JPH0531289A - Hot water controlling device for washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control the water temperature to be most suitable for washing clothes by providing a control means controlling the opening and closing of hot water and cold water supply valves so as to get the set temperature while viewing the detection information of a temperature sensor. CONSTITUTION:A temperature sensor 53 is fixed on the bottom of an outside tub 2, and a temperature sensing part 55 detecting the water temperature is fitted at the end of the temperature sensor 53. The water temperature is sensed by this temperature sensing part 55. A resistance value is changed by the water temperature and a temperature thermostat converts the change of the resistance value into to the frequency through a circuit. The washing water supply temperature is set to 'Hot' or to 'Warm' by a water temperature selection key, and the 'Hot' or 'Warm' water is supplied when a start key is depressed. In the 'Warm' water supply, a hot water supply valve 11A and a water supply valve 11 are opened at the same time, and the water obtd. by mixing hot water and cold water is supplied. In temperature control, only the cold water supply valve 11 is opened in the case the temperature is set to 'Cold'.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fully self-cleaning machine, and more particularly to hot water control for washing with hot water having water supply valves for hot water and water.

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional fully automatic washing machine having a hot water supply function has a drawback that it does not control the temperature, so that when hot water is selected, the hot water is directly poured into the clothes washing machine. In addition, even if it is set to mixed water, the tap water pressure for water and the water pressure for hot water are different (generally, the water pressure of water is 1.5 to 2 times higher than the water pressure of hot water), so more water comes out. There was a drawback that the target mixed water temperature could not be obtained.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention eliminates the drawbacks of the prior art and installs a temperature sensor at the bottom of the outer tub of a washing machine to detect the water temperature from the start of water supply to the washing process to reach the prescribed water level required for washing. The hot water and water supply control is divided into the number of times to obtain an appropriate water temperature for washing.

According to the present invention, in order to obtain an optimum water temperature for washing time, the temperature is controlled several times or continuously during the water supply process to reach the specified water level.

[Function] A fully automatic washing machine with hot and cold water switching detects the water temperature with a temperature sensor while reaching the prescribed water level required for washing, and controls the hot and cold water supply valves to control the optimum water temperature for washing. Have.

