JPS635118B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Technical Field> The present invention relates to a dehydrator that can control the dehydration process among the washing, rinsing, and dehydration processes of a washing machine.

<Prior art> Conventionally, the means for detecting the end of the dehydration process in a washing machine has been to detect the end of dehydration based on changes in electrical conductivity or electrical resistance using an electrode or a thermistor detector provided in the flow path of the dehydrating liquid. I found something to detect. However, in these methods, the dehydration liquid and the detection section constantly come into contact with each other, resulting in problems such as deterioration of the detection section and changes in output over time. On the other hand, a configuration that uses an optical sensor to detect the end of dehydration has also been proposed;
This also had the problem that the transmission window was contaminated with dehydrated liquid, and the detection output changed over time.

<Purpose> Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a dehydrator that can directly detect the presence or absence of water droplets flying out of the dehydration hole of the dehydration tank, and can detect the end of dehydration without any change over time.

<Example> Below, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
It is equipped with a dehydration state detection device A that generates an electrical signal by the collision of water droplets of the dehydration liquid flying out from the dehydration tank, and a motor control device B that automatically controls the drive motor M for rotating the dehydration tank based on the electrical signal. .

Here, a ceramic piezoelectric element using a piezo effect is used as the detection element 3 included in the dehydration state detection device A that generates an electric signal by the collision of water droplets of the dehydration liquid.
As shown in the figure, a ceramic piezoelectric element 4 is bonded to a metal diaphragm 5, and is connected to a required circuit through lead wires 6 and 7, respectively. The detection element 3 is provided so as to face a plurality of dehydration holes 2 formed in the lower part of the dehydration tank 1 as shown in FIG.
Note that 2a indicates a dehydration hole bored in the upper part of the dehydration tank 1. Further, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. ) is tightly fixed to the water receiving tank 8 via the holder. Note that arrow C indicates a state in which water droplets of the dehydrated liquid collide. Further, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a machine frame, on which a motor M for driving the dehydration tank 1 is installed via a spring 11 serving as a buffer material. The dewatering tank 1 is connected to a motor M via a shaft 12. A drain pipe 13 is connected to a part of the bottom of a water receiving tank 8 which surrounds the outer periphery of the dewatering tank 1 and receives the dehydrated liquid.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the main parts of the dehydration state detection device A and motor control device B of the present invention. In order to eliminate the small output voltage from the detection element 3 due to normal vibrations generated in the It consists of a monostable multivibrator 16 that generates a pulse when the output (one output due to the impact of a single water droplet is short).

Note that the output from the monostable multivibrator 16 is in a state similar to the model shown in FIGS. 5a to 5d. In other words, a pulse is generated every time the water droplets of the dehydration liquid collide, and at the beginning of dehydration in Figure a, the dehydration tank 1
Since there are many water droplets flying out from the dehydration hole 2, the pulse generation interval Δt1 is short, and as dehydration progresses, as shown in the dehydration period and the dehydration latter stage in Figures b and c, the number of water droplets flying out from the dehydration tank 1 gradually decreases, and the pulse The occurrence intervals Δt2 and Δt3 gradually become longer. When the dehydration is completed as shown in d of the same figure, the water droplets flying out from the dehydration tank 1 do not elapse at intervals of Δt4 or more, and no pulses are generated. In this way, changes in the interval between pulses can be compensated for,
This detects the completion of dehydration. It should be noted that the pulse interval at which dehydration is completed can be determined as appropriate, but here T0 is used.
did.

In FIG. 7, 17 is a start switch that starts the dehydration process, and 100 is a controller composed of a microcomputer, whose basic configuration is as shown in FIG. 6: CPU 101, program/fixed data memory ROM 102, temporary memory RAM 103. , a timer 104, and an I/O section (input and output section) 105. Reference numeral 18 denotes a drive circuit that turns the motor M on and off based on the output of the controller 100. A relay is used in the drive circuit, and its contacts 19 turn the motor M on and off. 20 and 21 are windings of the motor M, and 22 is a running capacitor.

Next, the eighth section regarding the operation of dehydration completion detection of the present invention.
The explanation will be given according to the flowchart shown in the figure. First, when the start switch 17 is turned on, the controller 10
L input is input to input terminal I1 of 0, start ON
Check. Then, an H output is output from the output terminal O1, and the contact 19 of the drive circuit 18 is turned on, so that the motor M is driven. Next, the timer 104 is started, and when a pulse is input, it is determined whether the input to the input terminal I2 from the dehydration state detection device A, which becomes an H input, is I2=H. If I2=H, the timer 104 is stopped and cleared, and the timer 104 is started again. If this is repeated, someday I2
There will be times when it will not be equal to H. At that time, data T1 of the timer 104 is read and compared with a preset time T0 to determine whether T1≧T0. If T1≧T0, then I2=
It is determined whether the signal is H or not, and the above-mentioned operation is performed. Eventually, the number of water droplets coming out of the dehydration tank 1 decreases, so the pulse generation interval becomes longer, and finally
T1≧T0. At this time, the dehydration is completed, so the timer 104 is stopped, the timer 104 is cleared, an L output is output from the output terminal O1 of the controller 100, and the motor M is stopped via the drive circuit 18. The dehydration process is now complete.

Since the present invention employs such a system, the dehydration process can be automatically controlled without causing excessive or insufficient dehydration and without worrying the user.

<Effects> As is clear from the above description, the present invention provides a dehydration state detection device that generates an electrical signal by the collision of water droplets of dehydration liquid that pops out of a dehydration hole in a dehydration tank, and a device for rotating the dehydration tank based on the electrical signal. The motor control device is equipped with a motor control device that automatically controls the drive motor.

Therefore, according to the present invention, by directly detecting the presence or absence of collision of water droplets flying out from the dehydration hole of the dehydration tank,
It has the excellent effect of being able to detect the end of dehydration without any change over time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the same main part, Fig. 3 is a front view of the detection element, Fig. 4 is a side view of the detection element, and Fig. 5a. ~d
6 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of the controller of the motor control device. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the dehydration state detection device and motor control device. is the same flowchart. A: Dehydration state detection device, B: Motor control device,
M: Motor, 1: Dehydration tank, 2: Lower dehydration hole, 2
a: Upper dehydration hole, 3: Detection element, 8: Water tank,
9: Mounting hole, 17: Start switch, 18: Drive circuit, 19: Contact, 100: Controller.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Equipped with a dehydration state detection device that generates an electrical signal by the collision of water droplets of the dehydration liquid that pops out of the dehydration hole of the dehydration tank, and a motor control device that automatically controls the drive motor for rotating the dehydration tank based on the electric signal. A dehydrator that is characterized by: