JPH06269594A - Washing/spin-drying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent laundry in a tub from being damaged due to operation error by providing a washing/spin-drying machine with a position detection switch for confirming the termination of open operation of draining valve, changeover operation of clutch to a washing/spin-drying tub and restraining release operation, and by carrying out supplying of current to a selective spin- dry motor at the time of spin-dry start through operation of a position detection switch. CONSTITUTION:One end of a connection body 6 is inserted in a drainage valve 3 and connected to a normally closed valve 3a of the valve 3, and the other end of the body 6 is connected to one end of a belt 5b. The belt 5b is wound around a pulley 5a, which is fitted on the output shaft of a small motor 5 and the contact piece 7a of a position detection switch S mounted on a support 8 is capable of being contact with a work plate 6a being one part of the body 6. The switch S works after the open operation of the drainage valve 3 by means of the motor 5, clutch changeover operation to a washing/spin-drying tab and restraining release operation of the tab are finished. With such a constitution, erroneous rotation of a ratary blade can be prevented surely.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drive of a clutch mechanism for selectively connecting a washing / dehydrating motor to a rotary vane or a washing / dehydrating tub, and a brake for restraining the washing / dehydrating tub or releasing the restraint. The present invention relates to a dewatering washing machine in which a mechanism is driven by a small motor that opens and closes a drain valve, and the washing and dewatering motor and the small motor are energized to automatically perform washing, rinsing, and dewatering steps.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art If a solenoid is used to perform a clutch operation for switching between a washing operation and a dehydrating operation and an opening / closing operation for a drain valve, the switching operation noise becomes louder.
There is provided a dehydration washing machine that uses a small motor as a drive source without using a solenoid. According to this dewatering washing machine, the operating noise is eliminated, but since the rotation speed of the small motor is slow, the operation of the lever for switching the washing action and the dewatering action is delayed and the rotary blades for washing rotate in the initial stage of the dewatering. It is said that there is a drawback that laundry will be damaged.

Therefore, computer control has been adopted in which the washing / dehydrating drive motor is started to perform dewatering after a predetermined time delay using a timer from the start of rotation of the small motor (Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-7799). reference).

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned control using a small motor has been difficult to use in a popular dehydration washing machine using a mechanical timer. This will be described in detail. FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram of a main part showing only a portion related to drainage and dehydration of an upper lid switch, a drive unit, and a washing / dehydrating motor of a conventional popular dewatering and washing machine using a mechanical timer. The drive device is interlocked with a drain valve, a clutch mechanism, and a brake mechanism (not shown). The switches S1 and S2 are contacts inside the mechanical timer.

At the time of draining, the switch S1 is closed and the drain valve is opened to drain the water in the washing tub. The brake mechanism is released in conjunction with the opening of the drain valve, and the washing / dehydrating motor is connected to the washing / dehydrating tub. At the time of dehydration subsequent to drainage, the switch S2 is closed and the washing / dewatering motor is rotated. When the user opens the upper lid in the middle of dehydration, the upper lid switch is opened and the drive unit and the washing / dehydrating motor are de-energized. However, the switches S1 and S2 remain closed, and when the user closes the upper lid, the drive unit and the washing / dewatering motor are energized to restart the dehydration operation.

Here, it is assumed that a small motor is used instead of the driving device (see FIG. 11). In this case, when the user opens the upper lid in the middle of dehydration, the upper lid switch is opened and the power supply to the small motor and the washing / dehydrating motor is stopped. When the power supply to the small motor is stopped, the drain valve is closed, the clutch mechanism is switched to the washing side, and the braking mechanism brakes the washing tub. However, the switches S1 and S2 driven by the mechanical timer remain closed. At this time, when the user closes the upper lid, energization to the small motor and the washing / dehydrating motor starts, but there is a time lag from the energization of the small motor to the operation of the drain valve, the clutch mechanism, and the brake mechanism. This means that the washing / dehydrating motor will rotate. Therefore, only the rotary blades rotate and the laundry is damaged.

In addition to the mechanical timer, even when controlled by a microcomputer or the like, the timer circuit operates when the clutch, the drain valve, etc. are not operated by the small motor due to some abnormality such as freezing of the drain valve. In order to continue, the washing / dehydrating drive motor starts to rotate after a predetermined time, and there is a possibility that the laundry in the tub may be damaged due to a malfunction.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems and to be applicable to both a normal model controlled by a mechanical timer and a high-end model controlled by a computer. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a dehydration washing machine that does not damage the machine.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dehydration washing machine according to claim 1, wherein a small motor is connected to a clutch mechanism, a brake mechanism or a drain valve. Equipped with a position detection switch to confirm the end of the drainage valve opening operation, the clutch switching operation to the washing / dehydrating tub, and the restriction release operation of the washing / dehydrating tub. The operation of the detection switch is performed as a condition.

