JPH031996B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a method of controlling a washing machine.

(Prior art and its problems) Cloth tangles have been a problem in washing machines for some time, so recently, washing machines have been commercialized that shorten the reversal cycle of the pulsator to create a water flow that reduces cloth tangles. However, from the viewpoint of cleaning performance, the reversal period of the pulsator cannot be extremely shortened, and at present it has not reached the point where cloth tangles can be resolved.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling a washing machine that can improve cloth tangling while maintaining high cleaning performance.

(Method of the Invention) The present invention automatically executes agitation using a main water stream for the purpose of washing, and then automatically performs agitation using a finishing water stream for the purpose of loosening the fabric, which is weaker than the main water stream, and lowers the water level in the tank. The desired purpose is achieved by increasing or decreasing the stirring time using the finishing water stream depending on the height.

(Example) Examples of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described in detail below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1,
1 is an electronic control circuit, which basically includes an electronic timer 2, an arithmetic processing unit (CPU) 3, a clock control circuit 4, a memory 5, an input buffer control circuit 6, and an out buffer control circuit, as is well known in the art. 7. 8 is a power switch, 9 is a key input section with a time setting key for setting the washing time (stirring time), a start key, etc., 10 is a water level switch for detecting the water level in the tank, and 11 is for rotating the pulsator. 12 is a display LED.

The CPU 3 reads the state of the key input section 9 via the input buffer control circuit 6, reads the control program contents from the memory 5, and controls the motors 11 and 11 according to the contents.
The display LED 12 and the like are controlled by applying signals from the output buffer control circuit 7 to switching elements.

Next, the control will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, after supplying water into the tank, turn on the power switch 8.
When turned ON, it determines whether the water level in the tank is high, medium, or low, sets the operating time T ₂ for the finishing water flow corresponding to that water level, and then sets the washing time T ₀ using the time setting key. After that, press the start key
Turn on. Then, the set washing time T ₀ is read out, the above-mentioned time T ₂ is subtracted from the time T ₀ , the main water flow operation time T ₁ is set, and the main water flow operation is executed until the operation time T ₁ has elapsed. Then perform finishing water flow operation for T ₂ hours.

Now, if the water level in the tank is high and the washing time is set to 10 minutes, T ₂ (time corresponding to high water level: e.g. 1 minute 30 seconds) is subtracted from T ₀ (10 minutes), which is 8. After executing the main water flow operation for 1 minute and 30 seconds, execute the finishing water flow operation for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Main water flow operation is 1.4
By driving the motor 11 in left-right reversal with a cycle of ON for 0.6 seconds and OFF for 0.6 seconds, a pulsator generates a so-called main water flow for the purpose of washing, and washes the laundry. Finishing water flow operation is ON for 0.8 seconds, 1.6 seconds
By driving the motor 11 in left and right reactions at the OFF cycle, a finishing water stream weaker than the above-mentioned main water stream is created by the pulsator, and this finishing water stream loosens the laundry and eliminates the tangles of the cloth.

In addition, in the case of medium water level, perform the main water flow operation for the first 9 minutes and the finishing water flow operation for the remaining 1 minute, respectively.
If the water level is low, main water flow operation is performed for the first 9 minutes and 30 seconds, and finishing water flow operation is performed for the remaining 30 seconds.

Here, the reason why the operating time (stirring time) by the finishing water flow is increased or decreased according to the height of the water level in the tank as described above will be explained below.

In general, the water level switch 10 cannot have a large water level range due to its structure, and is set exclusively at a high water level according to the rated load. The ratio of water amounts (hereinafter referred to as bath ratio) is increased.
On the other hand, when reducing cloth entanglement by using a finishing water stream, as shown in FIG. 3, which shows the relationship between the bath ratio and the entanglement rate, the larger the bath ratio, the smaller the entanglement rate and the greater the effect.

Therefore, when the water level is low, the same effect can be achieved in a shorter time than when the water level is high.
However, in this embodiment, by increasing or decreasing the operation time of the finishing water flow depending on the height of the water level in the tank, it is possible to prevent the finishing water flow from running more than necessary when the water level is medium or low, thereby eliminating wasteful operation, and also reducing the water level. It exhibits the same effect regardless of the height of the cloth and reduces cloth tangles.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, but can of course be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the invention.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the control method of the present invention, it is possible to sufficiently eliminate tangles of cloth while maintaining high cleaning performance.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between bath ratio and entanglement rate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1 The washing process within a set washing time is agitated by periodically repeatedly generating a main water flow for the purpose of washing, which is created by rotating a pulsator in the forward direction, stopping it, and reversing it. The main water flow process is carried out, and the finishing water flow for the purpose of loosening the fabric is periodically repeated, which is a process in which the pulsator rotates forward, pauses, and reverses, and the ratio of forward rotation, reverse rotation, and pause is smaller than the main water flow process. After the main water flow process is performed for a long period of the set washing time from the start of washing, the finishing water flow process is automatically performed for the remaining short period of time. The ratio between the water flow process and the finishing water flow process is
A method for controlling a washing machine, characterized in that the water level in a washing tub is increased or decreased in such a way that the lower the water level is, the shorter the finishing water flow process is.