JP2020103419A - Vertical type washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To increase the capacity of laundry which can be stored in a drum, without increasing the size of the drum.SOLUTION: A vertical type washing machine includes: an outer tub arranged inside a housing; a drum constituted so as to rotate around a rotary shaft in the outer tub; an annular container arranged in the drum and for storing rolling bodies; a motor for rotationally driving the drum; and a motor control part for controlling the motor. The motor control part controls the motor so as to perform unbalance dissolving control in which, before starting a dewatering step, after increasing the rotational frequency of the drum until it reaches the target rotational frequency exceeding resonance rotational frequency where lateral resonance occurs, the rotational drive of the drum is stopped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a vertical washing machine that performs, for example, a washing step, a rinsing step, and a dehydrating step.

If the laundry is eccentric in the drum when the dehydration process is started in the vertical washing machine and the drum is unbalanced, the drum may vibrate and the dehydration may not be started. Therefore, there is a vertical washing machine in which a balancer device for canceling an unbalance is installed in a drum (rotary tub) (see Patent Document 1).

The balancer device has a ring-shaped balancer case, and a liquid (aqueous solution) is sealed inside the balancer case. Therefore, when the dehydration step is started, the liquid moves to a position where it cancels the imbalance, so that the imbalance can be eliminated.

JP, 2008-82916, A

Since the specific gravity of the liquid sealed in the balancer case in the balancer device is relatively small, it is necessary to increase the volume of the liquid sealed in the balancer case in order to suppress the vibration of the drum. Therefore, if the internal space of the balancer case installed in the drum is enlarged, the capacity of the laundry that can be stored in the drum will decrease.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vertical washing machine capable of increasing the capacity of the laundry that can be stored in the drum without increasing the size of the drum that stores the laundry.

That is, the vertical washing machine of the present invention includes an outer tub disposed inside a casing, a drum configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis in the outer tub, and a drum disposed on the drum, and a rolling element. An annular container for accommodating, a motor for rotationally driving the drum, and a control means for controlling the motor are provided, and the control means sets the rotational speed of the drum to a lateral resonance of the drum before starting a dehydration process. The motor is controlled so as to perform unbalance elimination control for stopping the rotational driving of the drum after increasing the rotational speed to a target rotational speed exceeding the resonance rotational speed. In the present invention, the resonance rotation speed at which the lateral resonance of the drum occurs is the resonance rotation speed at which the resonance of the drum occurs in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the drum.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, it is preferable that the annular container contains a liquid.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, an ambient temperature detecting means for detecting an ambient temperature is provided, and the control means reduces the rotational speed of the drum after stopping the rotational driving of the drum in the unbalance elimination control. The predetermined motor deceleration force for controlling the motor based on the predetermined motor deceleration force and reducing the rotational speed of the drum in the unbalance elimination control is the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detecting means. It is preferable that it is variable depending on the temperature.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, a load amount detecting unit for detecting a load amount corresponding to the amount of laundry in the drum is provided, and the control unit drives the drum to rotate in the unbalance elimination control. After stopping, the motor is controlled based on a predetermined motor deceleration force so as to reduce the rotation speed of the drum, and a predetermined motor deceleration force when the rotation speed of the drum is reduced in the imbalance elimination control. Is preferably variable according to the load amount detected by the load amount detecting means.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, it is preferable that the vertical washing machine includes an ambient temperature detecting unit that detects an ambient temperature, and the number of times of the imbalance elimination control is variable according to the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detecting unit. Is.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, a vibration detecting means for detecting the vibration of the outer tub is provided, and the continuation of the unbalance elimination control depends on the magnitude of the vibration of the outer tub detected by the vibration detecting means. It is preferable to be determined by

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, the annular container accommodating the rolling elements is arranged on the drum, and the rotational speed of the drum exceeds the resonance rotational speed at which lateral resonance of the drum occurs before starting the dehydration process. After raising the rotational speed to reach the rotational speed, unbalance elimination control for stopping the rotational driving of the drum is performed. Therefore, the rolling element accommodated in the annular container moves toward the opposite side of the eccentric position where the laundry in the drum is biased by the centrifugal force when the unbalance elimination control is performed. Unbalance is resolved. Since the rolling element housed in the annular container has a larger specific gravity than the liquid of the conventional liquid balancer, the annular container can be downsized. Therefore, the capacity of the laundry that can be stored in the drum can be increased without increasing the size of the drum. Further, by performing the imbalance elimination control before starting the dehydration step, the dehydration step can be started in a state in which the imbalance of the drum is eliminated.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, the liquid is contained in the annular container, and the liquid moves at a high speed toward the opposite side of the eccentric position where the laundry in the drum is biased. The balance can be resolved in a short time.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, the viscosity of the liquid contained in the annular container decreases as the ambient temperature rises and increases as the ambient temperature lowers. In the unbalance elimination control, when the motor deceleration force increases, the rolling element that moves during motor acceleration returns to the original amount due to the inertial force due to deceleration. Therefore, in order to minimize the amount of rolling elements returning to the original when the motor is decelerated, the motor deceleration force is large when the ambient temperature where the liquid viscosity is high is low, and conversely, the ambient temperature where the liquid viscosity is low is high. At times, by reducing the motor deceleration force, it is possible to suppress the amount of return to the original and increase the imbalance elimination capability.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, the laundry is stored in the drum, and the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control is reduced as the load amount corresponding to the amount of the laundry in the drum is smaller. Therefore, the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control can be appropriately determined according to the load amount.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, the viscosity of the liquid contained in the annular container decreases as the ambient temperature rises and increases as the ambient temperature lowers. Therefore, the amount of movement of the rolling elements in the annular container when the unbalance elimination control is performed changes depending on the viscosity of the liquid. Therefore, as the ambient temperature is higher, the imbalance of the drum can be eliminated even if the number of times the imbalance elimination control is performed is small. Therefore, the number of times of imbalance elimination control can be appropriately determined according to the ambient temperature.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, when the vibration of the outer tub is small, the unbalance of the drum is relatively small. Therefore, the unbalance elimination control is ended. Since the balance is relatively large, the unbalance elimination control is continued. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not to continue the unbalance elimination control according to the magnitude of the vibration of the outer tank.

