JP2017000403A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To acquire high rinsing performance by executing hot water rinsing with a small power consumption amount.SOLUTION: A washing machine includes: a washing tub 3 in which clothing is accommodated and which is supported rotatably; an outer tub 2 for including the washing tub and for storing water; water supply means 16 for supplying water to the washing tub; and a circulation pump 22 in which a heater 40 is provided at an outer tub bottom part, and which circulates washing water stored at the outer tub bottom part to the washing tub. The washing machine executes each of washing, rinsing and dewatering steps. At least in the rinsing step right after the washing step, the washing tub is rotated at a high speed and dewatering is executed, and clothing is attached to the washing tub. Water is supplied to the outer tub bottom part by the water supply means to store water, this water is heated by the heater to generate hot water, and the hot water is sprayed to the clothing by the circulation pump while rotating the washing tub at a low speed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine.

  The rinsing of the washing machine is a process of draining the washing liquid after washing and diluting the detergent component contained in the laundry and the soil component removed by washing with clean water. The rinsing method performed in the washing machine is as follows: 1) “reserve rinsing” performed by accumulating water in the washing tub, 2) “water rinsing” performed while continuing to supply water to the washing tub and overflowing from the washing tub, and 3) washing liquid The “shower rinse”, which drains and dehydrates, soaks rinse water into clothing and dehydrates it, is mainly used. The amount of water used for rinsing is shower rinsing, trial rinsing, and water rinsing in ascending order.

  Recently, water saving and low power consumption are also regarded as important from the viewpoint of energy saving, and a washing machine that can perform washing in a short amount of water, low power consumption, and short time is required. For this reason, in modern washing machines, the process is mainly performed in the order of washing → intermediate dehydration → shower rinsing → intermediate dehydration → irrigation → final dehydration, and water injection rinsing is not performed unless the user selects it. It is like that. In addition, a detergent that can be rinsed once has been put on the market. When this detergent is used, intermediate dehydration and shower dehydration can be omitted, and water saving and time saving can be achieved. On the other hand, many people are concerned about the effects on the skin of the residual detergent components on the clothes after washing. Such a person seems to be coping with increasing the number of times of rinsing and rinsing.

  In order to improve the rinsing performance, it is most effective to increase the amount of rinsing water (increase the number of times of rinsing), but it is also effective to improve the performance of dehydration performed before rinsing (increase the dehydration speed). . Non-Patent Document 1 below shows data that can reduce the residual amount of detergent surfactant in clothing by about half when the rinse water temperature is increased from 20 ° C. to 40 ° C. and rinsed twice. Therefore, increasing the temperature of the rinsing water is also effective for improving the rinsing performance. Patent Document 1 below describes a washing and drying machine that performs rinsing with warm water.

Japanese Patent No. 3880881

Ikuno, Iwasaki "Study on Rinsing Efficiency of Coin Landry Washing Machine" Bulletin of Tokyo Gakugei University 6th Division, 36, pp. 65-70, 1984

  In the warm water rinsing in Non-Patent Document 1 described above, a large amount of water is accumulated in the washing tub for rinsing, so that a large amount of power consumption is required to heat the water and heat it. Moreover, in the washing / drying machine of Patent Document 1, the rinse water is heated during the stirring operation in the rinsing process (final rinsing process) immediately before the final dehydration process. This has the effect of improving the dewatering efficiency and shortening the drying time by executing the final dehydration step and the subsequent drying step while the laundry is warmed.

  However, in the final rinsing step, the amount of detergent remaining on the clothing is reduced, and even if the rinsing water in the final rinsing step is warm, there is little effect of improving the rinsing performance. In general, since the soft finish is put into the washing tub at the time of final rinsing, the final rinse is performed by rinsing in order to uniformly adsorb the soft finish to the laundry. For this reason, much power consumption is needed like the above.

  An object of the present invention is to increase the effect of hot water rinsing with a small amount of power consumption in a washing machine that performs hot water rinsing.

  In order to achieve the above object, as an example, the present invention provides a washing tub in which clothing is accommodated and rotatably supported, an outer tub for storing water contained in the washing tub, and water supplied to the washing tub. It has a water supply means, a heating means for heating the water supplied from the water supply means, and a spraying means for spraying the heated water to the washing tub, and has a control means for controlling the execution of each step of washing, rinsing and dehydration. In the washing machine, the control means executes a warm water rinsing process using hot water heated by the heating means at least immediately after the washing process, and the hot water rinsing process rotates the washing tub at high speed to perform dehydration. The hot water is sprayed on the clothing while rotating the laundry tub at a low speed in a state where the clothing is attached to the laundry tub.

