JPS6253197B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improved configuration of a status display device for a washing machine or the like that includes a plurality of lamps for displaying the progress of operation.

A washing machine equipped with a plurality of lamps for displaying the progress of operation is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 53-48367, etc.; has no use.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to confirm when an abnormality occurs during operation by using the lamp.

Therefore, in the present invention, the lamps are turned off sequentially as the operation progresses, and when an abnormal condition occurs, a buzzer is sounded intermittently for a certain period of time to notify a person at a distant location. At the same time, the remaining lamps were made to blink. As a result, a person who notices an abnormality due to the buzzer can see how far the driving has progressed by looking at the lit lamp, and can also determine the state of progress by looking at the blinking state of the lamp. It is possible to know whether an abnormality has occurred when the problem occurs, and also to remove the cause of the abnormality.
It is also convenient for repairing malfunctions.

Referring to the drawings below, reference numeral 1 denotes a washing machine, which has a detergent storage section 3 formed in a lid 2, and a microprocessor 5 built into a control box 4 protruding from the rear edge of the top surface. The front keyboard 6 is equipped with various operation keys and display lamps. The operation keys can be roughly divided into condition key 7, special course key 8, and other keys.
keys 9, 10, and 11 to press depending on the amount of laundry.
and a key 12 to be pressed depending on the type of fiber in the laundry.
13, 14, key 1 to press depending on the degree of dirt
5 and 16, and the special course key 8 includes a pre-wash key 17 for pre-washing, a key 18 for stopping before spin-drying, a key 19 for only washing, and a key 19 for controlling only the process from rinsing to spin-drying. a key 20 for performing water replenishment, a key 21 for performing only drainage and dehydration, a key 22 for performing only drainage, and a make-up water key 23 for replenishing water.
It consists of a key 24 for adding one rinse. Further, as other operation keys, there are a start key 25, a stop key 26, and a modification key 27 for modifying the washing course.

On the other hand, the indicator lamp consists of a light emitting diode, and the lamp 28 indicates that prewashing is currently being performed.
Lamp 29, 3 that indicates that the washing operation is in progress
0, 31, Lamps 32, 33 indicating that the first rinsing operation is in progress, Lamps 34, 35 indicating that the second rinsing operation is in progress, Lamp 36 indicating the third rinsing operation, Dehydration display lamp 3
7, 38, a lamp 39 that lights up when the drain only key 22 is pressed, and lamps 40, 41, 42 that display the water level. Details such as the blinking time of these indicator lamps will be described later, but a display system is adopted in which the lamps are sequentially turned off as washing is performed according to the washing course set by the operation keys. Note that 43 is a power on switch, 44 is an off switch, and 45 is a buzzer volume adjustment knob.

The connections between the various operation keys, display lamps, etc. and the microprocessor are as shown in FIG. In this figure, G indicates a commercial AC power supply,
The AC power source is connected to the power supply device A in the washing machine via the power on switch 43 and power off switch 44. This power supply device has a commercial frequency signal output terminal 46 and -15 (V) and -8 (V) DC power supply terminals 47 and 48, and the commercial frequency signal output terminal 46 is an input to a clock circuit 49. The -15 (V) DC power supply terminal 47 connected to the terminal 50 is connected to the input terminal 51' of the rise detection circuit 51.
, the input terminal 53 of the reference pulse generation circuit 52, the input terminal 55 of the buzzer circuit 54, the terminal 57 of the interface 56 of the clock circuit 49, the bias terminal 59 of the encoder 58, and the various operation key groups 9-27. They are respectively connected to malfunction prevention terminals 60. Furthermore, the -8 (V) DC power supply terminal 48 is connected to an interface 62 of the self-holding relay 61, an interface 63 for lighting the indicator lamp, and a bias terminal 67 of the interfaces 64, 65, 66 for various relay coils. ,
and are respectively connected to malfunction prevention terminals 68 of various contacts.

