KR20020067342A - Washing machine and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A washing machine and a control method thereof are provided to stop the operation of a circulation pump when a door is opened while the circulation pump is in operation, thereby preventing any safety accidents. CONSTITUTION: A washing machine includes a main body(10) having a heating tub(34) for receiving clothing and washing water and a door opening at an upper part, a heater(38) for heating the water in the heating tub, a circulation pump(58) for circulating the water in the heating tub, a door(14) for opening or closing the door opening of the main body, a door sensor for sensing the opening or closing of the door, and a control part for stopping the operation of the circulation pump if door opening is sensed by the door sensor while the circulation pump is in operation.

Description

Washing machine and its control method {WASHING MACHINE AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a washing machine and a control method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a washing machine and a control method thereof, which can prevent the possibility of a safety accident when the door is opened during the washing process.

In recent years, various types of washing machines are being widely used as technology of washing machines is gradually improved, such as increasing the washing efficiency by using air bubbles or increasing the washing efficiency by washing the laundry with the washing water. Thus, in the case of housewives, it is possible to significantly reduce the time and effort required for washing.

However, despite the improved technology of this washing machine, there is a drawback in that when washing white clothes, the steaming time is not completely removed. In addition, when washing underwear or baby clothes, the user wants a washing effect and a sterilizing effect.

Thus, in the case of washing white clothes, underwear, baby clothes, etc., in order to obtain the washing effect and the sterilization effect, the laundry is put in a pot or a pot together with the detergent and boiled. However, if care is not taken in the process of washing the laundry in this way, there is a disadvantage that can burn the laundry or a fire may occur.

Accordingly, in order to solve this problem, a laundry boiler is disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 1991-779, in which a heater is built in a predetermined heater so that laundry can be easily and safely boiled.

By the way, in the conventional laundry boiler, if the door is opened by mistake of the user during the life cycle, there is a concern that the user may be injured by hot steam and washing water.

Therefore, if it is possible to detect whether the door is opened or closed during the administration of the washing machine, it is possible to prevent the risk of safety accidents.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine and a control method thereof, which can prevent a safety accident when the door is opened during the washing process.

1 is a perspective view of a washing machine according to the present invention;

2 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG. 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the door installation area when the door is opened during the boiled stroke of the washing machine according to Figure 1,

4 is a control block diagram of the washing machine of FIG.

5 is a control flowchart of a washing machine according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

10: body 14: door

24: display unit 32: control unit

34: heating tank 38: heater

40: blocking plate 44: temperature sensor

46: water supply 52: drain

58: circulation pump 60: washing water circulation pipe

61: door opening and closing detection sensor 62: alarm

63: memory section

In accordance with the present invention, a washing machine includes: a main body having a heating bath for accommodating laundry and washing water, and a door opening at an upper portion thereof; A heating unit for heating the washing water in the heating tank; A circulation pump for circulating the washing water in the heating tank; A door for opening and closing the door opening of the main body; A door open / close detection sensor for detecting whether the door is opened or closed; In the operating state of the circulation pump, if it is detected that the door is opened from the door opening and closing detection sensor, it is achieved by a washing machine comprising a control unit for stopping the operation of the circulation pump.

And a water supply unit for supplying wash water into the heating bath; The controller may be configured to stop the operation of the water supply unit when it is detected that the door is opened from the door open / close detection sensor in the operation state of the water supply unit.

Here, further comprising a memory unit for storing the operation information of the circulation pump; When the controller detects that the door is opened from the door open / close detection sensor, it is advantageous to store the operation information of the circulation pump in the memory unit.

The controller may be configured to extract operation information of the circulation pump from the memory unit to return to an operation state before the door is opened, when it is detected that the door is closed again from the door open / close detection sensor. .

On the other hand, according to another field of the present invention, the object is a washing machine having a heating bath in which laundry and detergent are accommodated, and a heater provided in the heating bath for heating the wash water provided into the heating bath, the detergent and Supplying wash water into the heating bath into which laundry is introduced; Heating the wash water in the heating bath by the heater; Circulating the wash water in the heating bath into the heating bath; Detecting whether the door is opened or closed; When it is detected that the door is opened, it is also achieved by the control method of the washing machine comprising the step of stopping the circulation of the wash water.

In addition, if it is sensed that the door is open, it may further include an alarm generating step for indicating a danger to the outside.

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

1 is a perspective view of a washing machine according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of Figure 1, Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the door installation area when the door is opened during the boiled stroke of the washing machine according to FIG.

1 and 2, the washing machine according to the present invention, the main body 10 having an upper opening 12 and the upper part of the main body 10 is rotatably installed so as to inject laundry and detergent. The door 14 which opens and closes the opening 12, and the foot member 20 provided in the lower part of the main body 10, and support the main body 10 are provided.

The inner surface of the door 14 is formed with a plurality of pushing protrusions 16 to prevent the laundry from rising to the upper side in the process of washing the laundry, the outer surface to be described later to discharge the steam generated in the process of boiling the laundry to the outside A vapor discharge port 18 in communication with the heating chamber 34 is formed.

A door opening / closing knob 22 for opening and closing the door 14 and a display unit 24 provided with at least one selection button 26 are provided in an upper region of the main body 10. The display unit 24 displays information on the washing time and the number of rinsing cycles according to the type of the laundry according to the operation of the selection button 26. If the door 14 is opened during the boiling stroke, FIG. As shown in FIG. 24, the display unit 24 displays a letter indicating that the door 14 is opened by the alarm unit 62 to be described later. As described below through the series of input processes, the control unit 32 controls the water supply unit 46, the drain unit 52, the heater 38, and the circulation pump 58.

The main body 10 is provided with a tubular heating tank 34 disposed with the main body 10 and a predetermined spaced space to accommodate laundry and detergent. The heating tank 34 may be formed of, for example, aluminum, iron, alloy steel, or the like, and the outer wall of the heating tank 34 is provided with a heat insulating material for thermal insulation and heat insulation inside the heating tank 34.

One side of the heating tank 34 is provided with a water level sensor 36 which communicates with the heating tank 34 and detects the level of the wash water provided into the heating tank 34. In the present embodiment, the water level sensor 36 is in communication with the heating tank 34 on one side of the lower portion of the heating tank 34, and then on the bureche 30 provided on the upper portion of the water level pipe 28 disposed upwardly Prepared. Therefore, when the wash water is supplied into the heating bath 34, some of the supplied wash water is raised along the water level pipe 28, and after being raised for a certain period, the water level sensor 36 is operated by moving the beret in the blahette 30. Be sure to

The heating tank 34 is provided with a heating unit 39 for heating the washing water to boil the laundry. The heating unit 39 is a temperature connected to the control unit 32 by measuring the water temperature of the heater 38 provided in the bottom region of the heating tank 34 and immersed in the washing water, and the washing water heated by the heater 38. Sensor 44. In the upper region of the heater 38, a blocking plate 40 is provided in the transverse direction of the heating tank 34 to prevent the laundry introduced into the heating tank 34 from coming into contact with the heater 38. The blocking plate 40 is formed in a plate shape and a plurality of through holes 42 through which washing water flows are formed on the plate surface.

On the outside of the heating tank 34, a washing water circulation tube 60 branching from the drain valve 56 and communicating with the heating tank 34 is provided, and in one region of the washing water circulation tube 60, The circulation pump 58 which circulates the wash water in the heating tank 34 based on a signal is provided.

On the other hand, the door opening and closing detection sensor 61, which is a magnet switch, is provided on the inner surface of the door 14 so that the contact point faces the main body 10. Thus, when the door 14 closes the upper opening 12 of the main body 10 and contacts the circumferential edge of the main body 10, the door opening / closing sensor 61 is turned on and the door 14 is turned on the main body 10. The door opening / closing detection sensor 61 is turned off when the upper opening 12 of the door 12 is opened and separated from the circumferential edge of the main body 10.

