JPH0249691A - Drum type washing/drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a series of washing and drying processes such as optimum washing, rinsing and drying to be performed with high quality thereof by judging an amount of the washing in a rotary drum with a control unit on the basis of a measuring signal of a water meter to automatically perform a series of washing and drying processes such as washing, rinsing and drying according to requirements adapted to the amount of the washing. CONSTITUTION:A water supply amount is measured by a water meter, and a CPU 17 calculates a difference between a reference supply amount and an actual one on the basis of a water amount measuring signal after the completion of watersupply. An amount of the washing in a rotary drum is judged on the basis of the difference between both amounts. The judgement of the washing amount is performed on the basis of the relationship between the water supply amount and the amount of the washing. That is, said relationship is input in a memory 20 and the CPU 17 judges the amount of the washing from the difference between the calculated water amounts on the basis of said relationship. Thus, by judging the amount of the washing on the basis of a change in the supply amount of washing water, it is made possible that the amount of the washing can be judged in consideration of the volume and water absorbing property of the washing can be judged.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a washer/dryer, and particularly to a drum type washer/dryer equipped with means for determining the amount of laundry.

[Conventional technology]

A drum-type washer/dryer is known that fully automatically performs a series of washing and drying processes such as water supply, washing, and drying within a rotating drum. In such drum-type washer/dryers, the optimal amount of washing water during washing varies depending on the amount of laundry, and the required drying time varies depending on the amount of laundry. (Different. Therefore, in order to wash and dry well, it is important to judge the amount of laundry. In particular, it is important to determine the amount of laundry to be washed. In particular, it is important to determine the amount of laundry to be washed. In drum-type washing machines that perform washing, it is important to supply washing water that is appropriate for the amount of laundry.In the past, various devices have been proposed as means for determining the amount of laundry. A washing machine that determines whether or not the load exceeds the maximum operating weight and a washing machine that sets the water level of washing water according to the weight of the laundry are disclosed. A cross section of a washing machine having a function of measuring the weight of laundry disclosed in the publication is shown.As shown in FIG. 4(a), an outer tub 2 is provided inside a casing 1. A rotary drum 3 is rotatably supported in this outer tank 2 by a support 4.As shown in FIG. 4(b), the legs 4a of the support 4, Strain gauge 25a on one of 4b
, 25b and 25c are provided. The above strain gauges 25 a, 25 b, 25
c, the bending stress change based on the weight of the laundry is measured. And strain gauges 25a, 25b. The bending stress detected by 25c is transmitted to the signal processing device 2
6 and converted into an electrical signal. Based on this electric signal, it is possible to control the washing water to be put into the outer tub 2 at a high water level when the weight of the laundry is large, and to set it to a low water level when the weight of the laundry is small.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Conventional washing machines are configured as described above, and the amount of laundry is detected by detecting the weight of the entire drum tank, so the total M
The change in weight of the laundry is very small compared to the amount of laundry, making it difficult to accurately detect the weight of the laundry. Further, since a force is always applied to the sensor section, that is, the weight of the drum tank is always applied, there is a problem that bending occurs. Furthermore, when trying to determine the amount of laundry by detecting its weight, the fact that the rate of water absorption differs depending on the type of laundry fabric is not taken into consideration.
It is difficult to determine the appropriate water level for washing water, and when setting the drying time, the water absorbency differs depending on the type of fabric even if the amount of laundry is the same. There have been problems in that it tends to take too much time or not have enough drying time. The drum-type washer/dryer of the present invention has been developed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and determines the amount of laundry at the beginning of the washing process, and determines the optimal washing, rinsing, and To provide a drum-type washer-dryer capable of performing a series of washing and drying processes such as drying, saving resources and time, and performing high-quality washing and drying.

[Means to solve the problem] The drum-type washer/dryer according to the present invention includes a water level detector, a water meter, and a control section, and supplies washing water to an outer tub while rotating a rotating drum, and maintains a predetermined water level determined by the water level detector. Based on the signal, the control section stops the supply of washing water, measures the amount of water supplied up to this point with the water meter, and based on this measurement signal, the control section determines the amount of laundry in the rotating drum. A series of washing and drying processes such as washing, rinsing, and drying are automatically performed according to conditions suitable for the amount of laundry. [For production]

In the drum-type washer/dryer according to the present invention, the amount of laundry can be determined based on the water level of the washing water in the outer tub and the amount of washing water supplied until this water level is reached, and this judgment is shown in Fig. 3. The control unit makes the determination based on the relationship between the amount of washing water supplied and the amount of laundry shown in . In other words, when there is a large amount of laundry, washing water is absorbed by the laundry, and a considerable portion of the laundry is located above the washing water surface, so the amount of water supplied at a given water level tends to increase. becomes. Conversely, when the amount of laundry is small, the amount of water supplied tends to decrease. In FIG. 3, the vertical axis shows the amount of water supplied, and the horizontal axis shows the amount of laundry. Therefore, based on Figure 3, the amount of water supplied when the laundry has sufficiently absorbed washing water at a predetermined water level is measured,
The amount of laundry can be determined based on the amount of water supplied. By supplying water while rotating the rotary drum, it is possible to sufficiently absorb washing water into the laundry in a short time, and it also takes into account the differences in the water absorbency of washing water depending on the material of the laundry. It is possible to judge the amount of objects,
Compared to a system in which the water supply amount and drying time are set simply based on the weight of the laundry, it becomes possible to set more appropriate washing time, rinsing time, drying time, etc.

