JP4179970B2 - Drum washing machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drum-type washing machine that rotationally drives a rotary drum that houses laundry.

  For example, since a drum-type washing machine has a configuration in which the rotation shaft of the drum is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction, an opening for putting laundry in and out of the drum is also provided exclusively on the side of the housing. It was mainstream. However, in such a configuration, the user has to bend the laundry in and out. Accordingly, a washing machine having an opening on the upper surface side of the housing has been put on the market.

By the way, when the opening is provided on the upper surface side of the casing of the drum type washing machine, when the opening is provided on the side surface of the drum and the rotation of the drum is stopped, the opening is positioned at the position of the opening on the casing side. It is necessary to stop after positioning to match. For example, in Patent Document 1, when it is determined that the rotational position of the rotor has been detected by a position detector and the position to be fixed has been reached, the rotation of the motor is stopped and a stopper is fitted into a recess provided on the rotor side. The structure which stops positioning by this is disclosed.
JP2003-111486A

  However, in the fixing mechanism having such a configuration, although the rotational position of the rotor is detected, the stopper does not fit into the recess unless the timing for protruding the stopper is accurately controlled, and the fixing fails. It cannot be said that there is no possibility. However, in Patent Document 1, no countermeasure is taken in consideration of such a case. And when the above cases occur in the drum type washing machine having an opening on the upper surface side of the casing, the user cannot take in and out the laundry with respect to the rotating drum.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a drum-type washing machine capable of ensuring the operation of fixing a rotating drum more reliably.

The drum type washing machine of the present invention includes a rotating drum for storing laundry,
A motor that rotationally drives the rotating drum;
A rotational motion detection means for detecting the rotational motion of the motor;
Fixing means for fixing the rotating drum at a predetermined rotational position;
When it is determined that the fixing operation by the fixing unit is not normally performed based on the rotation operation of the motor detected by the rotation operation detecting unit when the motor is rotated while the rotating drum is fixed. And a fixed operation control means for re-executing the fixed operation ,
The fixing operation control means reverses the rotation direction of the motor between when the fixing means performs the fixing operation and when determining the result of the fixing operation .

With this configuration, even if the fixing operation of the rotating drum is not normally performed, the fixing operation control unit detects the state based on the rotating operation detection unit and re-executes the fixing operation. It will be securely fixed. Further, the reverse rotation operation of the motor performed for determining the fixed operation result is executed with less current consumption.

  According to the present invention, since the rotating drum can be fixed more reliably, a drum type washing machine with good reliability can be provided.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the drum type washing machine. The drum type washing machine includes a water tank (not shown) inside the outer box 1, and a rotating drum 2 is disposed in the water tank. The rotating shaft of the rotating drum 2 is disposed so as to be in the horizontal direction, and is connected to the rotating shaft of the outer rotor type brushless DC motor 3 disposed on one side of the rotating drum 2. The rotating drum 2 is rotationally driven in the front-rear direction in FIG.

A laundry doorway 4 is formed above the outer box 1, and a doorway is formed in a water tank (not shown) according to the position, and a door for opening and closing the water tank side doorway is also provided. . Further, the rotary drum 2 is also provided with a drum side entrance / exit 5, and a drum side door 6 for opening and closing the drum side entrance / exit 5 is provided.
Therefore, when the operation of the washing machine is stopped, the rotary drum 2 is configured so that the rotation is stopped after the drum-side door 6 is positioned so as to coincide with the position of the laundry doorway 4. Yes. For this purpose, a locking portion 8 is formed on the rotor 7 of the motor 3, and a displacement device (inserting member displacing means) 9 is disposed outside the water tank on the side where the motor 3 is disposed. .

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the rotor 7 portion of the motor 3 and the displacement device 9 as the center. The locking portion 8 is formed as a part of the resin mold 10 that covers the rotor 7. That is, the locking portion 8 includes slopes 11 and 12 that rise gently so as to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 7, and is formed by forming a recess 13 between the slopes 11 and 12. Yes.
On the other hand, the displacement device 9 includes a main body 14 and a rod-shaped insertion member 15 protruding from the main body 14 toward the rotor 7, and the insertion member 15 is moved with respect to the radial direction of the motor 3 by a mechanism inside the main body 14. It is configured to be displaceable.

  FIGS. 7A and 7B show the internal configuration of the displacement device 9, wherein FIG. 7A is a front view showing the inside through, FIG. 7B is a vertical side view, and FIG. 7C is a view showing the insertion member 15 taken out. It is. A lock motor 16 is built in the main body 14, and a disc 18 having a protrusion 18 a on the outer peripheral side is fixed to the rotating shaft 17 of the lock motor 16. Therefore, when the lock motor 16 rotates, the protrusion 18a of the disk 18 moves circularly, and the protrusion 18a is displaced in the vertical direction.