The rising edge detection circuit 51 is for allowing the microprocessor 5 to operate after the voltage has stabilized after the power supply switch 43 is turned on, and the reference pulse generation circuit 52 is for generating a 350KHz reference pulse. The pulses are input to the microprocessor 5 and used to proceed with various calculations, and pulses of 1 (milliseconds) are output from the pulse output terminals 69, 70, 71, 72, and 73 of the microprocessor, respectively. ) is used to generate pulses in sequence, and the other pulse output terminals 74, 75, 7
The types of operation keys 9 to 27 used from 6 and 77 are used to generate pulses according to the progress of the washing process, and the various operation keys 9 to 27 are also pressed from other pulse output terminals 78. It is used to output a pulse signal and sound the buzzer 79 when the washing machine is washed, when an abnormal state occurs during washing, and when washing is completed. The width of the pulse used to sound the buzzer varies depending on the displayed content, and the blinking cycle of the buzzer is accordingly changed so that the user can understand what is being displayed.

The clock circuit 49 is used to convert the sine wave of the commercial power supply into a rectangular shape, and superimposes it on the pulse output from the pulse output terminal and inputs it to the input terminal 80 of the microprocessor 5 to measure time. used for.

Furthermore, the operation keys 9 to 27 are arranged in a matrix, and the prewash keys 17 and 27 are connected to the lead wire 81 drawn out from the one pulse output terminal 69.
Pre-spin stop key 18, Wash only key 19, Rinse and spin key 20, Drain and spin key 2
1. Connect the start key 25 and stop key 26, respectively, and connect the key 1 for cotton and thick materials to the lead wire 82 drawn out from the other pulse output terminal 70.
2. Key for synthetic fibers 13. Key for wool and thin materials 1.
4. A key 15 to press when the laundry is normal, a key 16 to press when the laundry is light, a key 9 to press when there is a lot of laundry, and a key 11 to press when there is little laundry are connected.
In addition, the lead wire 83 drawn out from the other pulse output terminal 71 includes a key 27 for modifying the washing course, a key 10 to press when the amount of washing is normal, a drain only key 22, a make-up water key 23, and a key for adding rinsing. The key 24 is connected. When any key among these is pressed, the encoder 5 is output from the input terminals 84 to 90.
A pulse signal enters into the microprocessor 5, where it is encoded and sent from the output terminals 91, 92, 93 to the input terminals 94, 95, 96 of the microprocessor 5.
Here, the pulse signals coming through the prewash key 17, the cotton and thick material key 12, or the correction key 27, for example, enter the same input terminal 84 of the encoder, but are connected to each key from the lead wires 81, 82, 83. 1
Since the timings of the pulse signals 7, 12, and 27 are shifted as described above, it is possible to identify within the encoder 58 which key the signal has passed through.

97, 98, 99 are water level switches, and as the water level in the washing tub increases, low water level switches 97 and 99 are activated.
The middle water level switch 98 and the high water level switch 99 are closed in sequence, and the water level indicator lamp 4 is turned on accordingly.
2, 41, and 40 light up. Also, 100 is a safety water level switch that closes when the water does not stop and the water level becomes abnormally high due to a malfunction in the water supply valve, etc., and 101 is a 50
A switch for switching between Hz and 60Hz, 102 is a lid switch that closes when the lid of the washing tub is closed, 103
is a safety switch that closes when the washing tub vibrates abnormally during spin-drying. These switches 97-103
When the switch is closed, pulse signals from the microprocessor's pulse output terminals 72 and 73 pass through these switches to the microprocessor's input terminal 8.
0, 94, 95, 96 to identify which switch is closed, the pulse output terminal 72,
Since the timing of the pulse signal output from 73 and the signal output from encoder 58 are different from each other,
There is no confusion about the meaning of the signals.

