JP3244954B2 - Clothes dryer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clothes dryer for controlling the rotation speed of a motor for rotating a rotary drum so that the rotation speed becomes a target rotation speed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a clothes dryer, in order to rotate a rotating drum in which clothes are stored at a predetermined rotating speed, a rotating speed of a motor for rotating the rotating drum is set to a target rotating speed. Speed control. In speed control, the initial power supply which is previously set at the speed control start after starting giving the motor, as the rotational speed of the motor is sequentially adjusted test feed force Ru applied to the motor so that the target rotational speed ing.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, the initial power supplied to the motor when starting the speed control for the motor is independent of the load of the motor (the amount of clothing stored in the rotating drum). Since it is constant, when the motor is started by supplying the initial supply power, when the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum is large, the starting rotation speed of the motor is low, and the amount of clothing stored in the rotating drum is small. In this case, the starting rotation speed of the motor becomes high. In other words, when speed control is started for the motor,
The starting rotation speed of the motor greatly varies depending on the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum. For this reason, the deviation between the starting rotation speed of the motor and the target rotation speed increases, so that the time during which the rotation speed of the motor cannot be controlled to the target rotation speed continues, and drying of the clothes accompanying the rotation of the rotating drum is performed appropriately. There is a drawback that you can not.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to reduce the rotation speed of a motor for rotating a rotating drum to a target rotating speed in a short time regardless of the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum. It is to provide a clothes dryer that can be controlled.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a rotating drum rotated by a motor, a power supply circuit capable of adjusting a power supplied to the motor, and a power supply circuit for adjusting a rotation speed of the motor to a target rotation speed. off for adjusting the supply power of the power supply circuit
And a control unit for performing feedback control. The clothes dryer further includes a clothes amount detecting unit that outputs a detection signal according to an amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum, and execution of feedback control by the control unit is started. At the time, a correction means for executing a correction operation for correcting the initial supply power from the power supply circuit to be larger as the clothes amount indicated by the detection signal from the clothes amount detection means becomes larger is provided. It is.

In the above configuration, when the motor is started, the control means is configured to execute a slow start for sequentially increasing the power supplied to the power supply circuit, and the clothing amount detection means is controlled by the motor or the rotation of the motor. It is configured to output a detection signal indicating the rotation speed of the device that rotates in synchronization, and furthermore, the correction unit detects the amount of clothing based on the detection signal from the clothing amount detection unit when performing slow start by the control unit. You may comprise so that it may judge.

The clothing amount detecting means is configured to output a pulse signal in accordance with the rotation of the motor or a device rotating in synchronization with the rotation of the motor, and the correcting means is controlled by the control means to control the motor. At the time of activation, the clothing amount may be determined based on the number of pulse signals output from the clothing amount detection means.

The clothing amount detecting means is configured to output a pulse signal in accordance with the rotation of a motor or a device that rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the motor, and the correcting means is controlled by the control means to control the motor. At the time of activation, the clothing amount may be determined based on the output interval of the pulse signal from the clothing amount detection means.

Further, the clothing amount detecting means comprises an electrode for outputting a pulse signal in accordance with contact with the clothing stored in the rotating drum, and the correcting means comprises a control means for activating the motor by rotating the motor. The clothing amount may be determined based on the output frequency of the pulse signal from the clothing amount detecting means when the rotation speed reaches the set rotation speed.

Further, the clothing amount detecting means comprises an electrode for outputting a pulse signal in accordance with the contact with the clothing stored in the rotating drum, and the correcting means comprises a control means for activating the motor by rotating the motor. May be configured such that when a predetermined time elapses after reaching the set rotation speed, the clothing amount is determined based on the output frequency of the pulse signal from the clothing amount detecting means.

The correction means may have a plurality of initial supply powers, and may select the initial supply power according to a set operation course.

When the stop condition is satisfied during execution of the speed control, the control means stops the power supply state of the power supply circuit. When the stop condition is released, the control means confirms that the motor is stopped, and then executes the speed control. May be configured to be re-executed, and the correction unit may be configured to re-execute the correction operation when the speed control is re-executed by the control unit.

When the control means switches the rotation direction of the motor during execution of the speed control, the power supply state of the power supply circuit is stopped, and after the stop of the motor is confirmed, the speed of the motor is controlled in the opposite direction. The rotation speed control may be configured to be executed, and the correction unit may be configured to re-execute the correction operation when the control unit starts executing the reverse rotation speed control.

Further, the clothing amount detecting means is constituted so as to output a pulse signal in accordance with the rotation of the motor or a device which rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the motor, and the correcting means is provided by the clothing amount detecting means. The motor may be determined to have stopped when the output stop time of the pulse signal has elapsed for the set time.

[0015]

In the case of the clothes dryer of the first aspect, the control means adjusts the power supplied to the motor of the power supply circuit so that the rotation speed of the motor becomes the target rotation speed by executing feedback control. Here, at the start of execution of the feedback control by the control unit, the correction unit is configured to increase the initial supply power from the power supply circuit as the clothing amount indicated by the detection signal from the clothing amount detection unit increases. A correction operation for correction is performed. Thus, the motor is supplied with the initial supply power according to the clothing amount (load), so that the starting rotation speed of the motor can be approximated to the target rotation speed. Therefore, the rotation speed of the motor can be controlled to the target rotation speed in a short time by controlling the speed of the motor by the control means.

