JPH08173687A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To perform laundry rinsing thoroughly, uniformly, and efficiently by setting the required frequency of rinses so that, when one rinse is to be made, one rinse in water will be made and that, when two or more rinses are to be made, dehydration rinse and rinse in water will be made alternately. CONSTITUTION: Laundry and detergent are put into a washing/dehydration tub 5, and a control key 19 is operated to start the machine. A motor 12 is driven for the rotation of a pulsator 7, when the driving current is measured and compared with a reference current for the determination of the quantity of laundry. The required number of rinses is automatically determined dependent upon the quantity of laundry. Next, a feed valve 22 is opened for feeding and the pulsator 7 is actuated for washing. Then a drain valve 18 is opened for drainage, and an inner tub 5c and the pulsator 7 are rotated for dehydration. When one rinse is required, one rinse in water is made. When one or more rinses are required, dehydration rinses and rinses in water are accomplished alternately.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to improving rinse operation in washing machines. In particular, the present invention relates to a rinsing operation involving dehydration rinsing in which laundry is made to contain water and then dehydrated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 2-42000, there is a washing machine which is provided with a laundry amount detecting device and which changes the number of repetitions of dewatering and rinsing according to the amount of laundry. In this washing machine, the number of times of dehydration rinsing under predetermined conditions is increased, and this is repeated continuously, thereby compensating for the effect of dehydration rinsing per one time and enhancing the overall effect.

[0003] In general, there is also known a washing machine in which a plurality of dehydration rinses and a pool rinse are combined to perform the rinse. In this case, after the dehydration rinsing was successively performed a plurality of times, the pool rinsing was finally performed.

[0004]

However, when the dehydration rinsing is continuously performed, the laundry in the washing / dehydrating tub is stuck to the inner wall of the washing / dehydrating tub due to the dehydration of the previously performed dewatering rinsing. Become. In this state, the posture of the laundry in the washing / dehydrating tub hardly changed as the next dehydration and rinsing was continuously performed. Although it can be rinsed, on the other hand, there is a possibility that the laundry located in a position where it is difficult to come into contact with water may not be rinsed sufficiently.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above technical problems and to provide a washing machine capable of rinsing all the laundry uniformly, sufficiently, and without wasting water and time. is there.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a washing machine according to a first aspect of the present invention performs dehydration rinsing to dehydrate the laundry after the laundry in the washing / dehydrating tank is filled with water. In the washing machine, when the rinsing frequency set by the setting means and the rinsing frequency set by the setting means is one,
When the rinsing is performed once and the number of times of rinsing set above is two or more, dehydration rinsing and rinsing rinsing are alternately performed, and each number of rinsing is performed according to the number of times of rinsing set above. And a control means.

A washing machine according to a second aspect is the first aspect.
In the washing machine described above, the setting means includes an operation key for manually inputting the number of times of rinsing. A washing machine according to a third aspect is the washing machine according to the first aspect, wherein the setting means automatically sets the number of times of rinsing according to the load amount.

[0008]

According to the configuration of the invention according to the above-mentioned claim 1, by alternately performing dehydration rinsing and rinsing rinsing, the laundry hung on the inner wall of the washing / dehydrating tub during the previous rinsing can be washed. Since the water is agitated in the water stored in the dehydration tank, the posture of the laundry at the time of the next dehydration rinse is different from that at the time of the previous dehydration rinse. Therefore, at the time of supplying water for dehydration rinsing, different portions of the laundry can easily come into contact with water, and the entire laundry can be rinsed.

Further, since the laundry contains water in its entirety during the rinsing, there is no occurrence of laundry containing no water, and the effect of dehydration rinsing is uniformly and sufficiently applied to all the laundry. Can be expected. By selectively performing the dehydration rinsing and the rinsing by the rinsing control means by the number corresponding to the rinsing frequency set by the setting means, it is possible to effectively perform the rinsing suitable for the laundry. And don't waste time.

According to the configuration of the invention according to claim 2,
In addition to the function of claim 1, the user of the washing machine is
Since the number of times of rinsing can be input according to the state of the laundry, it is possible to realize a highly effective washing machine with a simple structure. According to the configuration of the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of claim 1, there is a sufficient rinsing effect automatically according to the amount of laundry, and the efficiency of not consuming water or time The number of rinses can be set.
In addition, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience of ineffective rinsing due to improper input.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a schematic configuration of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, this washing machine includes a box-shaped main body 1, and a washing / dewatering tub 5 capable of accommodating laundry and washing water inside the main body 1. The washing / dehydrating tub 5 includes a rotatable inner tub 5c having a large number of small holes 5a formed on its surface, and an outer tub 5b that wraps the inner tub 5c and can store washing water therein. A support rod 3 and a spring 4 are attached between the outer tub 5b and the main body 1 to fix the washing / dehydrating tub 5. The laundry is stored in the inner tub 5c by opening the lid 20 that is openably and closably provided at the center of the upper surface of the main body 1.

