JP4812789B2 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine.

A washing machine having a dehydrating function dehydrates laundry by rotating a tub containing the laundry at high speed. In the tub, if the laundry stored at the time of dehydration is biased, the weight balance is lost and the amount of vibration increases. For this reason, there is a risk of causing vibration of the washing machine body, loud noise, and the like. Therefore, a washing machine is known that includes a vibration sensor to detect vibration of the tank during dehydration and to control the rotation of the tank (see Patent Documents 1 to 3).
JP 2006-346270 A JP 2006-122239 A Japanese Patent No. 3865791

  The vibration of the tub is not only caused by the unevenness of the laundry, but also caused by the installation environment of the washing machine and the deterioration of parts over time. However, in the case of the washing machines disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the vibration sensor only detects whether the laundry stored in the tub is biased during dehydration. In addition, the washing machines disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 determine the bias of the laundry by the vibration of the tub every dehydration, and do not consider the change in the vibration of the tub over time. Therefore, it is difficult to determine whether the vibration of the tub is due to the laundry bias or due to the installation environment of the washing machine or the deterioration of parts over time.

  Then, this invention is made | formed in view of said subject, The objective is to provide the washing machine which judges the presence or absence of a malfunction from the change of the vibration amount of a tank.

  The invention relating to the washing machine according to claim 1 detects a vibration amount of the tub in a vacant state in which there is no laundry in the tub and at least one of washing, rinsing, dehydration or drying of the laundry. Vibration amount detecting means, initial vibration amount acquisition means for acquiring the vibration amount of the tank detected in an empty state at the time of installation as an initial vibration amount, and acquisition of the initial vibration amount by the initial vibration amount acquisition means, the vibration amount And determining means for determining the presence or absence of a defect based on a difference between the vibration amount of the tank detected by the detecting means and the initial vibration amount acquired by the initial vibration amount acquiring means.

  The invention relating to the washing machine according to claim 2 detects a vibration amount of the tub in a vacant state where there is no laundry inside the tub, and a tub used for washing, rinsing, dehydration or drying of the laundry. After obtaining the initial vibration amount by the initial vibration amount obtaining means, the initial vibration amount obtaining means for obtaining the vibration amount of the tank detected in the empty state at the time of inspection before shipment as the initial vibration amount, And determining means for determining the presence or absence of a defect based on the difference between the vibration amount detected by the vibration amount detection means and the initial vibration amount acquired by the initial vibration amount acquisition means.

The invention relating to the washing machine according to claim 3 is a relationship between a tub used for washing, rinsing, dehydration or drying of laundry, a weight of the laundry stored in the tub, and a vibration amount of the tub. Vibration amount table storage means for storing the vibration amount table, vibration amount detection means for detecting the vibration amount of the tub, weight detection means for detecting the weight of the laundry stored in the tub,
The relationship between the vibration amount of the tub detected by the vibration amount detection means and the weight of the laundry detected by the weight detection means is compared with the vibration amount table stored in the vibration amount table storage means. And determining means for determining the presence or absence.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a washing machine comprising: a tank used for washing, rinsing, dehydrating or drying laundry; vibration amount detecting means for detecting a vibration amount of the tank; A weight detecting means for detecting the weight of the laundry, and a vibration amount for storing a relationship between the weight of the laundry detected by the weight detecting means and the vibration amount of the tub detected by the vibration amount detecting means as a vibration amount table. The vibration amount table in which the relationship between the vibration amount of the tub detected by the vibration amount detection means and the weight of the laundry detected by the weight detection means is stored in the vibration amount table storage means. And determining means for determining the presence or absence of a defect.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the initial vibration amount is acquired at the time of installation by the initial vibration amount acquisition means, thereby eliminating the influence of the installation environment or individual differences on the acquired initial vibration amount. Therefore, by comparing this initial vibration amount with the vibration amount of the tank obtained by the vibration amount detection means after installation, the vibration amount of the tank in which the influence of the installation environment or individual differences is eliminated is detected. And since the vibration amount of a tank is detected in the empty state where the laundry is not accommodated in the tank, the influence by the bias of the laundry is also eliminated. Therefore, the change with time of the vibration amount of the tank can be detected, and the presence or absence of a defect can be determined from the change of the vibration amount.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the initial vibration amount is acquired by the initial vibration amount acquisition means at the time of inspection before shipment, thereby eliminating the influence of individual differences in the acquired initial vibration amount. Therefore, by comparing this initial vibration amount with the vibration amount of the tank obtained by the vibration amount detection means after shipment, the vibration amount of the tank from which the influence of individual differences has been eliminated is detected. And since the vibration amount of a tank is detected in the empty state where the laundry is not accommodated in the tank, the influence by the bias of the laundry is also eliminated. Therefore, the change with time of the vibration amount of the tank can be detected, and the presence or absence of a defect can be determined from the change of the vibration amount.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the vibration amount table is stored in the tub by storing the relationship between the vibration amount of the tub and the weight of the laundry stored in the tub as the vibration amount table in the vibration amount table storage means. The effect of the weight of laundry being eliminated is eliminated. Therefore, by comparing this vibration amount table with the vibration amount of the tank acquired by the vibration amount detection means, the vibration amount of the tank from which the influence of the weight of the laundry is eliminated is detected. Therefore, the change with time of the vibration amount of the tank can be detected, and the presence or absence of a defect can be determined from the change of the vibration amount.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by correcting the vibration amount table by the vibration amount table storage means based on the vibration amount of the tank detected by the vibration amount detection means, the vibration amount table is influenced by individual differences. Eliminated. Therefore, by comparing this vibration amount table with the vibration amount of the tank acquired by the vibration amount detection means, the vibration amount of the tank from which the influence of individual differences is eliminated is detected. Therefore, the change with time of the vibration amount of the tank can be detected, and the presence or absence of a defect can be determined from the change of the vibration amount.

Hereinafter, a washing machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, in a plurality of embodiments, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
(First embodiment)
A washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The washing machine 10 according to the first embodiment includes a housing 11, a water tank 12, a rotating tank 13, a motor 14, an operation panel 15, a heat pump unit 16, a control unit 17, and the like. The washing machine 10 according to the first embodiment is a so-called drum-type washing machine in which the rotation center axis of the rotary tub 13 is parallel to the ground or forms a predetermined angle with the ground. The motor 14, the operation panel 15, and the heat pump unit 16 constitute a functional unit for performing each operation such as washing, rinsing, dehydration, and drying of the laundry stored in the rotating tub 13.

The housing 11 forms an outer shell of the washing machine 10. The casing 11 forms a water tank 12 on the inner side. The water tank 12 is elastically supported on the housing 11 by a vibration damping damper 18 and a tension spring 19. A rotating tank 13 is accommodated in the water tank 12. Both the water tank 12 and the rotating tank 13 are formed in a cylindrical shape whose front is released. The end of the water tank 12 on the release side is connected by a bellows 22 to an opening 21 for taking in and out the laundry formed on the front end side of the housing 11. A door 23 is provided in the opening 21 formed in the housing 11 so as to be openable and closable. A drain valve 24 is provided below the water tank 12. The drain valve 24 is provided between the water tank 12 and a drain port (not shown). Thereby, the water supplied to the water tank 12 is discharged from the drain outlet by opening the drain valve 24.
The rotating tank 13 is provided with a rotating shaft 25 at the center on the rear end side. The rotating shaft 25 protrudes further rearward from the rear end of the rotating tub 13. A motor 14 is attached to the end of the projecting rotary shaft 25. The motor 14 is composed of, for example, a three-phase brushless DC motor. The motor 14 rotationally drives the rotating tub 13 around the rotating shaft 25.

