JPH10249089A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect the presence/absence of abnormality in plural load systems in simple and inexpensive configuration. SOLUTION: Based on the manipulate signals of various keys 31-34, a controller 28 executes the respective processes of washing operation while controlling the electrification of the motor 6 (forward rotary terminal and backward rotary terminal), water supply valve 21 and water drain valve 11 as plural loads through the TRIAC 37-40 inserted into the load output lines of respective loads. One current transformer 43 is passed in the state of collecting sections between the TRIAC 37-40 and respective loads among four load output lines. The controller 28 discriminates the presence/absence of abnormality such as opening or short-circuitting concerning the respective loads by performing current detection due to the current transformer 43 corresponding to the execution of respective processes in washing operation. When any abnormality is discriminated, the washing operation is stopped and the error is displayed on a digital display part 36.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a motor, a water supply valve,
The present invention relates to a washing machine that executes each step of a washing operation by controlling a plurality of loads, such as a drain valve, to be energized.

[0002]

For example, in a fully automatic washing machine, a motor (forward terminal and reverse terminal), a water supply valve,
Switching elements such as triacs are respectively inserted in the power supply lines (load output lines) of a plurality of loads such as a drain valve, and these switching elements are turned on and off by a control circuit including a microcomputer, whereby each of the loads is controlled. Each step of the washing operation is executed by controlling the energization.

Incidentally, in the load system of this type of washing machine, disconnection (open abnormality) may occur due to various factors, or a triac may fail due to a lightning surge or the like and become conductive (short abnormality). There is. Therefore, it has been considered to provide a current sensor such as a current transformer for each load output line, and to perform abnormality detection based on a detection current of the current sensor. However, in the configuration in which the current sensors are provided for each of the load output lines, the number of current sensors corresponding to the number of loads is required, resulting in an increase in cost and an inconvenience that the configuration is complicated.

The applicant of the present invention has provided a current sensor on a power supply bus for supplying power to all drive means, and detects a triac failure based on the detection of the current sensor. (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
-178288).

However, this configuration is effective only for detecting a triac failure. However, since the current sensor detects the current including the current flowing to a control unit composed of a microcomputer or the like, for example, the number of lit LEDs As a result, the detected current value changes, and the load current cannot be finely detected. Then, although a failure (short) has occurred in any one of the triacs, it is not possible to identify the portion thereof, and no other abnormality (open abnormality) was detected.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine capable of detecting the presence or absence of an abnormality in a plurality of load systems with a simple and inexpensive configuration.

[0007]

In each step of the washing operation in the washing machine, a plurality of loads, such as a motor, a water supply valve, and a drain valve, are energized (turned on) only in the water supply valve in the water supply stroke. In the process, only the motor is energized,
It is rare that a plurality is energized at the same time, and often energized independently. The present inventor has paid attention to the situation in such a washing machine, and has confirmed that it is possible to use one current detection device for a plurality of load output lines, so to speak.

That is, the washing machine of the present invention executes each step of the washing operation by controlling the energization of a plurality of loads such as a motor, a water supply valve and a drain valve, and is connected to the plurality of loads respectively. With multiple load output lines in one place,
It is characterized by comprising one current detecting device for non-contactly detecting the current flowing through the load output lines, and abnormality determining means for determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the load system based on the detected current of the current detecting device. (The invention of claim 1).

According to this, the current detecting device detects the combined current flowing through the plurality of load output lines, but since the normal current value flowing through each load is known in advance, the abnormality detecting means determines It is possible to determine the presence or absence of an abnormality in the load system by comparing the detection current of the current detection device when a predetermined load is energized with a regular current value. In this case, if the detected current is larger than the normal current value, it can be determined that a short circuit has occurred in any of the load systems, and if no detected current is detected, the load system has an open abnormality. Can be determined to have occurred.

At this time, since the magnitude of the current flowing differs depending on the type of load, the current detector may need to detect a large amount of current in a wide range. If it can be changed (the invention of claim 2), current detection can be appropriately performed over a wide range.

