JPH05220294A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To suppress the overload, abnormal vibration, and excessive noises during the dehydrating action by removing some moisture from the laundry in the preliminary dehydrating action under the condition that the load on the drive of a washing tub becomes large in the dehydrating process, preventing the eccentricity of the washing tub in the untangling action, and performing the main dehydrating action. CONSTITUTION:The measurement result of the water feed period measured by a water feed period measurement section 100b in the final rinsing action and the set water level in the final rinsing action are stored in a memory section 100a. In the dehydration process, when the water feed period is judged to be the preset period or longer, when the set water level is judged to be a high water level, or when the operation course is judged to be a heavy course, a drain valve 25 is opened, and the water in an outer tub 2 is drained. After the draining action is completed, a drum 3 is rotated at a medium speed to perform the preliminary dehydrating action for a preset period, then the drum 3 is reciprocated at a low speed to perform an untangling action, and the drum 3 is rotated at a high speed to perform the main dehydrating action.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a washing machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An outer tub is supported in a machine frame, and a drum, which is a horizontal shaft type washing tub, is rotatably or rotatably supported in the outer tub. The drum is reciprocally rotated at a low speed. Conventionally, a drum-type washing machine that performs a washing step and a rinsing step and rotates the drum at a high speed to perform a dehydration step has been used as a commercial washing machine or the like. In such a washing machine, a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dehydration process can be sequentially performed to automatically perform washing to dehydration of laundry.

In such a conventional drum type washing machine, a draining operation for draining the inside of the drum is executed before the dewatering step is performed, but the water contained in the laundry is sufficiently discharged during this draining operation. If it is not removed, the load of the motor for driving the drum in the dehydration process will be large, and an excessive current will flow to the motor during high-speed rotation of the drum, leading to the problem of deterioration of the motor and the eccentric load. There is a problem in that it easily occurs, abnormal vibration and deformation of the drum occur, and further, since the amount of water splashed from the drum increases, excessive noise is generated.

In order to solve these problems, conventionally,
The operation pattern in the dehydration process after the rinsing process is
Preliminary dewatering operation by medium speed rotation and loosening operation by low speed reciprocating rotation are sequentially executed for a predetermined time, and then the main dewatering operation by high speed rotation is executed.
A washing machine that constantly executes this operation pattern in the dehydration process has been proposed (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 58-61187). In this operation pattern, the water contained in the laundry is reduced to some extent by the preliminary dehydration operation to reduce the load, and the eccentricity of the laundry is suppressed by the loosening operation, and then the main dehydration operation by high-speed rotation is performed. Such a problem was solved.

[0005]

However, in the conventional washing machine that executes the preliminary dewatering operation and the loosening operation as described above in the dewatering step, the preliminary dewatering operation and the loosening operation are always executed in the dewatering step. However, there is a drawback that the time required for all steps from washing to dehydration becomes longer, and the time required for performing all the steps becomes longer. In the washing machine, for a predetermined period (for example, 1
There was a problem that the number of times of use (day) decreased.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and determines whether to perform the preliminary dehydration operation and the loosening operation according to operating conditions, and based on the result of the determination, the operation in the dehydration process. By determining the pattern and executing the dehydration process, it is possible to suppress overload, abnormal vibration, and excessive noise in the dehydration operation at high-speed rotation, and to appropriately reduce the time required to execute all the processes from washing to dehydration. An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine that enables

[0007]