The present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a fully automatic washing machine adopting the present invention, and the operation will be described in sequence.
The outer tub 2 is supported by the four corner rods 21 at the four corners of the upper portion of the outer frame 1 by the four hanging rods 5. The hanging rod 5 is provided with an oscillation spring 4 which absorbs vibration during washing and dehydration. In the case of washing, the lid 18 is opened, the clothes are put into the washing tub 3, and the water is supplied in accordance with the command from the control unit 19, and then the motor 20 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions. The rotation of the motor 20 interposes the V-belt 16, and the motor pulley 17 causes the clutch 14 to rotate.
The rotation is transmitted to the clutch pulley 15 located at. The transmitted rotation is applied by the clutch 14 to the washing tub 3 during washing.
It is located in the central part of. The stirring blade 7 for moving the clothes is rotated to wash. At the time of drainage, the motor 20 is stopped according to a command from the control unit 19, the drain valve 12 is opened, and the washing liquid in the washing tub 3 is drained from the drain hose 13 to the outside of the machine.
After the drainage, the dehydration process proceeds, but the dehydration process causes the outer tub 2 to shake significantly depending on the condition of the clothes. Therefore, in order to prevent the runout, a balancer 6 is provided on the upper part of the washing tub 3, and This is to prevent runout. Motor 2 for dehydration
The rotation of 0 is transmitted to the clutch 14 via the V-belt 16 as in the case of washing, the clutch 14 rotates the washing tub 3 at a high speed, and the centrifugal force causes the moisture in the clothes to move to the outer tub 2. The dehydrated and dewatered wash water is drained to the outside of the machine from the drain hose 13 by operating the drain valve 12. FIG. 2 is a detailed explanatory diagram of the control unit 19 described in FIG. An electronic control circuit consisting of a timer, CPU (central processing unit), memory, and I / O port is designed to sequentially shift from washing to dehydration in the same way as in a timer consisting of a timer motor and a cam switch. It is known that there is. The embodiment will be described below with reference to a block diagram. The electronic control circuit 34 shown in FIG.
This is for automatically shifting the process from the washing process by washing to the final dehydration process. Basically, as is well known, a timer 33, a central processing unit (CPU) 32, a memory 31, an input port 29, It consists of the output port 30, and the control command at the time of washing is sent to the central processing unit (CP
U), the central processing unit (CPU) has an arithmetic unit and a control unit and is the center of the system. Basically, instructions are fetched, decoded, and executed, but specifically, arithmetic and logical operations, read / write control of the contents of specified addresses in memory, input / output control to specified addresses to input / output devices, It controls the flow of the program. The memory 31 stores programs and data, and has two types: a RAM having both read and write functions and a ROM having only a read function. The RAM is used as a work area for storing data or assembling a program, and the ROM is used when a fixed program or fixed data is put in and the same processing is always performed. The input port 29 and the output port 30 are
A circuit that acts as an intermediary when data is transferred between the CPU and an input device or output device.
I call it a port. Electric commands from the fully automatic washing machine are input to the input side of the I / O port, and mainly the power switch 23, water level sensor 22, lid switch 24, program selection switch 25, start / stop switch 2
6, temperature sensor 53 and the like are connected. Further, a washing motor 20, a water feed valve 10, a hot water feed valve 10A, a drain valve 12, a clutch solenoid 27, an alarm 28, etc. are connected to the output side, and the I / O port is instructed by the CPU. It is controlled by the intervention of the above and performs a series of washing operations. Therefore, the washing machine is controlled by the timer including the timer motor and the cam switch in the same manner as the washing machine with a timer. The washing machine is controlled by the electronic circuit as described above. Figure 3
It is a block diagram of a washing process in a fully automatic washing machine. Based on the block diagram of FIG. 3, the washing process of the fully automatic washing machine will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and operation panel FIG. 4. In FIG. 2 and FIG. By pressing, the program selection switch 25 is used to set an arbitrary washing course, and the start / stop switch 26 is pressed to start water supply in FIG. Water is automatically supplied as washing water into the washing tub 3 from the water supply hose 11 for water and the water supply hose 11A for hot water until the water level reaches a predetermined level. When the water level sensor 22 notifies the microcomputer that the water level has reached the specified level, washing is started. After washing for a certain period of time, the drain valve is opened, and the wash water in the outer tub 2 is discharged from the washing machine through the drain hose 13. After the water level sensor 22 detects whether or not the washing water has been completely drained, the intermediate dewatering is performed and the washing tub 3 is rotated at a high speed, whereby the washing water containing the detergent component in the clothes is dewatered by centrifugal force. After the dehydration is completed, the first rinse is performed, so that water is supplied under the same control as that for washing, and the rinse is started after the specified water amount is reached. Both the intermediate dehydration and the rinsing and final dehydration perform the same control as the intermediate dehydration and rinsing at the time of washing and the first time, and the clothes are rinsed from the laundry and dehydrated. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state set on the operation panel of FIG. 4 on the large-sized liquid crystal display plate. Hereinafter, the large-sized liquid crystal display plate will be described as an LCD. L
On the CD, the display of the washing course 46, the washing water level 47, the washing time and the water supply temperature display 48, the rinsing frequency display 49,
There are a display 51 for the dehydration time, a display for the current time 50, and the like. These display functions will be described with reference to the operation panel diagram of FIG. 4. By pressing the triangular arrow portion of the program selection key 25 of FIG. 4, the washing course displayed on the washing course 46 of the LCD of FIG. The course settings are represented by triangular arrows. When the program selection key in FIG. 4 is continuously pressed, the display of the laundry course 46 in FIG. 5 automatically changes, and the required laundry course 46 can be set. Next, every time the water level changeover switch 35 of FIG. 4 is pressed, the water level setting display displayed on the LCD of FIG. 5 is indicated by a triangular arrow mark, and the washing water level can be arbitrarily set and washed. Further, by pressing the water temperature changeover switch 39 shown in FIG.
On the CD, the washing time display and the water temperature display in the water temperature display 48, Hot, Warm, Cold are sequentially changed,
The set water temperature is displayed by blinking. In addition, the LCD display such as the washing time 48, the number of rinses 49, the dehydration time 51 and the current time 50 is set in the same manner, and then the start switch 26 on the operation panel of FIG. 4 is set.
By pressing, washing is started under the set conditions. FIG. 6 is a table showing the water temperature control conditions to be supplied when washing water is supplied when the washing water temperature is set by pressing the water temperature changeover switch 39 described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, and FIGS. The function will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the water temperature changeover switch 39 is pressed to set the water temperature to Cold, the Cold portion of the water temperature display 48 of the LCD display section of FIG. 5 blinks, and it is recognized that Cold has been set. Select the other necessary conditions for washing on the operation panel in Fig. 4,
After setting, when the start key 26 is pressed, water supply is started. This water supply is based on the water temperature control table of FIG.
Since the selection key Cold is set, cold water is automatically supplied from step 1 to step 4. Reaching the water level in Step 1 means that the water level sensor 2 shown in FIG.
2 to detect. To explain the detection method with reference to FIG. 11, in step 1, Cold is supplied and water is supplied to the bottom surface of the outer tank 2 in a Cold state up to the height shown by the diagonal lines. Explaining in more detail that the water level in step 1 is reached, the water level sensor 22 that detects the water level sensor 22 sends the change in frequency due to LC oscillation to the I / O port of the microcomputer, and the change in frequency causes the wash water level to change. When water is supplied, the air in the air trap 8 at the bottom of the outer tank 2 is compressed by the water pressure, and PS
Through the tube 9, the water level sensor 22 is an LC oscillation device, and the frequency f is