As a timing for performing the current detection, a special detection mode may be provided. However, the abnormality determination means is required to perform the detection operation by the current detection device in accordance with each execution of the washing operation. If it is configured to perform the determination of the presence or absence of the abnormality of open or short (the invention of claim 3), it is possible to detect the presence or absence of the abnormality at the time of performing the daily washing operation, which is rational. . In this case, when the abnormality is determined, by stopping the washing operation, it is possible to prevent the washing operation from continuing with the abnormality.

Alternatively, if current is detected by the current detection device when no current is supplied to the load, it is possible to determine that a short circuit has occurred.
It is also possible to perform a detection operation by the current detection device before starting the washing operation to determine whether there is a short-circuit abnormality, and to prohibit the start of the laundry operation when the abnormality is determined. 4 invention). According to this, the presence or absence of the occurrence of the short-circuit abnormality is constantly monitored, and it is possible to prevent the washing operation from being started when the short-circuit abnormality occurs.

Further, even if the abnormality determining means determines that a short circuit has occurred in any of the load systems, the load system in which the short circuit has occurred may not be specified. For example, it is necessary to specify the load system in which the short-circuit abnormality has occurred. Therefore, it is possible to provide an abnormal load specifying means for performing a test operation for sequentially energizing each load, and specifying a load system in which a short circuit has occurred based on the detection current of the current detection device at the time of the test operation. Item 5).

If the current detected by the current detecting device when a current is supplied to one load is larger than a normal current value, it can be determined that a short circuit has occurred in any of the other load systems. When the current value matches the regular current value, it can be determined that a short circuit has occurred in the load system. Therefore, the load system in which the short circuit has occurred can be specified by the abnormal load specifying unit.

Incidentally, the plurality of load output lines are generally connected to the control circuit board by soldering.
However, in the present invention, it is necessary to connect a plurality of load output lines to the current detection device in a state in which the load output lines are grouped together. turn into. Therefore, while connecting a plurality of load output lines to the control circuit board via the connector,
The current detection device may be configured to be connected to the control circuit board via another connector (the invention of claim 6). Thereby, assembling work can be greatly simplified as compared with the case of soldering.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment (corresponding to claims 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6) in which the present invention is applied to a fully automatic washing machine will be described below with reference to FIGS. explain.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the entire configuration of the washing machine according to the present embodiment. Here, the outer box 1 having a rectangular box shape is shown.
Inside, an outer tub 2 is provided via an elastic suspension mechanism 3. A dehydration tub 4 also serving as a washing tub is rotatably provided in the outer tub 2.
A stirrer 5 for generating a water flow is provided. A motor 6 composed of, for example, an induction motor is provided at the outer bottom of the outer tub 2, and the rotational force of the motor 6 is transmitted via a belt transmission mechanism 7 to rotate the dehydration tub 4 and the stirring body 5. A driving mechanism 8 is provided. The motor 6
Has three terminals: a forward terminal, an inverting terminal, and a common terminal (see FIG. 1).

Although not shown or described in detail, the belt transmission mechanism 7 is configured by a belt stretched between a pair of pulleys, and the drive mechanism section 8 includes a clutch mechanism,
It has a speed reduction mechanism, a brake mechanism, and the like.
Thus, the agitator 5 is rotated forward and reverse by the motor 6 and the mechanism unit 8 in the washing and rinsing steps, and in the dehydrating (and dehydrating rinsing) step, The water tank 4 is rotated at a high speed in one direction together with the stirring body 5. A rotation sensor 9 for detecting the number of rotations is provided on the rotation shaft of the motor 6.

A drain 10 for draining water from the dewatering tank 4 is provided at the bottom of the outer tub 2, and a drain hose 12 is connected to the drain 10 via a drain valve 11. ing. Further, a drain 13 for draining water from the outer tub 2 is provided at the bottom of the outer tub 2, and the drain 13 is connected to the drain hose 1 through a drain passage (not shown).
2 are connected.