It is a typical sectional view of vertical washing machine 100 concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the ball balancer 30 of the vertical washing machine 100 of FIG. It is a control block diagram of the vertical washing machine 100 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the drum rotation speed at the time of performing the imbalance elimination control performed before starting a dehydration process, and the change of the drum rotation speed in a dehydration process. It is a figure which shows operation|movement of the some rolling element 32 in the annular container 31 of the ball balancer 30 when unbalance elimination control is performed. It is a flowchart which shows the method of determining the number of times of imbalance elimination control based on the ambient temperature of the vertical washing machine 100. 6 is a flowchart showing a method for determining a motor deceleration force in unbalance elimination control based on an ambient temperature of vertical washing machine 100. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of determining a motor deceleration force in unbalance elimination control based on a load amount of vertical washing machine 100. It is a figure which shows the correspondence of the motor deceleration force in unbalance elimination control, the ambient temperature of the vertical washing machine 100, and the load amount. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of determining whether to continue unbalance elimination control based on the magnitude of vibration of the outer tub 2. 4 is a flowchart showing a washing operation of the vertical washing machine 100. It is a flow chart which shows the procedure of imbalance elimination control. It is a flow chart which shows the procedure of the dehydration process in the washing operation of vertical washing machine 100. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the imbalance elimination control of the vertical washing machine which concerns on the modification of this invention.

Hereinafter, a vertical washing machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a vertical washing machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A vertical washing machine 100 (hereinafter, also referred to as a washing machine 100) has a casing 1 as a washing machine main body, and a plurality of outer tubs 2 each having a cylindrical shape with a bottom (not shown) are provided inside the casing 1. Suspended by the hanging rod. Inside the outer tub 2, a drum 3 having a large number of water holes around it is rotatably supported around a support shaft 4 fixed to its bottom wall. A stirring blade 5 is provided at the bottom of the drum 3 so as to be rotatable around an inner shaft 6 fitted into the support shaft 4.

The rotational driving force of the motor 7 attached to the lower surface of the outer tub 2 is generated by a transmission mechanism including a small pulley 9, a V belt 10 and a large pulley 11 fixed to a motor shaft 8, a clutch mechanism 12 and a torque motor 13. It is transmitted to the support shaft 4 and the inner shaft 6 via the power switching mechanism 14 including the same.

During the washing operation and the rinsing operation, the clutch mechanism 12 disconnects the large pulley 11 and the support shaft 4 in response to the operation of the torque motor 13, and moves the stirring blade 5 in one direction or both directions via the inner shaft 6. Rotate. On the other hand, during the dehydration operation, the clutch mechanism 12 connects the large pulley 11 and the support shaft 4 to rotate the drum 3 and the stirring blade 5 integrally in one direction.

A water supply pipe 15 connected to an external tap is provided behind the upper part of the housing 1, and when the water supply valve 16 is opened, the water introduced through the water supply pipe 15 is filled with a detergent container. It flows into the water port 17 and is poured into the outer tub 2. On the other hand, a drain port 18 is provided at the bottom of the outer tank 2, and a drain pipe 19 connected to the drain port 18 is opened and closed by a drain valve 20.

The opening/closing operation of the drainage valve 20 is linked to the operation of the clutch mechanism 12, and when the stirring blade 5 is separated from the drum 3 and can rotate independently, the drainage valve 20 is closed and the stirring blade 5 is rotated. When the drum 3 and the drum 3 rotate together, the drain valve 20 is opened.

A lid 22 that can be opened and closed is provided at a laundry inlet 21 that is opened on the upper surface of the housing 1. A safety device 24 is installed on the upper front side of the housing 1. The safety device 24 is integrated with a lid opening/closing detection device for detecting the opening/closing of the lid body 22 shown in FIG. 2 and a lid locking device for locking the lid body 22 in a closed state to prohibit the opening. It is a thing.

An ambient temperature detection sensor 61 that detects the ambient temperature of the washing machine 100 and a vibration detection sensor 62 that detects the vibration of the outer tub 2 are arranged in the housing 1. The vibration detection sensor 62 is arranged below the outer tub 2 in the housing 1, and can detect that the vibration of the outer tub 2 is equal to or more than a threshold value.

A ball balancer 30 is provided near the opening 3 a formed at the upper end of the drum 3. The ball balancer 30 has an annular container 31, and a plurality of rolling elements 32 and a liquid 33 are accommodated inside the annular container 31 as moving bodies. The annular container 31 is installed inside the opening 3 a of the drum 3 so that the rotation axis of the annular container 31 coincides with the rotation axis of the drum 3.

The rolling element 32 is a metal ball, and the liquid 33 is, for example, silicone oil (Shin-Etsu Silicone KF-96-350CS manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.). The rolling element 32 is not limited to a substantially spherical ball as long as it has a rolling shape. As the liquid 33, oils such as silicone oil can be used, but the type of liquid is not limited.

