JP2022152293A - washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a washing machine capable of executing a circulation operation in which water accumulated at a bottom part of a water tub is circulated and sprayed to laundry, under a condition where a pulsator is properly rotatable.SOLUTION: A washing machine includes: a housing 9; a water tub 3 disposed in the housing 9; a washing tub 2 disposed in the water tub 3 in a rotatable manner; a pulsator 1 disposed at an inner bottom part of the water tub 3 in a rotatable manner; a circulation path 33 for communicating a lower part of the washing tub 2 and an upper part of the washing tub 2, and for passing washing water; a motor 4 for rotationally driving the washing tub 2 and/or the pulsator 1; and a control device 13 for controlling the motor 4. The control device 13 determines the execution content of a circulation operation for delivering the washing water into the circulation path 33 according to the water amount stored in the water tub 3, and based on the determined execution content of the circulation operation, drives the pulsator 1. Thereby, the circulation operation can be executed under a condition where the pulsator 1 is properly rotatable.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to washing machines.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a washing machine that circulates washing water accumulated in the bottom of an outer tub and sprinkles it on laundry. This washing machine includes a washing and dehydrating tub arranged inside an outer tub, a pulsator disposed at the bottom of the washing and dehydrating tub, a motor for driving the pulsator, and sucking the washing water collected at the bottom of the outer tub. and a circulation mechanism that circulates the laundry so that it falls on the laundry in the inner tub from above the inner tub.

JP-A-7-31792

The present disclosure provides a washing machine capable of circulating water accumulated at the bottom of a water tub and pouring it onto the laundry under conditions in which the pulsator can rotate appropriately.

In order to solve the above conventional problems, a washing machine according to the present disclosure includes a housing, a water tank disposed in the housing, a washing tank rotatably disposed in the water tank, and a water tank. a pulsator rotatably arranged in the inner bottom, a circulation path for communicating the lower part of the washing tub and the upper part of the washing tub and passing washing water, and a motor for rotationally driving the washing tub and/or the pulsator. and a control unit for controlling the motor, wherein the control unit determines the execution contents of the circulation operation for feeding the washing water to the circulation path according to the amount of water stored in the water tank, and the determined The pulsator is driven based on the execution content of the circulation operation.

The washing machine according to the present disclosure can circulate the water accumulated at the bottom of the water tank and sprinkle it on the laundry under the condition that the pulsator can rotate appropriately.

Principal part cross-sectional view of the washing machine according to Embodiment 1 Block diagram of the drive system of the motor of the washing machine Diagram showing the equivalent circuit of the motor of the washing machine Control block diagram when estimating the phase of the motor of the same washing machine Detailed block diagram of the speed phase estimation means of the motor of the washing machine (a) A vector diagram in which the estimated coordinates are delayed when estimating the phase of the motor of the washing machine, (b) A vector diagram in which the estimated coordinates are advanced when estimating the phase of the motor of the washing machine. Flowchart of control for determining whether or not to perform a circulation operation for circulating water in the water tank of the washing machine Flowchart of the acceleration control processing routine of the washing machine Flowchart of the constant speed control processing routine of the same washing machine Flowchart of the deceleration control processing routine of the washing machine A diagram showing the relationship between the cumulative rotation angle and the expected amount of circulating water in the circulation detection process of the washing machine. A diagram showing the relationship between the amount of water in the water tank and the angle threshold in the circulation detection process of the same washing machine. Time chart for detecting the rotation angle of the washing machine Flowchart of motor speed control processing of the same washing machine Flowchart of motor stop control processing of the washing machine Flowchart of motor current control processing of the same washing machine A diagram showing each process in the washing process of the washing machine

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Also, the present invention is not limited by this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 17. FIG.

[1-1. Constitution]
[1-1-1. Configuration of washing machine]
As shown in FIG. 1, the water tank 3 is arranged inside the housing 9 . A washing tub 2 and a pulsator 1 are rotatably arranged in a water tub 3. - 特許庁A motor 4 having permanent magnets and windings is fixed to the outer bottom of the water tank 3, and the rotation of the motor 4 is transmitted through a motor pulley 31, a belt 5, an impeller pulley 32, and a reduction mechanism/clutch 6, to the pulsator 1 and/or Alternatively, the washing tub 2 is rotationally driven or braked.

A reduction ratio (for example, 1:4) is provided between the motor pulley 31 and the impeller pulley 32, and the washing tub 2 rotates once when the motor 4 rotates four times. Similarly, the reduction mechanism/clutch 6 has a reduction ratio (for example, 1:6), and the pulsator 1 rotates once when the impeller pulley 32 rotates six times. The brake can be controlled by applying reverse torque to the motor 4, or mechanically braking the washing tub 2 by operating the geared motor 7 and bringing the brake belt 8 into contact with the rotating part.

