JP3173079B2 - Drum type washing machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drum type washing machine used in ordinary households.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, drum-type washing machines are gaining popularity in the market because of their characteristics that they can be easily systemized because of their unitized form. As its main mechanical internal structure, there is a drum that accommodates and rotates clothing, and a receiving cylinder that accommodates this drum and is supported by a suitable supporting means such as a spring or a vibration damper from the housing. In addition, the rotation of the motor attached to the receiving cylinder is transmitted to the drum by an appropriate rotational force transmitting means, and washing, rinsing, spin-drying and drying are performed.
In addition, most of these controls are relatively simple ones in which the process program only advances in time. Therefore, most parts are still inexperienced in terms of optimal process control by fine state control.

[0003]

The drum-type washing machine and the drum-type washing / drying machine having such a simple structure have the following problems.

[0004] The first problem is that in the case of a drum type washing machine, since the rotating shaft of the drum is horizontal, the clothes contained therein are gathered at the lower part of the drum from the beginning due to the action of gravity, and the dehydration is not performed. In this case, the imbalance of the cloth is likely to occur, and the vibration noise is large.

[0005] In order to solve this problem, a method has conventionally been adopted in which the rotation speed of the drum is gradually increased at the start of dehydration. Since the control method is simple, this method is effective, and the dewatering step is actually performed without being able to obtain confirmation that the state is balanced.

A second problem is that if the vibration of the receiving cylinder during dewatering is to be detected by some means in order to solve the first problem, the structure inside the drum type washing machine becomes very complicated. Therefore, it is necessary to select an economical detection means having a high degree of freedom in mounting.

A third problem is that it is necessary to judge the balance of the cloth at an early stage of the dewatering process, so that the judgment needs to be made accurately at a low drum rotation speed.

A fourth problem is that it is necessary to construct simple and accurate specific means for solving the third problem.

A fifth problem is that if the rotation speed at the time of dehydration is increased as it is when the balance state of the cloth is poor, the vibration becomes extremely large.

A sixth problem is that in the conventional technique, dewatering is performed at the same drum rotation speed in any case, so that if the balance of the cloth is poor, the vibration increases accordingly.

A seventh problem is that when the balance state of the cloth is very poor, if the dewatering step is carried out as it is, the vibration increases, so that it is necessary to take some measures.

Eighth problem is that when the balance state of the cloth is extremely poor, if the dewatering step is carried out as it is, the vibration becomes extremely large, and a dangerous state such as a collision of the receiving cylinder with the housing occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to take some measures.

A ninth problem is that, in the prior art, there is no means for detecting the amount of cloth stored in the drum, so that it is not possible to perform optimal process control according to the amount of cloth.

An object of the present invention is to solve the problem of the above-mentioned conventional structure, and it is a first object of the present invention to provide a drum type washing machine which solves the above-mentioned first problem. is there. Similarly, it is an purpose of providing a drum type washing machine to achieve the third-fourth problem.

[0015]

The first object of the present invention for achieving the first object is to provide a drum which accommodates and rotates clothes and a drum which accommodates the drum and which is appropriately supported by a housing. A receiving cylinder supported by the means, a vibration detecting unit for detecting vibration of the receiving cylinder, a motor for rotating the drum, and a vibration level of the drum detected by the vibration detecting unit during a spin-drying process. And a drum-type washing machine having a dehydration step controller for controlling the number of rotations of the motor .

A third means of the present invention for achieving the third object is, in addition to the structure of the first means of the present invention, provided between the housing and the receiving cylinder. A vibration detector that includes a damper that suppresses vibration, a displacement amount detector that detects an amount of expansion and contraction displacement of the damper, and a vibration amount detector that detects the amount of vibration of the receiving cylinder from an output of the displacement amount detector. Is a drum type washing machine constituted by the displacement amount detecting section and the vibration amount detecting section.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention for achieving a fourth object, in addition to the configuration of the third aspect of the present invention, the displacement detecting section is supported at least on the movable section side of the damper. The present invention is a drum type washing machine including a magnetic body and a coil supported on a fixed portion side of a damper .

