JP2657111B2 - Drum type washing machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drum-type washing machine, and more particularly to a drum-type washing machine in which a plurality of types of drum rotations can be set at the time of spin-drying, and drum vibration is detected at the time of spin-drying. The present invention relates to a drum type washing machine.

(B) Conventional technology As a vibration detection device for detecting drum vibration, a micro switch that activates a switch lever when the amplitude of the outer tub exceeds a predetermined value, or an acceleration determined from the amplitude and the vibration speed of the outer tub. A mercury switch, an acceleration sensor, and the like that operate on a power supply are known.

(I) In the micro switch system, a vibration detection fitting is attached to the outer tub, and a vibration switch composed of a lever type micro switch or the like is attached to the frame portion of the washing machine. If there is a piece of clothing in the spinning during the spin-drying, the outer tub is shaken. If the shake is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the vibration is detected by the structure in which the vibration detection fitting pushes the lever of the microswitch.

(Ii) In the mercury switch method, a mercury switch is attached to the outer tank with a predetermined inclination, and usually, the mercury in the switch is prevented from contacting the terminal or is kept in contact. If the outer tub is shaken by a predetermined amount or more during the spin-drying operation, the mercury switch is activated by contacting the terminal or leaving mercury remaining in contact with the terminal. Thus, the vibration was detected (see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 45-11141).

(Iii) In the acceleration sensor system, an acceleration sensor having a structure capable of taking out an analog output is provided in the outer tub to detect the speed of the force generated from the amplitude and the fluctuation speed of the outer tub during spinning. With this acceleration sensor, a vibrator such as a piezo plastic film is provided inside the main body and it is made into a diaphragm structure, and if it is operated by applying a predetermined voltage from the outside, the outer tank shakes, and if acceleration is generated thereby, It refers to a sensor that can output an output voltage corresponding to acceleration to an output terminal.

In such a drum type washing machine, the rotation number of the large pulley of the drum is detected by a switch, and rotation failure detection and drum reversal switching detection are performed.

(C) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in such a vibration detecting device, (i) In the case of a microswitch system, a vibration switch is mounted on a frame, and a detection bracket is mounted on an outer tub. The point is determined by the gap between the lever of the switch and the detection fitting. Therefore, when the outer tub is suspended by a spring or the like, the gap changes due to a slight inclination at the time of installation, and the operating point shifts.

In addition, since the operation is performed only at the amplitude of the outer tank regardless of the speed of the outer tank shaking, the position of the eccentric load of the drum at the time of transition from the low-speed rotation to the dehydration rotation is the same depending on where in the circumferential direction of the drum. It may or may not work under uneven load.

Further, the gap is widened during repeated use.

(Ii) In the case of a mercury switch This is a kind of acceleration sensor that relates to both the amplitude of the outer tub and the speed of shaking. However, the function of the mercury switch alone can detect only one set value, and the dehydration rotation is set in multiple stages. If possible, all vibrations with the same acceleration value are detected.

Therefore, if the acceleration when the spinning speed is minimum is set to an allowable value, when spinning is performed at a high spinning speed, the vibration switch does not operate up to the outer tub amplitude proportional to the square of the spinning speed. Dehydration is performed quickly even with abnormally large fluctuations. Therefore, there is a danger that the outer tub hits the frame, the hose for water supply / drainage, the electric wire of the motor, and the like are adversely affected.

(Iii) In the case of an acceleration sensor The development of an acceleration sensor is still new, and there are many unknown points in its use. Therefore, there is not enough data for its durability. Further, the structure of the product itself is complicated and there is a high risk of breakage. Care must be taken even in use, and furthermore, there is a drawback that the product is susceptible to noise, and there is still room for technical improvement and lacks reliability.

The circuit is more expensive and more complicated than the microswitch method and the mercury switch method.

As described above, the operating distance between the lever of the microswitch and the detection metal fitting, the inclination of the mercury switch, and the allowable output voltage of the acceleration sensor differ from each other in the allowable deviation load of the drum that operates them. This is due to variations in springs and shock absorbers that support the outer tank, variations in switch mounting dimensions, variations in the performance of the switch itself, variations in power supply voltage (in the case of an acceleration sensor), and the like.

Therefore, when installing such a vibration switch, it is necessary to prepare two types of unbalanced loads, and to install the vibration switch at a position where it does not operate with one unbalanced load but operates with an unbalanced load that is heavier by a predetermined amount.