  The insertion member 15 has a shape such that the distal end portion 15 a is loosely fitted to the recess 13 of the locking portion 8. The insertion member 15 is always subjected to an upward biasing force by a spring 19 having one end fixed to the main body 14 side. A driving locking portion 15b having a rectangular recess is formed on the main body 14 side of the insertion member 15, and the inner bottom side of the driving locking portion 15b is locked by the protrusion 18a of the disk 18. Has been.

  That is, when the lock motor 16 rotates and the protrusion 18 a is displaced upward, the insertion member 15 is displaced upward by the biasing force of the spring 19, and when the protrusion 18 a is displaced downward, the insertion member 15 is displaced by the spring 19. Displaces downward against the biasing force. Even when the insertion member 15 is displaced to the maximum position, the tip thereof is not in contact with the surface of the rotor 7 except for the locking portion 8 and is adjusted so that a gap of about 1 mm, for example, is generated between them. .

  A concave portion 15c for detecting the maximum displacement position is formed between the distal end portion 15a of the insertion member 15 and the driving locking portion 15b. Above the main body 14, a micro switch 20 (SW2, maximum displacement position detecting means) is arranged. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the displacement position of the insertion member 15 is maximized because the protrusion 18a of the disk 18 is located at the uppermost point, the operating element 20a falls into the recess 15c, so that the microswitch 20 is turned off.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, the microswitch 21 (SW1, minimum displacement position detecting means) is also arranged on the right side surface in FIG. A step portion 15d connected by a gentle slope is formed below the right side surface of the insertion member 15. As shown in FIG. 3 (c), the microswitch 21 has a protrusion 18a of the circular plate 18 positioned at the lowest point. By doing so, when the displacement position of the insertion member 15 is minimized, the operating element 21a is pushed by the right side surface of the insertion member 15 and turned off. Here, the locking portion 8 and the displacement device 9 constitute a fixing means 60.

Next, the electrical configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The DC power supply circuit unit 29 includes a voltage doubler circuit including a rectifier circuit 30 and smoothing capacitors 31 a and 31 b and a constant voltage circuit 32. An AC power supply 34 is connected to the input terminal of the rectifier circuit 30 through a reactor 33 in series.
Two DC power supply lines 35a and 35b are connected to the output terminal of the rectifier circuit 30, and smoothing capacitors 31a and 31b are connected in series between them. A common connection point between the smoothing capacitors 31 a and 31 b is connected to one of the input terminals of the rectifier circuit 30. The constant voltage circuit 32 is connected between the output terminals of the rectifier circuit 30 and is connected to each circuit for control, such as a control circuit (fixed control means, drive control means, rotational operation detection means, current detection means) 36 described later. Generate and give a DC voltage.

  An inverter main circuit 37 is connected between the two DC power supply lines 35a and 35b. The inverter main circuit 37 includes six IGBTs 38a to 38f connected in a three-phase bridge and free wheel diodes 39 connected in parallel to each other. The three output terminals 40 a to 40 c of the inverter main circuit 37 are connected to the terminals of the three-phase coils 41 a to 41 c constituting the stator of the motor 3.

  Each gate of IGBT38a-38f is connected to the drive circuit 42 which gives a drive signal through a photocoupler. The drive circuit 42 is connected to a PWM circuit 36a included in the control circuit 36, and receives a PWM signal from the PWM circuit 36a. The control circuit 36 is composed mainly of a microcomputer and using a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) as necessary, and includes a ROM, a RAM, and the like.

  Between the emitters of the IGBTs 38b, 38d, and 38f on the lower arm side in the inverter main circuit 37 and the DC power supply line 35b, shunt resistors (current detection means) 43u, 43v, and 43w for detecting the phase currents Iu, Iv, and Iw are provided. Has been placed. The phase currents Iu, Iv, and Iw are given to the control circuit 36 as voltage signals, and the control circuit 36 drives the motor 3 by vector control in a sensorless manner by A / D converting and reading the voltage signals. .

  A voltage dividing circuit 44 for monitoring the line voltage is connected between the DC power supply lines 35a and 35b. The voltage dividing circuit 44 has a configuration in which two resistors 44a and 44b are connected in series, and their common connection point is connected to the control circuit 36 as an output terminal. In addition to this, an operation switch 45, a display unit 46, a drain valve motor 47, and a water supply valve 48 are connected to the control circuit 36, a heater 49 for generating hot air, a power failure detection circuit 50, a water level sensor 51, A lid switch 52 and the like are connected.

