JP2013043048A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to effectively remove bubbles without wasting water and time as much as possible when detecting excessive bubble formation.SOLUTION: A washing machine performs a shower rinsing process at rinsing, including supplying water into a water tank, showering of spraying the water to laundry while rotating a drum at such a low speed that the laundry is stuck to an inner face of the drum and circulating the water supplied into the water tank by a circulation pump through a circulation water passage, and dewatering of rotating the drum at a high speed. The machine includes bubble detecting means for detecting excessive bubble formation. When the bubble detecting means detects the excessive bubble formation at washing before the shower rinsing process or at dewatering before the first supply of the water in the shower rinsing process, at least one of the plurality of elements is increased in the shower rinsing process.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a washing machine.

  In a drum-type washing machine, excessive foam may be generated by the detergent during washing operation or during intermediate dehydration after washing operation. If excessive foam is generated in this way, washing performance and rinsing performance will be reduced. There is a risk that foam residue may occur at the end of the washing operation.

  In order to deal with such a situation, for example, when an excessive generation of bubbles is detected by the bubble detection means at the time of the washing operation, there has been proposed one in which a defoaming operation is performed in order to eliminate the bubbles. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). As the defoaming operation, first, in order to reduce the detergent concentration of the washing water in the water tank, drainage is performed by opening the drain valve. Thereafter, water is supplied into the water tank while the rotation of the drum is stopped until the water level in the water tank reaches a predetermined water level. After this, the drain valve is opened to start draining, and at the same time, the circulation pump (circulation motor) is driven to sprinkle water (shower) in the drum while circulating the water in the water tank through the circulation channel. Rotate and remove bubbles.

JP 2011-115431 A

  However, in the above-described prior art, when an excessive generation of foam is detected during the washing operation, the washing operation is temporarily interrupted to perform a dedicated defoaming operation. For this reason, there is a problem that the amount of water used is unnecessarily large or the washing operation time becomes long.

  Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine that can effectively eliminate bubbles without consuming as much water and time as possible when excessive generation of bubbles is detected.

  The washing machine according to the present embodiment stores laundry in a drum rotatably disposed in the water tank, and performs washing, rinsing, and dehydration of the laundry. And a shower that sprinkles water on the laundry while rotating the drum at a low-speed rotation so that the laundry sticks to the inner surface of the drum and circulating the water supplied in the water tank through the circulation channel by the circulation pump; A shower rinsing process comprising a combination of dewatering elements that rotate the drum at high speed is performed. A bubble detection means for detecting excessive generation of bubbles is provided. At least one element of the plurality of elements in the shower rinsing process when the foam detecting means detects excessive foaming during washing before performing the shower rinsing process or dewatering before performing the first water supply in the shower rinsing process It is characterized by increasing.

Longitudinal side view of the washing machine according to the first embodiment Block diagram showing the electrical configuration The figure which shows the contents of the washing operation at the normal time (the detection of the excessive occurrence of foam) The figure which shows the contents of the washing operation when the excessive occurrence of foam is detected Diagram for explaining the flow of washing operation FIG. 4 equivalent diagram according to the second embodiment Figure equivalent to FIG. FIG. 4 equivalent diagram according to the third embodiment Figure equivalent to FIG. FIG. 4 equivalent diagram according to the fourth embodiment Figure equivalent to FIG. FIG. 4 equivalent diagram according to the fourth embodiment Figure equivalent to FIG.

Hereinafter, washing machines according to a plurality of embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each embodiment, the substantially same part is attached | subjected with the same code | symbol and description is abbreviate | omitted.
(First embodiment)
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 1 schematically shows the overall structure of a drum type washing machine. The outer box 1 of the drum type washing machine includes a base 1a made of synthetic resin and a box body 1b coupled to the base 1a. The front portion (left side in FIG. 1) of the box main body 1b is formed in an inclined state with a front lowering, and the laundry entrance / exit portion 2 is formed at substantially the center thereof, and the laundry entrance / exit A double-structure door 3 that opens and closes the portion 2 is provided. An operation panel 4 is provided at the upper part of the front surface of the box body 1b, and a control device 5 as control means is provided on the back side (inside the outer box 1).