That is, the conventional vibration detecting device has the following problems.

(I) When the vibration switch is installed, fine adjustment of the operating distance of the micro switch, the inclination of the mercury switch, the power supply voltage of the acceleration sensor, etc. must be repeated while the operation is repeated many times with two types of offset load. It takes time to install.

(Ii) The allowable eccentric load may vary between the two types of eccentric load.

(Iii) In the case of a washing machine in which the spinning rotation can be set in multiple stages, the vibration switch may operate even within the allowable uneven load.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and stores in advance the difference between the standard drum rotation speed at which the vibration switch operates and the actual drum rotation speed, and corrects the operation point of the vibration switch. In addition, when it is determined that the unbalanced load in the drum is within the allowable unbalanced load from the viewpoint of the operation speed of the vibration switch, the rotation speed of the drum is increased to the set rotation speed regardless of the detection of the vibration switch, An object of the present invention is to provide a drum type washing machine capable of dewatering even with an uneven load larger than before.

(D) Means for Solving the Problems FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention. As shown in the figure, a main body 101, a drum 102 rotatably arranged in the main body 101, and A motor for rotationally driving the drum 102 and a rotational speed detecting means 10 for detecting the rotational speed of the drum 102
3, vibration detecting means that detects vibration caused by an uneven load in the drum 102 and operates when the drum 102 reaches a predetermined vibration and outputs an operation signal, and one type of rotation speed of a plurality of types of dehydrating drums. A designation unit 110 for selecting and designating the spinning speed of the dehydrating drum, and an operating point storage unit 108 in which the operating drum speed at which the vibration detecting unit 104 operates corresponding to a plurality of types of uneven load in the drum is stored in advance, Permissible bias load storage means 109 corresponding to each of the plurality of types of dehydrating drum rotation speeds and storing the permissible bias load in advance, and the permissible bias load corresponding to the dehydration drum rotation speed designated by the designation means 110 are stored in the permissible bias load. From the load storage means 109, the operating drum rotation speed corresponding to the offset load is obtained from the operating point storage means 108, and the operation drum rotation speed is increased to the obtained operation drum rotation speed. When the vibration detecting means 104 detects a predetermined vibration, the motor is controlled so as to relieve an eccentric load in the drum.On the other hand, even if the rotation speed of the drum rises to the operation drum rotation speed, If the vibration detecting means 104 does not operate, it is considered that the eccentric load in the drum is less than the allowable eccentric load, and thereafter, regardless of whether the vibration detecting means 104 is operating or not, the rotational speed of the drum is set to the This is a drum type washing machine including control means 111 for increasing the rotation speed of a dehydrating drum up to a designated number.

(E) Operation According to the present invention, the rotation speed of the drum 102 is detected by the rotation speed detecting means, and
Vibration caused by the eccentric load in 02 is detected and the drum 10
When 2 reaches a predetermined vibration, an operation signal is output. The operating point storage unit 108 stores in advance the relationship between the unbalanced load in the drum 102 and the operating drum rotation speed at which the vibration detecting unit 104 operates, and stores the allowable unbalanced load storage unit.
In 109, the permissible unbalanced loads corresponding to a plurality of types of rotation speeds of the dehydrating drum are stored in advance.

Then, one type of spinning speed of the dehydrating drum is selected and specified from the spinning speeds of the plurality of types of drums 102 by the specifying unit 110, and when the drum 102 is rotated, the spinning speed of the drum 102 is specified by the specifying unit 110 by the control unit 111. The permissible eccentric load corresponding to the dewatering drum rotation speed is obtained from the permissible eccentric load storage means 109, and the operating drum rotation speed corresponding to this eccentric load is obtained from the operating point storage means 108. If the vibration detection means 104 does not operate even if the drum rotation speed increases to the rotation speed, it is assumed that the eccentric load in the drum is less than the allowable eccentric load, Regardless, the rotation speed of the drum 102 is increased to the designated rotation speed of the dehydrating drum.

Therefore, a plurality of allowable unbalanced loads can be set with only one mercury switch, and it is possible to cope with multi-stage spinning.

In the case of low spin-drying, the spinning can be performed with a large unbalanced load, and spinning can be performed even with a large outer tub amplitude.