[0018]

According to the first means of the present invention, the information detected by the vibration detecting section is fed back and controlled.
The operation is such that it is determined whether the balance state of the cloth is appropriate or not, and then the dewatering step is performed. Therefore, a spin-drying process with less vibration can be realized, and this is particularly effective in the case of a drum type washing machine .

The third means of the present invention is to provide a vibration detector with a damper displacement detector, and to detect the vibration level as a change in the damper displacement. You can do it for sure.

According to the fourth means of the present invention, a simple and accurate displacement amount detecting section can be constituted by realizing the damper displacement amount detecting section by a combination of a magnetic material and a coil .

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The construction of an embodiment of the first means of the drum type washing machine of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Reference numeral 1 denotes a vibration detection unit that detects vibration of the drum 5 and reference numeral 2 denotes a dehydration process control unit that receives information from the vibration detection unit 1 and controls the motor 3 during the dehydration process. Reference numeral 3 denotes a motor controlled by the dehydration step control unit 2.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the drum type washing machine of the present embodiment. Reference numeral 3 denotes a motor, 4 denotes a receiving cylinder, and 5 denotes a drum that accommodates and rotates clothing. The drum 5 is housed in the receiving cylinder 4 and has a configuration in which water does not leak outside. A pulley 6 is directly connected to the drum 5 and receives the rotation of the motor 3 via a belt 7. Reference numeral 8 denotes a water supply valve, and 9 denotes a detergent case for sending a detergent into the drum 5 by water supplied through the water supply valve 8. Reference numeral 10 denotes a drainage pump. 11A and 11B are springs for suspending the receiving cylinder 4 from the housing, 12A and 12B are dampers for suppressing vibration of the receiving cylinder 4, and the springs 11A and 11B and the dampers 12A and 12B constitute supporting means for the receiving cylinder 4. I have.
Reference numeral 13 denotes a vibration detection block incorporating the vibration detection unit 1 shown in FIG.

The operation of the embodiment will be described below. When dehydration is started in the dehydration step and the drum 5 starts rotating, the vibration detecting block 13 provided on the surface of the receiving cylinder 4
The vibration detecting unit 1 accommodated in the drum 5 detects the vibration of the receiving cylinder 4 according to the state of balance of the cloth in the drum 5. The vibration detector 1 outputs an electric signal corresponding to the vibration level, and the dehydration process controller 2 controls the operation of the motor 3 according to the output signal. For example, when the vibration level during high-speed dehydration is predicted to be much higher than the vibration level during low-speed dehydration, the set rotation number of the drum 5 during high-speed dehydration is automatically reduced.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the motor 3 is controlled by feeding back the vibration information of the vibration detecting section 1, a dehydration step with less vibration can be realized.

Next, an embodiment of the second means of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 21 denotes the vibration detection unit described in the above embodiment, 22 denotes a dehydration process control unit, and 23 denotes a motor. 24 is an acceleration sensor constituted by a piezoelectric element, 25 is a charge amplifier that converts the amount of electric charge generated in the acceleration sensor 24 by vibration into an electric signal, and 26 is a level determination unit that determines the magnitude of the output of the charge amplifier 25. Acceleration sensor 24 / charge amplifier 25
-The level determination part 26 comprises the vibration detection part 21. This vibration detection unit 21 is provided in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.
Is fixed to the surface of the receiving cylinder 4 by a suitable supporting means.

The operation of the present embodiment in the above configuration will be described. In the dehydrating step, if the cloth in the drum 5 shown in FIG.
Generates vibration. This vibration can be detected as an amount of acceleration. Since the acceleration sensor 24 is constituted by a piezoelectric element, electric charges are generated according to the vibration level. The charge amount is converted into an electric signal by the charge amplifier 25 as described above, and the level determination unit 26 determines the magnitude of the vibration level. Generally, the acceleration sensor 24 can be mounted by a relatively small and simple mounting means, and a vibration detection system having a high degree of freedom in mounting can be realized. This is a very advantageous construction means for a drum type washing machine having many components inside.

