JP2013052126A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing machine which performs optimal dehydration control according to cloth quality of the laundry.SOLUTION: The washing machine comprises: a rotary drum 4; a water tank 3 having the rotary drum arranged therein; water supply means 7a for supplying water into the water tank 3; water level detection means 10 for detecting a water level of washing water in the water tank 3; a motor 6 for rotatably driving the rotary drum 4; and control means 22 having cloth amount detection means 22b for detecting an amount of the laundry in the rotary drum 4, for controlling the motor 6 and others to perform at least a dehydration operation. The control means 22 includes cloth quality detection means 22a for detecting cloth quantity of the laundry on the basis of the cloth amount detection result before the water supply means 7a starts supplying water and the cloth amount detection result in a state in which the laundry contains water. The control means 22 increases a rotation frequency by providing a fixed rotation frequency range in a stepwise fashion in the dehydration operation, and varies a driving time in the rotation frequency range lower than a maximum reaching rotation frequency on the basis of the result by the cloth quality detection means 22a.

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine that detects the cloth quality of laundry and performs washing suitable for the cloth quality.

  In a conventional washing machine, a rotating drum formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, a water tank in which the rotating drum is disposed, a water supply means for supplying water into the water tank, and a washing water level in the water receiving tank. At least one of a washing step and a rinsing step by controlling the water level detecting means for detecting, a motor for rotationally driving the rotating drum, a cloth amount detecting means for detecting the amount of laundry in the rotating drum, the motor, etc. And a control means for determining the cloth quality of the laundry from the cloth amount detection result before washing of the laundry and the cloth amount detection result when the laundry is wet. A determination unit is provided, and the driving time of the dehydration process is shortened (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, by performing dehydration control that has a plurality of set rotation speeds in the dewatering process, and the vicinity of the maximum rotation speed of the dewatering is made into two or more steps, the generation of noise level with a high maximum rotation speed is reduced, Moreover, it is considered to maintain the dehydration rate while suppressing waste of power consumption (for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2008-6179 A JP 2000-14960 A

  However, the washing machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 simply shortens the driving time of the dehydration process, so that the short width cannot be increased at that time. Alternatively, there is a problem that a predetermined dehydration rate may not be obtained if the time width is increased. In particular, when the drive time for the maximum rotation speed in the dehydration process is shortened, the above problem becomes more prominent because the degree of decrease in the dewatering rate is large. Furthermore, the cloth quality is determined from the values before and after the laundry is wetted by the cloth amount detection means, but an absolute value determination threshold is provided for each clothing weight determination rank, that is, for each amount of laundry. For this reason, there is a problem that when the determination of the amount of laundry is shifted due to variations in each machine body or aging deterioration, a wrong determination may be made and a desired dewatering performance may not be obtained.

  In addition, the washing machine of Patent Document 2 performs the cloth quality determination, but determines from the signal between the terminals of the back electromotive force driving capacitor generated by rotating the motor forward and backward during the washing process. For this reason, there has been a problem that variation factors such as the amount of water, foaming, and the amount of cloth increase.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine that performs optimum dehydration control according to the quality of the laundry.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a drum-type washing machine of the present invention includes a rotating drum formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, a water tank in which the rotating drum is disposed, and water supply for supplying water into the water tank. Means, water level detecting means for detecting the level of washing water in the water tub, a motor for rotationally driving the rotating drum, and a cloth amount detecting means for detecting the amount of laundry in the rotating drum, Control means for controlling a motor or the like to perform at least a dehydration operation, and the control means is based on a cloth amount detection result before water supply is started by the water supply means and a cloth amount detection result in a state where the laundry contains water. Provided with a fabric quality judging means for judging the quality of the laundry, and providing a constant rotational speed range in a stepwise manner in the dehydrating operation to increase the rotational speed, and driving time in a rotational speed range lower than the maximum rotational speed The result of the cloth quality judging means It is characterized in that to based variable.

