JPH06182088A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate a troublesome process of examining the cause of abnormality of draining by judging and reporting the type of the abnormality when it occurs. CONSTITUTION:A water level sensor 11 is provided to detect a water level in a water receiving tank while a drain valve 8 to drain water in the water receiving tank. A valve opening/closing state detection means 24 is provided to detect the opening or closing state of the drain valve and a control circuit 23 is provided to judge the type of abnormality of draining basing on changes in time of a valve opening/closing state detection signal from the valve opening/ closing state detection means 24 and a water level detection signal from the water level sensor 11 during the draining and report the type of the abnormality of the draining thus judged. Thus, when the abnormality of the draining occurs, a user can know the cause of the abnormality of the draining with ease simply only by checking the details of the reporting shown on a display device 30.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a washing machine having a water level sensor for detecting the water level of water stored in a tub and a drain valve for draining the water in the tub.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a fully automatic washing machine of this type, when draining water in a tub, a drainage abnormality is detected and notified as described below. That is, even after the drain valve is opened, even if a predetermined set time has elapsed, when the water level sensor detects that water is stored in the tank, some drainage abnormality occurs. It is configured to judge that the water in the tank is not discharged to the outside and notify the abnormality by a buzzer or a display device.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional configuration, even if the drainage abnormality is notified, the user cannot know the cause of the abnormality. For this reason, the user has to perform a troublesome task of checking various causes of the drainage abnormality, specifically, forgetting to put down the drain hose, malfunction of the drain valve, clogging of the drain port side of the house, etc. Was needed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to discriminate the type of the drainage abnormality that has occurred when the drainage abnormality occurs, and to notify the drainage abnormality, which can obviate the troublesome work of investigating the cause of the drainage abnormality. To provide a washing machine.

[0005]

The washing machine of the present invention comprises a water level sensor for detecting the water level of water stored in the tub, and a drain valve for draining the water in the tub. In the washing machine, a valve opening / closing state detecting means for detecting the opening / closing state of the drainage valve is provided, and the time variation of the valve opening / closing state detection signal from the valve opening / closing state detection means and the water level detection signal from the water level sensor during drainage, It is characterized in that it is provided with a drainage abnormality determining means for determining the type of drainage abnormality based on the above, and with an abnormality notifying means for notifying the type of drainage abnormality determined by this drainage abnormality determining means.

[0006] In this case, the abnormality notifying means issues an abnormality notification indicating "failure" when an abnormality in which the drain valve is not opened is detected during drainage, and a drainage abnormality other than the above abnormality is detected. Occasionally, it is preferable that the abnormality notification is made so as to indicate "there is an abnormality capable of restarting".

[0007]

According to the above means, the valve open / closed state detecting means can determine whether the drain valve is open during drainage, that is, the failure of the drain valve. Also, based on the valve open / closed state detection signal from the valve open / closed state detection means and the time change of the water level detection signal from the water level sensor, the change in the water level in the tank in the state where the drain valve is open, that is, the drainage speed is known. , For example, when the water level hardly drops,
It can be determined that the drainage hose has been forgotten to fall, and it can be determined that the drainage port side of the house is clogged when the water level gradually drops, for example. That is,
It becomes possible to distinguish the type of drainage abnormality that has occurred,
The configuration can notify the type of the drainage abnormality that has been determined. Therefore, the user does not need to perform the troublesome work of investigating the cause of the drainage abnormality by confirming the notification content of the abnormality notification means.

Further, when the abnormality notification means detects an abnormality in which the drain valve is not opened during drainage (drain valve failure), an abnormality notification indicating "failure" is given, and a drainage abnormality other than the above abnormality is given. When it is detected that it is not a failure and can be restarted if the cause of the failure is removed, it is configured to issue an error notification indicating "restartable error", so the user is in failure. It is possible to easily confirm whether the vehicle is restartable or not.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a fully automatic washing machine will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, in FIG. 3 showing the overall configuration of the fully automatic washing machine, a water receiving tub 2 is elastically supported inside an outer box 1 via an elastic suspension mechanism (not shown). In the water receiving tank 2, a rotating tank 3 which is a washing tank and a dehydration basket is arranged. An agitator 4 for washing is disposed on the inner bottom of the rotary tub 3.

At the outer bottom of the water receiving tank 2, a motor 5 for washing and dewatering operation and a mechanism portion 6 are provided. The mechanical unit 6 decelerates the rotation of the motor 5 at the time of washing and transmits it to only the stirring body 4 to rotate it, and at the time of dehydration, transmits the rotation of the motor 5 to the stirring body 4 and the rotary tub 3. The two are integrally rotated at high speed.