[0010]

According to the above construction, the small motor position detection switch for confirming whether or not the operation of the small motor is completely completed is provided. Therefore, after the position detection switch is operated, the washing and dehydration motor is operated for the first time. Is energized.

[0011]

Embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a water tank bottom of a dehydration washing machine, in which a mounting base 2 is fixed to the bottom of the outer tub 1 with bolts. The mounting base 2 has a drain valve 3, a small motor 5, and a position detection switch. A support 8 that supports S is attached. Further, the drain valve 3 and the small motor 5 are connected via a connecting body 6 or the like, and a lever 4 connected to a washing / dewatering switching clutch and a brake drum is sandwiched in a hole in an intermediate portion of the connecting body 6. There is.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the bottom of the water tank, showing a cutaway section of the lower half of the drain valve 3. The tip of the connecting body 6 is deeply inserted into the drain valve 3 and is connected to the normally closed valve 3 a of the drain valve 3. The other end of the connecting body 6 is connected to one end of the belt 5b. The belt 5b is wound around a pulley 5a, and the pulley 5a is attached to the output shaft of the small motor 5. Further, the contact piece 7a of the position detection switch S attached to the support 8 can come into contact with the working plate 6a forming a part of the connecting body 6.

A reduction gear is provided inside the small-sized motor 5, and the output shaft of the small-sized motor 5 is rotated at a relatively low speed and high torque. FIG. 3 is a wiring diagram of motors and switches inside the dehydration washing machine, and each switch and motor is driven by a mechanical timer that has been conventionally used.

Referring to FIG. 3, a switch C1 is connected to one pole of the power plug, and a water level switch and a switch C2 are connected via an upper lid switch. Switch C
2 is directly connected to a timer motor that measures time, and also a small motor 5 via switches C5 and C7.
Connected to. On the other hand, the switch C5 is connected to switches C8 and C10 for reciprocally driving the washing / dehydrating motor through a water flow switching manual switch and an intermittent water flow switch C9. Further, the water level switch is directly connected to the water supply valve via the switch C4, and is also connected to the washing / dewatering motor via the switch C6 and the position detection switch S.

The operation of each switch will be described separately for washing / rinsing, draining and dehydrating. Figure 4 shows
It is a figure which shows the state of the switch at the time of rinse,
1 falls to the contact point a. Since the water tank is initially at the water level 0, the water level switch is connected to the "empty" position and switch C
The water supply valve starts to operate through 4. As a result, the water tank begins to be filled with water, and when the water level becomes full, the water level switch becomes "full".
Connected to. Therefore, the switches C2, C5, C8-
The washing / dehydrating motor is driven through C10. More specifically, the user can switch the water flow switch to "continuous" during washing.
Toward the switch, the washing / dehydrating motor has a switch C8,
By the alternating operation of C10, it rotates while being reversed. When the user sets the water flow switch to the "intermittent" direction, the washing / dehydrating motor continues intermittent reversal rotation in response to the intermittent on / off operation of the switch C9.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a state at the time of drainage. Compared with washing and rinsing, the switch C2 falls toward the contact point b, the switch C5 falls toward the contact point b, and the switch C7.
Is falling toward the contact point a. Therefore, the small motor 5
Starts to move, and the connecting body 6 is passed through the belt 5b (see FIG. 2).
Is pulled in the direction of the arrow A, and the other end of the connecting body 6 has a symbol P.
_The movement starts from the position _{1 to} the position P ₂ . As a result, the valve 3a of the drain valve 3 is opened, and drainage is started.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a state at the time of dehydration, in which the switches C1 and C4 are tilted toward the contact point a and the switch C6 is tilted toward the contact point b as compared with the time of draining. Switch C
By the operation of 1, the power supply is linked with the opening and closing of the upper lid. Since the states of the switches C2, C5, C7 are unchanged, the small motor 5 continues to rotate, and with this, the lever 4 is biased in the same direction, whereby the brake is released and the clutch is switched to the dehydration side. Since the drainage is continued during this period, the operation of the small motor 5 may be somewhat slow. The water level switch drainage is completed switches towards the "empty", when the other end portion of the connecting member 6 is moved to the position of the mark P _2, the contact piece 7a of the working plate 6a is positioned sensing switch S equivalent Then, the position detection switch S is turned on. As a result, the washing / dehydrating motor starts high-speed continuous rotation, and dewatering is performed.

FIG. 7 is a table showing a series of steps of the dehydration washing machine performed based on the switching of the switches shown in FIGS. This embodiment, that is, the feature of the present invention, is that the small motor 5 is used even after the dehydration operation is started or after the upper lid is closed and the dehydration operation is restarted, the clutch is switched to the dehydration side.
Continues to rotate and the position detection switch S is turned on, and the washing / dewatering motor starts high-speed continuous rotation. Therefore, erroneous rotation of the rotary blade can be reliably prevented.

