KR100468918B1 - Drum type washing machine and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drum washing machine, comprising a washing tank consisting of a rotating tank and a fixed tank, circulating the air heated by the drying heater to the inside of the washing tank to absorb the moisture of the laundry and discharge the air absorbed moisture to the outside of the washing tank. It is made to carry out a drying stroke for drying laundry, and when the number of times of drying stroke execution exceeds a predetermined reference value, a dry foreign substance removal stroke for removing the dry foreign substance adhering to the inner surface of the fixed tank is performed.

Description

Drum washing machine and its control method {DRUM TYPE WASHING MACHINE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a drum washing machine, and more particularly to a drum washing machine having a drying heater.

The drum washing machine is washed by a drop that occurs while the drum rotates. Figure 1a is a perspective view showing the configuration of a general drum washing machine. As shown in FIG. 1A, a fixing tub (Tub) 102 is installed inside the main body 100 to contain washing water, and the washing tub is rotated by a driving force of the motor 110 inside the fixing tub 102. A rotating tub 108 for performing a dehydration stroke is installed. A large number of small holes are drilled in the rotating tub 108 so that the washing water flows between the rotating tub 108 and the fixing tub 102. When dewatering, the washing water centrifuged from the laundry is separated from the rotating tub 108. It is to be allowed to flow into the space between the fixing tank (102).

Among the drum washing machines, a model equipped with a drying heater 114 for drying laundry after washing is additionally subjected to a drying stroke in addition to a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke, and a dehydration stroke. The drying process of the laundry using the drying heater 114 is performed as follows. Dry air heated at a high temperature by the drying heater 114 and entering the inside of the fixing tank 102 (arrow ①) absorbs moisture contained in the laundry inside the rotating tank 108 and absorbs moisture contained in the wall of the fixing tank 102. The ride is sucked back to the blowing fan 112 side (arrow ②). At this time, the moisture contained in the air circulated through the fixing tank 102 and sucked back into the blowing fan 112 is condensed on the wall of the fixing tank 102 by the condensing plate 104 installed on the wall of the fixing tank 102. do. The condensation plate 104 condenses moisture contained in the air through a small amount of cold water supplied through the condensing hose 106 connected to an external water supply. The air from which moisture is removed by the condensation action of the condensation plate 104 is heated by the drying heater 114 again, and is supplied again into the fixing tank 102 by the blowing fan 112 (arrow ①). Water condensed by the condensation plate 104 flows to the bottom of the fixing tank 102, and the flowed water is discharged to the outside by the drain pump 116.

1B is a view showing a washing water supply state of a conventional drum washing machine. As shown in FIG. 1B, the amount of wash water supplied to the fixing tank 102 during the washing or rinsing stroke of the conventional drum washing machine is about one third the height of the fixing tank 102. If too much washing water is supplied, the free fall width of the laundry may not be effective. In the conventional drying process of the drum washing machine, dry foreign matters 154 such as dirt or lint, which are separated from the laundry, adhere to the inner surface of the fixing tank 102. In particular, in the upper two thirds of the inner surface of the fixing tank 102 that the washing water does not reach, the dry foreign matter 154 accumulates every time the drying stroke is repeated, causing contamination of the inside of the washing tank. In particular, the space between the fixing tank 102 and the rotating tank 108 is narrow, and it is very difficult to put a hand or a cleaning tool to clean the structure.

In order to solve such a problem, a drum washing machine and a control method thereof according to the present invention have an object of automatically performing a dry foreign matter removal stroke when the number of times or the execution time of the drying stroke exceeds a predetermined reference value.

In addition, by displaying the number of executions or the execution time of the drying stroke on the display device, it is determined whether the user checks the cumulative state of the dry foreign substances according to the increase in the number of drying strokes (hours) to perform a forced dry foreign material removal stroke. There is another purpose to do this.

1A is a perspective view of a conventional drum washing machine.

