JP6444622B2 - Drum washing machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drum type washing machine. Such a drum-type washing machine may be one that performs continuously from washing to drying, or one that performs washing but does not dry.

  Conventionally, a drum-type washing machine rotates a horizontal axis drum in an outer tub with water stored in the bottom, lifts and drops the laundry by a baffle provided in the drum, and the laundry is moved to the inner periphery of the drum. Laundry is performed by hitting the surface (see Patent Document 1).

  As described above, in the configuration in which the laundry is stirred by the baffle, the laundry is unlikely to be entangled or rubbed with each other. For this reason, the drum-type washing machine tends to have a smaller mechanical force acting on the laundry and lower the washing performance than a fully automatic washing machine that rotates the pulsator in the washing and dewatering tub to wash the laundry.

  Therefore, in the drum type washing machine, in order to improve the cleaning performance, a configuration in which a stirring body is provided on the rear surface of the drum and the drum and the stirring body are rotated at different rotational speeds when it is easy to wash can be adopted.

JP 2013-240577 A

  In the drum type washing machine having the above-described configuration, it is necessary to rotate the drum and the stirring body integrally at the same rotational speed during dehydration. For this reason, the drive unit that rotates the drum and the stirrer includes a drive mode of the drive unit, a uniaxial drive mode in which the drum and the stirrer are integrally rotated at the same rotational speed, and a drum and the stirrer. A clutch mechanism is provided that switches between two-axis drive configurations that rotate separately at different rotational speeds.

  In this way, when the driving mode is switched by the clutch mechanism, if the switching cannot be performed with high accuracy, the drum or the stirring body may not operate properly, and a desired performance may not be obtained. May be reduced.

  This invention is made | formed in view of this subject, and it aims at providing the drum-type washing machine which can switch the drive form of the drive part by a clutch mechanism part accurately.

  A drum-type washing machine according to a main aspect of the present invention includes an outer tub disposed in a housing, a drum disposed in the outer tub and rotatable about a horizontal axis or an inclined axis inclined with respect to a horizontal direction. A rotating body that is disposed at the rear of the drum and has a protruding portion that comes into contact with laundry on the surface, a driving unit that rotates the drum and the rotating body, and a control unit that controls the operation of the driving unit, Is provided. The drive unit includes a drive motor, a first rotation shaft that transmits rotation of the drive motor to the rotating body, a second rotation shaft that transmits rotation of the drive motor to the drum, and driving of the drive unit. The first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft are integrally rotated at the same rotation speed, and the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft are separately rotated at different rotation speeds. And a clutch mechanism unit that switches between the two-axis drive modes. The clutch mechanism includes a clutch body having a first engagement portion, the clutch body is moved to a first position, and the first engagement portion is rotated by the drive motor at the first position. The drive mode is switched to the uniaxial drive mode by engaging with the first engaged portion that rotates with the rotation. In order to switch from the biaxial drive mode to the uniaxial drive mode, the control unit is not engaged after operating the clutch mechanism unit to move the clutch body to the first position. A uniaxial switching process of rotating the drive motor so that the first engaging portion and the first engaged portion are engaged is executed.

  According to the above configuration, even if a shift occurs between the first engagement portion and the first engaged portion when the clutch mechanism is operated so that the clutch body moves to the first position, the shift The first engagement portion and the first engaged portion can be engaged with each other. Thereby, switching from the biaxial drive mode to the uniaxial drive mode can be performed with high accuracy.

  In the drum type washing machine according to this aspect, in the one-axis switching process, the control unit performs the driving with a driving current smaller than a driving current when the driving motor is rotated in the one-axis driving mode after the one-axis switching process. It can be set as the structure which rotates a motor.

  According to the above configuration, since the drive motor can be rotated slowly in the uniaxial switching process, the first engaging portion and the first engaged portion can be easily engaged, and the switching accuracy can be improved. .

  In the drum type washing machine according to this aspect, the drive unit includes a sun gear that rotates as the motor rotates, an annular internal gear that surrounds the sun gear, and the sun gear and the internal gear. A planetary gear mechanism having a plurality of intervening planetary gears and a planetary carrier for rotatably holding these planetary gears, wherein one of the planetary carrier and the internal gear is fixed to the second rotation shaft; It may be configured to include. In this case, the clutch body is connected to the other of the planetary carrier and the internal gear in a state in which the rotation in the circumferential direction with respect to the other is restricted and the movement of the second rotating shaft in the axial direction is allowed. In addition, the second engaging portion may be configured. With such a configuration, the drive unit has the second engaged portion in which the clutch body is moved to the second position, and the second engagement unit does not rotate with the rotation of the drive motor at the second position. The drive mechanism is switched to the biaxial drive mode, and the clutch mechanism is operated so that the clutch body moves to the second position. Even so, as long as the second engaging portion is not engaged with the second engaged portion, the clutch motor is rotated by rotating the other motor as the drive motor rotates. In order to switch from the one-axis driving mode to the two-axis driving mode, the control unit is not engaged after operating the clutch mechanism unit so that the clutch body moves to the second position. A biaxial switching process for rotating the drive motor so that the second engaging portion and the second engaged portion are engaged is executed.

  According to the above configuration, even if a displacement occurs between the second engagement portion and the second engaged portion when the clutch mechanism is operated so that the clutch body moves to the second position, the displacement And the second engaging portion and the second engaged portion can be engaged. Thereby, switching from the single-axis drive mode to the biaxial drive mode can be performed with high accuracy.

  In the case of the above configuration, the control unit further includes a drive current smaller than a drive current for rotating the drive motor in the biaxial drive mode after the biaxial switch process in the biaxial switch process. Thus, the drive motor can be rotated.

