KR100583201B1 - Controlling dehydrate apparatus and method for a washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention includes a control unit 90 for controlling the overall operation of the washing machine, a function selection unit 20 for selecting a washing function for the washing stroke, the rinsing stroke and the dehydrating stroke, and a magnet installed in the door 1a. Of the door detecting unit 30 for detecting the opening / closing state of the door 1a, the washing motor driving unit 40 for driving the washing motor 5, and the washing motor 5 according to whether the lid switch is in contact with the lid switch. The signal processing unit 9 converts the output of the hall sensor 8 according to the driving into a pulse signal and applies it to the port AD of the controller 10, and a water supply valve 51 to supply water to the water tank 2. It includes a water supply valve driving unit 50 for driving the water, a drain valve driving unit 60 for driving the drain valve 61 to drain the wash water, and a display unit 70 for displaying the current operating state and various information of the washing machine. .

In addition, the present invention is installed on the rotating shaft of the power transmission device 6 located in the lower part of the dehydration tank (3) for detecting the operating state of the dehydration tank (3) and the door (1a) It is further provided with a locking device for forcibly restraining and for maintaining the locked state of the door (1a) at high speed rotation of the dehydration tank (3).

Accordingly, the present invention can improve the reliability of the dehydration function by detecting the operating state of the dehydration tank through the centrifugal force switch installed at the bottom of the dehydration tank in parallel with the operation of detecting the rotational speed of the washing motor through the Hall sensor. It has an effect.

Description

Dehydration apparatus and method for controlling the washing machine {Controlling dehydrate apparatus and method for a washing machine}

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of a washing machine according to the prior art,

Figure 2 is a block diagram of a dehydration control device for a washing machine according to the prior art,

3 is a waveform diagram showing the output of the motor and the Hall sensor of FIG.

4 is a block diagram of a dehydration control device for a washing machine according to the present invention;

Figure 5a is a side cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the washing machine according to the present invention,

5B is a view for explaining an operation of the switching unit of FIG. 5A;

Figure 6 is a waveform diagram showing the output signal of the centrifugal force switch for the rotational speed of the dehydration tank of the present invention,

7 is a view for explaining the opening and closing operation of the door driving unit according to the present invention;

8 is a flowchart illustrating a dehydration control method of the washing machine according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

20: function selection unit 30: door detection unit

40: washing motor driving unit 50: water supply valve driving unit

60: drain valve drive unit 70: display unit

80: door driving unit 90: control unit

100: switching unit 101: disc

102: weight 103: guide

104: spring 105: limit switch

The present invention relates to a dehydration control device and method of the washing machine, in particular, in parallel with the sensing operation by the hall sensor detects the operating state of the dehydration tank rotated by the washing motor directly through the centrifugal force switch, the door during the dehydration stroke It relates to a dehydration control device for a washing machine and a method for forcibly restraining by driving the locking device.

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a washing machine according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, the water tank 2 and the dehydration tank 3 are provided in the main body 1, and the pulsator 4 which forms a water flow is provided in the dehydration tank 3 inside. . In addition, a washing motor 5 for driving the dehydration tank 3 and the pulsator 4 is installed below the water tank 2, and the driving force of the washing motor 5 is applied to the center of the bottom of the water tank 2. A power transmission device 6 is provided which receives the transmission through the belt 7 and selectively drives the dehydration tank 3 and the pulsator 4. Then, the door 1a is hinged to the upper portion of the main body 1 so as to be opened and closed by the user. On the other hand, in order to sense the rotational speed of the washing motor (5), a magnetic body (8a) having magnetic poles (N, S) is installed on the motor shaft of the washing motor (5) to rotate integrally, facing the magnetic body (8a) The hall sensor 8 is installed at the position.