  The operation panel 15 is provided outside the housing 11. The operation panel 15 includes an input unit 26 and a display 27 as shown in FIG. The user inputs a desired driving course, the type of laundry, and the like from the input unit 26. The input unit 26 includes a switch (not shown). A predetermined instruction is input by pressing the switch. The switch includes a power switch and a course selection switch. The display device 27 includes an LED (not shown) and a liquid crystal screen (not shown). The LED displays whether the power of the washing machine 10 is on (on) or off (off) by turning on or off. Further, the LED displays a driving course being executed by turning on or off. The liquid crystal screen has a segment portion that displays the remaining time of operation, the current time, and the like, and an icon portion that displays various preset information. In addition to the above, the operation panel 15 is provided with a block display unit for displaying various types of information.

  The washing machine 10 includes a heat pump unit 16. The heat pump unit 16 is provided in the middle of an air passage through which air circulates via the rotary tank 13. Moisture is removed from the air circulating in the air passage by the heat pump unit 16. The heat pump unit 16 includes a compressor 28, a condenser 29, an evaporator 30, and the like. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 28 is radiated by the condenser 29 and then vaporized by the evaporator 30. Therefore, the air flowing through the air passage is heated by the condenser 29 and cooled by the evaporator 30. As a result, the air that has absorbed moisture from the laundry accommodated in the rotating tub 13 is removed by passing through the evaporator 30. The dehumidified air is heated by the condenser 29 and then supplied to the rotating tank 13 again.

Next, the electrical configuration of the washing machine 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
The control unit 31 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like (not shown). The control unit 31 is electrically connected to the motor 14, the heat pump unit 16, the drain valve 24, the input unit 26, the display 27, the vibration amount sensor 32, the water amount sensor 33, the nonvolatile memory 34, and the buzzer 35. The vibration amount sensor 32 is composed of, for example, a semiconductor sensor, and detects the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 by detecting the acceleration of the rotating tub 13. The water amount sensor 33 detects the presence or absence of water inside the water tank 12. The nonvolatile memory 34 is composed of, for example, an EEPROM. The buzzer 35 sounds when there is a drive instruction from the control unit 31. The buzzer 35 sounds in conjunction with the input from the input unit 26. For example, when a malfunction is detected in the washing machine 10, the control unit 31 displays on the display unit 27 or sounds the buzzer 35. The display device 27 and the buzzer 35 of the operation panel 15 constitute a notification means in the claims.

Next, the operation of the washing machine 10 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
The washing machine 10 of the first embodiment includes an initial vibration amount acquisition course and a vibration amount detection course in addition to a washing operation course including a laundry washing operation, a rinsing operation, and a dehydration operation. The initial vibration amount acquisition course acquires the vibration amount of the rotating tank 13 as the initial vibration amount. The vibration amount detection course detects the vibration amount of the rotary tank 13.

(Initial vibration amount acquisition course)
The initial vibration amount acquisition course is implemented at the time of installation by key operation from the input unit 26. The installation time means, for example, a time when the washing machine 10 is installed in a home washing machine place or the like. In the initial vibration amount acquisition course, the initial vibration amount is acquired. The initial vibration amount is a value serving as a reference for calculating a change in the vibration amount of the rotary tank 13. In the initial vibration amount acquisition course, the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is detected in an empty state in which the laundry is not accommodated in the rotating tub 13. In this specification, the empty state means a state in which an object to be washed such as clothes or an object to be dried is not accommodated in the rotary tub 13. The control unit 31, the vibration amount sensor 32, and the non-volatile memory 34 that implement the initial vibration amount acquisition course constitute initial vibration amount acquisition means in the claims.

The initial vibration amount acquisition course will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
The initial vibration amount acquisition course is started by a key operation from the input unit 26. In this case, the key operation from the input unit 26 is set as a specific operation for performing the initial vibration amount acquisition course.

  When the initial vibration amount acquisition course is started by a key operation from the input unit 26, the control unit 31 opens the drain valve 24 and sets the drain time timer T1 to 0 (S101). The controller 31 discharges the water remaining in the rotary tank 13 and the water tank 12 by opening the drain valve 24. When another driving course is implemented prior to the initial vibration amount acquisition course, there is a possibility that water remains in the rotating tank 13 and the water tank 12. Therefore, the control unit 31 opens the drain valve 24 and discharges unnecessary water. When the drain valve 24 is opened, the controller 31 sets the drain time timer T1 to zero.

When the drain valve 24 is opened in step S101, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the water in the water tank 12 has been discharged (S102). The control unit 31 determines whether or not the discharge of water inside the water tank 12 has been completed by detecting the amount of water inside the water tank 12 using a water amount sensor 33 provided in the water tank 12, for example.
When determining that the water has not been completely discharged, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the count of the drain time timer T1 has elapsed for 2 minutes (S103). The control part 31 returns to step S101, when the elapsed time after opening the drain valve 24 by step S101 is less than 2 minutes. On the other hand, if the control part 31 judges that the elapsed time after opening the drain valve 24 is 2 minutes or more, it will alert | report an error (S104). The control unit 31 notifies the user by, for example, ringing the buzzer 35 or blinking the display 27 of the operation panel 15. Thereby, the user can recognize the malfunction of the drainage part, for example, the connection failure of the drainage hose which is not illustrated.

  When determining that the drainage is completed in step S102, the control unit 31 starts the dehydration operation and sets the dehydration time timer T2 to 0 (S105). When the dehydrating operation is started in step S105, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the rotational speed of the rotary tank 13 has reached a predetermined set rotational speed (S106). The set rotational speed is, for example, a rotational speed that is not easily affected by the natural frequency of the washing machine 10, and is the rotational speed at which the rotating tub 13 rotates most stably. The control unit 31 controls the rotary tank 13 to the set rotation speed. The control unit 31 stores a predetermined set rotational speed in a ROM or the like in advance. For example, the control unit 31 detects the number of rotations of the rotating tank 13 from the number of rotations of the motor 14. The control unit 31 controls the rotation speed of the motor 14 and the rotary tank 13 by controlling the power or frequency supplied to the motor 14 based on the detected rotation speed of the motor 14 and the set rotation speed.

  If the controller 31 determines that the rotation speed of the rotating tank 13 has not reached the predetermined rotation speed, it determines whether or not the count of the dehydration time timer T2 has elapsed (S107). If the elapsed time since the start of the dehydration operation in step S105 is less than 2 minutes, the control unit 31 returns to step S106. On the other hand, when determining that the elapsed time from the start of the dehydration operation is 2 minutes or more, the control unit 31 notifies an error (S108). The control unit 31 issues a warning to the user by, for example, sounding the buzzer 35 or blinking the display 27 of the operation panel 15. Thereby, the user can recognize the malfunction of a drive part, such as insufficient rotation speed of the motor 14, for example.

  When determining that the rotational speed of the rotary tank 13 has reached a predetermined set rotational speed in step S106, the control unit 31 sets the vibration amount detection counter I to 0 (S109). The vibration amount detection counter I corresponds to the number of times that the vibration amount of the rotary tank 13 is detected. When the vibration amount detection counter I is set to 0 in step S109, the control unit 31 detects the vibration amount of the rotating tank 13, and increments the vibration amount detection counter I to I = I + 1 (S110).