Further, 104 is an electromagnetic coil for draining, 105a is an electromagnetic coil for water supply on the detergent side, 105b is an electromagnetic coil for water supply on the washing tub side, 106 is a motor for driving a pulsator, and power control units 107, 108 each consisting of a TRIAC, 109 and the output terminals 110, 111, 11 of the microprocessor 5 via the interfaces 64, 65, 66.
2,113,114. Note that the signals output from these output terminals are continuous signals, and when a signal is output from one output terminal 113, the motor 1
06 rotates to the left, and when a signal is output from another output terminal 114, it rotates to the right. Further, when the electromagnetic coil 105a for water supply on the detergent side is energized, water is supplied from the detergent storage chamber 3 side formed in the lid, and water is supplied into the washing tub while dissolving the detergent previously placed in this chamber. Further, when the washing tub side water supply electromagnetic coil 105b is energized, water is directly supplied to the washing tub.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the signal transmission relationship between the inside of the microprocessor 5 and various external devices, where 〓 indicates the flow of data, and ➝ indicates the flow of control signals. Reference numeral 115 denotes a control unit mainly composed of an address register and a read-only memory (ROM), in which the contents of a standard washing course are stored in advance, and read out when necessary, and also read out calculation signals and inputs as washing progresses. It generates various control signals such as output signals, gate on/off signals, and timing signals. 116
is a memory group, data writing memory (RAM)
The control unit 11 is configured as necessary.
The memory contents of 5 are transferred to this memory group. 11
7 is an arithmetic register, 118 is an arithmetic register group including an accumulator, and 119 is an arithmetic unit.The contents of the memory group 116 are put into the arithmetic register 117 and the arithmetic register group 118, and arithmetic and logical operations are performed in the arithmetic unit 119. . Reference numerals 120 and 121 indicate interfaces similar to the above-mentioned 63, 64, 65, 66, and 56, and under the control of the control section 115, operation keys 9 to 27 and water level switches 97, 98, 99, This is for inputting and outputting information from 100.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be explained.

First, when the power supply switch 43 is turned on, a predetermined voltage appears at each terminal 46, 47, 48 of the power supply A, and the voltage is applied to the microprocessor 5.
A signal current flows from the output terminal 122 to the self-holding relay 61, which closes the contact 123 parallel to the power-on switch 43, thereby achieving self-holding. Further, the reference pulse generation circuit 52 generates a 350KHz reference pulse, which is input to the microprocessor 5 and used to proceed with various calculations, and is also used to generate a pulse signal with a width of 1 millisecond. are pulse output terminals 69, 70, 71, 72,
73 and are sequentially sent out. Furthermore, when the voltage applied to the rising edge detection circuit 51 reaches approximately -15 (V), a signal enters the microprocessor 5 from the initial clear terminal 124, clearing the memory group 116, and controlling the DS address. Part 115
A code corresponding to the standard washing cycle is transmitted. The standard washing course is a course that runs from washing to spin-drying without pre-washing when washing a large amount of laundry, washing cotton or thick items, or washing items with normal soiling.
This is the No. 1 course in the course list shown in the figure. When the standard washing cycle code is transferred to the memory group,
Accordingly, pulse output terminals 74, 75, 76,
A signal is also emitted from 77, and an indicator lamp lights up to indicate that it is a standard course. In case of standard course, indicator lamps 29, 30, 31, 32, 3
3, 34, 35, 37, 38, and 40 are lit, and the display lamps 28, 36, 41, and 42 are not lit.
Each of the indicator lamps has one pulse output terminal 6.
The light is turned on when the pulse signals output from the terminals 9, 70, 71, 72 and the pulse signals output from the other pulse output terminals 74, 75, 76, 77 match in phase. To explain this based on FIG. 6, 1 millisecond pulses are output from the pulse output terminals 69 to 73 in order, but when the standard washing course is set, when the pulses are output from the terminal 69, Pulses are also output from terminals 74, 75, and 76, and indicator lamps 29, 30, and 31 are lit. Next, when a pulse is output from terminal 70, pulses are also output from terminals 74, 75, 76, and 77, and indicator lamps 32, 33, 34, and 35 are lit. Similarly, the display lamps 37, 38, and 40 are turned on in sequence. Each indicator lamp lights up based on this principle, so it only lights up once every 5 milliseconds, but when it blinks at such a short cycle, it appears to the human eye to be on continuously.

When the start key 25 is pressed here, a pulse signal enters the encoder 58 through this key, is converted into a code corresponding to this key, and is passed through the interface 120 to the arithmetic register group 118.
stored in the accumulator. The control unit 115 determines this and learns that the start key 25 has been pressed, outputs a short signal from the pulse output terminal 78, outputs a short beep from the buzzer 79, and starts washing.

