JP3338200B2 - Electric 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 an electric washing machine having a so-called dehydration rinsing function, and more particularly to an improvement in control of dehydration rinsing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called dewatering rinse has been known as a method for performing an effective rinse with a small amount of water. The dehydration rinsing will be briefly described. First, water is supplied to the entire laundry in the storage tub after the washing process to the extent that water soaks. Thereafter, the water supply is stopped and the storage tank is rotated at a high speed to perform a dehydration operation. At this time, the laundry is subjected to the centrifugal force, and the detergent remaining on the laundry is scattered with the water soaked, so that the laundry is rinsed.

[0003] Among the washing machines having the function of dehydrating and rinsing, a washing machine that is of interest to the present invention is Japanese Patent Publication No. 2200 / JP4200.
No. 0 discloses this. The disclosed washing machine incorporates a load amount detection device, thereby detecting the amount of laundry, and changing the number of repetitions of the water supply-dehydration cycle at the time of dehydration and rinsing according to the amount. In addition, the washing machine described in the official gazette supplies water while repeating turning on and off of the motor, slowly rotating the dehydration tub, and stopping. However, the dewatering tub has a short stopping time and the dewatering tub rotates for a long time during water supply.

Another interesting prior art is to supply water during a relatively long stop time while rotating and stopping the dewatering tub by turning the motor on and off, so that the laundry contains sufficient water. There is a way to make it happen.

[0005]

However, in the latter method, the ON and OFF times of the motor are preset times and are always constant. For this reason, depending on the amount of the laundry, the dehydration tub stops, for example, exactly every 360 ° rotation, and the stop position of the dehydration tub with respect to the drop point of the water supply is
There is a disadvantage that the same position of the laundry is supplied each time, and the same portion of the laundry in the dewatering tub is supplied with water, so that the laundry cannot be uniformly contained with water.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problem and to adjust the ON / OFF time of the motor when supplying water for dehydration and rinsing in accordance with the amount of laundry,
An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine in which water is uniformly contained in laundry and a rinsing performance is improved with a small amount of water.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, an electric washing machine according to the first aspect of the present invention supplies water to a storage tub and causes the laundry stored in the storage tub to contain water. A driving unit for rotating the storage tub, wherein the storage tub is rotated at a high speed, and the water contained in the laundry is dehydrated by centrifugal force. Laundry amount detection means for detecting the amount of laundry stored in the tub, setting means for setting the drive time and stop time of the drive means based on the detection signal of the laundry amount detection means, and water supply for dehydration rinsing When is done,
Control means for operating the drive means according to the set drive time and stop time , the setting means,
The storage tank is driven intermittently and rotated n / m (n and m are
Number, n ≠ m).
Setting the drive time and stop time of the laundry,
The driving of the driving unit based on the detection signal of the amount detecting unit
-It is characterized in that the number of stop repetitions is set .

[0008]

[0009]

[0010]

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the laundry amount is detected by the laundry amount detecting means. Based on the detection signal, a drive time and a stop time for rotating the storage tank during dehydration and rinsing are set. Then, when water supply for dehydration rinsing is performed, the storage tank is operated according to the set drive time and stop time. By the operation of the storage tub, water is uniformly contained in the laundry, and the rinsing performance can be improved with a small amount of water.

[0012]

[0013]

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a fully automatic washing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, an outer tub 2 for storing washing water is provided in a main body 1, and a washing tub 3 for storing laundry is provided in the outer tub 2. A large number of dehydration holes 4 are formed in the peripheral surface of the washing tub 3. In the center of the bottom of the washing tub 3, a stirring blade 5 is attached so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions. Stirring blade 5
Has a conical shape with radial irregularities formed on its surface.

A motor 6 is fixed to a lower portion of the main body 1, and a pulley 11 is attached to the motor shaft 8. A power transmission mechanism 7 that transmits the rotation of the motor 6 to the washing tub 3 and the stirring blade 5 is fixed to a lower central portion of the bottom of the outer tub 2. A belt 10 is wound around the pulley 11 and a pulley 12 provided in the power transmission mechanism 7, and transmits the rotation of the motor 6 to the shaft 9. The motor 6 rotates only the stirring blade 5 during washing and rinsing, and rotates both the washing tub 3 and the stirring blade 5 in one direction at high speed during dehydration.