2 is a block diagram of a dehydration control apparatus for a washing machine according to the prior art, a control unit 10 for controlling the overall operation of the washing machine, and a function selection unit for selecting a washing function for the washing stroke and the rinsing stroke and the dehydrating stroke ( 20, a door sensor 30 for detecting an open / closed state of the door 1a, a washing motor driver 40 for driving the washing motor 5, and a hall sensor according to driving of the washing motor 5 And a signal processor 9 for converting the output of the signal 8 into a pulse signal and applying it to the port AD of the controller 10. In addition, the conventional washing machine has a water supply valve driver 50 for driving the water supply valve 51 to supply water to the water tank 2, and a drain valve driver for driving the drain valve 61 to drain the wash water. 60, and a display unit 70 for displaying a current operating state of the washing machine and various kinds of information.

In the conventional washing machine, the control unit 10 outputs a motor control signal to the washing motor driving unit 40 through the output port ML (MR) to drive the washing motor 5. The washing motor driving unit 40 includes an inverter unit 41 for inverting the motor control signal applied from the output port ML (MR) and an output signal of the inverter unit 41 applied through the resistors R1-R4. It is triggered by and consists of triacs 42, 43 connected to the washing motor (5).

The driving of the washing motor 5 is fixed to the magnetic body 8a that rotates together with the washing motor 5 and the magnetic body 8a, and outputs a signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the washing motor 5. The rotation speed of the washing motor 5 is detected through the sensor 8. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the washing motor 5 is powered on in a predetermined section t1-t2 and is driven in an "on" state, a disc-shaped magnetic substance condensed on the washing motor 5 is shown. As a result, the hall sensor 8 transmits a signal according to the action of the magnetic body 8a with the magnetic poles N and S during the driving time Δt of the washing motor 5. The signal processing unit 9 converts the signal into a pulse signal of "low (L)" and "high (H)" and applies it to the port (A / D) of the control unit (10). Accordingly, the control unit 10 determines the rotational speed of the washing motor 5 by counting the number of pulses.

Then, in the dehydration stroke, the control unit 10 drains the wash water in the water tank 2 completely, and then applies a motor control signal to the washing motor driving unit 40 to rotate the dewatering tank 3 to centrifuge the moisture contained in the laundry. Will be removed by The control unit 10 performs a dehydration stroke according to the low speed dehydration and the medium speed dewatering and the high speed dewatering, which are classified according to the rotational speed of the washing motor 5. For example, the low speed dewatering is set to about 500 rpm, and the medium speed dewatering is about 800 rpm. The high speed dehydration is set to around 1000rpm. Then, the control unit 10 stops the driving of the washing motor 5 by shutting off the power supplied to the washing motor 5 at the end of the dehydrating stroke, the dehydration tank 3 is the power transmission from the washing motor (5). Is blocked, but the rotational speed is gradually reduced and stopped as it is rotated by inertia.

As such, when the washing machine of the related art performs the dehydration stroke, the control unit 10 counts the number of pulses of the hall sensor 8 to measure the rotational speed of the washing motor 5, and accordingly Judging the rotation speed to control the operation of dehydrating the laundry.

However, in the washing machine according to the related art, when noise is mixed in the process of inputting the output of the hall sensor 8 to the control unit 10, or when there is a component defect of the hall sensor 8, the port A of the control unit 10 is used. / D) is applied to the wrong pulse signal different from the rotational speed of the actual washing motor 5, so that the controller 10 incorrectly detects the rotational speed of the washing motor 5 by counting the wrong number of pulses Since the washing motor 5 is driven on the basis of this, the dehydration tank 3 driven under the control of the control unit 10 is rotated out of a predetermined rotation speed for each of the low speed dehydration, the medium speed dewatering and the high speed dewatering. The reliability of the function became a factor.

In addition, in the washing machine according to the related art, the dehydration tank 3 does not actually rotate even when the washing motor 5 is driven due to a defect in the belt 7 and the power transmission device 6 during dehydration administration. When the abnormal operation occurs, the output from the hall sensor 8 installed in the lower part of the washing motor 5 is generated, so that the controller 10 does not recognize the abnormal operation in which the dehydration tank 3 does not rotate. there was.

