JPH01115397A - Electronically controlled washer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To make stoppable a washing operation end alarm by buzzer sound at need and to make exhibitable this function without increasing the number of parts by providing a judging means for judging the length of a specified ON time and a means for stopping the alarm by buzzer sound when the prescribed ON time is obtained by this judging means. CONSTITUTION: The setting of washing operation is performed by setting a water current, washing time, number of times of rinsing, dehydrating time and water level by pressing the respective operating switches of a fully automatic course switch 7e, a washing switch 7a, a rinsing switch 7b, a dehydrating switch 7c and a water level switch 7d and these set contents are shown by an indicator lamp 8 as process indications. At such a time, when the fully automatic course switch 7e to be used for both a fully automatic course and a manual course is pressed longer than 5 sec, this is detected by an ON time discriminating circuit 9a, and an end buzzer inhibit flag is set to a memory in a microcomputer 5 for stooping the washing operation end alarm due to the buzzer sound (a buzzer sound stop circuit 9b is formed). A lamp indicating circuit 9c is operated and the indicator lamp 8 for the final process of washing operation is flickered until the end of washing operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an electronically controlled washing machine using a microcomputer.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, washing machines have been used whose operation is controlled using an electronic control circuit such as a microcomputer instead of a mechanical timer. These electronically controlled washing machines can use push-button switches for the operation parts, so they can be operated with a lighter touch compared to conventional knob-type or lever-type ones. It has the advantage that a wide variety of detailed operations can be performed using the number of switches.

Figure 3 shows a fully automatic washing machine as an example.
A fixed water tank (not shown) is provided inside the exterior casing (1), and a washing and dehydration tank (2) is installed inside the water tank (not shown).
A stirring blade (3) was installed in the center of 2).

The washing and dewatering tank (2) and the agitation blade (3) have concentric drive shafts, and one common motor uses a spring clutch mechanism to rotate only the agitation blade (3) in forward and reverse directions;
There are two cases: the stirring M (3) and the case where the washing and dehydrating tank (2) rotates only in one direction at high speed.

A lid (4) with a switch function (lid switch) is attached to the top surface of the exterior housing (1), and an operation switch section (5) containing a built-in microcomputer is also formed. A water supply mechanism (not shown) for supplying water, a device (not shown) for braking and draining water from the washing and dewatering tank (2), and the like are provided inside.

As shown in FIG. 4, the operation switch section (5) includes a power switch (6), a wash switch (7a), a rinse switch (7b), a dehydration switch (7c), and a water level switch (7).
d), various push-button operation switches such as fully automatic course switch (7e), - time stop/cancel switch (7''),
An indicator lamp (8) using an LED is exposed on the surface.

FIG. 5 is a block circuit diagram of the control system, and (9) in the figure shows a control circuit using a microcomputer.

By turning on the power switch (6) provided on the front of the operation switch section (5), the low voltage power supply circuit (13) is turned on.
is activated, and the control circuit (9) starts operating. Then, by setting the washing operation, washing starts. When setting the washing operation using the operation switch, in the case of a fully automatic course, by pressing the fully automatic course switch (7e), several washing times, rinsing times, spin-drying time, and water flow settings that are preset in the microcomputer can be set. You can choose a combination of strengths. (See Figure 6) When using the manual course, set the washing time, number of rinses, and dehydration time using the wash switch (7a), rinse switch (7b), and dehydration switch (7c), and also adjust the water flow. The strength is set using the fully automatic course switch (7e), which also serves as a water flow selection switch. ((7a)
- If the switch (7c) is pressed before the fully automatic course switch (7e), the fully automatic course switch (7e)
Even if you press , only the strength of the water flow changes. ) Further, if the water level is not set to the desired level, use the water level switch (7d) to adjust the water level to the desired level. The contents of these cents are indicated each time by a display lamp (8).

The above is the operation operation of the operation. The control circuit (9) receives the input command of the washing operation course by each operation switch (7a) to (7e), sets it, and displays the setting contents with the display lamp (
8). Then, while taking in information from the lid switch (7g), etc. activated by the lid (4), the stirring blade (3) and washing tub/dehydration tub (2) are activated according to the washing, rinsing, and spin-drying steps that have already been set. Loads such as the driving motor, water supply valve, brake/drainage device, etc. (11
) and control each of them. In addition, - hour stop /
The release switch (7f) is used to temporarily stop or restart the washing operation.

And when all steps of washing, rinsing, and dehydration are completed,
As shown in FIG. 6, a buzzer (10) is activated by the output from the control circuit (9) to notify the end of washing.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The washing completion notification using the buzzer sound is automatically set at the start of the washing operation, and there is no means for arbitrarily canceling this notification. Therefore, regardless of whether it is a fully automatic course or a manual course, a buzzer always sounds at the end of the process to notify the end of washing, and this completes the washing operation.

The buzzer sound to notify the end of washing must be loud enough to be recognized inside the house, and must be sounded for a certain period of time to prevent people from missing it.

However, there is no particular need to know when the washing is finished, and there may be cases where a buzzer notifies the user that the washing is finished, such as when the user does not want to make a sound for some reason.

Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate the buzzer notification if necessary, but the methods to achieve this are a hardware method that cuts off the power to the buzzer with a switch, etc., and a software method that prevents the output from the buzzer using a program. Method 2
There are many possible types. All of these required a switch to electrically turn off the buzzer output, or a switch to tell the control circuit that the end buzzer should not sound.

