blower fan, The injection of steam can be prevented.

  In the present invention, when an object is dried, wrinkles in a portion where the steam is not sprayed even if the object is stretched after drying cannot be removed, but the steam is evenly sprayed on the object, so that the object is attached to the object. Wrinkles can be removed with steam. In addition, when washing an object, the temperature of the object can be increased efficiently, so that the cleaning power can be improved.

It is a perspective view showing roughly the appearance of the whole washing machine concerning an embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the washing machine in the II-II line shown in FIG. It is the figure which looked at the inside of the exterior of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1 from the front. It is side surface sectional drawing of a steam generator. It is the schematic which shows the structure of a steam injection opening. It is a control block diagram of the washing machine which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure showing typically the state where laundry was made to stick to the inner wall of a rotating drum with centrifugal force. It is a flowchart for determining the number of rotations of the rotating drum, which is executed at the start of the drying process. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing of CPU in a drying process in order.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a washing machine according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the overall appearance of the washing machine according to the present embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the washing machine taken along line II-II shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view of the inside of the exterior of the washing machine shown in FIG.

  The washing machine 1 according to the present embodiment includes an exterior 10. The exterior 10 has a front surface that curves forward and a circular insertion port (not shown) is formed above the approximate center of the front surface so as to open obliquely upward. The outer door 11 is rotatably attached to the insertion port by a hinge (not shown). An inner door 12 is attached to the inner side of the outer door 11. The inner door 12 is attached so as to open and close in conjunction with the opening and closing of the outer door 11. Specifically, the inner door 12 is also opened by opening the outer door 11, and the inner door 12 is also closed by closing the outer door 11.

  In the exterior 10, a bottomed cylindrical water tank 2 for storing washing water is disposed. The front surface of the water tank 2 is open, and the water tank 2 is disposed sideways so that the opening faces the charging port of the exterior 10. More specifically, the water tank 2 is inclined so that the central axis forms an angle of 5 ° to 30 ° with respect to the horizontal direction, the upper part is a support spring (not shown), and the lower part is the support dampers 13 and 13. Etc. are elastically supported. A packing (not shown) made of an elastic material such as rubber or soft resin is fixed to the opening of the water tank 2, and when the inner door 12 is closed, the inner door 12 is in close contact with the packing, The liquid is prevented from leaking outside.

  Washing water is supplied to the water tank 2 from a water supply duct 19 shown in FIG. The water tank 2 is provided with a drain outlet for draining the washing water, and an internal drain hose 14 is connected to the drain outlet. The internal drain hose 14 is connected to an external drain hose 16 via a drain valve 15 provided at the bottom of the water tank 2. The drain valve 15 is opened and closed by a drain motor (not shown). By opening and closing the drain valve 15, washing water containing detergent in the water tank 2 is drained through the internal drain hose 14 and the external drain hose 16. A circulation pump 17 is provided at the bottom of the water tank 2, and the circulation pump 17 supplies water flowing from the internal drain hose 14 into the water tank 2 again via the circulation hose 18.

  In the water tank 2, a bottomed cylindrical rotary drum (storage tank) 3 for storing the laundry 30 is rotatably arranged. The rotating drum 3 is disposed so that the opening portion faces the opening portion of the water tank 2 and the central axis is parallel to the central axis of the water tank 2. Therefore, the central axis of the rotating drum 3 is inclined so as to form an angle of 5 ° to 30 ° with respect to the horizontal direction.

  A plurality of small holes 31 are provided in the entire peripheral wall of the rotating drum 3. The small hole 31 is for circulating wash water or dry air between the space between the water tank 2 and the rotary drum 3 and the space in the rotary drum 3. A baffle 32 is provided on the inner wall surface of the rotating drum 3 so as to protrude inward in the radial direction. The baffle 32 is configured so as to perform a tapping action of lifting the laundry 30 upward and dropping it from above as the rotary drum 3 rotates. Further, a fluid balancer 33 is fixed to the periphery of the opening of the rotary drum 3 to prevent vibration during rotation.