In this embodiment, the vibration detecting section 21 is fixed to the upper center of the receiving cylinder 4.
Needless to say, the maximum effect can be obtained when the vibration amount is fixed to a position where the amount of vibration can be most stably detected according to the mass balance state of the components.

Next, an embodiment of the third means of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Numeral 30 denotes a damper for suppressing vibration of the receiving cylinder 4. The damper 30 has a fixing portion 30 </ b> A fixed to the exterior member, and a damper 30 fixed to the receiving cylinder 4.
Is constituted by a movable portion 30B that moves with the vibration of the movable member.
The fixed part 30A has a sliding resistance element that works to suppress the movement of the movable part 30B.
Vibration can be suppressed. The fixed portion 30A and the movable portion 30B are rotatably fixed to the exterior member and the receiving cylinder 4, respectively, so that the sliding resistance element works only for displacement in the longitudinal direction of the damper 30. I have. Numeral 31 denotes a displacement detector for detecting the amount of expansion / contraction of the damper 30. Reference numeral 32 denotes a vibration amount detection unit which detects a fluctuation amount of the expansion / contraction displacement amount of the damper 30 from the output fluctuation of the displacement amount detection unit 31, that is, a vibration amount of the receiving cylinder 4 in the direction of the damper 30. The displacement detecting section 31 and the vibration detecting section 32 constitute a vibration detecting section 33.
Other components of this embodiment are the same as those of FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment.

The operation of the present embodiment in the above configuration will be described. In the dehydrating step, if the cloth in the drum is in an unbalanced state, vibration occurs in the receiving cylinder 4. This vibration is transmitted to the damper 30 as a change in the amount of expansion and contraction displacement. The vibration detecting unit 33 detects the amount of expansion / contraction displacement by the displacement amount detecting unit 31 and further detects the amount of the variation by the vibration amount detecting unit 32.
Is detected by Therefore, the vibration detecting section 33 can detect the vibration level of the receiving cylinder 4.

The present embodiment utilizes the damper 30, which is a necessary component of the drum type washing machine, to detect the amount of vibration of the receiving cylinder 4 from the amount of expansion and contraction displacement of the drum type washing machine. It is possible to reliably detect vibrations in a very low rotation speed region in the initial stage of dehydration, which is difficult to detect by such methods. Thus, the imbalance state of the cloth in the drum can be determined immediately after the start of the dewatering step. Further, a very rational vibration detection system that uses a damper, which is a necessary component of a drum type washing machine, to detect the amount of vibration of the receiving cylinder from the amount of expansion and contraction displacement is realized.

Next, an embodiment of the fourth means of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 40 is a fixed part 40A
This is a damper composed of a movable part 40B. 41 is a hollow coil fixed to the fixing part 40A, 42 is a fixing part 40
B is a magnetic body formed of a ferrite core that moves in the hollow portion of the coil 41 with the movement of the fixed portion 40B while being fixed to B. 43 is an inverter, 44 is a resistor, and 45 and 46 are capacitors, which together with the coil 41 constitute a Colpitts oscillation circuit. This oscillation frequency is determined by the inductance of the coil 41 and the capacitance of the capacitors 45 and 46. Reference numeral 47 denotes an f / V converter for converting the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit into a voltage level. The coil 41, the magnetic body 42, the inverter 43, the resistor 44, the capacitor 45, the 46 and the f / V converter 47 constitute a displacement amount detector 48. As described in the embodiment of the third means of the present invention, the displacement amount detecting section 48 is provided as shown in FIG.
Are fixed inside the drum type washing machine shown in FIG. 49
Is a vibration amount detection unit that extracts a variation in the output of the displacement amount detection unit 48 and detects the vibration level of the receiving cylinder 4. The displacement detector 48 / vibration detector 49 includes the vibration detector 5
0. Reference numerals 51 and 52 denote a dehydration step control unit and a motor, respectively, described in the embodiment of the first means of the present invention.