A cover 11 is provided on the upper surface of a panel section 10 arranged above the housing 9 so as to be openable and closable.

A water supply valve 14 is provided inside the rear portion of the panel section 10 , and the water supply valve 14 controls the supply of tap water to the water tank 3 . A drain valve 15 is provided at the bottom of the water tank 3, and the drain valve controls the drainage of washing water in the water tank 3. As shown in FIG.

The control device 13 is composed of a microcomputer or the like. The control device 13 controls the operations of the motor 4, the geared motor 7, the water supply valve 14, the drain valve 15, etc., and sequentially controls a series of processes such as washing, rinsing and dehydration. The control device 13 uses the display means 12a made up of light-emitting elements such as LEDs and LCDs to display the process progress based on information from the input setting means 12b that allows the user to set a desired washing course, start operation, pause operation, etc. and various information are displayed to inform the user. When the operation start is set by the input setting means 12b, the operation of the motor 4, the geared motor 7, the water supply valve 14, and the drain valve 15 is controlled according to the data from the water level detection means and the like to perform the washing operation.

A plurality of circulation paths 33 are provided inside the washing tub 2 . The circulation path 33 extends from the lower portion of the pulsator 1 to the upper portion of the washing tub 2 and has an opening 33 a formed so that the upper end opens toward the inside of the washing tub 2 .

A lower end of the circulation path 33 communicates with a pump chamber 34 provided below the pulsator 1 . A lower wing 1 a is formed on the lower surface of the pulsator 1 . The lower blade 1 a agitates the washing water inside the pump chamber 34 to push the washing water outward by centrifugal force and send it into the circulation path 33 .

[1-1-2. Configuration of Motor Drive System]
As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 13 includes a rectifier circuit 16, an inverter circuit 17, a current detection means 18, a PWM control device 19, a control means 20, and the like.

The AC power supply 35 applies AC power to the rectifier circuit 16 , the rectifier circuit 16 is composed of a voltage doubler rectifier circuit, and the inverter circuit 17 is applied with the doubled DC voltage. The inverter circuit 17 is composed of a three-phase full-bridge inverter circuit consisting of six power switching semiconductors and anti-parallel diodes, and normally incorporates insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), anti-parallel diodes, their drive circuits and protection circuits. It is composed of an intelligent power module (hereinafter referred to as IPM). The motor 4 is connected to the output terminal of the inverter circuit 17 and driven.

The current detection means 18 connects a shunt resistor between the negative voltage terminal of the inverter circuit 17 and the negative voltage terminal of the rectifier circuit 16. Based on the input current of the inverter circuit 17 calculated from the voltage across the shunt resistor, the motor 4 phase currents Iu, Iv and Iw are detected. Since the DC voltage applied to the inverter circuit 17 may be superimposed by the regenerative energy generated by the rotation of the motor in addition to the input from the AC power supply, it is always detected.

The PWM control device 19 controls PWM signals for switching the IGBTs of the inverter circuit 17 according to the three-phase motor drive control voltage commands Vus, Vvs, and Vws from the control means 20, and outputs the inverter circuit output voltages Vu, Vv, and Vw. to drive the motor 4 .

FIG. 3 shows an equivalent circuit of the motor of the washing machine according to the first embodiment. Here, for the sake of simplification of explanation, a two-pole configuration is used in which one rotation of the mechanical angle corresponds to one rotation of the electrical angle. When the number of poles changes to 4 poles, 8 poles, . The motor 4 is a three-phase synchronous motor, and is composed of an equivalent circuit having three-phase windings 4a, 4b, and 4c of U, V, and W, and a permanent magnet 4d, which is a rotor that rotates around the rotation axis. . In this equivalent circuit, the axis passing through the permanent magnet on the N pole side in the positive direction is defined as the d-axis (direct-axis), and the axis orthogonal thereto is defined as the q-axis (quadrature-axis). When defined in this way, it is the magnetic field in the q-axis direction that mainly controls the torque of the motor. The phase (electrical angle) is the rotation angle θ between the axis passing through the U-phase winding and the d-axis. All phases described below are electrical angles. Let Ld be the inductance of the winding when a voltage is applied so as to generate a magnetic field in the d-axis direction, and Lq be the inductance in the q-axis direction.