  The rotary drum 3 is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 4a. The shaft portion 4 a is connected to the drum motor 4 at the rear end, and transmits a rotational driving force to the rotary drum 3. The rotation of the drum motor 4 is controlled by the control unit 20 disposed at the lower part in the washing machine 1. In the present embodiment, the rotating drum 3 rotates at a rotational speed corresponding to the weight of the laundry 30.

  A steam generator 7 that generates steam is disposed above the water tank 2. The steam generator 7 is connected to a steam injection port 8 disposed at the upper part of the opening of the water tank 2 through a heat-resistant silicon hose 7a. The steam generated in the steam generator 7, that is, steam, is jetted into the rotary drum 3 from the steam injection port 8 at about 100 ° C. through the silicon hose 7a during the washing process or the drying process. By ejecting steam into the rotating drum 3, the temperature of the laundry 30 in the rotating drum 3 can be raised. As a result, the detergency can be increased during the washing process, the wrinkles fixed to the laundry 30 can be removed during the drying process, and the softness, that is, the elasticity of the clothing can be maintained, and the touch or texture can be dried well.

  FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the steam generator 7.

  The steam generator 7 has a metal box-shaped tank 71, and the whole is heated. An intake port 72 for taking water into the inside is provided at the upper portion of the tank 71. A steam pump (not shown) is connected to the intake port 72. The steam pump controls the amount of water supplied from the water supply duct and sends it out to the steam generator 7. Water taken into the tank 71 from the intake 72 is heated to become steam. A discharge port 73 for discharging the steam generated inside is provided at the lower part of the tank 71. A silicon hose 7 a is connected to the discharge port 73. The silicon hose 7 a is connected to the steam injection port 8. The steam generated in the tank 71 is ejected from the steam injection port 8 into the rotary drum 3 through the silicon hose 7a. The thermistors 74 and 74 for measuring the temperature of the tank 71 are embedded in the lower portion of the tank 71. The thermistors 74 and 74 are connected to the control unit 20 and transmit the detected temperature to the control unit 20.

  In addition, not only the amount of steam discharged from the steam generator 7 but also the temperature of the steam can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of water sent to the steam generator 7 by the steam pump. For example, when the temperature of the steam from the steam generator 7 is high, the temperature of the steam can be lowered by increasing the amount of water sent from the steam pump to the steam generator 7.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the steam injection port 8.

  The steam injection port 8 is disposed at a position on the inner side of the inner door 12 when the inner door 12 is closed at the upper opening of the water tank 2. The steam injection port 8 has a bottomed cylindrical shape, and a conical nozzle (injection means) 81 is disposed inside. The nozzle 81 ejects steam in the axial direction toward the opening of the steam injection port 8. In addition, the jet direction of the steam from the nozzle 81 is the radial direction of the opening of the water tank 2. Further, the opening of the steam injection port 8 is provided with a convex portion 82 on a half circumference portion of the inner wall. The convex portion 82 is inclined from the inner wall of the steam injection port 8 toward the opening, and is D-shaped when the opening of the steam injection port 8 is viewed from the axial direction. The steam sprayed from the nozzle 81 hits the convex portion 82, bends to the opposite side to the convex portion 82 as shown by the arrow in the figure, and is ejected from the opening portion of the steam ejection port 8. The steam injection port 8 is provided in the water tank 2 so that the inclination angle of the convex portion 82 is designed so that the direction in which the steam is ejected is substantially at the center of the rotating drum 3. The nozzle 81 may be disposed obliquely so that steam is directly jetted from the nozzle 81 to the approximate center of the rotary drum 3.

  A steam thermistor 83 (see FIG. 3) is disposed in the vicinity of the steam injection port 8. The steam thermistor 83 detects the temperature of the steam ejected from the steam ejection port 8. By detecting the temperature of the steam, it is detected whether the steam is properly coming out from the steam injection port 8. The temperature detected by the steam thermistor 83 is transmitted to the control unit 20.

