JPS62207495A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a washing machine that sets the optimum water level depending on the amount of cloth (type of cloth, weight of cloth, quality of cloth).

Conventional technology The technology of measuring distance using ultrasonic waves has been known for a long time, and various methods have been proposed for using ultrasonic waves in washing machines to detect the amount of cloth and automatically set the water supply amount, etc. has been done.

For example, - Before loading the laundry, measure the distance to the bottom of the washing tub using ultrasonic waves, then load the laundry, measure the distance to the top of the laundry, and compare the two. There is a known method that determines the amount of cloth and sets the water supply amount, etc.

In addition, as another example, to increase the accuracy of cloth amount detection,
A known method uses ultrasonic waves to measure the amount of cloth while rotating a dehydrating basket.

In addition to the above-mentioned conventional examples, other examples include methods that use ultrasonic waves to detect both the amount of cloth and the water level, and a water sprinkler that wets the top surface of laundry to improve the reflection of ultrasonic waves. It is proposed to do so.

Furthermore, a water supply amount detection device using ultrasonic waves has been proposed. and means for detecting that the cloth surface is pushed up.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the basic idea of the conventional example is to measure the amount of cloth using ultrasonic waves and determine the water level based on the results. The measurement results vary depending on the fabric quality, etc., and the amount of fabric cannot be detected accurately. In addition, as a method to improve accuracy, the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver is installed offset from the center of the washing tub and the amount of cloth is detected while rotating the basket, but as a practical matter, it is very difficult to rotate the basket at the time of detection. Furthermore, the top surface of the cloth is pressed down with a water sprinkler.

In the method of detecting the amount of cloth by detecting the movement of the cloth during the water supply process, the former is insufficient to make the cloth uniform, and the latter requires complicated processing and has low accuracy.

In other words, with conventional techniques, it is difficult to determine the optimal water level for the amount of cloth.

The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems. Basically, the water level is not set by detecting the amount of cloth itself, but the water level that has already been set (raised stepwise from low to high) is By determining whether the water level is sufficient for spinning, the water level appropriate for the amount of cloth can be set with high precision.

Means for Solving the Problems The technical means of the present invention for solving the above problems are: 1. An ultrasonic transmitter/receiver installed above the washing tub, and a water supply means for supplying water to a predetermined water level in the washing tub. and (1) a stirrer blade and a motor for stirring the cloth and water in the washing tank, and a distance measuring means for measuring the distance to the object to be measured (water or cloth) using the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver after the stirring is stopped; It is composed of a cloth circumference determination means that determines the movement of the cloth based on these distance data, and an appropriate water level determination means that determines whether or not the water level is an appropriate water level based on the determination result. It determines whether the water level (increasing stepwise from low to high) is sufficient for spinning the cloth, and sets the appropriate water level for the amount of cloth.

Function In the above configuration, by stirring the cloth and water, the cloth and water are thoroughly blended, suppressing variations due to the shape of the cloth, the state of the cloth when it is added, the quality of the cloth, etc. 1. Judge the movement of the cloth after the stirring stops. do.

Since it is determined whether the set water level at that time is appropriate, it is possible to set the optimal water level for the amount of cloth.

Embodiments Before describing embodiments, it will be explained what the "optimum water level for the amount of cloth" is, which is the premise of the present invention.

In a laboratory, several women were asked to use a washing machine, and based on their experience, they changed the weight and type of cloth and found out which water level was most appropriate for laundering their laundry. I was asked to judge. The water level is "low" 46), r low"(32#)
, in r” (3 en.

"High" (, go#) can now be selected manually. As a result, it was found that there were almost no individual differences in the judgment of 8, and that the water level could be determined by adjusting the weight and type of cloth. Conversely, when determining the appropriate water level for a certain laundry item, it has been found that not only the weight of the fabric but also the type of fabric (volume, fabric quality) plays a large role.

The results are shown in FIG.

In the figure, the shaded area is the optimum water level for the weight of a particular type of cloth. The symbol * indicates a simulation result of an embodiment of the present invention, which will be described later.

On the other hand, 1. In order to consider how the user decides the water level based on the experimental results, we set the conditions of the experimental results (2 types of weights and water levels), and used cloth and water. I stirred it and looked at it. As a result, it was found that all water levels moved well due to inertia even when the cloth stirrer stopped stirring. On the other hand, when the water level is lower than that level, the cloth moves during stirring, but when stirring is stopped, the movement of the cloth immediately stops because there is less water. In other words, it was found that the user visually judges the amount of cloth, increases the water level one step at a time, stirs the cloth and water appropriately, and determines the water level by judging the movement of the cloth. .

Although FIG. 3 shows the experimental results for three types of cloth, actual experiments were conducted for 12 types of cloth. The optimal water level for each cloth weight is different, but
It was found that all the criteria for determining the water level were based on the above-mentioned concept.