The embedded magnet type three-phase synchronous motor has a relationship of Ld<Lq. Further, since the control means 20, which will be described later, cannot accurately detect the position of the rotor at first, it assumes that the phase is θc as shown in FIG. θ is generated. That is, the axes on which the microcomputer performs control assuming the phase θc are the γ-axis (estimated d-axis) and δ-axis (estimated q-axis) with respect to the actual d-axis and q-axis of the motor. Hereafter, the current component corresponding to the torque in the microcomputer is the δ-axis current Iδ, the current component corresponding to the magnetic flux in the microcomputer is the γ-axis current Iγ, the voltage component corresponding to the torque in the microcomputer is the command δ-axis voltage Vδs, the microcomputer internal A command γ-axis voltage Vγs is defined as a voltage component corresponding to the magnetic flux of .

As shown in FIG. 4, the control means 20 includes a microcomputer (microcomputer), an inverter control timer (timer) incorporated in the microcomputer, an A/D converter, a memory circuit, a speed phase estimation means 21, and a three-phase two-phase converter. 22, an I.delta. error amplifier 23, an I.gamma. error amplifier 24, a two-to-three phase converter 25, a speed error amplifier 26, a field weakening setting means 27, etc., and perform inverter control as follows.

Details of the velocity phase estimation means 21 will be described later. The velocity phase estimating means 21 inputs the δ-axis current Iδ, the γ-axis current Iγ, and the command γ-axis voltage Vγs, and outputs the velocity (electrical angular velocity) ω and the estimated phase θ. All velocities described below are electrical angular velocities.

The three-to-two-phase converter 22 converts the electrical angle θ, the phase currents Iu, Iv, and Iw, and the sinusoidal data (sin, cos data) necessary for converting from the stationary coordinate system to the rotating coordinate system into the γ-axis current. Iγ and δ-axis current Iδ are calculated as shown in Equation (1).

Ｉδ誤差増幅器２３は、速度誤差増幅器２６で求めたδ軸電流指令Ｉδｓと３相２相変換器２２で求めたδ軸電流Ｉδからδ軸電流の指令値Ｉδｓに対する誤差ΔＩδが入力され、比例成分と積分成分の和として指令δ軸電圧Ｖδｓを出力する。

An Iδ error amplifier 23 receives an error ΔIδ with respect to the command value Iδs of the δ-axis current from the δ-axis current command Iδs obtained by the speed error amplifier 26 and the δ-axis current Iδ obtained by the three-to-two-phase converter 22. and the sum of the integral components, the command .delta.-axis voltage V.delta.s is output.

Similarly, the Iγ error amplifier 24 calculates the error ΔIγ for the command value Iγ of the γ-axis current from the γ-axis current command Iγs obtained by the field weakening setting means 27 and the γ-axis current Iγ obtained by the three-to-two-phase converter 22. A command γ-axis voltage Vγs is output as the sum of the proportional component and the integral component.

It is called vector control because it is decomposed into the δ-axis current Iδ and the γ-axis current Iγ and controlled independently.

The two-to-three phase converter 25 converts the phase θ, command δ-axis voltage Vδs, command γ-axis voltage Vγs, and sine wave data (sin, cos data) necessary for inverse transformation from the rotating coordinate system to the stationary coordinate system. , sinusoidal command three-phase voltages Vus, Vvs, and Vws are calculated as shown in Equation 2.

速度誤差増幅器２６は、速度指令ωｓと速度位相推定手段２１で演算された速度ωから速度指令ωｓに対する誤差Δωが入力され、比例成分と積分成分の和のδ軸電流指令Ｉδｓを出力する。

A speed error amplifier 26 receives an error Δω with respect to the speed command ωs from the speed command ωs and the speed ω calculated by the speed phase estimating means 21, and outputs a δ-axis current command Iδs that is the sum of the proportional component and the integral component.

The field-weakening setting means 27 calculates a negative direction γ-axis current command Iγs from the speed ω calculated by the speed phase estimating means 21 and the DC voltage Vdc input to the inverter circuit, and performs flux-weakening control.

FIG. 5 shows a detailed block diagram of the washing machine motor speed phase estimating means according to the first embodiment.

An estimated phase θ is calculated using the resistance value Ra and the inductance value L of the windings 4a, 4b, and 4c, which are parameters of the motor 4. FIG.

The velocity phase estimator 21 comprises a γ-axis induced voltage calculator 28 and a γ-axis induced voltage error amplifier 29 .

The γ-axis induced voltage calculator 28 calculates the γ-axis induced voltage Veγ from the inductance value L, the resistance value Ra, the δ-axis current Iδ, the γ-axis current Iγ, the command γ-axis voltage Vγs, and the estimated speed ω as shown in Equation 3. .