2A is a plan view of the ball balancer 30, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2A. The annular container 31 is annular and has an outer peripheral surface 31a and an inner peripheral surface 31b. The rolling element 32 and the liquid 33 are accommodated inside the annular container 31 so as to be movable over the entire circumference.

The diameter of the rolling element 32 is slightly smaller than the distance between the outer peripheral surface 31a and the inner peripheral surface 31b of the annular container 31. Therefore, although FIG. 2B shows a state in which the rolling element 32 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 31 a of the annular container 31, the rolling element 32 and the inner peripheral surface 31 b of the annular container 31 are not connected to each other. , A gap D (for example, 1 mm) is formed.

The height of the annular container 31 (the size of the space in which the plurality of rolling elements 32 and the liquid 33 are stored) is smaller than the height of the annular container in which the liquid is stored in the conventional liquid balancer.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the washing machine 100 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 50 of the washing machine 100 includes, for example, a microcomputer, a CPU, a ROM that stores a program for controlling the operation of the washing machine 100, and executes the program. And a RAM for temporarily storing data and the like used when performing. The operation of the washing machine 100 is controlled by the control unit 50.

In the vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 so that each operation of the washing process, the rinsing process, and the dehydrating process is performed. After increasing the rotational speed until it reaches a target rotational speed that exceeds the resonance rotational speed at which the lateral resonance of the drum 3 occurs, the motor 7 is controlled so that the unbalance elimination control for stopping the rotational driving of the drum 3 is performed. Control. In the present embodiment, the control unit 50 performs the imbalance elimination control a predetermined number of times before starting the dehydration process. The predetermined number of times is, for example, 3 times.

The resonance rotation speed at which the lateral resonance of the drum 3 occurs is the resonance rotation speed when the resonance of the drum 3 occurs in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the drum 3, and is, for example, 70 rpm to 90 rpm. Therefore, the target rotation speed exceeding the resonance rotation speed is, for example, a rotation speed of 100 rpm to 150 rpm.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing changes in the drum rotation speed when the unbalance elimination control is performed before the dehydration step is started, and changes in the drum rotation speed in the dehydration step. FIG. 4 shows a case where the imbalance elimination control is performed three times before starting the dehydration process. FIG. 5: is a figure which shows operation|movement of the some rolling element 32 in the annular container 31 of the ball balancer 30 when unbalance elimination control is performed.

In the present embodiment, with the drum 3 stopped, as shown in FIG. 5, the laundry in the drum 3 is biased to the left side portion of the bottom of the drum 3, and the eccentric position is to the left side portion of the drum 3. A case where the imbalance elimination control is performed in a certain state will be described.

FIG. 5A shows a state in which the drum 3 is stopped at time 0 and the laundry in the drum 3 is biased toward the left side portion of the bottom of the drum 3, and the plurality of rolling elements 32 are the laundry. Shows the state around the eccentric position where the is biased. Therefore, the drum 3 is in an unbalanced state.

At time 0, the control unit 50 starts controlling the motor 7 so that the drum rotation speed increases toward the target rotation speed of 100 rpm. The rotation speed of 100 rpm, which is the target rotation speed, is a rotation speed exceeding the resonance rotation speed at which the lateral resonance of the drum 3 occurs. The acceleration of the rotation speed of the drum 3 is 80 rpm/s when the rotation speed of the drum 3 is 0 rpm to 100 rpm. In the present embodiment, in the unbalance elimination control, the acceleration of the rotation speed when the drum rotation speed is increased to the target rotation speed is 40 rpm/s or more. The larger the drum rotational speed acceleration in the imbalance elimination control is, the larger the moving amount of the rolling element 32 is.

Then, as the number of rotations of the drum 3 increases, the plurality of rolling elements 32 in the annular container 31 are rotated by centrifugal force along the outer peripheral surface of the annular container 31, as shown in FIG. 5B. It moves to the rotation direction side of 3. That is, as the number of rotations of the drum 3 increases, the plurality of rolling elements 32 in the annular container 31 move toward the opposite side of the eccentric position where the laundry in the drum 3 is biased.

At time t1, when the drum rotation speed reaches the target rotation speed of 100 rpm, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 to stop the rotational driving of the drum 3. As shown in FIG. 4, after the rotational drive of the drum 3 is stopped, the rotational speed of the drum is increased to 120 rpm by the inertial force, but thereafter, the control unit 50 causes the drum to rotate at a predetermined motor deceleration force determined in advance. The motor 7 is controlled so as to reduce the rotation speed. At time t2, when the drum rotation speed decreases to 0, the first imbalance elimination control ends. In the present embodiment, in the unbalance elimination control, the drum rotation speed is controlled so as to decrease to a rotation speed lower than the resonance rotation speed at which the lateral resonance of the drum 3 occurs.

At time t2, when the drum rotation speed decreases to 0, the controller 50 starts controlling the motor 7 again so that the drum rotation speed increases toward the target rotation speed of 100 rpm. At time t3, when the drum rotation speed reaches the target rotation speed of 100 rpm, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 to stop the rotational driving of the drum 3. After that, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 so as to reduce the drum rotation speed with a predetermined motor deceleration force determined in advance. At time t4, when the drum rotation speed decreases to 0, the second imbalance elimination control ends.

After that, similarly to the above, at time t4, the control unit 50 starts control of the motor 7 again so that the drum rotation speed increases toward the target rotation speed of 100 rpm, and at time t5, the drum rotation speed. When the target rotation speed reaches 100 rpm, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 to stop the rotational driving of the drum 3. After that, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 so as to reduce the drum rotation speed with a predetermined motor deceleration force determined in advance. At time t6, when the drum rotation speed decreases to 0, the third imbalance elimination control ends.