The operation of this embodiment with the above configuration will be described. In the dehydrating step, when the cloth in the drum is in an unbalanced state, vibration occurs in the receiving cylinder 4, and the vibration causes the damper 40 to expand and contract. This damper 40
The position of the magnetic body 42 changes due to the expansion and contraction displacement of the coil 41, thereby changing the inductance of the coil 41. The inductance of the coil 41 is a factor that determines the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit. Therefore, the oscillation frequency changes according to the expansion and contraction displacement of the damper 40. In the present embodiment, the change in the oscillation frequency is converted into a voltage level by the f / V converter 47, and the amount of expansion and contraction of the damper 40 can be detected as the magnitude of the voltage. Vibration detector 50
In this way, the vibration level of the receiving cylinder 4 is detected by detecting the amount of expansion / contraction displacement by the displacement amount detecting unit 48 and further detecting the variation by the vibration amount detecting unit 49.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the damper 4
Vibration detection of the receiving cylinder 4 based on the amount of expansion / contraction displacement of 0 can be easily and reliably performed.

Next, an embodiment of the fifth means of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 60 denotes a vibration detection unit, which is specifically configured by the above-described second embodiment or the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 61 denotes a dehydration process control unit which receives an output of the vibration detection unit 60 and determines a magnitude of the vibration amount of the receiving cylinder 4, and receives an output of the determination unit 62 and rotates the drum 5 during the dehydration process. The rotation speed control unit 63 includes a rotation speed increase command unit 63 that instructs to increase the number, and a motor rotation control unit 64 that receives a command from the rotation speed increase command unit 63 and controls the rotation of the motor 65. 65 is a motor. Other basic configurations are in accordance with the embodiment of the first means of the present invention. Dehydration process control unit 61
Is realized by software of a microcomputer that controls the entire drum-type washing machine.

The operation of the present embodiment in the above configuration will be described. FIG. 7 shows a control flowchart performed by the dehydration process control section 61. Hereinafter, the operation of the dehydration process control unit 61 will be described with reference to this flowchart. In the dehydration step, the motor rotation control unit 64 controls the motor 65 so that the drum rotates at a predetermined rotation speed (for example, 600 r / m). On the other hand, the vibration detecting section 60 detects the vibration level of the receiving cylinder 4. The determination unit 62 determines whether the vibration level is equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, the vibration amplitude is 5 mm). As a result of this determination, if the vibration level is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the rotation speed increase command unit 63 instructs to increase the rotation speed of the drum (for example, 900 r / m) and shift to high-speed dehydration.
If the vibration level is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the dehydrating operation is continued without increasing the number of rotations of the drum. The relationship between the predetermined rotation speed, a predetermined value at the time of determining the vibration level at the predetermined rotation speed, and the subsequent drum rotation speed that is increased when the vibration speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined value depends on safety and the floor on which the drum type washing machine is installed. It is determined experimentally in consideration of the influence of vibration to be given. As a result of the experiment, the inventor found that the drum rotation speed was 600 r / m.
900r / m if the vibration amplitude of the receiving cylinder is 5mm or less at the time of
It has been confirmed that it is safe to increase the rotation speed up to this point, and that there is no problem with the effect of vibration. As described above, in the present embodiment, by judging the vibration level at the predetermined rotation speed, it is determined whether or not to increase the rotation speed of the drum in the subsequent spin-drying process. Prevention and a rational dehydration sequence can be realized. In this embodiment, the vibration level is determined at a single predetermined rotation speed. However, after the drum rotation speed is increased, the vibration level determination is performed again, and if the vibration level is equal to or lower than the predetermined level, the rotation speed is further increased. It goes without saying that more fine-grained control can be performed by repeatedly performing the control of causing the control.