  With such a configuration, laundry having a low water content generally saturates the dewatering effect even if it is driven for a long time in a rotational speed range lower than the maximum rotational speed. Is determined to be small, the desired dewatering performance can be efficiently obtained in a short time by shortening the drive time in this rotational speed range. Furthermore, wrinkles on the laundry due to unnecessary dehydration can be prevented.

  The drum type washing machine of the present invention can perform optimum dehydration control according to the quality of the laundry, and can shorten the operation time and the power consumption.

Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the drum type washing machine in Embodiment 1 of this invention Block diagram of the drum type washing machine The graph which shows the cloth quality judgment result of the drum type washing machine Time chart showing the operation of the dehydration process of the drum type washing machine

  A drum type washing machine according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a rotating drum formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, a water tank in which the rotating drum is disposed, water supply means for supplying water into the water tank, and washing in the water tank. A water level detecting means for detecting the water level of the water; a motor for rotating the rotating drum; and a cloth amount detecting means for detecting the amount of laundry in the rotating drum. Control means for performing an operation, and the control means determines the quality of the laundry from the cloth amount detection result before the start of water supply by the water supply means and the cloth amount detection result in a state where the laundry contains water. A cloth quality determination means is provided, and a constant rotation speed range is provided stepwise in the dehydration operation to increase the rotation speed, and the driving time in the rotation speed area lower than the maximum reached rotation speed is determined by the cloth quality determination means. Variable based on the results It is intended to.

  With such a configuration, the laundry generally has a low moisture content, and the dehydration effect is saturated even when driven for a long time in a rotational speed range lower than the maximum rotational speed. Is determined to be small, the desired dewatering performance can be efficiently obtained in a short time by shortening the drive time in this rotational speed range. Furthermore, wrinkles on the laundry due to unnecessary dehydration can be prevented.

  In the second invention, in particular, the cloth quality determination means of the drum-type washing machine according to the first invention is a state in which the laundry contains a cloth amount detection result of the laundry before the water supply is started by the water supply means. This is determined by dividing the result by the cloth amount detection result.

  With such a configuration, by dividing the value before moisture content of the laundry by the value after moisture content, it is possible to directly detect the ease of moisture content of the laundry regardless of the amount of the cloth. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide an absolute value threshold value for each cloth amount rank, and the cloth quality can be accurately determined even when the determination of the amount of laundry is deviated due to variations among machines or aging. That is, since there are few misjudgments, desired dehydration performance can be maintained.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited by this embodiment, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications within a range not departing from the gist.

(Embodiment 1)
1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a drum-type washing machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In addition, the washing water in this Embodiment includes both the washing water containing the detergent component in a washing process, and the rinse water in a rinse process.

  The configuration will be described below with reference to FIG.

  A water tub 3 is housed in the washing machine body 2 so as to be swingable. A rotating drum 4 is disposed in the water tub 3 so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 4a. The rotating shaft 4 a of the rotating drum 4 is directly connected to a motor 6 attached to the outside of the back surface of the water tank 3, and the rotating drum 4 is driven to rotate by this motor 6.

  The rotating drum 4 is provided with a plurality of through-holes 4e over the entire wall surface so that water can be passed and vented between the water tank 3 and the rotating drum 4. A plurality of stirring protrusions 4 b are provided on the inner surface of the wall surface of the rotating drum 4, and the laundry in the rotating drum 4 is lifted by the rotation of the rotating drum 4. Although the through hole 4e is provided over the entire wall surface 4c of the rotating drum 4, it may be partially formed on the wall surface 4c of the rotating drum 4. In short, the air permeability between the water tank 3 and the rotating drum 4 is essential. In addition, it should be set so that water permeability can be ensured and washing does not hinder drying.