On the other hand, a balance ring 14 is attached to the upper end of the dewatering tub 4 and a dewatering hole 15 for discharging water from the dehydration tub 4 through the balance ring 14 during dewatering. Is provided. A substantially ring-shaped tub cover 1 is provided on the upper end of the outer tub 2.
The tub cover 16 is provided with an inner lid 17 for opening and closing the opening. The inner lid 17 has a concave portion 18 located on the rear side and having a number of water injection holes 18a.

Further, a top cover 19 is provided at the upper end of the outer box 1. The top cover 19 has a laundry entrance (not shown) and a lid 20 for opening and closing the entrance. A water supply valve 21 and a water supply mechanism 22 including a water injection case (not shown) having a detergent storage section are provided at a rear side portion of the top cover 19. With this,
With the opening of the water supply valve 21, water from a water supply source (tap water or bath water) passes through the water injection case, and the concave portion 18 of the inner lid 17.
The water is supplied into the dehydration tub 4 in the form of a shower from the water injection hole 18a.

As shown only in FIG. 1, a lid switch 2 for detecting the opening and closing of the lid 20 is provided in the top cover 19.
3 are provided. Further, a water level sensor 24 for detecting the water level in the dewatering tank 4 based on the pressure in the air trap connected to the drainage channel 10 is provided in the outer box 1.

On the front side of the top cover 19,
An operation panel 25 (see FIG. 5) is provided on the upper surface, and a control box 26 is provided on the rear surface thereof.
Is provided. The control box 26 is provided with a control circuit board 27 only partially shown in FIG. 6, and a control device 28 including a microcomputer as shown in FIG. In addition, a driving device 29 for driving each load is provided as described later. Also, a buzzer 30 is provided.

On the operation panel 25, as shown in FIG. 5, a power key 31 for turning on and off the power, a start key 32 for starting and stopping the washing operation, and a course of automatic operation are selected. There are provided various keys such as a course selection key 33 for manual operation and a manual setting key 34 for setting manual operation. With this,
When the user operates the operation panel 25,
Washing operation steps such as washing, rinsing, and dehydration are performed.

At the same time, a course display section 35 for displaying a course and a numeric display section 36 are displayed on the operation panel 25.
And the like. The numeral display section 36
2-digit washing time display section 36 for displaying the washing time
a, a single-digit rinsing frequency display section 36b for displaying the rinsing frequency, and a single-digit dehydrating time display section 36c for displaying the dehydrating time. This number display section 36
Is also used as an error display unit as described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, operation signals of the various keys 31 to 34 are input to the control device 28, and a lid switch 23, a water level sensor 24, a rotation sensor 9
And the like. Then, based on the input signals, the control device 28 transmits a plurality of loads, in this case, the motor 6 and the water supply valve 21 through a driving device 29 including four triacs 37 to 40 in this case, as described later. , The drain valve 11 is controlled to be energized, thereby executing each step of the washing operation. The displays on the display units 35 and 36 and the buzzer 30 are also controlled by the control device 28.

At this time, as shown in FIG.
One power supply line 41a and the other power supply line 41b
Between the motor 6, the feed valve 21, the drain valve 1
1 are connected in parallel by load output lines. Triacs 37 to 40 are respectively inserted in the middle of each load output line 42 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) connecting one power supply line 41a and each load.

That is, with respect to the motor 6, a forward terminal is connected to one power line 41a via a triac 37, an inverting terminal is connected to one power line 41a via a triac 38, and a common terminal is connected. Are connected to the other power supply line 41b. The water supply valve 21
With regard to, one terminal is connected to one power supply line 41a via a triac 39, and the other terminal is connected to the other power supply line 41b. Similarly, one terminal of the drain valve 11 is connected to one power supply line 41a via the triac 40, and the other terminal is connected to the other power supply line 41b. With this,
The control device 28 controls the energization of each load by turning on and off each of the triacs 37 to 40.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a part (triacs 37 to 40) of the four load output lines 42 is used.
And between each load) are bundled (in a bundle)
The current is passed through one current transformer 43 which is a current detecting device. With this, the current transformer 43
Thus, currents (combined currents) flowing through the four load output lines 42 can be detected in a non-contact manner.