Next, an embodiment of the sixth means of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 70 denotes a vibration detecting unit, which is specifically configured by the above-described embodiment of the second means or the embodiment of the fourth means of the present invention. Reference numeral 71 denotes a dehydration process control unit which receives the output of the vibration detection unit 70 and measures the magnitude of the vibration amount of the receiving cylinder 4, and receives the output of the vibration measurement unit 72 and performs the subsequent dehydration process. It comprises a rotation speed setting command unit 73 that determines the rotation speed of the drum, and a motor rotation control unit 74 that receives the command from the rotation speed setting command unit 73 and controls the rotation of the motor 75. 75 is a motor. Other basic configurations are in accordance with the embodiment of the first means of the present invention. In addition, the dehydration process control unit 71
Specifically, it is realized by software of a microcomputer that controls the entire drum type washing machine.

The operation of this embodiment with the above configuration will be described. FIG. 9 shows a control flowchart performed by the dehydration process control section 71. Hereinafter, the operation of the dehydration process control section 71 will be described with reference to this flowchart. In the spin-drying step, the motor rotation control unit 74 controls the motor 75 so that the drum rotates at a predetermined rotation speed (600 r / m). The vibration detecting section 70 detects a vibration level of the receiving cylinder 4. Next, the vibration measuring unit 72 measures the vibration amplitude of the receiving cylinder 4 using this output. Rotation speed setting command section 73
Then, if the level of the vibration amplitude is 5 mm or less, the drum rotation speed is 1400 r / m.
0 r / m, 800 r / m for 10 to 15 mm, and 600 r / m for 15 mm or more.
Command. The comparison value of the vibration level measurement at the predetermined rotation speed and the relationship between the subsequent rotation speed of the drum and the corresponding value are experimentally determined in consideration of the safety, the effect of the vibration on the installation floor of the drum type washing machine, and the like. It was done. That is, in the present embodiment, when the drum rotation speed is 600 r / m and the vibration amplitude of the receiving cylinder is 5 mm or less, the vibration amplitude is reduced to 1400 r / m to 5 mm to 5 mm.
If it is 10 mm, it is safe to set it to 1200 r / m, if it is 10 mm to 15 mm, it is 800 r / m, and if it is 15 mm or more, it is safe to set it to 600 r / m.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the setting of the drum rotation speed at the time of spin-drying is made in accordance with the vibration level measurement value at the predetermined rotation speed, thereby preventing an unsafe state or abnormal vibration due to excessive vibration. It is possible to realize a rational dehydration sequence. In this embodiment, the comparison judgment is performed by a discrete process (when the spinning speed is set to 4).
However, needless to say, finer control can be performed by continuously setting the number of revolutions in a stepless manner according to the vibration level.

Next, an embodiment of the seventh means of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 80 is a vibration detecting unit,
Specifically, it is constituted by the embodiment of the second means or the embodiment of the fourth means of the present invention described above. Numeral 81 denotes a dehydration process control unit which determines the magnitude of the vibration amount of the receiving cylinder 4 based on the output of the vibration detection unit 80, and the rotation speed of the drum during the dehydration process based on the output of the determination unit 82. A rotational speed commanding unit 83 for instructing the balance, and an imbalance correcting cycle executing unit 84 for receiving the output of the determining unit 82 and correcting the balance state of the cloth in the drum when it is determined that there is vibration above a predetermined level. And the rotational speed command unit 83 or the imbalance correction execution unit 8
And a motor rotation control unit 85 that controls the rotation of the motor in response to the instruction of Step 4. 86 is a motor.
Other basic configurations are in accordance with the above-described embodiment of the first means of the present invention. Dehydration process control unit 8
1 is specifically realized by software of a microcomputer that controls the entire drum-type washing machine.

The operation of this embodiment with the above configuration will be described. FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of the control performed by the dehydration process control section 81. Hereinafter, the operation of the dehydration process control unit 81 will be described with reference to this flowchart. At the start of the spin-drying step, the motor 86 is controlled by the motor rotation controller 85 so that the drum rotates at a predetermined rotation speed (for example, 600 r / m). At this time, the vibration detector 80 detects the vibration level of the receiving cylinder 4. Next, the judgment unit 82
It is determined whether the vibration level is equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, a vibration amplitude of 5 mm). If the vibration level is below a predetermined value,
The rotation speed command unit 83 instructs to continue the subsequent spin-drying process. If the vibration level is equal to or more than the predetermined value, the imbalance correction cycle execution unit 84 is driven without continuing the dewatering process to execute a process for correcting the balance state of the cloth in the drum. After executing the imbalance correction cycle, the rotation speed of the motor 86 is set to the predetermined rotation speed again to determine the vibration level. Specifically, this imbalance correction cycle is performed by reversing the drum at low speed rotation to loosen the cloth inside the drum once, and then gradually increasing the number of rotations so that the cloth is stuck to the drum wall evenly by centrifugal force. Is what you do.
The relationship between the predetermined rotation speed and the predetermined value at the time of determining the vibration level at the predetermined rotation speed is experimentally determined in consideration of safety, the effect of vibration on the installation floor of the drum type washing machine, and the like. .
That is, in the present embodiment, if the vibration amplitude of the receiving cylinder 4 is 5 mm or less when the rotation speed of the drum is 600 r / m, it is safe to continue the dewatering process thereafter, and there is no doubt that the influence of the vibration may occur. Set according to experimental results.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the vibration level is large at the predetermined rotational speed, the imbalance correction cycle is executed to eliminate the imbalance of the cloth when the vibration level is large, and the unsafe state due to the excessive vibration is obtained. In this way, a reasonable dehydration sequence can be realized by preventing the occurrence of abnormal vibrations.

Next, an embodiment of the eighth means of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 90 is a vibration detection unit,
Specifically, it is constituted by the above-described embodiment of the second means or the embodiment of the fourth means of the present invention. Reference numeral 91 denotes a dehydration process control unit which determines a magnitude of the vibration amount of the receiving cylinder 4 by receiving an output of the vibration detection unit 90 and a rotation speed of the drum during the dehydration process by receiving an output of the determination unit 92. A dehydration process stop command unit 94 that operates to stop the dehydration process when it is determined that there is a vibration equal to or higher than a predetermined level in response to the output of the determination unit 92, and a rotation speed command. Part 9
3 or a motor rotation control unit 95 that controls the rotation of the motor 96 in response to a command from the dehydration process stop command unit 94. 96 is a motor. Other basic configurations are in accordance with the above-described embodiment of the first means of the present invention. The dehydration process control section 91 is specifically realized by software of a microcomputer that controls the entire drum type washing machine.

The operation of the present embodiment in the above configuration will be described. FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of the control performed by the dehydration process control section 91. Hereinafter, the operation of the dehydration process control section 91 will be described with reference to this flowchart. At the start of the spin-drying process, the motor rotation controller 95 controls the motor 96 so that the rotation speed of the drum becomes a predetermined rotation speed (for example, 600 r / m). At this time, the vibration detecting section 90 detects the vibration level of the receiving cylinder 4. Next, the judgment unit 92
Means that this vibration level is a predetermined value (for example, vibration amplitude 15 mm)
Determine if: If the vibration level is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the rotation speed command unit 93 is driven to shift to high-speed dehydration, and a command is made to continue the subsequent dehydration process. If the vibration level is equal to or more than the predetermined value, the dehydration process stop command section 9
4 to instruct the dehydration step to be stopped. The relationship between the predetermined rotation speed and the predetermined value at the time of determining the vibration level at the predetermined rotation speed is experimentally determined in consideration of safety, the effect of vibration on the installation floor of the drum type washing machine, and the like. . That is, in the present embodiment, if the vibration amplitude of the receiving cylinder 4 is 15 mm or more when the rotation speed of the drum is 600 r / m, if the dehydration process is continued, a problem occurs in either the safety or the influence of the vibration. And As described above, according to the present embodiment, by judging the vibration level at the predetermined rotation speed, if the vibration level is large, the dehydration process is stopped, and an unsafe state or abnormal vibration due to excessive vibration is prevented beforehand. A dehydration sequence is realized.