  With such a configuration, the drive motor can be rotated slowly in the biaxial switching process, so that the second engagement portion and the second engaged portion can be easily engaged, and the switching accuracy is improved. be able to.

  In the case of the above configuration, a clutch driving device for moving the clutch body may be further provided. In this case, the clutch driving device can transition between a first operation state in which the clutch body is moved to the first position and a second operation state in which the clutch body is moved to the second position. An operating body, and a state detection unit that detects an operating state of the operating body. In the one-axis switching process, the control unit operates the clutch driving device based on the detection result of the state detection unit so that the operating body transitions to the first operation state, and the two-axis switching process. Then, the clutch driving device is operated based on the detection result of the state detection unit so that the operating body shifts to the second operation state.

  With such a configuration, the position of the clutch body is indirectly detected by detecting the operating state of the operating body, so a sensor for directly detecting the position of the clutch body, etc. The driving mode of the driving unit can be switched without using the.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the drum type washing machine which can perform the switching of the drive form of the drive part by a clutch mechanism part accurately can be provided.

  The effects and significance of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments. However, the following embodiment is merely an example when the present invention is implemented, and the present invention is not limited to what is described in the following embodiment.

It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the structure of the drum type washing machine based on embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the drive unit based on embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the drive unit based on embodiment. It is a front view of the rotor which shows the structure of the rotor of the drive motor based on Embodiment. It is an expansion perspective view of the rear part of the bearing unit in which the spline was formed based on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the clutch body of a clutch mechanism part based on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the drum type washing machine based on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state which the shift | offset | difference produced in the engagement flange part of the clutch body and the to-be-engaged recessed part of a rotor based on Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the uniaxial switching process based on Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the biaxial switching process based on embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the drive unit based on the example of a change.

  Hereinafter, a drum type washing machine having no drying function according to an embodiment of the drum type washing machine of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the drum type washing machine 1.

  The drum-type washing machine 1 includes a housing 10 that forms an appearance. The front surface 10a of the housing 10 is inclined from the central portion to the upper portion, and the laundry inlet 11 is formed on the inclined surface. The insertion port 11 is covered with a door 12 that can be freely opened and closed.

  The outer tub 20 is elastically supported by a plurality of dampers 21 in the housing 10. A drum 22 is rotatably disposed in the outer tub 20. The outer tub 20 and the drum 22 are inclined with respect to the horizontal direction so that the rear surface side becomes lower. As a result, the drum 22 rotates around the tilt axis tilted with respect to the horizontal direction. The inclination angle of the outer tub 20 and the drum 22 can be about 10 to 20 degrees. The opening 20a on the front surface of the outer tub 20 and the opening 22a on the front surface of the drum 22 are opposed to the charging port 11, and both the charging port 11 is closed by the door 12. A large number of dewatering holes 22 b are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the drum 22. Further, three baffles 23 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the drum 22 at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

  A stirring body 24 is rotatably disposed at the rear portion of the drum 22. The stirring body 24 has a substantially disk shape. A plurality of blades 24 a extending radially from the central portion are formed on the surface of the stirring body 24. The stirring body 24 rotates coaxially with the drum 22. The stirrer 24 corresponds to the rotating body of the present invention, and the blade 24a corresponds to the protruding portion of the present invention.

  A drive unit 30 that generates torque for driving the drum 22 and the stirring body 24 is disposed behind the outer tub 20. The drive unit 30 corresponds to the drive unit of the present invention. The drive unit 30 rotates the drum 22 and the stirring body 24 at different rotational speeds in the same direction during the washing process and the rinsing process. Specifically, the drive unit 30 rotates the drum 22 at a rotation speed at which the centrifugal force applied to the laundry in the drum 22 is smaller than gravity, and the stirring member 24 is faster than the rotation speed of the drum 22. Rotate with On the other hand, during the dehydration process, the drive unit 30 integrally rotates the drum 22 and the stirring body 24 at a rotational speed at which the centrifugal force applied to the laundry in the drum 22 is much greater than gravity. The detailed configuration of the drive unit 30 will be described later.

  A drain port 20 b is formed at the bottom of the outer tub 20. A drain valve 40 is provided at the drain port 20b. The drain valve 40 is connected to the drain hose 41. When the drain valve 40 is opened, the water stored in the outer tub 20 is discharged to the outside through the drain hose 41.

  A detergent box 50 is disposed in the upper front portion of the housing 10. In the detergent box 50, a detergent container 50a in which detergent is accommodated is accommodated so that it can be pulled out from the front. The detergent box 50 is connected by a water supply hose 52 to a water supply valve 51 disposed at the upper rear part in the housing 10. The detergent box 50 is connected to the upper part of the outer tub 20 by a water injection pipe 53. When the water supply valve 51 is opened, tap water is supplied from the water tap into the outer tub 20 through the water supply hose 52, the detergent box 50 and the water injection pipe 53. At this time, the detergent accommodated in the detergent container 50 a flows into the water and is supplied into the outer tub 20.

  Next, the configuration of the drive unit 30 will be described in detail.

  2 and 3 are cross-sectional views showing the configuration of the drive unit 30. FIG. FIG. 2 shows a state where the drive form of the drive unit 30 is switched to the biaxial drive form, and FIG. 3 shows a state where the drive form of the drive unit 30 is switched to the uniaxial drive form. FIG. 4 is a front view of the rotor 110 showing the configuration of the rotor 110 of the drive motor 100. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the rear part of the bearing unit 500 in which the spline 514 is formed. 6A to 6C are diagrams showing the configuration of the clutch body 610 of the clutch mechanism portion 600, and are a front view, a right side view, and a rear view of the clutch body 610, respectively.