[Equation 1] Therefore, by changing the change of the water pressure, that is, the change of the air pressure in the air trap 8 by the change of L,
The relationship between the water level and the oscillation frequency of the water level sensor 22 in FIG. 11 is established. The frequency of each water level is stored in the microcomputer, water is supplied at the time of washing, and when the water level reaches a specified level, that is, a specified frequency, the water supply is stopped and the process is moved to the washing process for control. . Such a water level sensor 22 is used to detect the water level reaching each step in FIG. Next, the water supplied to step 1 is
The function of detecting what water temperature is currently set by the temperature sensor 53 will be described with reference to FIG. A temperature sensor 53 is attached to the bottom surface of the outer tub 2 via a packing 52 and screws 5
It is fixed at 4. At the tip of the temperature sensor 53,
There is a temperature sensing unit 55 that detects the water temperature, and the temperature sensing unit 55 detects the water temperature. The temperature sensing section 55 will be briefly described. The temperature sensing section 55 has a structure covered with plastics so that the metal part of the temperature thermostat is not exposed. The temperature thermostat changes the resistance value depending on the water temperature and converts the change in the resistance value into a frequency through a circuit. The experimental result is
The graph is shown in FIG. Explaining the graph of FIG. 12, the change of the water temperature and the resistance in the temperature thermo is changed to the change of the water temperature and the frequency through the circuit, and when the frequency is transmitted to the microcomputer, it is preset in the microcomputer. It is calculated from the relationship between the water temperature and the frequency and is recognized as the water temperature. By the method as described above, the water level and the water temperature are detected in step 1 of FIG. 7, stored in the microcomputer, and the process proceeds to step 2. In step 2, the temperature is controlled by the water temperature detected in step 1, but the water temperature setting in FIG.
In addition, only the water supply valve of the water supply bubble 11 is opened. In this way, water is supplied while detecting the water level and water temperature in steps 3 and 4, and the final washing water temperature is detected in step 5 when the prescribed water level for washing is reached. That is, in the water supply process, steps 1 to 4 are a temperature control step, and step 5 is a washing water temperature detection step. Steps 1 to 4 of the water temperature control process are performed at the time of Warm setting water supply in FIG. 8 and Ho in FIG.
This will be described in more detail with reference to a diagram when water is supplied at a set time. First, on the operation panel in FIG. 4, while the water temperature and the washing time display 48 on the LCD of FIG. 5 are being set by the water temperature selection key 39, the washing water supply temperature is set to Hot or Warm, and the start key 26 is pressed. Hot or Warm is supplied. However, as explained in the table of FIG.
When Cold is washed, from Step 1 to Step 4, only Cold water is supplied. However, when Hot is selected or Warm is selected, Step 1 is always Wa.
rm water supply. When selecting Warm, of course Warm
Although there is a water supplier, especially when Hot is selected, it is not Ward water supply but Warm water supply. Warm water supply refers to the case where the hot water supply valve 11A and the water supply water valve 11 are opened at the same time and the hot water and water are mixed and supplied, and the Warm water supply is used. At the time of Hot water supply, the hot water supply valve is used. Since only 11A is opened, hot water of about 70 ° C to 80 ° C is directly supplied. In the case of step 1 in FIGS. 8 and 9,
The laundry to be laundered and the detergent have already been put into the washing tub 3, and the put clothes can be directly heated to 70 ° C or higher.
If hot water of 80 ° C is applied, the problem of discoloration of clothes and damage occurs. Therefore, especially when the Hot key is pressed, the water supply valve 1
1 and hot water supply valve 11A are opened at the same time for Warm water supply. At the same time as the completion of the water supply in Step 1 of FIGS. 8 and 9, the Warm is performed by the method described in FIG.
If selected, within 20 ° C-40 ° C or 30 ° C-50 ° C
It detects whether it is within the range. Water supply in Step 2 is Step 1
Taking the temperature of the water detected in step 1, that is, the case of selecting Warm as an example, if it is 20 ° C. or lower, close the water supply valve 11 for water,
Only the hot water supply valve 11A is opened to supply hot water to wash the tub 3
It raises the temperature of the washing water inside. On the contrary, when the water temperature in step 1 is 40 ° C. or higher, the hot water supply valve 11A is closed and only the water supply valve is opened, and the washing tub 3
Control the temperature of the washing water inside. In this way, while constantly detecting the water temperature, Warm water supply or Hot water supply is performed to adjust the wash water temperature. When the water supply up to step 2 reaches the water level described in FIG. 11, the stirring blade 7 for moving and washing the clothes is moved for several seconds to detect the amount of the clothes and automatically adjust the washing water level according to the amount of the clothes. And then move on. In Step 2 to Step 3, stirring is stopped, Warm water is supplied when Warm is set, and when the water level shown in FIG. 11 is reached, the process proceeds from Step 3 to Step 4. In steps 3 to 4, W
Warm water is supplied when arm is set, and H is set when Hot is set.