1B is a view showing a washing water supply state of a conventional drum washing machine.

2 is a block diagram showing a drum washing machine according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a dry foreign matter removal method of the drum washing machine according to the present invention.

4 is a view showing a washing water supply state of the drum washing machine according to the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

102, 402: fixed tank

104: condensation plate

106: condensing hose

108, 404: rotating tub

110: motor

112: blowing fan

114: drying heater

116: drain pump

The drum washing machine according to the present invention includes a washing tub including a rotating tub and a fixed tub, and circulates the air heated by the drying heater into the washing tub to absorb the moisture of the laundry and discharges the absorbed air to the outside of the washing tub. A drying stroke is carried out for drying. In such a drum washing machine, the control unit performs a dry foreign matter removal stroke for removing the dry foreign matter adhering to the inner surface of the fixing tank when the number of times of performing the drying stroke exceeds a preset reference value.

A preferred embodiment of the drum washing machine and its control method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 as follows. 2 is a block diagram of a drum washing machine according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 202 controls the overall operation of the washing machine, such as a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke, a dewatering stroke, and a drying stroke. In addition, the control unit 202 is provided with a reference value for counting the number of times of drying stroke execution or the execution time to determine whether the predetermined value is exceeded. The input unit 206 sets a washing condition desired by the user or selectively commands only a stroke required by the user. The washing condition and the command set through the input unit 206 are transmitted to the control unit 202. The water level sensor 204 is for detecting the amount of wash water to be supplied, and detects the amount of wash water supplied to a fixed tank (not shown) and provides the value to the controller 202. This water level sensor 204 is for detecting whether the wash water supplied in the dry foreign matter removal stroke according to the present invention is supplied to the highest level of the fixing tank. The storage unit 208 is for storing data of the number of times of the dry stroke execution or the execution time counted by the control unit 202. The storage unit 208 is free to write and read, and the data is stored even when power is not supplied. Non-volatile memory such as Memory). The control unit 202 counts the number of drying strokes or the execution time, stores the value in the storage unit 208, and displays the value through the display device 218.

The driver 210 drives the motor 212, the drain pump 214, the drying heater 216, the display device 218, and the like. The motor 212 rotates the rotating tub 220 forward and reverse at regular intervals during the washing or rinsing stroke, and rotates the rotating tub 220 at high speed during the dehydration stroke. The drain pump 214 is for discharging water accumulated in the bottom surface of the fixing tank. The drying heater 216 heats the air introduced into the fixed bath. The display device 218 is to display the number of times or the execution time of the drying stroke of the drum washing machine according to the present invention so that the user can check it.

Figure 3 is a flow chart showing a dry foreign matter removal method of the drum washing machine according to the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3, when the drum washing machine according to the present invention performs the drying stroke (S302), the control unit 202 increases the count value n of the drying stroke execution time (time). When counting the number of drying strokes, the count value n is increased by one, and when counting the number of drying strokes, the count value n is increased by the time required for the drying stroke. The count of the number of times of drying stroke execution (time) is used by the counter provided in the control part 202, or the counter mounted separately. The control unit 202 compares the count value n of the drying stroke execution times (hours) with a predetermined reference value n _r (S306), and the count value n of the drying stroke execution times (hours) is the reference value n _r. Exceeding) automatically performs a dry foreign matter removal stroke (S310 ~ S316) according to the present invention. Although the count value n of the drying stroke execution times (hours) does not exceed the reference value n _r , the user sees and sees the count value n of the drying stroke execution times (hours) displayed on the display device 218. It may be determined whether to force the dry foreign matter removal stroke according to the invention to perform the dry foreign matter removal stroke according to the present invention through the input unit 206 (S308).

