JP4831046B2 - Drum washing machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drum-type washing machine that sequentially controls each process such as washing, rinsing, dewatering, and drying in a rotating drum having a rotation center axis in a substantially horizontal direction or an oblique direction.

Conventionally, this type of drum-type washing machine has a configuration as shown in FIG. 6 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In FIG. 6, the rotating drum 51 is provided with a large number of water passage holes 52 on the entire outer periphery thereof, and is rotatably disposed in the water receiving tank 53. The rotary drum 51 is rotated by a motor 54. The lid 55 is provided in the washing machine main body 56 so that the opening 53a of the water receiving basin 53 can be freely opened and closed. The water receiving tub 53 is suspended from the washing machine main body 56 by a spring body 57, and is supported by an anti-vibration damper 58 so that vibration during dehydration is not transmitted to the washing machine main body 56, and vibration during dehydration is also supported. A weight 59 for reduction is provided.

  The water supply valve 60 supplies water into the water receiving tank 53 when it is easy to wash. The drainage pump 61 is connected to the water receiving tank 53 on the input side and to the hose 62 on the output side. The washing water is drained. The control device 63 controls operations of the motor 54, the water supply valve 60, the drainage pump 61, and the like, and sequentially controls a series of processes such as washing, rinsing, and dehydration.

  The operation in the above configuration will be described. When the lid 55 is opened, the laundry is put into the rotary drum 51 and the operation is started. When the rotary drum 51 is rotated at a low speed by the motor 54, the laundry in the drum 51 is lifted. It is dropped and water is supplied from the water supply valve 60 while continuing this operation. When a predetermined amount of water is supplied, water supply is stopped and washing is continued, and the laundry in the rotating drum 51 is lifted and dropped onto the water surface.

  Thus, the washing process proceeds. The rinsing process includes a rinsing process and an intermediate dehydration process, and the rinsing process is performed in the same manner as the washing process. In the intermediate dehydration process executed before the rinsing and agitation process, if the laundry in the rotating drum 51 is biased, that is, unbalanced, the rotating drum 51 and the water receiving tub 53 vibrate, so the laundry unbalance is corrected. In order to achieve this, a cloth unwinding process in which the rotating drum 51 repeats normal reversal is performed, and then the rotating drum 51 is slowly started up, and a balance control process is performed in which the laundry is evenly adhered to the inner surface of the rotating drum 51. Next, a cloth balance determination process for determining the unbalance of the laundry due to the bias of the laundry is performed to determine the unbalance. At this time, if the unbalance determination value is equal to or less than a predetermined value, it is determined that the unbalance is small, the rotating drum 1 is rotated at a high speed, and the laundry is dehydrated by centrifugation.

  At this time, if the unbalance determination value is larger than the predetermined value, it is determined that the unbalance is large, and the cloth unwinding process and the balance control process are repeated until the unbalance determination value becomes smaller than the predetermined value. Thereafter, when the number of unbalance corrections reaches a predetermined number, the process proceeds to the next stirring and rinsing step without intermediate dehydration.

  In the dehydration process, the same operation as in the intermediate dehydration process is performed. At this time, if the number of unbalance corrections reaches a predetermined number, it is determined that the startup cannot be performed, and an abnormality is notified. When the unbalance value becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, the rotary drum 51 is raised to a high speed dewatering rotation speed, the laundry is dewatered by centrifugation, and the dewatering is completed after a predetermined time.