  Inside the outer box 1, a bottomed cylindrical water tank 6 whose back side is closed is provided. The water tank 6 is elastically supported in the outer case 1 by a suspension 8 having a damper 7 and a spring 7a as main members in a tilted state in which the center axis is directed in the front-rear direction and is rearwardly lowered. In addition, the water tank 6 may be supported in the state where the center axis line is substantially horizontal.

  A washing machine motor 9 is provided outside the water tank 6 on the back side. The washing machine motor 9 is composed of, for example, a direct current brushless motor, is an outer rotor type, and includes a stator 9a and a rotor 9b. The stator 9 a is attached to the outer side of the rear surface side of the water tank 6, and the rotating shaft 9 c at the center of the rotor 9 b is supported by the bearing bracket 10 via the bearing 11 and is inserted into the water tank 6.

  In the water tank 6, a bottomed cylindrical drum 12 whose back side is closed is rotatably provided. This drum 12 is connected to the tip of the rotating shaft 9c of the washing machine motor 9 at the center on the outer side on the back side, and is rotatably provided about the axis of the water tub 6. The drum 12 is driven to rotate forward and backward by the washing machine motor 9. Is done. Therefore, the drum 12 is provided in the water tank 6 so as to be rotatable in a tilted state in which the central axis is directed in the front-rear direction and is rearwardly lowered. In this case, the washing machine motor 9 functions as a driving unit that drives the drum 12 to rotate forward and backward. A laundry (not shown) is accommodated in the drum 12.

  A large number of holes 13 are formed in the peripheral wall (body portion) of the drum 12 over the entire area. Further, a plurality of baffles 14 for picking up laundry are provided at equal intervals on the inner peripheral portion of the drum 12, for example. The baffle 14 extends in the front-rear direction along the axis of the water tank 6 and protrudes toward the rotation center axis of the drum 12.

  Both the drum 12 and the water tank 6 are open on the front side. For example, a liquid-sealed rotary balancer 16 is provided inside the periphery of the opening 15 on the front side of the drum 12. A water tank cover 17 is attached to an opening on the front side of the water tank 6, and an opening 17 a at the tip of the water tank 6 is connected to the laundry entrance / exit 2 by a bellows 18 made of an annular elastic material, for example, rubber. Yes. As a result, the laundry entrance / exit 2 is connected to the inside of the drum 12 via the bellows 18, the water tank cover 17, and the opening 15 of the drum 12.

  A water intake port portion 19 that also serves as a drain port portion is formed at the lower part of the rear side of the water tank 6. One end of an in-machine drain hose 20 is connected to the water intake 19. The other end of the in-machine drain hose 20 is connected to the in-machine drain hose connection port 22 of the filter case 21 provided in the front part of the base 1 a of the outer box 1.

  The filter case 21 has an in-machine drain hose connection port 22 formed at the top, and a cap 23 attached to the front end. The filter case 21 houses therein a lint filter (not shown) integrated with the cap 23. Further, a drain valve 24 is connected to the lower part of the filter case 21, and a drain pipe 25 is connected to the outlet of the drain valve 24. The distal end of the drainage pipe 25 faces the outside of the machine from the base 1a of the outer box 1 and is connected to an outside drainage hose (not shown).

  A circulation pump 26 is provided at the rear end of the filter case 21. The circulation pump 26 sucks water in the water tank 6 (drum 12) through the water inlet 19, the in-machine drain hose 20, and the filter case 21, and discharges it from the outlet 27. One end of a water supply hose 28 is connected to the discharge port portion 27. The other end of the water supply hose 28 is connected to a watering channel 29 provided in the water tank cover 17. The sprinkling water channel 29 is provided with a sprinkling port portion 30 positioned above the water tank cover 17. As will be described later, the water spout portion 30 sprinkles water inside the drum 12.