(F) Embodiment Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of one embodiment of a drum type washing machine to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 3 is a structural explanatory view showing the same structure.

In these figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a top plate, 2 denotes an exterior frame, and a door 3 is pivotally supported by a hinge 4 on the front of the washing machine so that an object to be washed can be taken in and out. Reference numeral 5 denotes a door lock, 6 denotes an operation unit, 7 denotes a select switch unit for starting and operating programs, and 8 denotes a display unit for each content.

Reference numeral 9 denotes an outer tank, which is suspended by a suspension spring 10 from the upper part of the outer frame 2 and a shock absorber 11 from the lower part. A drum 12 is supported by a bearing 13 inside the outer tank 9. A motor 14 is attached to a lower portion of the outer tub 9, and the drum 12 is driven via pulleys 15 and 16 and a V-belt 17 by a variable means such as an inverter during washing, rinsing, and spin-drying. The drain valve 18 is provided at the bottom of the outer tank 9 and is connected to the outside of the machine by a hose 19. An air trap 20 is provided between the outer tank 9 and the drain valve 18, and a pressure sensor is provided.
With 21, the liquid level (water level) in the outer tank 9 is detected by pressure. A water supply (hot water) valve 22 is connected to the outer tub 9, and water supply is controlled by a signal from the pressure sensor 21.

The drum type washing machine of this embodiment has a structure in which the rotation speed of the drum 12 is changed by an inverter. Drum 12
For the rotation speed detection, a rotation detection sensor 25 is provided near the arm (metal) of the pulley 16, and detects the rotation speed from the time from the passage of the arm to the passage of the next arm.

Further, as the vibration switch, a mercury switch 26 that is easy to operate as the rotation speed of the drum increases, that is, as the vibration speed increases, is used. By detecting the number of rotations of the drum 12 by the rotation detection sensor 25, the unbalanced load at that time is obtained.

FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram showing a control circuit of the drum type washing machine. As shown in the figure, a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as “microcomputer”) 31 including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM is connected to a display device 34 of the display unit 8 through I / O ports 32 and 33.
, A forward rotation signal 35 and a reverse rotation signal 36 of the drum 12 and an instruction signal 37 of the rotation frequency of the drum 12 are output.

In addition, the microcomputer 31 receives, via the I / O port 33, a rotation speed signal from the rotation detection sensor 25 and an operation signal from the mercury switch 26. Then, signals are input / output to / from the keyboard 40 of the operation unit 6 via the I / O port 32.

 The operation principle of the present invention will be described below.

First, when a specified offset load is applied to the drum 12 and an initial correction switch (not shown) is turned on, the drum 12 rotates and rises. In the meantime, measure the drum rotation speed and
The number of rotations of the drum at the time of operation is stored. The rotation speed is compared with the operating rotation speed (reference rotation speed) of the mercury switch 26 at a preset specified offset load, and the set allowable offset load is corrected and corrected based on the difference. If this rotation speed is lower than the standard rotation speed, the set allowable eccentric load is increased.

In addition, when the number of rotations for dehydration can be set in multiple stages, the automatic dehydration rate is improved by changing the allowable eccentric load. That is, when the spinning speed is low, the allowable unbalanced load is increased. In the case of the mercury switch 26, at the start of dehydration, the allowable partial load can be changed depending on the rotation speed at which the detection of the mercury switch 26 is performed. In this case, if the detection is invalidated early, the allowable eccentric load increases. Using this principle, fine adjustment of the allowable eccentric load is performed. In other words, the difference between the reference rotation speed and the rotation speed measured with the initial correction switch turned on determines how much the mercury switch invalid rotation speed at each set rotation speed for dehydration should be increased or decreased, that is, whether initial correction should be performed. Correct the allowable eccentric load.

Further, under the control of the microcomputer 31, the swing of the outer tank 9 is detected in multiple stages. In this method, as an example, the spinning speed is set in multiple stages as shown below.

High speed dehydration -850rpm Medium high speed dehydration -700rpm Medium speed dehydration -600rpm Medium low speed dehydration -500rpm Low speed dehydration -400rpm The allowable amount of deviation of the clothes in the drum at each set rotation speed, the so-called allowable uneven load, is shown below. Calculated from the strength and performance of the machine.