γ軸誘起電圧指令Ｖｅγｓ＝０として、γ軸誘起電圧Ｖｅγのγ軸誘起電圧指令Ｖｅγｓに対する誤差ΔＶｅγがγ軸誘起電圧誤差増幅器２９に入力される。

With the γ-axis induced voltage command Veγs=0, the error ΔVeγ of the γ-axis induced voltage Veγ with respect to the γ-axis induced voltage command Veγs is input to the γ-axis induced voltage error amplifier 29 .

The γ-axis induced voltage error amplifier 29 outputs an estimated speed ω calculated from the integral gain Kω, adds the estimated speed ω to the value calculated from the proportional gain Kθ, performs time integration with an integrator, and outputs an estimated phase θ. do.

However, the γ-axis induced voltage calculator 28 is not necessarily limited to using Equation 3, and may be calculated using Equation 4 with a time differential term added.

なお、上記した各数式でのインダクタンスＬは、Ｌｄ＝Ｌｑとなる特性のモータ４であれば同一となるＬ値が使用できるが、Ｌｄ≠Ｌｑとなるモータ４でも一定のＬ値（＝Ｌｑ）として演算できる。

As for the inductance L in each of the above formulas, the same L value can be used if the motor 4 has the characteristic of Ld=Lq, but the L value (=Lq) is constant even in the motor 4 where Ld≠Lq. can be calculated as

FIG. 6(a) shows a vector of the state in which the estimated coordinates during the phase estimation of the motor of the washing machine in Embodiment 1 are delayed (the γδ coordinates (estimated dq coordinates) are slightly behind the dq coordinates of the motor 4). FIG. 6(b) shows a vector diagram of the state in which the estimated coordinates during the phase estimation of the motor of the washing machine are advanced (the γδ coordinates (estimated dq coordinates) are slightly ahead of the dq coordinates of the motor 4). show.

In the vector diagram, the γ-axis induced voltage error ΔVeγ is the γ-axis component of the estimated induced voltage vector Ve (=ω×Ψa) obtained by subtracting the drop of the current flowing through Ra and ωL from the input voltage Va of the motor 4. Since the induced voltage vector Ve is always on the q-axis, the q-axis coincides with the δ-axis when the estimated phase error Δθ (the state in which the γδ coordinate comes counterclockwise with respect to the dq coordinate is positive) is 0. do. In FIG. 6A, the estimated phase error Δθ is negative (Δθ<0), and in FIG. 6B, the estimated phase error Δθ is positive (Δθ>0).

The γ-axis induced voltage error amplifier 29 increases the estimated speed ω and advances θ in the case of FIG. 6A, and decreases the estimated speed ω and delays θ in the case of FIG. 6B. , feedback control is performed so that the γ-axis induced voltage error ΔVeγ and the estimated phase error Δθ become zero. In this way, phase estimation is based on the assumption that the motor is rotating with induced voltage Ve. Therefore, phase estimation is not stable in the low-speed region when the induced voltage is low, such as when starting or stopping. Open-loop control is used without

[1-2. motion]
The operation of the washing machine configured as described above will be described below.

[1-2-1. Washing operation]
As shown in FIG. 17, when the washing operation is started, a laundry amount detection process for determining the amount of laundry is started. After the cloth amount detection process is finished, the detergent input waiting process and the water supply process are executed. In the washing process, the amount of water to be supplied in the water supply process is determined based on the amount of laundry determined by the amount of laundry detection process.

After the water supply process ends, the circulation detection process is executed. In the circulation detection step, it is determined whether or not the pulsator 1 is performing a circulation operation for circulating the washing water. When it is determined to perform the circulation operation in the circulation detection process, the circulation process is performed after the circulation detection process ends. When the circulation process starts, the pulsator 1 is rotationally driven by the motor 4, and the lower blade 1a sends the washing water inside the pump chamber 34 into the circulation path 33. As shown in FIG. The circulating water discharged from the opening 33 a at the upper end of the circulation path 33 is sprinkled on the laundry inside the washing tub 2 .

After the circulation process ends, or after it is determined in the circulation detection process that the circulation operation is not to be performed, the washing and stirring process is started. After the washing and agitation process is completed, the drainage process is carried out. When the draining process ends, the washing process ends and the rinsing process starts. After the rinsing process ends, the dewatering process is performed. After the dehydration process ends, the washing operation ends.

[1-2-2. Circulation detection process]
7 to 17, control for determining whether or not to operate the pulsator for circulating the water in the water tub of the washing machine according to Embodiment 1 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, at step 100 the cycle detection process is initiated. At step 101, the number of inversions n is cleared to zero. At step 102, the motor command rotation speed ωs is cleared to zero. At step 103, the process proceeds to an acceleration control processing routine. At step 104, the constant speed control processing routine is entered. At step 105, the process proceeds to a deceleration control processing routine. At step 106, +1 is added to the number of inversions n. At step 107, it is checked whether the number of inversions n is greater than the set determination number of times ns (for example, 22 times). . At step 108, the process proceeds to a circulating motion determination output processing routine. At step 109 , if the direction of rotation is CW, it is changed to CCW, and if it is CCW, it is changed to CW, and the process proceeds to step 103 . At step 110, the cycle detection process ends.