  When step S110 is completed, the controller 31 determines whether or not the detected vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is within a predetermined range (S111). The control unit 31 detects the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 based on the electrical signal output from the vibration amount sensor 32. The control unit 31 determines whether or not the detected vibration amount of the rotary tank 13 is between the lower limit value X1 and the upper limit value X2. The rotating tank 13 rotates while being vibrated by being driven to rotate by the motor 14. That is, the rotating tank 13 rotates while including a certain amount of vibration. Therefore, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is larger than the lower limit value X1. Here, when the amount of vibration during rotation of the rotating tub 13 becomes excessive, the rotation of the rotating tub 13 is not stable. Therefore, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is smaller than the upper limit value X2. The controller 31 determines that the rotating tub 13 is rotating stably if the amount of vibration of the rotating tub 13 is within the range between the lower limit value X1 and the upper limit value X2. The control unit 31 stores a lower limit value X1 and an upper limit value X2 in advance in a ROM or the like.

  When determining that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is larger than the lower limit value X1 and smaller than the upper limit value X2 in step S111, the control unit 31 acquires the detected vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 as the initial vibration amount A1 (S112). When the amount of vibration of the rotary tank 13 is larger than the lower limit value X1 and smaller than the upper limit value X2, the rotary tank 13 rotates stably. Therefore, the vibration amount acquired here can be regarded as a reference value of the vibration amount specific to the installation environment of the washing machine 10 when the washing machine 10 is installed in the washing machine storage place of each household, for example. The control unit 31 stores the acquired initial vibration amount A1 in the nonvolatile memory 34. When acquiring the initial vibration amount A1, the control unit 31 ends the process of the initial vibration amount acquisition course.

  When determining that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is smaller than the lower limit value X1 or larger than the upper limit value X2 in step S111, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the vibration amount detection counter I is 3 or more (S113). . When the vibration amount detection counter I is less than 3, that is, when the number of times that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is detected is less than 3, the control unit 31 returns to step S110. On the other hand, when the vibration amount detection counter I is 3 or more, the control unit 31 notifies an error (S114). The control unit 31 notifies that the initial vibration amount A1 could not be acquired, for example, by the sound of the buzzer 35 or the blinking of the display 27 of the operation panel 15.

(Vibration detection course)
The vibration amount detection course is implemented when a user takes out laundry such as clothes from the rotating tub 13 and performs a specific key operation from the input unit 26 when the rotating tub 13 is empty. In the vibration amount detection course, the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is detected after the washing machine 10 is installed, that is, after obtaining the above-described initial vibration amount A1. The control unit 31 and the vibration amount sensor 32 that implement the vibration amount detection course constitute vibration amount detection means in the claims.

The details of the vibration amount detection course will be described below with reference to FIG. Note that detailed description of steps for performing the same processing as the flow of the initial vibration amount acquisition course described in FIG. 3 is omitted.
When the vibration amount detection course is started by the key operation from the input unit 26, the control unit 31 starts the dehydration operation and sets the dehydration time timer T2 to 0 (S201). When the dehydrating operation is started in step S201, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the rotational speed of the rotating tub 13 has reached a predetermined set rotational speed (S202). Here, the set rotation speed is the same as the set rotation speed used in step S106 of the initial vibration amount acquisition course. If the controller 31 determines that the rotation speed of the rotating tank 13 has not reached the predetermined rotation speed, it determines whether or not the count of the dehydration time timer T2 has elapsed (S203). If the elapsed time since the start of the dehydration operation in step S201 is less than 2 minutes, the control unit 31 returns to step S202. On the other hand, if the controller 31 determines that the elapsed time since the start of the dehydration operation is 2 minutes or longer, the controller 31 notifies the error that the rotational speed of the rotary tank 13 has not reached the set rotational speed (S204).

  If it is determined in step S202 that the rotation speed of the rotary tank 13 has reached a predetermined set rotation speed, the control unit 31 sets the vibration amount detection counter I to 0 (S205). When the vibration amount detection counter I is set to 0 in step S205, the control unit 31 detects the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 and increments the vibration amount detection counter I to I = I + 1 (S206). When the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is detected and the vibration amount detection counter I is incremented in step S206, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the detected vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is within a predetermined range (S207). . In the case of the present embodiment, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is between the above-described lower limit value X1 and the upper limit value X2. Here, the lower limit value X1 and the upper limit value X2 are the same as the lower limit value X1 and the upper limit value X2 used in step S111 of the initial vibration amount acquisition course.

  When the control unit 31 determines in step S207 that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is within the predetermined range, the control unit 31 acquires the detected vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 as the detected vibration amount A2 (S208). When detecting the detected vibration amount A2 in step S208, the control unit 31 compares the detected vibration amount A2 with the vibration amount obtained by adding the allowable amount B to the initial vibration amount A1 (S209). Normally, as the usage period of the washing machine 10 increases, the detected vibration amount A2 increases due to factors over time. On the other hand, if the initial vibration amount A1 and the detected vibration amount A2 are strictly compared, there is a possibility that the difference from the detected vibration amount A2 may increase immediately after the acquisition of the initial vibration amount A1. Therefore, the control unit 31 compares the detected vibration amount A2 with the value obtained by adding the allowable amount B to the initial vibration amount A1 by adding the allowable amount B to the initial vibration amount A1. The allowable amount B is a value arbitrarily set according to the performance of the washing machine 10 and is stored in a ROM or the like.

  When determining that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is outside the predetermined range in step S207, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the vibration amount detection counter I is 3 or more (S210). When determining that the vibration amount detection counter I is less than 3, the control unit 31 returns to step S206. On the other hand, when determining that the vibration amount detection counter I is 3 or more, the control unit 31 notifies that the detected vibration amount A2 cannot be acquired (S211).

  If it is determined in step S209 that A2 ≧ A1 + B, the control unit 31 determines that there is a problem in the rotary tank 13 (S212). When A2 ≧ A1 + B, the control unit 31 determines that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is excessive. In the vibration amount detection course, the rotating tub 13 rotates in an empty state in which the laundry is not accommodated. Therefore, the detected vibration amount A2 is considered to be due to a structural cause such as loosening of the rotating shaft 25, not vibration due to the bias of the laundry. That is, the detected vibration amount A2 is obtained as a structural vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 excluding the influence of the laundry accommodated in the rotating tub 13. Therefore, when the detected vibration amount A2 is excessive, the control unit 31 determines that there is a problem in a structural part such as the rotating tub 13. On the other hand, if the controller 31 determines that A2 <A1 + B in step S209, the controller 31 determines that there is no problem in the rotating tub 13 and ends the process.

(Processing in case of malfunction)
Next, the processing at the time of malfunction will be described in detail. If it judges that the control part 31 has a malfunction in the rotation tank 13 by the flow shown in FIG. 4, it will alert | report that through a user's five senses. The control unit 31 notifies the user of the malfunction of the rotating tub 13 by, for example, blinking the lamp of the display unit 27 or sounding the buzzer 35. Moreover, the control part 31 alert | reports the malfunction of the rotary tank 13 to a user by reducing the function of functional parts, such as the motor 14 and the heat pump unit 16, for example. The user recognizes the malfunction of the rotary tank 13 and prompts an early check by these notifications.

If the control part 31 judges that there exists a malfunction of the rotation tank 13 by step S212 shown in FIG. 4, a malfunction flag will be set to "1". When the control unit 31 determines that there is a problem in the rotating tub 13 in step S212, the control unit 31 stores a defect flag in the nonvolatile memory 34.
If it judges that the control part 31 has a malfunction in the rotation tank 13, it will alert | report a malfunction by appealing visually. When the control unit 31 determines in step S212 in FIG. 4 that there is a problem in the rotating tub 13 such as an increase in the amount of vibration caused by the loosening of the rotating shaft 25, the control unit 31 stores the defect flag “1” in the nonvolatile memory 34. To do. When the malfunction flag is “1”, the control unit 31 notifies the malfunction of the rotating tub 13 from the operation panel 15 through vision. The control unit 31 notifies the user of the malfunction of the rotating tub 13 by displaying the malfunction on the operation panel 15 or by blinking the LED.

