JPH03224596A - Washing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely prevent recontamination by detecting a contamination state of a washing liquid, and suspending washing, and also, replacing the washing liquid, when a fear or recontamination exists. CONSTITUTION:At the bottom part of an outer tank 2, one pair of light emitter 11 and photodetector 12 are provided opposingly, and light transmissivity of washing liquid in which water and a washing liquid are mixed is detected and outputted to an arithmetic control part 16. The arithmetic control part 16 detects in advance light transmissivity of the washing liquid before washing is started, and thereafter, derives a drop rate, based on an output from the photodetector 12 at the time when a prescribed elapses after washing in started, compares it with a reference drop rate set in advance and decides whether a fear of recontamination exists or not. In the case a fear of recontamination exists, washing is suspended immediately and a drain valve 9 is allowed to execute an opening operation, generation of recontamination is stopped, and also, by feeding a new washing liquid, washing is started again from the beginning. In such a way, the recontamination can be prevented surely.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Purpose of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a washing method.

(Prior Art) It is well known that if washing is continued in a state where the washing liquid is dirty, so-called re-contamination may occur, and this is one of the things to be careful about when carrying out washing.

To prevent recontamination, you can take measures such as quickly noticing that the laundry liquid is dirty during washing, or separating heavily soiled laundry before washing, but in either case, The system had to rely on the user's experience, which placed a burden on the user. In particular, there has been a strong desire for some kind of effective measure to prevent re-contamination, in view of the trend towards labor saving associated with the recent spread of fully automatic washing machines.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, there has been a strong desire to improve prevention of recontamination, which has hitherto been a burden to users.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a washing method that can reliably prevent recontamination without burdening the user.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has means for detecting the soiling state of the washing fluid, and detects recontamination from the soiling state of the washing fluid during washing. When it is detected that there is a risk of re-contamination, the washing is stopped and the washing liquid is replaced.In particular, - Regarding the detection of the possibility of re-contamination, the degree of staining of the washing liquid after reddening for a predetermined period of time from the start of washing is A method of detecting that there is a risk of re-contamination if the degree of contamination is greater than a predetermined degree of contamination; a method of detecting that there is a risk of re-contamination if the degree of tQ of the washing liquid becomes greater than a predetermined degree of contamination during the washing process;
A method for detecting that there is a risk of re-staining if the change in the finish of the washing liquid after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of washing or the change in dirt is greater than a predetermined change in dirt, and washing for a predetermined time during the washing process. It is preferable to adopt a method that detects that there is a risk of re-dying if the stain change of the liquid is greater than a predetermined stain change.

(Function) In the washing method according to the present invention, when it is detected that there is a risk of recontamination from the dirty state of the washing liquid during washing, washing is stopped and the washing liquid is replaced with a new washing liquid. I decided to wash it.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail using the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is the main body of the washing machine, 2 is a washing tub (outer tub) elastically suspended by a suspension 4, and 3 is a washing tub (inner tub) for washing and dehydrating laundry, with numerous water drains on the side of the surrounding wall. It has a hole 6 for use. A pulsator 13 is provided at the bottom of the inner tank 3, and is rotated by a drive motor 8 via a manufacturer case 7 containing a brake and clutch mechanism. Furthermore, a set of light emitters 11. The receivers 12 are disposed facing each other as shown in FIG. 2, and are used to detect washing liquid containing a mixture of water supplied from a water supply hose 14 and a detergent solution from a detergent dissolving section 15 that dissolves detergent in advance with a certain amount of water. It detects the light transmittance and outputs it to the calculation control section 16.

In addition, 10 is a drainage hose, which is controlled to communicate with the outer tank 2 via a drainage valve 9. Moreover, 5 is a balancer provided at the upper part of the inner tank 3.

Further, in FIG. 1, the arithmetic control unit 16 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer that controls the operation of the entire washing machine, and in particular, it detects dirt in the washing liquid based on the light transmittance of the washing liquid detected by the light receiver 12. It has a function of detecting the state, detecting the risk of re-contamination based on this, and executing the necessary processing.