The washing machine according to the present invention comprises:
An outer tub, a washing tub which rotates inside the outer tub, a water level detecting means for detecting the water level in the washing tub, and a set water level of the washing tub according to the type of the laundry such as the water content of the laundry. And the like, and a driving course selecting means for selecting an arbitrary driving course from the driving courses stored in the means, and the driving course selecting means selects the driving course. In a washing machine in which water supply / drainage to / from the outer tub and operation of the washing tub are performed based on the specified operation course, and a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dehydrating process are sequentially performed, the water level in the rinsing process is supplied with water. The means for measuring the water supply time from the start to the set water level, the first judgment means for judging whether the water supply time measured by the means is a predetermined time or longer, and the driving course selection means. Selected driving course The second discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the set water level in the rinsing step is equal to or higher than the predetermined water level, and the operation course selected by the operation course selecting means correspond to the type of laundry having a high water content. When the water supply time is determined to be equal to or longer than a predetermined time by the third determination means for determining whether or not it is a driving course and the first determination means,
When the second determination means determines that the set water level is equal to or higher than the predetermined water level, or when the third determination means determines that the driving course is a driving course corresponding to the type of laundry having a high water content. Only, after performing the preliminary dehydration operation by the medium speed rotation of the washing tub and the loosening operation by the reciprocating rotation of the washing tub in the dehydration step,
A washing machine comprising means for executing a main dehydration operation by rotating the washing tub at a high speed.

[0008]

[Function] When the water level in the rinsing process is longer than the predetermined time from the start of water supply to the set water level, it means that the water absorbency of the laundry is high. Since it contains a large amount of water, the driving load on the washing tub increases. If the set water level in the rinsing process on the selected operation course is equal to or higher than the predetermined water level, it means that the amount of laundry is large. Since it is included, the driving load of the washing tub becomes large. If the selected driving course corresponds to a laundry type with a high water content,
Due to the nature of the laundry, the laundry contains an excessive amount of water during dehydration, which increases the driving load on the washing tub. When the above three types of conditions are discriminated, a certain amount of water is removed from the laundry by executing the preliminary dehydration operation to reduce the load, and the laundry is unraveled by executing the loosening operation to wash the laundry tub. After the eccentricity is suppressed, the main dehydration operation is performed by rotating the washing tub at a high speed, so that overload, abnormal vibration, and excessive noise related to driving the washing tub are suppressed. If the above three types of conditions are not satisfied, the pre-dewatering operation and the loosening operation are not executed, so the time required to execute all the steps from washing to dehydration is appropriately shortened as compared with the conventional washing machine. It

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a washing machine according to the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a box-shaped machine frame, and a circular laundry inlet for taking in and out laundry such as clothes is formed in the center of the front surface of the machine frame 1. A circular door 1a is openably and closably attached to the laundry inlet by a hinge 1b. A coin insertion section 102 for receiving coins for driving the washing machine and a display section 112 for displaying various information such as coin insertion amount and operation state are provided above the laundry insertion opening on the front surface of the machine frame 1. Rectangular first
A control panel 1c and a rectangular second control panel 1d having a course selection key portion 103 composed of a plurality of keys for selecting a driving course, which will be described later, are arranged in parallel.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the washing machine according to the present invention as viewed from the rear.

Inside the machine frame 1, an outer tank 2 which is a water tank formed in the shape of a horizontal shaft is provided with springs 4 from above.
It is suspended by 4 and elastically arranged in a manner that its lower portion is supported by dampers 5 and 5. Inside the outer tub 2, a horizontal shaft type drum 3 for accommodating laundry to wash and dehydrate the laundry is disposed coaxially with the outer tub 2 so as to be rotatable and rotatable. Further, below the outer tub 2, a washing motor 6 that rotationally drives the drum 3 when performing a washing operation and a rinsing operation, and a drum 3 when performing a dehydration operation.
And a dehydrating motor 7 for rotating the same are arranged in parallel with their drive shafts (not shown).

A large pulley 31 is attached to the rotary shaft 30 of the drum 3 outside the outer tub 2. Also, a small pulley 60 is attached to the drive shaft of the washing motor 6,
A two-stage pulley 70 having a large-diameter portion and a small-diameter portion coaxially is attached to the drive shaft of the dehydration motor 7. The small pulley 60 and the large diameter portion of the two-stage pulley 70 are connected via a belt 61, and the small diameter portion of the two-stage pulley 70 and the large pulley 31 are connected.
And are connected via a belt 71. With such a configuration, the washing motor 6 can move from the small pulley 60 to the belt 6
Rotational force is transmitted to the drum 3 via the one- and two-stage pulley 70, the belt 71, and the large pulley 31, and the dehydration motor 7 is driven by the two-stage pulley 70 via the belt 71 and the large pulley 31 to the drum 3.
It is designed to transmit rotational force to.