As described above, when the first imbalance elimination control ends, as shown in FIG. 5B, the plurality of rolling elements 32 are eccentric to the laundry in the drum 3 due to the eccentricity. It is moving toward the opposite side of the position, but has not moved to the position completely opposite to the eccentric position. After that, when the second imbalance elimination control and the third imbalance elimination control are completed, the plurality of rolling elements 32 in the annular container 31 completely face the eccentric position, as shown in FIG. 5C. It has moved to the position where it did.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 50 starts the dehydration process with the balance of the drum 3 optimized by performing the imbalance elimination control three times. The control unit 50 performs unbalance rinsing when the balance of the drum 3 cannot be optimized by performing the imbalance elimination control three times. Unbalanced rinsing means that when the unbalance is not resolved by performing the imbalance removal control three times, a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the drum 3 in order to loosen the laundry in the drum 3, and the stirring blade is then used. This is an operation performed by rotating the No. 5 motor. In addition, even if the imbalance rinse is performed a predetermined number of times, if the imbalance elimination control of the predetermined number of times is not completed, the control unit 50 displays an error on a display unit (not shown). The predetermined rinse number is, for example, 2 times.

The control unit 50 includes a load amount detection unit 51, a frequency determination unit 52, a motor deceleration force determination unit 53, a continuation determination unit 54, and a motor control unit 55. The ambient temperature detection sensor 61, the vibration detection sensor 62, and the motor 7 are connected to the control unit 50.

The load amount detection unit 51 detects the load amount corresponding to the amount of laundry in the drum 3. In the present embodiment, the load amount is indicated by a ratio with respect to the rated capacity of the washing machine 100. In the washing machine 100, when the washing operation is started, the motor 7 is turned on for a short time to rotationally drive the stirring blade 5, and then, when the motor 7 is turned off, the stirring blade 5 rotates by inertia. The load amount detection unit 51 counts the pulse signals synchronized with the rotation of the motor 7 during the inertia rotation period, and detects the load amount based on the counted value. Note that the larger the load amount is, the larger the resistance against rotation of the stirring blade 5 is, and thus the duration of the inertial rotation becomes shorter.

The number-of-times determining unit 52 determines the number of times (predetermined number) of unbalance elimination control performed before starting the dehydration process. In the present embodiment, the number-of-times determining unit 52 determines the number of times of unbalance elimination control based on the ambient temperature (air temperature) of the washing machine 100.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of determining the number of times of imbalance elimination control based on the ambient temperature of the washing machine 100.

<Steps S1 and S2>
In step S1, the control unit 50 determines whether the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection sensor 61 is in the range of 5°C to 10°C. When the control unit 50 determines that the ambient temperature is in the range of 5°C to 10°C, the process proceeds to step S2, and the number of unbalance elimination control is determined to be 5 times.

<Steps S3 and S4>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S1 that the ambient temperature is not in the range of 5°C to 10°C, the process proceeds to step S3, and the control unit 50 determines that the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection sensor is 10°C to 10°C. It is determined whether it is in the range of 20°C. When the control unit 50 determines that the ambient temperature is in the range of 10° C. to 20° C., the process proceeds to step S4, and the number of unbalance elimination control is determined to be 4 times.

<Step S5>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S3 that the ambient temperature is not in the range of 10° C. to 20° C., the process proceeds to step S5 and the number of times of imbalance elimination control is determined to be 3 times.

As described above, the number of times determining unit 52 determines the number of times of the imbalance elimination control based on the ambient temperature of the washing machine 100, but the viscosity of the liquid 33 of the ball balancer 30 becomes smaller as the ambient temperature becomes higher, It increases as the ambient temperature decreases. Therefore, when the imbalance elimination control is performed, the movement amount of the rolling element 32 in the annular container 31 changes according to the viscosity of the liquid 33. Therefore, as the ambient temperature is higher, the imbalance of the drum 3 can be eliminated even if the number of times of the imbalance elimination control is small. Therefore, the number-of-times determining unit 52 determines the number of times of the imbalance elimination control to be a smaller value as the ambient temperature becomes higher and a larger value as the ambient temperature becomes lower.

The motor deceleration force determination unit 53 determines the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control. The motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control corresponds to the deceleration acceleration that decelerates the drive shaft of the motor 7 when the drum rotation speed is reduced in the unbalance elimination control. Specifically, the motor deceleration force determination unit 53 determines the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control based on the ambient temperature of the washing machine 100 and the load amount corresponding to the amount of laundry in the drum 3. ..

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method of determining the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control based on the ambient temperature of the washing machine 100.

<Steps S101 and S102>
In step S101, the control unit 50 determines whether the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection sensor 61 is in the range of 5°C to 15°C. When the control unit 50 determines that the ambient temperature is in the range of 5°C to 15°C, the process proceeds to step S102, and the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control is determined to be the first value.

<Steps S103 and S104>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S101 that the ambient temperature is not in the range of 5°C to 15°C, the process proceeds to step S103, and the control unit 50 determines that the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection sensor 61 is 15°C. It is determined whether the temperature is in the range of -30°C. When the control unit 50 determines that the ambient temperature is in the range of 15°C to 30°C, the process proceeds to step S104, and the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control is determined to be the second value.

<Step S105>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S103 that the ambient temperature is not in the range of 15° C. to 30° C., the process proceeds to step S105, and the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control is set to the third value.