In addition, the washing machine according to the prior art is not provided with a means for forcibly restraining the opening and closing operation of the door (1a) in the state in which the dehydration tank (3) inside the main body (1) at high speed during the dehydration administration, When the magnet installed in the door 1a comes into contact with the reed switch installed in the main body 1, the control unit 10 which recognizes the door closed state and recognizes the door open state when the magnet falls from the reed switch drives the washing motor 5. It was limited to performing the dehydration operation to rotate the dehydration tank (3). Accordingly, in the conventional washing machine, when the user opens the door 1a inadvertently during the dehydration stroke, the control unit 10 stops the driving of the washing motor 5, and thus the dehydration stroke is interrupted. There was a hassle to close 1a) and restart the dehydration administration. In addition, there is a risk that the user will be injured if the user comes into contact with the dehydrating tank 3 which is still rotating due to the opening of the door 1a.

 Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, the object of the present invention is to detect the operation state of the dehydration tank in accordance with the magnitude of the centrifugal force acting on the dehydration tank in parallel with the sensing operation by the Hall sensor to force the door. In order to improve the reliability of the dewatering function by restraining to provide a dewatering control device and method of the washing machine.

An object of the present invention as described above is to detect the rotational speed of the main body, a dehydration tank rotatably installed inside the main body, a door provided on one side of the main body, opening and closing, a washing motor for rotating the dehydration tank, the washing motor A dewatering control apparatus for a washing machine having a sensor, the apparatus comprising: a switching unit turned on and off according to a magnitude of a centrifugal force acting on the dewatering tank rotated by driving the washing motor; A locking device for forcibly restraining the door; A door driver driving the locking device; And a controller electrically connected to the switching unit and the door driver to control the door driver in accordance with an on / off signal of the switching unit.

An object of the present invention as described above in the dehydration control method of the washing machine to dehydrate the laundry by rotating the dehydration tank by the drive of the washing motor, the step of detecting the opening and closing state of the door; Outputting a door lock signal for driving the locking device of the door to forcibly restrain the door when the door is in the closed state; Determining whether a rotation speed of the dehydration tank is equal to or less than a preset reference speed when driving of the washing motor is stopped after the dehydration stroke is performed; And outputting a door unlocking signal for driving the locking device of the door so that the door can be opened if the rotation speed of the dehydration tank is equal to or less than the reference speed.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 4 is a block diagram of a dehydration control device for a washing machine according to the present invention will be given the same reference numerals for components that perform the same function as the components in the prior art. As shown, the present invention is a control unit 90 for controlling the overall operation of the washing machine, a function selection unit 20 for selecting the washing function for the washing stroke, rinsing stroke and dehydration stroke, and a magnet installed in the door (1a) The door detecting unit 30 which detects the opening / closing state of the door 1a according to the contact with the reed switch installed in the main body 1, the washing motor driving unit 40 driving the washing motor 5, and washing In order to supply water to the signal processing unit 9 and the water tank 2 which convert the output of the hall sensor 8 according to the driving of the motor 5 into a pulse signal and apply it to the port AD of the controller 10. A water supply valve driver 50 for driving the water supply valve 51, a drain valve driver 60 for driving the drain valve 61 to drain the wash water, and a display unit for displaying the current operating state and various information of the washing machine ( 70).

In addition, the present invention is installed on the rotating shaft of the power transmission device 6 located in the lower part of the dehydration tank (3) for detecting the operating state of the dehydration tank (3) and the door (1a) It is further provided with a locking device for forcibly restraining and for maintaining the locked state of the door (1a) at high speed rotation of the dehydration tank (3).

The present invention will be described briefly because the operation of performing the de-execution by driving the washing motor 5 by the washing motor driving unit 40 is made the same as before. That is, the controller 90 rotates the washing motor 5 to the left by outputting the motor control signal to the output port ML, and rotates the washing motor 5 to the right by outputting the motor control signal to the output port MR. The pulsator 4, which receives power through the belt 7 and the power transmission device 6, is agitated from side to side to perform a washing stroke and a rinsing stroke. In addition, the control unit 90 rotates the dehydration tank 3 in one direction at a high speed in the dehydration stroke to remove moisture contained in the laundry by centrifugal force. The rotation speed of the dehydration tank 3 is changed to slow dehydration and medium speed. Dehydration and high speed dehydration can be performed.