  The heating means includes a heater provided at the bottom of the outer tub, and has washing water circulation means for circulating the washing water stored in the bottom of the outer tub into the washing tub, and the control means includes the hot water rinse. In the process, water is supplied to the bottom of the outer tub by the water supply means, the heater is energized to make water stored in the bottom of the outer tub warm water, and the warm water is sprayed on the clothes by the washing water circulation means.

  Alternatively, the heating means comprises a heater provided in the middle of the water supply means, and the control means operates the water supply means and the heater to generate hot water in the warm water rinsing step, and this hot water is supplied to the clothing. Scatter.

  Preferably, the warm water rinsing step is performed a plurality of times.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a washing machine having a high rinsing performance with low power consumption.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an external view showing a drum type washing / drying machine of Example 1; It is a perspective view which cut | disconnects some housings | casings of a drum type washing-drying machine, and shows an internal structure. It is a side view which shows the internal structure of a drum type washing-drying machine. It is a rear view which removes the back cover of a drum type washing-drying machine, and shows an internal structure. It is a block diagram of the control system of the washing and drying machine shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows a part of control process which the microcomputer in the controller of the control system shown in FIG. 5 performs. It is a continuation of the flowchart shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which cut | disconnects some housings | casings of the drum type washing-drying machine of Example 2, and shows an internal structure. It is a rear view which removes the back cover of the drum type washing-drying machine of FIG. 8, and shows an internal structure. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a part of control processing executed by the microcomputer according to the second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, examples will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In this embodiment, an example of a drum type washing and drying machine will be described.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of a drum type washing and drying machine 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the housing cut to show the internal structure, FIG. 3 is a side view showing the internal structure, and FIG. 4 is a back cover removed to show the internal structure. It is a rear view.

  The drum-type washing / drying machine 100 of this embodiment includes a drum 3 that stores clothes, performs washing, dehydration, and drying, a motor 4 that rotates the drum 3, and a casing 1 that supports the drum 3. Here, the casing 1 constituting the outer shell is mounted on a base 1h, and includes left and right side plates 1a and 1b, a front cover 1c, a back cover 1d, a top cover 1e, and a lower front cover 1f. . The left and right side plates 1a and 1b are connected by a U-shaped upper reinforcing material (not shown), a front reinforcing material 37, and a rear reinforcing material (not shown), and include a box-shaped housing including the base 1h. The body 1 is formed and has sufficient strength as a housing.

  Also, a door 9 that closes the slot for putting in and out the clothes is provided at the approximate center of the front cover 1c, and is supported by a hinge 9c provided on the front reinforcing member so as to be opened and closed. By pulling the door opening lever 9b, the lock mechanism (not shown) is released and the door is opened. When the door is pressed against the front cover 1c, the door is locked and closed. The front reinforcing member 37 has a circular opening for putting clothes in and out concentrically with an opening of the outer tub described later. The part which closes the outer tank opening part of the door 9 is made of the concave glass 9a so that it can endure the heat at the time of drying.

  Further, an operation panel 6 is provided on the upper right side of the housing 1, and includes a power switch 11, operation switches 12 and 13, and a display 14. The operation panel 6 is electrically connected to a control device 38 provided on the top of the housing 1.

  The drum 3 has a cylindrical shape that is rotatably supported. The drum 3 has a large number of through-holes for water flow and ventilation on the cylindrical surface and the back surface, and an opening 3a for putting clothes in and out on the front end surface. is there. A fluid balancer 3 c integrated with the drum 3 is provided at the front end of the drum 3 concentrically with the drum 3. A plurality of lifters 3b extending in the axial direction are provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical surface. When the drum 3 is rotated during washing and drying, the clothes are lifted along the cylindrical surface by the lifter 3b and centrifugal force, and fall by gravity. Repeat the movement. The rotation center axis of the drum 3 is inclined so that the horizontal or opening 3a side becomes higher.

  Further, a cylindrical outer tub 2 for storing washing water is supported by the housing 1, includes a drum 3 on the same axis, opens on the front surface, and attaches a motor 4 to the outer center of the back surface. The rotating shaft 4 a of the motor 4 passes through the outer tub 2 and is coupled to the central portion on the back surface of the drum 3. An outer tub cover 2d is provided at the front opening of the outer tub 3 so that water can be stored in the outer tub. In the center of the front side of the outer tub cover 2d, there is an opening 2c for taking in and out clothing. The opening provided in the main opening 2c and the front reinforcing member 37 is connected by a rubber bellows 10. When the door 9 is closed, the glass 9a of the door 9 comes into contact with the lip of the bellows 10, and the outer tank 2 is sealed with water. When the door 9 is closed, the tip of the concave glass 9a closes the opening 2c of the outer tank cover 2d and the opening 3a of the drum 3. At this time, the axial position of the front end of the glass 9a and the front end of the drum 3 (the front end of the fluid balancer 3c) is substantially matched, and the laundry enters between the outer periphery of the glass 9a and the outer tub cover 2d. There is no consideration.