As described above, the motor deceleration force determination unit 53 determines the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control based on the ambient temperature of the washing machine 100, but the viscosity of the liquid 33 of the ball balancer 30 is high at the ambient temperature. It becomes smaller as it becomes smaller, and becomes larger as the ambient temperature becomes lower. In the unbalance elimination control, when the motor deceleration force increases, the rolling element 32 that moves during motor acceleration returns to the original amount due to the inertial force due to deceleration. Therefore, in order to reduce the amount of the rolling element 32 returning to the original position when the motor is decelerated, the motor deceleration force is large when the ambient temperature where the liquid viscosity is high is low, and conversely, the ambient temperature where the liquid viscosity is low is low. When it is high, by reducing the motor deceleration force, it is possible to suppress the amount of return to the original and increase the imbalance elimination capability.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method for determining the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control based on the load amount of the washing machine 100.

<Steps S201 and S202>
In step S201, the control unit 50 determines whether the load amount detected by the load amount detection unit 51 is in the range of 0% to 30% of the rating. When the control unit 50 determines that the load amount is in the range of 0% to 30% of the rating, the process proceeds to step S202, and the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control is determined to be the fourth value.

<Steps S203 and S204>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S201 that the load amount is not in the range of 0% to 30% of the rating, the process proceeds to step S203, and the control unit 50 determines that the load amount detected by the load amount detection unit 51 is It is determined whether it is within the range of 30% to 70% of the rating. When the control unit 50 determines that the load amount is in the range of 30% to 70% of the rated value, the process proceeds to step S204, and the control unit 50 determines the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control to be the fifth value. To do.

<Step S205>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S203 that the load amount is not in the range of 30% to 70% of the rated value, the process proceeds to step S205, and the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control is set to the sixth value.

As described above, the motor deceleration force determination unit 52 determines the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control based on the load amount corresponding to the amount of laundry in the drum 3. The smaller the amount of, the smaller the motor deceleration force when the number of rotations of the drum is reduced. Therefore, the motor deceleration force determination unit 52 determines the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control to be a large value as the load amount increases and a smaller value as the load amount decreases.

Although it has been described that the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control is set to the first to sixth values in the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8 described above, FIG. 9 shows the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control and the washing machine. The correspondence between the ambient temperature of 100 and the load amount is shown. As described above, the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control is determined to be a smaller value as the ambient temperature rises. Therefore, in FIG. 9, motor deceleration force a ₁₁ >motor deceleration force a ₁₂ >motor deceleration force a ₁₃ , motor deceleration force a ₂₁ >motor deceleration force a ₂₂ >motor deceleration force a ₂₃ , and motor deceleration force a ₃₁ >motor deceleration force a ₃₂ >motor deceleration force a ₃₃ .

Further, since the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control is determined to be a larger value as the load amount corresponding to the amount of laundry in the drum 3 increases, the motor deceleration force a ₁₁ <motor Deceleration force a ₂₁ <motor deceleration force a ₃₁ , motor deceleration force a ₁₂ <motor deceleration force a ₂₂ <motor deceleration force a ₃₂ , motor deceleration force a ₁₃ <motor deceleration force a ₂₃ <motor deceleration force a ₃₃ Is.

The continuation determination unit 54 determines whether or not to continue the unbalance elimination control. In the present embodiment, the continuation determination unit 54 determines whether to continue the unbalance elimination control based on the magnitude of the vibration of the outer tub 2 detected by the vibration detection sensor 62. Specifically, when the unbalance elimination control is being performed, the continuation determination unit 54 continues the unbalance elimination control when the size of the outer tub 2 detected by the vibration detection sensor 62 is larger than the threshold value. When the magnitude of the vibration of the outer tub 2 detected by the vibration detection sensor 62 is within the threshold value, it is determined that the unbalance elimination control is ended.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a method for determining whether or not to continue the unbalance elimination control based on the magnitude of the vibration of the outer tub 2.

<Step S301>
In step S301, the control unit 50 determines whether the vibration of the outer tub 2 is within the threshold value.

<Step S302>
When the control unit 50 determines that the vibration of the outer tub 2 is within the threshold value, the control unit 50 proceeds to step S302 and determines to end the unbalance elimination control.

<Step S303>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S301 that the vibration of the outer tub 2 is not within the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S303, and the control unit 50 determines to continue the unbalance elimination control.

The vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment includes a vibration detection sensor 62 which is a vibration detection means for detecting the vibration of the outer tub 2, and the unbalance elimination control is continued by the outer tub 2 detected by the vibration detection sensor 62. It is determined according to the magnitude of the vibration.

As a result, in the vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment, when the vibration of the outer tub 2 is small, the unbalance elimination control is ended because the unbalance of the drum 3 is relatively small. When the vibration is large, the unbalance of the drum 3 is relatively large, and therefore the unbalance elimination control is continued. Therefore, whether or not to continue the unbalance elimination control can be appropriately determined according to the magnitude of the vibration of the outer tub 2.

The washing operation of the washing machine 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

<Step S401>
In step S401, when the user puts the laundry in the drum 3, makes an appropriate setting, and presses the start key, the control unit 50 executes the load amount detection process. The control unit 50 determines the wash water levels determined in a plurality of stages according to the load amount.

<Step S402>
In step S402, the washing water level is determined, and as a substantial washing step, in order to start the washing step, the control unit 50 opens the water feed valve 16 to feed water into the drum 3 up to a predetermined water level, and then the stirring blades. The washing operation is executed by rotating 5 in one or both directions at a predetermined speed. When the washing process is completed, the control unit 50 drives the torque motor 13 to open the drain valve 20 and drain the water in the drum 3.

<Step S403>
In step S403, the control unit 50 executes unbalance elimination control. The procedure of the imbalance elimination control will be described later in detail.