  The drive unit 30 includes a drive motor 100, a blade shaft 200, a drum shaft 300, a planetary gear mechanism 400, a bearing unit 500, and a clutch mechanism unit 600. The drive motor 100 generates torque for driving the stirrer 24 and the drum 22. The blade shaft 200 is rotated by the torque of the drive motor 100 and transmits the rotation to the stirring body 24. The blade axis 200 corresponds to the first rotating shaft of the present invention. The planetary gear mechanism 400 decelerates the rotation of the blade shaft 200, that is, the rotation of the rotor 110 of the drive motor 100 and transmits it to the drum shaft 300. The drum shaft 300 rotates coaxially with the blade shaft 200 at a rotational speed reduced by the planetary gear mechanism 400 and transmits the rotation to the drum 22. The drum shaft 300 corresponds to the second rotating shaft of the present invention. The bearing unit 500 rotatably supports the blade shaft 200 and the drum shaft 300. The clutch mechanism 600 rotates the agitator 24, that is, the blade shaft 200 at a rotational speed equal to the rotational speed of the drive motor 100, and the drum 22, that is, the drum shaft 300, at a rotational speed reduced by the planetary gear mechanism 400. The two-shaft drive mode capable of rotating, and the agitator 24 and the drum 22, that is, the blade shaft 200, the drum shaft 300, and the planetary gear mechanism 400, can be integrally rotated at a rotational speed equal to that of the drive motor 100. The drive mode of the drive unit 30 is switched between possible uniaxial drive modes.

  The drive motor 100 is an outer rotor type DC brushless motor, and includes a rotor 110 and a stator 120. The rotor 110 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and permanent magnets 111 are arranged on the entire inner circumferential surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 4, a circular boss 112 is formed at the center of the rotor 110. A boss hole 113 for fixing the blade shaft 200 is formed in the boss part 112, and an annular engaged recess 114 is formed on the outer periphery of the boss hole 113. The outer peripheral part of the engaged recessed part 114 has the uneven | corrugated | grooved part 114a over the perimeter. The engaged recess 114 corresponds to the first engaged portion of the present invention.

  The stator 120 has a winding 121 on the outer periphery. When a driving current is supplied to the winding 121 of the stator 120 from a motor driving unit described later, the rotor 110 rotates.

  The drum shaft 300 has a hollow shape and includes the blade shaft 200 and the planetary gear mechanism 400. The drum shaft 300 bulges outward at the center, and the bulged portion serves as a housing portion for the planetary gear mechanism 400.

  The planetary gear mechanism 400 includes a sun gear 410, an annular internal gear 420 surrounding the sun gear 410, a plurality of planetary gears 430 interposed between the sun gear 410 and the internal gear 420, and the planetary gears 430 rotating. And a planet carrier 440 that is freely held.

  The sun gear 410 is fixed to the blade shaft 200, and the internal gear 420 is fixed to the drum shaft 300. The set of planetary gears 430 includes a first gear and a second gear that mesh with each other and rotate in opposite directions. The planet carrier 440 includes a carrier shaft 441 extending rearward. The carrier shaft 441 is coaxial with the drum shaft 300, and the inside thereof is formed hollow because the blade shaft 200 is inserted.

  The rear end portion of the blade shaft 200 protrudes rearward from the carrier shaft 441 and is fixed to the boss hole 113 of the rotor 110.

  The bearing unit 500 is provided with a cylindrical bearing portion 510 at the center. Inside the bearing 510, rolling bearings 511 and 512 are provided at the front and rear, and a mechanical seal 513 is provided at the front end. An outer peripheral surface of the drum shaft 300 is received by the rolling bearings 511 and 512 and smoothly rotates in the bearing portion 510. Further, the mechanical seal 513 prevents water from entering between the bearing portion 510 and the drum shaft 300. As shown in FIG. 5, a spline 514 is formed on the inner surface of the rear end portion of the bearing portion 510 over the entire circumference. The spline 514 corresponds to the second engaged portion of the present invention.

  In the bearing unit 500, a fixed flange portion 520 is formed around the bearing portion 510. A mounting boss 521 is formed at the lower end of the fixed flange portion 520.

  The bearing unit 500 is fixed to the rear surface of the outer tub 20 by a fixing method such as screwing at the fixing flange portion 520. In a state where the drive unit 30 is mounted on the outer tub 20, the blade shaft 200 and the drum shaft 300 face the inside of the outer tub 20. The drum 22 is fixed to the drum shaft 300, and the stirring body 24 is fixed to the blade shaft 200.

  Clutch mechanism portion 600 includes a clutch body 610, a clutch spring 620, a clutch lever 630, a lever support portion 640, a clutch drive device 650, and a mounting plate 660.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the clutch body 610 has a substantially disk shape. An annular spline 611 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion of the clutch body 610. The spline 611 is formed to engage with the spline 514 of the bearing unit 500. A flange portion 612 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the clutch body 610 behind the spline 611. Further, the clutch body 610 is formed with an annular engagement flange portion 613 at the rear end. The engaging flange portion 613 has the same shape as the engaged recessed portion 114 of the rotor 110, and has an uneven portion 613a on the entire outer periphery. When the engaging flange portion 613 is inserted into the engaged concave portion 114, the concave and convex portions 613a and 114a are engaged with each other. The engagement flange portion 613 corresponds to the first engagement portion of the present invention, and the spline 611 corresponds to the second engagement portion of the present invention.

  A carrier shaft 441 is inserted into the shaft hole 614 of the clutch body 610. A spline 614 a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole 614 engages with a spline 441 a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the carrier shaft 441. As a result, the clutch body 610 is allowed to move in the front-rear direction with respect to the carrier shaft 441 and is restricted from rotating in the circumferential direction.

  In the clutch body 610, an annular housing groove 615 is formed outside the shaft hole 614, and the clutch spring 620 is housed in the housing groove 615. The clutch spring 620 has one end in contact with the rear end portion of the bearing portion 510 and the other end in contact with the bottom surface of the housing groove 615.