In addition, depending on the quality of the laundry, there are things that easily contain water (such as cotton) and those that do not (such as chemical fibers). Unbalance may occur during the acceleration to, so once the rotational speed is increased to medium speed, the moisture contained in the cloth is drained to some extent, and then the cloth balance is determined again. In some cases, the unbalance is reduced.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-276583

  However, in such conventional drum-type washing machines, depending on the quality of the laundry, the sequence takes into consideration what is likely to contain water (such as cotton) and what does not (such as chemical fiber). Even when accelerating to high speed dehydration, the unbalance can be reduced and dehydration can be performed gently, but if the laundry is the same fabric, dehydration for draining at medium speed is an extra step In other words, unbalance occurs again after dehydration at moderate speed, and the unbalance is not resolved. It was.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems. In the dehydration operation, the cloth balance is always constant even in the process of increasing the rotational speed after the cloth balance is determined to be good at a low speed (around 90 r / min). By determining the cloth balance even when the water is draining and the balance state is changing, dehydration for draining at medium speed can be omitted, and extra dehydration can be achieved. An object of the present invention is to provide a drum type washing machine that can solve the problem of taking too much time.

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a drum type washing machine of the present invention includes a rotating drum having a rotation center axis in a substantially horizontal direction or an oblique direction, and a rotating drum elastically supported by the washing machine body so that the rotating drum can freely rotate. A water receiving tank contained in the motor, a motor for driving the rotary drum, and a control means for controlling the rotation of the motor for driving the rotary drum, wherein the control means performs a dehydrating operation after each washing and rinsing step. The rotary drum is raised from a substantially stationary state to a first predetermined rotation speed for determining the cloth balance, and the cloth balance is determined. When the cloth balance is determined to be good, the rotating drum is and accelerated to predetermined rotational speed, in said first predetermined from the rotational speed during acceleration to the second predetermined rotational speed you implement cloth balance determination drum type washing machine, the first place The rotation speed to the second predetermined rotation speed are divided into the first to fourth sections in order from the low rotation speed section, and the predetermined value for determining the cloth balance is set to the predetermined value of the first section <the third section. The predetermined value of <the predetermined value of the second section .

Thereby, after the cloth balance determination is determined to be good at the first predetermined rotation speed (around 90 r / min), in the process of increasing the rotation speed, the manner of draining the laundry is not uniform, even if the imbalance has occurred, from the relationship between the rotational speed and the water tub of the amplitude of the rotating drum, because it made the cloth balance determination at all times, only when necessary, so let them stop the rotating drum, There is no need to unnecessarily increase the dehydration time, and the time required for dehydration can be shortened.

The drum-type washing machine of the present invention, in the process of increasing the rotational speed after it is determined that the imbalance determination is good at the first predetermined rotational speed, the water drainage of the laundry is not uniform, even if the imbalance has occurred, from the relationship between the rotational speed and the water tub of the amplitude of the rotating drum, because it made the cloth balance determination at all times, only when necessary, so let them stop the rotating drum, There is no need to unnecessarily increase the dehydration time, and the time required for dehydration can be shortened.

A first invention is a rotating drum having a rotation center axis in a substantially horizontal direction or an oblique direction, a water receiving tub elastically supported by a washing machine body and enclosing the rotating drum rotatably, and driving the rotating drum And a control means for controlling the rotation of the motor for driving the rotary drum, and the control means balances the cloth from the substantially stationary state in the dehydrating operation after each washing and rinsing step. The cloth is determined at the first predetermined rotation speed to be determined, and the cloth balance determination is performed. When the cloth balance determination is determined to be good, the rotating drum is accelerated to a second predetermined rotation speed, and the first predetermined rotation speed is determined. in the rotational speed drum type washing machine implement cloth balance determination even during the acceleration in the second predetermined rotational speed, from the first predetermined rotation speed to the second predetermined rotational speed times The predetermined value for determining the cloth balance is divided into the first to fourth sections in order from the low speed section, and the predetermined value of the first section <the predetermined value of the third section <the predetermined value of the second section> In the process of increasing the rotation speed after it is determined that the cloth balance is determined to be good at the first predetermined rotation speed (around 90 r / min), the laundry is drained. it is not uniform, even if the imbalance has occurred, from the relationship between the rotational speed and the water tub of the amplitude of the rotating drum, because it made the cloth balance determination at all times, only when necessary, the rotary drum Since it is only necessary to stop, it is not necessary to lengthen the dehydration time unnecessarily, and the time required for dehydration can be shortened.

