JPH0327000B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a fabric quality detection device for a washing machine.

(Prior Art) Generally, in a washing machine, it is desirable to adjust the strength of the water flow depending on the amount of laundry and the quality of the fabric.
For example, if the amount of laundry is extremely small or the fabric is made of synthetic fibers, washing with strong water may damage the fabric, whereas if the amount of laundry is large or the fabric is made of cotton, washing with weak water may damage the fabric. If the laundry is washed in a vacuum cleaner, the washing efficiency will be reduced.

Therefore, it is necessary to know the amount of laundry and the fabric quality. Conventionally, devices that can automatically detect the amount of laundry are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-195589; Although various proposals have been made, as seen in Publication No. 125598, no device has yet been proposed that automatically detects the fabric quality of laundry.

Therefore, conventional washing machines are configured so that the water flow can be selected according to the fabric quality using multiple switches, and the user can judge the fabric quality through experience and select the water flow by operating the switch. The current situation is that it has been decided.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, in the past, it was not possible to automatically detect the fabric quality of the laundry, so automatic adjustment of water flow, washing time, etc. according to the fabric quality was not possible. It was also impossible to make adjustments, which was a major hindrance to automatic control of washing machines.

However, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by providing a device that can automatically detect the fabric quality and automatically adjusting the water flow etc. according to the fabric quality.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The content of the present invention will be explained below using FIG. 1 corresponding to an embodiment thereof.

The current value flowing through the motor 3 that drives the stirring body 2 changes depending on the amount of load applied to the stirring body 2, and a current detection unit 7 is provided to detect such a current value. The current detection unit 7 detects the current value of the motor 3, determines the maximum and minimum values of the current within a predetermined drive time of the motor 3, and calculates the difference between the maximum and minimum values using the calculation unit 8. . Then, the information obtained by the water level information providing section 6 and the calculation section 8 is input to the cloth quality determination section 9, and the cloth quality determination section 9 uses the reference value set according to the input water level information and the value obtained from the calculation section 8. The fabric quality of laundry is now determined by comparing it with

(Function) When the motor 3 is driven, that is, during the washing operation due to the rotation of the agitator 2, the current detection unit 7 repeatedly detects the value of the current flowing through the motor 3 and determines the magnitude of the current value. Find the maximum and minimum values within the drive time. When the predetermined driving time has elapsed, the calculation unit 8 calculates the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value, and inputs this value to the fabric quality determination unit 9. Water level information is read and a reference value is set according to the water level information, and the fabric quality of the laundry is determined by comparing this reference value with the value obtained from the calculation section 8.

Then, the fabric quality information obtained by such a fabric quality detection device is transmitted to, for example, the water flow control unit 10 and the process control unit 1.
By inputting the number 1, the water flow, washing time, etc. can be automatically adjusted according to the fabric quality.

(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 system of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1, 1
is a water tank, 2 is a stirring body, 3 is a motor for driving the stirring body 2, 4 is an air trap that converts water level (water pressure) into air pressure, 5 is a water level detector operated by the air pressure inside the air trap 4, 6 is a water level detector A water level information providing unit consisting of a water level select switch for setting the water level outputs, for example, high, medium, and low water level information. 7 is a current detection unit that detects the current of the motor 3 and determines the maximum and minimum values of the current within a predetermined drive time of the motor 3; 8 is a current detection unit that detects the difference between the maximum and minimum values determined by the detection unit 7; 9 is a calculation unit that performs calculations, 9 is a fabric quality determination unit that determines the fabric quality of laundry by obtaining information from the calculation unit 8 and water level information provision unit 6, 10 is a water flow control unit, and 11 is a process control unit. Control part 1
0 and 11 both obtain information from the fabric quality determining section 9 and the water level information providing section 6, and the water flow control section 10
controls the driving/stopping time of the motor 3 to automatically adjust the strength of the water flow, and the process control section 11 automatically adjusts the washing/rinsing time, the number of rinses, etc.

FIG. 2 is a model diagram showing the current waveform of the motor, where T ₁ indicates the drive time of the motor 3 and T ₂ indicates the stop time of the motor 3. The current value of the motor 3 is very large at the beginning of driving due to the flow of the starting current, and then decreases and fluctuates up and down depending on the degree of contact between the agitator 2 and the laundry. That is, the stirring body 3
When the load applied to the stirring body 2 is large, the current value of the motor 3 becomes large, and when the load applied to the stirring body 2 is small, the current value of the motor 3 becomes small. Then, the maximum current value Imax, minimum current value Imin, and the difference value ΔI
As can be seen from the experimental data shown in FIG. 3, this varies depending on the fabric quality of the laundry.

Figure 3 shows the current waveforms when synthetic fibers, test cloth (standard), and jeans (large, thick) are washed with the same weight and the same amount of water. c is for jeans. As is clear from the figure, the maximum value, minimum value, and the difference ΔI ₁ between synthetic fibers are the smallest compared to other fabric types.
The maximum value, minimum value, and the difference ΔI ₃ between them for jeans are the largest compared to other fabric qualities.