At this time, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the four load output lines 42 drawn from the load are connected to the first
The current transformer 43 is connected to the control circuit board 27 through a connector 44 of the second type.
Through the control circuit board 27. In this case, the connection of the male connector 45a to the tip of the lead wire of the current transformer 43 is passed through the tip of the four load output wires 42, and then the male connector 44a is connected to the tip of the four load output wires 42. Connect and make harness assembly. Then, by connecting the male connectors 44a and 45a to the female connectors 44b and 45b attached to the control circuit board 27, respectively, the connection is completed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the current transformer 43 is connected to the control device 28 via a conversion circuit 46 (shown only in FIG. 7) for converting the detected AC current into a DC voltage. However, in the present embodiment, the conversion circuit 46
In, the detection range can be changed. That is, the conversion circuit 46 outputs the 2
A first resistor for conversion 47 and a series connection circuit of a second resistor for conversion 48 and a relay 49 are connected in parallel between the output lines 43a. The control device 28 can change the detection range by turning the relay 49 on and off. As an example, if the first resistor 47 and the second resistor 48 have the same resistance value, the relay 49
Is turned off, for example, 1A is converted to 1V,
Is turned on, 1A is converted to 0.5V.

The current value flowing in the normal state of each load system is stored in the control device 28 in advance. Specifically, when the motor 6 rotates forward and reversely, both of the motor
(See FIG. 8 (a)), and when the water supply valve 21 and the drain valve 11 are on, a current of about 0.2 A flows together (see FIG. 8 (b)). The control device 28 determines the presence or absence of an abnormality in the load system by comparing the detected current of the current transformer 43 with its normal current value by the software configuration. Therefore, the control device 28 functions as the abnormality determination means according to the present invention.

In this case, in the present embodiment, as will be apparent from the following flow chart description, the control device 28 controls the current transformer 43 in accordance with the execution of each step of the washing operation.
To detect the presence or absence of an open or short circuit abnormality in each load system. When an abnormality is determined, the washing operation is stopped at that time, the buzzer 30 is sounded, and an error display (see FIG. 9) is displayed on the numeric display section 36 of the operation panel 25.

Further, in the present embodiment, the control device 28
As will be described later in the description of the flowchart, when it is determined that a short-circuit abnormality has occurred by the abnormality determination, the loads are sequentially energized after the washing operation is stopped (the triacs 37 to 40 are sequentially turned on). A) Perform a test operation, and identify the load system in which the short-circuit abnormality has occurred based on the detected current of the current transformer 43 during the test operation. Therefore, the control device 28 also functions as the abnormal load specifying means according to the present invention.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. As described above, the control device 28
Performs the washing operation by controlling the energization of each load based on the operation of the various keys 31 to 34 by the user. When the washing operation is started, for example, first, the triac 39 is operated.
Only the water supply valve 21 is opened by turning on only the water supply valve 21, and a water supply process of supplying water to a predetermined water level in the dewatering tank 4 is executed. When the water supply process is completed, the triacs 37 and 38 are alternately turned on at predetermined time intervals to turn on the motor 6 (therefore, the stirring body 5).
The washing process in which the normal rotation and the reversal are alternately repeated.
When this washing process is completed, only the triac 40 is turned on to execute a draining process of opening the drain valve 11.

In each of these steps, a plurality of loads operate independently. Therefore, the control device 28
As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the current transformer 43 performs current detection at the start of each of the above-described washing operations while performing each of the above-described steps of the washing operation, thereby determining the presence or absence of an abnormality.