  At the upper end portion of the clutch lever 630, a pressing portion 631 that contacts the rear surface of the flange portion 612 of the clutch body 610 and pushes the flange portion 612 forward is formed. The clutch lever 630 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 641 provided on the lever support portion 640. An attachment shaft 632 is formed at the lower end of the clutch lever 630.

  The clutch driving device 650 is disposed below the clutch lever 630. Clutch drive device 650 includes a torque motor 651 and a disc-shaped cam 652 that rotates around the horizontal axis by the torque of torque motor 651. On the upper surface of the cam 652, a cam shaft 653 is provided on the outer periphery. The rotation center of the cam 652 and the center of the mounting shaft 632 of the clutch lever 630 coincide with each other in the front-rear direction. The cam 652 corresponds to the operating body of the present invention.

  The relay rod 660 extends in the vertical direction and connects the clutch lever 630 and the cam 652. The relay rod 660 has an upper end attached to the attachment shaft 632 of the clutch lever 630 and a lower end attached to the cam shaft 653 of the cam 652. The relay rod 660 is integrally formed with a spring 661 at an intermediate position. The spring 661 is a tension spring.

  The lever support portion 640 and the clutch drive device 650 are fixed to the mounting plate 670 by a fixing method such as screwing. The mounting plate 670 is fixed to the mounting boss 521 of the bearing unit 500 with screws.

  When the drive mode of the drive unit 30 is switched from the single-axis drive mode to the biaxial drive mode, as shown in FIG. 2, the cam 652 is rotated by the torque motor 651 so that the cam shaft 653 is positioned at the lowest position. . As the cam 652 rotates, the lower end portion of the clutch lever 630 is pulled downward by the relay rod 660. The clutch lever 630 rotates forward about the support shaft 641, and the pressing portion 631 presses the clutch body 610 forward. The clutch body 610 moves forward against the elastic force of the clutch spring 620, and the spline 611 of the clutch body 610 and the spline 514 of the bearing unit 500 are engaged.

  When the camshaft 653 moves to an intermediate predetermined position, the clutch body 610 reaches a position where the spline 611 is engaged with the spline 514. At this time, the spring 661 of the relay rod 660 is in a natural length state. Since the clutch body 610 does not move before this engagement position, when the cam shaft 653 moves from the predetermined position to the lowest position, the spring 661 extends downward as shown in FIG. In this case, the clutch lever 630 is pulled by the spring 661 so as to be rotated forward, so that a pressing force is applied from the pressing portion 631 to the clutch body 610 in the engaged position. Thereby, the spline 611 can be firmly engaged with the spline 514.

  Hereinafter, the position of the clutch body 610 where the spline 611 and the spline 514 are engaged is referred to as a second position. In addition, the operation state of the cam 652 in which the cam shaft 653 is positioned at the lowest position is hereinafter referred to as a second operation state.

  When the spline 611 and the spline 514 are engaged with each other, the clutch body 610 is restricted from rotating in the circumferential direction with respect to the bearing unit 500 and cannot rotate. Therefore, the carrier shaft 441 of the planetary gear mechanism 400, The planet carrier 440 is fixed so as not to rotate. In such a state, when the rotor 110 rotates, the blade shaft 200 rotates at a rotation speed equal to the rotation speed of the rotor 110, and the stirring body 24 connected to the blade shaft 200 also rotates at a rotation speed equal to the rotation speed of the rotor 110. Rotate with. As the blade shaft 200 rotates, the sun gear 410 rotates in the planetary gear mechanism 400. As described above, since the planet carrier 440 is in a fixed state, the first gear and the second gear of the planetary gear 430 rotate in the same direction and in the opposite direction to the sun gear 410, respectively, and the internal gear 420 is the sun gear. Rotate in the same direction as 410. As a result, the drum shaft 300 fixed to the internal gear 420 rotates in the same direction as the blade shaft 200 at a lower rotational speed than the blade shaft 200, and the drum 22 fixed to the drum shaft 300 is more than the stirrer 24. It rotates in the same direction as the stirring member 24 at a low rotational speed. In other words, the stirring member 24 rotates in the same direction as the drum 22 at a rotational speed faster than that of the drum 22.

  On the other hand, when the form of the drive unit 30 is switched from the biaxial drive form to the uniaxial drive form, as shown in FIG. 3, the cam 652 is rotated by the torque motor 651 so that the cam shaft 653 is positioned at the uppermost position. The When the cam 652 rotates and the cam shaft 653 moves upward, first, the spring 661 contracts. When the spring 661 returns to the natural length, the relay rod 660 moves upward as the cam shaft 653 moves, and the lower end of the clutch lever 630 is pushed by the relay rod 660 and moves upward. The clutch lever 630 rotates backward about the support shaft 641, and the pressing portion 631 is separated from the flange portion 612 of the clutch body 610. The clutch body 610 is moved rearward by the elastic force of the clutch spring 620, and the engagement flange portion 613 of the clutch body 610 and the engaged recess 114 of the rotor 110 are engaged.

  The position of the clutch body 610 where the engaging flange portion 613 and the engaged recess 114 are engaged is hereinafter referred to as a first position. In addition, the operation state of the cam 652 in which the cam shaft 653 is positioned at the uppermost position is hereinafter referred to as a first operation state.