A drain valve 8 and a drain hose 9 are provided at the drain port 7 formed at the bottom of the water receiving tank 2.
An air trap 10 is provided adjacent to the drainage port 7. A water level sensor 11 (see FIG. 1) is connected to the air trap 10 via an air tube 12. The water level sensor 11 is composed of, for example, a pressure sensor, and is arranged in the rear portion of the upper cover 13 of the outer box 1. The water level sensor 11 is configured to detect the water level in the water receiving tank 2 (rotating tank 3) by detecting the pressure in the air trap 10, and thus output a water level detection signal corresponding to the water level. .

A foldable lid 14 is provided on the upper cover 13 so as to open and close the loading / unloading opening for the laundry. In addition, a water supply valve (not shown) is arranged in the rear portion of the upper cover 13.

In FIG. 1 showing the electrical configuration, AC power supply lines 16 and 17 are derived from the commercial AC power supply 15. Between these AC power supply lines 16 and 17, a series circuit including a drain valve drive motor 18 that drives the drain valve 8 to open and close, and a triac 19 that connects and disconnects the drain valve drive motor 18, and the motor 5 and this motor. An energization circuit composed of triacs 20 and 21 for disconnecting electricity and driving forward and reverse is connected.

The drain valve drive motor 18 is a motor having a reduction gear and an electromagnetic clutch, and an electromagnetic clutch 18c is provided in a series circuit including a motor 18a and a switch 18b.
Are connected in parallel. The switch 18b
Is a normally closed switch, and when the triac 19 is turned on, both the motor 18a and the electromagnetic clutch 18c are energized, and the motor 18a winds up the drain valve 8 to open it. In this case, when the drain valve 8 is completely opened, that is, when the drain valve 8 is wound up to the open position, the switch 18b is turned off and the motor 18a is cut off.

After that, only the electromagnetic clutch 18c is energized, and the open state of the drain valve 8 is maintained by the static torque of the motor 18a and the reduction gear. Then, when the triac 19 is turned off, the electromagnetic clutch 18c is cut off and its connection, that is, the connection between the motor 18a and the reduction gear is cut off, so that the drain valve 8 is operated by the spring force of the return spring (not shown). It is configured to be closed.

A DC power supply circuit 22 is connected between the AC power supply lines 16 and 17, and this DC power supply circuit 22 is connected.
Is configured to apply a constant DC voltage to the control circuit 23. The one AC power supply line 16 is connected to the positive output terminal of the DC power supply circuit 22. Further, an intermediate connection point A between the positive output terminal of the DC power supply circuit 22 and the motor 18a of the drain valve drive motor 18 and the switch 18b.
A valve open / closed state detecting means 24 is provided between and.

The valve open / closed state detecting means 24 includes resistors 25, 26 and a diode 27 connected in series and a resistor 25.
And a capacitor 28 connected in parallel with. The valve open / closed state detecting means 24 has a resistance 25 when the switch 18b is turned off, that is, when the drain valve 8 is opened.
A valve opening signal is applied to the control circuit 23 from an intermediate connection point B between the resistor 26 and the resistor 26. In this case, specifically, when the switch 18b is turned off, for example, a high level signal is given from the intermediate connection point B to the control circuit 23 as a valve opening signal.

The valve open / closed state detecting means 24 does not give a valve opening signal from the intermediate connection point B to the control circuit 23 when the switch 18b is turned on, that is, when the drain valve 8 is closed. In this case, specifically, when the switch 18b is turned on, for example, a low level signal, which is a voltage-divided signal obtained by rectifying and dividing the AC voltage from the commercial AC power supply 15, is controlled from the intermediate connection point B as a valve closing signal. It is configured to be applied to the circuit 23.

The control circuit 23 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer and the like, and stores a control program for controlling the overall washing and dehydration operations in its internal memory. The control circuit 23 has each function of a drainage abnormality determining means and an abnormality notifying means. Further, the control circuit 23 receives the water level detection signal from the water level sensor 11, the valve opening signal from the valve opening / closing state detecting means 24, and various switch signals from various switches 29 arranged on the operation panel (not shown). Is configured.

Further, the control circuit 23 includes a triac 1
By giving a drive control signal to each gate of 9, 20, and 21, the triacs 19, 20, and 21 are turned on and off to control the drain valve drive motor 18 and the motor 5 to be turned on and off, and are arranged on the operation panel. The display device 30 is driven and controlled via the drive circuit 31. As shown in FIG. 2, the display unit 30 has an abnormality notification section 30a composed of, for example, a 7-segment type light emitting diode, and has a large number of light emitting elements for displaying various washing courses and washing conditions. It has a diode (not shown).