A drain 13 is provided on the bottom of the outer tub 2, and a pipe 15 is fixed to the drain 13. A drain valve 14 operated by electromagnetic force is provided in the middle of the pipe 15. By opening the drain valve 14, the washing water in the outer tub 2 is discharged through the drain port 13, the drain valve 14, and the pipe 15 to the main body. 1 to the outside. An upper lid 22 that can be freely opened and closed is provided at the center of the upper surface of the main body 1. Further, a water supply port 21 is provided at an upper portion of the main body 1, and the water supply port 21 is connected to a pipe 20, and a water supply valve 19 which is operated by electromagnetic force is provided in the pipe 20. One end of the tube 20
It is connected to a water supply facility (not shown) such as a water supply outside the main body 1. When the water supply valve 19 is opened, the washing water is supplied from the water supply facility into the washing tub 3 via the pipe 20.

An air trap 16 is provided at one corner of the bottom of the outer tub 2, and a pressure hose 18 is connected to the air trap 16. The water level sensor 17 provided on the upper part of the main body 1 is connected to the pressure hose 18. When the water level of the washing water in the outer tub 2 rises, the air in the air trap 16 is compressed, the water level in the pressure hose 18 also rises, and the pressure of the air accumulated in the upper part of the pressure hose 18 rises. By detecting this pressure with the water level sensor 17, the water level in the outer tub 2 is detected.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit of the aforementioned fully automatic washing machine. The control circuit is provided with a microcomputer 31 for controlling. The microcomputer 31 includes an input key circuit 23 including setting operation keys for performing various operation settings, an upper lid safety switch 24 that operates in conjunction with opening and closing of the upper lid 22, and a water level sensor that detects a water level in the outer tub 2. 17 and a load detection circuit 25 for detecting a current flowing through the motor 6 for detecting the amount of laundry in the washing tub 3.
1 is supplied with a signal from each of these circuits.

The microcomputer 31 turns on a buzzer circuit 26 which sounds a buzzer for notifying the user of the end of the process such as washing and rinsing and an abnormality of the washing machine, and an LED indicating the operating state of the washing machine. LED drive circuit 27 and motor drive circuit 2 for driving and controlling motor 6
8, a water supply valve drive circuit 29 that outputs a signal for opening and closing the water supply valve 19 to the water supply valve 19, and a drain valve drive circuit 30 that outputs a signal for opening and closing the drainage valve 14 to the drain valve 14. The microcomputer 31 outputs a control signal to each of these circuits.

The microcomputer 31 stores a control procedure and conditions (programs) which are set in advance.
OM32 is provided. Also, a RAM 33 for storing variables used in the program and signals from each sensor.
Is provided. FIG. 1 shows a microcomputer 31
4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the fully automatic washing machine performed according to a program stored in a ROM 32 in the washing machine. Hereinafter, the operation of the fully automatic washing machine according to this embodiment will be described in accordance with the flow of FIG.

First, when laundry is put into the washing tub 3 and operation start is instructed by the operation key 19, the microcomputer 31 sends a signal to the motor drive circuit 28 to drive the motor 6 for a short time. The stirring blade 5 is rotated. At this time, the torque required to rotate the shaft 9 is larger as the amount of laundry placed on the stirring blade 5 is larger, and the torque required to rotate the shaft 9 is smaller as the amount of laundry is smaller. Since the torque required to rotate the shaft 9 is proportional to the drive current flowing through the motor 6, the drive current is measured and the
Detects the amount of laundry inside. The detected drive current is compared with a predetermined reference value, and it is determined which of the three categories the amount of laundry in the washing tub 3 belongs to (large, medium and small) (steps S1 and S2). ). Here, the relationship between the drive current of the motor 6 and the reference value for determining the amount of laundry is obtained in advance through experiments or the like.