Moreover, if the control part 31 judges that there exists a malfunction in the rotary tank 13, it will alert | report a malfunction by appealing to hearing. When the malfunction flag is stored as “1” in the non-volatile memory 34, the controller 31 notifies the malfunction of the rotating tub 13 through the hearing from the buzzer 35. The control unit 31 notifies the user of the malfunction of the rotating tank 13 by ringing the buzzer 35.
Furthermore, if the control part 31 judges that there exists a malfunction in the rotating tank 13, it will reduce the function of functional parts, such as the motor 14, for example.

Hereinafter, the flow of functional deterioration of the motor 14 as the functional unit will be described with reference to FIG.
In the case of the present embodiment, when the malfunction flag stored in the nonvolatile memory 34 is “1”, the control unit 31 reduces the rotation speed of the motor 14 during the dehydration operation included in the normal washing operation.
When the washing operation is input by the key operation from the input unit 26, the control unit 31 starts the dehydration operation (S301). The controller 31 may perform a washing operation or a rinsing operation prior to the dehydration operation. When starting the dehydrating operation in step S301, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the failure flag stored in the nonvolatile memory 34 is “1” (S302). The control unit 31 determines whether or not it has been determined in the past that the rotating tub 13 has a defect based on the defect flag.

When determining that the failure flag is “1” in step S302, the controller 31 reduces the rotational speed V of the rotating tub 13 during the dehydration operation (S303). That is, the controller 31 sets the rotation speed V (rpm) as V = specified dewatering rotation speed−300. Here, the specified dewatering rotation speed is the rotation speed of the rotating tank 13 during a normal dehydrating operation in which the rotating tank 13 is not defective. On the other hand, when determining that the failure flag is not “1” in step S302, the control unit 31 performs the dehydration operation at the specified dehydration speed (S304).
According to the above procedure, when the rotating tub 13 has a problem, the rotational speed of the motor 14 decreases. Therefore, the time required for the dehydration operation increases, or the laundry is not sufficiently dehydrated. Thereby, the user can recognize the malfunction of the rotation tank 13 based on the deterioration of the finishing of the laundry.

Further, the rotational speed of the motor 14 may be decreased stepwise as well as the uniform rotational speed when the trouble flag is “1” as described above. An example in which the rotational speed of the motor 14 is decreased stepwise will be described with reference to FIG.
When the washing operation is started, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the malfunction flag is “1” (S401). When determining that the failure flag is “1” in step S401, the control unit 31 increments the failure operation counter P to P = P + 1 (S402). The malfunction operation counter P indicates the number of times that the washing machine 10 is operated after it is determined that there is a malfunction in the rotating tub 13.

  When the malfunction flag is not “1” in step S401 and after incrementing the malfunction operation counter P in step S402, the control unit 31 starts the dehydration operation (S403). At this time, the washing machine 10 may perform a washing operation or a rinsing operation prior to the dehydration operation. When the dehydrating operation is started in step S403, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the failure flag stored in the nonvolatile memory 34 is “1” (S404). When determining that the failure flag is not “1” in step S404, the control unit 31 performs a normal dehydration operation and ends the process (S405).

  On the other hand, when determining that the failure flag is “1” in step S404, the control unit 31 sets the rotation speed V of the rotating tub 13 during the dehydration operation (S406). Here, the rotation speed V is set as V = specified dewatering rotation speed−P × 10. Thereby, the rotation speed V changes according to the value of the malfunctioning operation counter P set in step S402. P increases as the number of times the failure flag is determined to be “1”, that is, the number of times the washing machine 10 has been operated since it is determined that there is a failure in the rotating tub 13 increases. Thereby, the rotation speed V of the rotating tub 13 decreases according to the number of operations of the washing machine 10 after it is determined that the rotating tub 13 is defective.

  When calculating the rotation speed V of the rotating tub 13 in step S406, the control unit 31 determines whether the calculated rotation speed V is less than 300 (S407). When determining that the rotation speed V of the rotating tub 13 is less than 300, the control unit 31 sets the rotation speed V to 300 (S408). That is, the lower limit of the rotational speed of the rotating tank 13 is set to 300. On the other hand, the control part 31 sets the rotation speed of the rotation tank 13 according to the rotation speed V calculated by step S406, when the rotation speed V is 300 or more in step S407. As a result, the control unit 31 performs the dehydration operation at the rotation speed V set in step S406 or step S408 (S409).

  According to the above procedure, when the rotating tub 13 has a problem, the rotational speed of the motor 14 gradually decreases. Therefore, the time required for the dehydration operation gradually increases, or the laundry is not sufficiently dehydrated. Thereby, the user can recognize the malfunction of the rotation tank 13 based on the deterioration of the finishing of the laundry.

The control unit 31 may not only decrease the function of the motor 14 described above as a function unit, but also decrease other function units. For example, the control unit 31 may reduce the function of the heat pump unit 16. In this case, the control unit 31 reduces the dehumidifying ability or heating ability of the heat pump unit 16. As a result, the time required for drying the laundry and the finish of drying deteriorate. As a result, the user can recognize the malfunction of the rotating tank 13.
The control part 31 may implement in the washing machine 10 any one of the means to reduce the function of the function part demonstrated above, and may implement it combining several means. Furthermore, you may implement combining the alerting | reporting of a malfunction and the fall of the function of a function part.

In the first embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
In the first embodiment, the control unit 31 acquires the initial vibration amount A1 during installation in the initial vibration amount acquisition course. As a result, the acquired initial vibration amount A1 is not affected by differences in installation environment or individual differences. Therefore, by comparing this initial vibration amount A1 with the detected vibration amount A2 detected after installation, the vibration amount of the rotary tank 13 from which the influence of the installation environment or individual differences has been eliminated is detected. Then, the initial vibration amount A1 and the detected vibration amount A2 of the rotating tub 13 are detected in an empty state where the laundry is not accommodated in the rotating tub 13. Therefore, both the initial vibration amount A1 and the detected vibration amount A2 of the rotating tub 13 are also excluded from the influence of the laundry bias in the rotating tub 13. Therefore, the change with time of the vibration of the rotating tub 13 can be detected with high accuracy without being affected by the laundry, and the presence or absence of a defect can be determined from the change in the vibration of the rotating tub 13.

  In the first embodiment, when the control unit 31 determines that there is a problem from the vibration of the rotating tub 13, the control unit 31 notifies the problem by ringing the buzzer 35 or displaying the operation panel 15. Thereby, the malfunction which has arisen by the vibration of the rotation tank 13, etc. is alert | reported to a user through five senses, such as vision and hearing. Therefore, early inspection can be promoted.

  Moreover, in 1st Embodiment, if the control part 31 judges that there exists a malfunction from the vibration of the rotating tank 13, the function of functional parts, such as the motor 14 and the heat pump unit 16, will be reduced. As a result, the time required for the washing operation, the rinsing operation or the dehydration operation increases, or the laundry finish is deteriorated. Therefore, it is possible to recognize the malfunction of the rotating tub 13 based on the increase in the required time and the finish of the laundry. Moreover, even if the rotational speed of the motor 14 is reduced or the function of the heat pump unit 16 is reduced, only the required time is increased. Therefore, it is possible to notify the malfunction while ensuring safety.