The abnormality notifying section 30a is also configured to have a function as a time display section for displaying the time such as the washing operation time (the display section may be a display section for exclusively displaying the abnormality). In FIG. 1, a solenoid for driving the water supply valve to open and close and a triac for turning on and off the solenoid are not shown.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The flow chart of FIG. 4 shows the contents of the drainage control portion of the control program stored in the control circuit 23.

Now, for example, when the washing process is completed and the drain process is started, the control circuit 23 turns on the triac 19 to energize the motor 18a of the drain valve drive motor 18 and the electromagnetic clutch 18c to open the drain valve 8. To drive. As a result, the water in the water receiving tank 2 (rotary tank 3) begins to be drained through the drain valve 8.

Here, first, it is determined whether or not the valve opening / closing state detecting means 24 outputs a valve opening signal for the drain valve 8 until a predetermined set time t1 (for example, 7 seconds) elapses from the start of drainage. Is determined (steps S1 and S2). Here, if a valve opening signal is output, "YES" in step S1.
Go to. On the other hand, if the valve opening signal is not output even after the lapse of the set time t1, the process proceeds to “NO” in step S1 and proceeds to “YES” in step S2 to stop the drainage operation and detect the drainage abnormality. Notify (step S3).

In this case, since the drain valve 8 does not open even after the set time t1 has elapsed, it is judged that the drain valve 8 is out of order, and as shown in FIG. The character "F1" is displayed on the abnormality notification unit 30a. This display “F1” is an abnormality notification indicating a failure of the drain valve 8. In the case of this drainage abnormality, since the drainage valve 8 is out of order, the user needs to call a service person to repair it. Therefore, the control circuit 23 stores the drainage abnormality in the internal memory and stores the abnormality even when the power switch (not shown) is turned off. Even after that, even when the power switch is turned on again. The system is configured to immediately notify the drainage abnormality and control so that the vehicle cannot be operated. Incidentally, when the power plug (not shown) is unplugged from the power outlet, the memory of the drainage abnormality is erased and reset.

Next, when the process proceeds to "YES" in step S1 (when the drain valve 8 is actually opened), the preset time t2 from the start of drainage (the preset time t
Wait for a time longer than 1 (step S)
4). When the set time t2 has elapsed, step S
In step 4, the process proceeds to "YES", and the difference between the water level at the start of drainage (time t0) and the water level at the time when the set time t2 has elapsed (time t2), that is, the amount of change in water level is calculated. It is determined whether or not it is equal to or more than a predetermined reference change amount W (step S5).

In this judgment, when the water level change amount is less than the reference change amount W, that is, when the drainage hose 9 is forgotten or the drainage hose 9 is clogged, an abnormal drainage occurs. It is determined that Therefore, in such a case, the process proceeds to “NO” in step S5, the washing operation is temporarily stopped, and the drainage abnormality is notified (step S6). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2B, "E2" is displayed on the abnormality notification unit 30a of the display device 30.
Is displayed. This display "E2" is an abnormality notification indicating a drainage abnormality such as forgetting to pull down the drain hose 9 or the drain hose 9 being clogged.

In the case of such a drainage abnormality, the drainage hose 9 may be collapsed or the clogging of the drainage hose 9 may be removed so that the drainage can be continued normally, so that the washing operation can be restarted. There is. The specific procedure of performing the restart in the case of the present embodiment is as follows. When the cause of the drainage abnormality is removed as described above, the lid 14 is opened and closed once (open and close operation), the display 30 is displayed. The displayed abnormal display is erased (reset), and when the start switch is operated in this state, the washing operation is restarted.

Instead of opening and closing the lid 14 once,
When the power switch is turned off and then turned on again, the display unit 3
The abnormality display displayed at 0 is erased (reset). After this, as usual, the washing operation may be set and performed from the beginning.

On the other hand, in step S5, if the water level change amount is equal to or greater than the reference change amount W, drainage is proceeding. In this case, the process proceeds to “YES” in step S5, and it is determined whether or not the water level sensor 11 no longer detects the water level in the water receiving tank 2, that is, whether or not the water in the water receiving tank 2 is completely discharged. Perform (step S7).

Here, if the discharge of the water in the water receiving tank 2 is not completed even after the preset time t3 (relatively long time) from the start of the drainage, there is an abnormality in the drainage path, for example. It is judged that the drainage abnormality on the house side is clogged. Therefore, in such a case, the process proceeds to “YES” in step S8, the washing operation is temporarily stopped, and the drainage abnormality is notified (step S9).
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2C, the character "E3" is displayed on the abnormality notification unit 30a of the display 30. The display "E3" is an abnormality notification indicating a drainage abnormality that the drainage path has an abnormality.