Next, an embodiment of the ninth means of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 100 is a damper,
It is composed of a fixed part 100A and a movable part 100B. 101 is a hollow coil fixed to the fixing portion 100A. Reference numeral 102 denotes a magnetic body fixed to the fixed portion 100B and formed of a ferrite core that moves the hollow portion of the coil 101 with the movement of the fixed portion 100B. 1
03 is an inverter, 104 is a resistor, and 105 and 106 are capacitors. The inverter 103, the resistor 104, the capacitor 105, and the coil 106 together with the coil 101 constitute a Colpitts oscillation circuit. The oscillation frequency of this oscillation circuit is determined by the inductance of the coil 101 and the capacitance of the capacitors 105 and 106. Also 107
Converts the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit into a voltage level.
/ V conversion unit. Coil 101, magnetic material 102, inverter 103, resistor 104, capacitor 105, 10
The 6 · f / V converter 107 constitutes a displacement detector 108 for detecting the displacement of the receiving cylinder 4. Displacement detector 1
Reference numeral 08 is fixed inside the drum type washing machine shown in FIG. 4 in the same manner as described in the third embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 109 denotes a cloth amount detection unit that detects the amount of cloth in the drum 5 based on the output of the displacement amount detection unit 108, that is, the amount of expansion and contraction displacement of the damper 100. Reference numeral 110 denotes a process control unit that controls the entire drum type washing machine.

The operation of the present embodiment in the above configuration will be described. The drum 5 is hung from the exterior member by a spring as shown in FIG. 4, but the extension of this spring is determined by the weight of the entire receiving cylinder 4 including the drum 5 and the motor 3. The weight of the receiving cylinder 4 includes the weight of the cloth in the drum 5, and the amount of cloth in the drum can be detected by measuring the elongation of the spring at the beginning of the washing process. That is, since the weight other than the cloth amount is constant, the cloth amount inside the drum can be detected by measuring the elongation of the spring as described above. Since the extension of the spring can be eventually detected as the amount of displacement of the damper 100, the amount of cloth in the drum can be detected from the output of the displacement amount detection unit 108 of the damper 100 shown in FIG. The amount of expansion and contraction displacement of the damper 100 is
This is regarded as a change in the position of the magnetic body 102 with respect to the position 1, thereby changing the inductance of the coil 101.
On the other hand, as described above, the inductance of the coil 101 is
This is a factor that determines the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit, and the oscillation frequency changes according to the amount of expansion and contraction displacement of the damper 100. The change in the oscillation frequency is converted into a voltage level by the f / V converter 107, so that the damper 100
Can be detected as the magnitude of the voltage. FIG. 15 shows a relationship between the cloth amount and the damper displacement amount in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the relationship between the cloth amount and the damper displacement amount is substantially linear. Using this relationship, the cloth amount detection unit 109 detects the cloth amount in the drum and outputs the cloth amount information to the process control unit 110. The process control section 110 acts on the basis of this information so that the process such as washing is adapted to the amount of laundry.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to easily and reliably detect the amount of cloth in the drum based on the displacement of the damper.

[0047]

As described above, according to the drum type washing machine shown in the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

According to the first means of the present invention, the vibration detecting section is provided to operate the feedback control, so that it is determined whether or not the balance state of the cloth is appropriate, and then the dehydration step is performed. Can be run
A dehydration step with less vibration can be realized. In particular, in the case of a drum-type washing machine, the present invention is very effective because the drum rotates around a horizontal axis, so that an unbalanced state of the cloth is relatively likely to occur.