  A cooling duct 6 is connected to the back side of the water tank 2. The cooling duct 6 extends in the vertical direction on the back side of the water tank 2, and is connected to an exhaust duct 9 (see FIG. 2) disposed in the upper part of the water tank 2. The exhaust duct 9 is provided with a drying fan for blowing air for sending air, a fan motor for rotating the drying fan, and a filter for removing yarn waste mixed with the blowing, which are not shown. When the drying fan rotates, the air in the water tank 2 flows into the cooling duct 6. The air flowing into the cooling duct 6 is cooled and dehumidified by water supplied from a cooling water supply hose (not shown) in the cooling duct 6, and flows upward in the cooling duct 6 to flow into the exhaust duct 9. Flows in.

  Although the exhaust duct 9 is interrupted in FIG. 2, the exhaust duct 9 extends toward the front side. The exhaust duct 9 is connected to an air supply duct 91 (see FIG. 3) provided on the front side of the exterior 10. The air supply duct 91 is provided with a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater 92 for heating the air in the air supply duct 91. Above the water tank 2, a hot air outlet 93 that blows out hot air is disposed, and the air heated by the air supply duct 91 is blown out from the hot air outlet 93 toward the inside of the water tank 2.

  A water temperature thermistor (not shown) is disposed at the lowermost part of the cooling duct 6. In the exhaust duct 9, an exhaust thermistor (not shown) is disposed on the upstream side of the drying air flow of the drying fan. The water temperature thermistor and the exhaust thermistor are connected to the control unit 20, and each of the water temperature thermistor and the exhaust thermistor detects the temperature and transmits the detected temperature to the control unit 20.

  An operation circuit 40 is disposed above the water tank 2. A control unit 20 is disposed below the water tank 2. The operation circuit 40 receives a signal from the operation panel 10 a when the user operates the operation panel 10 a disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the exterior 10 in order to operate the washing machine 1. A control signal is transmitted to the arranged control unit 20. The control unit 20 transmits a control signal to each member of the washing machine 1, such as the drum motor 4, the drain valve 15, and the circulation pump 17, and controls the operation of each member.

  FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of the washing machine according to the present embodiment.

  The control unit 20 serving as the center of the control operation provided in the washing machine includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a memory 22, a timer 23, an I / O 24, and the like. The CPU 21 outputs necessary control instructions to various control parts in the washing machine 1. The memory 22 stores information necessary for executing the calculation of the CPU 21 and stores a control program and the like necessary for instructing the control instruction for controlling each peripheral device from the CPU 21. The timer 23 outputs necessary time information according to an instruction from the CPU 21. The I / O 24 enables data communication between the control unit 20 and the peripheral device.

  As peripheral devices, a drum motor 4, a steam heater 75, a drain valve 15, a circulation pump 17, an operation circuit 40, a water supply valve 41, a pump motor 42, and the like are provided in the washing machine 1. The water supply valve 41 supplies water to the water tank 2 through the water supply duct 19 by opening. The pump motor 42 drives a steam pump that sends water to the steam generator 7.

  In addition, a fan motor 43, a water temperature thermistor 44, an exhaust thermistor 45, a rotation detection sensor 46, thermistors 74 and 74, a steam thermistor 83, a PTC heater 92, and the like are further provided in the washing machine 1 as peripheral devices. The fan motor 43 is a motor that rotates the drying fan of the exhaust duct 9. The rotation detection sensor 46 detects the rotation of the drum motor 4.

  The CPU 21 receives an instruction of various operation buttons provided on the operation panel 10a via the operation circuit 40, and outputs a predetermined control signal to each peripheral device according to the instruction to control driving. The CPU 21 opens the water supply valve 41 that can be electromagnetically opened and closed at a predetermined timing. Thereby, water etc. are supplied in the water tank 2 through the water supply duct 19. Further, the CPU 21 drives the circulation pump 17 to supply water flowing from the internal drain hose 14 into the water tank 2 through the circulation hose 18.