  The rotating shaft 4a of the rotating drum 4 is inclined so as to face downward from the opening front side toward the back side as the bottom. Specifically, it is arranged to be inclined downward, for example, 20 ± 10 degrees from the horizontal direction. By tilting the rotary shaft 4a in this way, the opening 13 on the front side of the aquarium 3 can be arranged on the upper side, and the user can pass through the opening 13 of the aquarium 3 without taking a posture of bending greatly. The laundry in the rotating drum 4 can be taken out. Compared with the case where the rotating shaft 4a is set in the horizontal direction, the water supplied into the water tank 3 accumulates on the back side, and a deep water storage state can be obtained even with a small amount of water. In order to efficiently supply water to the laundry in the rotating drum 4, the water tank 3 is provided along the vicinity thereof with the same inclination as the rotating drum 4. If the amount of water supply is not taken into consideration, the rotating drum 4 may be horizontal or the inclination angle θ may be less than 10 degrees.

  A water supply system 7 having a water supply valve 7 a and a detergent container 7 b is provided at the upper part of the water tank 3. Water is supplied from the outside of the washing machine by opening and closing the water supply valve 7a. The supplied water is supplied into the water tank 3 together with the detergent in the detergent container 7b through the water supply path.

  In the lower part of the water tank 3, a drainage pipe 8 a having one end connected to the bottom of the water tank 3 and a drainage system 8 having a drainage valve 19 are provided. By opening and closing the drain valve 19, water in the water tank 3 is drained through the drain pipe 8a when necessary, such as at the end of the washing process or at the end of the rinsing process. Further, a drainage filter 8b that is removable from the outside of the washing machine main body 2 is disposed on the downstream side of the drainage pipe 8a, and collects yarn waste contained in the drainage. The drainage system 8 is connected to the lower part of the water tank 3 through a drain pipe 8a connected to the lower part of the water tank 3, as shown by a one-dot chain line at the end of the washing process or the end of the rinsing process by opening and closing the drain valve 19. After being collected and passed through a drainage filter 8b that can be removed from the outside, drainage can be performed.

  The drying system 9 circulates the air in the water tank 3 and the rotating drum 4 by the blower 12 as indicated by the broken line arrows in FIG. In the drying system 9, there are a filter (not shown) for collecting and removing dust from the lint, a dehumidifying part (not shown) for dehumidifying the introduced air after the dust removal, and a high temperature which is depleted by heating the dehumidified air. It has a heating part (not shown) etc. used as air.

  In addition to the above, it also has a function of improving the function of rinsing and rinsing by circulating the water in the water tank 3 in the circulation system 16 as necessary, such as during the washing process and the rinsing process. The circulation system 16 circulates the water in the water tank 3 by driving the circulation pump 20. The water in the water tank 3 passes through the drainage filter 8b through the drainage pipe 8a, and flows into the circulation pump 20 in the circulation path 31 and the discharge path 31b from the circulation pump 20 in the circulation pump 20 and the circulation path 31. To return to the water tank 3. By repeating this, a circulating shower is performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the discharge side path 31b of the circulation path 31 is connected from the outer surface to the injection port 51 around the opening 13 of the water tank 3, and is discharged into the rotating drum 4 as indicated by an arrow a in FIG. I have to do it. At this time, the motor rotation speed of the circulation pump 20 is set to 3500 rpm, for example. Thereby, since the water injection port 51 from the discharge side path 31b is in a position where it does not come into contact with the laundry in the rotating drum 4, the laundry is caught and washed too easily, disturbing the behavior required for drying, Alternatively, it is possible to prevent the laundry from being damaged or torn. Furthermore, the appearance that looks good is not impaired.

  Further, the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment is provided with a water level detection means 10 for detecting the amount of water supplied into the rotary drum 4. In this case, an air trap part and a pressure detection part arranged at a predetermined position near the lowest part of the water tank 3 are connected by a hose. The pressure detector is composed of a ferrite integrated with the bellows part that moves by pressure and a fixed coil that surrounds the outer periphery of the ferrite, and converts the moving stroke distance into the trap internal pressure using the change in inductance. . The water level detecting means 10 is in an open state when the cleaning water does not enter the air trap part, and the output is constant.