As shown in FIG. 8, at step 200, an acceleration control processing routine is started. At step 201, the motor acceleration α (eg, 3000 (r/min)/s) is called. At step 202, the designated motor rotation speed ωs is added according to the motor acceleration α. At step 203, the process proceeds to a motor speed control processing routine (details of which will be described later). At step 204, it is checked whether the specified motor rotation speed ωs is equal to or higher than the motor commanded maximum rotation speed ωmax (for example, 2160 r/min). At step 205, the acceleration control processing routine is terminated.

As shown in FIG. 9, at step 300, a constant speed control processing routine is started. At step 301, the ON time limit timer T_ontm is cleared to zero. At step 302, the process proceeds to a motor speed control processing routine (details of which will be described later). At step 303, the motor speed control processing time (for example, 1 ms) is added to the ON timer T_ontm. At step 304, it is checked whether the ON time limit timer T_ontm is greater than the ON time limit T_on. At step 305, the constant speed control processing routine is terminated.

As shown in FIG. 10, at step 400, the deceleration control processing routine is started. At step 401, it is checked whether the number of times of inversion n is 0. If YES (=0), the process proceeds to step 402. If NO (≠0), the process proceeds to step 404. At step 402, the OFF time timer T_offtm is cleared to zero. At step 403, the integrated rotation angle θ_integral is cleared to zero. At step 404, the process proceeds to a motor speed pause control processing routine (details of which will be described later). At step 405, the motor stop control processing time (for example, 1 ms) is added to the OFF timer T_offtm.

At step 406, it is checked whether the motor rotation speed ω is smaller than the minimum detection rotation speed ω_min (for example, 100 r/min). At step 407, the motor rotation angle θ is added to the integrated rotation angle θ_integral. At step 408, it is checked whether the OFF time limit timer T_offtm is greater than the OFF time limit T_off. At step 409 , it is checked whether the integrated rotation angle θ_integral is greater than the angle threshold θ_limit (hereinafter the angle is the motor electrical angle). If NO in step 409 , the process proceeds to step 410 . At step 412, the deceleration control ends.

FIG. 11 shows the amount of circulating water expected to be discharged from the opening 33a of the circulation path 33 at each cumulative rotation angle. When the integrated rotation angle is small, the load applied to the pulsator 1 is large, making it difficult for the pulsator 1 to rotate. In a state in which the pulsator 1 is difficult to rotate, a predetermined amount of circulating water is not discharged from the opening 33a of the circulation path 33 even if the circulation operation is performed, and the desired washing performance cannot be achieved.

On the other hand, as the load applied to the pulsator 1 decreases, the integrated rotation angle increases. As the integrated rotation angle increases, the amount of circulating water lifted up by the lower blades 1a of the pulsator 1 increases.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in step 409 of the circulation detection process, when it is determined that the integrated rotation angle θ_integral is equal to or greater than the angle threshold θ_limit, the circulation operation is performed. On the other hand, when it is determined that the integrated rotation angle θ_integral is less than the angle threshold θ_limit, the circulation operation is not executed. As a result, it is possible to efficiently perform the circulation operation under the condition that the amount of circulating water is expected to exceed a predetermined amount. In addition, the load applied to the pulsator 1 includes not only the load due to the washing water but also the load due to the laundry.

Further, the rotation of the pulsator 1 required to discharge the circulating water from the opening 33 a of the circulation path 33 varies depending on the water level of the wash water stored in the water tub 3 . When the water level of the water tub 3 is high, the distance from the water surface of the wash water accumulated inside the circulation path 33 to the opening 33a of the circulation path 33 is short. Therefore, the pulsator 1 can easily discharge the circulating water from the opening 33 a of the circulation path 33 .

The graph of FIG. 12 plots the integrated rotation angle of the motor 4 required to perform the circulation operation at each water volume. As described above, the higher the water level of the wash water stored in the water tank 3, the easier it is to feed the wash water to the opening 33a of the circulation path 33. become smaller. As shown in FIG. 12, the relationship between the amount of water inside the water tank and the cumulative rotation angle required to carry out the circulation operation is inversely proportional.

