JP5479204B2 - Drum washing machine - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a drum type washing machine.

  Conventionally, as a drum-type washing machine, a configuration in which a hot water heater is provided at the bottom of a water tank having a drum inside and a circulation path is provided (for example, Patent Document 1) is known. In this circulation path, both ends are connected to a water tank, and a circulation pump is provided in the middle part to repeat the circulation in which the water in the water tank is taken out and supplied to the inside of the water tank again.

JP 2008-237905 A

In the conventional drum type washing machine, as is well known, the circulation pump uses a seal member around the pump shaft, but when warming the washing water with a warm water heater and circulating this warm water through the circulation path, There is concern about thermal degradation of the circulation pump.
Therefore, a drum type washing machine capable of avoiding thermal deterioration of the circulation pump is provided.

The drum-type washing machine of the present embodiment includes a water tub disposed in an outer box, a drum that is rotatably provided in the water tub and accommodates laundry, and water in the water tub at a lower portion of the water tub. A hot water heater for heating, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the vicinity of the hot water heater, and a circulation pump having both ends connected to the water tank and positioned below the hot water heater in the middle, and the pump of the circulation pump A circulation path for circulating the water in the water tank out of the water tank by action and returning it to the water tank, and a hot water circulation course in which the water temperature is gradually raised by water heating by the hot water heater and water circulation by the circulation pump where the temperature detected by said temperature sensor and control means for reducing the capacity of the circulation pump to influx of water into the circulation pump upon reaching a predetermined temperature is eliminated in With a butterfly.

A longitudinal side view showing a schematic configuration of a drum type washing machine according to an embodiment The block diagram which shows the electrical constitution of the drum type washing machine by embodiment Vertical side view showing the configuration of the circulation pump Flow chart showing control contents of control device (part 1) Same flowchart (Part 2) Same flowchart (Part 3) Same flowchart (Part 4) Same flowchart (Part 5) Time chart showing changes in the operation of each part

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a drum type washing machine 1 of the embodiment. A laundry doorway 3 is formed at a substantially central portion on the front side (left side in the figure) of the outer box 2 forming the outer shell of the drum type washing machine 1, and a door 4 for opening and closing the laundry door 3 is provided. In addition, an operation panel 5 is provided above the door 4 on the front side, and a control device 6 is provided on the back side.

  A cylindrical water tank 7 that is substantially non-porous and capable of storing water except for a large opening on the front side is elastically supported inside the outer box 2 via a suspension 8 that absorbs vibration. Inside the water tub 7, a drum 9 serving as a rotating tub for storing laundry is concentrically arranged so as to be rotatable around a tilt axis slightly upward and forward. The drum 9 has a large number of through-holes 9a and a plurality of baffles 9b on its cylindrical peripheral wall, and has a balance ring 9c at the peripheral edge that has a large opening on the front side, similar to the water tank 7.

  A water reservoir 7 a is formed at the bottom of the water tank 7. A hot water heater 33 is disposed in the water reservoir 7a, and a thermistor 34 is inserted and disposed as a temperature sensor in the vicinity of the hot water heater 33.

  Thus, the front opening of the water tub 7 and the drum 9 is disposed opposite to the laundry entrance 3 and is sealed to the outside of the tub by a flexible bellows 10 mounted between the opening of the water tub 7. Can be held. On the other hand, a washing machine motor 11 made of, for example, an outer rotor type DC brushless motor is provided on the back side of the water tank 7, and a rotating shaft 12 extending from the outer rotor is directly connected to the drum 9 through the water tank 7, The drum 9 is directly rotated by a washing machine motor 11.

  Further, a drain port 13 is formed at the bottom of the water reservoir 7a of the water tank 7 and also serves as a water intake port of a circulation pump described later. One end of a drain hose 14 is connected to the drain port 13. Further, the other end of the drain hose 14 is connected to a hose connection port at the top of the filter case 15 provided at the front of the base 2 a that is the bottom of the outer box 2.