  When the engagement flange portion 613 and the engaged recess 114 are engaged, the rotation of the clutch body 610 in the circumferential direction with respect to the rotor 110 is restricted, and the clutch body 610 becomes rotatable with the rotor 110. In such a state, when the rotor 110 rotates, the blade shaft 200 and the clutch body 610 rotate at a rotational speed equal to the rotational speed of the rotor 110. At this time, in the planetary gear mechanism 400, the sun gear 410 and the planet carrier 440 rotate at the same rotational speed as the rotor 110. As a result, the internal gear 420 rotates at the same rotational speed as the sun gear 410 and the planet carrier 440, and the drum shaft 300 fixed to the internal gear 420 rotates at the same rotational speed as the rotor 110. That is, in the drive unit 30, the blade shaft 200, the planetary gear mechanism 400, and the drum shaft 300 rotate together. Thereby, the drum 22 and the stirring body 24 rotate integrally.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the drum type washing machine 1.

  In addition to the configuration described above, the drum type washing machine 1 includes a control unit 701, a storage unit 702, an operation unit 703, a water level sensor 704, a motor drive unit 705, a water supply drive unit 706, a drainage drive unit 707, a clutch drive unit 708, and a door. A locking device 709 is provided.

  The operation unit 703 includes a power button 703a, a start button 703b, and a course selection button 703c. The power button 703 a is a button for turning on and off the power of the drum type washing machine 1. The start button 703b is a button for starting operation. The course selection button 703c is a button for selecting an arbitrary driving course from a plurality of driving courses related to the washing operation. The operation unit 703 outputs an input signal corresponding to the button operated by the user to the control unit 701.

  The water level sensor 704 detects the water level in the outer tub 20 and outputs a water level detection signal corresponding to the detected water level to the control unit 701.

  The motor drive unit 705 supplies a drive current to the drive motor 100 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 701. The motor drive unit 705 includes a speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of the drive motor 100, an inverter circuit, and the like, and adjusts the drive current so that the drive motor 100 rotates at the rotation speed set by the control unit 701.

  The water supply drive unit 706 supplies a drive current to the water supply valve 51 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 701. The drain drive unit 707 supplies a drive current to the drain valve 40 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 701.

  Clutch drive device 650 includes a first detection sensor 653 and a second detection sensor 654. The first detection sensor 653 and the second detection sensor 654 constitute a state detection unit of the present invention. The first detection sensor 653 detects that the cam 652 is in the first operation state, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 701. The second detection sensor 654 detects that the cam 652 has entered the second operation state, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 701. The clutch drive unit 708 supplies a drive current to the torque motor 651 in accordance with a control signal output from the control unit 701 based on detection signals from the first detection sensor 653 and the second detection sensor 654.

  The door lock device 709 locks and unlocks the door 12 according to a control signal from the control unit 701.

  The storage unit 702 includes an EEPROM, a RAM, and the like. The storage unit 702 stores programs for executing washing operations of various washing operation courses. The storage unit 702 stores various parameters and various control flags used for executing these programs.

  The control unit 701 is based on each signal from the operation unit 703, the water level sensor 704, etc., and according to a program stored in the storage unit 702, a motor driving unit 705, a water supply driving unit 706, a drainage driving unit 707, and a clutch driving unit 708. Control the door lock device 709 and the like.

  The drum type washing machine 1 performs a washing operation of various operation courses based on a user's selection operation by the course selection button 703c. In the washing operation, a washing process, an intermediate dehydration process, a rinsing process, and a final dehydration process are sequentially performed. Depending on the operation course, the intermediate dehydration step and the rinsing step may be performed twice or more.

  In the washing process and the rinsing process, the drive mode of the drive unit 30 is switched to the biaxial drive mode. In order to immerse the laundry in the drum 22 in the water, water is accumulated in the outer tub 20 up to a predetermined water level that does not reach the lower edge of the charging port 11, and in this state, the drive motor 100 alternately rotates forward and reversely. Reverse. Thereby, the drum 22 and the stirring member 24 alternately rotate forward and reverse in a state where the rotation speed of the stirring member 24 is faster than the rotation speed of the drum 22. At this time, the drum 22 rotates at a rotational speed at which the centrifugal force acting on the laundry becomes smaller than gravity.

  The laundry in the drum 22 is beaten against the inner peripheral surface of the drum 22 by being scraped and dropped by the baffle 23. In addition, at the rear part of the drum 22, the laundry comes into contact with the blades 24a of the rotating stirring body 24, and the laundry is rubbed against the blades 24a or the laundry is stirred by the blades 24a. As a result, the laundry is washed or rinsed.

  In the intermediate dehydration process and the final dehydration process, the drive mode of the drive unit 30 is switched to the uniaxial drive mode. The drive motor 100, that is, the drum 22 and the stirring member 24 rotate at a rotation speed at which the centrifugal force acting on the laundry in the drum 22 is much greater than the gravity. The laundry is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the drum 22 by the action of the centrifugal force and dehydrated.

  When the clutch body 610 is moved by the elastic force of the clutch spring 620 to reach the first position when switching from the biaxial drive mode to the uniaxial drive mode, as shown in FIG. 114a may be displaced in the rotational direction of the rotor 110, that is, the drive motor 100. In FIG. 8, for convenience, the clutch body 610 is indicated by a one-dot chain line.

  Thus, when the uneven | corrugated | grooved parts 613a and 114a have shifted | deviated, the clutch body 610 does not advance to a 1st position, but the engagement flange part 613 and the to-be-engaged recessed part 114 do not engage. In such a state, when the drive motor 100 is rotated in earnest for dehydration, the rotation of the drive motor 100 rises relatively rapidly, so that the engagement flange portion 613 and the engaged recess 114 are engaged. There is a possibility that the drive motor 100 may rise to the rotational speed for dehydration without being able to match. In this case, the rotation of the drive motor 100 is not properly transmitted to the drum shaft 300, so that the drum 22 does not rotate properly and the laundry cannot be properly dehydrated.