Washing machine according to the present invention having such a configuration, as shown in Figure 4 is a control block diagram of the washing machine of Figure 1, the door opening and closing detection sensor 61 for detecting whether the door 14 is opened or closed; An alarm unit 62 which displays a danger to the outside when the door 14 is opened in the operating state of the circulation pump 58; A memory unit 63 in which operation information of the circulation pump 58 is stored; The control unit 32 further controls the operation of the alarm 62 and the circulation pump 58 based on the detection signal of the door open / close detection sensor 61. Here, the alarm unit 62 visually displays the information about the opening of the door 14 through the display unit 24, and consists of a buzzer that acoustically displays a danger due to the opening of the door 14.

In addition, when the controller 32 detects that the door 14 is opened from the door open / close detection sensor 61, the controller 32 stores the operation information of the circulation pump 58 in the memory 63, in the memory 63. When it is detected that the open door 14 is closed, the operation information of the circulation pump 58 is extracted from the memory unit 63 to control to return to the operation state before the door 14 is opened.

On the other hand, Figure 5 is a control flow diagram of a washing machine according to the present invention.

After pressing the door opening and closing knob 22 to open and rotate the door 14, a predetermined amount of laundry and detergent are put into the heating tank 34, and the door 14 is closed (S1). Then, the selection button 26 is pressed to manually select information on the washing time and the number of rinsing cycles according to the type of laundry displayed on the display unit 24 or a series of automatic programs.

When the selected signal is input to the control unit 32, the control unit 32 operates the water supply valve 50 so that the washing water is supplied into the heating tank 34 through the water supply pipe 48 (S2). At this time, the water level sensor 36 in communication with one side of the heating tank 34 checks the amount of washing water flowing into the heating tank 34 through the water supply pipe 48 and transmits it to the control unit 32. If the set water supply amount has not been reached, the controller 32 controls to maintain the performance of step S2 until the set water supply amount is reached.

When the predetermined washing water is introduced into the heating tank 34 (S3), the control unit 32 again operates the water supply valve 50 to block the flow of the washing water in the water supply pipe 48, and operates the heater 38. After (S4), the operation signal is sent to the circulation pump 58 to operate the circulation pump 58 for a predetermined time, thereby circulating the wash water in the heating tank 34 (S5).

On the other hand, during operation of the circulation pump 58, the control unit 32 checks whether the door 14 is opened or closed based on the detection signal from the door open / close detection sensor 61 (S6). At this time, when the OFF signal is detected from the door opening and closing detection sensor 61, that is, as shown in Figure 3, when the door 14 is separated from the main body 10, the door 14 is opened, The control unit 32 stops the operation of the circulation pump 58 (S7), generates an alarm sound through the alarm unit 62, and displays in text that the door 14 is opened on the display unit 24 (S8). ). In addition, the control unit 32 stores operation information of the circulation pump 58 in the memory unit 63.

Then, when the control unit 32 again checks whether the door 14 is opened or closed based on the detection signal from the door opening / closing detection sensor 61 (S9), the user hears the alarm sound and the display unit 24. When the on-signal is detected from the door open / close detection sensor 61 by looking at the displayed character and closing the door 14, the control unit 32 extracts operation information of the circulation pump 58 from the memory unit 63 to open the door ( 14) returns to the operating state (S5) before opening.

On the other hand, during the operation of the circulation pump 58, no off signal is detected from the door open / close detection sensor 61, that is, the door 14 continues to contact the main body 10 so that the upper opening 12 of the main body 10 is opened. ) Is closed, the washing water introduced into the heating tank 34 by the operation of the heater 38 is raised in temperature, the washing water is circulated into the heating bath to thereby boil the laundry process do. At this time, the temperature sensor 44 measures the temperature of the washing water according to the operation of the heater 38, and if the washing water temperature does not reach the set temperature, the control unit 32 until the set temperature is reached. Control to maintain the performance of step S4.