In the case of the clothes dryer according to the second aspect, when starting the motor, the control means executes a slow start in which the power supplied to the power supply circuit is sequentially increased. Thus, the motor can be started stably regardless of the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum. At this time, when the amount of clothing stored in the rotating drum is large, the starting rotation speed of the motor is low due to the large load of the motor, and when the amount of clothing stored in the rotating drum is small,
Since the load on the motor is small, the starting rotation speed of the motor is high. Thus, the amount of clothing stored in the rotating drum can be indicated by the rotation speed of the motor indicated by the detection signal output from the clothing amount detection means. Therefore, the correcting means can determine the clothing amount based on the detection signal from the clothing amount detecting means at the time of performing the slow start.

In the case of the clothes dryer according to the third aspect, when the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum is large, the load on the motor is large, so that the starting rotation speed of the motor is reduced. Also, when the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum is small,
Since the load on the motor is small, the starting rotation speed of the motor increases. Thus, the output state of the pulse signal output from the clothing amount detecting means changes according to the amount of clothing stored in the rotating drum. Therefore, the correction means can determine the amount of clothing based on the number of output pulse signals from the clothing amount detection means when the motor is started by the control means.

In the case of the clothes dryer according to the fourth aspect, the output state of the pulse signal output from the clothes amount detecting means changes according to the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum. The clothing amount can be determined based on the output interval of the pulse signal from the clothing amount detecting means when the motor is started.

In the case of the clothes dryer of the fifth aspect, when the motor is started by the control means, the clothes contained in the rotating drum come into contact with the electrodes constituting the clothes amount detecting means with the rotation of the rotating drum. As a result, a pulse signal is output. At this time, when the rotation speed of the motor reaches the set rotation speed due to the activation of the motor by the control means, the rotation of the rotating drum is substantially stable. The frequency of contact with clothing increases,
When the amount of clothing stored in the rotating drum is small, the frequency of contact of clothing with the electrode decreases. Therefore, the correction means can determine the clothing amount based on the output frequency of the pulse signal from the clothing amount detection means when the rotation speed of the motor reaches the set rotation speed when the motor is started by the control means.

In the case of the clothes dryer of the present invention, the rotation of the rotating drum is stabilized when a predetermined time has elapsed since the rotation speed of the motor reached the set rotation speed by the activation of the motor by the control means. Therefore, the correction means may determine the clothing amount based on the output frequency of the pulse signal from the clothing amount detection means when a predetermined time has elapsed since the rotation speed of the motor reached the set rotation speed when the motor was started. it can.

[0021] In the case of the clothes dryer according to claim 7, the correction means selects the initial supply power from a plurality of initial supply powers according to the operation course, so that an appropriate initial supply power according to the operation course is provided. You can choose.

In the case of the clothes dryer of the present invention, the control means stops the power supply state of the power supply circuit when the stop condition is satisfied during execution of the speed control, and sets the motor when the stop condition is released. Confirm the stop of and restart the speed control. At this time, the correction means re-executes the correction operation when the speed control is re-executed by the control means, so that the rotation speed of the motor is controlled to the target rotation speed in a short time regardless of the stop of the rotating drum due to the stop of the motor. be able to.

In the case of the clothes dryer according to the ninth aspect, when switching the rotation direction of the motor during execution of the speed control, the control means stops the power supply from the power supply circuit and confirms the stop of the motor. Reverse rotation speed control for controlling the speed of the motor in the opposite direction is performed. As a result, the rotating drum rotates in the opposite direction, so that the clothes stored in the rotating drum can be loosened. At this time, the correction means re-executes the correction operation when the control means starts the execution of the reverse rotation speed control, so that the rotation speed of the motor is reduced to the target rotation speed for a short time regardless of the stop of the rotating drum due to the reverse rotation of the motor. Can be controlled by

In the case of the clothes dryer according to the tenth aspect, even if the motor is stopped by the control means, the rotation state of the motor continues for a while due to the inertial rotation of the rotating drum and then stops. At this time, the output interval of the pulse signal from the clothing amount detection means becomes longer with the stop of the motor,
The correction unit can determine that the motor has stopped when the set period of time during which the output of the pulse signal from the clothing amount detection unit is stopped has elapsed.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows a schematic vertical cross-sectional structure of the entire dryer. In FIG. 2, the outer box 1 is provided with an entrance 2 for clothes in the center of the front part.
Is provided with a door 3. The rotating drum 4 accommodated in the outer case 1 rotatably supports a shaft 5 protruding from the center of the rear surface of the shaft 5 on a support plate 6 provided at a rear portion of the outer case 1. The cylindrical flange 7 formed on the periphery of the large-diameter opening is rotatably supported by a drum support 8 provided at a front portion in the outer box 1. The rotating drum 4 configured as described above is configured to be rotationally driven via a belt transmission mechanism 10 by a motor 9 disposed in the upper portion of the inside of the outer box 1. The belt transmission mechanism 10 includes a tension pulley 10a and a belt 10b.
It is configured to apply a stretching force to the This is to prevent the belt 10b from slipping on the rotating drum 4 when the rotating force is applied to the rotating drum 4 by the belt 10b.