As shown in Figure 5a, the switching unit 100 is installed in the lower portion of the dehydration tank (3) so as to directly and mechanically detect the operating state of the dehydration tank (3) pulleys of the washing motor (5) ( It is installed on the rotation shaft 6b of the power transmission device 6 for transmitting power through the belt 7 connected to 5a) to rotate the dehydration tank 3. The switching unit 100 is a switch for turning on and off according to the magnitude of the centrifugal force acting on the dehydration tank (3) rotated by the drive of the washing motor (5). The switching unit 100 rotates at a relatively small speed relative to the reference speed as shown in FIG. 5B so that the disc 101 is not in contact with the limit switch 105 and as shown in FIG. 5C. 3) may be divided into a case in which the disk 101 is in contact with the limit switch 105 by rotating at a relatively high speed compared to the reference speed.

Here, the reference speed is determined by the elastic modulus of the spring 104 for supporting the weight 102 installed in the support piece 103 of Figure 5b, if the user wants to change the reference speed the user of the spring of the proper elastic modulus Can be adopted. Preferably, the reference speed is set so low that there is no risk of injury upon contact of the dehydration tank 3 with the body.

In FIG. 6A, the centrifugal force acting in the direction of the arrow on the weight 102 is smaller than the tension force of the spring 104 during the time ta until the dehydration tank 3 reaches the reference speed in the stationary state. As shown in FIG. 5B, the disc 101 is not in contact with the connecting piece of the limit switch 105. At this time, since the internal contact of the limit switch 105 is in an ON state, a “high” signal is output to the controller 90.

When the rotational speed of the dehydration tank (3) is greater than the reference speed, that is, the centrifugal force acting on the weight 102 is greater than the tensile force of the spring 104 for supporting both weights (102) One end of 102 moves the disc 101 provided on the rotational shaft 6b upwards. When the disk 101 moves upward in this way, it contacts with the connecting piece of the limit switch 105 fixed to the outside as shown in Fig. 5c, and accordingly the internal switch contact of the limit switch 105 is turned off, as shown in Fig. 6B. The "low" signal is applied to the controller 90. Accordingly, the control unit 90 determines that the dehydration tank 3 is rotating at high speed.

As the control unit 90 stops driving the washing motor 5 to terminate the dehydration stroke, power transmission is interrupted, so that the dehydration tank 2 rotates inertia, thereby reducing the rotation speed and eventually stopping. That is, the centrifugal force acting on the weight 102 is reduced when the rotational speed of the dehydration tank 3 falls below the reference speed as shown in FIG. ) Is moved downward to return to the initial position. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5B, the contact piece of the limit switch 105 releases the contact with the disc 101 and turns on the internal switch contact. Will output Accordingly, the control unit 90 determines that the rotational speed of the dehydration tank 3 is lowered below the reference speed.

On the other hand, the control unit 90 in parallel with the operation of determining the operating state for the dehydration tank 3 in accordance with the "high" or "low" signal input through the switching unit 100, the Hall sensor ( It is determined whether or not 8). That is, the controller 90 receives the "low" signal from the switching unit 100 and the washing motor detected by the hall sensor 8 when the rotational speed of the dehydration tank 3 reaches the reference speed. If the number of pulses corresponding to the rotational speed of (5) is counted and the count value matches the preset reference value, it is judged that it is in normal operation, while the counted pulse number of the hall sensor 8 does not match the preset reference value. If not, it will be judged as bad.

In addition, the controller 90 locks the door 1a to prevent the user from opening the door when the "low" signal is input from the limit switch 105 when the rotation speed of the dehydration tank 3 is equal to or greater than the reference speed. The door lock signal is output to the door driving unit 80 to maintain the state. On the contrary, if the rotation speed of the dehydration tank 3 is lowered below the reference speed and the "high" signal is input from the limit switch 105, the user The door lock release signal is output to the door driving unit 80 to take out the laundry, thereby releasing the lock state of the door 1a.