  The filter case 15 has the drain hose 14 connected to the upper part and a cap 16 attached to the front end. The filter case 15 houses therein a lint filter (not shown) provided integrally with the cap 16. A drain valve 17 is connected to the lower part of the filter case 15, and a drain pipe 18 is connected to the outlet side of the drain valve 17. The distal end of the drainage pipe 18 faces the outside of the machine from the base 2a of the outer box 2, and is connected to an outside drainage hose (not shown).

  On the other hand, a circulation pump 19 is provided at the rear end of the filter case 15. The circulation pump 19 sucks water in the water tank 7 and the drum 9 through a drain port 13 (which corresponds to one end of a circulation path 22 described later), a drain hose 14 and a filter case 15. The circulation pump 19 has one end of a water supply hose 20 connected to the discharge side of the peripheral side (upper part in the figure).

  As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the circulating pump 19 includes a pump casing 19a formed integrally with the filter case 15 at the rear portion of the filter case 15, a motor case 19b coupled to the pump casing 19a, and the motor. A pump motor 19c housed in a case 19b and a pump blade 19f attached to a rotary shaft (pump shaft) 19e of the pump motor 19c protruding from the motor case 19c through a seal member 19d in a watertight manner and housed in the pump casing 19a Has been.

  The water supply hose 20 has an intermediate portion extending upward from the circumferential side of the bellows 10 and a tip portion formed at the top of the front opening of the water tank 7 (this is the other end of the circulation path 22). Part).

  The fountain nozzle 21 is attached so as to inject water toward the inner side of the inner bottom of the drum 9 (in the direction of arrow A in the figure). As a result, the circulation water channel 22 is formed so as to connect the drain port 13 and the fountain nozzle 21. That is, the circulating water channel 22 includes a water tank 7, a drum 9, a drain port 13, a drain hose 14, a filter case 15, a water supply hose 20, and a fountain nozzle 21, and the circulation pump 19 is located in the middle of the circulating water channel 22. Is provided. Then, the circulation pump 19 can discharge the water taken from the drain port 13 of the water tank 7 into the drum 9 from the fountain nozzle 21, in this case, in the direction of arrow A which is the back side of the inner lower part of the drum 9. It is said. Such water circulation is performed in order to dissolve the detergent quickly and to sufficiently soak the laundry.

  An air trap 23 is provided in the upper front portion of the filter case 15. The air trap 23 and the water level sensor 24 disposed at the top of the outer box 2 are connected by an air tube 25. As a result, the water level sensor 24 functions as a so-called water level detection unit that detects the water level in the water tank 7 through the drainage hose 14, the filter case 15, the air trap 23, and the air tube 25.

  A water supply valve 26 for supplying tap water and a container-like water injection case 27 are provided at the uppermost part in the outer box 2, and both are connected to each other via a connection pipe 28. The water injection case 27 has a detergent reservoir (not shown) inside. One end of a water supply hose 29 is connected to the water injection case 27 and the other end is connected to the upper part of the water tank 7. As a result, the water supplied from the water supply via the water supply valve 26 is supplied into the water tank 7 via the connection pipe 28, the detergent storage part of the water injection case 27, and the water supply hose 29.

  The drum type washing machine 1 includes a drying unit for drying the laundry. The outline of the drying unit will be described. A circulation duct 30 that communicates with the lower part of the water tank 7 and extends upward from the back surface side is provided, and the upper end thereof is connected to the upper front part of the water tank 7. An upper portion of the circulation duct 30 is provided with a blower fan 31 (blower unit) and a heater 32 (heating unit) downstream thereof to generate hot air for drying, and the hot air is passed through the circulation duct 30. Thus, the water can be circulated and supplied into the water tank 7 and the drum 9. A well-known water-cooled dehumidifying means (not shown) is provided on the upstream side of the blower fan 31 in the circulation duct 30 so as to remove moisture from the exhaust during the drying operation.

  In FIG. 2, the electrical configuration will be described. The control device 6 controls overall washing control and functions as a control unit, a pump abnormality detection unit, and a heater abnormality detection unit. The control device 6 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, various drive circuits, and a nonvolatile memory 35 as a storage unit. The control device 6 is supplied with a water level detection signal of the water level sensor 24, switch signals of various switches 36 provided on the operation panel 5, and a temperature detection signal of the thermistor 34.