In this embodiment, the value of the angle threshold θ_limit used for the determination in step 409 is determined based on the relationship shown in the graph of FIG. For example, when the amount of water inside the water tank 3 is w1, the angle threshold θ_limit is set to θ1. As a result, based on the amount of water inside the water tank 3, the angle threshold θ_limit can be set small at high water levels at which the circulation operation is easy to perform, and at low water levels at which the circulation operation is difficult to implement, the angle threshold θ_limit can be set large. . Therefore, according to the water level inside the water tank 3, the circulation operation can be executed under the condition that the amount of circulating water is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. It should be noted that the amount of water in the present embodiment is the amount of water supplied determined in the above-described cloth amount detection step.

FIG. 13 shows changes in the designated number of revolutions (dotted line) and the actual number of revolutions (solid line) over time. As shown in FIG. 13, during the deceleration period, the rotation angle is integrated up to the minimum detectable rotation speed (hatched portion). In the present embodiment, in order to exclude rotation angles at low rotation speeds at which rotation speeds are difficult to detect, the integration of rotation angles is limited to the minimum detectable rotation speed. Thereby, the accuracy of the integrated rotation angle can be improved.

In addition, in FIG. 13, determination is made only by stirring in one direction at a time, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, while changing the direction of rotation, an even number of times (for example, 22 times) of integration may be performed at the rotation angle. As a result, the influence of the rotation direction can be suppressed, and the accuracy of the average integrated rotation angle can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 14, at step 500, the motor speed control process is started. At step 501, it is checked whether the motor rotation speed ω is greater than the motor command rotation speed ωs. At step 502, the command δ-axis current Iδs is decreased. At step 503, the command δ-axis current Iδs is increased. When the speed error amplifier 26 sets the command .delta.-axis current I.delta.s in steps 501 to 503, the control is unstable due to large fluctuation factors.

At step 504, the current control timer Te_tm is cleared to zero. At step 505, the process proceeds to a current control processing routine (details of which will be described later). At step 506, the current control processing time (for example, 0.1 ms) is added to the current control timer Te_tm. At step 507, it is checked whether the current control timer Te_tm is greater than the current control cycle Te_cycle. At step 508, the motor speed control process ends.

As shown in FIG. 15, at step 600, the motor stop control process is started. At step 601, 0 or a fixed value is substituted for the command .delta.-axis current I.delta.s. A method of using 0 as the command δ-axis current Iδs so as not to generate torque, a method of using a negative fixed value that generates braking torque to the extent that regenerative voltage does not cause a problem and shortening the braking time, and a method of decelerating rotation. The difference in the integrated rotation angle is increased by a minute drive torque that reliably stops the pulsator 1 due to the frictional force acting on the pulsator 1. There is a method using a small positive fixed value. You can choose the method that is easy to use according to the amount of laundry and the configuration of the washing machine.

After that, the same processing as steps 504 to 508 of the motor speed control processing is performed. At step 602, the current control timer Te_tm is cleared to zero. At step 603, the process proceeds to a current control processing routine (details of which will be described later). At step 604, the current control processing time (for example, 0.1 ms) is added to the current control timer Te_tm. At step 605, it is checked whether the current control timer Te_tm is greater than the current control cycle Te_cycle. At step 606, the motor halt control process is terminated.

As shown in FIG. 16, at step 700, the motor current control process is started, and at step 701, the phase currents Iu, Iv, and Iw are detected by the current detection means 18. FIG. At step 702, the three-to-two-phase converter 22 calculates the δ-axis current Iδ as shown in Equation (1). At step 703, it is checked whether the δ-axis current Iδ is greater than the command δ-axis current Iδs. At step 704, the command δ-axis voltage Vδs is decreased. At step 705, the command δ-axis voltage Vδs is increased.

In steps 703 to 705, when the command δ-axis voltage Vδs is set by the Iδ error amplifier 23, the variable elements are large and the control is not stable.

Thereafter, voltages are calculated in steps 706 to 709 for the γ-axis as well as for the δ-axis. At step 706, the γ-axis current Iγ is calculated by the three-to-two-phase converter 22 as shown in Equation (1). At step 707, it is checked whether the γ-axis current Iγ is greater than the command γ-axis current Iγs. At step 708, the command γ-axis voltage Vγs is decreased. At step 709, the command γ-axis voltage Vγs is increased. In steps 707 to 709, when the command γ-axis voltage Vγs is set by the Iγ error amplifier 24, the control is not stable due to large fluctuation factors.

At step 710, the applied voltages Vus, Vvs, and Vws are calculated by the two-to-three-phase converter 25 as shown in Equation (2). At step 711 , a voltage is applied to the motor 4 via the PWM controller 19 and the inverter circuit 17 . At step 712, the motor current control process ends.