  On the bottom surface of the outer tub 2, a recess 2e for receiving water is formed in the axial direction, and a heater B40 for heating the washing water is provided on the back side of the outer tub 2 of the recess 2e. . Moreover, the temperature sensor 52 is provided in the hollow part 2e, and the temperature of the water supplied into the outer tank 3 is detected. A drain port 2b is provided at the lowermost part of the recess 2e, and a drain hose 26 is connected thereto. A circulation pump 22, a lint filter 23, and a drain valve 21 are provided in the middle of the drain hose 26. By closing the drain valve 21 and supplying water, water is stored in the outer tub 2, and the drain valve 21 is opened to open the outer tub. Drain the water in 2 out of the machine.

  A detergent container 7 is provided on the upper left side in the housing 1. As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, an openable lid 7 a is opened to put detergents. The interior of the detergent container 7 is divided into a plurality of rooms so that powder detergent, liquid detergent, softener and the like can be separately charged.

  Parts related to water supply such as a water supply electromagnetic valve 16, a bath water supply pump 17, and a water level sensor 18 are provided at the upper rear of the housing 1. The top cover 1e is provided with a water supply hose connection port 16a from a water tap and a water absorption hose connection port 17a for remaining hot water in the bath. The water supply electromagnetic valve 16, the bath water supply pump 17, and the detergent container 7 are connected by a water supply pipe (not shown). The detergent container 7 is connected to the outer tub 2 by a bellows hose 19, and tap water or water is supplied to the outer tub 2 via the detergent container 7 by opening the water supply electromagnetic valve 16 or operating the bath water supply pump 17. Supply bath water. Detergents put into the detergent container 7 by the user are supplied to the bottom of the outer tub 2 along the inner wall surface of the outer tub 2 together with water, and are undissolved powder detergent or high-concentration liquid detergent. The soft finish is applied directly to the clothes in the drum 3 so that discoloration and uneven color do not occur.

  The circulation pump 22 has two discharge ports, and the discharge port can be switched by switching the rotation direction of the circulation pump 22. Thereby, it is possible to disperse the detergent and the washing water on the laundry. When dissolving the detergent, the circulation pump 22 is rotated in the reverse direction. A small amount of water containing undissolved powder detergent supplied to the bottom of the outer tub 2 enters the circulation pump 22 from the drain port 2b through the lint filter 23, and passes through the circulating water hose 25b from the discharge port 22b. 2 circulates back to the bottom of the tank cover 2d. At this time, undissolved detergent and water are vigorously stirred in the circulation pump 22, and the detergent can be efficiently dissolved to produce a high-concentration detergent liquid. On the other hand, the water circulation pump 22 is rotated forward during washing. The washing water collected at the bottom of the outer tub 2 passes from the drain port 2b through the lint filter 23 to the circulation pump 22, and from the discharge port 22a through the circulation water hose 25a to the water spray port (not shown). To the drum 3 and circulates back to the bottom of the outer tub 2. The water spout is formed so that the water spray reaches from the back side to the front side of the drum 3 as indicated by an arrow S in FIG. Accordingly, since the washing water can be uniformly applied to the laundry, high washing power and rinsing performance can be obtained, and water can be saved because the washing water is circulated by the circulation pump 22 and repeatedly used.

  The lint filter 23 can be easily attached and detached by opening the door 1g provided on the lower front cover 1f.

  An air trap 24 is provided at the lowermost part of the rear part of the outer tub 9, and is connected to the water level sensor 18 by a tube 18a to detect the water level in the outer tub 2.

  The outer tub 2 is supported in a vibration-proof manner by a suspension 5 (consisting of a coil spring and a damper) whose lower side is fixed to the base 1h. Moreover, the upper side of the outer tank 2 is supported by an auxiliary spring (not shown) attached to the upper reinforcing member to prevent the outer tank 2 from falling in the front-rear direction.

  A drying duct 29 is installed vertically inside the back surface of the housing 1, and a lower portion of the duct is connected to an air inlet 2 a provided below the back surface of the outer tub 2 through a rubber bellows tube 29 a. A water-cooled dehumidifying mechanism (not shown) is built in the drying duct 29, and cooling water is supplied from the water supply electromagnetic valve 16 to the water-cooled dehumidifying mechanism. The cooling water flows down along the wall surface of the drying duct 29, enters the outer tub 2 from the intake port 2a, and is discharged from the drain port 2b.