An embodiment of the present invention that realizes the basic concept of water level setting described above will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a washing tub, and an ultrasonic transmitter/receiver 2 is provided above the washing tub at a position offset from the center of the washing tub. 3 is a distance measuring means including an ultrasonic transmitter/receiver circuit connected to the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver 2; 4 is a water supply means for supplying water to the washing tub 1; 6 is a water level sensor; "Small" (2
41).

“Low” (326), r Medium” (3e6), r High” (4o1
) can be set in four stages. Reference numeral 6 denotes an agitation blade provided at the inner bottom of the washing tank 1, and 7 is a motor for driving the agitation blade 6. Reference numeral 8 denotes a microcomputer and an interface circuit, and the cloth circumference determining means 9, the cloth determining means 10, the statistical processing means 11, the appropriate water level determining means 121, and the stroke parameter setting means 13 are realized by a microcomputer program. The agitating blade 6 and the motor 7 are used to agitate the cloth and water when setting the water level. The cloth circumference determining means 9 consists of a cloth determining means 1o and a statistical processing means 11.
The distance to the cloth is measured multiple times, and if the difference between the distance data is within a predetermined range, it is determined to be cloth. Statistical processing means 11
Repeat the measurement several times, measure the distance throughout the entire area inside the washing tub, and calculate the cloth ratio. If the cloth ratio calculated by the statistical processing means 11 is larger than a predetermined value, the appropriate water level determining means 12 operates to further raise the water level by 1 and perform the above operation again, and repeats this series of operations. When the cloth ratio falls below a predetermined value, the set water level is determined to be an appropriate water level. The process parameter setting means 13 automatically sets part or all of the subsequent washing process based on the appropriate water level determined by the appropriate water level determining means 12. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the program for explaining the operation.

The operation will be explained below based on FIGS. 1 and 2. First, when the laundry (cloth) 14 is loaded and the switch is turned on, water is supplied to the water supply means 4, and the water level sensor 6 detects the
(241) The water level is set (processing 1). Next motor 7
The cloth 14 and water 16 are stirred by the stirring blade 6 to blend the cloth and water (Process 2), then the motor 7 is stopped (Process 3), and the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver 2 emits ultrasonic waves (25 KHz). The time taken for the ultrasonic wave to be emitted, reflected by the cloth 14 or water 15, and returned to the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver 2 is measured, and the distance to the object to be measured is measured by the distance measuring means 3 including an ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver circuit. This is repeated 10 times (processing 4). The result is sent to the clockwise rotation determination means 9 of the microcomputer and interface circuit 8. Here, the cloth determining means 10 calculates the difference between 10 pieces of distance data, and if the difference is within a predetermined range (within 1 wavelength), it is determined that there is no movement of the cloth, and it is determined that it is cloth (processing 6). Such operations and determinations are repeated 10 times (to improve accuracy by performing over the entire area inside the tank) (Process 6). In the statistical processing means 11,
The ratio of the number determined to be cloth among the IQ determination results is calculated (processing 7). In other words, the movement of the cloth can be determined by this ratio, and the circumference of the cloth can be determined. The suitable water level determining means 12 determines that the cloth circulation is good when this ratio is 30% or less, determines that the set water level at that time is optimal, executes the washing, and sets the process parameter setting means 13. and then set subsequent parameters (washing, rinsing time, etc.). If the ratio is 30% or more,
Judging that the cloth movement is poor, raise the set water level and change from "low" to "
Raise the water level to low J (32A) (process 8). Repeat this series of operations until the clockwise rotation improves. However, in the example, the water level is only up to "high" (401), so at "medium" water level. , even if it is determined that the right rotation is bad, the washing is executed at the "high" water level.

Effects of the Invention The present invention does not detect the amount of fabric itself, but uses ultrasonic waves to determine whether a preset water level is suitable for improving the fabric's circulation, and sets the optimal water level. This method is based on the idea that it is possible to accurately set the water level suitable for the amount of cloth without being affected by the type of cloth (volume, quality), and the configuration is simple and has great practical value. Also,
Knowing the optimum water level is indirectly detecting the amount of cloth, and the parameters for the steps after washing can be set to values suitable for the amount of cloth.

The results of an actual trial production and simulation of the example are shown in FIG. 3 with a mark. It can be seen that the simulation results are in good agreement with the water level that the user considers to be optimal for a particular type of cloth.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the washing machine of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the optimum water level and simulation results based on experience in use. 1... Washing tub, 2... Ultrasonic transmitter/receiver 14... Water supply means, 5... Water level sensor, 6... Stirring blade 17... Motor,
9... Cloth circumference determining means, 12... Appropriate water level determining means. Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 1 Nishiki Q Mourning

Claims (1)

[Claims] An ultrasonic transmitter/receiver installed above the washing tub; a water supply means for supplying water to the washing tub to a predetermined water level; a stirring blade and a motor for stirring the cloth and water in the washing tub; a distance measuring means for measuring the distance to the object to be measured using an ultrasonic transmitter/receiver; a cloth circumference determining means for determining the movement of the cloth based on the distance data;
A washing machine comprising appropriate water level determining means for determining whether or not the water level is an appropriate water level based on the determination result.