[1-3. effects, etc.]
As described above, the washing machine according to the present embodiment includes a housing 9, a water tank 3 disposed within the housing 9, a washing tub 2 rotatably disposed within the water tank 3, and a water tank 3 a pulsator 1 rotatably disposed on the inner bottom of the washing tub 2, a circulation path 33 for communicating the lower portion of the washing tub 2 and the upper portion of the washing tub 2 and allowing the washing water to pass therethrough, and the washing tub 2 and/or the pulsator 1 being rotationally driven. and a control device 13 for controlling the motor 4. The control device 13 determines whether or not to perform the circulation operation for sending the washing water to the circulation path 33 according to the amount of water stored in the water tank 3. The pulsator 1 is driven based on whether or not the circulation operation is to be performed.

Thereby, the circulating operation can be performed under the condition that the pulsator 1 can rotate appropriately.

Therefore, under conditions where the pulsator 1 can be properly rotated, high cleaning performance can be obtained by the circulation operation, and under conditions where the pulsator 1 cannot be properly rotated, power consumption for the circulation operation can be suppressed.

As in this embodiment, the control device 13 may determine whether or not to perform the circulation operation based on the rotation angle of the motor 4 .

Thus, based on the rotation angle of the motor 4, it is possible to calculate the load of the pulsator 1 due to the laundry and the wash water, and determine whether the pulsator 1 is properly rotatable.

Therefore, based on the behavior of the pulsator 1, it is possible to accurately determine the execution content of the circulating motion.

As in the present embodiment, the current detection means 18 for detecting the current of the motor 4, and the speed phase estimation for calculating the rotation angle of the motor 4 based on the current value detected by the current detection means 18 and the command voltage value. means 21 , and the control device 13 may drive the pulsator 1 based on the calculated rotation angle of the motor 4 .

As a result, a small rotation angle can be detected compared to a configuration using a rotation sensor with general detection accuracy.

Therefore, based on the behavior of the pulsator 1, it is possible to accurately determine the execution content of the circulating motion.

As in the present embodiment, the control device 13 may determine whether or not to perform the circulation operation based on the rotation angle of the motor 4 during the rest period of the motor 4 .

As a result, since the determination is made based on the rotation angle during the pause period in which the torque is constant, it is possible to prevent the rotation angle from fluctuating due to the influence of the torque fluctuation, thereby preventing the erroneous determination of the execution of the circulation operation.

As in the present embodiment, the control device 13 determines whether or not to perform the circulation operation based on the rotation angle of the motor 4 from the start of the idle period until the number of rotations of the motor 4 reaches a predetermined number of rotations. You may

As a result, the rotation angle is not detected in the low-speed region where errors in the rotation angle are likely to occur, and the rotation angle can be detected in the medium- and high-speed region.

As in the present embodiment, the control device 13 may determine the contents of the circulation operation based on the rotation angle of the motor 4 during a period from the start of the idle period to the elapse of a predetermined period of time.

As a result, the rotation angle is not detected in the low-speed region where errors in the rotation angle are likely to occur, and the rotation angle can be detected in the medium- and high-speed region.

As in the present embodiment, the control device 13 may determine whether or not to perform the circulation operation based on the rotation angle when the torque is set to 0 or constant during the rest period.

As in the present embodiment, the control device 13 performs the circulation detection process for determining the execution content of the circulation operation, and in the circulation detection process, when the rotation angle of the motor 4 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the circulation operation is performed. It may decide to do so and terminate the cycle detection process.

Thereby, when the rotational angle of the motor exceeds a predetermined value at which it can be determined that the circulating motion can be performed, the circulating motion detection process can be interrupted and terminated.

Therefore, the time required for the circulation detection process can be shortened.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, Embodiment 1 has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this.

Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

In the first embodiment, as an example of the means for determining the content of the circulation operation according to the amount of water stored in the water tank, the means for determining based on the rotation angle θ of the motor 4 has been described. The judging means is not limited to judging means based on the rotational angle θ of the motor 4, as long as it is means for judging the content of the circulation operation according to the amount of water stored in the water tank. The judging means may be, for example, based on a set value of the water level that is set according to the amount of laundry. Further, the judging means may be, for example, water level detecting means for detecting the water level in the water tank 3 .

In Embodiment 1, step 408 for determining whether or not there is a circulation operation has been described as an example of control for determining the execution details of the circulation operation. The execution content of the circulation operation is not limited to the presence or absence of the circulation operation. The content of the circulating operation may be, for example, a change in the rotation speed of the motor or a change in the ON/OFF time period of the motor. As a result, the amount of washing water that is raked up by the pulsator increases, so that the circulation operation can be performed appropriately. Moreover, the implementation content of the circulation operation may be addition of the water supply process in the circulation operation.