  Further, when the clutch body 610 is pushed by the clutch lever 630 and moves to the second position when switching from the single-axis drive mode to the biaxial drive mode, each tooth of the spline 611 and each tooth of the spline 514 May be displaced in the circumferential direction of the clutch body 610. In this case, the clutch body 610 does not advance to the second position, and the splines 611 and 514 are not engaged with each other. Therefore, when the drive motor 100 rotates in a state where the splines 611 and 514 are not engaged with each other at the time of easy washing, the drum 22 does not rotate properly, and the washing is easy to wash. There is a possibility that it cannot be done.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a uniaxial switching process for accurately switching from the biaxial driving mode to the uniaxial driving mode, and a biaxial for accurately switching from the uniaxial driving mode to the biaxial driving mode. Switching processing is executed by the control unit 701. Hereinafter, the uniaxial switching process and the biaxial switching process will be described in detail.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the uniaxial switching process.

  Before the uniaxial switching process is started, the drive form of the drive unit 30 is the biaxial drive form, and the cam 652 of the clutch drive device 650 is in the second operation state.

  When the uniaxial switching process is started, the control unit 701 rotates the torque motor 651 (S101). The control unit 701 determines whether a detection signal is output from the first detection sensor 653 (S102). When the detection signal is output from the first detection sensor 653 by rotating the cam 652 until the cam shaft 653 is positioned at the uppermost position (S102: YES), the control unit 701 stops the torque motor 651 (S103). ). As described above, the clutch body 610 reaches the first position when the concave and convex portions 613a and 114a are not displaced from each other and the engaging flange portion 613 and the engaged concave portion 114 are engaged. On the other hand, the clutch body 610 does not reach the first position when the concave and convex portions 613a and 114a are displaced from each other and the engaging flange portion 613 and the engaged concave portion 114 are not engaged.

  When the torque motor 651 is stopped, the control unit 701 next sets the rotation speed of the drive motor 100 to a predetermined preliminary rotation speed, and supplies the drive current corresponding to the preliminary rotation speed to the drive motor 100 for driving. The motor 100 is preliminarily rotated (S104). The preliminary rotation speed is set to a rotation speed that is slower than the rotation speed when the drive motor 100 is rotated in earnest in the single-axis drive mode, for example, about 20 rpm to 30 rpm. Thereby, the drive current to the drive motor 100 at the time of preliminary rotation becomes smaller than the drive current of the drive motor 100 at the time of full-scale rotation.

  The rotor 110 of the drive motor 100 rotates slowly. When the concave and convex portions 613 a and 114 a are displaced from each other, when the concave portion 613 a and 114 a rotate to a position where the concave and convex portions 613 a and 114 a coincide with each other as the rotor 110 rotates, the engaging flange portion 613 and the concave portion 114 to be engaged. And engage. The clutch body 610 reaches the first position.

  When a predetermined preliminary rotation time has elapsed (S105), the control unit 701 stops the drive motor 100 (S106). The preliminary rotation time is set to a time such that the rotor 110 of the drive motor 100 rotates from half rotation to several rotations by rotation at the preliminary rotation speed, for example. Since the rotor 110 of the drive motor 100 rotates more than an angle R corresponding to one pitch of the concave and convex portions 114a of the engaged concave portion 114 shown in FIG. 8, the rotor 110 of the engaging flange portion 613 engages with the concave and convex portions 613a. Even if there is a shift of nearly one pitch between the concave and convex portion 114a of the concave portion 114, the engaging flange portion 613 and the concave portion 114 to be engaged can be engaged.

  Thus, the uniaxial switching process ends. Thereafter, the control unit 701 rotates the drive motor 100 in earnest. For example, when the dehydration process is performed in the uniaxial drive mode, the control unit 701 supplies a drive current corresponding to the rotation speed for dehydration to the drive motor 100 to rotate the drive motor 100.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the biaxial switching process.

  Before the biaxial switching process is started, the drive mode of the drive unit 30 is the single-axis drive mode, and the cam 652 of the clutch drive device 650 is in the first operation state.

  When the biaxial switching process is started, the control unit 701 rotates the torque motor 651 (S201). The control unit 701 determines whether a detection signal is output from the second detection sensor 654 (S202). When the detection signal is output from the second detection sensor 654 by rotating the cam 652 until the cam shaft 653 is positioned at the lowest position (S202: YES), the control unit 701 stops the torque motor 651 (S203). ). As described above, the clutch body 610 reaches the second position when the splines 611 and 514 are engaged with each other. On the other hand, the clutch body 610 does not reach the second position when the splines 611 and 514 are displaced from each other and the splines 611 and 514 are not engaged with each other.

  When the torque motor 651 is stopped, the control unit 701 next sets the rotation speed of the drive motor 100 to a predetermined preliminary rotation speed, and supplies the drive current corresponding to the preliminary rotation speed to the drive motor 100 for driving. The motor 100 is preliminarily rotated (S204). The preliminary rotation speed is set to a rotation speed that is slower than the rotation speed when the drive motor 100 is rotated in earnest by the two-axis drive mode. Thereby, the drive current to the drive motor 100 at the time of preliminary rotation becomes smaller than the drive current of the drive motor 100 at the time of full-scale rotation. The preliminary rotational speed set in the biaxial switching process may be the same as or different from the preliminary rotational speed set in the single-axis switching process.

  The rotor 110 of the drive motor 100 rotates slowly. As the rotor 110 rotates, the blade shaft 200 rotates. As a result, when the sun gear 410 rotates, the planetary gear 430 rotates. Here, when the splines 611 and 514 are not engaged with each other, both the internal gear 420 and the planet carrier 440 can rotate, but the internal gear 420 is connected to the drum 22 and the planet carrier 440 is a clutch body. The planetary carrier 440 that requires only a small amount of torque for rotation because of being connected to 610 rotates as the planetary gear 430 rotates. When the clutch body 610 rotates along with the rotation of the planet carrier 440, the splines 611 and 514 that are shifted from each other are engaged with each other. The clutch body 610 reaches the first position.