  The CPU 21 acquires the lowest temperature in the cooling duct 6 detected by the water temperature thermistor 44, and acquires the temperature on the upstream side of the drying fan in the exhaust duct 9 detected by the exhaust thermistor 45. The CPU 21 calculates the drying rate of the laundry 30 accommodated in the rotating drum 3 from the value of the temperature difference between the temperature detected by the water temperature thermistor 44 and the temperature detected by the exhaust thermistor 45. Further, the CPU 21 controls the PTC heater 92 and adjusts its temperature. Further, the CPU 21 controls the fan motor 43 to supply the air heated by the PTC heater 92 into the water tank 2 through the air supply duct 91 by the rotation of the drying fan of the exhaust duct 9.

  The CPU 21 drives the steam heater 75 to heat the tank 71 of the steam generator 7 and drives the pump motor 42 at a predetermined timing to supply water from the steam pump to the steam generator 7. . As a result, steam generated by the steam generator 7, that is, steam is jetted into the rotary drum 3 from the steam injection port 8.

  The CPU 21 controls the rotation of the fan motor 43 so that the number of rotations of the drying fan differs depending on whether the steam is injected from the steam injection port 8 or not. For example, when steam is injected from the steam injection port 8, the CPU 21 controls the rotation of the fan motor 43 so that the rotational speed of the drying fan is 3000 rpm. When steam is not ejected from the steam ejection port 8, the CPU 21 controls the rotation of the fan motor 43 so that the rotational speed of the drying fan is 4500 rpm. In this way, by reducing the rotation speed of the drying fan during the steam injection, the spray direction of the steam injected from the steam injection port 8 toward the central portion of the rotating drum 3 is prevented from being shifted due to the air blow by the drying fan. can do.

  The CPU 21 controls the rotation of the drum motor 4 to rotate the rotating drum 3. Further, the CPU 21 utilizes the rotation detection sensor 46 and the like, based on the time from when the rotation drum 3 stops (rotation of the drum motor 4) to when the rotation drum 3 stops, based on the time from when the rotation drum 3 stops. The amount of the laundry 30 inside is detected.

  When the rotation of the drum motor 4 is controlled in the drying process, the CPU 21 controls the rotation of the drum motor 4 so that the laundry 30 sticks to the inner wall side of the rotating drum 3 by centrifugal force. Specifically, the CPU 21 detects the amount of the laundry 30, and when the detected amount of the laundry 30 is 1 kg or less, the CPU 21 determines the rotational speed of the rotary drum 3 to be 80 rpm. When the detected amount of the laundry 30 is 1 to 3 kg, the CPU 21 determines the rotational speed of the rotary drum 3 to be 130 rpm. When the detected amount of the laundry 30 is 3 kg or more, the CPU 21 determines the rotational speed of the rotary drum 3 to be 200 rpm. The CPU 21 controls the rotation of the drum motor 4 so that the rotating drum 3 rotates at the determined number of rotations.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the laundry 30 is stuck to the inner wall of the rotary drum 3 by centrifugal force. By controlling the rotation of the drum motor 4 at the number of rotations determined by the CPU 21, the laundry 30 can be stuck to the inner wall of the rotating drum 3, and as a result, there is a hollow around the central axis corresponding to the central portion of the rotating drum 3. Is formed. Therefore, when steam is injected from the steam injection port 8, the steam is injected into the formed cavity. Thereby, since the laundry 30 which sticks to the inner wall of the rotating drum 3 and rotates can be sprayed from the inside, the entire laundry 30 can be sprayed with steam.

  The washing process, the rinsing process, the dehydrating process, and the drying process performed using the washing machine 1 configured as described above will be described below in the order of the processes with reference to FIGS.

  First, the user opens the outer door 11 and the inner door 12, puts the laundry 30 into the rotating drum 3, and then closes the inner door 12 and the outer door 11. The user puts the detergent in the detergent case and, if necessary, the finishing agent in a finishing agent case (not shown). The finish may be added during the washing process or the rinsing process.