The door driving unit 80 of the present invention is in a state in which the door 1a is held by the main body 1 according to the door lock signal from the control unit 90, and the door locking unit from the control unit 90. In accordance with the release signal, the main body 1 is unlocked so that the door 1a can be opened. To this end, the door driving unit 80 has a configuration in which the locking unit is installed in the main body 1 to forcibly restrain the locking protrusion 81 and the locking protrusion 81 installed in the door 1a as shown in FIG. 7. In the embodiment, the locking projection 81 is caught or released according to the operation of the micro switch 86 turned on by the door lock signal from the control unit 90 and turned off by the door lock release signal. do.

For example, in FIG. 7, when the door 1a is closed, the door detection unit 30 detects the closing of the door 1a and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 90, whereby the control unit 90 locks the door. The microswitch 86 is turned on by outputting a signal. When the microswitch 86 is turned on and the power source 87 is supplied, the bimetal 84 operates, and the locking rod 85 moves forward to prevent movement of the iron plate 83 so that the locking protrusion 81 is restricted. do. Accordingly, while the washing machine is in operation, the locked state of the door 1a may be maintained and the dehydrating stroke may be performed. On the other hand, if the rotational speed of the dehydration tank 3 falls below the reference speed during the dehydration stroke, the control unit 90 outputs a door unlocking signal to turn off the micro switch 86. When the micro switch 86 is turned off and the power source 87 is cut off, the bimetal 84 returns to its original state and the locking rod 85 is retracted, so that the steel plate 83 can be moved, and the locking protrusion 81 ) Is restrained so that the door 1a can be opened and closed.

The dehydration control method of the washing machine according to the present invention having the configuration as described above will be described according to the operation flowchart of FIG.

Here, the dehydration administration is performed by the washing motor 5, for example, in the case of dehydrating the laundry according to a program to continuously perform the dehydration administration following the washing administration and the administrative administration, or separately performing the dehydration administration by the user's key input. The dehydration tank 3 is rotated at a high speed to include a dehydration operation of removing water contained in the laundry by centrifugal force.

First, the control unit 90 detects the opening / closing state of the door 1a through the door detection unit 30 when performing the dehydration stroke, and the door detection unit 30 is a magnet (not shown) installed in the door 1a. And opening and closing of the door 1a are detected by the reed switch installed in the main body 1 and the main body 1 (step 210). Subsequently, the controller 90 determines whether the door 1a is in a closed state. When the door 1a is closed, the contact of the reed switch of the main body 1 is turned on, and when the door 1a is opened, the contact of the reed switch is opened. Since it is off, it is determined whether the door 1a is closed by inputting a signal according to the on / off of the reed switch (step 210).

As a result of the determination in step 210, the controller 90 displays the open state of the door 1a through the display unit 70 so that the user can be notified when the door 1a is not closed (step 320).

On the other hand, when the door 1a is closed as a result of the determination in step 210, the control unit 90 outputs a door lock signal to the door driving unit 80 to maintain the locked state of the door 1a, the door driving unit 80 The power switch 87 is supplied to the bimetal 84 and the lock rod 85 moves forward to prevent the movement of the iron plate 83 as the micro switch 86 is turned on when the door lock signal is input. ) Is forcibly restrained the engaging projection 81 installed (step 230). Subsequently, the controller 90 drives the washing motor 5 to drive the washing motor 5 to dehydrate the laundry (step 240). Subsequently, the control unit 90 reaches the reference speed by increasing the rotational speed of the dehydration tank 3, that is, as the disc 101 of the switching unit 100 contacts the connection piece of the limit switch 105. It is determined whether the internal contact of the limit switch 105 is off (step 250).

If the internal contact point of the limit switch 105 is not turned off in step 250, the process returns to step 240. On the other hand, when the internal contact point of the limit switch 105 is turned off and a "low" signal is input, the controller ( 90 counts the number of pulses of the Hall sensor 8 input through the signal processor 9 (step 260). Subsequently, the controller 90 determines whether or not the hall sensor 8 is defective according to whether the value of counting the number of pulses of the hall sensor 8 matches the preset reference value (step 270).

If it is determined that the counted value due to the mixing of noise or the defective hall sensor part does not match the reference value, the controller 90 determines that the hall sensor is defective through the display unit 70. On the other hand, if the counted value matches the reference value as a result of the determination in step 270, the hall sensor 8 recognizes the normal operation state and controls the washing motor drive unit 40 to drive the washing motor 5 to drive the dehydration tank. By rotating (3) at high speed, the water contained in the laundry is removed by centrifugal force (step 290).