  In this case, the circulation water channel 31 is formed so as to connect the water intake port 19 and the water spray port 30. That is, the circulating water channel 31 is formed from the water tank 6 (drum 12), the water intake port 19, the in-machine drain hose 20, the filter case 21, the water supply hose 28, the watering water channel 29, and the watering port 30, and the circulation pump 26 is connected to the circulating water channel. It is provided so that it may be located in 31. As the circulation pump 26 is driven, water taken out from the water intake port 19 of the water tank 6 is sprayed from the water spray port 30 into the drum 12 in a shower shape.

  An air trap 32 is provided in the upper part of the front portion of the filter case 21. The air trap 32 and the water level sensor 33 arranged at the top of the outer box 1 are connected by an air tube 33a. As a result, the water level sensor 33 functions as a water level detection means for detecting the water level in the water tank 6 via the in-machine drain hose 20, the filter case 21, the air trap 31, and the air tube 33a.

  A water supply valve 34 and a water supply case 35 are provided at the top of the outer box 1. The water supply valve 34 is connected to an inlet water supply hose (not shown) connected to a faucet (not shown) at the inlet, and one end of a connection pipe 36 is connected to the outlet. The other end of the connection pipe 36 is connected to the water supply case 35. The water supply case 35 has a detergent storage part (not shown) inside. One end of an in-machine water supply hose 37 is connected to the water supply case 35, and the other end of the in-machine water supply hose 37 is connected to the upper part of the water tank 6. As a result, water supplied from the water supply via the water supply valve 34 is supplied into the water tank 6 via the connection pipe 36, the detergent storage part of the water supply case 35, and the in-machine water supply hose 37. Further, the water supply valve 34 and the water supply case 35 constitute a water supply device 38 for supplying water into the water tank 6.

  An air trap 39 communicating with the inside of the water tank 6 is provided at the upper part on the back side of the water tank 6. The air trap 39 and the foam sensor 40 disposed at the top of the outer box 1 are connected by an air tube 41. The bubble sensor 40 includes a pressure switch, and detects the amount of bubbles generated by detecting a pressure change in the air trap 39 when bubbles are generated in the water tank 6. The bubble sensor 40 constitutes a bubble detection means.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows the electrical configuration of the drum-type washing machine described above. The control device 5 is composed mainly of a microcomputer and controls the overall operation of the drum type washing machine. The control device 5 includes various operation signals from an operation unit 43 including various keys (switches) provided on the operation panel 4 (see FIG. 1), a water level detection signal from the water level sensor 33, and a bubble sensor 40. A foam detection signal, a speed detection signal from the rotation sensor 44 that detects the rotation speed of the washing machine motor 9, a current detection signal from the current transformer 45 that detects a current flowing through the washing machine motor 9, and the like are input. And the control apparatus 5 is based on the said various input signals and the control program memorize | stored previously, The water supply valve 34, the drain valve 24, the washing machine motor 9, the circulation pump 26, the indicator provided in the said operation panel 4 46 and the like are controlled via a drive circuit (not shown).

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the user operates the operation panel 4 in a state in which the laundry is accommodated in the drum 12, and selects, for example, a standard course for washing operation (a course for performing each process of washing, rinsing, and dehydration). Suppose that the start switch is operated. Then, the control apparatus 5 performs each process of washing | cleaning, a rinse, and spin-drying | dehydration in order. FIG. 3 shows simplified operation states and operation contents in each process in the normal time when no excessive bubble detection is detected. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 in the case where the excessive generation of bubbles is detected. In these FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the shaded portion indicates the operating state, and the blank portion indicates the stopped state or the closed state. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation, showing the control contents of the control device 5 in a simplified manner.

  The control device 5 first executes a washing process. In the washing process, water supply and stirring are performed (see steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 5). Water supply is performed by opening the water supply valve 34 with the drain valve 24 closed. When the water supply valve 34 is opened, tap water is supplied and stored in the water tank 6 and then in the drum 12 through the water supply case 35 and the in-machine water supply hose 37. The amount of water supply in this case is, for example, 30L. During the water supply, the detergent stored in the water supply case 35 is also supplied into the water tank 6 together with water.