When washing other than the standard course, select the course using operation keys 9-24. For example, when operating keys 9, 13, and 16 for ``Large amount of laundry'', ``Synthetic fibers'', and ``Light dirt'' are pressed, course No. 8 is set in the course list shown in FIG. 5. That is, when one of these operation keys is pressed, it is converted into a corresponding code and sent to the calculation register group 118, and the control unit 115 judges this signal in the calculation unit 119 and outputs a short beep from the upper buzzer 79. At the same time, the encoded contents are transferred to the memory group 116. As a result, the contents of the standard washing course stored in the memory group 116 (the No. 1 course shown in the course list in FIG. 6) are changed to the No. 8 course. The differences between No. 1 and No. 8 are that the washing time is short at 6 minutes, the dehydration is omitted during the second rinsing operation, and the dehydration time is 2 minutes short.

When the start key 25 is pressed after pressing the operation keys 9, 13, and 16, this signal is also encoded and transferred to the calculation register group 118. Control device 115
The calculation unit judges this signal, emits a short beep from the buzzer 79, and also sets the washing time of 6 minutes, motor rotation time of 15 seconds, and stop time of 4 seconds according to this course to the WTM address, ONS address of the memory group, They are respectively stored at the OFFS address, and at the same time, the high water level indicator lamp 40 is turned on to start washing. (Power on switch 4
3 and the contents of the standard washing course in the control section 115 are transferred to the memory group 116, the high water level indicator lamp 40 is already lit, so when the operation keys 9, 13, and 16 are pressed, , there is actually no change in the display lamp. ) When the operation is started, the control unit 115 first energizes the water supply electromagnetic coil 105b on the washing tub side for one second, opens the water supply port on the washing tub side, and releases the air trapped in the water supply pipe. After one second, the electromagnetic coil 105a for water supply on the detergent side is energized to open the water supply port on the detergent side, and the detergent previously placed in the detergent storage chamber 3 of the lid is dissolved and supplied to the washing tub.

The determination of 1 second is performed as follows. That is, when the power on switch 43 is pressed, the memory group 116 is
The number “60” is set at address _T1 , and (50Hz
After pressing the start key 25, each time a commercial frequency signal arrives from the clock circuit 49, the contents of address _T1 are calculated in the calculation register group 11.
8, the arithmetic unit 119 subtracts "1" written in the arithmetic register 117 from the contents, and the resultant "59" is returned to the _T1 address of the memory group 116. When the commercial frequency signal arrives again, the content "59" at address _T1 is transferred to the arithmetic register group 118, and the arithmetic unit 119 performs subtraction again. When the calculation is repeated in this manner and the number transferred to the calculation register group 118 becomes "0", one second has elapsed.

When water supply continues and the water level in the washing tub rises, the low water level switch 97 and medium water level switch 98 are activated.
are closed sequentially, but in this case the high water level switch 99
Since the gate signal is output only for the low water level switch and the middle water level switch, the gate signal is not output for the low water level switch and the middle water level switch, so even if this switch is closed, the operation of the microprocessor is not affected. When the water level further rises and the high water level switch 99 closes, the signal enters the calculation register group 118 via the interface 121, and the control unit 115 determines this and de-energizes the detergent side water supply electromagnetic coil 105a. The machine issues a signal to stop the water supply and starts washing operation.

When the washing operation starts, a signal is issued from the control section 115, one triax 125 in the power supply control section 107 is turned on, and the motor 106 is first rotated clockwise. This right rotation continues for 15 seconds. The 15 second count is done as follows. That is, "1" is written in the calculation register 117, and "60" (50Hz) is written in the _T1 address and _T2 address of the memory group 116.
"50" in the local area), and each time the commercial power frequency signal arrives from the clock circuit 49, the contents of address _T1 are transferred to the arithmetic register group 118, and subtraction is repeated in the arithmetic unit 119, 118
One second has passed when the content transferred to becomes "0". When the contents of the arithmetic register group 118 are determined to be “0”, the memory group 116 is
The content "15" is transferred from the ONS address to the arithmetic register group 118, "1" is subtracted by the arithmetic unit 119, and the result "14" is returned to the ONS address. At the same time, the contents of address _T1 , which was set to "0" by the above calculation, are changed to "60", and the calculation is repeated. By repeating the operation in this way, the memory group can be
When the contents of the ONS address become "0", it means that 15 seconds have elapsed, so the operation of the motor 106 is stopped. This stop time is 4 seconds. The counting of 4 seconds is also the same as above. After the 4 second stop time has passed, the control section 115 conducts the other triax 126 of the power supply control section 107, and this time the motor 106 is turned on.
Rotate to the left. On the other hand, the contents of the _T2 address are subtracted every second, and when it becomes "0", one minute has passed, so it is subtracted from the contents of the WTM address, "6". When the content becomes "0", it means that 6 minutes have passed, and the washing operation ends. In the case of course No. 8, the rinsing operation is performed twice after the washing operation,
The dewatering operation is further performed for 4 minutes, and after the buzzer 79 sounds, all operations are completed.