In the case of such a drainage abnormality, drainage can be continued normally by removing the abnormality in the drainage route, that is, by removing the object clogged at the drainage outlet on the house side. It is configured to be restartable. The specific procedure for restarting in this case is the above-described step S6.
It is the same as the restarting procedure in.

If the discharge of the water in the water receiving tank 2 is completed before the set time t3 has elapsed from the start of drainage, the process proceeds to "YES" in step S7 and the next process, for example, the rinsing process. It is supposed to shift to the dehydration process.

According to this embodiment having such a configuration, based on the time change of the valve open / closed state detection signal from the valve open / closed state detecting means 24 and the water level detection signal from the water level sensor 11,
The type of drainage abnormality, specifically, the failure of the drainage valve 8, forgetting to drop the drainage hose 9, abnormality of the drainage route, and the like are determined, and the determined type of drainage abnormality is notified. When it occurs, the user can know the cause of the drainage abnormality only by looking at the display content of the display 30 of the operation panel. Therefore, unlike the conventional configuration, it is not necessary to perform the troublesome work of investigating and confirming the cause of the abnormality.

In the above embodiment, the drain valve 8 is used for draining.
Is not opened (failure of the drainage valve 8) is detected, an abnormality notification indicating "failure", specifically, displaying "F1" on the display 30, , When a drainage abnormality other than the above-mentioned abnormality (drainage abnormality that can be restarted if the cause of the abnormality is removed because it is not a malfunction) is detected, an abnormality notification indicating "restartable abnormality", specifically, , "E2" on the display 30,
Since it is configured to display the display "E3", the user can determine whether the failure or the restart is possible depending on whether the leftmost character of the abnormality display is "F" or "E". , Can be easily confirmed.

In the above embodiment, the specific times t1, t2, and t3 from the start of drainage are the time required for opening the drainage valve 8 and the capacity of the water receiving tank 2 (rotating tank 3). It may be appropriately set according to the drainage capacity of the drainage valve 8 and the drainage hose 9.

[0037]

Since the present invention is as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

In the washing machine according to the first aspect, the open / closed state of the drain valve is detected by the valve open / closed state detecting means, and the time variation of the valve open / closed state detection signal and the water level detection signal from the water level sensor is detected during drainage. Since the type of drainage abnormality is determined based on the above, and the type of the identified drainage abnormality is notified by the abnormality notification means, when the drainage abnormality occurs, it is troublesome to investigate the cause of the generated drainage abnormality. You can save the trouble.

In the washing machine of the second aspect, when the abnormality notifying means detects an abnormality in which the drain valve is not opened at the time of drainage, the abnormality notifying means "being out of order" is issued and other than the above-mentioned abnormality. When a drainage abnormality is detected, it is configured to notify the abnormality that "it is a restartable abnormality", so it is possible to easily confirm whether it is a failure or a restartable abnormality. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an electric circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

2 (a), (b) and (c) are top views showing an anomaly display displayed on a display unit.

[Figure 3] Vertical side view of the entire washing machine

[Fig. 4] Flow chart

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is an outer box, 2 is a water receiving tank, 3 is a rotating tank, 4 is an agitator, 5 is a motor, 7 is a drain port, 8 is a drain valve, 9 is a drain hose, 1
0 is an air trap, 11 is a water level sensor, 12 is an air tube, 14 is a lid, 18 is a drain valve drive motor, 18a is a motor, 18b is a switch, 18c is an electromagnetic clutch, 23
Is a control circuit (drainage abnormality determination means, abnormality notification means), 24
Is a valve open / closed state detecting means, and 30 is an indicator.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A washing machine comprising a water level sensor for detecting a water level of water stored in a tub and a drain valve for draining water in the tub, wherein an open / closed state of the drain valve is controlled. Abnormal drainage that detects the type of abnormal drainage based on the valve open / closed state detection means for detecting and the time change of the valve open / closed state detection signal from the valve open / closed state detection means and the water level detection signal from the water level sensor during drainage. A washing machine comprising: a determining unit and an abnormality notifying unit that notifies the type of the drainage abnormality determined by the drainage abnormality determining unit. 2. The abnormality notification means issues an abnormality notification indicating "a failure" when an abnormality in which the drain valve is not opened is detected during drainage, and a drainage abnormality other than the above abnormality is detected. An abnormality notification indicating "restartable abnormality" is sometimes performed.
The described washing machine.