A pulsator 7 having a disc shape and an uneven surface is provided at the bottom of the inner tub 5c as a means for stirring the stored laundry and the washing water. Also,
A bearing portion 6 that rotatably supports the pulsator 7 and the inner tank 5c, a motor 12 that rotates, and a pulley 1 that constitutes a power transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the motor 12 to the bearing portion 6.
1, a belt 15, and a pulley 14 are provided in the lower portion of the main body 1. The bearing 6 switches the transmission of rotation by a built-in clutch, rotates only the pulsator 7 during washing and rinsing, and rotates the inner tank 5c and the pulsator 7 during dehydration.
Both rotate in one direction at high speed.

In the upper part of the main body 1, as a means for supplying water to the washing / dehydrating tank 5, a water supply facility (not shown) such as an external water supply.
21 connected to the above and introduced into the upper part of the washing and dewatering tub 5.
A water supply valve 22 formed of an electromagnetic valve is provided in the middle of the pipe 21. By opening the water supply valve 22, the washing water is supplied from the above water supply equipment into the washing / dehydrating tank 5. At the bottom of the main body 1, as a drainage means from the washing and dewatering tank 5,
A pipe 17 led out to the outside of the main body 1 from a drain port (not shown) provided on a side portion of the bottom surface of the outer tub 5b;
A drain valve 18, which is an electromagnetic valve, is provided in the middle of the pipe 17. When the drain valve 18 is opened, the washing water is discharged from the washing / dehydrating tank 5 to the outside of the main body 1, and when the drain valve 18 is closed, the washing water is stored in the washing / dehydrating tank 5.

At the rear part of the main body 1, as a means for detecting the water level of the washing water stored in the washing / dehydrating tank 5, a water level sensor 9 fixed to the upper part of the main body 1 and a water level sensor 9 are provided. A pressure hose 8 connected to an air trap 5d provided at one corner of the bottom of the outer tank 5b is provided. When the water level of the washing water in the washing / dehydrating tank 5 rises,
The pressure in the air trap 5d rises. By detecting this pressure with the water level sensor 9 via the pressure hose 8, the water level in the washing / dehydrating tub 5 is detected.

In addition, an operation key 19 on the upper part of the main body 1 that allows the user to give commands such as driving and stopping, and various settings, and a control unit (not shown) for performing control according to the commands. Is provided. Next, the electrical configuration of the control unit of the above washing machine will be described with reference to FIG. Figure 2
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the control unit. The control unit includes a microcomputer 31 as a control center, and the microcomputer 31 has a timer (not shown) as a time-measuring unit for timing control. The microcomputer 31
The control is executed based on programs and data stored in advance in ROM, RAM (not shown) and the like.

The microcomputer 31 includes operation keys 19, a water level sensor 9, a load detection circuit 34 for detecting the amount of laundry, and an upper lid safety switch 3 for detecting the open / closed state of the lid 20.
The detection output such as 9 is input. In addition, the microcomputer 31 includes a motor drive circuit 3 that drives the motor 12.
3, the water supply valve drive circuit 37 for opening and closing the water supply valve 22, the drain valve drive circuit 38 for opening and closing the drain valve 18, etc. are controlled respectively.

The load detection circuit 34 detects a current flowing through the motor 12 when the pulsator 7 is driven.
The amount of laundry is determined by comparing this detection output with a predetermined reference value. Not limited to the above method, for example, the load detection circuit 34 detects the rotation angle and the rotation time of the inertial rotation after stopping the driving of the motor 12 during the washing process, and based on this detection output, the laundry The amount may be determined.

Next, the control contents of the operation of this washing machine will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the control contents of the microcomputer 31 in this washing machine. First, when laundry and detergent are put into the washing / dehydrating tank 5 and the operation is started by the operation key 19, first, the load detection circuit 34 detects the amount of laundry. That is, the pulsator 7 is driven by the motor 12 for a short time under a predetermined condition. Motor 1 at this time
The drive current of 2 is detected by the load detection circuit 34. By comparing the detected result with a predetermined reference value, the amount of laundry in the washing / dehydrating tub 5 is determined and output (step S1).

The number of rinses is automatically set according to the output amount of laundry (step S2). Next, after the water supply valve 22 is opened to supply water to a predetermined water level, a washing process in which the pulsator 7 is driven for a predetermined time is performed (step S3). After the washing process, drain valve 18
Is opened, the washing water is discharged, and after draining, a dehydration process is performed in which the inner tank 5c and the pulsator 7 are rotated at a high speed for a predetermined time (step S4).

In step S5, the number of times of rinsing set in step S2 is determined, and rinsing is performed as follows according to the number of times of rinsing. That is, if the number of rinsing times is set to one, the rinsing step is performed once. First, the water supply valve 22 is opened to supply water up to a predetermined water level, and then the pulsator 7 is driven for a predetermined time (step S6).