  In the first embodiment, the control unit 31 reduces the rotational speed of the motor 14 stepwise in accordance with the degree of progress of the detected malfunction. Thereby, the progress of the trouble due to the vibration of the rotary tank 13 is notified step by step. Therefore, it is possible to promote early recognition of a malfunction and reduce inconvenience due to a sudden function stop.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the operation of the washing machine 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
Since the configuration of the washing machine 10 is the same as that of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted. In the second embodiment, the washing machine 10 is different from the first embodiment in which the initial vibration amount is acquired at the time of installation in that the initial vibration amount is acquired at the time of inspection before shipment.

In the case of the second embodiment, an initial vibration amount acquisition course is performed at the time of inspection before shipment. Here, the inspection before shipment is an inspection performed at the manufacturing factory before the manufacturing process of the washing machine 10 by the manufacturer is completed and the completed washing machine 10 is shipped.
In the initial vibration amount acquisition course of the second embodiment, the initial vibration amount A1 is acquired according to the procedure shown in FIG. The acquired initial vibration amount A1 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 34 as an initial value. Moreover, the control part 31 judges the presence or absence of the malfunction of the rotation tank 13 according to the flow of the vibration amount detection course shown in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, the control unit 31 acquires the initial vibration amount A1 during the inspection before shipment in the initial vibration amount acquisition course. Thereby, the acquired initial vibration amount A1 is excluded from the influence of individual differences. Therefore, by comparing this initial vibration amount A1 with the detected vibration amount A2 obtained after installation, the vibration amount of the rotary tank 13 from which the influence of individual differences has been eliminated is detected. Then, the initial vibration amount A1 and the detected vibration amount A2 of the rotating tub 13 are detected in an empty state where the laundry is not accommodated in the rotating tub 13. Therefore, both the initial vibration amount A1 and the detected vibration amount A2 of the rotating tub 13 are also excluded from the influence of the laundry bias in the rotating tub 13. Therefore, the change with time of the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 can be detected with high accuracy without being affected by the laundry, and the presence or absence of a defect can be determined from the change of the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13. .

(Third embodiment)
A washing machine 10 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a weight sensor 36 is provided as shown in FIG. The weight sensor 36 is electrically connected to the control unit 31. The weight sensor 36 detects the weight of the laundry stored in the rotating tub 13.

  The nonvolatile memory 34 stores a relationship between the weight of the laundry stored in the rotating tub 13 and the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 as a vibration amount table. As shown in FIG. 8, the vibration amount table includes the relationship between the weight of the laundry accommodated in the rotating tub 13 and the vibration amount. In the vibration amount table, the weight rank G is set according to the weight of the laundry accommodated in the rotating tub 13. For example, when the weight of the laundry stored in the rotating tub 13 is 0 kg to 1.0 kg, the weight rank G is “1”. In the vibration amount table, the standard vibration amount C is set according to the weight rank G. The standard vibration amount C is a value indicating the amount of vibration allowed in the rotating tub 13 according to the weight of the laundry accommodated in the rotating tub 13. The amount of vibration allowed in the rotating tub 13 varies depending on the weight of the laundry accommodated in the rotating tub 13. Therefore, the standard vibration amount C is set in the vibration amount table according to the weight rank G. The standard vibration amount C is set according to the weight rank G as C = C1 when G = 1, C = C2 when G = 2, and so on. The non-volatile memory 34 constitutes the vibration amount table storage means in the claims.

  Hereinafter, the flow of determining whether or not there is a malfunction in the rotating tank 13 based on the vibration amount table stored in the nonvolatile memory 34 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted about the step which performs the process same as the vibration amount detection course in 1st Embodiment.

When a normal washing course is input by a key operation from the input unit 26, the control unit 31 detects the weight of the laundry and sets the weight rank G (S501). That is, the control unit 31 detects the weight of the laundry stored in the rotating tub 13 by the weight sensor 36. And the control part 31 sets the weight rank G based on the vibration amount table from the detected weight of the laundry.
When setting the weight rank G in step S501, the control unit 31 starts the dehydration operation and sets the dehydration time timer T2 to 0 (S502). The controller 31 may perform a washing operation or a rinsing operation prior to the dehydration operation. When the dehydration operation is started in step S502, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the rotational speed of the rotary tank 13 has reached the set rotational speed (S503). Here, the set rotation speed is the same as the set rotation speed used in step S106 of the initial vibration amount acquisition course in the first embodiment.

If the controller 31 determines in step S503 that the rotation speed of the rotary tank 13 has not reached the predetermined set rotation speed, it determines whether or not the count of the dehydration time timer T2 has elapsed (S504). If the elapsed time since the start of the dehydration operation in step S502 is less than 2 minutes, the control unit 31 returns to step S503. On the other hand, when determining that the elapsed time from the start of the dehydration operation is 2 minutes or more, the control unit 31 notifies the error that the rotation speed of the rotary tank 13 has not reached the set rotation speed (S505).
When the control unit 31 determines in step S503 that the rotation speed of the rotary tank 13 has reached a predetermined set rotation speed, the control unit 31 sets the vibration amount detection counter I to 0 and sets the reference vibration amount Y1 to Y1 = C (S506). The control unit 31 reads the standard vibration amount C from the vibration amount table stored in the nonvolatile memory 34 based on the weight rank G set in step S501. The control unit 31 sets the read standard vibration amount C to the reference vibration amount Y1.

When the reference vibration amount Y1 is set in step S506, the control unit 31 detects the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 and increments the vibration amount detection counter I to I = I + 1 (S507). When detecting the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 in step S507, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the detected vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is within a predetermined range (S508). Here, the lower limit value X1 and the upper limit value X2 are the same as the lower limit value X1 and the upper limit value X2 used in step S106 of the first embodiment.
When determining that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is within the predetermined range in step S508, the control unit 31 sets the detected vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 to the detected vibration amount Y2 (S509). When the detected vibration amount Y2 is set in step S511, the control unit 31 compares the detected vibration amount Y2 with the vibration amount obtained by adding the allowable amount B to the reference vibration amount Y1 (S510). Here, the allowable amount B is the same as the allowable amount B used in step S209 of the first embodiment.

When determining that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is outside the predetermined range in step S508, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the vibration amount detection counter I is 3 or more (S511). When determining that the vibration amount detection counter I is less than 3, the control unit 31 returns to step S507. On the other hand, if the control unit 31 determines that the vibration amount detection counter I is 3 or more, the control unit 31 reports that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 cannot be detected (S512).
If it is determined in step S510 that Y2 ≧ Y1 + B, the control unit 31 determines that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is excessive and determines that there is a problem (S513). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S510 that Y2 <Y1 + B, the control unit 31 continues the normal dehydration operation because there is no problem in the rotating tank 13.

  In 3rd Embodiment, the control part 31 judges the vibration amount of the rotation tank 13 based on the vibration amount table according to the weight of the laundry accommodated in the rotation tank 13. As shown in FIG. That is, the control unit 31 performs the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 during a normal dehydration operation. For this reason, a special operation for inspection is not required from the user. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not there is a problem without imposing a burden on the user.

