JPH07100100B2 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial field of application) The present invention is designed to perform operations such as washing, rinsing, etc. by repeating forward rotation, pause, reverse rotation, and pause of an agitator. Regarding the washing machine.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, this type of washing machine has a control circuit for controlling operations such as washing and rinsing, and the control circuit drives the motor for driving the agitator in the forward direction and stops it. The operation is performed by repeating reverse rotation drive and pausing. Thus, in the conventional washing machine, as a driving course controlled by the control circuit, a standard driving course (hereinafter referred to as a standard course) in which a driving time period and a resting time period of the motor are set in a predetermined manner and a driving execution time is also set in a predetermined manner Referred to). In addition, this type of washing machine is provided with a drainage setting switch for setting whether or not to execute the final drainage operation, and whether the final drainage operation in the standard course is executed or stopped by operation of the switch, for example. Is set.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above-mentioned conventional one, in operation, the rotation direction of the stirring body is reversed with respect to the flow direction of the water flow in the tank due to the fold that is reversed after the rotation of the stirring body is stopped. As a result, loud noises such as rippling noise and water splashing noise may occur. Such noise poses a problem especially when the washing machine is used at night or at bedtime.Therefore, it is necessary to refrain from using the washing machine even when it is desired to wash it at night or at bedtime. It was a reality.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to suppress the generation of noise such as rippling sound caused by reversal of a stirring body during washing and rinsing operation, and thus even during nighttime or at bedtime. It is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine that can be washed without any trouble and that does not cause wrinkles in the laundry.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) According to the present invention, the stronger the water flow in the tank, the greater the noise such as the ruffled sound when the agitator is turned over. This was done by paying attention to the fact that the length of the driving time period affects the weakening degree of the water flow and the rest time of the motor.

Thus, the present invention drives the motor for driving the agitator in the normal direction,
A control circuit that controls operations such as washing, rinsing, etc. by repeating pause, reverse rotation drive, and pause, and a drainage setting switch for setting whether or not to execute the final drainage operation As a course of operation controlled by the circuit, in addition to the standard course of driving and pausing the motor at a predetermined time and executing the operation at a predetermined execution time,
A special course is provided in which the motor stop time is set longer than in the standard course or the motor drive time is set shorter than in the standard course, and the operation execution time is set longer than in the standard course, and the control is performed. When the special course is designated, the circuit is configured to perform control for prohibiting execution of the final drainage operation regardless of the setting contents of the drainage setting switch.

(Operation) When the operation is performed according to the special course, the rest period of the motor is set longer than that in the standard course, or the driving period of the motor is set shorter. In other words, in the former setting, even if the driving time of the motor is the same as in the case of the standard course and even if the water flow is strong, the water flow will be weakened sufficiently due to the long motor rest time. Thus, when the motor and the agitator are inverted, it is possible to suppress ripples and water splash. Also, in the latter setting, the motor drive time is shorter than in the standard course, so the water flow is not so strong, so even if the motor stop time is the same as in the standard course, the stirring body reversal It is possible to suppress the ripples and splashes of water, and to suppress the generation of ripples and splashes of water as a whole.
Further, by setting the operation execution time of such a special course longer than that in the case of the standard course, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the cleaning effect.

Since this special course can suppress the generation of noise, it is suitable for washing at night or at bedtime. Therefore, especially when the user is asleep, when the washing in this special course is completed, it is often left as it is. Considering this point, if drainage is completed at the end of washing, wrinkles may be generated on the laundry in the tub when the laundry is left for a long time. However, when the special course is designated, execution of the final drainage operation is prohibited, so that water remains in the tub, and as a result, wrinkles do not occur in the laundry.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, in FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes an outer box of a two-tub type washing machine, inside which a washing tub 2 (shown in FIG. 4) and a dewatering tub (not shown) are arranged in parallel. Reference numeral 3 is an operation box provided in the upper rear part of the outer box 1. Next, in FIG. 4, 4 is a washing tub 2.
A container-shaped stirrer 5 disposed inside is a motor for driving the stirrer 4, and the rotational force of the motor 5 is transmitted to the stirrer 5 via the belt transmission mechanism 6 and the speed reduction mechanism 7. It has become so. In addition, 8 is a drain port, 9 is a drain valve whose upper end is an overflow port, and this drain valve 9 is an electromagnetic drive device 10.
By vertically moving (see FIG. 2), the drainage port 8 is opened and closed.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 11 denotes a control circuit composed of, for example, a microcomputer, which controls not only operations such as washing and rinsing but also water supply operation, drainage operation and dewatering operation. Reference numeral 12 is a drive circuit for electrically connecting and disconnecting the motor 5 based on a control signal from the control circuit 11, 13 is an electromagnetically driven water supply valve for supplying water to the washing tub 2, and 14 is based on a control signal from the control circuit 11. A drive circuit for turning on / off (opening / closing) the lever water supply valve 13, and 15 is the drain valve 9 described above.
A drive circuit for disconnecting electricity from the electromagnetic drive device 10 for vertical movement, a dehydration motor 16 and a drive circuit for disconnecting electricity from the dehydration motor 16 based on a control signal from the control circuit 11.