  Further, an ON / OFF signal output from the microswitches 20 and 21 arranged in the displacement device 9 is given to the control circuit 36, and the control circuit 36 receives the displacement device based on the ON / OFF signal. 9 lock motors 16 are controlled. In addition, the control circuit 36 writes and stores necessary information in the built-in EEPROM 36b.

  In addition, position sensors 53u, 53v, and 53w for detecting the rotational position of the rotor 7 are disposed in the motor 3. These position sensors 53u, 53v, 53w are constituted by Hall ICs, and each sensor signal is output to the control circuit 36. The motor 7 has a three-phase 12-pole configuration, and an electrical angle of 360 degrees corresponds to a mechanical angle of 30 degrees. Since the sensor signals output from the position sensors 53u, 53v, and 53w are different in phase by 120 degrees in electrical angle, the control circuit 36 determines the rotational direction and rotational position of the rotor 7 based on these signal output patterns. Is possible. Details of vector control by the control circuit 36 are described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-27691.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, 8 and 9. FIG. First, the locking operation by the displacement device 9 will be described. When the insertion member 15 of the displacement device 9 is at the minimum displacement position, even when the rotor 7 is rotated and the locking portion 8 is positioned, the distal end thereof does not contact the locking portion 8. When the rotor 7 is fixed, the control circuit 36 drives the lock motor 16 to displace the insertion member 15 to the maximum position.

  Then, the control circuit 36 operates the motor 3 at a low speed of 10 rpm. In this case, the rotor 7 is in the state shown in FIG. Then, when it is confirmed that the switch 20 is turned on, that is, that the distal end of the insertion member 15 is in contact with the locking portion 8 (FIG. 8B), the motor 3 is operated at a lower speed. Thereafter, if it is confirmed that the switch 20 is turned off, it is assumed that the insertion member 15 is inserted into the recess 13 and the rotor 7 is locked as shown in FIG. The details of the above configuration and operation are described in detail in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-124288.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing performed by the control circuit 36 when the washing machine is turned on. First, the control circuit 36 reads flag data indicating whether or not the rotor 7 is locked (fixed) at that time from the EEPROM 36b (step A1), and based on the flag data, the rotor 7 or the rotating drum 2 is read. It is determined whether or not is locked (step A2). If it is not locked (“NO”), a locking operation is performed by the displacement device 9 (step A8), and when the operation ends (step A9, “YES”), a flag indicating that the EEPROM 36b has been locked. Data is written and stored (step A10). Then, the process proceeds to step A3.

On the other hand, if the rotating drum 2 is locked in Step A2 (“YES”), the control circuit 36 waits until the operation of the washing machine is started by the user's operation (Step A3). When the operation is started (“YES”), flag data indicating that the rotary drum 2 is unlocked is written and stored in the EEPROM 36b, or flag data indicating that the rotary drum 2 is locked is reset. Then, the locking operation by the displacement device 9 is released (step A5).
When the unlocking operation is completed (step A6, “YES”), the control circuit 36 performs a series of operations of washing, rinsing, dehydration, and drying by controlling the drive of the motor 3 (step A7), and then performs processing. finish.

  FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the locking operation in step A8 shown in FIG. 2 and the contents of determination processing associated with the locking operation. The control circuit 36 rotates the rotating drum 2 in the normal rotation direction (for example, the CCW direction) to perform the locking operation of the rotor 7 (step B1). In this case, the motor 3 is driven by forced commutation, but the energization current to the coil 41 is about 7A. When the locking operation by the displacement device 9 is completed in the sequence as described above, the control circuit 36 controls the voltage of the motor 3 (that is, controls so that the output voltage from the inverter main circuit 37 becomes a predetermined value). By rotating in the reverse direction by forced commutation, the lock state determination (abnormality determination) process is started (step B2). In this case, the energization current to the winding 41 of the motor 3 is set to about 2 A, and the rotation speed is set to about 5 rpm.

  Then, when the control circuit 36 performs a reverse operation for a mechanical angle of 30 degrees corresponding to one electrical cycle, the control circuit 36 stops the rotation of the motor 3 and performs an abnormality determination process based on data obtained during that time (step B4). ). The reason why the rotation direction of the motor 3 is reversed between when the rotor 7 is locked and when the locked state is determined is as follows. That is, when the rotary drum 2 is rotated forward and locked, the probability that the laundry in the drum 2 is unevenly distributed in the right direction from the center as shown in FIG. 9B increases. Then, when trying to release the lock from that state, there is potential energy due to the uneven distribution of the laundry, and the rotating drum 2 is in a state of being easily rotated in the reverse direction (see FIG. 9C). ). Therefore, in order to reversely rotate the motor 3, it can be rotated with a smaller driving current.