  Next, when the user operates the operation panel 10a, the control unit 20 controls each member of the washing machine 1 according to the conditions, and performs a washing process, a rinsing process, a dehydrating process, and a drying process continuously or independently. Here, the case where all the processes of a washing process, a rinse process, a dehydration process, and a drying process are performed is demonstrated.

  Next, when the user presses the start button on the operation panel 10a, the outer door 11 and the inner door 12 are locked, and the drain valve 15 is closed. And the water supply valve 41 is opened, and tap water is supplied in the water tank 2 from the water supply duct 19 through a detergent case. In this way, the washing process is started. When a water level sensor (not shown) detects that the water level in the water tank 2 has reached a predetermined value, the water supply valve 41 is closed and then the circulation pump 17 is driven. Then, the rotating drum 3 is rotated by the drum motor 4 according to the rotation chart for the washing process, and the steam generator 7 is driven.

  The water supplied into the water tank 2 is supplied into the rotary drum 3 by the circulation pump 17 through the internal drain hose 14 and the circulation hose 18. The water supplied into the rotary drum 3 flows out into the water tank 2 through the small hole 31 and is circulated again by the circulation pump 17. The circulation pump 17 is driven for a predetermined time and stops when the predetermined time elapses.

  When the drum motor 4 rotates forward and backward, the rotating drum 3 also rotates forward and backward in the same manner. When the rotating drum 3 rotates, the baffle 32 fixed to the inner peripheral wall surface of the rotating drum 3 lifts the laundry 30 and drops it downward. In this way, the washing process is performed using a so-called tapping effect. Further, water is appropriately supplied to the steam generator 7, and steam is generated by the steam generator 7. Then, the cleaning power is improved by spraying steam into the rotary drum 3 from the steam injection port 8 and heating the laundry 30 with steam.

  When the washing process is completed, the drain valve 15 is opened, and water is drained from the external drain hose 16 to the outside of the exterior 10. When the drainage is completed, an intermediate dehydration process is performed in which the rotary drum 3 is rotated at a high speed on the rotation chart for the intermediate dehydration process. In the intermediate dehydration process, the water contained in the laundry 30 is discharged to the inner wall surface of the water tank 2 through the small holes 31 provided in the peripheral wall of the rotating drum 3 due to the centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotation of the rotating drum 3. The water flows down along the inner wall surface of the water tank 2 and is drained from the external drain hose 16 to the outside of the exterior 10 through the drain valve 15.

  When the intermediate dehydration process is completed, the program proceeds to the rinsing process. After the drain valve 15 is closed, the water supply valve 41 is opened and tap water is supplied to the water tank 2. When it is detected by a water level sensor (not shown) that the water level in the water tank 2 has reached a predetermined value, the water supply valve 41 is closed. After the water supply valve 41 is closed, the circulation pump 17 is driven for a predetermined time, and the rotating drum 3 is rotated by the drum motor 4 in accordance with the rotation chart for the rinsing process. When the rinsing process is completed, the drain valve 15 is opened, and water is drained from the external drain hose 16 to the outside of the exterior 10. When drainage is completed, the process proceeds to an intermediate dehydration process.

  After the intermediate dehydration process and the rinsing process are repeated a plurality of times, the process proceeds to the final rinsing process. In the final rinsing process, the water supply valve 41 is opened, and the soft finish in the detergent case is supplied from the water supply duct 19 to the water tank 2 as water containing the soft finish.

  When the final rinsing process is completed, the drain valve 15 is opened and the rinse liquid is drained from the external drain hose 16 to the outside of the exterior 10. When the drainage is completed, the rotary drum 3 is rotated at a high speed in accordance with the rotation chart for the final dewatering process, and the final dewatering process is performed. In the final dewatering process, the rinsing liquid contained in the laundry 30 by the centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotation of the rotating drum 3 is passed through the small holes 31 provided in the peripheral wall of the rotating drum 3 in the same manner as in the intermediate dewatering process. And discharged to the outside of the exterior 10.