<Step S404>
Then, in step S404, the control unit 50 performs intermediate dehydration by rotating the drum 3 at high speed. By this intermediate dehydration, the detergent water that has permeated the laundry is scattered and removed.

<Step S405>
In step S405, the control unit 50 executes dehydration rinsing as the first rinsing. In the dehydration rinsing, while rotating the drum 3, water is poured from the water injection port 17 into the laundry in the form of a shower so that the laundry absorbs clean water, and instead, the detergent water soaked in the laundry is pushed out. That's what it does.

<Step S406>
In step S406, the control unit 50 executes unbalance elimination control. The procedure of the imbalance elimination control will be described later in detail.

<Step S407>
Then, in step S407, the control unit 50 performs intermediate dewatering to disperse the water soaked in the laundry, after the laundry is sufficiently water-filled, as in step S404.

<Step S408>
In step S408, the control unit 50 further supplies a predetermined amount of water into the drum 3 as the second rinsing, and rotates the stirring blades 5 to perform the pool rinsing as in the washing process of step S402. Execute. When the reservoir rinsing is completed, the control unit 50 opens the drain valve 20 to drain the water in the drum 3.

<Step S409>
In step S409, the control unit 50 executes unbalance elimination control. The procedure of the imbalance elimination control will be described later in detail.

<Step S410>
Then, in step S410, the control unit 50 executes the final dehydration by rotating the drum 3 at a high speed similarly to the intermediate dehydration.

The above operation is the most standard operation, and depending on the driving course or various settings by the user, for example, a pool rinse is performed instead of the dehydration rinse step, or a pool rinse is used instead of the pool rinse. The contents of each process will be changed as appropriate, such as rinsing with water.

The procedure of the imbalance elimination control described above will be described with reference to FIG.

<Step S501>
In step S501, the control unit 50 determines the number of times of imbalance elimination control based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

<Step S502>
In step S502, the control unit 50 determines the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control, as shown in FIG. 9, based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

<Step S503>
In step S503, the control unit 50 starts unbalance elimination control. Therefore, the control unit 50 starts the control of the motor 7 so that the drum rotation speed increases so that the drum rotation speed increases toward the target rotation speed.

<Step S504>
In step S504, the control unit 50 detects the vibration of the outer tub 2 with the vibration detection sensor 62. The control unit 50 continuously detects the vibration of the outer tub 2 while the drum rotation speed is increasing.

<Step S505>
In step S505, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the drum rotation speed has reached the target rotation speed. When the control unit 50 determines that the drum rotation speed has not reached the target rotation speed, the process proceeds to step S503, and the control unit 50 causes the rotation speed of the drum 3 to increase toward the target rotation speed. The control of the motor 7 is continued.

<Step S506>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S505 that the drum rotation speed has reached the target rotation speed, the process proceeds to step S506, and the control unit 50 reduces the drum rotation speed after stopping the rotational driving of the drum 3. Then, the control of the motor 7 is started so as to cause the above.

<Step S507>
In step S507, the control unit 50 determines whether to continue the unbalance elimination control, based on the flowchart shown in FIG. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 10, when the control unit 50 determines to end the unbalance elimination control, the control unit 50 returns to the flowchart in FIG. 11 and executes the intermediate dehydration process or the final dehydration process.

<Step S508>
In the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 10, when the control unit 50 determines to continue the unbalance elimination control, the process proceeds to step S508, and the control unit 50 determines whether or not the unbalance elimination control is finished a predetermined number of times. ..

When the control unit 50 determines in step S508 that the unbalance elimination control has not ended the predetermined number of times, the process proceeds to step S503 and the unbalance elimination control is executed again.

<Step S509>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S508 that the unbalance elimination control has finished the predetermined number of times, the process proceeds to step S509, and the control unit 50 executes unbalance rinsing. Then, it progresses to step S510.

<Step S510>
In step S510, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the imbalanced rinsing has been completed a predetermined number of times. When the control unit 50 determines in step S510 that the imbalance rinsing has not been completed the predetermined number of rinses, the process proceeds to step S501, and the unbalance elimination control is executed again.

<Step S511>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S510 that the unbalanced rinsing has finished the predetermined number of rinses, the process proceeds to step S511, and the control unit 50 displays an error on a display unit (not shown).

The operation of the dehydration process in the washing operation of the washing machine 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

<Step S601>
In step S601, the control unit 50 increases the drum rotation speed to the first rotation speed (for example, 50 rpm). In the present embodiment, the first rotation speed is set to a rotation speed of 100 rpm or less, and by increasing the drum rotation speed to the first rotation speed and rotating the drum 3, the plurality of rolling elements 32 are After the laundry in the drum 3 is placed at the final optimum position, which is completely opposite to the eccentric eccentric position, the dehydration is started.

<Step S602>
In step S602, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the drum rotation speed is the first rotation speed and the operation is performed for the first predetermined time. When the control unit 50 determines that the drum has not been operated at the first rotation speed for the first predetermined time, the drum rotation speed continues to be the first rotation speed.

<Step S603>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S602 that the control unit 50 has operated at the first rotation speed for the first predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S603, and the control unit 50 increases the drum rotation speed to the second rotation speed (for example, 170 rpm). Let

<Step S604>
In step S604, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the drum rotation speed is the second rotation speed and the operation has been performed for the second predetermined time. When the control unit 50 determines that the second rotation speed has not been operated for the second predetermined time, the drum rotation speed continues to be the second rotation speed.

<Step S605>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S604 that the operation has been performed at the second rotation speed for the second predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S605, and the control unit 50 increases the drum rotation speed to the third rotation speed (for example, 350 rpm). Let

<Step S606>
In step S606, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the drum rotation speed is the third rotation speed and the operation has been performed for the third predetermined time. When the control unit 50 determines that the drum has not been operated at the third rotation speed for the third predetermined time, the drum rotation speed continues to be the third rotation speed.