Subsequently, the control unit 90 stops the washing motor 5 by shutting off the power supplied to the washing motor 5 in order to terminate the dehydrating stroke. In this case, the dehydrating tank 3 rotates by inertia. The internal contact of the limit switch 105 is turned on as the rotation speed is gradually lowered below the reference speed, that is, as the disc 101 of the switching unit 100 is released from contact with the connecting piece of the limit switch 105. It is determined whether or not (step 300).

If the internal contact of the limit switch 105 is not turned on in step 300, the process returns to step 290. On the other hand, when the internal contact of the limit switch 105 is turned on and a "high" signal is input, the controller 90 outputs a door unlock signal to the door driver 80 so as to open the door 1a. Accordingly, the door driver 80 is supplied to the bimetal 84 by turning off the microswitch 86. The power supply 87 is cut off. As a result, the locking rod 85 operated by the bimetal 84 returns to its original position, thereby enabling the movement of the iron plate 83, thereby releasing the restraint state of the locking protrusion 81. That is, since the user can open and close the door 1a, the user can open the door 1a and take out the laundry from the dehydration tank 3 (step 310).

The present invention as described above can detect the operating state of the dehydration tank in parallel with the operation of detecting the rotational speed of the washing motor through the Hall sensor can recognize whether the Hall sensor is defective. Furthermore, the present invention is to force the restraint by driving the locking device of the door drive unit when the dehydration tank is operating at a reference speed or more, thereby eliminating the inconvenience that the door is opened inadvertently to restart the dehydration administration, There is an effect to improve the reliability of the dehydration function, such as to prevent injuries due to the contact of the dehydration tank and the body.

Claims (6)

Dehydration of a washing machine having a main body, a dehydration tank rotatably installed inside the main body, a door provided on one side of the main body, a door opening and closing, a washing motor for rotating the dehydration tank, and a sensor for detecting a rotational speed of the washing motor. In the control unit, A switching unit turned on and off according to the magnitude of the centrifugal force acting on the dehydration tank rotated by the driving motor; A locking device for forcibly restraining the door; A door driver driving the locking device; And And a control unit electrically connected to the switching unit and the door driving unit to control the door driving unit according to an on / off signal of the switching unit. The method of claim 1, wherein the switching unit A disc installed on the rotating shaft of the power transmission device for rotating the dehydrating tank, a guide that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft and guides the lifting of the disk, and is supported by the guide and supported by a spring and dewatered. When the size of the centrifugal force acting on the tank is greater than the tensile force of the spring, the weight of lifting the disc and the limit switch is turned on and off depending on whether the contact with the disc lifted by the weight Dewatering Control Device. The method of claim 1, wherein the locking device The bimetal operating at the time of power supply, the lock rod advancing by the operation of the bimetal, and the movement of the iron plate when the lock rod is moved forward are restrained and restrained. Dehydration control device for a washing machine, characterized in that consisting of a locking projection installed on. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller counts the number of pulses of the sensor when the limit switch of the switching unit reaches the reference speed and turns off, and determines the failure of the sensor based on the counted number of pulses. Dewatering control device of washing machine. In the dehydration control method of the washing machine to spin the dewatering tank by driving the washing motor to dehydrate the laundry, Detecting an open / closed state of the door; Outputting a door lock signal for driving the locking device of the door to forcibly restrain the door when the door is in the closed state; Determining whether a rotation speed of the dehydration tank is equal to or less than a preset reference speed when driving of the washing motor is stopped after the dehydration stroke is performed; And And outputting a door unlocking signal for driving the locking device of the door so that the door can be opened if the rotation speed of the dewatering tank is equal to or less than the reference speed in the step. The method of claim 5, Comparing the number of pulses of the sensor for detecting the rotational speed of the washing motor with a predetermined reference value to determine whether the sensor is defective while the door is in a restrained state; Dewatering control method of the washing machine further comprising the step of indicating a failure.

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