A hot air supply device 11 for supplying hot air into the rotary drum 4 is provided in the outer box 1. The hot air supply device 11 includes a group of vents 12 formed by drilling a large number of small holes at the rear center of the rotary drum 4, a fan casing 13 connected to the group of vents 12, and a fan casing 13. A two-wing fan 14 serving as a dehumidifier, which is provided coaxially with the shaft 5, and a duct disposed below the rotary drum 4 in communication with a front portion of a fan casing 13. 15, two PTC heaters 16 a and 16 b (only one of the heaters 16 a is shown in FIG. 2) mounted on the drum support 8 in a state positioned on the downstream side (front side) of the duct 15, Of hot air outlets 17 formed by drilling small holes
And a belt transmission mechanism 18 for transmitting the rotational force of the motor 9 to the motor 4.

A filter 19 is arranged in the group of the vents 12 of the hot air supply device 11 so as to cover them from the inside of the rotary drum 4. A back plate 20 is provided at an open portion on the back surface of the outer box 1 so as to close the open portion. The back plate 20 has a group of outside air intakes 21 in a central portion, and returns outside air to a lower portion. It has a configuration provided with a group of ports 22.

A pair of electrodes 23 are attached to the lower part of the drum support 8 so as to face the inside of the rotary drum 4 with a predetermined insulating gap therebetween. The clothes in the rotary drum 4 are attached to these electrodes 23.
The intermittent contact is made in accordance with the rotation of, and the resistance value between the electrodes 23 changes to a value lower than the steady state at each contact. In this case, the amount of change in the resistance value between the electrodes 23 is such that the smaller the amount of moisture contained in the clothing that comes into contact,
In other words, the higher the drying rate of the clothes is, the smaller the drying rate of the clothes in the rotating drum 4 becomes.

The casing 13 is provided with a temperature sensor 24 for detecting the temperature of the air flowing out of the rotary drum 4 through the vent hole 12, that is, the temperature in the rotary drum 4. 1, a control circuit device 25 (see FIG. 1) described later for controlling the drying operation and a circuit board 26 on which electronic components constituting peripheral circuits are mounted
Are arranged.

Further, a rotation sensor 27 as clothing amount detecting means is provided at a position corresponding to the motor 9 in an upper part in the outer box 1.
Is provided. The rotation sensor 27 is configured as, for example, a magnetic rotary encoder, and is configured to be a motor pulley 18a (which is a motor 9) of the belt transmission mechanism 18.
Magnetic body 2 attached directly to the rotating shaft of
7a and a magnetic sensor 2 attached to the support frame 9a side of the motor 9 so as to face the rotation locus of the magnetic body 27a.
7b and a signal processing circuit 27c for shaping the waveform of the output signal of the magnetic sensor 27b to generate a pulse signal.

Therefore, the rotation sensor 27 generates a pulse signal at a cycle corresponding to the rotation speed of the motor 9, but the reduction ratio of the belt transmission mechanism 10 for transmitting the rotation force of the motor 9 to the rotary drum 4 is constant. Therefore, the rotation sensor 27
Can be used as a signal indicating the rotation speed of the rotating drum 4. Also, since the reduction ratio of the belt transmission mechanism 18 that transmits the rotational force of the motor 9 to the fan 14 is constant, the pulse signal from the rotation sensor 27 is
It can also be used as a signal indicating the rotation speed of the fan 14.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the electrical configuration of the control circuit device 25 and the parts related to the control circuit device 25 by a combination of functional blocks, which will be described below.

That is, the control circuit device 25 is mainly composed of a microcomputer 28 constituting the control means and the correction means according to the present invention. The power of the microcomputer 28 is supplied from an AC power supply 29 via a rectifier circuit 30. Although not shown,
A power supply of a clock pulse generating circuit 31 for applying a clock pulse to the microcomputer 28, and the electrode 2
The power supply of the detection circuit 32 connected to 3 is also provided from the rectifier circuit 30.

A detection circuit 32 is provided in correspondence with the pair of electrodes 23. This is a resistance value of the electrode 23 (that is, data indicating a drying rate of clothes in the rotating drum 4).
Is converted into a pulse signal and supplied to the microcomputer 28.

Further, the microcomputer 28 includes:
In addition to the clock pulse and the pulse signal from the detection circuit 32, a start signal from a start switch 33 for starting a drying operation, a temperature detection signal from the temperature sensor 24 (a signal indicating the air temperature in the rotating drum 4), A pulse signal from the rotation sensor 27 (a signal indicating the rotation speed of the rotating drum 4), a door opening signal from the door switch 35 (the door 3)
Signal indicating that the buzzer 34 has been opened), and based on those input signals and a preset control program, the buzzer 34 for notification, the motor 9, and the shutoff of the PTC heaters 16a and 16b described above. The electric control is performed through a drive circuit 36 constituting a power supply circuit of the motor 9. The buzzer 34, the motor 9, and the PTC heaters 16a and 16b are configured to be energized from the AC power supply 29 through a power switch 37.