  As described above, the water level detection means 10 is generally sensing by air internal pressure measurement by an air trap mechanism, and measuring the time until the air internal pressure changes from the stable atmospheric open pressure affects the variation of the water level sensor. It is an appropriate calculation method that is not subject to

  The output of the water level detection means 10 changes depending on the rotation speed of the rotary drum 4 because the output changes depending on the rotation of the rotary drum 4 during the washing operation, such as whether or not the rotary drum 4 is rotating. Have multiple tables. That is, the water level can be recognized while the rotating drum 4 is stationary or rotating.

  Next, details of the control means 22 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram of the washing machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The control means 22 is composed of a microcomputer. The control means 22 has a function of performing at least a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dehydrating process by automatically controlling the motor 6, the water supply valve 7 a, the drain valve 19, the circulation pump 20, and the like according to mode setting and a control program. The control means 22 includes a cloth quality determination means 22a for determining the cloth quality of the laundry and a cloth amount detection means 22b for detecting the cloth amount of the laundry.

  The cloth amount detection for detecting the amount of laundry put into the rotating drum 4 is detected by using a rotation speed detecting means (not shown) for detecting the rotation speed of the rotating drum 4. An example of the cloth amount detection will be described below.

  First, the motor 6 is rotationally driven. At this time, the rotational speed of the rotating drum 4 is increased to a rotational speed at which the laundry is stuck to the inner side of the rotating drum 4, for example, about 100 to 140 r / min. After the rotation is maintained for a predetermined time, the energization of the motor 6 is turned off. Thereby, the inertial rotation of the rotating drum 4 is in a state where the motor 6 is rotated. At this time, the inertial rotational force of the rotating drum 4 gradually decreases due to the friction torque, and the rotating drum 4 eventually stops. The time from the stop of energization to the stop of the rotating drum 4 is long when the amount of laundry is large, and short when the amount of laundry is small. The amount of laundry is detected using the fact that the difference in time required for this stop is proportional to the amount of laundry.

  In addition, the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment has a system that can manage all input / output control with a timer, including not only instructions for water supply / drainage and driving of the rotating drum 4, but also various sensor outputs such as the water level detection means 10. It is possible to know the time required for each operation and timing.

  In addition, selection of a mode such as an operation course and various functions is performed by inputting from an operation panel 21 provided at the upper front of the washing machine body 2. Based on the input information, the control means 22 displays on the display means 21b on the operation panel 21 to notify the user. At the same time, when the operation start is set by the input setting means 21 a on the operation panel 21, data is input from the water level detection means 10 for detecting the water level in the water tank 3 and the drive is started, and the drain valve 19 The operation of the water supply valve 7a, etc. is controlled to perform operations such as washing, rinsing, dehydration, and drying.

  The operation of the drum type washing machine configured as described above will be described below including the flow of the cloth quality determination control.

  First, the user puts the laundry into the rotating drum 4 and starts the washing operation by the input setting means 21a. The control means 22 performs the cloth amount detection operation before the laundry is wet by rotating the motor 6 before water supply is started by the water supply valve 7a, that is, before the laundry contains water.

  After detecting the amount of cloth, the control means 22 starts water supply by the water supply valve 7a and rotates the motor 6 to rotate the rotating drum 4 and perform the washing process. When the washing process is performed for a predetermined time, the dehydration process is performed through the drainage operation by the opening operation of the drain valve 19. Then, the cloth amount detection operation in a state where the laundry is wet is performed in the same manner as before the laundry is wet. When the rinsing operation is performed a plurality of times, the cloth amount detection operation after the laundry has been hydrated may be performed at the end of the intermediate dehydration step after the rinsing step.

  As described above, the cloth quality determination by the cloth quality determination unit 22a is obtained by using the cloth amount detection result before the laundry contains water and the cloth amount detection result after the laundry contains water. In other words, when the difference between after the laundry is wet and before the wet is taken, the larger the difference is, the higher the moisture content is, that is, cotton-based clothing. Conversely, the smaller the above-mentioned difference is, the lower the moisture content, that is, the cloth-based clothing.