Therefore, the fabric quality of the laundry can be detected by determining the maximum value, minimum value, and difference ΔI of the current, but the current value (maximum, minimum value) of the motor 3 depends on fluctuations in the power supply voltage and motor characteristics. Since it is not constant because it is influenced by variations and changes over time, the present invention calculates the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value, and makes it possible to accurately determine the fabric quality based on the value of the difference ΔI.

The current detection unit 7 in FIG. 1 has a first storage means for storing the maximum value of current, a second storage means for storing the minimum value of current, and a first storage means for storing the detected current value. a first determining means that determines whether the detected current value is larger than the stored value of the first storage means and rewrites the stored value of the first storage means with a new value if it is larger; and whether the detected current value is smaller than the stored value of the second storage means; The second determining means determines whether or not the current value is low, and if it is small, rewrites the stored value in the second storing means to a new value, and means determines the starting current and ignores the current value. In addition, the cloth quality determining section 9 is connected to the water level information providing section 6.
a reference value setting means for determining the water level information inputted by the user and setting the reference values S ₁ and S ₂ according to the water level, and the reference values S ₁ and S ₂ set by the means and the value obtained from the calculation unit 8. It is equipped with a comparison means for comparing ΔI and outputs the comparison result as fabric quality information. The fabric quality determination section 9 determines that when ΔI>S ₂ , large/thick items such as jeans, etc. When S ₂ >ΔI> S ₁ , test cloth (standard), and when S ₁ > ΔI, it is synthetic fiber. be. Here, the standard values S ₁ and S ₂ are variable depending on the water level, and when the water level is high, S _1H , S 2
S _2H , S _1M , S _2M at medium water level, S _1L at low water level,
S _2L , and the values shown in the fourth diagram are selected.
FIG. 4 shows the ΔI values and standard values for synthetic fibers, test cloth, and jeans when the water level is set to be appropriate for the amount of cloth.

In the above configuration, its operation is shown in Figures 2 and 5.
The explanation will be given according to the illustrated flowchart.

When you start washing now, the motor 3 is driven to rotate, and the stirring body 2 rotates to start stirring the laundry and water, and the driving of the motor 3 is continued for a preset time, that is, T ₁ hour. . Then,
The fabric quality determination data is collected within this T ₁ hour, and the current detection unit 7 repeatedly judges the current of the motor 3 to determine and store the maximum value Imax and minimum value Imin of the current within the T ₁ hour. do.

After T ₁ hour has passed, the motor 3 is stopped, and the calculation unit 8 reads out the maximum value Imax and minimum value Imin stored in the current detection unit 7, calculates the difference between them, and calculates the difference between them. Enter 9. Then, the fabric quality determining unit 9 reads the water level information from the water level information providing unit 6, and sets the reference value S ₁ , which corresponds to the water level.
Set S ₂ and compare its reference value with the above ΔI,
The comparison result is output as cloth quality information and input to the water flow control section 10 and the process control section 11.

Therefore, in the water flow control section 10, the fabric quality determination section 9
In order to create an appropriate water flow by adding water level information from the water level information providing unit 6 to fabric quality information from the motor 3.
Similarly, the process control section 11 also controls washing and
Adjust the rinse time and number of rinses.

That is, in the case of large or thick items, the water flow control unit 10 increases the movement of the laundry by increasing the drive time _T1 of the motor 3 compared to the standard time, and conversely, in the case of synthetic fibers, shortens the time _T1 to increase the movement of the laundry. A water flow suitable for the fabric quality of the laundry is created by suppressing the movement of the water and adjusting the time T ₁ to be longer in the case of a high water level and shorter in the case of a low water level. On the other hand, the process control section 11
For large or thick items, the washing and rinsing times should be set longer, and for synthetic fibers, the washing and rinsing times should be set shorter, and adjustments should be made depending on the water level.

As described above, in this embodiment, the fabric quality of laundry can be detected accurately and automatically, and the water flow and washing time can be automatically adjusted according to the fabric quality.

Incidentally, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the description has been made regarding the washing operation, but it goes without saying that water flow control can also be implemented during the rinsing operation, the detergent blending operation, and the like. It is also possible to collect data each time the motor rotates to control the next water flow, or to lengthen the data collection period or change the water flow control period. Furthermore, if the value of ΔI does not change much, data collection may be stopped and washing may be continued using a water flow based on the previous data.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, the fabric quality of laundry can be automatically and accurately detected, and the water flow can be automatically adjusted according to the fabric quality, etc. This is effective for control.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the control system of the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a model diagram showing the current waveform of the same motor, and Figs. Figure 4 shows the current waveforms when washing items with the same weight and the same amount of water. Figure 4 shows the values of ΔI and standard values when the water level is set to suit the amount of laundry for different fabrics. FIG. 5 is a control flowchart for the same as above. 2: stirring body, 3: motor, 6: water level information providing section, 7: current detecting section, 8: calculating section, 9: cloth quality determining section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A current detection unit that detects the current of the stirring body drive motor and calculates the maximum and minimum values of the current within a predetermined driving time of the motor, and calculates the difference between the maximum and minimum values determined by the current detection unit. a calculation unit that outputs water level information, a water level information provision unit that outputs water level information, a reference value that is set according to the water level information input from the water level information provision unit, and a comparison between the reference value and the value obtained by the calculation unit. A cloth quality detection device for a washing machine, comprising a cloth quality determination section that determines the cloth quality of laundry.