In the first embodiment, as an example of the timing for determining the implementation details of the circulating motion, the cycle detection step specified immediately before the circulating motion has been described. The timing for judging the implementation details of the circulation operation is not limited to during the circulation detection step, as long as it is before the execution of the circulation operation. The timing for determining the details of the circulation operation may be, for example, during the laundry amount detection process.

In Embodiment 1, as an example of the timing at which the circulation operation is performed, the circulation operation performed immediately before the washing process has been described. The timing at which the circulation operation is performed is not limited to immediately before the washing process. The timing at which the circulation operation is performed may be, for example, in the middle of the washing process. As a result, the washing water is circulated during the washing process, and the concentration of the washing water inside the washing tub can be made uniform.

In Embodiment 1, the configuration for determining the angle threshold value used for determination in step 409 of the circulation detection process based on the amount of water inside the water tank 3 has been described. The angle threshold is not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment. The angle threshold may be uniformly set in a predetermined range of water volume. Also, the amount of water is a value that can be calculated from the water level and the capacity of the water tank. Therefore, the angle threshold may be set based on the water level detected by a water level sensor or the like.

Embodiment 1, as an example of a washing machine, is a pulsator-type washing machine in which a motor pulley 31 and an impeller pulley 32 are connected by a belt 5, and a reduction mechanism/clutch 6 drives a pulsator 1 and/or a washing tub 2. explained the machine. The washing machine is not limited to the pulsator type, and may be of a direct drive type in which the washing tub 2 and the motor 4 are coaxial.

Embodiment 1 explained the pulsator type vertical washing machine as an example of the washing machine. The washing machine is not limited to a pulsator type vertical washing machine, and may be an agitator type vertical washing machine. In the case of an agitator-type vertical washing machine, an agitator may be mounted instead of the pulsator. In this case, the content of the circulation operation may be determined according to the rotation angle of the agitator, and the circulation operation may be performed by driving the agitator.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present disclosure is applicable to a washing machine that circulates water accumulated at the bottom of a water tub and sprinkles it on laundry. Specifically, the present disclosure is applicable to pulsator-type vertical washing machines and agitator-type vertical washing machines.

1 pulsator 1a lower blade 2 washing tub 3 water tank 4 motor 4a winding 4b winding 4c winding 4d permanent magnet 5 belt 6 reduction mechanism and clutch 7 geared motor 8 brake belt 9 housing 10 panel section 11 lid 12a display means 12b input Setting means 13 control device (control unit)
14 water supply valve 15 drain valve 16 rectifier circuit 17 inverter circuit 18 current detection means (current detection section)
19 PWM control device 20 control means 21 speed phase estimation means 22 three-phase two-phase converter 23 Iδ error amplifier 24 Iγ error amplifier 25 two-phase three-phase converter 26 speed error amplifier 27 field weakening setting means 28 γ-axis induced voltage calculation Device 29 γ-axis induced voltage error amplifier 31 Motor pulley 32 Impeller pulley 33 Circulation path 33a Opening 34 Pump chamber 35 AC power supply

Claims (8)

a housing;
a water tank disposed within the housing;
a washing tub rotatably arranged in the water tub;
a pulsator rotatably disposed in the inner bottom of the water tank;
a circulation path that communicates the lower part of the washing tub with the upper part of the washing tub and allows washing water to pass through;
a motor that rotationally drives the washing tub and/or the pulsator;
A control unit that controls the motor,
The control unit
Determining the execution content of the circulation operation for sending the washing water to the circulation path according to the amount of water stored in the water tank,
A washing machine that drives the pulsator based on the determined execution content of the circulation operation. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the contents of the circulation operation based on the rotation angle of the motor. a current detection unit that detects the current of the motor;
a speed phase estimator that calculates the rotation angle of the motor based on the current value detected by the current detector and the command voltage value,
The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit drives the pulsator based on the calculated rotational angle of the motor. The control unit
The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the execution content of the circulation operation is determined based on the rotation angle of the motor during the rest period of the motor. The control unit
5. The execution content of the circulation operation is determined based on the rotation angle of the motor from the start of the idle period until the rotation speed of the motor reaches a predetermined rotation speed. washing machine described in . The control unit
The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the execution content of the circulation operation is determined based on the rotation angle of the motor during a period from the start of the rest period to the elapse of a predetermined time. The control unit
The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the execution content of the circulation operation is determined based on the rotation angle when the torque is 0 or constant during the rest period. The control unit
While performing a cyclical motion detection step for determining the execution content of the cyclical motion,
8. The circulating motion detection step according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, in the circulating motion detecting step, when the rotation angle of the motor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined to perform the circulating motion and the cyclic motion detecting step ends. washing machine.

Images