JPH04347197A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To properly judge the amount of laundry by judging it with a detected result in the latter half of a unit drive time of a washing motor, and further judging with a detected result in the former half of the time, when the amount is small. CONSTITUTION:Switch signals from a switch input section consisting of various switches, water level detecting signals from a water level sensor 11, and phase difference detecting signals from a phase difference detector i.e., a load amount detector are inputted into a control device 12 working as a judging means of the amount of laundry. The amount of laundry is judged in the latter half of a unit drive time of a motor 6, i.e., B section with a detected result from a phase difference detector, and when the amount is judged 'medium' or 'small', further judged with a detected result in the former half of the time, i.e. A section. The amount of laundry is properly judged according to the fact that the time of resistance properly put on the motor 6 depends on the amount of laundry.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Object of the invention]

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a washing machine that determines the amount of laundry by detecting the amount of load applied to a washing motor.

0003

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, washing machines that judge the amount of laundry and automatically control their operation based on the result have been provided.

[0004] In this case, the amount of laundry is determined by driving the washing motor to perform stirring operation at the stage where water is supplied to a predetermined water level at the beginning of operation, and calculating the amount of load applied to the washing motor at this time. This is done by detecting and averaging the detected data.

[0005]

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, the method for determining the amount of laundry as described above has the disadvantage that accurate judgment cannot be made especially when the amount of laundry is small. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and therefore, its purpose is to provide a laundry system in which the amount of laundry can be accurately determined not only when the amount of laundry is large but also when the amount is small. We are here to provide you with a machine.

[Configuration of the invention]

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the washing machine of the present invention is provided with a load amount detection means for detecting the amount of load applied to the washing motor. The washing motor is equipped with a laundry amount determining means for determining the amount of laundry based on the result, and the laundry amount determining means is configured to determine the load amount in the second half of the unit driving time of the washing motor. The amount of laundry is determined based on the detection result by the detection means, and when it is determined that the amount of laundry is small based on the result, the amount of laundry is further determined based on the detection result by the load amount detection means in the first half. It is characterized by the fact that it is made as follows.

[0009]

[Operation] When the amount of laundry is large, the resistance from the laundry is sufficient to act on the washing motor until the end of the unit driving time of the washing motor. On the other hand, when the amount of laundry is small, the laundry flows along with the water current, and at the end of the unit driving time of the washing motor, almost no resistance from the laundry is applied to the washing motor. However, at the beginning of the unit driving time of the washing motor, the laundry does not reach the point where it flows along with the water current, and a considerable amount of resistance from the laundry is applied to the washing motor. Therefore, when it is determined that the amount of laundry is small based on the detection result by the load amount detection means in the second half of the unit drive time of the washing motor, the load amount detection means in the first half By determining the amount of laundry based on the detection results, it becomes possible to accurately determine the amount of laundry even when the amount is small.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the outer box 1 shown in FIG. 2 has an outer tank 2 inside.
In the outer tank 2, an inner tank 4 having a large number of dehydration holes 3 on the peripheral wall is provided, and in the inner tank 4, a stirring body 5 is provided at the bottom. In addition, a motor 6 is installed at the outer lower part of the outer tank 2.
It is equipped with a drive mechanism 7 mainly consisting of a drain valve 8, etc.
The drive mechanism 7 rotates the agitator 5 in forward and reverse directions when determining the amount of laundry and during washing, and rotates the inner tub 4 at high speed in one direction during dewatering. Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, the motor 6 functions not only as a washing motor but also as a dewatering motor.

On the other hand, a top cover 9 is provided on the upper surface of the outer box 1.
is attached to the rear of the inner tank 4 (outer tank 2).
A water supply valve 10 for supplying water to the outer tank 2 (inner tank 4) is installed inside the machine, and a water level sensor 11 for detecting the water level in the outer tank 2 (inner tank 4) is installed in the front part, which functions as a means for determining the amount of laundry. A control device 12 is provided to perform the following operations.

Here, the control device 12 is constituted by a microcomputer in detail, and as shown in FIG. A water level detection signal is inputted from the load amount detection means, and a phase difference detection signal is further inputted from the phase difference detection device 14, which is a load amount detection means in this case.

The phase difference detection device 14 electrically detects the amount of load applied to the motor 6 and outputs the phase difference detection signal as a load amount detection signal. , detects the voltage V applied to the motor 6 and obtains pulses that rise and fall at the zero cross point,
At the same time, the current I flowing through the motor 6 is detected to obtain pulses that rise and fall at the zero cross point, and a voltage signal corresponding to the phase difference θ is obtained from each pulse waveform, which is further digitized and a detection signal It is designed to be output as .

The control device 12 includes a drive circuit 15 that drives the motor 6 and a drive circuit that drives the water supply valve 10 based on various inputs including the above-mentioned phase difference detection signal and a control program stored in advance. circuit 16
, a drive circuit 17 that drives the drain valve 8, and a drive circuit 1 that drives a display unit 18 consisting of various LEDs.
A drive control signal is given to each of the terminals 9 and 9.

In the following, the routine for determining the amount of laundry to be carried out by the control device 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 5, and 6.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the control device 12
Based on the input from the switch input section 13, it is determined whether or not the start switch has been operated (step S1). If it is determined that the start switch has been operated, the water supply valve 10 is then driven open to detect the amount of laundry. Supply water up to a specified water level suitable for
Step S2), then, by driving the motor 6, the drive mechanism 7 rotates the stirring body 5 in forward and reverse directions, and starts an operation for detecting the load amount (Step S3). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the forward and reverse rotation of the agitator 5 is performed by energizing the motor 6 in the forward direction for 0.6 seconds, pausing for 1.0 seconds, and then turning the motor 6 in the reverse direction. The process is repeated by applying current for 0.6 seconds, pausing for 1.0 seconds, and then applying current again for 0.6 seconds in the forward rotation direction.