Since the display lamp 29 goes out one by one every two minutes, it is possible to roughly assess how much washing is currently progressing. This will be explained based on FIG. At the beginning of operation, a pulse a is also output from the terminal 76 when a pulse is output from the terminal 69, but two minutes after the start of operation, this pulse a is no longer output and the indicator lamp 29 goes out. After another 2 minutes, pulse B
will no longer appear and the display lamp 30 will go out. In this way, the display lamp 29 goes out every two minutes.

If a special course key 8 such as the pre-wash key 17 or the wash-only key 19 is pressed before pressing the start key 25, the washing courses No. 1 to 1 shown in the list of washing courses shown in FIG. 5 are pressed. No.13 course, No.14~
The content of the special course No. 19 is added or unnecessary steps are deleted and stored in the memory group 116, and operation is performed accordingly.

If the water level switches 97, 98, 99 do not operate normally during water supply and the water level becomes abnormally high, the safety switch 100 operates and the detergent side water supply electromagnetic coil 1 is activated.
At the same time, the signal to 05a is stopped and the water supply is stopped, and at the same time, the buzzer 79 and the display lamp 29 are blinked to notify that there is an abnormality. Since it is annoying that the buzzer 79 continues to sound, the buzzer stops sounding after 16 seconds have elapsed, but the display lamp 29 continues to blink until the stop key 26 or the power off switch 44 is pressed.

Also, if the washing tub vibrates abnormally during spin-drying operation due to an imbalance in the fabric distribution, and the safety switch 100 is activated, water is supplied into the washing tub again, the pulsator is turned, and the unbalanced fabric distribution is eliminated and then restarted. Perform dehydration operation. Still, the safety switch 10
If the safety switch 100 is activated, water is supplied again, but if the safety switch 100 is still activated after 3 repetitions, the operation is stopped.
In addition, the buzzer 79 and indicator lamps 37, 38, etc. blink to indicate that there is an abnormality.

This will be explained based on the flowchart of FIG. When the dehydration operation starts, the number "4" is coded and stored in the S address of the memory group.
Moreover, during the dehydration operation, the safety switch 100 is constantly scanned to see if it is activated. When the safety switch 100 operates, a signal is input to the arithmetic register group 118 via the interface 121, and the control unit 115 determines this and transfers "4" stored at address S of the memory group to the arithmetic register group 118. The calculation unit 119 subtracts "1" written in the calculation register 117 from the readout result. After the subtraction, the result "3" is transferred to address S of the memory group 116, and since the subtraction result is not "0", an operation is performed to eliminate the unbalance of the cloth distribution. That is, water is supplied into the washing tub, the pulsator is rotated, the laundry is loosened, the water is drained, and the spin cycle is resumed. If the safety switch 100 does not work here, the water is dehydrated to the end and all washing is completed, but if the safety switch works again, the unbalance elimination operation is performed again. When this unbalance elimination operation is repeated three times, the content stored at address S in the memory group becomes "1". When the safety switch is operated for the fourth time, the result subtracted by the calculation unit 119 becomes "0", so the buzzer 79 is activated.
and the display lamps 37, 38, etc. will blink.