【Example】

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view showing the mechanical structure of the drum-type washer/dryer according to the present invention, where 1 is a casing;
An outer tank 2 is provided within the casing 1. 3 is a rotating drum, which is rotatably supported within the outer tank 2 by a horizontal shaft 3a. Reference numeral 5 denotes a front door, and the front door 5 is opened to take in and take out laundry. 6 is a water supply pipe, which supplies water into the outer tank 2. The water supply vibro is provided with a water supply valve 7, a water meter 8 for measuring the amount of water supplied, and an automatic detergent injection mechanism 9. Further, 10 is a drain pipe, which allows water in the outer tank 2 to be drained and stored by adjusting the opening and closing of a drain valve 11. A water level detector 12 is provided behind the outer tank 2 inside the casing 1, and this water level detector 12 is connected to the outer tank 2 by a communication pipe 13. The water level detector 12 is for measuring the water level in the outer tank 2, and preferably detects the water level in an analog manner as much as possible. As such a water level detector 12, one is used in which the outer tank 2 is connected to a water level sensor through a connecting pipe 13. This water level sensor has a diaphragm inside, and the capacity of an oscillation circuit is linked to the diaphragm. Therefore, if the oscillation frequency of this water level detector 12 is electrically detected, the pressure on the connecting pipe 13 side of the sensor, that is, the external pressure, is changed. The water level in the tank can be detected electrically. Also, the water meter 8 is of a water wheel type, and the amount of water supplied can be measured and electrically detected by the rotation of this water wheel. 14 is a motor; , the motor shaft 14a is connected to the shaft 3a of the rotating drum 3 by a belt shown as a straight line in FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a control mechanism that controls a series of processes of the washer/dryer according to this embodiment.
The control unit 16 is provided inside the casing 1 shown in FIG. The control unit 16 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 17,
Input interface 181 Output interface 19
, a memory 20°, a clock control section 21, and a timer 22. The input interface 18 includes a power switch 15, a water meter 8, a water level detector 12, and a temperature sensor 2.
3 and other various information detection devices are transmitted to the CPU 17. The CPU 17 controls the motor 14, via the output interface 19 based on the information stored in the memory 20.
A drive signal is transmitted to various drive devices such as the water supply valve 7, the detergent injection mechanism 9, and the heater 24. In addition, the clock control section 21
drives the timer 22 based on the control signal from the CPU 17, and the timer 22 supplies a time elapsed signal to the CP and U17. The CPU 17 controls various drive devices based on this time elapsed signal. Next, specific control operations by the control section 16 will be explained. When the power switch 15 is turned on and the washing process starts,
First, the CPU 17 outputs a signal to start water supply, the water supply valve 7 is opened, the storage of washing water in the outer tub 2 is started, and at the same time, the water meter 8 starts measuring the amount of washing water supplied. Ru. Further, the rotary drum 3 is rotated by the motor 14. Then, the water level detector 12 detects that the washing water level has reached a predetermined reference water level, and the water level detection ra
Based on the reference water level detection signal from 12, CPU 17 outputs a signal to stop water supply. This closes the water supply valve 7 and stops water supply. During this process, the CPU 17 outputs a signal to operate the detergent injection mechanism 9 based on the water amount detection signal from the water meter, and the mechanism 9 injects detergent into the washing water and stops the water supply (3). The operation of the detergent injection mechanism 9 is also stopped by the number.As a result, the amount of detergent based on the amount of water supplied is automatically added to the washing water.Also, since the washing water level fluctuates while the rotating drum 3 is rotating, The rotating drum 3 is rotated clockwise for 10 seconds, stopped for 2 seconds, then rotated counterclockwise for 10 seconds, and so on, so that the rotating drum 3 is temporarily stopped, and during this stop, the water level of the washing water is detected by the water level detector 12. When the water supply is completed, the laundry is in a state where the laundry has sufficiently absorbed the washing water because the water supply was carried out while rotating the rotary drum 3. Therefore, the washing water from the start of the water supply to the end of the water supply is Even if the reference water level is constant, the amount of water supplied varies depending on the amount of laundry.In this embodiment, the amount of water supplied is measured by the water meter 8, and the CPU 17 determines the standard water amount and the actual amount of water supplied based on the water amount measurement signal at the end of water supply. The difference between the water supply amount and the water supply amount is calculated.Then, based on this water amount difference, the amount of laundry in the rotating drum is determined.The determination of the amount of laundry is based on the water supply amount and This is done based on the relationship between the amount of laundry and the amount of laundry.In other words, the relationship between the amount of water supplied and the amount of laundry is input into the memory 20, and based on this, the CPU 17 calculates the amount of laundry from the calculated water amount difference. In this example, the amount of laundry is judged in three stages: large, medium and small.In other words, if the actual amount of water supplied is less than the standard amount of water supplied, On the axis, if it is below point 2, it is determined that the amount of laundry, e.g. If it is above 2 points, up to 3 points are determined to be a medium amount of laundry, and if the actual amount of water supplied is greater than 3 points, that is, the amount of water supplied is greater than the standard water supply amount, the amount of laundry is determined to be medium. It is determined that the scene of the object is large. Note that the stages of determining the scene of the laundry are not limited to the three stages of large, medium, and small, but can also be divided into further subdivided stages. According to the determination of the amount of laundry according to Example B, compared to the case where the amount of laundry is determined based on the weight of the laundry and the amount of water to be supplied and the drying time are set based on this determined amount, It is possible to set washing and drying times more accurately.In other words, it is more appropriate to set washing and drying times based on the volume and degree of water absorption of the laundry rather than the weight of the laundry. can be done. Therefore, as in this embodiment, by determining the amount of laundry based on changes in the amount of washing water supplied, it is possible to determine the amount of laundry in consideration of the volume and water absorption of the laundry. becomes. In addition, by supplying washing water while rotating the rotating drum 3, the laundry has sufficiently absorbed the washing water when the water supply is finished, so the washing water is supplied while the rotating drum is stopped, and the washing water is supplied while the rotating drum 3 is stopped. The amount of laundry can be determined in a shorter time than when determining the amount of laundry by comparing the water level at the end of the process and the water level lowered by the absorption of washing water by the laundry. As described above, by accurately determining the amount of laundry, the CPU 17, based on the determination result of the amount of laundry,
If the amount of laundry is small, add more detergent.
Shorten washing and drying times, reduce the number of rinses,
When the amount of laundry is large, you can use less detergent, set longer washing and drying times, and increase the number of rinses, resulting in energy-saving, time-saving, and high-quality washing and drying. can be done. Note that when the amount of laundry is large, the CPU outputs a signal to further increase the amount of washing water and turns on the water supply valve 7.
, and supply washing water until the water level reaches the appropriate level.
After that, washing, rinsing, and drying may be performed. Further, the present invention may use a water meter that supplies a constant amount of washing water per unit time using a water supply valve and measures the amount of water supplied according to the water supply time.