The following steps S3 to S8 are processes for setting the contents of the dehydration rinsing in accordance with the detected amount of laundry. The set contents are the ON / OFF time of the motor 6 of the washing tub 3 at the time of dehydration rinsing, the number of repetitions, and the dehydration time. If it is determined that the laundry amount is large, the motor 6
N time is 0.7 seconds, OFF time is 5.5 seconds, and
If the N and OFF times are one cycle, the number of repetitions of five cycles is set in this case. In the subsequent dehydration process, 5 minutes are set (steps S3 and S4).

When the laundry amount is determined to be medium,
The ON time of the motor 6 is 0.6 seconds, and the OFF time is 5.0 seconds. In this case, the number of repetitions of four cycles is set. The dehydration process is set for 4 minutes (step S).
5, S6). If the laundry amount is determined to be small, the motor 6
The N time is 0.5 seconds and the OFF time is 4.5 seconds. In this case, the number of repetitions of three cycles is set. Also,
The dehydration process is set for 3 minutes (steps S7, S8).

The above or the setting contents are stored in the RAM 33 of the microcomputer 31. After that, the washing operation is performed. In the washing operation, the water supply valve 19 is opened, an amount of water is supplied to the outer tub 2 in accordance with the amount of laundry, the stirring blade 5 is rotated, and a washing process is performed (step S9). Next, the drain valve 14 is opened, and the washing water in the outer tub 2 is once discharged (step S10). The laundry in the washing tub 3 is dehydrated by the high-speed rotation of the washing tub 3 (step S11).

Next, a rinsing process is performed (step S).
12). In the rinsing process, first, dehydration rinsing is performed twice (step S13), and later rinsing is performed (step S14). First, in the dehydration rinsing, after the high-speed rotation of the washing tub 3 due to the dehydration in the previous step (step S11) is completely stopped, the drain valve 14 is closed, the water supply valve 19 is opened, and water is supplied into the washing tub 3. At this time, the motor 6 is turned ON and OFF in accordance with the contents set in any one of the steps S3 to S8.

For example, when it is determined that the laundry amount is large, the water supply valve 19 is opened to start water supply, and at the same time,
The motor 6 is turned on for 0.5 seconds, and the washing tub 3 rotates accordingly. Thereafter, the motor 6 is turned off for 5.5 seconds. The washing tub 3 does not stop at the same time as the motor 6 is turned off, rotates a little by inertia, and stops completely after a few seconds. At this time, the water supply has been continued. If the time from the ON of the motor 6 to the end of the OFF is one cycle, five cycles are repeated. During the five cycles, the laundry in the washing tub 3 contains water sufficiently and almost uniformly.
When five cycles are completed, the water supply valve 19 is closed to stop water supply, the motor 6 rotates the washing tub 3 at high speed, and dehydration is performed for five minutes. The dehydration rinsing consisting of the above water supply and dehydration is repeated twice, and the dehydration rinsing step is completed.

Here, the ON time of the motor 6 determined in steps S3, S5, and S7 is set so that the washing tub 3 rotates approximately two-thirds with respect to the position where the washing tub 3 is located at each laundry amount. Is required and set.
FIG. 4 shows the state of water supply at that time. FIG. 4A is a view of the washing tub 3 after dehydration as viewed from above.
It is biased near the inner peripheral surface. FIG. 4B is a diagram when the water supply is started and the motor 6 starts to be turned on, and water is supplied to the laundry at the position A in the washing tub 3. The hatched portion in the figure is a portion where water is supplied from the water supply port 21 and the laundry contains water. FIG. 4C is a diagram when the motor 6 has completed the first ON operation. Since the washing tub 3 has been rotated about ／, the laundry at the position A in the washing tub 3 is supplied with water. . FIG. 4D is a diagram when the motor 6 has completed the second ON operation. Since the washing tub 3 is further rotated about ／ from the position shown in FIG. 4C, the laundry at the position of “C” in the washing tub 3 is supplied with water. By repeating the ON / OFF operation of the motor 6 for several cycles, water can be evenly contained at the time of washing regardless of the amount of laundry.