If the number of times of rinsing is set to 2, first, dehydration rinsing is performed. That is, after the water supply valve 22 is opened for a predetermined time to supply water into the washing / dehydrating tank 5, the drain valve 18 is opened, and the inner tank 5c and the pulsator 7 are rotated at a high speed for a predetermined time to perform dehydration rinsing. (Step S71). Here, the predetermined time of water supply is a water supply time determined based on the amount of water required for dehydration rinsing according to the amount of laundry, and is prepared in advance as a data table together with the predetermined time at which dehydration rinsing is performed. . Next, similar to step S6, pool rinsing is performed (step S72), and dehydration rinsing is performed again (step S73). The dehydration rinsing is performed twice here because the dehydration rinsing is performed twice and the same effect as one rinsing is obtained.

If the number of rinses is set to 3, these rinses are alternately performed in the order of dehydration rinse, accumulated rinse, dehydrated rinse and accumulated rinse (step S8). The dehydration rinsing here is performed in step S71, and the rinsing rinsing is performed in the same manner as step S6. Then, after drainage, the final dehydration process is performed (step S
9), the series of steps is completed.

Thus, according to this embodiment, step S
7 and 8, since the washing is carried out during the dehydration rinsing, the laundry clinging to the inner wall of the laundry dewatering tank 5 by the previous dewatering is agitated in the water and at the same time contains the entire water, so that the next dehydration rinsing is performed. , Different parts of the laundry,
When water is supplied, it becomes easier to come into contact with the water, and the laundry also contains water as a whole. As a result, the effect of uniform and sufficient dehydration rinsing can be expected over the entire laundry.

Since the optimum number of rinses can be automatically set according to the laundry amount detected in step S1,
It has a sufficient rinsing effect and can be effectively rinsed without consuming water or time. In addition, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience of ineffective rinsing due to improper input.
In the embodiment of the present invention, the set number of rinses is 1
Up to three times have been described, but four or more times may be set. For example, when the number of rinses is set to 4, it is conceivable to perform rinsing rinsing, dehydration rinsing, rinsing rinsing, dehydration rinsing, and rinsing rinsing. In short, it is important to perform a rinsing during the dehydration rinsing.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the one-tank type washing machine in which washing and dewatering are performed in one washing and dewatering tank has been described, but any washing machine which can perform dewatering and rinsing in one tank can be used. For example, a two-tub type washing machine in which a washing tub and a rinse dewatering tub are separated may be used. Further, in the above description, the rinsing is performed during the dehydration rinsing, but instead of the rinsing, the water rinsing may be performed. Further, during the dehydration rinsing, the rinsing with water and the rinsing with water may be performed in combination.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the setting of the number of times of rinsing has been described only when it is automatically performed according to the amount of laundry, but it is not limited to this. For example, a washing machine is provided with a cloth quality detecting means for detecting the cloth quality of laundry,
The setting of the number of times of rinsing may be automatically performed according to the detected cloth quality, and may be combined with the embodiment of the present invention. In this case, rinsing according to the laundry can be further performed. Also, the setting of the number of rinses is
It may be manually input from the operation key 19.
In this case, even if the detection of the amount of laundry is omitted, the user can set the number of rinses appropriately according to the condition of the laundry, so that highly effective rinsing can be performed and the configuration of the washing machine can be simplified. Become. Further, the setting of the number of times of rinsing may be switched to automatic or manual. In this case, settings can be made according to the usage status.

Besides, various design changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0028]

According to the invention of claim 1, the following effects can be obtained. That is, by stirring the laundry during the rinsing rinse, different portions of the laundry easily come into contact with water during the water supply for the dewatering rinse, so that the entire laundry can be rinsed. In addition, since the laundry contains water as a whole at the time of rinsing, uniform and sufficient dehydration rinsing can be performed. Also,
Since the number of times of rinsing suitable for the laundry can be set by the setting means, rinsing can be performed effectively and water and time are not wasted.

According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, it is possible to realize a washing machine which can be rinsed with a high effect with a simple structure. According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, there is a sufficient rinsing effect automatically according to the amount of laundry, and it is efficient without consuming water or time. The number of rinses can be set. In addition, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience of ineffective rinsing due to improper input.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a schematic configuration of a control unit of the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an outline of control of the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 main body 5 washing / dehydrating tub 7 pulsator 12 motor 19 operation key 31 microcomputer 34 load detecting circuit step S1 laundry amount detecting means step S2 setting means step S5-8 rinsing control means

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. After water is added to the laundry in the washing / dehydrating tank,
In a washing machine for dehydration rinsing for dehydrating laundry, setting means for setting the number of rinses, and when the number of rinses set by the setting means is one, a rinsing is performed once and the above-mentioned rinse is set. When the number of times is two or more, a washing control means for alternately performing dehydration rinsing and rinsing rinsing, and rinsing control means for performing each number of times according to the set number of times of rinsing are provided. Machine. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the setting means includes an operation key for manually inputting the number of times of rinsing. 3. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the setting means automatically sets the number of times of rinsing according to the load amount.