<Step S607>
When the control unit 50 determines in step S606 that the control unit 50 has operated at the third rotation speed for the third predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S607, and the control unit 50 increases the drum rotation speed to the fourth rotation speed (for example, 800 rpm). Let

<Step S608>
In step S608, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the drum rotation speed is at the fourth rotation speed and the operation is performed for the fourth predetermined time. When the control unit 50 determines that the drum has not been operated at the fourth rotation speed for the fourth predetermined time, the state in which the drum rotation speed is the fourth rotation speed is continued.

In step S608, when the control unit 50 determines that the control unit 50 has operated at the fourth rotation speed for the fourth predetermined time, the dehydration process ends.

When the rotation speed of the drum 3 is 0 rpm to 50 rpm, the acceleration of the drum rotation speed is 40 rpm/s, and when the rotation speed of the drum 3 is 50 rpm to 170 rpm, the acceleration of the drum rotation speed is 80 rpm/s. The acceleration of the drum rotation speed at a rotation speed of 170 rpm to 350 rpm is 10 rpm/s.

The vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment is provided with an outer tub 2 arranged inside a casing 1, a drum 3 configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis in the outer tub 2, and arranged on the drum 3. An annular container 31 that houses the rolling elements 32, a motor 7 that rotationally drives the drum 3, and a motor control unit 55 that is a control unit that controls the motor 7 are provided, and the motor control unit 55 before starting the dehydration process. In addition, after the rotational speed of the drum 3 is increased until the target rotational speed exceeding the resonance rotational speed at which the lateral resonance of the drum 3 occurs, the unbalance elimination control for stopping the rotational driving of the drum 3 is performed. , Control the motor 7.

As a result, in the vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment, the annular container 31 accommodating the plurality of rolling elements 32 is arranged in the drum 3, and the rotation speed of the drum 3 is set to the drum 3 before starting the dehydration process. The imbalance elimination control is performed in which the rotational drive of the drum 3 is stopped after the target rotational speed exceeds the resonance rotational speed at which the horizontal resonance occurs. Therefore, the plurality of rolling elements 32 housed in the annular container 31 move toward the opposite side of the eccentric position where the laundry in the drum 3 is biased by the centrifugal force when the imbalance elimination control is performed. By doing so, the imbalance of the drum 3 is eliminated. Since the rolling element 32 housed in the annular container 31 has a larger specific gravity than the liquid of the conventional liquid balancer, the annular container 31 can be downsized. Therefore, the capacity of the laundry that can be stored in the drum 3 can be increased without increasing the size of the drum 3. Further, by performing the unbalance elimination control before starting the dehydration step, the dehydration step can be started in a state in which the unbalance of the drum 3 is eliminated.

In the vertical washing machine 100 of this embodiment, the annular container 31 stores a liquid. Accordingly, in the vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment, the liquid is contained in the annular container 31, and the liquid moves at the speed at which the laundry in the drum 3 moves toward the opposite side of the eccentric position where the laundry is biased. Therefore, the imbalance of the drum 3 can be eliminated in a short time.

The vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment includes an ambient temperature detection sensor 61 that is an ambient temperature detection unit that detects the ambient temperature, and the motor control unit 55 that is the control unit rotates the drum 3 in the imbalance elimination control. After the driving is stopped, the motor 7 is controlled based on the predetermined motor deceleration force so as to reduce the rotation speed of the drum 3, and the predetermined motor deceleration force at the time of reducing the rotation speed of the drum 3 in the imbalance elimination control. Is variable according to the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection sensor 61.

Thereby, in the vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment, the viscosity of the liquid 33 contained in the annular container 31 becomes smaller as the ambient temperature becomes higher and becomes larger as the ambient temperature becomes lower. In the unbalance elimination control, when the motor deceleration force increases, the rolling element that moves during motor acceleration returns to the original amount due to the inertial force due to deceleration. Therefore, in order to minimize the amount of rolling elements returning to the original when the motor is decelerated, the motor deceleration force is large when the ambient temperature where the liquid viscosity is high is low, and conversely, the ambient temperature where the liquid viscosity is low is high. At times, by reducing the motor deceleration force, it is possible to suppress the amount of return to the original and increase the imbalance elimination capability.

The vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment includes a load amount detection unit 51 that is a load amount detection unit that detects a load amount corresponding to the amount of laundry in the drum 3, and a motor control unit 55 that is a control unit. In the unbalance elimination control, after stopping the rotational driving of the drum 3, the motor 7 is controlled based on a predetermined motor deceleration force so as to reduce the rotation speed of the drum 3, and the drum 3 is eliminated in the unbalance elimination control. The motor deceleration force at the time of decreasing the rotation speed of is variable according to the load amount detected by the load amount detection unit 51.

As a result, in the vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment, the laundry is stored in the drum 3, but the smaller the amount of laundry in the drum 3, the smaller the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control. Can eliminate the imbalance of the drum 3. Therefore, the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control can be appropriately determined according to the load amount.

The vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment includes an ambient temperature detection sensor 61 that is an ambient temperature detection unit that detects the ambient temperature, and the number of times of imbalance elimination control is the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection sensor 61. It is variable accordingly.