The dry foreign matter removal stroke according to the present invention is performed as follows. First, water is supplied to 2/3 of the height of the fixed tank (S310), and when the water supply is completed, the rotary tub 220 is stirred for a preset time to generate water flow. By rotating the rotary tub 220 to generate water flow, dry foreign matter attached to the surfaces of the rotary tub 220 and the fixed tub is separated and moves along the water stream. When the rotation of the rotary tub 220 is completed for a predetermined time, the drain pump 214 is operated to perform a drain stroke (S314). When the drain stroke is carried out, the dry foreign matter in the fixing tank is discharged to the outside together with the wash water. After the drainage is completed, data related to the number of times of dry stroke execution (time) such as the number of times of dry stroke execution (time) of the control unit 202 and the display value of the display device 218 are initialized (S316).

4 is a view showing a washing water supply state of the drum washing machine according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the dry foreign material 408 attached to the inner surface of the fixing tank 402 by supplying the washing water 406 to the highest level of the fixing tank 402 and then rotating the rotating tank 404 by stirring. ) To be removed.

The drum washing machine according to the present invention and the control method thereof automatically perform a dry foreign matter removal stroke when the number of times of execution or the time of execution of the drying stroke exceeds a predetermined reference value. Display through. This allows the user to indirectly check the cumulative state of the dry foreign matter according to the increase in the number of times of dry stroke execution (time) to determine whether the dry foreign matter removal stroke is to be carried out. Through this, it is possible to easily remove the dry foreign matter accumulated on the inner surface of the fixing tank of the drum washing machine to prevent contamination in the washing tank.

Claims (13)

A drum washing machine comprising a rotating tub and a fixed tub, which performs a drying process of laundry. And a control unit for counting the number of times the drying stroke is executed, and performing a dry foreign matter removing stroke for removing the dry foreign matter adhering to the inner surface of the fixing tank when the number of times of the drying stroke is exceeded. The method of claim 1, And a storage unit for storing data on the number of times of the drying stroke. The method of claim 2, wherein the control unit, And a drum washing machine for initializing data of the number of times of the drying stroke stored in the storage unit when the dry foreign matter removing stroke is completed. The method of claim 2, A drum washing machine, wherein the storage unit is a nonvolatile memory. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit, A drum washing machine which supplies water to the fixing tank, stirs and rotates the rotating tank for a predetermined time, and drains the wash water so that the dry foreign matter is discharged together with the drained wash water. . The method of claim 5, wherein the control unit, The drum washing machine which controls water supply to 2/3 of the height of the said fixed tank when the said dry foreign material removal stroke is performed. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit, And a drying machine removing stroke when the total of the drying stroke execution time exceeds the preset value. The method of claim 1, A display device for displaying the number of times of drying strokes; A drum washing machine for allowing a user to predict the amount of dry debris accumulated on the inner surface of the fixing tank through the number of dry strokes displayed on the display device to determine whether to enforce the dry debris removal stroke. In the control method of the drum washing machine provided with a rotating tank and a fixed tank, and performs the drying process of a laundry, Counting the number of times the drying stroke is performed; And performing a dry foreign matter removing stroke for removing the dry foreign matter adhering to the inner surface of the fixing tank when the number of times of performing the drying stroke exceeds a preset reference value. The method of claim 9, wherein the dry foreign matter removal stroke, Supplying water to the washing tank; Stirring and rotating the rotating tub for a preset time; And draining the wash water so that the dry foreign matter is discharged together with the drained wash water. The method of claim 10, The control method of the drum washing machine which supplies water to 2/3 of the height of the said fixed tank in the said dry foreign material removal stroke. The method of claim 9, The control method of the drum washing machine which performs a said dry foreign material removal stroke, when the sum total of the said drying stroke execution time exceeds a preset reference value. The method of claim 9, Displaying the number of times of the drying stroke through the display device; And a method of controlling a drum washing machine, which allows a user to predict the amount of dry foreign matter accumulated on the inner surface of the fixing tank through the number of dry stroke executions displayed on the display device to determine whether to enforce the dry foreign matter removing stroke.