KR100487401B1 - Method and apparatus for detect an unbalance of washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an unbalance detection device and a detection method of a washing machine which can reduce the number of parts, the structure is simple, and can stop the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank only when necessary in response to an unbalance amount. The outer case of the washing machine in which the water tank 3 is freely supported in the outer case 1 by swinging freely, and the washing and dewatering tank in which the rotor blade is provided in the bottom of the water tank 3 is freely rotated. In the unbalance detection apparatus provided between (1) and the water tank 3, the said unbalance detection apparatus was mounted in the unit case 16 of the power supply unit provided in the outer case 1. As shown in FIG.

Description

Unbalance detection device and detection method of washing machine {METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECT AN UNBALANCE OF WASHING MACHINE}

The present invention relates to an unbalance detection device and a detection method of a washing machine.

(Conventional technology)

For example, the solar type automatic washing machine swings and supports the water tank 3 freely in the outer case 1 installed on the bottom rim 8 through the dustproof device 2, as shown in FIG. The washing and dewatering tank 5 in which the rotary blade 4 is provided at the bottom in the tank 3 is freely rotated. The bottom of the tank 3 is a drive mechanism such as a motor 6, a clutch, a gear, or the like. Mechanism parts 7 such as a deceleration mechanism are mounted, and an upper cover 9 is attached to an upper position of the water tank 3 on the upper part of the outer case 1, and a lid 10 is attached to the upper cover 9. Open and close freely. Reference numeral 11 in the figure shows a water supply case in communication with a water supply port provided in the upper cover 9.

The front panel 12 is installed on the front surface of the outer case 1, and the front plate 13 is installed upright inside the front panel 12.

The vibration isolator 2 is installed at the corners of the four corners of the outer case 1, and swings the suspension rod 2a freely from the suspension plate 2c attached to the upper end of the outer case 1. It attached, and the vibration-proof spring 2b was attached to the lower end of the said suspension rod 2a, and this vibration-proof spring 2b was attached to the lower part of the outer part of the water tank 3, and was fixed.

During the washing operation, the whole stroke of water supply, washing stroke, rinsing stroke, and dehydration stroke is automatically performed, but the rotary blade 4 rotates in the washing process, or the rotary blade 4 and the washing and dehydrating tank in the dehydrating stroke. When (5) rotates at high speed, the vibration is transmitted to the water tank 3, and the water tank 3 oscillates, but some oscillation is absorbed by the vibration isolator 2. As shown in FIG.

By the way, especially when the clothes are driven to one side in the washing-and-dehydrating tank 5 in the dehydrating stroke, the washing-and-dehydrating tank 5 swings greatly, and this vibration is transmitted to the water tank 3, and the water tank 3 is also large. Vibrate. When such a large abnormal vibration occurs, the water tank 3 may come into contact with the outer case 1, abnormal sounds due to vibration, deformation of the outer case 1, breakage of parts, or the like may occur.

Therefore, when abnormal vibration occurs, it detects this and stops dehydration operation, and the unbalance detection apparatus for it is provided. The unbalance detection device is a conventional triangular shape in which a lever for detection is formed inside the rear corner of the outer case 1 as a pressing member that is pressed when the water tank 3 is displaced by vibration. It is located in the space and attached to the upper cover 9 or the like by a mounting member, and a detection switch actuated by the displacement of the lever is provided by the mounting member inside the upper cover 9 as well.

When the water tank 3 is displaced by abnormal vibration and the outer surface of the water tank 3 touches the lever or pressurizes it, the lever is displaced to operate the detection switch. By the operation of this detection switch, the output signal is input to a control device using a microcomputer or the like, and the dehydration operation is stopped due to the activity of the control device.

Thus, since the conventional unbalance detection apparatus is comprised by the detection lever and the detection switch, and the member which attaches the said lever and the detection switch to an upper cover, respectively, there are many parts and as a result, there are many assembly processes. In addition, a lead wire for inputting a signal from the detection switch to the control device is also required. Moreover, since the control device is usually installed at a position of the front plate 13 of the outer case of the washing machine, the lead wire needs to have a long length. .

In addition, since the detection switch is turned on even when pressed by the lever even once, the washing and dewatering tank stops only when the detection switch is turned on once by one water tank swing. For this reason, even if the unbalance amount is small and the slight displacement which does not need to stop the washing and dewatering tank, the washing and dewatering tank may stop, which may hinder the smooth running of the washing operation. Incidentally, as shown in the graph of Fig. 6, when the unbalance amount (local amount of laundry in the washing and dehydration tank) is small, the number of unbalances is detected once, but as the amount of unbalance increases, The number of times unbalance is detected is increased two times and three times.

The object of the present invention is to solve the unbalance of the conventional example, reduce the number of parts, simplify the structure, and further, unbalance detection of the washing machine capable of stopping the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank only when necessary in response to an unbalance amount. An apparatus and a detection method are provided.