  The upper part of the drying duct 29 is connected to the drying filter 8 installed at the upper right rear side in the housing 1. The lint from the air that has entered the drying filter 8 from the drying duct 29 is removed by the mesh filter of the drying filter 8. Cleaning of the dry filter 8 is performed by pulling the dry filter 8 upward as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. The drying filter 8 is connected to the intake duct 33, and the other end of the intake duct 33 is connected to the intake port of the blower unit 28.

  In this embodiment, the means for blowing air into the drum 3 is provided in the housing 1 at the upper right with respect to the rotation axis of the drum 3 when viewed from the door 9 side. When rotating around and rotating counterclockwise, the clothes lifted by the rotation of the drum 3 are blown to dry. Here, the means for blowing the wind includes a blower unit 28, a heater 31A that is provided on the discharge side of the blower unit 28 and heats the wind, and a hot air outlet 32 that is provided downstream of the heater A31. It is comprised with the air path which connects these.

  The blower unit 28 includes a driving fan motor 28a, a fan (not shown), and a fan case 28b. The fan case 28b incorporates a heater A31 and heats air sent from the fan. The discharge port of the blower unit 28 is connected to the hot air duct 30. The hot air duct 30 is connected to a hot air outlet 32 provided in the outer tank cover 2d through a rubber bellows tube 30a and a bellows tube joint 30b.

  In this embodiment, the area of the hot air outlet 32 is made smaller than the air passage area of the drying duct 29, the hot air duct 30, the drying filter 8, etc., and the fan motor 28a is rotated at a high speed to generate high pressure air. I am letting. As a result, high-speed air is blown into the drum from the hot air outlet 32, and this high-speed wind is blown onto the clothing, so that wrinkles generated in the clothing can be stretched by the wind force. Further, since the blower unit 28 is provided on the upper right side in the housing 1, the hot air outlet 32 is provided at a position diagonally above and to the right of the outer tub cover 2d, and the distance to the hot air outlet 32 is made as short as possible. It is like that. For this reason, an increase in pressure loss can be prevented, and high-speed wind can be efficiently blown onto clothing.

  A temperature sensor (not shown) is provided in front of the drain port 2b, the intake port of the blower unit 28, and the hot air outlet 32.

  The flow of wind during the drying operation is as follows. When the blower unit 28 is operated and the heater A31 is energized, high-speed hot air blows into the drum 3 from the hot air outlet 32, hits the wet clothing, warms the clothing, and moisture evaporates from the clothing. During the drying operation, since the drum 3 is rotated forward and backward, the clothes are lifted up to the vicinity of the warm air outlet 32 by the lifter 3b, and high-speed wind strikes the clothes. At this time, since the distance between the warm air outlet 32 and the clothing is the shortest, wrinkles of the clothing can be stretched with a high-speed wind. The air that has become hot and humid flows from the through hole provided in the drum 3 to the outer tub 2, is sucked into the drying duct 29 from the air inlet 2 a, and flows through the drying duct 29 from the bottom to the top. Cooling water from the water cooling and dehumidifying mechanism flows down on the wall surface of the drying duct 29, and the hot and humid air is cooled and dehumidified by coming into contact with the cooling water, and enters the drying filter 8 as dry low-temperature air. The lint is removed through the mesh filter provided in the drying filter 8, enters the intake duct 33, and is sucked into the blower unit 28. Then, after being pressurized by the blower unit 28, it flows to the heater A 31, is heated again, and circulates so as to blow into the drum 3.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control device 38 of the drum type washer / dryer of this embodiment. A microcomputer 50 is connected to the operation button input circuit 51, the water level sensor 18, and the temperature sensor 52 connected to the switches 12 and 13, and receives various information signals in the user's button operation, washing process, and drying process. . The output from the microcomputer 50 is connected to the drive circuit 54 and connected to the water supply solenoid valve 16, the drain valve 21, the circulation pump 22, the motor 4, the blower unit 28, the heater A31, the heater B40, etc. Control energization. Further, it is connected to a 7-segment light emitting diode or liquid crystal display 14, a light emitting diode 56 and a buzzer 57 for notifying the user of the operating state of the washing machine.

  The microcomputer 50 is activated when the power switch 11 is pressed and the power is turned on, and executes a basic control processing program for washing and drying as shown in FIGS.

Step S101
Check the status of the washer / dryer and make initial settings.

Step S102
The indicator 14 of the operation panel 6 is turned on, and a washing / drying course is set according to an instruction input from the operation button switch 13. When no instruction is input, the standard washing / drying course or the previous washing / drying course is automatically set. In the following description, a case where “warm water rinse” for rinsing with warm water is set will be described.

Step S103
The process branches after monitoring the instruction input from the start switch 12 of the operation panel 6.

Step S104
When the start switch 12 is pressed, cloth amount sensing is performed. In the cloth amount sensing, for example, the drum 3 is rotated at a low speed or accelerated to a specified rotational speed, and the current value of the motor 4 at that time is measured. Then, the amount of detergent, the washing time, the number of times of rinsing, the dehydration time, the time until the washing and drying are completed are displayed on the display 14. The user opens the lid 7a with reference to the detergent amount display, and puts an appropriate amount of detergent into the detergent container 7 into the detergent charging chamber. If necessary, place the softener into the softener input chamber.

Step S105
The water supply electromagnetic valve 16 is opened, tap water is supplied to the detergent container 7, and the powder detergent is allowed to flow to the bottom of the outer tub 2. When the water level sensor 18 detects that the detergent has been dissolved and the water level has been supplied, the water supply is stopped. This water level is set so that the detergent concentration of the wash water generated in the next detergent dissolving step (step S106) is 10 times at maximum. The detergent concentration is defined as 1 times the standard concentration specified by the detergent manufacturer (for example, the concentration when 20 grams of detergent is dissolved in 30 liters of water). The reason why the detergent concentration is 10 times is that if the detergent concentration is too high, there is a problem that uneven color of clothing (particularly noticeable when exposed to ultraviolet rays) due to the fluorescent brightener contained in the detergent. In order to make this uneven color inconspicuous, it is necessary to suppress the detergent concentration to 10 times or less.

Step S106
The circulation pump 22 is rotated in the reverse direction and the detergent is dissolved. The detergent is stirred and dissolved by the circulation pump 22 to generate wash water having a high detergent concentration. The time for dissolving the detergent is 1 to 2 minutes.

Step S107
Perform pre-washing. While rotating the drum 3 forward and backward at a low speed, the circulating pump 22 is rotated forward, and the high-concentration washing water generated at the bottom of the outer tub 2 is washed in the drum 3 from the water spout provided at the upper part of the outer tub cover 2d. Spread on objects. High-concentration washing water is evenly distributed in the laundry due to the penetration of the detergent. Further, since the dissolving power against oil stains is strong, the effect of raising the stains from the laundry is very large, and the stains can be easily removed by the main washing in the next step. Since the water level in the outer tub 2 is lowered by the amount of washing water contained in the laundry, the electromagnetic water supply valve 16 is opened, and pre-washing is continued until water reaches the predetermined water level while water is supplied into the outer tub 2. During the pre-washing, a cloth quality determination operation may be performed. This is to determine the fabric quality from the difference in moisture content between synthetic fiber and cotton. Specifically, the torque for rotating the drum 3 is different between clothing having a low water content and clothing having a high water content. The more the cotton having a high water content, the higher the torque, and this is detected by the current value of the motor 4.

Step S108
Perform the main wash. While the drum 3 is rotated forward and backward at a low speed, the circulation pump 22 is rotated forward to circulate the washing water accumulated at the bottom of the outer tub 3 so as to fall on the laundry from the water spout. The water spout shape is such that the wash water is sprayed from the front side to the back side of the drum 3 so that the wash water can be distributed evenly over the laundry.

Step S109
Perform a warm water rinse. First, the drain valve 21 is opened and the water in the outer tub 3 is drained, and then the drum 3 is rotated in one direction at a high speed for a specified time to centrifugally dehydrate the wash water contained in the laundry (step S109a). The laundry is stuck to the cylindrical surface of the drum 3. Stop rotation after centrifugal dehydration for the specified time. The rotation speed in the dehydration process is, for example, about 1000 to 1200 rotations per minute, which is faster than the rotation speed in the rinsing process.

  Thereafter, the water supply electromagnetic valve 16 is opened to supply water to the bottom of the outer tub 3. When the water level sensor 18 detects that the water has been supplied to the set water level (at least the water level at which the heater B40 is submerged), the water supply is stopped (step S109b). Here, the set water level for the hot water rinse is desirably a water level lower than the set water level for the final rinse from the viewpoint of water saving and low power consumption.

  Next, the heater B40 is energized, and the rinse water supplied to the bottom of the outer tub 3 is heated. When the temperature sensor A52 detects that the temperature of the rinse water has reached a specified value (for example, 40 ° C.), the energization to the heater B40 is stopped (step S109c). When step 109c is executed, it is better to reversely rotate the circulation pump 22 to circulate the rinsing water being heated. This is because, when heated in a stationary state, the temperature of the upper portion of the rinse water in the outer tub 3 is higher than that of the lower portion, a temperature distribution is generated in the rinse water, and the temperature is controlled to a specified temperature depending on the installation position of the temperature sensor A52. This is because it becomes difficult to do. By rotating the circulation pump 22 in the reverse direction, the rinse water is agitated and the temperature of the rinse water rises uniformly. Instead of using the circulation pump 22, the drum 3 may be rotated reversely at a low speed (for example, about 30 to 50 revolutions per minute) to agitate the rinse water.

  Then, for example, the drum 3 is rotated in one direction at 70 to 100 revolutions per minute so that the laundry is attached to the inside of the cylindrical surface of the drum 3, and then the circulation pump 22 is rotated forward so that the warm rinse water is sprinkled. The sprinkles are then sprinkled on the laundry and included in the laundry to increase the temperature of the laundry (step 109d). As described above, while the drum 3 is rotated, the warm rinse water is sprinkled on the laundry from the water spout while the laundry is attached to the inside of the cylindrical surface of the drum 3. Water can be uniformly contained, and unevenness of the effect of rinsing with hot water depending on the position of the laundry in the drum 3 can be reduced.

  In order to improve the rinsing performance, it is necessary to make the laundry contain as much rinsing water as possible. The amount of water that the laundry can contain depends on the quality of the laundry (synthetic fiber, cotton, etc.) and how the fabric is woven (plain weave, towels, etc.). For this reason, the amount of rinse water is determined based on the result of the cloth amount detection in step S104 and the cloth quality determination result in step S107. Thereby, since it is not necessary to warm the rinse water more than a required amount of water, the increase in power consumption by warm water rinse and the heating time of rinse water can be suppressed.

  When the rinsing water sufficiently penetrates into the laundry, the water level of the rinsing water in the outer tub 3 is lowered. When the rinsing water falls below the specified water level, the circulation pump 22 stops rotating. Note that the operation time of the circulation pump 22 in step 109d may be controlled by a time defined in advance by the amount of cloth and the cloth quality.

  The process branches after confirming whether or not the number of repetitions of hot water rinsing in step 109 has reached a predetermined number (step 109e). If the specified number of times has not been reached, the operations from step 109a to step 109d are repeated. Here, a case where the number of repetitions of hot water rinsing is two will be described. In step 109a, the drain valve 21 is opened and the water in the outer tub 3 is drained, and then the drum 3 is rotated in one direction at a high speed for a specified time to centrifugally dehydrate the wash water contained in the laundry. At this time, the laundry contains warm water, and as described in Non-Patent Document 1, the adsorption amount of the surfactant on the laundry is reduced. For this reason, many surfactants can be excluded from the laundry as compared with the case of using room temperature water for intermediate dehydration. Furthermore, since the surface tension of warm water is lower than that of water at room temperature, the dehydration rate in intermediate dehydration is improved (the water content of the laundry is reduced), and the detergent components can be further eliminated from the laundry. Thereafter, Step 109b and Step 109c are executed, and the rinse water warmed in Step 109d is included in the laundry. At this time, since the laundry is warmed in the first warm water rinsing process, the temperature of the rinsing water contained in the laundry is higher than that in the first time in step 109d.

  When the number of hot water rinses reaches the specified number, the final rinse step of Step 110 is executed.

Step S110
Perform a final rinse. After the drain valve 21 is opened and the water in the outer tub 3 is drained, the drum 3 is rotated in one direction at a high speed to perform intermediate dehydration (step 110a). The laundry contains rinse water having a higher temperature than after the first warm water rinse, and the detergent component such as the surfactant is further washed with the effect of reducing the adsorption amount of the surfactant and reducing the surface tension. Can be removed efficiently. Thereafter, the water supply electromagnetic valve 16 is opened, and water is supplied to the bottom of the outer tub 3 until the set water level is reached (step 110b). If the softening agent is put in the softening agent charging chamber, the softening agent is supplied into the outer tub 3 at the time of final rinsing. Next, as in the main washing, while rotating the drum 3 forward and backward, the circulation pump 22 is rotated forward to circulate the rinse water accumulated at the bottom of the outer tub 3 so as to be sprinkled from the water spout onto the laundry. Rinsing is executed (step 110c). At this time, the laundry before water supply is in a warmed state, and the rinse water temperature at the time of rinsing is higher than that of room temperature tap water, so the amount of surfactant adsorbed on the laundry is reduced and the rinsing performance is improved. (Can reduce the amount of detergent remaining in the laundry) In the above-described step S110, it has been described that warm water rinsing is not performed in the final rinsing process, but warm water rinsing may be performed. However, in this case, in order to reduce power consumption, it is desirable to reduce the amount of power consumed by the hot water rinse in step S110 compared to the case of the hot water rinse in step S109.

Step S111
The process branches after confirming whether the washing / drying course is set. When only the washing course is set, step S112 is executed, and when the washing and drying course is set, step S113 is executed.