  However, when taking the difference between the moisture content of the laundry and the moisture content, the difference in the amount of cancer water varies depending on the fabric quality. The difference between these changes greatly. That is, there is a possibility that the above-mentioned difference is the same between the case where the amount of cloth is small for cotton-based clothing and the case where the amount of cloth is large for synthetic fiber-based clothing. As a result, the control means 22 needs to accurately determine the amount of laundry in the rotating drum 4 and compare it with a preset cloth quality determination threshold. This requires an absolute value threshold for each amount of laundry, which not only complicates the program, but also the amount of laundry that occurs due to variations between machines, usage conditions such as temperature changes, installation conditions, and deterioration over time. The variation in judgment cannot be offset. In other words, the above-described variation in manufacturing can greatly affect the determination accuracy, and the desired dewatering performance may not be obtained.

  Therefore, when the cloth quality determination is performed by using the cloth amount detection result before the laundry contains water and the cloth amount detection result after the laundry contains water, and dividing the result before the water content by the result after the water inclusion. The above-mentioned problems can be solved. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the result of cloth quality determination of the drum type washing machine in the first embodiment of the present invention. If the value obtained by dividing the amount of cloth before the laundry contains water by the amount of cloth after the laundry contains water is small, the cloth has a high water content, for example, cotton-based clothing. On the other hand, if the value obtained by dividing the amount of the cloth before the laundry contains water by the amount of the cloth after the laundry contains water is large, the cloth has a low water content, for example, synthetic garment. This is synonymous with the dewatering rate after the laundry contains water and is dehydrated, and therefore has a constant value regardless of the amount of laundry in the rotating drum 4. In other words, since the cloth quality determination threshold value is a difference in the dehydration rate depending on the cloth quality, it is possible to cancel all the determination variations of the laundry amount such as variations between machines and aging deterioration. As a result, the above-described variations in manufacturing and the like do not affect the determination accuracy, and a desired dewatering performance can always be obtained.

  Then, after the cloth quality determination by the cloth quality determination means 22a, the process proceeds to the final dehydration process through water supply, rinse stirring and drainage operations in the rinse process. FIG. 4 is a time chart showing the operation of the dehydration process of the drum type washing machine in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, in the final dehydration process, for example, a constant rotation speed region is provided in a five-step staircase to increase the rotation speed. This avoids vibration resonance points during low-speed rotation, while maintaining the total dehydration time and dehydration rate during high-speed rotation, while also preventing high noise generated at the highest rotation speed and reducing power consumption. ing.

  Here, during high-speed rotation, for example, control is performed at 780 r / min, 840 r / min, and 900 r / min. As shown by the solid line in FIG. 4, when the laundry is, for example, cotton-based clothing, after draining the approximate moisture from the laundry at 780 r / min, the final squeeze is further accelerated at 840 r / min and 900 r. / Min. At this time, the drive time T2 of 840 r / min and the drive time T3 of 900 r / min are shorter than the drive time T1 of 780 r / min, for example, about 30% each. More specifically, T1 is 4 minutes, T2 is 1 minute, and T3 is 1 minute.

  The ability to dewater washing water from the laundry depends on the force applied to the laundry and the time during which the force is applied. The force applied to the laundry in the dehydrating operation is a centrifugal force applied to the laundry and depends on the rotational speed. Moreover, the discharge amount from the laundry is saturated in a predetermined time. In the present embodiment, when the drive time T1 at 780 r / min is set to be the longest, the approximate moisture can be discharged, and the generation period and power consumption of the highest-level noise at the highest rotation speed can be achieved. Can be reduced. The reason why the times T2 and T3 of 840 r / min and 900 r / min may be shorter than T1 is that the amount of discharge is immediately saturated because it is dehydrated to some extent at 780 r / min. As a result, the generation period of noise and power consumption can be reduced.