FIG. 3 shows a circuit configuration of a power supply circuit for controlling the energization of the motor 9 in the drive circuit 36 in FIG. In FIG. 3, the motor 9 is connected to the AC power supply 29 via a power switch 37 and a triac 38. When the triac 38 is turned on with the power switch 37 turned on, the AC power supply 29 is connected to the motor 9. It is to be connected. Triac 38
The phototriac coupler 39 is connected to the gate terminal of the. In other words, the phototriac coupler 39 is configured such that the LED 39a and the phototriac 39b are opposed to each other. When the LED 39a emits light, the phototriac 39b is turned on to apply a trigger voltage to the triac 38. Therefore,
When the LED 39a is energized, the triac 38 becomes conductive at that time, the AC power supply 29 is connected to the motor 9, and when the voltage level of the AC power supply 29 becomes zero, the triac 38 becomes non-conductive. The connection state of the AC power supply to the motor 9 is released.

The AC power supply 29 has a power switch 37.
Is connected to the zero cross detection circuit 40 via the. The zero-cross detection circuit 40 detects the zero level of the AC power supply 29 and outputs the detection result to the microcomputer 28.

FIG. 4 shows the circuit configuration of the zero-cross detection circuit 40. In FIG. 4, an AC power supply 29 is connected to a primary terminal of a transformer 41, and an input terminal of a full-wave rectifier circuit 42 is connected to a secondary terminal. The output terminal of the full-wave rectifier circuit 42 has a resistor 43,
A series circuit composed of a diode 44 and a capacitor 46 is connected in parallel. The transistor 47 is connected to a common connection point between the resistors 43 and 44.
And the collector of the transistor 47 is connected to the input terminal of the microcomputer 28. Therefore, the AC voltage from the AC power supply 29 is full-wave rectified by the full-wave rectifier circuit 42 as shown in FIG. 5, and when the full-wave rectified voltage falls below a predetermined level, a high-level zero-cross A signal is output to the microcomputer 28.

When the drying operation is performed, the microcomputer 28 determines the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum 4 based on the number of times of inputting the pulse signal from the rotation sensor 27, as will be described later. An initial output (initial supply power) at the start of feedback control (speed control) for the motor 9 is set so that the rotation speed of the motor 9 becomes the target rotation speed based on the amount.
That is, the microcomputer 28 sets the target rotation speed of the motor 9 according to the standard course and the delicate course as shown in FIG. 6, and inputs a pulse signal from the rotation sensor 27 for a predetermined period for each course. An initial output corresponding to the number of times (proportional to the amount of clothing) is stored as an output table.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. FIG. 7 shows the main operation of the microcomputer 28. In FIG. 7, the microcomputer 28 includes:
When the start switch 33 is turned on (step A
1), a slow start is started for the motor 9 (step A2). That is, the energization ratio to the motor 9 is increased to 40%, 60%, and 80% every second. More specifically, phase control is performed in which the phototriac coupler 39 is energized at a timing delayed by a predetermined delay time from the input of the zero-cross signal from the zero-cross detection circuit 40.

In this case, when the AC power supply is 60 Hz,
Delay time 4.98 msec, 3.32 msec, 1.66
Set to msec. When the AC power supply is 50 Hz, the delay time is set to 6.0 msec, 4.0 msec, 2.0 msec.
Set to sec. Since the delay time is set to be constant regardless of the load (clothing amount) and the target rotation speed, the output to the motor 9 is increased stepwise as shown in FIG. As a result, the rotation speed of the motor 9 gradually increases, and the rotation speed of the rotary drum 4 gradually increases with the rotation.

Here, when the slow start as described above is being executed, the microcomputer 28 counts up the counter every time the rotation sensor 27 is turned on and a pulse signal is input (step A3). (Step A4). Therefore, the number of pulse signals input from the rotation sensor 27 from the start of the slow start is stored in the counter.

By the way, the motor 9 by slow start
Although the rotating drum 4 rotates with the rotation of the rotating drum 4, the rotating speed of the rotating drum 4 and thus the rotation speed of the motor 9 at the time of the slow start changes according to the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum 4. In other words, when the amount of clothing is large, the load on the motor 9 increases, and the rotation speed of the motor 9 at the time of slow start is low. On the other hand, when the amount of clothing is small, the load on the motor 9 is small, so the rotation speed of the motor 9 at the time of slow start is high. Therefore, the number of pulse signals (motor 9
The rotation speed of the motor 9) can be used to determine the load (clothing amount) of the motor 9.

When the slow start is completed (step A5), the microcomputer 28 selects an initial output corresponding to the number of pulse signals input from the rotation sensor 27 from the output table shown in FIG. 6 (step A6). ), An initial delay time for the motor 9 is determined from the selected initial output (step A7).

Subsequently, the microcomputer 27
After energizing the TC heaters 16a and 16b (step A
8) Start feedback control (step A)
9). At this time, the microcomputer 28 starts the zero-cross detection circuit 4 when starting the feedback control.
The correction operation is executed by repeating the operation of energizing the phototriac coupler 39 at a timing delayed by the initial delay time obtained in step A7 from the timing of inputting the zero cross signal from 0. Thus, the AC power supply 29 is connected to the motor 9 at the timing when the initial delay time has elapsed from the timing when the voltage level of the AC power supply has become zero level, and the motor 9 The control operation that the connection state of the AC power supply to the AC power supply 9 is released is repeatedly performed. As a result of the control operation for the motor 9 as described above, the motor 9 is started with the initial output, and the rotating drum 4 rotates with the start of the motor 9.