  The control device 6 controls the water supply valve 26, the drain valve 17, the circulation pump 19, the hot water heater 33, the display unit 37, the buzzer 38, and the washing machine motor 11. In this case, the washing machine motor 11 is driven via the inverter circuit 11a, and the hot water heater 33 is turned on / off (disconnected) via the relay 33a.

  The hot water heater 33 is provided with a heater current detector 33b comprising a current transformer for detecting the input current of the hot water heater 33, and the current transformer for detecting the input current of the circulation pump 19 is provided. A pump current detector 19s and a coil temperature detector 19k for detecting the coil temperature of the pump motor are provided. The detection signals of these detectors 33b, 19s, and 19k are input to the control device 6.

The display unit 37 is formed of a liquid crystal display, for example, and can display various types including abnormal display.
The control device 6 performs the following control and functions as a control means.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 starts when a power switch included in various switches 36 is turned on. In step S1, the data stored in the nonvolatile memory 35 is acquired, and in step S2, it is determined whether there is error data. If not, it is determined whether or not the start switch is turned on after the hot water circulation course is set in step S3. In this hot water circulation course, the water temperature is set to 30 ° C., 40 ° C., 60 ° C., or 90 ° C. Of these, the 90 ° C. hot water circulation course is effective for sterilization. FIG. 9 shows the change in the situation of each part when the 90 ° C. hot water circulation course is executed normally (without any abnormality described later).

  When any one of the above water temperatures is set and started in the hot water circulation course, the process proceeds to step S4, and the first hot water heater inspection is executed. The contents of this hot water heater inspection are shown as a subroutine in FIG. In FIG. 5, in step T1, the detected temperature of the thermistor 34 is read, and in step T2, it is determined whether or not the detected temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 100 ° C.). If not, the detected current value of the heater current detector 33b is read in step T3, and it is determined in step T4 whether or not it is outside a predetermined range (proper range).

  When it is determined that the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature in step T2 and the predetermined range is determined in step T4 (determined in step T5), the process returns to the main routine in FIG.

  If it is determined in step T2 that the temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, or if it is determined that it is out of the predetermined range in step T4, this may cause deterioration of heater insulation, relay contact welding, or other control abnormality. In step T6, the water supply valve 26 is opened to supply tap water into the water tank 7. The purpose of this water supply is to cool the water tank 7 and the like, and fill the lower part of the drum 9 with water to seal it as much as possible so that the heat does not spread upward.

In step T7, “coloring error” is stored in the nonvolatile memory 35, and the power switch is forcibly turned off to stop the operation.
If there is no abnormality in the first hot water heater inspection, the cloth amount is determined in step S5 of FIG. The cloth amount determination is performed according to the load amount after the washing machine motor 11 is operated for a predetermined time (indicated by reference numeral m1 in FIG. 9) as is well known. In step S6, the water supply valve 26 is opened, and water is supplied to a set water level corresponding to the determined cloth amount (see k1 in FIG. 9).

In step S7, the washing machine motor 11 is intermittently rotated forward and backward to start stirring (washing operation) (see symbol m2 in FIG. 9).
In the next step S8, the circulation pump 19 is turned on. The circulation pump 19 is turned on substantially in synchronism with the operation of the washing machine motor 11 as indicated by reference sign p in FIG. Here, when there is no abnormality in the circulation pump 19 and it operates normally, the water in the water tank 7 circulates as described above, and is directed from the fountain nozzle 21 to the arrow A direction on the inner lower side of the drum 9. The water is discharged like a shower. As a result, the washing water and the detergent are effectively infused into the laundry.

  If the circulation pump 19 is abnormal, the abnormality is detected in the next circulation pump abnormality detection process (step S9). This circulation pump abnormality detection process is executed as shown in the flowchart as a subroutine of FIG. That is, the input current of the circulating pump 19 is detected in step U1, and it is determined in step U2 whether or not the detected current is within a predetermined appropriate range. If it is within the appropriate range, the pump temperature (pump motor) is determined in step U3. Coil temperature). And it is judged whether this pump temperature is more than predetermined temperature. If not, that is, if the detected current is in an appropriate range and the pump temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, it is assumed that there is no abnormality in the pump and the process returns.