A second invention is, in particular, the control means of the first invention, it is characterized by determining at a variable value of the current flowing through the motor from a first predetermined rotational speed during acceleration to the second predetermined rotational speed Thus, the cloth balance can be accurately determined without increasing the cost.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
A washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the drum type washing machine in the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram in which the drum type washing machine is partially blocked, and FIG. 3 is an input setting unit of the drum type washing machine and 4 is an enlarged front view of the display means, FIG. 4 is a flowchart of intermediate dewatering of the drum type washing machine, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the rotational speed of the rotating drum of the drum type washing machine and the amplitude amount of the washing machine body, FIG. These are figures which show the relationship between the rotational speed of the rotating drum of the drum type washing machine, the amount of amplitude of a water receiving tub, and the predetermined value of cloth balance determination.

  In FIG. 1, a washing machine body 9 includes a water receiving tub 3 and a rotating drum 1 that is rotatably disposed in the water receiving tub 3. The rotary drum 1 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape and has a large number of water passage holes 2 on the entire outer periphery. A rotation axis (rotation center axis) 4 is provided at the rotation center of the rotary drum 1 in a substantially inclined direction, and the axial center direction of the rotary drum 1 is inclined downward from the front side toward the back side. A motor 5 attached to the rear surface of the water receiving tank 3 is connected to the rotating shaft 4 so that the rotating drum 1 is driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions. Several protruding plates 6 are provided on the inner wall surface of the rotating drum 1.

  The opening 3a provided on the upward inclined surface on the front side of the water receiving tank 3 is covered with a lid 7 so that it can be opened and closed. By opening the lid 7, the laundry can be taken in and out of the rotary drum 1 through the laundry entrance 8. I am doing so. Since the lid body 7 is provided on the upward inclined surface, the laundry can be taken in and out without bending the waist.

  The water receiving tub 3 is suspended from the washing machine body 9 by a spring body (not shown) so as to be swingable. One end of the drainage path 10 is connected to the lower part of the water receiving tub 3, and The end is connected to a drain valve (drainage means) 11 to drain the washing water in the water receiving tank 3. The water supply valve (water supply means) 12 is for supplying water into the water receiving tank 3 through the water supply path 13.

  In the first embodiment, the rotation shaft 4 is provided in a substantially inclined direction at the center of rotation of the rotary drum 1, and the axial center direction of the rotary drum 1 is inclined downward from the front side to the back side. However, the rotary shaft 4 may be provided in the substantially horizontal direction at the rotation center of the rotary drum 1, and the axial center direction of the rotary drum 1 may be provided in the substantially horizontal direction.

  Next, the control device 14 for controlling each electrical component will be described with reference to FIG. 2 showing a circuit diagram.

  In FIG. 2, the control device 14 has a control means 15 comprising a microcomputer for controlling the operation of the motor 5, the drain valve 11, the water supply valve 12, etc., and sequentially controlling a series of steps of washing, rinsing and dehydration. Yes. The control means 15 is input with information from the input setting means 16 for setting the driving course and the like, and is displayed on the display means 17 based on the information to notify the user, and the input setting means 16 starts the operation. When set, it receives data from the water level detection means 18 that detects the water level in the water receiving tank 3, and controls the switching means 20 via the switching means drive circuit 19, and the drain valve 11, the water supply valve 12, etc. The washing operation is performed by controlling the operation of

  At this time, the control means 15 controls the inverter 5 via the inverter drive circuit 22 based on the information from the position detection means 21 that detects the position of the rotor (not shown) of the motor 5, thereby controlling the motor 5. The rotation is controlled. Although the motor 5 is a direct current brushless motor, although not shown, it is composed of a stator having a three-phase winding and a rotor having a two-pole permanent magnet disposed on the ring. Are wound around an iron core provided with a first winding 5a, a second winding 5b, a third winding 5c and a slot.