Here, the initial output to the motor 9 is set to increase as the number of input pulses at the time of the slow start decreases. The small number of input pulses at the time of this slow start means that the motor load (clothes amount)
Therefore, in such a case, the starting rotation speed of the motor 9 is approximated to the target rotation speed by setting the initial output to the motor 9 to be large and increasing the starting force. Motor 9
This is for controlling the rotation speed of the motor to the target rotation speed in a short time.

The microcomputer 28 determines the rotation speed of the motor 9 based on the pulse signal from the rotation sensor 27, and adjusts the output to the motor 9 so that the rotation speed of the motor 9 becomes the target rotation speed. (See FIG. 9).

As a result of the above operation, the rotation speed of the motor 9 is controlled to the target rotation speed, so that the rotating drum 4 rotates at the set rotation speed with the rotation of the motor 9. Thereby, the clothes stored in the rotating drum 4 are loosened by the rotation of the rotating drum 4.

The rotation of the motor 9 causes the fan 14 to rotate.
Rotates, and a warm air path passing through the rotating drum 4 is formed as indicated by A in FIG. 2 with the rotation, and the clothes stored in the rotating drum 4 are dried. In addition, fan 14
As shown by B in FIG. 2, a cool air path is formed along the outer surface of the fan 14 with the rotation of the fan, so that the warm air flowing through the rotating drum 4 and flowing along the inner surface of the fan 14 is cooled. It is dehumidified.

Then, the microcomputer 28 detects the degree of drying of the clothes by the electrodes 23, and when it judges that the clothes have been sufficiently dried (step A1 in FIG. 7).
0), the drying operation is ended by turning off the motor 9 and the PTC heaters 16a and 16b (step A11,
A12).

The microcomputer 28 operates when the pause button (not shown) is operated when the feedback control is executed so that the rotation speed of the motor 9 becomes the target rotation speed as described above, or when the open / close door 3 is opened. Is opened, the motor 9 is stopped. When the start condition is satisfied, that is, when a start button (not shown) is operated or when the door 3 is closed, the motor 9 is stopped.
To perform a restart operation.

FIG. 8 shows the stop / start operation of the microcomputer 28. In FIG. 8, the microcomputer 28 stops the output to the motor 9 when the temporary stop button is operated or when the opening / closing door 3 is opened and the door switch 35 is turned off (step B).
1) It is determined whether the motor 9 has stopped (step B2). At this time, regardless of the stop of the output to the motor 9, the motor 9 rotates for about 10 seconds due to the inertial rotation of the rotary drum 4. Therefore, the microcomputer 28 sets the non-input time of the pulse signal from the rotation sensor 27 to 0.5. It is determined that the motor 9 has stopped when it has continued for seconds.

When the restart is commanded by the start switch 33 while the motor 9 is stopped (step B3), the microcomputer 28 proceeds to step A2 of the main operation shown in FIG. That is, the motor 9 is started by a slow start, the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum 4 is determined at the time of the slow start, an initial delay time corresponding to the amount of the clothes is obtained, and the motor 9 is started with the initial delay time. The correction operation to be performed is executed again.

When the output to the motor 9 is stopped and a restart command is issued by the start switch 33 while the motor 9 is rotating (step B).
2, B4), and after confirming that the motor 9 has stopped (step B5), step A5 of the main operation shown in FIG.
Move to 2.

According to the above configuration, when the rotational speed of the motor 9 for rotating the rotary drum 4 is feedback-controlled so as to reach the target rotational speed, the rotation of the rotary drum 4 is controlled by executing a slow start for the motor 9. Since the amount of clothes stored is determined and the initial output to the motor 9 at the start of feedback control is set according to the amount of clothes, the initial output to the motor at the start of feedback control regardless of the amount of clothes. Unlike the conventional example in which the rotation speed of the rotating drum 4 is efficiently controlled by controlling the rotation speed of the motor 9 to the target rotation speed in a short time regardless of the amount of the clothing. Can do well.

When the motor 9 is restarted from a stopped state, the initial output at the start of the feedback control for the motor 9 is reset, so that the clothes are dried by the drying operation until the motor 9 is stopped. Even if the overall weight is reduced, the rotation speed of the motor 9 can be controlled to the target rotation speed in a short time, so that the subsequent drying operation can be performed efficiently.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 shows a microcomputer 28
The same operations as those in FIG. 7 showing the first embodiment are denoted by the same step numbers, detailed description is omitted, and different operations are denoted by new step numbers.

That is, when the start switch 33 is turned on (step A).
1) Start the motor 9 with a predetermined setting output (step C)
1) The counter is counted up while the rotation sensor 27 is off (steps C2 and C3). And
When the rotation sensor 27 is turned on with the rotation of the motor 9 and a pulse signal is output, the microcomputer 28
The counter is stopped, the count value is saved, and then the counter is cleared (steps C4, C5, C6).
In other words, while the rotation sensor is off,
In other words, the input interval of the pulse signal from the rotation sensor 27 is stored. In this case, when the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum 4 is large, the rotation speed of the motor 9 continues to be low even if a predetermined setting output is given to the motor 9. The pulse interval increases. Therefore, the load (clothing amount) of the motor 9 can be obtained based on the pulse signal interval stored in the counter.