800rpm-3Kg 700rpm-4Kg 600rpm-5Kg 500rpm-6Kg 400rpm-7Kg Arbitrarily set the mounting angle of the mercury switch 26, drum
An experiment is carried out in which an unbalanced load is created in 12 and the number of rotations at which the mercury switch 26 operates is measured. The type of the weight of the eccentric load is the allowable eccentric load at the maximum rotation obtained above (eg, 3Kg-800rp
m), and then increase the load with the smallest possible increment, and continue until the load is appropriately larger than the allowable eccentric load at the minimum rotation. FIG. 5 shows an example of the experimental result.

The allowable eccentric load obtained above is superimposed on the graph (FIG. 5) obtained from the above experiment (see FIG. 6).

From the graph of FIG. 6 obtained above, it can be seen how many rotations each of the eccentric load is detected at the mounting angle of the mercury switch 26. That is, the relationship between the unbalanced load and the number of rotations of the drum is stored in the microcomputer 31, and if the number of rotations of the drum when the mercury switch 26 is operated is checked, it is possible to know how many kilometers the unbalanced load is at that time. That is, the operating speed of the mercury switch 26 at each offset load is checked beforehand,
Thereby, conversely, the unbalanced load is obtained from the operating speed.
If the unbalanced load is smaller than the permissible unbalanced load of the target number of revolutions, the rotation of the drum 12 is increased to the set target number of revolutions. If it is too large, stop the spinning rotation and move to loosening rotation such as low-speed rotation.

However, the data stored in the microcomputer 31 is, as shown in FIG.
It is necessary that 26 is to the left of the curve at the experimental point where vibration is detected. This is because, if the positional relationship is reversed, the mercury switch 26 will not operate unless the rotation exceeds the target dehydration rotation, so that the unbalanced load cannot be known. Therefore,
In order to obtain a graph of the relationship as shown in FIG. 6, the mounting angle of the mercury switch 26 must be set appropriately.

Next, the contents of the processing operation of the microcomputer 31 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the processing contents when correcting the operating point of the mercury switch 26.

When the specified offset load is attached to the drum 12 and the initial correction switch is turned on (step 201), the microcomputer 31 first rotates the drum 12 (step 202), and sets the drum frequency to 100 Hz (step 203). , Mercury switch 26
Is checked (step 204).

Then, the rotational speed of the drum 12 when the mercury switch 26 is operated is stored (step 205), and the difference Q is obtained by subtracting the actually measured drum rotational speed from the standard drum rotational speed (step 206).

Next, 400rpm, 500r which can be set as the rotation speed during dehydration
pm, 600 rpm, 700 rpm, and calculate the increase / decrease of the invalid rotation speed at each dehydration setting rotation speed of 800 rpm, respectively, k ₁ , k ₂ ,
k ₃ , k ₄ and k ₅ (step 207).

Then, the rotation of the drum 12 is turned off (step 20).
8) The drum frequency is set to “0”. (Step 209).

FIGS. 8 to 12 are flowcharts showing the processing contents when the spinning speed is set to multiple stages.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the drum rotation speed is set to 400 rpm (step 401), first, the mercury switch 26
While checking the operation of (Step 402), the rotation speed of the drum 12 is increased to (230 + k ₁ ) rpm (Step 40).
3).

If the mercury switch 26 is activated during this rising process,
The rotation of the drum 12 is turned off (step 404), the drum frequency is set to “0” (step 405), and the rotation of the drum 12 is waited for to reach 0 rpm (step 406). And 0rpm
When the counter C becomes "1", the counter C is incremented by "1" (step 407), and it is checked whether or not the counter C is "5" or more (step 408). Step 409) If not "5" or more, the process returns to step 401, and the rotation of the drum 12 is increased again to 400 rpm.

If the mercury switch 26 did not operate even when the rotation speed of the drum 12 was increased to (230 + k ₁ ) rpm in the process of increasing the rotation speed of the drum in steps 402 and 403,
Assuming that the unbalanced load is less than 7 kg (allowable unbalanced load) from the graph of FIG. 6, the rotation speed of the drum 12 is increased to 400 rpm, and it is checked whether the dehydration set time has elapsed (step 410).

When the dehydration set time has elapsed, the rotation of the drum 12 is turned off (step 411), the drum frequency is set to “0” (step 412), and the dehydration is terminated (step 413).