  The inverter 23 is composed of a switching element composed of a parallel circuit of a power transistor (IGBT) and a reverse conducting diode. A series circuit of a first switching element 23a and a second switching element 23b, a series circuit of a third switching element 23c and a fourth switching element 23d, and a fifth switching element 23e and a sixth switching element 23f A series circuit is configured, and the series circuit of each switching element is connected in parallel.

  Here, both ends of the series circuit of each switching element are connected to a DC power source at input terminals, and output terminals are connected to connection points of two switching elements constituting the series circuit of each switching element. The output terminal is connected to each of the U terminal, V terminal, and W terminal of the three-phase winding, and the U terminal, the V terminal, and the W terminal are combined by the on / off combination of two switching elements that form a series circuit of the switching elements. The terminal is set to three states of positive voltage, zero voltage, and release, respectively.

  The on / off of the switching element is controlled by the control means 15 based on information from the three position detection means 21a, 21b, 21c made of the Hall IC. The position detection means 21a, 21b, and 21c are disposed on the stator so as to face the permanent magnets of the rotor at an electrical angle of 120 degrees.

  During one rotation of the rotor, the three position detecting means 21a, 21b, and 21c each output a pulse at an electrical angle of 120 degrees. The control means 15 detects when the signal state of any of the three position detection means 21a, 21b, 21c changes, and based on the signals of the position detection means 21a, 21b, 21c, the switching elements 23a-23f By changing the on / off state, the U terminal, the V terminal, and the W terminal are brought into three states of positive voltage, zero voltage, and release, and the first winding 5a, the second winding 5b, and the third winding of the stator. The coil 5c is energized to generate a magnetic field, and the rotor is rotated.

The switching elements 23a, 23c, and 23e are each controlled by pulse width modulation (PWM). For example, the rotational speed of the rotor is controlled by controlling the energization ratio of high and low at a repetition frequency of 10 kHz. The control means 15 detects the period each time the signal state of any of the three position detection means 21a, 21b, 21c changes, calculates the rotor rotational speed from the period, and sets the rotational speed to the set rotational speed. Switching element 23a, 2
PWM control is performed on 3c and 23e.

  The current detection means 24 includes a resistor 25 connected to one input terminal of the inverter 23 and a current detection circuit 26 connected to the resistor 25, and detects the input current of the inverter 23, that is, the current of the motor 5. , Converted into a voltage signal, and the voltage signal is input to the control means 15. Further, the control means 15 performs A / D conversion on the input voltage signal and performs arithmetic processing as digital data to control the motor 5.

  When the motor 5 is a direct current brushless motor, the torque is substantially proportional to the input current. Therefore, the current detection circuit 26 connected to the resistor 25 detects the input current value of the inverter 23 to detect the cloth balance state. be able to. Needless to say, the cloth balance state can be detected by detecting the q-axis current value. At this time, if the cloth balance state is bad, the fluctuation of the input current becomes large, and if the cloth balance state is good, the fluctuation becomes small.

  The cloth amount detection means 27 detects the amount of laundry in the rotary drum 1, and is rotated by a signal from the current detection means 24 when the rotary drum 1 is raised to a predetermined rotational speed (for example, 200 r / min). The amount of laundry in the drum 1 is detected.

  The commercial power source 28 is connected to the inverter 23 via a DC power source conversion device including a diode bridge 29, a choke coil 30, and a smoothing capacitor 31. However, this is an example, and the configuration of the DC brushless motor 5, the configuration of the inverter 23, and the like are not limited thereto.

  Next, an example of the input setting unit 16 and the display unit 17 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, as the input setting means 16, a washing time setting switch 16a for setting the washing time, a rinsing frequency setting switch 16b for setting the rinsing frequency, a dehydration time setting switch 16c for setting the dehydration time, and a course setting switch 16d. , A start / pause switch 16e, a power-on switch 16f, a power-off switch 16g, etc., and the display means 17 includes a washing time display portion 17a, a rinse count display portion 17b, a dehydration time display portion 17c, and a course setting display portion 17d. , A detergent amount display portion 17e, a remaining time display portion 17f, a number display portion 17g, and the like.