【Effect of the invention】

As explained above, according to the drum-type washer/dryer according to the present invention, washing water is supplied while rotating the rotary drum at the start of washing, and the water supply is stopped when the washing water in the outer tub reaches a predetermined water level. However, since the amount of laundry is determined based on the amount of washing water supplied from the start to the stop of water supply, the amount of laundry can be determined accurately in a short time, and based on this determination result, By being able to perform a series of washing and drying processes such as washing, rinsing, and drying that are adapted to the amount of laundry, it is possible to save resources and time, and to achieve high-quality washing and drying.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the control mechanism of a drum-type washer/dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view showing the mechanical configuration of the above embodiment, and FIG. Figure 4 (a) is a diagram showing the relationship between the amount of water supplied and the amount of laundry.
) and (b) are a schematic side sectional view of a conventional drum-type washing machine and an explanatory diagram of a mechanism portion for determining the amount of laundry. 1 ・Casing, 2... Outer tank, 3 Rotating drum, 6
・Water supply pipe, 7.. Water supply valve, 8.. Water meter, 9. Detergent injection mechanism, 12.. Water level detector, 16. Control unit, 17.
,,CPU. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] It has an outer tank disposed inside a casing, and a rotary drum that is rotatably supported in the outer tank and shakes and rotates the laundry inside, and includes a washing water supply, In a drum type washer/dryer that automatically performs a series of washing/drying processes such as washing, rinsing, and drying, a water level detector detects when the washing water supplied at the start of washing has reached a predetermined water level in the outer tank. a water meter that supplies washing water while rotating the rotary drum and measures the amount of water supplied until the inside of the outer tank reaches a predetermined water level; The amount of laundry in the rotating drum is determined based on the measurement signal of the water meter that measures the amount of water supplied up to this point, and a series of washing and drying processes are performed according to conditions appropriate to the amount of laundry. A drum-type washer/dryer characterized by comprising a control unit that automatically performs the following steps.