Fig. 9 shows the drum rotation speed at 500rpm, Fig. 10 shows 600rpm
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing contents when 700 rpm and FIG. 12 are set to 800 rpm, respectively.
At 250 rpm (250 + k ₂ ) rpm, at 600 rpm (310 + k ₃ ) rpm, at 700 rpm (400 + k ₄ ) rpm, 80
At 0 rpm, when the mercury switch 6 does not operate up to (540 + k ₅ ) rpm, respectively, 6 kg and 5 kg are obtained from the graph of FIG. 6 in the same manner as the flowchart of FIG.
Assuming that it is less than kg, 4kg, 3kg, raise to each set speed. When the mercury switch 26 is operated, the same processing as the processing from step 404 to step 409 in FIG. 8 is performed.

In this way, the operating point of the mercury switch 26 is corrected from the difference between the standard drum rotation speed and the actually measured drum rotation speed, and when the unbalanced load in the drum 12 is less than the allowable unbalanced load, the mercury switch 26 By ignoring the detection and increasing the rotation speed of the drum 12 to the set rotation speed, the following effects are produced.

Highly accurate vibration detection is possible.

Fine adjustment of the mercury switch can be easily performed.

It can handle multi-stage spinning speed.

The allowable eccentric load can be easily changed.

In addition, by doing so, it is possible to perform driving that emphasizes speed or driving that emphasizes quiet noise.

Since the amount of the unbalanced load is measured, the unbalanced load can be displayed.

There is no unnecessary dehydration activation, so there is little damage to clothing.

To use a long track record and a simple structure mercury switch,
There is no fear of failure, and the circuit is simpler than the acceleration sensor.

It is cheaper than using an acceleration sensor.

(G) Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, when the eccentric load in the drum is less than the allowable eccentric load, the rotation speed of the drum is specified regardless of the operation of the vibration detecting means. In other words, even if the rotational speed of the drum exceeds the rotational speed at which the vibration detecting means operates, the dewatering is continuously performed as long as the unbalanced load is less than the allowable unbalanced load. It is possible to prevent a long time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an embodiment of a drum type washing machine to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 3 is a drum type washing machine to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram showing a control circuit of a drum-type washing machine, FIG. 5 is a graph showing an example of a result of a vibration test of a mercury switch, and FIG. 6 is a graph of FIG. 7 to 12 are flowcharts showing the operation of the embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Top board, 2 ... Exterior frame, 3 ... Door, 6 ... Operation part, 7 ... Select switch part, 8 ... Display part, 9 ... Outer tank, 12 ... Drum, 13 ... Bearings, 14 motors, 18 drain valves, 21 pressure sensors, 22 valves, 25 rotation detection sensors, 26 mercury switches, 31 microcomputers, 32, 33 I / O port, 34 display device, 35 drum forward rotation signal, 36 drum reverse rotation signal, 37 drum frequency signal, 40 keyboard.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A main body, a drum rotatably disposed in the main body, a motor for driving the drum, a rotational speed detecting means for detecting the rotational speed of the drum, and an unbalanced load in the drum. Vibration detecting means for detecting the generated vibration and operating when the drum reaches a predetermined vibration and outputting an operation signal, and designation for selecting and specifying one type of rotation speed of the dehydration drum from a plurality of rotation speeds of the dehydration drum Means, operating point storage means corresponding to a plurality of types of unbalanced loads in the drum, and operating point rotational speeds at which the vibration detecting means operates, respectively, and tolerances corresponding to the plurality of types of dehydrating drum speeds, respectively. Allowable bias load storage means in which the bias load is stored in advance, and an allowable bias load corresponding to the rotation speed of the dehydrating drum designated by the designation means are obtained from the tolerance bias load storage means, and The corresponding operating drum rotation speed is obtained from the operating point storage means, and when the vibration detection means detects a predetermined vibration before the rotation speed of the drum increases to the obtained operating drum rotation speed, The motor is controlled so as to relieve the unbalanced load. On the other hand, even if the rotation speed of the drum rises to the operation drum rotation speed, if the vibration detection unit does not operate, the unbalanced load in the drum is allowed. A drum-type washing machine comprising: a control unit configured to increase the rotation speed of the drum to the designated rotation speed of the dehydrating drum regardless of whether the vibration detection unit is operated or not, assuming that the load is less than the load. .