  Here, the control means 15 rotates the rotating drum 1 in a state where water is stored in the water receiving tub 3, and performs a washing process of applying mechanical force to the laundry in the rotating drum 1. By applying rotational force and frictional force to the laundry, the dirt attached to the laundry is removed.

  In addition, during the washing process, the control unit 15 drives the water supply valve 12 to supply water into the water receiving tub 3 in accordance with the amount of laundry detected by the cloth amount detection unit 27.

  The water level in the water receiving tank 3 at this time is detected by the water level detecting means 18. Based on the amount of laundry detected by the cloth amount detecting means 27, the water level to be supplied into the water receiving tub 3 is set.

  If it is detected that the amount of fabric is large, it is easier to clean with more washing water, and if it is detected that the amount of fabric is small, it will become dirty even if it is washed with less washing water. The water level is set like this because it falls.

When the washing process is completed, the process proceeds to an intermediate dehydration process after draining. The operation of the intermediate dehydration process will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step 100 of FIG. 4, an intermediate dehydration process is started, and then in step 101, the motor 5 is driven to perform a cloth unwinding process that repeats normal rotation and reverse rotation (for example, three times at 35 r / min). The fabric balancing process is started, and the rotary drum 1 is rotated forward to start up from a substantially stationary state to a first predetermined rotational speed (90 r / min), and the laundry is stuck in the rotary drum 1. That is, by gradually accelerating the rotating drum 1 from a substantially stationary state to a first predetermined rotational speed (90 r / min), the laundry is rotated so that the centrifugal force is greater than the gravity acting on the laundry. Stick in the drum 1.

  Next, in the cloth balance determination process in step 103, the balance state of the cloth in the rotary drum 1 is determined at the first predetermined rotation speed (90 r / min). That is, when the fluctuation of the rotation speed is measured with the voltage applied to the motor 5 fixed so that the rotation speed of the rotary drum 1 can be kept constant at 90 r / min, the fluctuation of the rotation speed is larger than a predetermined value set in advance. Determines that the laundry is not sticky and the balance is poor.

  If it is determined in step 103 that the cloth is in a poor balance state, the rotary drum 1 is stopped in step 105 through step 104, 1 is added to N in step 106, and the process returns to step 101 to start again from the cloth unwinding process. Thus, the operation from step 101 to step 106 is repeated. Here, when the number of times that the cloth balance state is determined to be bad in the cloth balance determination process reaches a predetermined number (6 times), that is, when N = 6 in Step 104, the process proceeds to Step 107, and the intermediate dehydration process is performed. Omitted.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 103 that the cloth balance is good, cloth balance determination is performed while increasing the rotation speed of the rotary drum 1 in step 108. The determination method at this time may be performed using a fluctuation value of the current flowing through the motor, or may be performed using a sensor that measures the displacement of the water receiving tank 3 in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, or the front-rear direction using a vibration sensor or the like. While performing the cloth balance determination, the operation is started up to a second predetermined rotation speed (for example, 900 r / min) in Step 109. At this time, if it is determined that the cloth is in a poor balance state during acceleration, the rotation drum 1 is stopped at Step 105 through Step 104, 1 is added to N at Step 106, and the process returns to Step 101. The operations from step 101 to step 106 are repeated. Also here, when the number of times that the cloth balance state is determined to be bad in the cloth balance determination process reaches a predetermined number (6 times), that is, when N = 6 in Step 104, the process proceeds to Step 107, and the intermediate dehydration process is performed. Omitted.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the cloth balance determination while increasing the rotation speed is based on the relationship between the rotation speed of the rotary drum 1 and the amplitude of the washing machine body 9, and the resonance of the vibration system related to the rotation of the rotary drum 1. It is divided into two in a section including a rotation speed exceeding the rotation speed (for example, 300 r / min) and a resonance rotation speed of 500 to 600 r / min of the washing machine body 9, and is divided into two, 91 to 300 r / min and 301 to 900 r / min. It is possible to set a predetermined value for determining the fabric balance in min. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, 91 to 300 r / min are further subdivided according to the relationship between the rotation speed of the rotating drum 1 and the amplitude amount of the water receiving tank 3, and the resonance of the vibration system related to the rotation of the rotating drum 1 is achieved. The rotation speed is center-rotated around 140 r / min where the horizontal amplitude of the water receiving tank 3 is maximum, near 200 r / min where the vertical amplitude is maximum, and near 270 r / min where the horizontal amplitude is maximum. The sections for speed are divided into four sections 91 to 160 r / min, 161 to 230 r / min, 231 to 300 r / min, 301 to 900 r / min, and predetermined values A, B, C, and D (for determining the cloth balance). By setting D <A <C <B), the cloth balance can be determined more accurately.