  Stirring is performed by alternately rotating the drum 12 in both forward and reverse directions at a low speed of 50 rpm by the washing machine motor 9. When the drum 12 is rotated at a low speed, the laundry in the drum 12 is once lifted by the baffle 14 and then dropped. Thereby, the laundry is washed with washing water. During this stirring, the circulation pump 26 is also driven. When the circulation pump 26 is driven, water (washing water) in the water tub 6 is circulated through the circulation water channel 31 and water is poured from the water spout 30 to the laundry in the drum 12. During the stirring, bubbles due to the detergent are generated in the water tank 6 and the drum 12. In the case of this stirring, when the control apparatus 5 detects the excessive generation | occurrence | production of a bubble with the detection signal of the bubble sensor 40, it will memorize | store that.

  When the preset stirring time has elapsed, the control device 5 stops the circulation pump 26 and then proceeds to the rinsing process (see FIG. 3). In the rinsing process, in this case, a shower rinsing process and a rinsing process are performed. In the shower rinsing process, drainage, dehydration 1, water supply, shower, second drainage, second water supply, and second shower are sequentially performed. In this case, drainage, dehydration, water supply, and shower are a plurality of elements of the shower rinsing process, and the shower rinsing process is performed by combining these plurality of elements. In the first drain (see step S3 in FIG. 5), the wash water after the washing process is drained. Drainage is performed by opening the drain valve 24. When the drain valve 24 is opened, the water in the water tank 6 is discharged outside the machine through the in-machine drain hose 20, the filter case 21, and the drain pipe 25. In the dehydration 1 (see step S4 in FIG. 5), the drum 12 is rotated in one direction by a washing machine motor 9 at a high speed of, for example, 1500 rpm. Thereby, the laundry in the drum 12 is centrifugally dehydrated, and the water squeezed at that time is also drained.

  During the dehydration 1, excessive bubbles may be generated in the water tank 6. At this time, the detection of bubbles is performed, for example, as follows. If excessive bubbles are generated between the water tank 6 and the drum 12 during dehydration, the rotational resistance of the drum 12 increases, and the degree of increase in the rotational speed of the drum 12 becomes worse. The control device 5 detects the rotation speed of the drum 12 after a predetermined time from the start of dehydration by the rotation sensor 44, and determines that bubbles are excessively generated if the rotation speed does not reach the predetermined rotation speed. The rotation sensor 44 constitutes a bubble detection unit. In this case, it is also possible to detect the current flowing through the washing machine motor 9 that rotates the drum 12 by the current transformer 45, and to detect the excessive generation of bubbles by the detected current from the current transformer 45. When the controller 5 detects the excessive generation of bubbles in the dehydration 1, it stores that fact.

  When the dehydration 1 is completed, the control device 5 determines whether or not the excessive generation of bubbles is detected by the washing or dehydration 1 (step S5 in FIG. 5). In the normal case where the excessive generation of bubbles is not detected, the process proceeds to step S6 according to “NO”, and water is supplied for showering. In this case, the amount of water supply is, for example, 10L. At the time of water supply, the drum 12 is rotated at a low speed such that the inner laundry is stuck, for example, at a rotation speed of 100 rpm, and the circulation pump 26 is driven from the middle of the water supply to perform shower (step S7 in FIG. 5). ). In the shower, water is applied in a shower-like manner to the laundry that is rotated while sticking to the inner surface of the drum 12. Thereby, the detergent attached to the laundry is washed away. When the first shower is completed, the control device 5 performs the second drain, the second water supply (water supply amount 10 L), and the second shower in order (steps S8 to S10). This completes the shower rinsing process.

  When the shower rinsing process is completed, the control device 5 performs a rinsing process. Therefore, in the rinsing process, drainage, dehydration 2, water supply, and stirring are sequentially performed (steps S11 to S14). The drainage and dehydration 2 are performed in the same manner as the drainage and dehydration 1 in the shower rinsing process. Water supply is 20L which is a water supply amount larger than the water supply amount at the time of shower rinsing. Stirring is performed by alternately rotating the drum 12 in both forward and reverse directions at a low speed of 50 rpm, as in washing. Thereby, the rinse of the laundry is completed.