  When the final dehydration process is completed, the process proceeds to the drying process. In the drying process, the rotary drum 3 is rotated and the PTC heater 92 and the fan motor 43 are driven. Note that when the washing and drying processes are continuously performed, the PTC heater 92 may be driven from the final dehydration process. By doing in this way, the temperature in the rotating drum 3 rises, it dehydrates better, and it becomes possible to implement drying efficiently.

  By driving the PTC heater 92 and the fan motor 43, the air heated by the PTC heater 92 is blown into the water tank 2 and the rotating drum 3 from the hot air outlet 93. The heated air heats the laundry 30 in the rotating drum 3, then flows out through the small hole 31 to the water tank 2, and is exhausted from the lower part of the water tank 2 to the cooling duct 6. The gas exhausted to the cooling duct 6 has a high humidity due to moisture contained in the laundry 30 in the rotating drum 3. The air containing moisture is cooled by the cooling duct 6 and dehumidified. The moisture removed from the gas returns to the water tank 2 from below the cooling duct 6, and is drained from the exterior 10 through the internal drain hose 14, the drain valve 15, and the external drain hose 16. The air dehumidified by the cooling duct 6 returns to the air supply duct 91 through the exhaust duct 9. The air supply duct 91 is heated by the PTC heater 92.

  Further, when the drying process is started, the rotary drum 3 is rotated at a rotational speed corresponding to the weight of the laundry 30. For example, as described above, when the amount of the laundry 30 is 1 kg or less, the rotary drum 3 is rotated at a rotational speed of 80 rpm. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, the laundry 30 sticks to the inner wall of the rotating drum 3 by the centrifugal force and rotates together with the rotating drum 3. Steam is injected from the steam injection port 8 into a hollow portion formed by the laundry 30 rotating together with the rotating drum 3. Thereby, since steam can be sprayed evenly on the laundry 30, the wrinkles to which the laundry 30 is fixed can be removed, and the softness, that is, the elasticity of the clothing can be maintained, and the touch or texture can be dried well.

  Further, when steam is injected from the steam injection port 8, the rotation of the fan motor 43 is controlled so that the rotational speed of the drying fan decreases. For example, as described above, when steam is not sprayed, the drying fan is rotating at a rotational speed of 4500 rpm. When steam is sprayed, the drying fan rotates at a rotational speed of 3000 rpm. Thus, by reducing the rotation speed of the drying fan during the steam injection, the steam can be sprayed onto the laundry 30 without being disturbed by the blowing of the drying fan. The drying process is performed by repeating these cycles.

  Next, the control contents of the CPU 21 in the drying process will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for determining the number of rotations of the rotary drum 3 that is executed at the start of the drying process. CPU21 acquires the weight of the laundry 30 (S1). Specifically, the CPU 21 uses the rotation detection sensor 46 to rotate based on the time from when the rotation drum 3 stops (rotation of the drum motor 4) to when the rotation drum 3 stops. The amount of the laundry 30 in the drum 3 is detected. The CPU 21 may detect the weight at the start of the washing process in the washing machine 1, store the result, obtain the stored result at the start of the drying process, or detect the weight at the start of the drying process. Thus, the weight of the laundry 30 may be acquired.

  CPU21 determines whether the acquired weight is 1 kg or less (S2). When it is 1 kg or less (S2: YES), the rotational speed of the rotating drum 3 is determined to be 80 rpm (S3). Thereafter, the CPU 21 ends the process. When the acquired weight is not 1 kg or less (S2: NO), the CPU 21 determines whether or not the acquired weight is 3 kg or less (S4). When the acquired weight is 3 kg or less (S4: YES), the CPU 21 determines the rotation speed of the rotary drum 3 to be 130 rpm (S5). Thereafter, the CPU 21 ends the process. When the acquired weight is not 3 kg or less (S4: NO), that is, when the acquired weight exceeds 3 kg, the CPU 21 determines the rotation speed of the rotating drum 3 to 200 rpm (S6). Thereafter, the CPU 21 ends the process.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing in sequence the control processing of the CPU 21 in the drying process.