FIG. 5 shows the panel 18 provided on the operation box 3. In FIG. 5 and the above-mentioned FIG. 2, 19 is a course selection switch, which corresponds to the standard course, depending on the number of times the switch is turned on. Elaborate course, weak course, long course can be selectively selected. A washing time setting switch 20 sets the execution time of the washing operation according to the number of ON operations when the washing operation is performed independently. Reference numeral 21 denotes a rinsing number setting switch, which sets the rinsing number according to the number of ON operations when the rinsing operation is performed independently. 22 is a drainage setting switch for setting whether or not to execute the final drainage operation, which alternately sets “Yes” and “No” for execution of the drainage operation according to the number of ON operations. Reference numeral 23 is a washing start switch that also serves as a pause for starting each dimension performed on the washing tub 2 side. Incidentally, 24 is a dehydration time setting switch, which sets the execution time of the dehydration operation in accordance with the number of ON operations. 25 is a dehydration operation start switch that also serves as a temporary stop. Further, 26 to 29 are course display lamps that display the selected and designated course, 30 to 33 are wash time display lamps that display the set wash execution time, and 34 to 36 are rinse numbers that display the set number of rinses. A display lamp, 37 is a drainage display lamp that displays “Existence” of the final drainage operation, and 39 to 40 are dehydration time display lamps that display the set dehydration execution time.

Thus, the control circuit 11 is provided with a plurality of driving courses that it controls in its driving program, and the driving courses include a standard course, an elaborate course, and a weak course. Furthermore, a long course is provided as a special course. Each of these courses is a course in which water supply operation, washing operation, draining operation, and rinsing operation are automatically executed. In the washing and rinsing operation in each course, the motor 5 is rotated in the normal, pause, reverse rotation, and pause states. It is to repeat things.

Here, in each of the washing and rinsing operations of the standard course, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), the motor 5 is driven for a predetermined time T ₁
The forward rotation drive and the reverse rotation drive are performed at a predetermined time T ₂ and the washing operation is performed at a predetermined time T ₃ and the rinse operation is performed at a predetermined time T ₄ . It should be noted that, unlike the standard course, in the elaborate course, the execution time of the washing operation and the execution time of the rinsing operation are set to be long, and the drive / rest time of the motor 5 is the same. Further, the weak course is different from the standard course in that the execution time of the washing operation and the execution time of the rinsing operation are set to be short, and the driving / rest time of the motor 5 is the same as the standard course.

On the other hand, in the long course, as shown in Fig. 1 (b), the driving time period Ta of the motor 5 at the washing operation and the rinsing operation but is identical to the drive time period T ₁ of the case of the standard course, rest timed Tb is set longer than the rest period T _{2 in} the case of the standard course, and the execution time Tc of the washing operation and the execution time Td of the rinse operation are also the execution times T ₃ and T _{4 of the} standard course.
The total time of the drive time Ta of the motor 5 in this long course is set to be substantially the same as the total time of the drive limit T _{1 in} the case of the standard course.

Also, the control circuit 11 sets whether or not to execute the final drainage according to the number of times the drainage setting switch 22 is operated when the course selection switch 19 selects and designates one of the standard course, the elaborate course, and the weak course. To do. However, when the long course is selected and designated, regardless of the number of operations of the drainage setting switch 22, that is, the drainage setting switch 22
The execution of the final drainage operation is prohibited regardless of the settings made by. When a long course is selected and designated, the display lamp 29 corresponding to the long course is selected.
Is displayed, but none of the other display lamps 30 to 37 is displayed, and the washing time setting switch 20 and the rinse rotation setting switch 21 do not function.

Now, in the above configuration, for example, when a standard course is selected and designated and a washing operation is started, in the washing operation of the standard course, the motor 5 is normally driven at a predetermined drive time period T ₁ and the next rest time period. pause at T _2, and driven to rotate reversely by the drive time period T _1, repeated to rest in the next pause time period T _2, and if elapsed the operation execution time T _3, stop this washing operation. Also in the rinsing operation, the normal rotation drive / pause / reverse rotation drive / pause of the motor 5 is repeated in the same time period. In this "standard" course, if "existence" of execution of final drainage operation is set in advance by the drainage setting switch 22, this final drainage operation is executed, and this "standard" course ends.