  If the detected current is outside the proper range or the pump temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, it is considered that the pump is abnormal, the process proceeds to step U5, the circulation pump 19 is turned off, and the hot water heater 33 is turned off in step U6. In step U7, “pump failure” is stored in the nonvolatile memory 35, and the process proceeds to the continuation of the washing process (step S17).

  If there is no abnormality in the circulating pump 19, the process returns to step S10 in FIG. Since the water in the water tank 7 enters the circulation path 22 by the operation of the circulation pump 19, this supplementary water is supplemented (see reference numeral k2 in FIG. 9). This supplementary water is supplied up to the set water level (step S11). In addition, this supplementary water is performed every time the water level sensor 24 detects a water level decrease. In addition, the water level change in the water tank 7 is shown by the code | symbol s in FIG.

  Thereafter, the hot water heater 33 is turned on in step S12 (see symbol h in FIG. 9), the temperature is measured by the thermistor 34 in step S13, and a soft timer is started. The hot water heater 33 raises the water temperature in the water tank 7 (see symbol w in FIG. 9) and the circulating pump 19 (see symbol j in FIG. 9).

  In step S14, the second hot water heater inspection is executed. The control contents are shown as a subroutine in FIG. In FIG. 7, in step V1, the temperature detected by the thermistor 34 is read every predetermined time and the average temperature is calculated. If the average temperature (detected temperature) exceeds a predetermined temperature (for example, 100 ° C.) in step V2, it is assumed that there is an abnormality such as abnormal control of the hot water heater 33 or water leakage, and the hot water heater 33 is turned off in step V4. In step V5, “heater abnormality” is stored in the nonvolatile memory 35. And although it is a heater abnormality, if there is no hot water heater 33, since there will be no trouble in a washing process, a washing process is continued. In step V2, if there is water in the water tank 7 (no water leakage) and there is no abnormality in the hot water heater 33 or the like (“YES” in step V2), the predetermined temperature is not exceeded. Can be considered normal.

  If “YES” in the step V2, the process returns. In step S15 of FIG. 4, the water temperature (temperature detected by the thermistor 34) is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (60 ° C.), or this It is judged whether the water temperature (30 ° C, 40 ° C, 60 ° C, or 90 ° C) set in the hot water circulation course has been reached or the set operation time set in this hot water circulation course has passed. .

  Here, since the hot water temperature set in this hot water circulation course is “90 ° C.”, when the water temperature reaches 60 ° C., the circulation pump 19 is turned off in step S16 (see time t1 in FIG. 9). The purpose of this is as follows. That is, if the circulating pump 19 continues operating in a situation where the water temperature exceeds 60 ° C., the seal member 19d of the circulating pump 19 is likely to be deteriorated by heat. Therefore, when the circulation pump 19 is turned off, the warm water does not flow. As a result, the temperature of the circulation pump 19 decreases. In this case, since the hot water heater 33 is not turned off, the water temperature rises to the target 90 ° C. However, the circulation pump 19 is heated by the hot water heater 33 when the circulation pump 19 is positioned below the hot water heater 33. There is no. Thereby, thermal deterioration of the circulation pump 19, especially the seal member 19d, can be avoided. In addition, since the 90 ° C. hot water circulation course also serves as a sterilization in the tank, the tank rises to 90 ° C. even after the circulation pump 19 is stopped. There is no problem because water and detergent penetrate into the laundry.

  After this step S16, the process proceeds to step S17 and the washing process is continued. When the predetermined time (time point t2) before the end of the washing process is reached, the hot water heater 33 is turned off, water is supplied for cooling (see symbol k3 in FIG. 9), the washing machine motor 11 is stopped, and dehydration is performed. Move to the process.

  If it is determined in step S2 that there is error data, the process proceeds to step S18 to execute processing according to the error content. The contents of this processing are shown as a subroutine in FIG. In FIG. 8, when it is determined in step W1 that “pump failure”, a display prompting selection of a course in which the circulating pump 19 is not used is displayed in step W2, and “coloring error” is determined in step W3. Then, since there is a suspicion of contact abnormality, it is determined that the operation is dangerous, and the power is turned off in step W4.