Next, the principle of detecting the possibility of recontamination will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

Re-meke dyeing is when the laundry liquid is so dirty that the stains in the washing liquid are transferred to the laundry, so it should be possible to determine whether there is a risk of re-contamination from the soiling condition of the washing liquid. That is, considering that the light transmittance of the washing liquid decreases as the degree of dirt increases, the state of the washing liquid is detected based on the detection result of the light transmittance from the light receiver 12. The risk of re-contamination is determined by

Specifically, at the initial stage of the start of washing (after a certain period of time has passed since the start of washing), the light transmittance V1 of the washing liquid is already at the reference level V. When it is less than I, it is determined that there is a risk of recontamination (curve B in Figure 3). In other words, if the washing liquid is already contaminated beyond the standard level at an early stage after the start of washing, it is considered that continuing the washing further is not effective and may cause re-contamination.

In this case, a method may be adopted in which it is determined that there is a risk of re-contamination when the light transmittance reaches a predetermined reference level or less during the washing process, without setting a specific detection time for the light transmittance. .

Another method is to determine that there is a risk of recontamination when the rate of decrease in light transmittance ΔVI within a predetermined time (to) from the start of washing is greater than the reference rate of decrease Δv01. In other words, if the rate of decrease in light transmittance in the washing liquid after the start of washing is greater than the standard rate of decrease, it is expected that the laundry liquid will soon become so dirty that recontamination may occur (Figure 4). curve B). Also in this case, the predetermined time tQ for calculating the rate of decrease in light transmittance is
Instead of being set from the start of washing, it may be set from any time during the washing process, and when the rate of decrease at that time becomes greater than the standard rate of decrease, it may be determined that there is a risk of re-contamination.

Next, the action for preventing recontamination in this example will be explained in the fifth section.
The process will be explained using the process flowchart of the calculation control unit 16 shown in the figure. The method for determining the risk of recontamination is as follows:
The method shown in FIG. 4 described above is used.

The light transmittance of the washing liquid was detected in advance before the start of washing.The reduction rate ΔV1 is calculated based on the output from the light receiver 12 after a certain period of time has passed since the start of washing, and is set in advance. It is compared with the standard reduction rate △V1 to determine whether there is a risk of recontamination as described above (steps 100 to 140).
.

As a result of the judgment, if △Vl < △Vo1 and there is no risk of re-contamination, washing will proceed according to the normal process (step 170); however, if △V1≧△V01 and there is a risk of re-contamination, washing will be carried out immediately. stop and open the drain valve 9 to drain the washing liquid and stop the occurrence of re-contamination.
A new washing liquid is supplied and washing is restarted from the beginning (steps 50 and 160). Particularly in this case, it is preferable to discharge while supplying water.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, by detecting the possibility of re-contamination and draining the washing liquid without imposing any burden on the user, it is possible to quickly take measures against re-contamination.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, when it is detected that there is a risk of re-dying from the dirty state of the washing liquid during washing, washing is stopped, the washing liquid is replaced, and a new one is installed. Since the clothes are washed with washing liquid, re-contamination can be reliably prevented without placing any burden on the user.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a partial configuration of FIG. 1, and FIGS.
The figure is a diagram for explaining the features of the embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a processing flowchart of the embodiment. 1...Washing machine body 2...Washing tub (outer tank) 3...
- Washing tub (inner tank) 4... Suspension 5... Balancer 6... Hole 7... Mechanical case 8... Drive motor 11...
- Emitter 12 - Receiver - Pulsator 4 Water absorption hose 6... Arithmetic control unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] A washing method comprising a means for detecting the dirtiness of the washing liquid, and when it is detected that there is a risk of recontamination from the dirtiness of the washing liquid during washing, washing is stopped and the washing liquid is replaced. .