Then, when the microcomputer 28 detects the input interval of the pulse signal from the rotation sensor 27 as described above, for example, for 3 seconds (step C7),
An initial output corresponding to the input interval finally stored in the counter is selected from the output table shown in FIG. 11, and an initial delay time corresponding to the selected initial output is obtained. Thereafter, the same as in the first embodiment is performed. Then, the feedback control for the motor 9 is started with the initial delay time.

In the case of the second embodiment, the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum 4 is determined during a period in which a predetermined set output is given to the motor 9, and the feedback control is started based on the amount of clothes. Since the initial output for the motor 9 is set, the rotation speed of the motor 9 is reduced to the target rotation speed in a short time, regardless of the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum 4 as in the first embodiment. Can be controlled.

A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 shows a belt transmission device. In FIG. 12, a belt transmission device 48 pulls a pair of tension pulleys 48a to tension coil springs 48b.
The belts 48c for rotating the rotary drum 4 are provided with elasticity so as to be close to each other by connecting the belts 48c. That is, in the present embodiment, the motor is rotated forward and backward during the drying operation to reverse the rotation direction of the rotary drum 4, so that the tensioning force is applied to the belt 48c regardless of the rotation direction of the rotary drum 4. That's why.

FIG. 13 shows the operation of the microcomputer 28. The same steps as those in FIG. 7 showing the first embodiment are denoted by the same step numbers, detailed description is omitted, and different steps are assigned new step numbers. The description will be made with reference to FIG.

That is, the microcomputer 28 has the first
Similarly to the embodiment, when starting the motor 9, the motor 9 is slow-started, and the initial delay time at the start of the feedback control is determined based on the number of pulse signals input from the rotation sensor 27 at the time of the slow start. When it is detected that the clothes have dried, the motor 9 is turned off (steps A1 to A11).

When no pulse signal is input from the rotation sensor 27 for more than 0.5 seconds (step D1), the microcomputer 28 determines that the motor 9 has stopped and rotates the motor 9 in the reverse direction by slow start. At the same time, the output to the motor 9 is feedback-controlled so that the rotation speed of the motor 9 becomes the target rotation speed (steps A2 to A9). This is because even if it is determined that the clothes are dried based on the contact resistance by the electrodes 23, the clothes may be curled when the rotary drum 4 is rotated in only one direction, and in such a state, the clothes may be curled. Since only the surface of the garment is dried and the detection of the electrode 23 in contact with only the surface of the garment cannot detect the drying of the garment accurately, the garment is loosened and dried by reversing the rotating drum 4. Not to expose the inside of clothing.

Subsequently, when the microcomputer 9 rotates the motor 9 in the reverse direction for 7 seconds as described above (step D2), the microcomputer 9 stops the motor 9 and outputs 0.
If no pulse signal is input for more than 5 seconds, it is determined that the motor 9 has stopped, and the motor 9 is rotated forward by slow start, and the output to the motor 9 is set so that the rotation speed of the motor 9 becomes the target rotation speed. (Steps A2 to A9).

When the microcomputer 28 determines that the clothes have been dried, the microcomputer 9 stops energizing the motor 9 and the PTC heaters 16a and 16b to terminate the drying operation (steps A10 to A12).

According to the third embodiment, when the motor 9 is rotated in the reverse direction during the drying operation, the initial output to the motor 9 at the start of the feedback control is reset according to the amount of clothing. Even if the weight (load) of the entire garment decreases as the garment dries as the drying operation proceeds, the feedback control is appropriately executed to rotate the motor 9 to the target rotation speed in a short time. Can be controlled.

When the motor 9 is rotated in the opposite direction, the motor 9 is slow-started, so that the motor 9 is rotated.
4 for rotating the rotating drum 4 by the activation of
Since the tension of the motor 8c is not suddenly increased, it is possible to prevent the generation of an impact sound from the motor 9 or the tension pulley 48a.

Further, since the stop of the motor 9 is determined based on the non-output state of the pulse signal from the rotation sensor 27 continuing for a predetermined time, the motor 9 is stopped.
, The motor 9 can be quickly started in the opposite direction to prevent the wasting time of the drying operation.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 14 shows a microcomputer 28
The same operations as those in FIG. 7 showing the first embodiment are denoted by the same step numbers, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.
Different operations will be described with new step numbers. In FIG. 14, when the start switch is turned on (step A1), the microcomputer 28 provides a preset initial output to the motor 9 and the PTC
Power is supplied to the heaters 16a and 16b (steps F1 and F1).
2). As a result, the rotation speed of the motor 9 increases, and the microcomputer 28 starts cloth amount detection when the rotation speed of the motor 9 reaches the set rotation speed (steps F3 and F4). That is, when the clothing contacts the electrode 23, a pulse signal is output from the detection circuit 32. Therefore, it is determined whether the clothing is in contact with the electrode 23 at predetermined time intervals, and the clothing amount is determined based on the contact frequency. to decide.