(Fourth embodiment)
A washing machine 10 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

Since the configuration of the washing machine 10 is the same as that of the third embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted.
The fourth embodiment differs from the third embodiment in that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 for creating the vibration amount table is sequentially acquired. The nonvolatile memory 34 stores the relationship between the weight of the laundry accommodated in the rotating tub 13 and the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 while sequentially updating it as a vibration amount table. The vibration amount table stored in the nonvolatile memory 34 includes the relationship between the weight rank Gn and the standard vibration amount Cn as shown in FIG. In the fourth embodiment, the standard vibration amount Cn set in the vibration amount table is sequentially updated to the updated vibration amount Dn. That is, the standard vibration amount Cn is given as an initial value corresponding to the weight rank Gn. The control unit 31 updates the standard vibration amount Cn that is the initial value to the updated vibration amount Dn that is sequentially acquired according to the operation of the washing machine 10. The control unit 31 determines whether or not there is a malfunction in the rotating tub 13 using the updated vibration amount Dn included in the vibration amount table. Thereby, in 4th Embodiment, the presence or absence of the malfunction of the rotary tank 13 is determined using the updated vibration amount Dn which updated the standard vibration amount Cn which is an initial value. Therefore, the accuracy of determining whether or not there is a defect in the rotating tank 13 is improved.

  Hereinafter, the flow of determining whether or not there is a malfunction in the rotating tub 13 based on the vibration amount table stored in the nonvolatile memory 34 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted about the step which performs the process same as the flow of judgment of the presence or absence of the malfunction of the rotation tank 13 in 3rd Embodiment. In the vibration amount table, the standard vibration amount corresponding to the weight rank Gn (n = 1 to 9) is Cn (n = 1 to 9), and the updated vibration amount corresponding to the weight rank Gn (n = 1 to 9). Is Dn (n = 1 to 9). That is, when the weight rank is G1, the corresponding standard vibration amount is C1, and the corresponding update vibration amount is D1.

  The control unit 31 detects the weight of the laundry and sets the weight rank Gn (S601). When setting the weight rank Gn, the control unit 31 starts the dehydration operation and sets the dehydration time timer T2 to T2 = 0 (S602). The controller 31 may perform a washing operation or a rinsing operation prior to the dehydration operation. When starting the dehydrating operation, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the rotational speed of the rotating tub 13 has reached the set rotational speed (S603). Here, the set rotation speed is the same as the set rotation speed used in step S503 shown in FIG. 9 in the third embodiment.

If the controller 31 determines that the rotation speed of the rotary tank 13 has not reached the predetermined rotation speed, it determines whether or not the count of the dehydration time timer T2 has elapsed (S604). When the elapsed time from the start of the dehydration operation is less than 2 minutes, the control unit 31 returns to step S603. On the other hand, when determining that the elapsed time from the start of the dehydration operation is 2 minutes or more, the control unit 31 notifies the error that the rotation speed of the rotary tank 13 has not reached the set rotation speed (S605).
When the control unit 31 determines in step S603 that the rotation speed of the rotary tank 13 has reached a predetermined set rotation speed, the control unit 31 sets the vibration amount detection counter I to 0 and sets the updated vibration amount Dn to the reference vibration amount Y1 ( S606). The control unit 31 reads the updated vibration amount Dn from the vibration amount table stored in the nonvolatile memory 34 based on the weight rank Gn set in step S601. The control unit 31 sets the read update vibration amount Dn to the reference vibration amount Y1.

When the reference vibration amount Y1 is set, the control unit 31 detects the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 and increments the vibration amount detection counter I to I = I + 1 (S607). When I = I + 1, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the detected vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is within a predetermined range (S608). Here, the lower limit value X1 and the upper limit value X2 are the same as the lower limit value X1 and the upper limit value X2 used in step S508 of the third embodiment.
When the control unit 31 determines in step S608 that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is within a predetermined range, the control unit 31 sets the detected vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 to the detected vibration amount Y2, increments the vibration amount update counter Jn, and sets Jn = Jn + 1 (S609). The vibration amount update counter Jn is a counter that counts the number of times the vibration amount table is updated. The vibration amount update counter Jn is provided for each weight rank Gn (n = 1 to 9) of the vibration amount table. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, when the weight rank Gn is from G1 to G9, the vibration amount update counter Jn is set from J1 to J9, that is, Jn (n = 1 to 9).

When determining that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is out of the predetermined range in step S608, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the vibration amount detection counter I is 3 or more (S610). When determining that the vibration amount detection counter I is less than 3, the control unit 31 returns to step S607. On the other hand, when the control unit 31 determines that the vibration amount detection counter I is 3 or more, the control unit 31 notifies that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 cannot be detected (S611).
When the detected vibration amount Y2 is set in step S609 and Jn = Jn + 1, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the vibration amount update counter Jn is Jn = 1 (S612). The vibration amount update counter Jn is set to 0 as an initial value. That is, when the vibration amount update counter Jn (n = 1 to 9) set according to the weight rank Gn (n = 1 to 9) has never been updated in the past, Jn = 1 in step S612. Become.

When determining that Jn = 1 in step S612, the control unit 31 sets the standard vibration amount Cn as the reference vibration amount Y1 (S613). When the vibration amount update counter Jn is determined as Jn = 1 in step S612, the value of the standard vibration amount Cn has never been updated in the past. That is, the updated vibration amount Dn has never been created in the past. Therefore, when the vibration amount update counter Jn is Jn = 1, the control unit 31 sets the standard vibration amount Cn included in the vibration amount table stored in the nonvolatile memory as the reference vibration amount Y1.
On the other hand, when the vibration amount update counter Jn determines that Jn ≠ 1 in step S612, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the vibration amount update counter Jn is Jn ≧ 10 (S614). The count of the vibration amount update counter Jn is the number of updates of the update vibration amount Dn. In the present embodiment, the upper limit value of the vibration amount update counter Jn is set to 10. Thereby, the period during which the update vibration amount Dn is updated is limited until the update vibration amount Dn is updated 10 times, that is, until the operation is performed about 10 times after the washing machine 10 is completed.

  When determining that J ≧ 10 in step S614, the control unit 31 determines whether the detected vibration amount Y2 is equal to or greater than the vibration amount obtained by adding the allowable amount B to the reference vibration amount Y1 (S615). Here, the allowable amount B is the same as the allowable amount B used in step S510 shown in FIG. 9 in the third embodiment. As described above, the updated vibration amount Dn is updated between the completion of the washing machine 10 and the operation about 10 times. Thereby, the control part 31 judges that sufficient period has passed since the use of the washing machine 10 was started, when the vibration amount update counter Jn is Jn ≧ 10. Therefore, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the detected vibration amount Y2 is Y2 ≧ Y1 + B without updating the update vibration amount Dn when Jn ≧ 10.

On the other hand, when the vibration amount update counter Jn determines that Jn <10 in step S614, the control unit calculates an updated vibration amount Dn (S616). The control unit 31 calculates the update vibration amount Dn by Dn = (En + Y2) / (Jn−1). Here, En is the total sum of past updated vibration amounts Dn calculated for each weight rank Gn. Y2 is the vibration amount of the rotating tank 13 in the current dehydration operation acquired in step S609. The control unit 31 divides the sum of the detected vibration amount Y2 acquired in step S609 and En, which is the sum of the past update vibration amounts Dn, by the vibration amount update counter Jn-1, that is, the number of times of calculation of the update vibration amount Dn. Thus, the updated vibration amount Dn is calculated. Thereby, the update vibration amount Dn calculated in step S616 becomes an average value of the update vibration amounts Dn calculated in the past.
When the updated vibration amount Dn is set as the reference vibration amount Y1 in step S616, the control unit 31 proceeds to step S615. When determining that Y2 ≧ Y1 + B in step S615, the control unit 31 determines that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is excessive and determines that there is a problem (S617). On the other hand, when determining that Y2 <Y1 + B, the control unit 31 continues normal dehydration operation because there is no problem in the rotating tank 13.