Step S112
Perform final dehydration. The drum 3 is rotated at a high speed in one direction, and the rinse water contained in the laundry is centrifugally dehydrated. When dehydration is performed for a specified time, the drum 3 is stopped. Then, the drum 3 is rotated forward and backward at low speed, and the laundry stuck to the body plate 3e of the drum 3 is dropped by centrifugal force during dehydration, and the operation is finished.

Step S113
When the washing / drying course is set, high-speed dehydration is performed at a high speed rotation from step S112 to reduce the amount of remaining water in the clothing. At this time, the air blowing unit 28 may be operated at a low speed, and the heater 31 may be energized to blow warm air into the drum 3 to increase the temperature of the clothing. The clothes warm up and water can be effectively dehydrated from the clothes (when the temperature rises, the surface tension of the water decreases, so the water can be efficiently dehydrated).

Step S114
Perform a drying operation. The blower unit 28 is rotated, the heater 31 is energized, and the drum 3 is rotated forward and reverse at a predetermined rotation speed and rotation time, and the position of the clothes in the drum 3 is changed, and high-speed warm air is applied to the clothes. Spray. As the temperature of the entire garment rises and moisture evaporates from the garment, drying proceeds while stretching the wrinkle of the garment.

  Drying is performed while monitoring the temperature of the warm air or the cooling water drainage using a temperature sensor, and is finished when the rate of temperature change reaches a predetermined value.

  In this embodiment, tap water is used and the hot water rinse in step 109 is executed, but the bath water feed pump 17 may be operated to use the remaining hot water in the bath. By doing so, it is possible to reduce power consumption and time required for warming the rinse water.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a cutaway part of the casing in order to show the internal structure of the drum-type washer / dryer in Example 2, and FIG. 9 is a back cover removed to show the internal structure. It is a rear view. The same symbols as those in FIGS. 2 and 4 indicate the same parts, and the description thereof will be omitted.

  A heater C41 is provided in the upper part of the housing 1 and substantially in the center. The heater C41 has an example of a structure in which a water passage is provided in the center, a heater (for example, a sheathed heater or a PTC heater) that heats the water passage is provided, and the outer periphery thereof is covered with a heat insulating material. . One end of the water passage of the heater C41 is connected to the water supply electromagnetic valve 16 by a hot water hose A42, and the other end is connected to a hot water sprinkling port 2f provided at the upper part of the outer tank cover 2d by a hot water hose B43. The outlet of the hot water sprinkling port 2f opens toward the inside of the drum 3, and is formed so that the hot water reaches from the back side to the front side of the drum 3 as indicated by an arrow S in FIG. A temperature sensor B53 (not shown) is provided on the upstream side of the connecting portion of the hot water hose B43 (exit of the heater C41).

  When the electromagnetic water supply valve 16 is opened, tap water passes through the heater C41 and is sprinkled into the drum 3 from the hot water sprinkling port 2f. At this time, when the heater C41 is energized, the tap water is heated and supplied as hot water into the drum 3. The temperature of the hot water is controlled by the temperature sensor B53. The control method includes control of the feed water flow rate and control of the heater input. For example, if the water supply flow rate is about 0.5 L / min and the heater is 800 W, the water temperature can be increased by about 20 ° C.

  FIG. 10 is a part of a basic control processing program for washing executed by the microcomputer 50 according to the second embodiment. Since the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 6 indicate the same control processing, the description thereof is omitted. Note that the control processing after A in FIG. 10 is the same as in FIG.

Step S115
Perform a warm water rinse. First, the drain valve 21 is opened and the water in the outer tub 3 is drained, and then the drum 3 is rotated in one direction at a high speed (for example, 1000 to 1200 revolutions per minute) for intermediate dehydration, and included in the laundry. The washed water is centrifuged and dehydrated (step S115a). The laundry is stuck to the cylindrical surface of the drum 3.

  When the intermediate dehydration is performed for the specified time, the drum 3 is decelerated from about 70 to about 100 revolutions per minute to maintain the rotation. Thereafter, the water supply electromagnetic valve 16 is opened, the heater C41 is energized, and warm water is sprinkled from the warm water sprinkling port 2f onto the laundry stuck to the inner cylinder surface of the drum 3. Since the rotation speed of the drum 3 is 70 to 100 revolutions per minute, the warm water sprayed on the laundry is almost dehydrated and is contained in water, and the temperature of the laundry is increased (step S115b). The amount of hot water to be sprayed varies depending on the amount of laundry, the quality of the laundry, the way of weaving the fabric, etc., as described in the description of the first embodiment. Based on the result of cloth quality judgment, control is performed at a predetermined time. Since the amount of water supplied to the water supply electromagnetic valve 16 changes depending on the tap water pressure, the time for spraying hot water is changed according to the water pressure, that is, the higher the water pressure, the shorter the time and the amount of hot water is made constant. The tap water pressure can be detected, for example, by the time from the start of water supply until the detergent is dissolved and reaches the water level in the detergent water supply in step S105.