  If “NO” in the above steps W1 and W3, it is regarded as “heater abnormality” in step W5, and a display prompting selection of a course not using the hot water heater is displayed. In the case of this “heater abnormality”, there is a suspicion of disconnection of the hot water heater 33 or its energizing circuit, but there is no problem when the hot water heater 33 is not used. The display prompts the user to select a course that does not use.

If a course other than the hot water circulation course is set (“NO” in step S3), control according to the course set in step S19 is executed.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the control device 6 circulates when the temperature detected by the thermistor 34 reaches a predetermined temperature in the hot water circulation course in which water is heated by the hot water heater 33 and water is circulated by the circulation pump 19. Since the pump 19 is stopped, thermal deterioration of the circulation pump 19 can be avoided.

  Here, the heat deterioration of the circulation pump 19, particularly the heat deterioration of the seal member 19 d, proceeds when the circulation pump 19 is operated (pump rotation) in a high temperature environment by turning on the hot water heater 33. Although it is very effective to stop the circulation pump 19, the capacity (the number of rotations) may be reduced without stopping the circulation pump 19. It is.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, since the hot water heater 33 is turned off (disconnected) when an abnormality is detected by the pump abnormality detection means of the control device 6, safety can be improved.
In addition, when an abnormality is detected by the heater abnormality detection means of the control device 6, the operation of the hot water circulation course is not performed after the next time, so that the safety can be improved.

Further, since tap water is supplied into the water tank 7 by the water supply valve 26 when an abnormality is detected by the heater abnormality detection means, the water tank 7 and the lower part of the drum 9 which are the hot water heater 33 are at an abnormally high temperature. This can be prevented, and this can also improve safety.
In step T8 of FIG. 5, the power is turned off in response to the temperature being equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature in step T2, but the course operation may be continued as it is instead of turning off the power. In this way, it is possible to avoid the user's anxiety due to the fact that driving stops halfway.

  According to the drum type washing machine, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor reaches a predetermined temperature in the hot water circulation course in which the control means heats the water by the hot water heater and circulates the water by the circulation pump, Since the capacity is reduced, thermal deterioration of the circulation pump can be avoided.

  In the drawings, 1 is a drum type washing machine, 6 is a control device (control means, pump abnormality detection means, heater abnormality detection means), 7 is a water tank, 9 is a drum, 19 is a circulation pump, 22 is a circulation path, and 33 is hot water. A heater 34 indicates a thermistor (temperature sensor).

Claims (5)

A water tank disposed in the outer box;
A drum that is rotatably provided in the aquarium and accommodates laundry;
A hot water heater for heating the water in the water tank at the bottom of the water tank;
A temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the vicinity of the hot water heater;
A circulation pump having both ends connected to the water tank and having a circulation pump positioned below the warm water heater in the middle, and circulating the water in the water tank out of the water tank and returning it to the water tank by the pumping action of the circulation pump A circulation path to perform
In the hot water circulation course in which the water temperature is gradually raised by water heating by the hot water heater and water circulation by the circulation pump, the inflow of water to the circulation pump is stopped when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor reaches a predetermined temperature. The drum type washing machine further comprising a control means for reducing the capacity of the circulation pump.   The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the reduction in the capacity of the circulation pump is a stop of driving of the circulation pump.   The pump abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality of the circulating pump is provided, and the hot water heater is disconnected when an abnormality is detected by the pump abnormality detecting means. Drum-type washing machine.   The heater abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality of the hot water heater is provided, and when the abnormality is detected by the heater abnormality detecting means, the operation of the hot water circulation course is not performed after the next time. 4. A drum-type washing machine according to any one of items 3 to 3.   A heater abnormality detecting means for detecting abnormality of the hot water heater and a water supply valve for supplying tap water into the tank are provided. When an abnormality is detected by the heater abnormality detecting means, tap water is supplied into the water tank by the water supply valve. The drum type washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the drum type washing machine is provided.

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