  In the fourth embodiment, the updated vibration amount Dn included in the vibration amount table is updated based on the detected vibration amount Y2 acquired during the dehydration operation. This eliminates the influence of individual differences inherent in the washing machine 10 from the vibration amount table. Further, the updated vibration amount Dn is updated at an initial stage when the use of the washing machine 10 is started, that is, in a short period after manufacture or after installation. Therefore, by comparing the detected vibration amount Y2 and the updated vibration amount D, the influence of the installation environment and individual differences is eliminated, and a change in the vibration amount of the rotating tank 13 over time is detected. Therefore, it is possible to determine with high accuracy whether or not there is a malfunction in the rotary tank 13 from the change over time of the detected vibration amount without being affected by the installation environment or individual differences.

(Fifth embodiment)
A washing machine 10 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
Since the configuration of the washing machine 10 is the same as that of the washing machine 10 of the third embodiment or the fourth embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted.
The fifth embodiment is different from the third embodiment in that the reference vibration amount Y1 serving as a reference for determining the magnitude of the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is corrected by the correction value Q. Hereinafter, details of the washing machine 10 according to the fifth embodiment will be described.

In the fifth embodiment, the control unit 31 acquires the initial vibration amount A1 at the time of installation according to the same flow as the initial vibration amount acquisition course shown in FIG. 3 as in the first embodiment. The initial vibration amount A1 is acquired when the inside of the rotary tank 13 is empty. Therefore, the weight of the laundry is 0 kg, and the weight rank G in the vibration amount table is G1.
When the weight rank G is G1, the corresponding standard vibration amount C is C1. The control unit 31 calculates the correction value Q as Q = A1-C1. In this way, the correction value Q calculated from the initial vibration amount A1 and the standard vibration amount C1 is a value from which influences due to differences in the installation environment of the washing machine 10 and individual differences are eliminated. The calculated correction value Q is stored in a nonvolatile memory. The control unit 31, the vibration amount sensor 32, the non-volatile memory 34, and the weight sensor 36 constitute correcting means in the claims.

In the case of the fifth embodiment, the presence / absence of a defect in the rotary tank 13 is determined based on the vibration amount table as in the third embodiment. The fifth embodiment is different from the third embodiment in that a value obtained by correcting the standard vibration amount C with the correction value Q is used as the reference vibration amount Y1. Hereinafter, the flow of determining whether or not the rotating tub 13 is defective by the washing machine 10 according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The control part 31 detects the weight of the laundry accommodated in the rotating tub 13 by the weight sensor 36, and sets the weight rank G (S701). When the weight of the laundry is detected and the weight rank G is set, the control unit 31 sets the dehydration time timer T2 to 0 (S702). When starting the dehydrating operation, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the rotational speed of the rotating tub 13 has reached a predetermined set rotational speed (S703). Here, the set rotation speed is the same as the set rotation speed used in step S503 shown in FIG. 9 in the third embodiment.

  If the controller 31 determines that the rotation speed of the rotary tank 13 has not reached the predetermined set rotation speed, it determines whether or not the count of the dehydration time timer T2 has elapsed (S704). When the elapsed time from the start of the dehydration operation is less than 2 minutes, the control unit 31 returns to step S703. On the other hand, when determining that the elapsed time from the start of the dehydration operation is 2 minutes or more, the control unit 31 notifies the error that the rotation speed of the rotary tank 13 has not reached the set rotation speed (S705).

  When the control unit 31 determines in step S703 that the rotation speed of the rotary tank 13 has reached a predetermined set rotation speed, the control unit 31 sets the vibration amount detection counter I to 0, and uses the value obtained by adding the correction value Q to the standard vibration amount C as a reference. The vibration amount Y1 is set (S706). The control unit 31 reads the standard vibration amount C and the correction value Q from the nonvolatile memory 34 based on the weight rank G set in step S701. When the control unit 31 reads the standard vibration amount C and the correction value Q, the control unit 31 calculates the reference vibration amount Y1 as Y1 = C + Q. As a result, the calculated reference vibration amount Y1 is free from the influence of differences in installation environment and individual differences.

When the reference vibration amount Y1 is set, the control unit 31 detects the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 and increments the vibration amount detection counter I to I = I + 1 (S707). When detecting the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the detected vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is within a predetermined range (S708). Here, the lower limit value X1 and the upper limit value X2 are the same as the lower limit value X1 and the upper limit value X2 used in step S508 of the third embodiment.
When determining that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is within the predetermined range in step S708, the control unit 31 sets the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 detected in step S707 to the detected vibration amount Y2 (S709). When the detected vibration amount Y2 is set, the control unit 31 compares the detected vibration amount Y2 with the vibration amount obtained by adding the allowable amount B to the reference vibration amount Y1 (S710). Here, the allowable amount B is the same as the allowable amount B used in step S510 of the third embodiment.

If the control unit 31 determines in step S708 that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 is outside the predetermined range, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the vibration amount detection counter I is 3 or more (S711). When determining that the vibration amount detection counter I is less than 3, the control unit 31 returns to step S707. On the other hand, when the control unit 31 determines that the vibration amount detection counter I is 3 or more, the control unit 31 reports that the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 cannot be detected (S712).
When determining that Y2 ≧ Y1 + B in step S710, the controller 31 determines that the amount of vibration in the rotating tub 13 is excessive and that the rotating tub 13 is defective (S713). On the other hand, when determining that Y2 <Y1 + B in step S710, the control unit 31 continues the normal dehydration operation because there is no problem in the rotating tank 13.

In the fifth embodiment, by setting a value obtained by correcting the standard vibration amount C with the correction value Q calculated based on the initial vibration amount A1 as the reference vibration amount Y1, the reference vibration amount Y1 is set in the installation environment of the washing machine 10. The effects of differences and individual differences are eliminated. Therefore, it is possible to determine with high accuracy whether there is a defect in the rotating tank 13 without being affected by differences in installation environment or individual differences.
In the above description, the example in which the standard vibration amount C included in the vibration amount table according to the third embodiment is corrected with the correction value Q has been described. However, the updated vibration amount Dn included in the vibration amount table according to the fourth embodiment may be corrected with the correction value Q.

(Sixth embodiment)
A washing machine 10 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The sixth embodiment is different from the above-described embodiments in that the amount of vibration of the rotating tub 13 is detected when the number of final dehydration operations reaches a predetermined number of inspections. Here, the final dehydration operation is a dehydration operation that is finally performed in a one-cycle washing operation. For example, when the dehydration operation is performed after the washing operation and after the rinsing operation, the dehydration operation performed after the rinsing operation is the final dehydration operation. When the number of times this final dehydration operation has been performed reaches a preset number of inspections, the control unit 31 detects the vibration amount of the rotating tank 13. That is, the control unit 31 does not detect the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 for each dehydration operation of the washing operation or for each execution of the washing operation, but the predetermined number of times that the final dehydration operation has been performed reaches the number of times of inspection. The amount of vibration of the rotating tub 13 is detected every time the period elapses. The control unit 31 stores the number of inspections in advance in a ROM or the like.

  When the control unit 31 detects the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13, the rotating rotator 13 is rotationally driven at a set rotational speed as shown in FIG. 13. Here, the set rotation speed is the same as the set rotation speed used in the third to fifth embodiments. When the dehydration operation is performed in the washing operation, in order to promote the dehydration of the laundry and reduce the time, the specified dehydration rotation speed of the rotating tub 13 in the dehydration operation is set high as shown in FIG. By rotating the rotating tank 13 at the specified dewatering speed, dehydration is promoted and time is shortened, but the vibration of the rotating tank 13 is increased. In other words, the rotation of the rotating tank 13 increases as the number of rotations increases, but dehydration is accelerated and the time is shortened. Therefore, when the control unit 3 detects the rotation speed of the rotation tank 13, the control section 3 rotates the rotation tank 13 at a set rotation speed that is lower than the specified dehydration rotation speed. When the rotating tub 13 is rotated at the set number of rotations, the vibration of the rotating tub 13 and hence the vibration of the washing machine 10 are minimized. That is, the set rotational speed is set to a rotational speed at which the natural frequency of the rotating tub 13 or the natural frequency of the washing machine 10 is minimized. However, since the set rotation speed is set lower than the specified dewatering rotation speed, the time required for the dewatering operation when detecting the vibration amount becomes longer than that of the normal dewatering operation.