Further, if it is determined in steps 103 and 108 that the cloth is well balanced, the rotational speed of the rotary drum 1 is increased to a second predetermined rotational speed (eg, 900 r / min) in step 109 and rotated for a predetermined time. After that, the process proceeds to step 107 and shifts to the next step of stirring and rinsing.

  Needless to say, the first predetermined rotation speed has an optimum rotation speed due to the inclination of the rotation center axis of the rotary drum 1. The second predetermined rotation speed may be around 600 r / min, which is a rotation speed at which the cloth balance state is almost determined.

  As described above, in the drum type washing machine according to the present invention, even when the cloth balance determination at the first predetermined rotation speed is good for the laundry having different cloth quality, the water does not drain evenly in the process of increasing the rotation speed. Even if an unbalance occurs due to a loss of balance, the cloth balance is always checked.By detecting immediately and performing cloth unraveling etc. to improve the cloth balance, the cloth balance is improved. Even during acceleration to rotation, the chance of abnormal vibration can be reduced. Moreover, since the dehydration at medium speed for draining water can be omitted, the dehydration time is not excessively lengthened, and the problem that the dehydration takes too much time can be improved.

Schematic cross-sectional view of the drum type washing machine in the first embodiment A circuit diagram of the drum-type washing machine in partial block form Enlarged front view of input setting means and display means of the drum type washing machine Flow chart of intermediate dehydration of the drum type washing machine The figure which shows the rotational speed of the rotating drum of the drum type washing machine, and the amplitude amount of the washing machine main body The figure which shows the relationship between the rotational speed of the rotating drum of the drum type washing machine, the amplitude amount of a water receiving tank, and the predetermined value of cloth balance determination Schematic sectional view of a conventional drum-type washing machine

1 Rotating drum 3 Water receiving tank 4 Rotating axis (Rotating center axis)
5 Motor 9 Washing machine body 15 Control means

Claims (2)

A rotating drum having a rotation center axis in a substantially horizontal direction or an oblique direction, a water receiving tank elastically supported by a washing machine body and enclosing the rotating drum rotatably, a motor for driving the rotating drum, and the rotation Control means for controlling the rotation of the motor for driving the drum, wherein the control means determines the cloth balance from the substantially stationary state in the dewatering operation after each washing and rinsing step. When the cloth balance determination is determined to be good by raising the rotation speed and determining the cloth balance determination, the rotating drum is accelerated to a second predetermined rotation speed, and the second predetermined rotation speed is increased to the second predetermined rotation speed. given the rotational speed during acceleration in the drum-type washing machine you implement cloth balance determination, the first ward rotation speed is low until the second predetermined rotational speed from a predetermined rotational speed of the Divided into first to fourth sections sequentially from a predetermined value determining the cloth balance, a predetermined value <the predetermined value <the predetermined value of the second section of the third section of the first section, and the drum type washing Machine. 2. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the control means makes a determination based on a fluctuation value of a current value flowing through the motor during acceleration from the first predetermined rotation speed to the second predetermined rotation speed.

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