On the other hand, when the long course is selected and the washing operation is started, the motor 5 is driven in the same driving time period Ta as the driving time period T _{1 of the} standard course in the washing operation of the long course.
The forward rotation is performed at, the rest is stopped at the rest time Tb longer than the rest time T ₂ in the standard course, the reverse rotation is performed at the drive time Ta, and then the rest time Tb is stopped. In this case, since the rest period Tb of the motor 5 is longer than the rest period T _{2 in} the case of the standard course, the strength of the water flow formed by the drive of the motor 5 and the rotation of the stirring body 4 is the same as in the case of the standard course. Even if it is strong to some extent, the time for which the strength of the water flow decays becomes long, that is, the degree of weakening of the water flow becomes large, and as a result, the agitator 4 changes from normal rotation to reverse rotation or from reverse rotation to normal rotation. When reversing, the water flow is already weakened, and it is possible to suppress the ripples and water splashes, and as a result, it is possible to suppress the generation of noises associated with the ripples and water splashes. After this, this washing operation ends when the execution time tc elapses. In this case, this execution time Tc
Is longer than the execution time T ₃ of the washing operation in the standard course, the washing effect does not decrease, and rather the drive time Ta of the motor 5 is the same as the drive time T ₁ in the standard course. The longer the time, the better the dirt will be removed, and the cleaning effect can be expected to be higher than that of the standard course. In this long course rinsing operation, the motor 5 is driven and stopped at the same time Ta / Tb as in the washing operation in the long course.
Even when the rinsing operation and the rinsing operation in the standard course are compared, the same as above can be said in terms of suppressing noise generation and improving the cleaning effect.

Then, in this long course, execution of the final drainage operation is prohibited regardless of the setting content of the drainage setting switch 22. Therefore, this long course ends when the final rinse operation ends. Therefore, there is no risk of wrinkles occurring in the selected item. That is, this long course is suitable for washing at midnight or at bedtime because it can suppress the generation of noise, but on the other hand, it is often left as it is after the washing on this long course is completed. In consideration of this point, if the drainage is completed at the end of washing, the laundry in the tub will be left in a folded state, which may cause wrinkles. However, according to this embodiment, when the long course is designated, the execution of the final drainage operation is prohibited, so that the washing tub 2
Water remains inside and as a result no wrinkles occur in the laundry.

In the above-described embodiment, the rest time of the motor 5 for the washing operation and the rinsing operation in the long course which is a special course is set longer than that in the standard course, but the drive time of the motor 5 in the long course is set to be longer than that in the standard course. May be set shorter. In this case, in the long course, the rotation time period of the stirring body 4 is shortened, so that the strength of the water flow itself is weakened, and as a result, it is possible to suppress ripples and water splashes without prolonging the rest time period. Generation of noise can be suppressed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, by executing the special course, it is possible to suppress the generation of noise such as rippling sound and water splashing sound when the stirring body is reversed. As a result, even if it is desired to wash at midnight or at bedtime, this can be carried out without any trouble, and further, the washing effect can be prevented from lowering as compared with the case of the standard course. Further, when the special course is designated, execution of the final drainage operation is prohibited regardless of the setting content of the drainage setting switch, so that wrinkles can be prevented from occurring in the laundry.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a time chart for showing a control mode of a control circuit, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electrical configuration, FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a washing machine, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the washing tub side, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the panel. In the figure, 2 is a washing tub, 4 is a stirrer, 5 is a motor, 11 is a control circuit, 19 is a course selection switch, and 22 is a drainage setting switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A motor for driving an agitator is driven in a normal direction, stopped,
In a control circuit that includes a control circuit that controls operations such as washing and rinsing by repeatedly performing reverse driving and stopping, and a drainage setting switch that sets whether or not to execute the final drainage operation, this control circuit As a course of operation to be controlled, in addition to a standard course in which the motor is driven / paused at a predetermined time period and an operation is performed at a predetermined execution time, a rest time period of the motor is longer than that in the standard course or a drive time period of the motor. Is set to be shorter than that of the standard course, and the operation execution time is set to be longer than that of the standard course, and the control circuit is provided with the setting contents of the drainage setting switch when the special course is designated. A washing machine characterized by being configured to perform control to prohibit execution of the final drainage operation regardless of.