That is, when each load is output in step S1, current detection by the current transformer 43 is performed in step S2 in accordance with the output timing (energization timing) of the load. The current transformer 43 detects a current (combined current) flowing only through the four load output lines 42 excluding the current flowing through the control device 28, the operation panel 25, and the like.

At this time, in the detection circuit 46, the relay 49 is normally turned off and only the first resistor 47 is used, but the detection current value of the current transformer 43 exceeds 2.5 A, for example. If it is (step S3
(Yes at S), the relay 49 is turned on, the second resistor 48 is connected in parallel, and the detection range is changed (step S).
4). If the detected current value is 2.5 A or less, the detection range remains unchanged.

Then, in step S5 and thereafter, the presence or absence of an abnormality is determined based on the detected current value of the current transformer 43. First, in step S5, it is determined whether the detected current value is 0A. Here, if the current is normal, a predetermined current should flow through the load system. If the detected current value is 0 A, that is, if no current flows through any of the load output lines 42 (Yes), the load is It can be determined that an open abnormality such as a disconnection has occurred in the system (step S6).

When it is determined that an open abnormality has occurred, the washing operation is stopped and an error is displayed on the numeral display section 36 of the operation panel 25 (step S7). FIG. 9A shows a specific example of an error display performed when an open error occurs. “E5” displayed on the wash time display section 36a indicates that an error has occurred in the load system. Further, a number indicating the load system in which an abnormality has occurred is displayed on the rinsing frequency display section 36b, and “2” indicates a reverse output system of the motor 6. Further, "O" displayed on the dehydration time display section 36c indicates that the type of abnormality is an open abnormality.

On the other hand, in step S5, the detected current value is 0
If it is not A (No), it is determined in the next step S8 whether or not the detected current value is larger than a normal current value at the load. Here, in the normal state, the detected current value should match the normal current value stored in advance, and if they match (No in step S8), the washing operation is continued. However, if a short-circuit abnormality occurs due to a failure of the triacs 37 to 40 in another load system when a certain load is energized, the detected current value becomes larger than the normal current value.

As a specific example, for example, if a short-circuit abnormality has occurred in the output system of the water supply valve 21 or the drain valve 11, when the motor 6 outputs normal rotation, as shown in FIG. To the original current value (2.5 A), the water supply valve 21
Alternatively, a current value (2.7 A) obtained by adding the current value (0.2 A) flowing to the drain valve 11 is detected.
For example, if a short-circuit abnormality occurs in the output system of the drain valve 11 when the water supply valve 21 is turned on, the drain valve 11 returns to the original current value (0.2 A) as shown in FIG. The current value (0.2 A) to which the current value (0.2 A) flowing through
4A) will be detected.

If the detected current value is larger than the normal current value (Yes in step S8), it can be determined that a short-circuit abnormality has occurred in any of the other load systems ( Step S9) In this case as well, the washing operation is stopped, and an error is displayed on the number display section 36 of the operation panel 25 (step S10). In the error display in this case, as shown in FIG. 9B, “S” indicating that the type of abnormality is a short-circuit abnormality is displayed on the dehydration time display section 36c.

However, there is a case where it is not possible to identify which load system has a short-circuit abnormality only by the determination in step S8 described above. Therefore, in this embodiment,
When it is determined that a short-circuit abnormality has occurred in any of the load systems, the process shifts to the abnormal load identification mode after step S10. In this abnormal load identification mode, as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
An inspection operation is performed in which an ON signal is sequentially output to each of the triacs 37 to 40 to sequentially energize each load, and a load system in which a short-circuit abnormality has occurred is specified based on the detected current value of the current transformer 43 at that time. It has become so.

That is, first, the triac 37 is turned on to output the normal rotation of the motor 6 (step S21). Then, in the next step S22, it is determined whether or not the detected current value of the current transformer 43 at that time is larger than the normal current value (2.5 A). Here, if the detected current value is larger than the normal current value (2.5 A) (Yes), it can be determined that there is a short circuit abnormality in another load system, while if the detected current value matches the normal current value ( No), it can be determined that the load system itself has a short-circuit abnormality. Therefore,
In the case of No in step S22, it is determined that there is a short-circuit abnormality in the normal rotation output system of the motor 6, and a display to that effect (display of "1" in the number-of-rinses display section 36b) is made (step S23). .

If it is determined that there is no abnormality in the normal output system of the motor 6 (Yes in step S22), then the triac 38 is turned on to output the inverted output of the motor 6 (step S24). Then, similarly, it is determined whether the detected current value of the current transformer 43 is larger than the normal current value (2.5 A) (step S25), and if the detected current value matches the normal current value (No). , Motor 6
It is determined that there is a short-circuit abnormality in the inverted output system of (2), and a display to that effect (“2” is displayed on the number-of-rinses display section 36b)
Is performed (step S26).

Further, if it is determined that there is no abnormality in the reversal output system of the motor 6 (Yes in step S25),
Next, the triac 39 is turned on and the water supply valve 21 is turned on (step S27). Then, it is determined whether the detected current value of the current transformer 43 at that time is larger than the normal current value (0.2 A) (step S28). If the detected current value matches the normal current value (No), the water supply is performed. Valve 21
It is determined that there is a short-circuit abnormality in the system, and a display to that effect (display of "3" on the number-of-rinses display section 36b) is made (step S29). On the other hand, if the detected current value is larger than the normal current value (Yes in step S28)
s) It is determined that there is a short-circuit abnormality in the remaining drain valve 11 system, and a display to that effect (display of "4" on the number-of-rinses display section 36b) is made (step S3).
0).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the current transformer 43 is configured to detect the current through the load output lines 42 of the four types of load systems, and the presence or absence of an abnormality is determined based on the detected current. Therefore, if an open error occurs in each load system due to various factors,
Alternatively, even if the triac breaks down due to a lightning surge or the like and a short-circuit abnormality occurs, the presence or absence of such an abnormality can be reliably detected, and the laundry operation can be stopped immediately when the abnormality occurs.

In this case, one current transformer 43 can be used for a plurality of load output lines 42, so that it is extremely simple compared with the conventional one in which a current sensor is provided for each load output line. With such a configuration, a significant cost reduction can be achieved. Further, since only the current flowing to the load excluding the current flowing to the control unit can be detected, the current value can be accurately detected, and the open abnormality can be detected. At this time, since the detection circuit 45 of the current transformer 43 is configured to change the current detection range, it is possible to obtain an advantage that the current can be appropriately detected over a wide range.

Particularly, in this embodiment, the current detection operation is performed in accordance with the execution of each step of the washing operation to determine whether or not there is an abnormality. The presence or absence can be detected, which is rational. Moreover, in the present embodiment, when it is determined that a short-circuit abnormality has occurred, the abnormal load specifying mode is executed, so that the load system in which the short-circuit abnormality has occurred can be reliably specified. .

Further, in this embodiment, in particular, the plurality of load output lines 42 are connected to the control circuit board 2 via the first connector 44.
7 and the current transformer 43 is connected to the control circuit board 27 via the second connector 45. Therefore, individual load output lines as generally performed are directly soldered to the circuit board. Compared to the case, the assembling work can be greatly simplified.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the second embodiment of the present invention.
(Corresponding to claims 4 and 5). In this embodiment, when the power is turned on (when the power key 31 is turned on) before the start of the washing operation, a current detection operation is performed by the current transformer 43, and the determination of the presence or absence of a short-circuit abnormality is performed based on the detected current. And the start of the washing operation is prohibited. Further, when it is determined that a short-circuit abnormality has occurred, an abnormal load specifying mode similar to that of the first embodiment is set, and a load system having an abnormality is specified.

That is, when the power is turned on, step S3
At 1, it is determined whether the detected current value of the current transformer 43 is greater than 0A. At this point, no current has been supplied to any of the loads, so that the detected current value should be 0 if all the load systems are normal. If a short-circuit abnormality has occurred in any of the load systems, a current flows to one of the load output lines 42 that should not flow, and the detected current value becomes larger than zero.

When the detected current value is 0 A (No in step S31), the washing operation is performed as usual after waiting for the user's setting. On the other hand, if the detected current value is larger than 0 A (Y at step S31)
es), it is determined that a short-circuit abnormality has occurred in any of the load systems, and the subsequent start of the washing operation is prohibited (step S32). Then, this step S3
Subsequent to 2, the mode is shifted to the abnormal load specifying mode. The processing procedure for the abnormal load specifying mode is the same as that described in the first embodiment (FIG. 3), and thus the description is omitted.

Thus, each time the power is turned on, it is determined whether or not a short circuit has occurred in the load system. This prevents the washing operation from being started when a short circuit occurs. it can. In addition, when it is determined that a short-circuit abnormality has occurred, the load system in which the short-circuit abnormality has occurred can be reliably identified and displayed by executing the abnormal load identification mode. is there.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the presence or absence of an abnormality may be detected both when the power is turned on and during the washing operation. The inspection mode for determining the presence or absence of an abnormality may be executed by a hidden key operation such as. In addition, the present invention can be applied to a washing machine having two motors as a load or a washing machine having a water supply pump as a load, and can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the gist.

[0057]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the washing machine of the present invention, a plurality of load output lines respectively connected to a plurality of loads are collected in one place, and the load output lines are connected. A single current detection device that detects a current flowing through a wire in a non-contact manner and an abnormality determination unit that determines the presence or absence of an abnormality based on the detection current of the current detection device are provided. This makes it possible to detect the presence or absence of an abnormality in the load system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an electric configuration according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of abnormality determination;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure for specifying an abnormal load.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing the entire configuration of the washing machine.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an operation panel.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a connector portion.

FIG. 7 illustrates a configuration of a detection circuit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of a detected current value.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of an error display.

FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a procedure for determining an abnormality and specifying an abnormal load.

[Explanation of symbols]

In the drawing, 6 is a motor (load), 11 is a drain valve (load),
21 is a water supply valve (load), 25 is an operation panel, 27 is a control circuit board, 28 is a control device (abnormality determining means, abnormal load specifying means), 29 is a driving device, 36 is a numerical display, and 37 to
40 is a triac, 42 is a load output line, 43 is a current transformer (current detection device), 44 and 45 are connectors,
46 denotes a detection circuit.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A washing machine according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of loads such as a motor, a water supply valve and a drain valve are energized to execute each step of the washing operation. A plurality of load output lines respectively connected to the plurality of loads are connected to one load.
One current detection device that detects the current flowing through these load output lines in a non-contact state, and an abnormality determination that determines whether there is an abnormality in the load system based on the current detected by this current detection device And a washing machine. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the current detection device has a changeable detection range. 3. The abnormality determining means performs a detecting operation by the current detecting device in accordance with execution of each step of the washing operation to determine whether there is an open or short-circuit abnormality, and performs a washing operation when the abnormality is determined. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the washing machine is configured to stop. 4. The abnormality determination means is configured to perform a detection operation by a current detection device before the start of the washing operation to determine whether there is a short-circuit abnormality, and to prohibit the start of the laundry operation when the abnormality is determined. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the washing machine is used. 5. When the abnormality determination means determines that a short-circuit abnormality has occurred, a test operation for sequentially energizing each load is performed, and the short-circuit is performed based on the current detected by the current detection device during the test operation. The washing machine according to claim 3, further comprising an abnormal load specifying unit that specifies a load system in which the load is generated. 6. The control circuit board, wherein the plurality of load output lines are connected to a control circuit board via a connector, and the current detection device is connected to the control circuit board via another connector. Item 6. The washing machine according to any one of Items 1 to 5.