Then, the microcomputer 28 executes the above-mentioned cloth amount detection for 2 minutes (step F5),
After the initial output is set based on the detected amount of clothing, feedback control is performed so that the rotation speed of the motor 9 becomes the target rotation speed, and the drying operation is performed (steps A6 to A).
12).

According to the fourth embodiment, the cloth amount detection is started when the rotation speed of the motor 9 rises to the set rotation speed in response to the activation.
The rotation speed of the rotary drum 4 is substantially stable in the state where the rotation has progressed. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the detection of the amount of cloth is started immediately after the motor 9 is started, the detection of the amount of cloth can be performed in a state where the rotation of the motor 9 is stable. Regardless, the accuracy of cloth amount detection can be improved.

FIG. 15 shows the variation (shown by a solid line) in the number of pulse signals due to the detection of the amount of cloth in this embodiment.
This shows a variation (shown by a broken line) in the number of pulse signals when the cloth amount detection is started immediately after the motor 9 is started, which indicates that the accuracy of the cloth amount detection according to the present embodiment is high.
Further, according to the present embodiment, since the electrode 23 provided for detecting the drying rate is used for detecting the amount of cloth, the overall configuration is not complicated and the cost does not increase.

A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 16. Steps which are the same as those in FIG. 14 showing the fourth embodiment will be assigned the same step numbers and will not be described.
That is, when the rotation speed of the motor 9 reaches the set rotation speed by energizing the motor 9 (step F3), the microcomputer 28 starts the cloth amount detection one minute after that (steps G1 and F4). ). this is,
The time required for the rotation speed of the motor 9 to stabilize depends on the amount of clothing stored in the rotating drum 4 and the degree of loosening of the clothing, and is about a time from when the rotation speed of the motor 9 reaches the set rotation speed until the motor 9 becomes stable. Since it takes about 10 seconds to 1 minute, the rotation speed of the motor 9 becomes 1
This is because, by waiting until about a minute has elapsed, the clothes are sufficiently stirred by the baffle of the rotating drum 4 and loosened, and the rotation speed of the motor 9 is stabilized.

According to the fifth embodiment, the cloth amount is detected one minute after the rotation speed of the motor 9 reaches the set rotation speed, so that the rotation speed of the rotary drum 4 is sufficient. The cloth amount can be detected in a stable state.
Accordingly, the initial output to the motor 9 based on the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum 4 can be set with high accuracy, and the rotation speed of the motor 9 can be controlled to the target rotation speed in a shorter time by feedback control thereafter.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but can be modified or expanded as follows. In the first to third embodiments, when the motor 9 is slow-started and the feedback control is performed, the PTC heater 16a,
Although the power is supplied to the PTC heaters 16b, the power may be supplied to the PTC heaters 16a and 16b when the motor 9 is slowly started.

The rotation sensor 27 may be provided to detect the rotation of the fan 14 as shown in FIG. 17, or may be provided to detect the rotation of the rotating drum 4 (not shown). In this case, the rotation speed of the motor 9 can be easily obtained based on the rotation ratio between the motor 9 and the fan 14 or the rotation ratio between the motor 9 and the rotating drum 4. Further, the output table stored in the microcomputer 28 in advance may be set corresponding to the AC power supply as shown in FIG.

[0078]

As apparent from the foregoing description, according to the clothes dryer of the present invention, so the following effects. Claim 1
According to the description, when the motor is started through the power supply circuit, the initial supply power of the power supply circuit is corrected to increase as the amount of clothes stored in the rotating drum increases. The drying operation can be efficiently performed by controlling the rotation speed of the motor to the target rotation speed in a short time.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the motor is started, the motor is slow-started, and the clothing is rotated based on the rotation speed of the motor or a device which rotates in synchronization with the motor when the slow start is executed. Since the amount is determined, the initial power supply to the motor can be corrected based on the amount of clothing.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the amount of clothing is determined based on the number of pulse signals output from the clothing amount detecting means in response to the rotation of the motor or a device rotating in synchronization with the rotation of the motor. I decided to make sure that
The initial power supply to the motor can be reliably corrected based on the amount of clothing.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, at the time of starting the motor, it is based on the output interval of the pulse signal output from the clothing amount detecting means in accordance with the rotation of the motor or a device which rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the motor. Thus, the initial supply power to the motor can be reliably corrected based on the clothing amount.

According to the fifth aspect, when the rotation speed of the motor reaches the set rotation speed due to the activation of the motor, the output from the clothing amount detecting means in response to the contact with the clothing stored in the rotating drum. Since the clothing amount is determined based on the output frequency of the pulse signal, the initial supply power to the motor can be reliably corrected based on the clothing amount.

According to the sixth aspect, when a predetermined time has elapsed after the rotation speed of the motor has reached the set rotation speed by the activation of the motor, the clothing is contacted with the clothing stored in the rotating drum. Since the amount of clothing is determined based on the output frequency of the pulse signal output from the amount detecting means, the initial power supply to the motor can be reliably corrected based on the amount of clothing.

According to the seventh aspect, the initial supply power to the motor is selected according to the set operation course, so that the initial supply power can be appropriately corrected according to the operation course. .