Although ot is supplied with water, in the process of steps 3 to 4, the temperature of the water supplied into the washing tub 3 is mixed well, so that the water is supplied to the specified water level while rotating the stirring blade 7. Also in these steps 3 to 4, the same water temperature control as in steps 1 to 2 is performed, and the water supply valve is adjusted so that the washing water is within the set range. When the specified water level for washing in step 5 in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 is reached, the main washing of the laundry starts, but immediately before the start of the main washing, the washing water temperature at the specified water level is detected to determine the washing time. And the control of the rotation cycle of the stirring blade 7 or the number of rotations. The washing time correction based on the water temperature detection in step 5 will be described with reference to FIG. 10 as an example. When the Normal course of the washing course display shown in FIG. 5 is set by the program selection key 25 shown in FIG. , Automatically set to 16 minutes regardless of water temperature. However, in step 5 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9,
The final washing water temperature is detected, and if the detected water temperature is within the temperature range shown in FIG. 10, the preset washing time of 16 minutes is corrected to +2 minutes to −2 minutes by the water temperature. That is, the relationship between the washing water temperature and the washing power in washing is as shown in the graph of FIG.
Removal of dirt tends to be greatly influenced by water temperature. If the water temperature is low, the chemical strength of the detergent surfactant will decrease, and at the same time the fibers of the clothes will shrink, making it easier for the dirt clogged between the fibers to separate from the fibers, making it difficult for the clothes to stain. is there. If the water temperature detected in step 5 of FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 is low, the initially set washing time 16
In addition to the above, +2 minutes is added to 18 minutes to control the removal of dirt with mechanical force. Conversely, as the washing water temperature increases, the damage to the cloth tends to worsen, as can be seen from the graph of FIG. The experimental value of the cloth damage in FIG. 14 is when the water temperature is 40 ° C. That is, when the washing water temperature is high-temperature water, it is possible to prevent the cloth damage at the water temperature by correcting the standard washing time of 16 minutes from the beginning to −2 minutes to perform washing in 14 minutes. Standard washing time of 16 minutes, water temperature is 20 ℃ ~ 30 ℃
When the washing water temperature is high, the fibers will expand and stains between the fibers will easily come off, and at the same time, the surfactant's penetrating action of the detergent will exert its effect and penetrate into the center of the fiber. Since the dirt is removed by cleaning, the cleaning effect is improved. That is, by shortening the washing time with the water temperature, effective washing with less damage can be obtained. It can be seen that when the washing water temperature is high, the washing time shown in FIG. 15 is not significantly affected by the state of the clothes at the above-mentioned water temperature and the effect of the detergent surfactant. Therefore, even if the washing time is set to -2 minutes and 14 minutes from the standard washing time, the washing power by washing with high temperature water is not affected. That is, when washing with high-temperature water, the standard washing time is shortened to
3, From the experimental results of FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, it is possible to reduce the damage to the cloth and improve the cleaning effect. The dewatering rate of dewatering the washing liquid in the clothes by the centrifugal force due to the final dewatering process is greatly affected by the water temperature of the rinse,
This can be understood from the experimental result shown in FIG. That is, the temperature of water at the time of rinsing is detected by the temperature sensor 53 to control the dehydration time or the dehydration rotation speed. The control of the dehydration time will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, for example. It shows the relationship between the water temperature and the dehydration rate when the time is fixed. When the water temperature rises, as explained during washing, the swelling between the fibers of the clothes makes it easier for the moisture particles invading between the fibers to come out from between the fibers, which improves the dehydration rate. . Various principles can be considered for the high dehydration rate when the water temperature is high, but generally, the above-mentioned situation shows a large factor. FIG. 17 is an experimental result showing the relationship between the dehydration time and the dehydration rate when the water temperature during rinsing is low temperature water and when the water temperature is high temperature water. As shown in FIG. 17, when dehydration is performed at a constant spin-drying speed, high-temperature dehydration performance can be obtained in a short dehydration time in the case of high-temperature water depending on the water temperature during rinsing. On the contrary, when the water temperature is low, the dehydration time can be extended and the dehydration can be controlled to obtain an efficient dehydration performance. In addition, if the water supply valve malfunctions due to some trouble and hot water near 80 ° C is being poured into the washing tub 3, washing and moving the clothes may cause damage to the clothes or a failure of the washing machine body. When the temperature sensor 53 detects that water is contained in the washing tub 3 by the water level sensor shown in FIG. 11, and when the water is contained, the washing water temperature is always detected, and the washing water temperature rises abnormally. For example, in FIG. 12, when the temperature exceeds 60 ° C., the operation of the main body of the washing machine is stopped, and the alarm 28 shown in FIG.