The abnormality determination process is performed as follows. That is, the control circuit 36 sets the q (quadrature) axis current Iq and the d (direct) axis current Id obtained in the vector control to 0.1 msec while the motor 3 is reversely rotated by the mechanical angle of 30 degrees in step B3. Sampling is performed at intervals, and the square root of the sum of squares (Iq ² + Id ² ) ^1/2 , that is, the effective value is calculated for these sampling currents. Then, the effective value is compared with the determination value, and when the former does not exceed the latter five times or more, it is determined as abnormal.

  That is, if the insertion member 15 of the displacement device 9 is inserted into the recess 13 and the motor 3 is driven with the rotor 7 locked, the motor 3 cannot rotate, as shown in FIG. In addition, the detected current value varies and exceeds the determination value. That is, in the process of advancing the electrical angle little by little, the driving torque is lost when the electrical angle is significantly deviated from the position of the fixed rotor 7, and the motor 3 is rattled. The backlash is detected as a change in the current value.

On the other hand, if the motor 3 is to be driven in a state where the rotor 7 is not normally locked, the rotor 7 rotates as it is, so that no significant fluctuation occurs in the current value. Therefore, the effective value of the current is compared with the determination value to detect the fluctuation occurrence state, and the locked state of the rotor 7 is determined.
If the result of the determination process in step B4 is normal, the process is terminated. If not normal (“abnormal”), the process returns to step B1, and the lock operation of the rotor 7 is re-executed (retry). The determination is performed as described above for the following reason. That is, the displacement position of the insertion member 15 in the displacement device 9 is determined based on the ON / OFF states of the two switches 20 and 21 that detect that the displacement position is maximum and minimum. Since the switch 20 is in the OFF state regardless of whether the insertion member 15 and the recess 13 are fitted normally or abnormally, it is impossible to determine whether the locked state is normal or abnormal only by the information of the switches 20 and 21. Because.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the rotating drum 2 is fixed by the fixing means 60, the control circuit 36 rotates the motor 3 when the motor 3 is rotated by forced commutation by voltage control. Based on the rotational operation of the motor 3 detected by the effective value of the phase current flowing through the line 41, it is determined whether or not the locking operation of the rotor 7 by the displacement device 9 is normally performed. When it is determined that the locking operation is not performed normally, the locking operation is re-executed. Therefore, even when the rotating drum 2 is not normally locked by one locking operation, the rotating drum 2 is securely fixed, and a drum-type washing machine with good reliability can be provided.

In addition, the control circuit 36 reverses the rotation direction of the motor 3 between when the displacement device 9 of the fixing means 60 performs the locking operation and when determining the locking operation result. Therefore, the reverse rotation operation of the motor 3 performed for determining the lock operation result can be executed with less current consumption.
Further, the motor 3 is configured as an outer rotor type, and the fixing means 60 is displaced in the radial direction of the motor 3 with the locking portion 8 disposed on the outer peripheral side of the rotor 7, and the tip portion is locked. The displacement device 9 is inserted into the recess 13 while being in contact with the surface of the portion 8. Accordingly, during the locking operation, the rotor 7 can be fixed by inserting the insertion member 15 into the recess 13 without detecting the position of the rotor 7 by the position sensor 53.

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and only parts different from the first embodiment will be described. The configuration of the second embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, except that the method for determining the locking operation is slightly different. In the first embodiment, when the determination process is performed, the motor 3 is subjected to voltage control and forced commutation. However, in the second embodiment, the motor 3 is subjected to current control. That is, the inverter main circuit 37 controls the phase current flowing in the winding 41 of the motor 3 to a predetermined value.

Accordingly, the control circuit 36 samples the q-axis voltage Vq and the d-axis voltage Vd obtained in the vector control at intervals of 0.1 msec while performing the reverse rotation operation of the motor 3 by 30 degrees in step B3. For the sampling voltage, the square root of the sum of squares (Vq ² + Vd ² ) ^1/2 , that is, the effective value is calculated. Then, the effective value is compared with the determination value, and when the former does not exceed the latter five times or more, it is determined as abnormal. Others are the same as in the first embodiment.
In the vector control, the phase current of the motor 3 is detected by the resistors 43u, 43v, and 43w. The q-axis voltage Vq and the d-axis voltage Vd are based on the q-axis current Iq and the d-axis current Id. It can be obtained by calculation from the current equation. Therefore, the control circuit 36 also has a function as voltage detection means.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the rotating drum 2 is fixed by the fixing means 60, the control circuit 36 rotates the motor 3 by forced commutation by current control. Based on the rotating operation of the motor 3 detected by the effective value of the voltage applied to the winding 41, it is determined whether or not the locking operation of the rotor 7 by the displacement device 9 is normally performed. Therefore, similarly to the first embodiment, even when the rotating drum 2 is not normally locked by one locking operation, the rotating drum 2 is securely fixed.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and the following modifications or expansions are possible.
A position sensor 53 may be used as the rotational motion detection means.
When performing sensorless vector control, the position sensor 53 is unnecessary.
Motor drive control is not limited to vector control.