Here, (a) in FIG. 6 shows one unit driving time of the normal rotation of the agitating body 5, and the first half is shown as A.
section (0.3 seconds) and the latter half is section B (0.3 seconds), first, it is determined whether or not it is rotating in the forward direction (step S4).
), it is determined that normal rotation is in progress, and then it is determined whether or not it is in section A (step S5), and if it is determined that it is in section A, the phase difference in that section A is determined. Detection device 1
4 (step S6).

The input acquisition of this phase difference detection signal is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), for example, the clock timing of commercial power supply (every 20 [ms] at 50 [Hz],
At 60 [Hz], this is done approximately every 16.7 [ms]).

After that, the acquired inputs are integrated (step S7). Furthermore, if it is determined in step S5 that the area is not A, it is determined that the area is B, so here, the phase difference detection signal (load amount detection signal) by the phase difference detection device 14 in the B area is determined. The input is taken in the same way as described above (step S8), and the integration of the input is also done in the same way as described above (step S9). Then, the input is integrated until it is determined whether or not five forward rotations have been performed (step S10), and then the operation for detecting this load amount is ended (step S10). S11).

FIG. 6(c) shows changes in the input input as described above, and shows when the amount of laundry being stirred by the agitator 5 is large and when it is small. Differences X and Y in comparison with the state of only water, respectively, appear as a difference in which the difference X is large when the amount of laundry is large in the B section of the unit driving time of the agitator 5, On the other hand, when the amount of laundry is small, the difference Y appears as a larger value in the A section than in the B section.

This is because when the amount of laundry is large, the resistance from the laundry is applied to the motor 6 sufficiently until the end of the unit drive time, whereas when the amount of laundry is small, the resistance from the laundry is applied to the motor 6 until the end of the unit driving time. At the end of the unit drive time, there is almost no resistance from the laundry to the motor 6. On the other hand, at the beginning of the unit drive time, the laundry is carried away by the water flow. This is because the laundry does not reach the point where it flows, and the motor 6 is subjected to considerable resistance from the laundry.

Based on the results of integrating such inputs as described above, next, it is first determined whether the amount of laundry is "large" based on the detection integration results in section B (step S1).
2). As a result, if it is determined that the amount of laundry is "large", the washing water level is set to "high" (step S13),
After water is supplied to the set water level (step S14), the motor 6 is driven in earnest to begin washing in which the agitator 5 is rotated in full forward and reverse directions by the drive mechanism 7 (step S15).

[0024] Also, in step S12, the amount of laundry is
If it is determined that the amount of laundry is not "large", then it is determined whether the amount of laundry is "medium" based on the detection integration result in section A (step S16). As a result, if the amount of laundry is determined to be "medium", the washing water level is set to "medium" (
Step S17), and then the process moves to step A14.

Furthermore, if it is determined in step S16 that the amount of laundry is not "medium", it is determined that the amount of laundry is "small", and the next step is to set the washing water level to "low". (step S18), and then the process moves to step A14.

As described above, in this configuration, the motor 6
The amount of laundry is determined based on the detection result by the phase difference detection device 14 in section B of section A, which is the first half of the unit drive time, and section B, which is the second half of the unit drive time. When it is determined that the amount of laundry is small, such as "medium" or "small," the amount of laundry is further determined based on the detection result by the phase difference detection device 14 in section A. Since the timing at which the appropriate resistance is applied is different, the amount of laundry can be judged as accurately as possible, not only when the amount of laundry is large, but also when it is small, so subsequent operations can be adjusted accordingly. This can be done with appropriate content.

Note that the load amount determining means is not limited to the above-mentioned phase difference detection device 14, but may be one that generates a signal based on, for example, only the load current or rotational speed of the motor 6.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, but can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the gist.

[0029]

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, the washing machine of the present invention is equipped with a load amount detection means for detecting the amount of load applied to the washing motor, and also includes a load amount detection means for detecting the amount of load applied to the washing motor. The laundry amount determining means is equipped with a laundry amount determining means for determining the amount of laundry, and the laundry amount determining means is detected by the load amount detecting means in the second half of the unit driving time of the washing motor. The amount of laundry is determined based on the result, and when it is determined that the amount of laundry is small based on the result, the amount of laundry is further determined based on the detection result by the load amount detection means in the first half. This feature provides an excellent effect in that the amount of laundry can be judged as accurately as possible not only when the amount of laundry is large but also when it is small.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart mainly showing a laundry amount judgment routine showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Overall vertical cross-sectional view

[Figure 3] Schematic electrical configuration diagram

[Figure 4] Waveform diagram for explaining the functional contents of the phase difference detection device

[Figure 5] Time chart showing the motor drive details when determining the amount of laundry

[Figure 6] Unit driving time of the motor when determining the amount of laundry (a
) and the load amount detection signal capture timing is (b).
Furthermore, the change in the load amount detection signal is shown in (c).

[Explanation of symbols]

6 is a motor (washing motor), 12 is a control device (laundry amount determining means), and 14 is a phase difference detection device (load amount detection means)
shows.

Claims (1)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A washing machine comprising a load amount detection means for detecting the amount of load applied to a washing motor, and a laundry amount determining means for determining the amount of laundry based on the detection result of the load amount detection means. The laundry amount determining means determines the amount of laundry based on the detection result by the load amount detecting means in the second half of the unit driving time of the washing motor, and the amount of laundry is determined based on the result. A washing machine characterized in that when it is determined that the amount of laundry is small, the amount of laundry is further determined based on the detection result by the load amount detection means in the first half.