The OFF time of the motor 6 is set to a length at which the washing tub 3 is completely stopped. This is because if the motor 6 is turned on during the coasting rotation of the washing tub 3 without completely stopping the washing tub 3 by the next ON time, the motor 6
This is because the rotation speed of the washing tub 3 gradually increases due to the repetition of ON and OFF, and it becomes difficult for the laundry to contain water even when water is supplied.

When the dehydration and rinsing step is completed, next, a rinsing is performed (step S14). The drain valve 14 is closed, the water supply valve 19 is opened, and water is supplied into the outer tub 2 according to the amount of laundry. Then, the motor 6 is driven under the preset conditions, and the stirring blade 5 is rotated, so that the sample rinsing process is performed. Next, the drain valve 14 is opened, the rinse water in the outer tub 2 is drained, and the washing tub 3 is rotated at a high speed for a predetermined time,
Dehydration is performed (step S15), and the entire process ends.

In the embodiment of the present invention, in step S1, the result of the determination of the amount of laundry is divided into three categories, large, medium and small, but it may be further divided more. In this case,
The amount of water required for rinsing can be adjusted more finely. In the present invention, in the drive control of the motor 6 during the dehydration rinse,
It is sufficient that the stop position of the washing tub 3 with respect to the drop point of the water supply does not stop at the same position after one cycle, and the ON and OFF times of the motor 6 may be freely set within a range satisfying the condition. . That is, dehydration-water supply 1
The washing tub 3 rotates n / m in cycles (n and m are integers, n
Δm), the ON time of the motor 6 may be determined. For example, １ ／ rotation, ／ rotation, and the like.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the rinsing process is performed by performing dehydration rinsing twice and then performing rinsing, but the number of dehydration rinsing is not limited to two. The number of times of dehydration rinsing may be changed according to the laundry amount detected in step S1. In addition, water rinsing may be used instead of the rinsing. In the embodiment of the present invention, the laundry amount is detected at the start of the process, but may be before or after any process before the dehydration and rinsing process.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a one-tub type fully automatic washing machine has been described, but a two-tub type washing machine in which a washing tub and a dewatering tub are separated may be used. At that time, for the dehydration tank,
The control of rotation by turning on and off the motor 6 is performed. In addition, various design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0033]

As described above, according to the electric washing machine of the first aspect, the drive time and the stop time for rotating the storage tub during dehydration and rinsing according to the amount of laundry are set and activated , and furthermore, the washing is performed. This drive / stop size depends on the physical quantity.
By changing the number of knurls, the laundry will contain water evenly, and the effect of rinsing with a small amount of water can be improved .
Wear.

[0034]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an operation of a fully automatic washing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a fully automatic washing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of control of a fully automatic washing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of water supply during dehydration rinsing.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 3 Washing tub 5 Stirring blade 6 Motor 14 Drain valve 19 Water supply valve 25 Load detection circuit 28 Motor drive circuit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-60-212196 (JP, A) JP-A-60-7898 (JP, A) Fully open 1987-168889 (JP, U) Really open 1988 39390 (JP, U) JP 2-42000 (JP, B2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) D06F 1/00-49/08

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] (1) Water is supplied into a storage tub, and water is contained in laundry stored in the storage tub. Then, the storage tub is rotated at a high speed, and water contained in the laundry by centrifugal force. Dehydrate,
In an electric washing machine that performs a so-called dehydration rinse, a driving unit for rotating the storage tub, a laundry amount detection unit that detects an amount of the laundry stored in the storage tub, and a detection signal of the laundry amount detection unit. Setting means for setting a drive time and a stop time of the drive means, and control means for operating the drive means in accordance with the set drive time and the stop time when water supply for dehydration rinsing is performed. The setting means drives the storage tank intermittently and operates n / m times.
To stop every time it turns (n and m are integers, n ≠ m)
The driving time and the stop time of the driving means are set, and based on the detection signal of the laundry amount detecting means,
An electric washing machine wherein the number of repetitions of driving / stopping of the driving means is set .