  When a predetermined preliminary rotation time has elapsed (S205), the control unit 701 stops the drive motor 100 (S206). The preliminary rotation time is set to a time such that the rotor 110 of the drive motor 100 rotates from half rotation to several rotations by rotation at the preliminary rotation speed, for example. The preliminary rotation time of the two-axis switching process may be the same as or different from the preliminary rotation time of the single-axis switching process.

  Thus, the biaxial switching process ends. Thereafter, the control unit 701 rotates the drive motor 100 in earnest. For example, when the washing process is performed in the biaxial drive mode, the control unit 701 supplies the drive motor 100 with a drive current corresponding to the rotation speed for washing, and rotates the drive motor 100. Alternatively, for example, when the rinsing process is performed in a two-axis drive mode, the control unit 701 supplies the drive motor 100 with a drive current corresponding to the rotational speed for rinsing, and rotates the drive motor 100.

<Effect of Embodiment>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, after the clutch mechanism 600 is operated so that the clutch body 610 moves to the first position in order to switch from the biaxial drive mode to the uniaxial drive mode. Then, a uniaxial switching process is performed in which the drive motor 100 is rotated so that the non-engaged engagement flange portion 613 and the engaged recess 114 are engaged. As a result, even if the engagement flange 613 and the engaged recess 114 are displaced when the clutch mechanism 600 is operated so that the clutch body 610 moves to the first position, the displacement is eliminated. Thus, the engaging flange portion 613 and the engaged recessed portion 114 can be engaged. Therefore, since the switching from the biaxial drive mode to the uniaxial drive mode can be performed with high accuracy, the drum 22 and the agitator 24 can be properly rotated in the uniaxial drive mode, and proper dehydration can be performed. .

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, in the single-axis switching process, the drive motor 100 is rotated with a drive current smaller than the drive current when the drive motor 100 is rotated in the single-axis drive mode after the single-axis switching process. Therefore, the drive motor 100 can be rotated slowly. Thereby, it becomes easy to engage the engagement flange part 613 and the to-be-engaged recessed part 114, and can improve switching accuracy.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the clutch mechanism 600 is operated so that the clutch body 610 moves to the second position for switching from the single-axis driving mode to the biaxial driving mode, and then engaged. A biaxial switching process for rotating the drive motor 100 so that the spline 611 and the spline 514 that are not engaged with each other is executed. As a result, even if the spline 611 and the spline 514 are displaced when the clutch mechanism 600 is operated so that the clutch body 610 moves to the second position, the displacement is eliminated and the splines 611 and 514 are connected to each other. Can be engaged. Therefore, since the switching from the single-axis driving mode to the biaxial driving mode can be performed with high accuracy, the drum 22 and the stirring body 24 can be properly rotated in the two-axis driving mode, and proper washing or rinsing can be performed. be able to.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, in the biaxial switching process, the driving motor 100 is rotated with a driving current smaller than the driving current when the driving motor 100 is rotated in the biaxial driving mode after the biaxial switching process. Thus, the drive motor 100 can be rotated slowly. As a result, the spline 611 and the spline 514 are easily engaged, and the switching accuracy can be increased.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the position of the clutch body 610 is indirectly detected by detecting the operation state of the cam 652 by the first detection sensor 653 and the second detection sensor 654. The drive mode of the drive unit 30 can be switched without using a sensor or the like that directly detects the position of the clutch body 610.

<Example of change>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the like, and various modifications can be made to the embodiments of the present invention in addition to the above. is there.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the engagement flange portion 613 is formed as the first engagement portion in the clutch body 610, and the engaged recess 114 is formed as the first engagement portion in the rotor 110 of the drive motor 100. . However, as long as the clutch body 610 and the rotor 110 can be fixed in the circumferential direction by engaging with each other, the configurations of the first engaging portion and the first engaged portion may be any. Further, in the above embodiment, the spline 611 is formed as the second engaging portion in the clutch body 610, and the spline 514 is formed as the second engaged portion in the bearing portion 510 of the bearing unit 500. However, as long as the clutch body 610 and the bearing portion 510 can be fixed in the circumferential direction by engaging with each other, the configurations of the second engaging portion and the second engaged portion may be any.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when the preliminary rotation time has elapsed in the one-axis switching process and the two-axis switching process, the drive motor 100 stops. However, when the pre-rotation time has elapsed, the drive motor 100 may not be stopped but may be shifted from the pre-rotation to the rotation for dehydration or washing as it is.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the drum shaft 300 is fixed to the internal gear 420 and the clutch body 610 is connected to the carrier shaft 441, that is, the planet carrier 440. Thereby, in the two-axis drive mode, when the blade shaft 200 rotates with the planetary carrier 440 fixed by the clutch body 610, the planetary gear 430 rotates along with the rotation of the sun gear 410, and thus the planetary gear 430 rotates. The internal gear 420 rotates at a low rotation speed. However, as shown in FIG. 11, the drum shaft 300 may be fixed to the planet carrier 440. In this case, a shaft portion 425 having a front end portion 425 a protruding rearward from the drum shaft 300 is attached to the internal gear 420. Then, the clutch body 610 is coupled to the shaft portion 425. That is, the clutch body 610 is connected to the internal gear 420 via the shaft portion 425. Further, the planetary gear 430 is changed to have only the first gear. In the biaxial drive mode, when the blade shaft 200 rotates while the internal gear 420 is fixed by the clutch body 610, the planetary gear 430 rotates and revolves along with the rotation of the sun gear 410, and is slower than the sun gear 410. The planet carrier 440 rotates at the rotation speed. As a result, the drum shaft 300 fixed to the planet carrier 440 rotates.