When the washing cycle is completed for a predetermined time (S10), the control unit 32 stops the operation of the heater 38, and operates the drain valve 56 to wash the water in the heating tank 34 through the drain pipe 54 To drain to the outside (S11).

After the wash water used to boil the laundry is drained, the drain valve 56 by the control unit 32 closes the flow path of the drain pipe 54, so that the rinsing process is performed (S12).

When the rinsing process is completed (at this time, the flow path of the water supply pipe 48 and the drain pipe 54 is blocked by the control unit 32) the user opens the door 14 to boil in the heating bath 34 and After taking out the laundry which has been rinsed out, it is dried to obtain clean laundry which has been carried out until washing and sterilization.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the washing machine is in operation, the door 14 may be sensed as being opened or closed. If heated washing water is supplied into the heating tank 34 by the operation of the circulation pump 58, If the door 14 is open in a state of being present, it can be notified that the user can close the door 14 to prevent the risk of safety accidents.

On the other hand, in the above-described embodiment, while the circulation pump 58 is in operation, the door 14 is detected whether it is opened or closed, but whether the door 14 is opened or closed during the entire stroke such as water supply stroke, drainage stroke, and rinsing stroke. When the door 14 is opened while the stroke is being performed, the execution of the stroke is stopped and an alarm sound is generated and the opening of the door 14 is displayed on the display unit 24, and the user opens the door 14. If it is closed again, it may return to the stroke it was performing before the door 14 was opened so that the stroke may be performed.

In the above-described embodiment, the circulation pump 58 is operated during the boiling stroke after the heater is operated, but before the operation of the heater 38, the circulation pump 58 may be operated. The circulation pump 58 may be operated during the entire stroke such as the stroke and the rinsing stroke, and the opening and closing of the door 14 may be detected, and the door 14 may be operated during the life stroke of the heater 38 being operated. If open), the heater 38 may be deactivated.

In the above-described embodiment, when it is detected that the door 14 is opened in the operating state of the circulation pump 58, an alarm sounds, and the display unit 24 shows that the door 14 is opened in letters. For example, only one of the two alarm sounds may be selectively generated, or only characters may be displayed on the display unit 24.

As described above, according to the washing machine of the present invention and a control method thereof, a washing machine and a control method for detecting whether the door is opened or closed are provided. If the door is opened while the heated wash water is being supplied into the heating tank by the circulation pump, the door can be notified to the outside so that the user can close the door, thereby preventing a safety accident.

Claims (6)

In the washing machine, A main body having a heating tank accommodating laundry and washing water, and a door opening at an upper portion thereof; A heating unit for heating the washing water in the heating tank; A circulation pump for circulating the washing water in the heating tank; A door for opening and closing the door opening of the main body; A door open / close detection sensor for detecting whether the door is opened or closed; And a control unit which stops the operation of the circulation pump when it is detected that the door is opened from the door open / close detection sensor in an operation state of the circulation pump. The method of claim 2, A water supply unit for supplying washing water into the heating bath; And the control unit stops the operation of the water supply unit when it is detected that the door is opened from the door open / close detection sensor in the operation state of the water supply unit. The method according to claim 1 or 2, A memory unit for storing operation information of the circulation pump; And the control unit stores operation information of the circulation pump in the memory unit when it is detected that the door is opened from the door open / close detection sensor. The method of claim 3, And the control unit extracts operation information of the circulation pump from the memory unit and returns to an operation state before the door is opened, when it is detected that the door is closed again from the door open / close detection sensor. In the control method of the washing machine having a heating tank for washing clothes and detergent, and a heater provided in the heating tank to heat the wash water provided into the heating tank, Supplying wash water into the heating bath into which detergent and laundry are put; Heating the wash water in the heating bath by the heater; Circulating the wash water in the heating bath into the heating bath; Detecting whether the door is opened or closed; If it is detected that the door is opened, the control method of the washing machine comprising the step of stopping the circulation of the wash water. The method of claim 5, If it is detected that the door is opened, the control method of the washing machine further comprising the step of generating an alarm to indicate the danger to the outside.