According to the third means of the present invention, the vibration detecting section is provided with the damper displacement amount detecting section, and the vibration level is detected as a change in the damper displacement amount. Vibration detection in a very low rotation speed region in the early stage of dehydration, which is difficult to perform, can be reliably performed. This makes it possible to determine the state of imbalance of the cloth in the drum immediately after the start of the spin-drying process, and to realize a drum-type washing machine with less vibration in the spin-drying process.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the damper displacement detecting section is formed by a combination of a magnetic body and a coil.
Since the coil and electronic circuit are provided on the fixed part side of the damper, a simple and accurate displacement amount detection part can be economically constructed, and high mechanical reliability against vibration of the receiving cylinder is achieved. , Ru can be realized of vibration to the drum-type washing machine of the dehydration step.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of an embodiment of a first means of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a drum type washing machine showing a mechanical configuration of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the second means of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a drum type washing machine showing a mechanical configuration of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration block diagram of an embodiment of a fourth means of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the dehydration step control unit.

FIG. 8 is a configuration block diagram of an embodiment of a sixth means of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the dehydration step control unit.

FIG. 10 is a configuration block diagram of an embodiment of a seventh means of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the dehydration step control unit.

FIG. 12 is a configuration block diagram of an embodiment of an eighth means of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the dehydration step control unit.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a ninth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a correlation between the same cloth amount and a damper displacement amount.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vibration detection part 2 Dehydration process control part 3 Motor 4 Receiving cylinder 5 Drum 21 Vibration detection part 24 Acceleration sensor 30 Damper 30A Fixed part 30B Movable part 31 Displacement detection part 32 Vibration detection part 33 Vibration detection part 40 Damper 40A Fixed part 40B Movable part 41 Coil 42 Magnetic body 48 Displacement detection part 60 Vibration detection part 61 Dehydration process control part 62 Judgment part 63 Rotation speed increase command part 64 Motor rotation control part 70 Vibration detection part 71 Dehydration process control part 72 Vibration measurement part 73 Rotation speed setting command unit 74 Motor rotation control unit 80 Vibration detection unit 81 Dehydration process control unit 82 Judgment unit 83 Rotation speed command unit 84 Imbalance correction cycle execution unit 85 Motor rotation control unit 90 Vibration detection unit 91 Dehydration process control unit 92 Judgment Unit 93 Rotation speed command unit 94 Dehydration process stop command unit 95 Motor rotation control unit 1 00 Damper 108 Displacement amount detection unit 109 Cloth amount detection unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Tetsuro Nagahisa 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-1-268597 (JP, A) JP-A-1- 218495 (JP, A) JP-A-56-15892 (JP, A) JP-B-47-27193 (JP, Y1) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) D06F 33/02 D06F 37 /twenty two

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A drum that accommodates and rotates clothing, a receiving cylinder that accommodates the drum, and that is supported from a housing via a suitable supporting means, and a vibration detecting unit that detects vibration of the receiving cylinder. When, a motor for rotating the drum, have a dehydration step control unit for controlling the rotational speed of the motor in accordance with the vibration level of the drum detected by the vibration detection unit during the dehydration step, the vibration detection unit, Between the housing and the receiving cylinder
A damper arranged to suppress vibration of the receiving cylinder and this damper;
Displacement amount detection unit that detects the amount of expansion / contraction displacement of par, and this displacement
Vibration detecting the amount of vibration of the receiving cylinder from the output of the amount detector
A drum-type washing machine having an amount detection unit . 2. A displacement amount detecting portion includes a magnetic body which is supported on the movable portion side of the at least damper, the drum type washing machine of claim 1, wherein constituted by a coil which is supported on the fixed portion side of the damper.