  Thus, when the amount of vibration of the rotating tank 13 is detected by rotating the rotating tank 13 at the set rotation speed, the time required for the dehydration operation is extended. For example, when the rotating tub 13 is rotated at the set number of rotations for each dehydration operation of the washing operation or for each execution of the washing operation, the time required for the operation is uniformly extended. Then, the control part 31 rotates the rotation tank 13 by setting rotation speed, every time the final dehydration operation is performed 10 times among dehydration operations by setting the frequency | count of inspection implementation to 10 times. Therefore, the vibration amount of the rotary tank 13 is detected only in a specific dehydration operation.

  In the sixth embodiment, the control unit 31 detects the vibration amount of the rotating tub 13 when the number of times that the final dehydration operation has been performed reaches a predetermined number of inspections. Thereby, the dehydration operation in which the operation time is extended for detecting the vibration amount is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether there is a problem while reducing the extension of the operation time.

(Seventh embodiment)
In the above-described embodiments, the example in which the present invention is applied to a so-called drum type washing machine has been described. However, the present invention may be applied not only to a drum type washing machine but also to a vertical type washing machine. An example in which the present invention is applied to a vertical washing machine will be described with reference to FIG.

  The washing machine 110 includes a housing 111, a water tub 112, a rotating tub 113, a motor 114, an operation panel 115, a control unit 117, and the like. The water tank 112 is elastically supported by the casing 111 by a tension spring 119 and forms a rotating tank 113 therein. A control unit (not shown) constituting the control unit 117 is electrically connected to the vibration amount sensor 132, a weight sensor (not shown), a nonvolatile memory (not shown), and a drain valve 124.

  For example, the control unit (not shown) acquires the initial vibration amount A1 according to the flow shown in FIG. 3, and compares the initial vibration amount A1 with the vibration amount of the rotary tank 113 detected by the vibration amount sensor 132 according to the flow shown in FIG. To do. Thereby, the control part which is not illustrated judges the presence or absence of the malfunction of the rotation tank 113. FIG. Or the control part which is not illustrated may detect the vibration amount of the rotation tank 113 according to the flow shown in any of FIG. 9, FIG. 11, or FIG. Thus, even with the vertical washing machine 110, the present invention can be applied in the same manner as the drum washing machine 10 in the first to sixth embodiments.

In the plurality of embodiments described above, specific numerical values used for illustration and description are examples for simplifying the description, and can be arbitrarily changed according to the washing machine to be applied.
Moreover, although several embodiment was demonstrated separately in the above-mentioned description, you may apply to the washing machine 10 and the washing machine 110 combining several embodiment.

Sectional drawing of the washing machine by 1st Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the electrical connection of the washing machine by 1st Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows the flow of acquisition of the initial vibration amount of the washing machine by 1st Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows the flow of detection of the vibration amount of the washing machine by 1st Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows the flow of a function fall of the function part of the washing machine by 1st Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows the flow of the fall of the stepwise function of the functional part of the washing machine by a 1st embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the electrical connection of the washing machine by 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows the vibration amount table of the washing machine by 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows the flow of a detection of the vibration amount of the washing machine by 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows the vibration amount table of the washing machine by 4th Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows the flow of a detection of the vibration amount of the washing machine by 4th Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows the flow of a detection of the vibration amount of the washing machine by 5th Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows transition of the rotation speed of the rotation tank at the time of spin-drying | dehydration operation of the washing machine by 6th Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the washing machine by 7th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 10 and 110 are washing machines, 13 and 113 are rotating tubs (tubs), 14 and 114 are motors (functional units), 15 and 115 are operation panels (functional units), 16 are heat pump units (functional units), Reference numerals 17 and 117 are control units (control means), 27 is a display (notification means), 31 is a control unit (determination means), 32 and 132 are vibration amount sensors (vibration amount detection means), and 34 is a nonvolatile memory (vibration). (Amount table storage means), 35 is a buzzer (notification means), and 36 is a weight sensor (vibration amount detection means).

Claims (9)

A tank used for washing, rinsing, dehydrating or drying laundry;
Vibration amount detecting means for detecting the vibration amount of the tub in an empty state without laundry inside the tub;
Initial vibration amount acquisition means for acquiring the vibration amount of the tank detected in an empty state during installation as an initial vibration amount;
After acquiring the initial vibration amount by the initial vibration amount acquisition means, whether there is a defect based on the difference between the tank vibration amount detected by the vibration amount detection means and the initial vibration amount acquired by the initial vibration amount acquisition means. A judging means for judging;
A washing machine comprising: A tank used for washing, rinsing, dehydrating or drying laundry;
Vibration amount detecting means for detecting the vibration amount of the tub in an empty state without laundry inside the tub;
Initial vibration amount acquisition means for acquiring, as an initial vibration amount, the vibration amount of the tank detected in an empty state at the time of inspection before shipment;
After acquiring the initial vibration amount by the initial vibration amount acquisition means, a determination to determine whether there is a defect based on the difference between the vibration amount detected by the vibration amount detection means and the initial vibration amount acquired by the initial vibration amount acquisition means Means,
A washing machine comprising: A tank used for washing, rinsing, dehydrating or drying laundry;
Vibration amount table storage means for storing the relationship between the weight of the laundry stored in the tub and the vibration amount of the tub as a vibration amount table;
Vibration amount detecting means for detecting the vibration amount of the tank;
Weight detection means for detecting the weight of the laundry contained in the tub;
The relationship between the vibration amount of the tub detected by the vibration amount detection means and the weight of the laundry detected by the weight detection means is compared with the vibration amount table stored in the vibration amount table storage means. A determination means for determining the presence or absence of
A washing machine comprising: A tank used for washing, rinsing, dehydrating or drying laundry;
Vibration amount detecting means for detecting the vibration amount of the tank;
Weight detection means for detecting the weight of the laundry contained in the tub;
Vibration amount table storage means for storing a relationship between the weight of the laundry detected by the weight detection means and the vibration amount of the tub detected by the vibration amount detection means as a vibration amount table;
The relationship between the vibration amount of the tub detected by the vibration amount detection means and the weight of the laundry detected by the weight detection means is compared with the vibration amount table stored in the vibration amount table storage means. A determination means for determining the presence or absence of
A washing machine comprising:   5. The laundry according to claim 3, further comprising correction means for acquiring the vibration amount of the tub as a corrected vibration amount in an empty state during installation, and correcting the vibration amount table with the acquired corrected vibration amount. Machine.   The washing machine according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the vibration amount detection means detects the vibration amount of the tub when the number of times the laundry is dehydrated reaches a predetermined number of inspections. .   The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising notification means for notifying a problem when the determination means determines that there is a problem. A plurality of functional units for washing, rinsing, dehydrating and drying the laundry;
If the determination means determines that there is a problem, the control means for reducing the function of the functional unit;
The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: The determination means determines the presence or absence of defects in stages,
The washing machine according to claim 8, wherein the control unit gradually reduces the function of the functional unit according to the degree of the failure determined by the determination unit.

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