Next, the piping structure centering on the outer tank 2 will be described. FIG. 3 is a piping configuration diagram of the washing machine according to the present invention.

The water supply supplied from a water supply source (not shown) is supplied from the first water supply passage 13 into the outer tub 2 via the first water supply valve 11 and the second water supply via the second water supply valve 12. It is adapted to be supplied from the passage 14 into the outer tank 2. Further, hot water sent from a hot water source (not shown) is supplied from the hot water supply valve 15 and the hot water supply passage 16 into the outer tub 2.

The detergent in the detergent tank 17 storing the detergent is
The detergent pump 18 supplies the detergent from the detergent passage 19 into the outer tub 2, and the auxiliary agent in the auxiliary agent tank 20 storing auxiliary agents such as softeners is supplied by the auxiliary agent pump 21 to the detergent. It is adapted to be supplied from the passage 22 into the outer tank 2.

A drainage channel 23 is connected to the bottom of the outer tub 2, and an air trap 24 is provided in the middle of the drainage channel 23. A drain valve 25 is provided on the downstream side of the air trap 24 in the drain path 23, and the water in the outer tub 2 is drained from the drain path 23.
The water is drained from 23 through the drain valve 25 to the outside of the machine.

A pressure hose 26 is attached to the air trap 24.
The three water level sensors, that is, a low water level sensor 27a for detecting a low water level, a specified water level sensor 27b for detecting a specified water level, and a high water level sensor 27c for detecting a high water level are connected via the.
Each of them detects a pressure change in the air trap 24 as a water level change in the outer tub 2. Here, the low water level is a state in which water is accumulated up to the bottom of the drum 3, the high water level is a state in which water is slightly accumulated below the intermediate portion of the drum 3 in the vertical direction, the prescribed water level. Is a state in which water is accumulated up to an intermediate position between the low water level and the high water level.

Further, an overflow channel 28 is connected to an intermediate portion of the outer tub 2 in the vertical direction, and when the water in the outer tub 2 exceeds a predetermined water level, the overflow will pass through the overflow channel 28 to the outside of the machine. It is designed to be drained to. An air vent passage 29 is connected to a middle portion of the overflow passage 28, and air in the outer tub 2 is vented from the air vent passage 29.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the washing machine according to the present invention. In the figure, 100 is a microcomputer that performs various controls in the washing machine, and the microcomputer 100 is operated by electric power supplied from a power supply device 101. An arithmetic processing unit (not shown) for executing the above, a storage unit 100a for storing various information such as a program for executing a plurality of driving courses as will be described later, and a water supply time measuring unit 100b for measuring the water supply time. I have it.

The microcomputer 100 is provided with information on coin insertion from the coin insertion unit 102, data regarding selection of a driving course from the course selection key unit 103, and a low water level detection signal from the low water level sensor 27a. The specified water level sensor 27b provides a specified water level detection signal, and the high water level sensor 27c provides a high water level detection signal.

In the course selection key unit 103, a standard course for washing standard clothes such as underwear and sheets and a wash for perishable laundry such as lingerie and lace are performed by key operation. It is possible to select either a light washing course or a large course for washing large laundry such as blankets and duvets.
These driving courses are, for example, those classified according to the water content of the target laundry, and among these driving courses, the large course is intended for the laundry having the highest water content. To do.

Further, the microcomputer 100 has a first water supply valve drive circuit 104 for driving the first water supply valve 11, a second water supply valve drive circuit 105 for driving the second water supply valve 12, and a hot water supply for driving the hot water supply valve 15. Valve drive circuit 106, drain valve drive circuit 107 for driving drain valve 25, washing motor left rotation circuit 108 for rotating washing motor 6 counterclockwise, washing motor right rotation circuit 109 for rotating washing motor 6 clockwise, dehydration motor A dehydration motor medium speed rotation circuit 110 for rotating the dehydration motor 7 at a medium speed, a dehydration motor high speed rotation circuit 111 for rotating the dehydration motor 7 at a high speed, and the above-mentioned display unit 112 are connected.

In the microcomputer 100, the coin insertion section 102, the course selection key section 103, the low water level sensor 27a,
Various arithmetic processes are executed based on the signals given from the regulated water level sensor 27b and the high water level sensor 27c, and the first water supply valve drive circuit 104, the second water supply valve drive circuit 105, and the hot water supply valve drive are executed based on the processing results. Circuit 106, drain valve drive circuit 107
, Washing motor left rotation circuit 108, washing motor right rotation circuit 1
09, Dehydration motor medium speed rotation circuit 110 and dewatering motor high speed rotation circuit 111 are supplied with control signals for driving respective devices to be driven, and display section 112 is provided with display information such as operating conditions. Is becoming

Further, regarding the operation course selected by the course selection key section 103, operation conditions such as each step time in the washing step, the rinsing step and the dehydrating step, the set water level in the washing step and the rinsing step are set for each course. The specified operation program is stored in the storage unit 10 of the microcomputer 100.
0a, the microcomputer 100 executes a driving program corresponding to the driving course selected by the course selection key unit 103.

In the washing machine having the above structure, the washing process, the rinsing process and the dehydrating process are sequentially executed under the control of the microcomputer 100 based on the operation course selected by the course selection key unit 103. In the washing and rinsing steps, basically,
A washing operation and a rinsing operation in which the drum 3 is reciprocally rotated at a low speed are executed, and in the dehydration step, an operation pattern as described below is executed.

In the rinsing step, for example, a plurality of rinsing operations are executed. In the final rinsing operation, the water supply time is measured by the water supply time measuring unit 100b and the water supply time The storage unit stores the measurement result data and the set water level data in the final rinsing operation.
It will be stored in 100a.

Next, the operation pattern in the dehydration step will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation pattern in the dehydration process.

First, the data of the water supply time in the final rinsing operation in the rinsing process stored as described above is read (step S1), and the water supply time is a predetermined time (for example, 3).
Min) or more is determined (step S2).

If it is determined in step S2 that the water supply time is longer than the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S9 described later.

On the other hand, when it is judged in step S2 that the water supply time is not longer than the predetermined time, the data of the set water level in the final rinsing operation in the rinsing step stored as described above is read (step S3) and set. It is determined whether or not the water level is the high water level as described above (step S4).
.

If it is determined in step S4 that the set water level is high, the process proceeds to step S9 described later.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S4 that the set water level is not the high water level, the course selection data given from the course selection key portion 103 is read as described above (step S5), and the selected driving course is a large one. It is determined whether or not it is a course (step S6).

If it is determined in step S6 that the selected driving course is a large course, the process proceeds to step S9 described later.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S6 that the selected operation course is not the large course, the drain valve 25 is opened to execute the drain operation of draining the water in the outer tub 2 (step). S7). Then, after the completion of the drainage operation, the main dehydration operation, which is the dehydration operation for rotating the drum 3 at a high speed, is executed (step S8), and the dehydration process is completed.

If it is determined in step S2 that the water supply time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time, or if it is determined in step S4 that the set water level is high,
If it is determined in S6 that the driving course is the big course, the processing from step S9 is executed, but first,
In step S9, the drain valve 25 is opened to perform the drain operation of draining the water in the outer tub 2.

After the drainage operation is completed, a preliminary dehydration operation, which is a dehydration operation for rotating the drum 3 at a medium speed, is executed for a predetermined time (step S10). When this preliminary dewatering operation is completed, the drum 3 is reciprocally rotated at a low speed to execute the unraveling operation for unraveling the laundry (step S11), and after that, the main dewatering operation for rotating the drum 3 at high speed is executed. Then (step S12), the dehydration process is completed.

In the dewatering step as described above, when the preliminary dewatering operation and the loosening operation are performed, the preliminary dewatering operation removes a certain amount of water from the laundry to reduce the load, and the loosening operation loosens the laundry. After the eccentricity of the washing tub is suppressed, the main dewatering operation is performed by the high-speed rotation of the washing tub, so that overload, abnormal vibration, and excessive noise related to driving the washing tub are suppressed.