When the motor current is detected for determining whether the lock state is abnormal, it may be detected based on the terminal voltages of the shunt resistors 43u, 43v, 43w.
Further, in the second embodiment, when detecting the voltage applied to the motor for the abnormality determination of the locked state, a voltage dividing resistor may be arranged between the output terminal of the inverter main circuit 37 and the ground.

Further, the voltage command for determining the pulse width of the PWM signal output to the inverter main circuit 37, that is, the level of the voltage signal compared with the amplitude level of the carrier wave in the comparator reflects the voltage level applied to the motor. Therefore, the voltage may be detected based on the voltage command value.
The process shown in FIG. 2 may be performed as necessary .

The flowchart which shows 1st Example of this invention, the lock operation | movement of step A8 shown in FIG. 2, and the determination processing content accompanying the lock operation | movement The flowchart which shows the outline | summary of the process performed by a control circuit, when a washing machine is turned on. Diagram showing electrical configuration (A) is the U-phase current of the motor, (b) is a diagram showing the effective values of the q-axis current Iq and the d-axis current Id. The perspective view which shows the structure of a drum type washing machine roughly Perspective view centering on rotor part of motor and displacement device The internal structure of a displacement apparatus is shown, (a) is a front view which sees through inside, (b) is a vertical side view, (c) is a figure which takes out and shows an insertion member part. The figure which expands and shows the part of the latching | locking part and insertion member in case locking control is performed (A) is before the rotor is locked, (b) is when the rotor is locked, and (c) is a diagram showing the state of the laundry in the rotating drum when the rotor is unlocked. FIG. 4 is a second embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows the U phase current of the motor, and (b) shows the effective values of the q axis voltage Vq and the d axis voltage Vd.

Explanation of symbols

In the drawings, 2 is a rotating drum, 3 is a brushless DC motor, 7 is a rotor, 8 is a locking portion, 9 is a displacement device (insertion member displacement means), 11 and 12 are slopes, 13 is a recess, 15 is an insertion member, 36 is a control circuit (fixed control means, drive control means, rotational motion detection means, current detection means, voltage detection means), 43u, 43v, 43w are shunt resistors (current detection means), 53u, 53v, 53w are position sensors, Reference numeral 60 denotes a fixing means.

Claims (5)

A rotating drum for storing the laundry;
A motor that rotationally drives the rotating drum;
A rotational motion detection means for detecting the rotational motion of the motor;
Fixing means for fixing the rotating drum at a predetermined rotational position;
When it is determined that the fixing operation by the fixing unit is not normally performed based on the rotation operation of the motor detected by the rotation operation detecting unit when the motor is rotated while the rotating drum is fixed. And a fixed operation control means for re-executing the fixed operation ,
The drum-type washing machine, wherein the fixing operation control means reverses the rotation direction of the motor depending on whether the fixing means performs the fixing operation or when the fixing operation result is determined .   2. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the rotational motion detecting means is constituted by a position sensor for detecting a rotational position of the rotor. Provided with drive control means for driving the motor with current control,
The rotational motion detection means is composed of voltage detection means for detecting the applied voltage to the motor,
The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the fixing operation control means determines the result of the fixing operation by the fixing means based on the variation of the applied voltage detected by the voltage detecting means. Provided with drive control means for driving the motor with voltage control,
The rotational motion detection means is composed of current detection means for detecting the phase current of the motor,
2. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the fixing operation control means determines the result of the fixing operation by the fixing means based on the variation of the phase current detected by the current detecting means. The motor is composed of an outer rotor type,
The fixing means is
A locking portion that is disposed on a part of the outer peripheral side of the rotor constituting the motor, has slopes that rise gently so as to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the rotor, and a recess is formed between the slopes. When,
The insert member is configured to be displaceable in the radial direction of the motor, and is configured with an insert member displacing means disposed on the fixed side,
2. The rotor is fixed by bringing the tip of the insertion member into contact with the surface of the locking portion and inserting the insertion member into a recess of the locking portion. The drum type washing machine according to any one of 4 to 4.

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