According to the present invention, the optimum washing water temperature can be obtained regardless of the difference between the tap water pressure and the feed water temperature (Cold water temperature: Hot water temperature).

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a fully automatic washing machine.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of microcomputer control.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a fully automatic washing course.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel.

FIG. 5 is a process display explanatory diagram.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a water temperature switching key operation.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of water temperature control.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of water temperature control.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of water temperature control.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of washing time correction based on water temperature.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the wash water level and the frequency measured by the water level sensor.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the temperature sensor mounting and the water temperature and frequency.

FIG. 13: Experimental results of water temperature and detergency.

FIG. 14: Experimental results of washing time and cloth damage.

FIG. 15: Experiment of washing correction time and washing power.

FIG. 16: Experimental results of water temperature and dehydration rate.

FIG. 17 is an experimental result of dehydration according to water temperature and dehydration time.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Water supply valve, 10A ... Hot water supply valve, 39 ... Water temperature selection key, 53 ... Temperature sensor.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yasushi Nobu             1-1-1 Higashitaga-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture             Ceremony company Hitachi factory Taga factory

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A washing tub, a water supply valve for hot water, a water supply valve for water, a temperature sensor for detecting the water temperature provided in the washing tub, a water level sensor for detecting the water level of the washing tub, and a temperature sensor,
The hot water supply valve and the water supply valve for water are equipped with a control means based on the detection information of the water level sensor, and the hot water supply valve and the water supply valve for water are opened and closed so as to reach the set temperature while observing the detection information of the temperature sensor. A hot water control device for a washing machine, characterized by controlling the. 2. The hot water supply valve and the water supply valve according to claim 2, wherein the hot water supply valve and the water supply valve are controlled to be opened and closed while observing the temperature sensing detection information until the set water level is set. A hot water controller for a washing machine. 3. The washing according to claim 1, wherein opening and closing of the hot water supply valve and the water level water supply valve are controlled while observing the detection information coming from the temperature sensor at each water level up to the set water level. Machine hot water control device.