The conditions for executing the preliminary dewatering operation and the loosening operation are the above-mentioned three kinds of conditions. The reason for setting these conditions will be described below.

When the water supply time is longer than the predetermined time, it means that the water absorbency of the laundry is high. In this case, the laundry contains excessive water at the time of dehydration, so that the driving load of the washing tub is large. Therefore, the preliminary dehydration operation and the loosening operation are executed. Further, when the set water level in the rinsing process in the selected operation course is equal to or higher than the predetermined water level, it means that the amount of laundry is large, and in this case also, since the amount of laundry is large, the laundry is excessive. Since it contains water, the driving load on the washing tub becomes large, so that the preliminary dewatering operation and the loosening operation are executed. Further, when the selected driving course is a large course, the large course is a driving course corresponding to the type of laundry having a high water content, and due to the nature of the laundry, the laundry contains excessive water during dehydration. Therefore, since the driving load of the washing tub becomes large, the preliminary dewatering operation and the loosening operation are executed.

If the above three conditions are not satisfied, the pre-dewatering operation and the loosening operation are not executed, so that the time required to execute all the steps from washing to dehydration is shorter than that of the conventional washing machine. Be shortened appropriately.

[0042]

As described in detail above, in the washing machine according to the present invention, the load on the drive of the washing tub in the dewatering process becomes large, that is, the water level in the rinsing process is from the start of water supply to the set water level. If the water supply time is longer than a predetermined time, the set water level in the rinsing process in the selected operation course is more than the predetermined water level, or the selected operation course corresponds to the type of laundry with a high water content If it is a course, the pre-dewatering operation removes some water from the laundry to reduce the load, and the loosening operation loosens the laundry to prevent eccentricity of the washing tub, and then the high-speed rotation of the washing tub. Since the main dehydration operation can be executed by the above, overload, abnormal vibration and excessive noise related to the drive of the washing tub can be suppressed, and when the above conditions are not satisfied, the preliminary dehydration operation is performed. For fine disentangling operation is not performed,
The present invention has excellent effects such that the time required to execute all the steps from washing to dehydration can be appropriately shortened as compared with the conventional washing machine.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the washing machine according to the present invention when viewed from the rear side.

FIG. 3 is a piping configuration diagram of the washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation pattern in a dehydration process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Outer tank 3 Drum 27a Low water level sensor 27b Normal water level sensor 27c High water level sensor 100 Microcomputer 100a Storage section 100b Water supply time measuring section 103 Course selection key section

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location D06F 39/08 Z 6704-3B

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An outer tub, a washing tub which rotates inside the outer tub, a water level detecting means for detecting a water level in the washing tub, and a type of laundry such as a high or low water content of the laundry. The driving course includes means for storing a plurality of driving courses that define operating conditions such as set water level of the washing tub, and driving course selecting means for selecting an arbitrary driving course from the driving courses stored in the means. Based on the operation course selected by the selection means, to perform the water supply and drainage to the outer tub and the operation of the washing tub,
In a washing machine configured to sequentially perform a washing step, a rinsing step, and a dehydrating step, a means for measuring the water supply time from the start of water supply to the set water level in the rinsing step, and the means for measuring the water supply time. And a first determining means for determining whether or not the water supply time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, and whether or not the set water level in the rinsing process in the operation course selected by the operation course selection means is equal to or more than the predetermined water level. The second discriminating means for discriminating and the driving course selected by the driving course selecting means are
A third discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the operation course corresponds to the type of laundry having a high water content, and the second discriminating means when the water supply time is discriminated by the first discriminating means for a predetermined time or more. In the case where the determination means determines that the set water level is equal to or higher than the predetermined water level, or the third
Only when it is determined by the determining means that the operation course is an operation course corresponding to the type of laundry having a high water content, the preliminary dehydration operation by the medium speed rotation of the washing tub and the washing tub of the washing tub in the dewatering step are performed. A washing machine, comprising means for sequentially performing a loosening operation by reciprocating rotation and then performing a main dehydration operation by high-speed rotation of the washing tub.