That is, when the calculation result becomes "0", the number "12" is coded and stored in the AONB address and AOFFB address of the memory group, respectively. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not to sound the buzzer, and the output of this determination section D is switched between the NO side and the YES side each time it is scanned. In the first scan, an output is output to the NO side, and the clock signal entering the microprocessor 5 from the clock circuit 49 is scanned.
The clock signal is a continuous pulse with a width of 1/60 seconds, and when the peak is detected, the display lamps 37 and 38 continue to light up, and at the same time, the content "12" at address AOFFB of the memory group is transferred to the arithmetic register group 118. , the arithmetic unit 119 subtracts 1. If the subtraction result is not 0, the clock signal is scanned again. The clock signal is
Since the pulse is 1/60 second, it takes 0.2 seconds for the contents of address AOFFB to become 0. During this 0.2 seconds,
Indicator lamps 37, 38 each time the peak of the pulse comes
lights up, but since the pulse cycle is short, the indicator lamps 37 and 38 appear to remain lit for 0.2 seconds. When 0.2 seconds have passed and the contents of the AOFFB address become 0, the display lamps 37 and 38 go out and turn on again.
"12" is stored in the AOFFB address, and the process goes to the buzzer sound determination section D. This time the signal comes from the YES side,
It is determined whether 16 seconds have elapsed since the safety switch 100 was activated, and if 16 seconds have not elapsed, a signal is output from the output terminal 78 of the microprocessor and a buzzer 79 is sounded. Thereafter, the clock signal is scanned, and when a peak in the signal is detected, 1 is subtracted from the internal "12" of the AONB address. When the subtraction result becomes 0, that is, when 0.2 seconds have passed, "12" is stored in the AONB address again, and the display lamps 37 and 38 are turned on again.
Scan the side. Therefore, display lamp 3 is displayed at intervals of 0.2 seconds.
7, 38 and the buzzer 79 flash alternately. However, 16 seconds after the safety switch 100 is activated, when a signal is output from the YES side of the buzzer sound determination section D, the buzzer 79 is bypassed and the clock signal is directly scanned, so the buzzer 79 does not sound. That is, the buzzer will stop after 16 seconds have elapsed. However, since the YES and NO sides of the buzzer sound determination unit D still output signals every 0.2 seconds,
Only the display lamps 37 and 38 are blinking repeatedly. This blinking continues until the stop key 26 or the power off switch 44 is pressed. When the power off switch 44 is pressed, the contents of the memory group are wiped out, but when the stop key 26 is pressed, all functions are stopped in the state before the safety switch 100 is activated. Note that as the washing progresses, the indicator lamps go out one after another, and only lamps 37, 38, and 40 are lit during the spin-drying operation (in the case of high water level), so when the safety switch 100 is activated during the spin-drying operation, The only blinking lamps are 37, 38, and 40, which allows the user to know that an abnormal condition has occurred during dehydration operation.

Furthermore, when the dehydration is completed and all the washing operations are completed, the buzzer 79 repeatedly sounds at one second intervals to notify that the washing has been completed. Since time counting has already been explained many times, a description of one second counting in this case will be omitted.

As described above, in the present invention, when a driving course is set using the operation keys, a plurality of lamps corresponding to the driving course are lit, so it is easy to confirm which course has been set, and among the lit lamps, a plurality of lamps corresponding to the driving course are lit. The lamps corresponding to the completed journey will go out one after another, so you can always know the progress status. Furthermore, if an abnormal condition occurs while driving, the buzzer will sound intermittently for a certain period of time, so people who are far away can be reliably notified of the situation, and the remaining lamps will blink. It is possible to know when an abnormality occurs, which is convenient for removing the cause of the abnormality and repairing the failure.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine equipped with the device of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a front view of the keyboard, Figure 3 is a circuit diagram showing the connection between the microprocessor and external equipment, Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the signal transmission relationship between the inside of the microprocessor and external equipment, and Figure 5. The figure is a list of washing courses, FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining lighting of the indicator lamp, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the apparatus of the present invention. 79...Buzzer, 28-42...Display lamp,
100...Safety switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 When a driving course is set using the operation keys, multiple indicator lamps corresponding to the driving course are turned on, and as the driving course progresses, indicator lamps corresponding to the strokes that have been completed are sequentially turned off, and an abnormal condition is detected. A status display device for a washing machine, etc., which sometimes blinks a remaining display lamp without turning off and causes a buzzer to sound intermittently for a certain period of time.