  When the rinsing process is completed, the control device 5 performs a final dehydration process. In the final dehydration process, drainage and dehydration are performed. The drainage is performed with the rotation of the drum 12 stopped. In the dehydration, the laundry is centrifugally dehydrated by rotating the drum 12 at a high speed (for example, 1000 rpm). Thereby, the washing operation ends.

  Here, if the control device 5 determines in step S5 of FIG. 5 that an excessive generation of bubbles has been detected by washing or dehydration 1, the process proceeds to step S17 according to “YES”. In the water supply in step S17, the water supply amount is set to 12L, which is larger than the normal water supply amount (10L). Then, the control apparatus 5 performs each step of step S18-S27 in order. In steps S18 to S27, the difference from normal steps S7 to S16 is that the amount of water supplied in step S20 is 12L.

  In the present embodiment, when excess generation of bubbles is detected in dehydration 1 before washing or before the first water supply in the shower rinsing process, the amount of water supplied during water supply in the shower rinsing process is set to 10 L from the normal time. I try to do it with a lot of 12L. Thereby, it is possible to effectively eliminate the excessively generated bubbles.

  In the above-described embodiment, when excess generation of bubbles is detected during dehydration 1 before washing or before the first water supply in the shower rinsing process, water supply during water supply among a plurality of elements in the shower rinsing process The amount is increased to 12L, which is larger than the usual 10L. Thus, unlike the case of detecting the excessive generation of foam during the washing operation, the washing operation is temporarily interrupted and the dedicated defoaming operation is performed, or the case where the rinsing process is added once, the shower rinsing process It is only to increase the amount of water supply in the case, and it is possible to effectively eliminate bubbles without consuming as much water and time as possible.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above in the following points. That is, if the controller 5 determines in step S5 in FIG. 7 that excessive foaming has been detected by washing or dehydration 1, the third time after the second shower (step 21) in the shower rinsing process. In order to perform this shower, a third drain (step S32), a third water supply (step S33), and a third shower (step S34) are added. Also, in the shower rinsing process, the amount of water supplied each time for the first water supply (step S30), the second water supply (step S31), and the third water supply (step S33) is 10L from the normal case. Is set to 8L, which is also small.

In such a second embodiment, when excessive generation of bubbles is detected during dehydration 1 before washing or before the first water supply in the shower rinsing process, among the plurality of elements in the shower rinsing process, the shower is performed. Is increased by one. Thus, unlike the case of detecting the excessive generation of foam during the washing operation, the washing operation is temporarily interrupted and the dedicated defoaming operation is performed, or the case where the rinsing process is added once, the shower rinsing process The number of showers is increased by one, and bubbles can be effectively eliminated without consuming as much water and time as possible.
In addition, in this case, the number of showers is increased by one, but since the amount of water supply for each shower is set to be smaller than usual, the increase in the amount of water supply can be further suppressed.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in the following points. That is, if it is determined in step S5 of FIG. 9 that excessive foaming has been detected by washing or dehydration 1, the control device 5 proceeds to step S35 according to “YES” and performs the first water supply. . The amount of water supply in this case is set to 10 L as in step S6. After the water supply in step S35, after the first shower and the second drainage (steps S18 and S19), dehydration 1 'is performed (step S36). This dewatering 1 ′ is performed by rotating the drum 12 at a high speed (for example, 1500 rpm), similarly to the dewatering 1 in step S4. After this dehydration 1 ', the second water supply is performed (step S37). The amount of water supply in this case is also 10 L, as in step S35. After the second water supply, it is the same as in the first embodiment (steps S21 to S27). The third embodiment is characterized in that dehydration 1 'is added between the first shower and the second shower. This makes it easier for the detergent contained in the laundry to be discharged, and this also effectively eliminates the foam.

  In such a third embodiment, when excessive generation of bubbles is detected during dehydration 1 before washing or before the first water supply in the shower rinsing process, among the plurality of elements in the shower rinsing process, dehydration is performed. Is increased by one. Thus, unlike the case of detecting the excessive generation of foam during the washing operation, the washing operation is temporarily interrupted and the dedicated defoaming operation is performed, or the case where the rinsing process is added once, the shower rinsing process In this case, the number of times of dehydration is increased by one, and bubbles can be effectively eliminated without consuming as much water and time as possible.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. The fourth embodiment is different from the above-described third embodiment in the following points. That is, if it is determined in step S5 of FIG. 11 that the excessive generation of bubbles has been detected by washing or dehydration 1, the control device 5 performs the first shower and the second drain (steps S18 and S19). ), Dehydration 1 'is performed (step S38). In this additional dehydration 1 ', the top rotation speed is 1500 rpm, which is the same as in the case of dehydration 1, which is normal dehydration. It is set. In addition, in the dehydration 2 (steps S12 and S23) in the rinsing process, the top rotation speed is 1500 rpm, and the maintenance time of the top rotation speed is 60 seconds.
In such a 4th embodiment, the time of dehydration to add can be made shorter than a 3rd embodiment.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The fifth embodiment is different from the fourth embodiment described above in the following points. That is, when the controller 5 determines in Step S5 of FIG. 13 that excessive foaming has been detected by washing or dehydration 1, it performs the first shower and the second drain (Steps S18 and S19). ), Dehydration 1 'is performed (step S39). In the added dehydration 1 ′, the top rotation speed is set to 1000 rpm, which is lower than that in the case of dehydration 1 which is normal dehydration (1500 rpm). Also in the fifth embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the fourth embodiment can be obtained.

  As described above, according to the washing machine of the present embodiment, when excessive generation of bubbles is detected during washing before performing the shower rinsing process or during dehydration before performing the first water supply in the shower rinsing process, At least one of the plurality of elements in the rinsing process is increased. As a result, when it is detected that excessive foam is generated during the washing operation, the washing operation is temporarily interrupted and a dedicated defoaming operation is performed. It is possible to effectively eliminate bubbles without consuming water or time.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  In the drawings, 1 is an outer box, 5 is a control device (control means), 6 is a water tub, 9 is a washing machine motor, 12 is a drum, 26 is a circulation pump, 31 is a circulation channel, and 40 is a foam sensor (foam detection means). , 44 indicates a rotation sensor (bubble detecting means).

Claims (7)

The laundry is stored in a drum rotatably disposed in the water tank, and the laundry is washed, rinsed and dehydrated.
During the rinsing, water is supplied into the water tub, the drum is rotated at a low-speed rotation so that the laundry sticks to the inner surface of the drum, and water supplied into the water tub is circulated by a circulation pump. A washing machine for performing a shower rinsing process consisting of a combination of each element of showering to sprinkle the laundry while circulating through and dehydration to rotate the drum at high speed,
Equipped with a foam detection means for detecting excessive generation of foam,
Among the plurality of elements in the shower rinsing process, when the foam detecting means detects an excessive generation of foam at the time of washing before performing the shower rinsing process or dehydrating before performing the first water supply of the shower rinsing process A washing machine characterized by increasing at least one element.   The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the factor to be increased in the shower rinsing process is a water supply amount to be supplied into the drum during the shower.   The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the factor to be increased in the shower rinsing process is the number of showers using the circulation pump.   The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein when the number of showers is increased in the shower rinsing step, the amount of water used for one shower is less than that in a normal case.   The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the factor to be increased in the shower rinsing process is the number of times of dehydration to be performed in the shower rinsing process.   6. The washing machine according to claim 5, wherein when the number of dewatering operations to be performed in the shower rinsing process is increased, a maintenance time of the added top rotation speed of the dewatering is shorter than that during normal dewatering.   6. The washing machine according to claim 5, wherein when the number of dewatering performed in the shower rinsing process is increased, the top rotation speed of the added dewatering is lower than that during normal dewatering.

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