  Furthermore, since the pitch between the teeth of the splines 611 and 514 is fine, it is unlikely that the splines 611 and 514 are not engaged with each other as compared with the case of switching from the biaxial drive mode to the uniaxial drive mode. Therefore, if the accuracy with which the splines 611 and 514 engage with each other is sufficiently high, steps S204 to S206 for preliminarily rotating the drive motor 100 may be omitted in the biaxial switching process.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the drum 22 rotates around the tilt axis tilted with respect to the horizontal direction. However, the drum type washing machine 1 may be configured such that the drum 22 rotates about the horizontal axis.

  Furthermore, although the drum type washing machine 1 of the above embodiment does not have a drying function, the present invention can also be applied to a drum type washing machine having a drying function, that is, a drum type washing and drying machine.

  In addition, the embodiment of the present invention can be variously modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea shown in the claims.

10 housing
20 Outer tank
22 drums
24 Stirring body (rotating body)
24a Feather (projection)
30 Drive unit (drive unit)
100 drive motor
110 rotor
114 Engaged recess (first engaged part)
200 Blade axis (first rotation axis)
300 Drum shaft (second rotation shaft)
400 Planetary gear mechanism
410 Sun gear
420 Internal gear
430 Planetary gear
440 Planetary Carrier
500 Bearing unit
510 Bearing
514 Spline (second engaged portion)
600 Clutch mechanism
610 Clutch body
611 spline (second engaging part)
613 Engagement flange (first engagement part)
650 Clutch drive device
652 Cam (actuator)
653 1st detection sensor (state detection part)
654 Second detection sensor (state detection unit)
701 control unit

Claims (5)

An outer tub disposed in the housing;
A drum arranged in the outer tub and rotatable around a horizontal axis or an inclined axis inclined with respect to the horizontal direction;
A rotating body disposed at the rear of the drum and having a protrusion on the surface that contacts the laundry;
A drive section for rotating the drum and the rotating body;
A control unit for controlling the operation of the drive unit,
The drive unit is
A drive motor;
A first rotating shaft for transmitting rotation of the drive motor to the rotating body;
A second rotating shaft for transmitting rotation of the drive motor to the drum;
A sun gear that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the motor, an annular internal gear that surrounds the sun gear, a plurality of planetary gears interposed between the sun gear and the internal gear, and the planetary gears are rotatable. A planetary gear mechanism that holds the planetary carrier, and one of the planetary carrier and the internal gear is fixed to the second rotation shaft;
The drive unit is driven by a single-axis drive mode in which the first rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft are integrally rotated at the same rotational speed, and the first rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft are rotated differently. A clutch mechanism that switches between two-axis drive modes that rotate separately at a speed,
The clutch mechanism is
The planetary carrier and the internal gear are connected to the other in a state in which the rotation in the circumferential direction with respect to the other is restricted and the movement of the second rotating shaft in the axial direction is allowed, and the first engagement A clutch body having a portion and a second engagement portion ;
A clutch spring,
A clutch lever;
A lever support portion for rotatably supporting the clutch lever;
A clutch drive having a rotating cam;
A relay rod for connecting the cam and the clutch lever ,
The clutch lever is rotated by the rotation of the cam, the clutch body is moved to the first position by the elastic force of the clutch spring, and the first engagement portion is rotated by the rotation of the drive motor at the first position. When engaged with the first engaged portion rotating with the drive mode is switched to the single drive mode,
From the state where the clutch body is in the first position, the clutch lever is rotated in the reverse direction by the rotation of the cam, the clutch body is pushed by the clutch lever, and the elastic force of the clutch spring is against the elastic force. The clutch body is moved to the second position, and at the second position, the second engaging portion engages with the second engaged portion that does not rotate with the rotation of the drive motor, and the other does not rotate. When the state is reached, the drive mode is switched to the biaxial drive mode,
The relay rod is provided with a spring, and when the cam further rotates from a state where the clutch body is in the second position, the spring extends and the clutch body in the second position is moved to the clutch lever. Is pushed toward the second engaged portion side by
In order to switch from the biaxial drive mode to the uniaxial drive mode, the control unit is not engaged after operating the clutch mechanism unit to move the clutch body to the first position. Performing a uniaxial switching process of rotating the drive motor so that the first engaging portion and the first engaged portion are engaged;
A drum-type washing machine characterized by that. In the drum type washing machine according to claim 1,
In the uniaxial switching process, the control unit rotates the driving motor with a driving current smaller than a driving current when the driving motor is rotated in the uniaxial driving mode after the uniaxial switching process.
A drum-type washing machine characterized by that. In the drum type washing machine according to claim 1 or 2,
For before Symbol uniaxial driving form of switching to the two-axis drive mode, the control section, after the clutch body is operated the clutch mechanism so as to move to the second position, in engagement Performing a biaxial switching process of rotating the drive motor so that the second engaging portion and the second engaged portion are not engaged,
A drum-type washing machine characterized by that. In the drum type washing machine according to claim 3,
In the biaxial switching process, the control unit rotates the driving motor with a driving current smaller than a driving current when the driving motor is rotated in the biaxial driving mode after the biaxial switching process.
A drum-type washing machine characterized by that. In the drum type washing machine according to claim 3 or 4,
Before Symbol clutch driving device,
The cam is capable of transitioning between a first operating state in which the clutch body is moved to the first position and a second operating state in which the clutch body is moved to the second position;
A state detection unit for detecting an operation state of the cam ;
The controller is
In the uniaxial switching process, the clutch driving device is operated based on a detection result of the state detection unit so that the cam transitions to the first operation state.
In the biaxial switching process, the clutch driving device is operated based on a detection result of the state detection unit so that the cam transitions to the second operation state.
A drum-type washing machine characterized by that.

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