According to the eighth aspect, when the motor is restarted from the stopped state, the initial supply power to the motor is corrected, so that the motor is stopped regardless of the stop of the rotating drum due to the stop of the motor. By controlling the rotation speed to the target rotation speed in a short time, the drying operation can be efficiently executed.

According to the ninth aspect, when the motor is rotated from the stopped state in the reverse direction, the initial supply power to the motor is corrected. By controlling the rotation speed to the target rotation speed in a short time, the drying operation can be efficiently executed.

According to the tenth aspect, the output stop period of the pulse signal output from the clothing amount detecting means in response to the rotation of the motor or the device rotating in synchronization with the rotation of the motor has elapsed for a set time or more. In such a case, since it is determined that the motor has stopped, the stop of the motor can be reliably determined.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electrical configuration according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall vertical sectional view.

FIG. 3 is an electric circuit diagram showing a power supply circuit of the motor.

FIG. 4 is an electric circuit diagram showing a zero-cross detection circuit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an output timing of a zero-cross signal from a zero-cross detection circuit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an initial output according to the number of input pulses.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a main operation of the microcomputer.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a restart operation of the microcomputer.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a change in output to a motor.

FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to FIG. 7, showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an initial output according to an input pulse signal interval;

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a belt transmission device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7;

FIG. 14 is a view corresponding to FIG. 7, showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a deviation of the number of input pulse signals according to a cloth amount;

FIG. 16 is a view corresponding to FIG. 7, showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2, showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6, showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 is a rotating drum, 9 is a motor, 23 is an electrode, 27 is a rotation sensor (clothing amount detecting means), 28 is a microcomputer (control means, correcting means), and 36 is a drive circuit (power supply circuit).

Continuing from the front page (72) Kinya Hayashi 991 Anada-cho, Seto-shi, Aichi Prefecture Toshiba Corporation Aichi Factory (56) References JP-A-6-170095 (JP, A) JP-A-4-193298 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Showa 62-151897 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 62-134598 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) D06F 58/28

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] A rotating drum rotated by a motor; a power supply circuit capable of adjusting power supplied to the motor; and a power supply adjusted by the power supply circuit such that a rotation speed of the motor reaches a target rotation speed. in clothes dryer and a control means for performing feedback control, the the clothes amount detecting means for outputting a detection signal corresponding to garment weight housed in the rotary drum, the execution start time of the feedback control by the control means Correction means for executing a correction operation for correcting the initial supply power of the power supply circuit to increase as the amount of clothes indicated by the detection signal from the clothes amount detection means increases. And clothes dryer. 2. The control means, when starting the motor,
The apparatus is configured to execute a slow start for sequentially increasing the supply power of the power supply circuit, and the clothing amount detection unit outputs a detection signal indicating a rotation speed of the motor or a device that rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the motor. The clothes drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction means is configured to determine a clothes amount based on a detection signal from the clothes amount detection means when the control means executes a slow start. Machine. 3. The clothing amount detecting means is configured to output a pulse signal in accordance with the rotation of a motor or a device that rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the motor, and the correction means activates the motor by a control means. 2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the clothes amount is determined based on the number of pulse signals output from the clothes amount detecting means. 4. The clothing amount detection means is configured to output a pulse signal in accordance with the rotation of a motor or a device that rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the motor, and the correction means activates the motor by the control means. 2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the clothes amount is determined based on an output interval of the pulse signal from the clothes amount detecting means. 5. The clothing amount detecting means comprises an electrode for outputting a pulse signal in response to contact with clothing stored in a rotating drum, and the correcting means adjusts the rotation speed of the motor by starting the motor by the controlling means. 2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein the clothes amount is determined based on an output frequency of a pulse signal from the clothes amount detection means when the set rotation speed is reached. 6. The clothing amount detecting means comprises an electrode for outputting a pulse signal in accordance with contact with clothing stored in a rotating drum, and the correcting means adjusts the rotation speed of the motor by starting the motor by the control means. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a predetermined time elapses after reaching the set rotation speed, the clothing amount is determined based on an output frequency of a pulse signal from the clothing amount detecting means. Clothes dryer. 7. The correction means has a plurality of initial power supplies,
2. The clothes dryer according to claim 1, wherein an initial supply power is selected according to the set operation course. 8. The control means stops the power supply state of the power supply circuit when the stop condition is satisfied during execution of the speed control, and confirms the stop of the motor when the stop condition is released, and then executes the speed control. 3. The clothes drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit is configured to re-execute the correction operation when the speed control is re-executed by the control unit. Machine. 9. When the rotation direction of the motor is switched during execution of the speed control, the control means stops the power supply state of the power supply circuit, confirms the stop of the motor, and then controls the speed of the motor in the opposite direction. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to execute a rotation speed control, and the correction unit is configured to re-execute the correction operation when the control unit starts execution of the reverse rotation speed control. The clothes dryer as described. 10. The clothing amount detection means is configured to output a pulse signal in accordance with the rotation of a motor or a device that rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the motor, and the correction means includes a controller that outputs a pulse signal from the clothing amount detection means. 10. The clothes dryer according to claim 8, wherein when the output stop time of the pulse signal elapses a set time, the motor is determined to have stopped.