  The CPU 21 drives the fan motor 43 and the PTC heater 92 to start the drying process (S10). At this time, the CPU 21 controls the rotation of the fan motor 43 so that the drying fan rotates at a rotational speed of about 4500 rpm. Next, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the drying rate of the laundry 30 is 100% (S11). As described above, the drying rate is calculated from the temperature difference detected by the water temperature thermistor 44 and the exhaust thermistor 45.

  When the drying rate is not 100% (S11: NO), the CPU 21 repeats S11. When the drying rate is 100% (S11: YES), the CPU 21 controls the rotation of the drum motor 4 so that the rotating drum 3 rotates at the number of rotations determined in the process of FIG. 8 (S12). Next, the CPU 21 performs a steam injection stroke (S13). The CPU 21 controls to stop driving the PTC heater 92 while continuously driving the fan motor 43, that is, the drying fan. At this time, the CPU 21 controls the rotational speed of the drying fan to be lowered from about 4500 rpm to about 3000 rpm. By reducing the rotational speed of the drying fan when spraying steam, it is possible to prevent the steam from being blocked by wind.

  Further, the steam generator 7 is driven to supply steam into the rotary drum 3 from the steam injection port 8. As a result, the laundry 30 rotates so as to stick to the inner surface of the rotary drum 3 (see FIG. 7), and a cavity is formed on the central axis. Steam can be sprayed evenly onto the laundry 30 by spraying steam into the cavity from the steam injection port 8. CPU21 complete | finishes this process, after performing steam injection stroke for predetermined time.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the laundry 30 moves to the inner surface of the rotary drum 3 by centrifugal force by rotating the rotary drum 3, so that the laundry 30 is centered from the lower side of the storage tub. It can be set not to harden (not laminated). When steam is sprayed from the steam injection port 8 when the rotating drum 3 is rotated and steam is sprayed on the laundry 30, the steam is more evenly injected than when steam is sprayed on the laundry 30 solidified on the central axis. Steam can be sprayed on objects. Further, when the laundry 30 is rotated so as to stick to the inner surface of the rotary drum 3, a cavity is formed by the laundry 30 on the central axis including the central portion of the rotary drum 3 (see FIG. 7). And a steam can be sprayed more uniformly with respect to a target object by spraying a steam to the center part, ie, the formed cavity part. As a result, when the object is dried, the possibility that wrinkles remain in the portion where the steam has not been sprayed can be reduced, and the wrinkles attached to the object can be sufficiently removed by the steam.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been specifically described above, but each configuration, operation, and the like can be changed as appropriate, and are not limited to the above-described embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, control for rotating the rotary drum 3 at the number of rotations corresponding to the weight of the laundry 30 is performed in the drying process, but similar control may be performed in the washing process. In this case, since the temperature of the laundry 30 can be raised efficiently, the cleaning power can be improved.

1 Washing machine 2 Water tank 3 Rotating drum (container tank)
4 Drum motor 7 Steam generator (jetting means)
8 Steam injection port (injection means)
30 Laundry (object)

Claims (3)

In a washing machine for rotating a bottomed cylindrical storage tank for storing an object to be washed or dried around a central axis,
A washing machine comprising: an injection unit that injects steam from an opening of the storage tub toward a central portion when the storage tub rotates. A weight detecting means for detecting the weight of the object stored in the storage tank;
2. The container according to claim 1, wherein when the weight of the object detected by the weight detection means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the container is rotated at a higher rotational speed than when the weight is less than the predetermined value. The washing machine according to 1. A blower fan for blowing air into the housing tank;
Fan rotation control means for controlling the rotation of the blower fan, and
The fan rotation control means includes
The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the blower fan is rotated, the number of revolutions when the spraying means sprays steam is lower than when the steam is not sprayed.

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