(Means to solve the task)

The present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the outer case and the water tank of the washing machine in which the swing freely supports the water tank in the outer case, and the washing and dewatering tank provided with a rotary wing on the bottom freely installed in the water tank. An unbalance detection device provided between the two and the unbalance detection device, wherein the unbalance detection device is mounted in a case of a power supply unit provided in an outer case. This eliminates the need for a member for attaching the unbalance detection device to the top cover 1 as in the prior art, thereby reducing the number of parts and the number of assembly steps. Also, the lead wire connecting the unbalance detection device and the control device can be shortened.

In addition, the unbalance detection device is composed of a lever which is displaced by the shaking of the tank and a sensor that detects the displacement of the lever, so that even if the sensor detects the lever displacement, the detection operation is jointed with the rotation stop operation of the washing and dewatering tank. Therefore, when there is little unbalance amount, it ends without stopping rotation of a washing | cleaning and dehydration tank.

In addition, since the sensor is composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, the number of lever displacements in the sensor can also be detected, and the washing and dewatering tank can be stopped based on this number, thereby enabling control corresponding to an unbalance amount. do.

In addition, the swing of the washing tank freely supports the water tank in the outer case, and the washing and dewatering tank in which the rotary blade is provided at the bottom in the water tank is freely rotated so as to be displaced by the shaking of the water tank between the outer case and the water tank. A non-balance detection device comprising a lever for detecting the displacement of the lever and a sensor for detecting the displacement of the lever, and determining whether an unbalance occurs by stopping the rotation of the wash / dehydration tank based on the amount of unbalance in the wash / dehydration tank and the displacement detection by the sensor. Therefore, the rotation of the washing and dewatering tank is stopped according to the unbalance amount, and the irrationality that the rotation of the washing and dewatering tank is stopped at a small unbalance can be eliminated.

In addition, the displacement detection by the sensor determines whether an unbalance has occurred that stops the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank based on the number of detections, thereby stopping the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank only when there are many times of detection and the unbalance is reliably occurring. Because of this, it is possible to respond appropriately to the phenomenon.

In addition, the displacement detection by the sensor detects the time at which the lever is displaced, and determines whether the lever is displaced by determining the unbalance occurrence of stopping the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank based on the length of this time. The rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank can be stopped only when unbalance is reliably occurring, so that a response appropriate to the phenomenon can be taken.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described in detail with reference to drawings. 1 is a perspective view of the front panel of the washing machine provided with the unbalance detection device of the present invention removed, FIG. 2 is a front view of an in-phase, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention unbalance detection device, FIG. 5 is an in-phase exploded perspective view, and the overall configuration of the washing machine is the same as already described with reference to FIG. 7, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The unbalance detection device of the present invention comprises a lever 14 that is displaced by the shaking of the water tank 3 and a sensor 15 that detects the displacement of the lever 14. The sensor 15 is, for example, It constitutes as a photointerrupter formed of the light emitting element 15a and the light receiving element 15b, and displaces the light shielding portion 14a of the lever 14 in the gap formed between the light emitting element 15a and the light receiving element 15b. To place freely. As one example, the light shielding portion 14a is formed of a protruding piece that protrudes horizontally integrally from the rear surface of the lever body.

The installation position of this unbalance detection apparatus is made into the unit case 16 of the power supply base 17 installed in the front plate 13 of the washing machine, and the sensor 15 is installed in the upper part of the front side of the said unit case 16. Then, the front side of the sensor 15 was placed horizontally with the lever 14 sideways, the base portion of the lever 14 was fixed to the unit case 16, and the tip was protruded toward the water tank 3. .

Next, the operation will be described. In the normal state, the light shielding portion 14a of the lever 14 is located between the light emitting element 15a and the light receiving element 15b so that the light receiving element 15b is separated from the light emitting element 15a. Light emitted toward the direction is blocked to prevent the light from being transmitted to the light receiving element 15b. In a dehydration stroke, ubiquity arises in the clothes in the washing-and-dewatering tank 5, and when the washing-and-dehydrating tank 5 oscillates greatly, vibration is transmitted to the water tank 3, and the water tank 3 also vibrates. As a result, the water tank 3 shakes in the direction of the outer case 1 to contact the lever 14, and when the pressure is applied, the lever 14 rotates outward with the mounting portion on the unit case 16 as a point. The light shielding portion 14a exits between the light emitting element 15a and the light receiving element 15b.

As a result, light generated from the light emitting element 15a is detected by the light receiving element 15b, and the sensor 15 detects the displacement of the lever 14. In this case, when the shaking of the water tank 3 subsides, the light shielding part 14a of the lever 14 enters between the light emitting element 15a and the light receiving element 15b again, and receives the light from the light emitting element 15a. Block it.

The number of times that the light shielding portion 14a of the lever 14 escapes between the light emitting element 15a and the light receiving element 15b can also be determined from the graph shown in FIG. Since the larger the unbalanced amount in (5) is, the number of times is detected and the rotation of the washing and dewatering tank 5 is stopped by the output of the control device only when the unbalanced amount is large. Therefore, it ends without unnecessarily stopping the rotation of the washing | cleaning and dewatering tank 5, etc. when an unbalance amount is small.