  On the other hand, when the laundry is, for example, a synthetic garment, when the same control as described above is performed, the moisture discharge amount is saturated at an initial stage of 780 r / min, as indicated by the broken line in FIG. The remaining time T4 is used unnecessarily. That is, power consumption and time are wasted. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the laundry is determined to be a synthetic fiber based on the result of the cloth quality determination by the cloth quality determination means 22a, the driving time T1 at 780 r / min is shortened by T4. In other words, by reducing the dehydration time to the drive time (T1-T4) for the predetermined time of dewatering at a speed lower than the maximum rotation speed, avoiding unnecessary dewatering time without lowering the dewatering rate. it can. Moreover, since dehydration is not continued unnecessarily, wrinkles on the laundry can be prevented.

  As a result, if the laundry has a low moisture content such as synthetic fiber, that is, laundry that is easily dehydrated, waste of time and power consumption can be avoided, while the laundry has a moisture content such as cotton-based clothing. In the case of laundry having a large size, that is, difficult to dehydrate, a predetermined dehydration rate can be maintained as usual. That is, optimal dewatering control can be performed according to the quality of the laundry.

  In general, the laundry is a mixture of cotton-based clothing and synthetic fiber clothing, or a cotton and synthetic fiber mixed clothing. Therefore, when it is determined from the above-described cloth quality determination result that the laundry is more likely to contain water with respect to the preset driving time T1 of 780 r / min, the driving time T1 of 780 r / min is extended and the laundry is washed. If it is determined that the object is more difficult to contain water, the driving time T1 of 780 r / min may be shortened.

  In other words, by setting the initial drive time T1 of 780 r / min to be shorter in advance, the initial operation time is shorter and power consumption is suppressed, and the power consumption is suppressed and 780 r / min according to the quality of the laundry loaded. By extending or shortening the min time, a further optimal driving time T1 of 780 r / min can be set. As a result, it is possible to perform finer and optimum dehydration control according to the quality of the laundry.

  In the present embodiment, the driving time in the rotation speed range lower than the maximum achieved rotation speed in the final dewatering process is changed based on the result of the cloth quality determination means 22a, but also in the intermediate dewatering in a plurality of rinse processes. Applicable. That is, in the dehydration after the washing process, the cloth quality is determined based on the amount of the laundry after the moisture treatment, and the driving time in the rotation speed range lower than the maximum rotation speed of the intermediate dehydration in the rinsing process is shortened when there are many synthetic fiber systems. It is good also as composition to do.

  As described above, the present invention is effective as a washing machine that detects the cloth quality of the laundry and performs washing suitable for the cloth quality.

2 Washing machine body 3 Water tank 4 Rotating drum 4a Rotating shaft 4b Stirring protrusion 4e Through hole 6 Motor 7 Water supply system 7a Water supply valve (water supply means)
7b Detergent storage part 8 Drainage system 8a Drainage pipe 8b Drainage filter 10 Water level detection means 13 Opening 16 Circulation system 19 Drainage valve 20 Circulation pump 21 Operation panel 22 Control means 22a Cloth quality judgment means 31 Circulation path 31a Inflow side path 31b Discharge side path 51 injection port

Claims (2)

A rotating drum formed into a bottomed cylindrical shape;
A water tank in which the rotating drum is disposed;
Water supply means for supplying water into the water tank;
Water level detecting means for detecting the level of the washing water in the water tank;
A motor for rotating the rotating drum;
A cloth amount detecting means for detecting the amount of laundry in the rotating drum, and a control means for controlling the motor and the like to perform at least a dehydrating operation;
The control means includes cloth quality determination means for determining the cloth quality of the laundry from the cloth amount detection result before the water supply start by the water supply means and the cloth amount detection result in a state where the laundry contains water, In the dehydrating operation, a constant rotational speed range is provided in a stepwise manner to increase the rotational speed, and the driving time in the rotational speed range lower than the maximum reached rotational speed is made variable based on the result of the cloth quality determination means. Washing machine. The cloth quality determination means determines the cloth amount detection result of the laundry before the start of water supply by the water supply means by dividing the result by the cloth amount detection result in a state where the laundry contains water. The washing machine according to claim 1.

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