  In the present embodiment, only the amount of water sprayed on the laundry needs to be heated. On the other hand, when the rinse water stored in the outer tub 3 is heated and sprayed by the circulation pump 22 as in the first embodiment, the circulation pump 22 circulates the rinse water in addition to the amount of water sprayed on the laundry. The amount of water required to do this is also required. For this reason, according to the present Example, the increase in the power consumption by warm water rinsing can be suppressed further.

  The process branches after confirming whether the number of repetitions of warm water rinsing in step 115 has reached a predetermined number (step 115c). If the specified number of times has not been reached, the operations from step 115a to step 115b are repeated.

  When the number of times of hot water rinsing reaches the specified number of times, the final rinsing process of step 110 is executed.

  Also in this example, the effect of rinsing with warm water, that is, the effect of being able to exclude more surfactant from the laundry than normal temperature water and eliminating the detergent component from the laundry by improving the dehydration rate is the same as in Example 1. It is.

  In addition, although the present Example demonstrated the case where the washing machine was provided with the heater C41 which produces | generates warm water, in the washing machine provided with the electromagnetic water supply valve for tap water, and the electromagnetic water supply valve for warm water, it is household The hot water from the hot water supply equipment may be connected to the hot water electromagnetic water supply valve so that the hot water from the hot water supply equipment is directly supplied and sprayed when rinsing the hot water.

In the first and second embodiments, the drum type washing and drying machine has been described. However, the same applies to a drum type washing machine that does not have a drying function, a vertical washing machine, or a washing and drying machine.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing | casing 2 Outer tank 2a Inlet 2d Outer tank cover 3 Drum 4 Motor 6 Operation panel 9 Door 16 Water supply solenoid valve 22 Circulation pump 38 Controller 40 Heater A
41 Heater B
52 Temperature Sensor A
53 Temperature Sensor B

Claims (6)

A washing tub in which clothing is housed and rotatably supported, an outer tub for storing water contained in the washing tub, a water supply means for supplying water to the washing tub, and a heating means for heating water supplied from the water supply means In the washing machine having a spraying means for spraying the heated water supply to the washing tub, and having a control means for controlling the execution of each step of washing, rinsing and dehydration,
The control means executes a warm water rinsing process using hot water heated by the heating means at least in the rinsing process immediately after the washing process, and the warm water rinsing process is performed in a state where the clothes are attached to the washing tub. A washing machine characterized in that the warm water is sprayed on the clothing while rotating the machine. A washing tub in which clothing is housed and rotatably supported;
An outer tub for storing water containing the washing tub;
Water supply means for supplying water to the washing tub;
Heating means for heating water supplied from the water supply means;
Spraying means for spraying water on the clothing after heating by the heating means;
A washing machine having control means for controlling execution of a washing process, a rinsing process and a dehydrating process,
The rinsing step includes a first rinsing step and a second rinsing step performed after the first rinsing step;
The control means includes
In the first rinsing step, a hot water rinsing step using hot water heated by the heating means is performed at the first water level,
A washing machine that performs rinsing at a second water level higher than the first water level in the second rinsing step. In Claim 1 or 2, the heating means comprises a heater provided at the bottom of the outer tub, and has washing water circulation means for circulating the washing water stored in the bottom of the outer tub into the washing tub.
In the warm water rinsing step, the control means supplies water to the bottom of the outer tub by the water supply means, energizes the heater to make water stored in the bottom of the outer tub warm water, and the washing water circulation means supplies the hot water to the A washing machine characterized by being sprayed on clothing. In Claim 1 or 2, the heating means comprises a heater provided in the middle of the water supply means,
In the warm water rinsing step, the control means operates the water supply means and the heater to generate hot water, and sprays the hot water on the clothes.   5. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the warm water rinsing step is executed a plurality of times. A washing tub in which clothing is housed and rotatably supported;
An outer tub for storing water containing the washing tub;
Hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the washing tub;
Spraying means for spraying hot water from the hot water supply means on clothes;
A washing machine having control means for controlling execution of a washing process, a rinsing process and a dehydrating process,
The rinsing step includes a first rinsing step and a second rinsing step performed after the first rinsing step;
The control means includes
In the first rinsing step, performing a warm water rinsing step using the warm water at a first water level,
A washing machine that performs rinsing at a second water level higher than the first water level in the second rinsing step.

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