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned inconveniences, and to provide an electronic control system that can cancel the buzzer sound to notify the end of the washing operation as needed, and that can perform this function without increasing the number of parts, has excellent operability, and is inexpensive. Our goal is to provide washing machines.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes means for setting the washing operation process using one or more operation switches, means for displaying the set contents with a lamp, and means for notifying the end of the operation process with a buzzer sound. In an electronically controlled washing machine using a microcomputer, there is provided a determining means for determining the length of on time of a specific one of the operation switches, and stopping notification of a buzzer sound when a predetermined on time is obtained by the determining means. The gist of this is that it provides a means to do so.

[Effect]

According to the present invention, the end of washing is notified by a buzzer sound (if not, a specific operation switch is kept pressed for a certain period of time or more).

The control circuit forms a circuit that counts the operation time (time for which the operation switch is kept pressed) and stops the buzzer sound to notify the end of the washing operation when a predetermined time has elapsed.

As a result, the control circuit does not output an output to the buzzer even when the washing process is completed, and the buzzer does not sound.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a block circuit diagram showing one embodiment of the electronically controlled washing machine of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a flowchart of the same. Reference numerals are attached.

Further, the overall structure of the washing machine and the structure of the operating switch section are the same as those explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

The present invention includes, in the control circuit (9), an on-time discrimination circuit (9a) as a discriminating means for counting the on-time period during which a fully automatic course switch (7η) among the operation switches, for example, is pressed, and determining whether the count is long or short; As a means for canceling the notification of the buzzer sound, a buzzer sound canceling circuit (9b) receives the output of the on-time discrimination circuit (9a) and does not output to the buzzer (10) after the washing process is completed, and a display is also displayed at the same time. A lamp display circuit (9C) for blinking the lamp (8) was provided.

In addition, if the on-time determination circuit (9a) cannot obtain a predetermined on-time, it outputs an output to the buzzer sound generation circuit (9d), and upon receiving this output, the circuit (9d) sounds the buzzer (10) at the end of the washing process. Output to.

The power switch (
6), the low-voltage power supply circuit (13) is activated and the microcomputer-based control circuit (9) is started to operate.

Then, as shown in Figure 2, the fully automatic course switch (7
e), wash switch (7a), rinse switch (7b)
, the spin-drying switch (7c), the water level switch (7d), etc., to set the water flow, wash time, number of rinses, spin-dry time, and water level to set the washing operation, and then set the settings. It is the same as the conventional example that is indicated by the indicator lamp (8) as a process display.

At this time, if the fully automatic course switch (7e) used for both fully automatic course and manual course is pressed for more than 5 seconds, the on time discrimination circuit (9a) detects this,
Set the termination buzzer prohibition flag in the memory in the microcomputer to cancel the buzzer sound to notify the end of the washing operation (
forming a buzzer abort circuit (9b)). Thereafter, the operation is the same as the conventional operation until the end of the dehydration process.

Furthermore, if the end buzzer prohibition flag is set as described above, the lamp display circuit (9c) is activated, and the indicator lamp (8) for the last process of the washing operation (normal dehydration) blinks until the end of the washing operation. .

After the dehydration process is completed, it is determined whether the end buzzer prohibition flag is set in the microcomputer memory, and if it is not set, the buzzer sound generation circuit (9d) operates and the buzzer (
10) sounds. Also, when it is set, the buzzer sound canceling circuit (9b) is activated and the buzzer sound does not notify the end of washing, thereby completely ending the washing process.

In the above embodiment, the time to keep the operation switch pressed was 5 seconds, and the operation switch was a fully automatic course switch (7e), but other switches may be used, and the time does not have to be 5 seconds.

In addition, the state in which the washing end notification is canceled by the buzzer sound is indicated by blinking the display lamp (8) for displaying the last process of the washing process, but the blinking of the display lamp (8) may be single or plural. Display lamp for process display (8)
may be used for this.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the electronically controlled washing machine of the present invention includes means for setting the washing operation process using one or more operation switches;
In an electronically controlled washing machine using a microcomputer, which is equipped with a means for displaying the set contents with a lamp and a means for notifying the end of the operation process with a buzzer sound, the required time is determined by the pressing time of the operation switch used to set the washing operation. The buzzer output can be stopped at the end of washing depending on the conditions.

Moreover, this function of stopping the buzzer output can be performed without increasing the number of parts, so it is easy to operate and does not require an increase in cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block circuit diagram showing one embodiment of the electronically controlled washing machine of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a flowchart of the same as above, Fig. 3 is an external perspective view of the electronically controlled fully automatic washing machine, and Fig. 4 is the same as above. A plan view of the operation switch section, Fig. 5 shows the conventional example of Pro-7.
FIG. 6 is a process diagram showing the washing operation process. (1) Exterior (2) Washing/dehydration tank (3) Stirring blade (4) Lid (5
)...Operation switch section (6)...Power switch (
7a)...Wash switch (7b)...Rinse switch (7C)...Jllll switch (7d)...
Water level switch (7e)... Fully automatic course switch (7f)... - Hour stop/release switch (7g)...
Lid switch (8)...Indication lamp (9)...Control circuit (9a)...On time discrimination circuit (9b)...Buzzer sound cancellation circuit (9c)...Lamp display circuit (9d) ...Buzzer sound generation circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Electronic control by a microcomputer that includes means for setting the washing operation process using one or more operation switches, means for displaying the set contents with a lamp, and means for notifying the end of the operation process with a buzzer sound. The type washing machine is provided with a determining means for determining whether the on time of a specific one of the operation switches is long or short, and means for stopping notification of a buzzer sound when a predetermined on time is obtained by the determining means. An electronically controlled washing machine featuring: (2) The electronically controlled washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the stop means for stopping the notification of the buzzer sound indicates its operation with a lamp.