In the above description, each of the switches C1 to C
The drive source of 10 is a mechanical timer that has been conventionally used, but the drive source is not limited to this and may be controlled using a microcomputer. Figure 8
FIG. 3 is a block wiring diagram in the case of controlling using a microcomputer, in which contact signals of various switches such as a start / stop switch, a water level switch, an upper lid switch, and a position detection switch S are input to the microcomputer 11; From 11, the washing and spinning motor clockwise rotation, the washing and spinning motor left rotation, the small motor 5, the buzzer, various LEDs, etc. are driven.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the dehydration control procedure. When dehydration is started, the state of the upper lid switch is confirmed (step C1). When it is confirmed that the upper lid switch is closed, the small motor 5 is activated (step C2), and the clutch is switched to the dehydration side. When it is confirmed that the small motor 5 continues to rotate and the position detection switch S is turned on (step C3), the microcomputer 11 activates the clockwise rotation of the washing / dehydrating motor (step C4). As a result, the washing / dehydrating motor starts high-speed continuous rotation, and dewatering is performed. When the stipulated time has elapsed (step C5), the clockwise rotation of the washing / dewatering motor is stopped (step C6), whereby the dehydration process is completed and the next process (rinsing process) is started.

In the above procedure, if the upper lid switch is opened in step C1, the rotation of the motor is stopped until the upper lid switch is opened (step C7). Step C3
In, while the position detection switch is not turned on, the washing / dehydrating motor remains stopped (step C8).
As described above, even when the microcomputer 11 is used for control, the high-speed continuous rotation of the washing / dehydrating motor is started after confirming that the position detection switch S is turned on in step C3. Therefore, even when the small-sized motor 5 cannot move the connecting body 6 due to freezing of the drainage valve, there is no possibility of damaging the laundry in the tub due to a malfunction.

Therefore, the present invention is more effective than the conventional computer control in which the waiting time is measured using a timer from the start of rotation of the small motor 5.

[0023]

As described above, according to the dehydration washing machine of the present invention, the dewatering washing machine is provided with the position detection switch for confirming whether the operation of the small motor 5 is completely completed. Unless the position detection switch operates, the dewatering is started. The washing / dehydrating motor is not energized at this time. That is, the high-speed continuous rotation cannot be started before the clutch is switched to the dehydration side, so that there is no possibility of damaging the laundry in the tub by a malfunction.

Particularly, even when the upper lid is opened and closed again during the dehydration and the dehydration process is restarted, the small motor can be operated prior to the washing and dehydration motor, so that it is a popular type controlled by a mechanical timer. It can be used in models, which is advantageous for noise reduction measures. Further, even when it is adopted in a model controlled by a computer, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation of accidentally performing high-speed continuous rotation when the drain valve freezes, which is advantageous.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a water tank bottom of a dehydration washing machine.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the bottom of the water tank.

FIG. 3 is a wiring diagram of motors and switches inside the dehydration washing machine.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state of a switch at the time of washing / rinsing.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state of a switch when draining.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state of a switch during dehydration.

FIG. 7 is a process diagram showing a series of processes of the dehydration washing machine performed based on switching of each switch.

FIG. 8 is a block wiring diagram in the case of control using a microcomputer.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a dehydration control procedure when controlling using a microcomputer.

FIG. 10 is a main part circuit diagram showing only parts related to drainage and dewatering of an upper lid switch, a drive unit, and a washing / dewatering motor of a conventional dewatering and washing machine using a mechanical timer.

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of a main part when a small-sized motor is used in place of a driving device in a conventional dehydrator washing machine using a mechanical timer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Outer Tank 3 Drain Valve 4 Lever 5 Small Motor 6 Connected Body S Position Detection Switch

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Drainage for driving a clutch mechanism for selectively connecting a washing / dehydrating motor to a rotary blade or a washing / dehydrating tub and for driving a brake mechanism for restraining the washing / dehydrating tub or releasing the restraint. A dewatering washing machine that is operated by a small motor that opens and closes a valve, and controls the washing and dewatering motor and the small motor by energizing to automatically perform washing, rinsing, and dewatering steps. Position detection that operates when the opening operation of the drain valve by the small motor, the clutch switching operation to the washing / dehydrating tub, and the restraint release operation of the washing / dehydrating tub are completed in the part that connects the mechanism, the brake mechanism or the drain valve A dewatering / washing machine comprising a switch, wherein energization of the washing / dehydrating motor at the start of dewatering is performed on condition of the operation of the position detection switch.