Thereby, in the vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment, the viscosity of the liquid 33 contained in the annular container 31 becomes smaller as the ambient temperature becomes higher and becomes larger as the ambient temperature becomes lower. Therefore, the amount of movement of the rolling elements 32 in the annular container 31 when the imbalance elimination control is performed changes depending on the viscosity of the liquid 33. Therefore, the higher the ambient temperature, the more the imbalance of the drum 3 can be eliminated even if the number of times of the imbalance elimination control is small. Therefore, the number of times of imbalance elimination control can be appropriately determined according to the ambient temperature.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific configuration of each unit is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the washing machine 100 includes the vibration detection sensor 62, and the continuation determination unit 54 controls the imbalance elimination control based on the magnitude of the vibration of the outer tub 2 detected by the vibration detection sensor 62. However, it is not limited to this.

FIG. 14: is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the imbalance elimination control of the vertical washing machine which concerns on the modification of this invention. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, when the washing machine according to the modified example of the present invention does not include the vibration detection sensor 62, the imbalance elimination control is performed after the number of times determined by the rotation determination unit 53 has been performed. May be terminated.

The procedure of the imbalance elimination control of the vertical washing machine according to the modified example of the present invention is shown in FIG. 14, but the contents of steps S701 to S706 in the flowchart of FIG. The contents are the same as those in steps S503, S505, S506, and S508, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control is determined based on the ambient temperature and the load amount of the washing machine 100, but the invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control may be determined based on only the ambient temperature of the washing machine 100. Further, the motor deceleration force in the imbalance elimination control may be determined based only on the load amount.

In the above embodiment, the case where the unbalance elimination control is performed in the state where the drum 3 is stopped and the plurality of rolling elements 32 are in the vicinity of the eccentric position where the laundry in the drum 3 is biased has been described. In the state where the drum 3 is stopped, the unbalance elimination control may be performed in any position with respect to the eccentric position where the plurality of rolling elements 32 in the drum 3 is biased.

In the above-described embodiment, the imbalance elimination control is performed three times before the dehydration process is started, and the target rotation speeds in the three imbalance elimination controls are the same, but it is performed before the dehydration process is started. The number of times the unbalance elimination control is performed is not limited to that. When the unbalance elimination control is performed a plurality of times, the target rotation speed may be changed for each unbalance elimination control. For example, the target speed in the first imbalance elimination control is 100 rpm, the target speed in the second imbalance elimination control is 120 rpm, and the target speed in the third imbalance elimination control is 150 rpm. The target rotation speed may be increased each time the cancellation control is performed.

As a result, the larger the target rotational speed in the unbalance elimination control, the greater the amount of movement of the rolling elements 32 within the annular container 31 when the unbalance elimination control is performed, and thus the easier it is to eliminate the imbalance in the drum 3. However, as the rotation speed of the drum 3 increases, the energy of the outer tub 2 also rises, so that the impact when the outer tub 2 collides with the frame increases. Therefore, it is difficult to increase the target rotation speed in the imbalance elimination control from the beginning. When the unbalance elimination control is performed a plurality of times, the unbalance of the drum 3 becomes smaller each time the unbalance elimination control is performed, so that it is possible to increase the target rotation speed in the unbalance elimination control performed later. It will be possible. Therefore, when the unbalance elimination control is performed a plurality of times, the target rotation speed in the unbalance elimination control performed later is made larger than the target rotation speed in the unbalance elimination control performed first, so that the drum 3 Unbalance can be resolved efficiently.

In the above-described embodiment, the annular container 31 of the ball balancer 30 accommodates the plurality of rolling elements 32 and the liquid 33 as the moving body, but only the plurality of rolling elements 32 may be accommodated as the moving body. In that case, the rolling element 32 may be coated with rubber or the like, and the rolling element 32 may be moved by the resistance due to the frictional force between the inner peripheral surface of the annular container 31 and the rolling element 32.

1 case 2 outer tub 3 drum 7 motor 31 annular container 32 rolling element 33 liquid 51 load amount detection unit 55 motor control unit 61 ambient temperature detection sensor 62 vibration detection sensor 100 vertical washing machine

Claims (6)

An outer tank placed inside the housing,
A drum configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis in the outer tank,
An annular container arranged on the drum and containing the rolling element,
A motor for rotationally driving the drum,
A control means for controlling the motor,
Before starting the dehydration process, the control means increases the rotational speed of the drum until it reaches a target rotational speed that exceeds a resonance rotational speed at which lateral resonance of the drum occurs, and then drives the drum to rotate. A vertical washing machine characterized in that the motor is controlled so as to perform an imbalance elimination control for stopping the motor. The vertical washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the annular container contains a liquid. Equipped with an ambient temperature detecting means for detecting the ambient temperature,
In the unbalance elimination control, the control means controls the motor based on a predetermined motor deceleration force so as to reduce the rotational speed of the drum after stopping the rotational driving of the drum,
The predetermined motor deceleration force when decreasing the number of rotations of the drum in the imbalance elimination control is variable according to the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detecting means. Vertical washing machine. A load amount detecting means for detecting a load amount corresponding to the amount of laundry in the drum,
In the unbalance elimination control, the control means controls the motor based on a predetermined motor deceleration force so as to reduce the rotational speed of the drum after stopping the rotational driving of the drum,
The predetermined motor deceleration force when decreasing the number of rotations of the drum in the unbalance elimination control is variable according to the load amount detected by the load amount detecting means. The vertical washing machine according to any of the above. Equipped with an ambient temperature detecting means for detecting the ambient temperature,
The vertical washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the number of times of the imbalance elimination control is variable according to the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detecting means. A vibration detecting means for detecting the vibration of the outer tank,
6. The vertical washing according to claim 1, wherein continuation of the unbalance elimination control is determined according to a magnitude of vibration of the outer tub detected by the vibration detecting means. Machine.

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