In addition, since the light shielding portion 14a of the lever 14 moves and displaces between the light emitting element 15a and the light receiving element 15b, the displacement amount, that is, the unbalance amount can be determined even by detecting this movement amount. Rotation of the washing and dewatering tank 5 can be stopped only when the unbalance amount is large based on the displacement amount.

As described above, the unbalance detection device and the detection method of the washing machine according to the present invention include a washing and dewatering tank in which an oscillation is supported freely by swinging a water tank in an outer case, and a washing-and-dehydrating tank in which a rotary wing is provided at the bottom of the water tank. An unbalance detection device provided between the outer case and a water tank of a washing machine, wherein the unbalance detection device is attached to a case of a power supply unit provided in the outer case. This eliminates the need for a member for attaching the unbalance detection device to the top cover as in the prior art, thereby reducing the number of parts and the number of assembly steps. Moreover, the lead wire which connects an unbalance detection apparatus and a control apparatus can also be shortened.

In addition, the unbalance detection device comprises a lever that is displaced by the shaking of the tank and a sensor that detects the displacement of the lever, so that even if the sensor detects the lever displacement, the detection operation is separated from the rotation stop operation of the washing and dewatering tank. Therefore, when there is little unbalance amount, it ends without stopping rotation of a washing | cleaning and dehydration tank.

In addition, since the sensor is composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, the number of lever displacements in the sensor can also be detected, and the washing and dewatering tank can be stopped based on this number, thereby enabling control corresponding to an unbalance amount. do.

In addition, the swing of the washing tank freely supports the water tank in the outer case, and the washing and dewatering tank in which the rotary blade is provided at the bottom in the water tank is freely rotated so as to be displaced by the shaking of the water tank between the outer case and the water tank. A non-balance detection device comprising a lever for detecting the displacement of the lever and a sensor for detecting the displacement of the lever, and determining whether an unbalance occurs by stopping the rotation of the wash / dehydration tank based on the amount of unbalance in the wash / dehydration tank and the displacement detection by the sensor. Therefore, the rotation of the washing and dewatering tank is stopped according to the unbalance amount, and the irrationality of stopping the rotation of the washing and dewatering tank at a small unbalance can be eliminated.

In addition, the displacement detection by the sensor determines whether an unbalance has occurred that stops the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank based on the number of detections, thereby stopping the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank only when there are many times of detection and the unbalance is reliably occurring. Because of this, it is possible to respond appropriately to the phenomenon.

In addition, the displacement detection by the sensor detects the time at which the lever is displaced, and determines whether the lever is displaced by determining the unbalance occurrence of stopping the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank based on the length of this time. The rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank can be stopped only when unbalance is reliably occurring, so that a response appropriate to the phenomenon can be taken.

1 is a perspective view of the front panel of the washing machine with the unbalance detection device of the present invention removed.

Figure 2 is a front view of the front panel of the washing machine with the unbalance detection device of the present invention removed.

3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the unbalance detection device of the washing machine of the present invention.

4 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the unbalance detection device of the washing machine of the present invention.

5 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the unbalance detection device of the washing machine of the present invention.

6 is a graph showing a relationship between an unbalance amount and an unbalance operation rate.

7 is a longitudinal side view of the washing machine;

(Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawing)

1: outer case 2: dustproof device

3: water tank 2a: suspension rod

2b: dustproof spring 2c: suspension plate

4: rotary blade 5: washing and dewatering tank

6 motor 7 mechanism

8: bottom border 9: top cover

10: lid 11: water supply case

12: front panel 13: front panel

14: lever 14a: light shield

15 sensor 15a light emitting element

15b: Light receiving element 16: Unit case

17: power board

Claims (3)

In the unbalance detection apparatus provided between the said outer case and a water tank of the washing machine which rocked | hung freely supported the water tank in an outer case, and installed the washing-and-dehydrating tank which provided the rotating blade to the bottom in the said tank freely. The unbalance detection device, It is mounted on the case of the power unit installed in the outer case, An unbalance detection device for a washing machine having a light shield and comprising a lever which is displaced by shaking of a water tank, and a light sensor and a light sensor, the sensor detecting a displacement of the lever. In the unbalance detection method of the washing machine in which the swing and suspension of the water tank is freely supported in the outer case, and the washing and dewatering tank in which the rotary blade is provided at the bottom in the tank is freely rotated. An unbalance detection device is provided between the outer case and the water tank, the lever being displaced by the shaking of the water tank, and a sensor for detecting the displacement of the lever. And determining whether the generated unbalance is unbalance to stop the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank based on the number of times the sensor detects the displacement of the lever. In the unbalance detection method of the washing machine in which the swing and suspension of the water tank is freely supported in the outer case, and the washing and dewatering tank in which the rotary blade is provided at the bottom in the tank is freely rotated. An unbalance detection device is provided between the outer case and the water tank, the lever being displaced by the shaking of the water tank, and a sensor for detecting the displacement of the lever. The sensor detects the displacement time of the lever, and determines whether the unbalance generated by the length of the time is unbalance to stop the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank.