KR20060128409A - Apparatus for supplying liquid detergent - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for supplying liquid detergent is provided to automatically inform a user that a liquid detergent reservoir is empty by installing a liquid detergent sensor, and prevent liquid detergent from being frozen by mounting a temperature sensor in the liquid detergent reservoir. An apparatus for supplying liquid detergent comprises: a liquid detergent reservoir(10), where a cover for closing is installed at the upper end, and a water supply valve is equipped at one side, installed at the upper unit; a detergent case(14) connected to the liquid detergent reservoir through a supply pipe and installed between the reservoir and a tub to temporarily store the low density liquid detergent supplied from the reservoir; a drain motor(38) installed in the reservoir to supply the liquid detergent from the reservoir to the detergent case; a liquid detergent sensor installed at one side of the reservoir to sense the quantity of the liquid detergent in the reservoir; a temperature sensor installed at one side of the reservoir; a heater(24) installed at the lower surface of the reservoir; and a microcomputer for applying a signal to an alarming sound and light generation unit to operate an alarm sound and light when the signal for a detergent supply request coming from the liquid detergent sensor is applied, operating the motor when the signal coming from the temperature sensor is lower than a first predetermined temperature, and stopping the heater when the signal is higher than a second predetermined temperature.

Description

Liquid detergent supply unit {APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING LIQUID DETERGENT}

1 is a view schematically showing a liquid detergent storage container provided in the drum washing machine according to the present invention.

2 is a flow chart schematically showing an operation flow for automatically supplying a liquid detergent according to the present invention.

3 is a view schematically showing an operation of heating the liquid detergent storage container according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a liquid detergent supply apparatus according to the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

10: liquid detergent storage container 12: water supply valve

14: detergent case 16: tub

18: supply pipe 20: drain motor

The present invention relates to a drum washing machine, and more particularly, to a liquid detergent supply device and a heating device for heating the liquid detergent to automatically supply the liquid detergent into the tub when washing the laundry using a fully automatic washing machine.

Generally, a washing machine is a product that removes various contaminants attached to clothes and bedding by using emulsification of detergent, friction action of water flow due to rotation of pulsator, and impact action of pulsator on laundry. The fully automatic washing machine automatically performs a series of strokes leading to a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke, a dehydrating stroke, and the like without a user's manipulation in the middle.

Among them, the drum washing machine washes by using the friction between the drum and the laundry rotated by the driving force of the motor while detergent, washing water and laundry are put in the drum installed horizontally. There is almost no damage to the laundry and the laundry does not get tangled with each other. Knocking and rubbing has a washing effect. That is, not only can the overall height be reduced as compared to the pulsator washing machine that rotates in the state where the washing tank is set up, and there is little problem that the laundry is twisted and wrinkles are generated a lot, and the demand is increasing.

The drum washing machine includes a cabinet covering both left and right sides and a rear side to protect various accessories including a washing tank accommodated therein, a top plate covering an open upper surface of the cabinet, and various washing information on the front of the cabinet. In addition to the control panel is provided with a plurality of buttons to guide the user's operation, and a detergent container for accommodating detergent for automatic detergent input on one side of the control panel is provided.

In addition, a door that opens and closes while being rotated to face the open surface of the washing tub is provided at the bottom of the control panel, and a front cover is provided to surround the open front side, and a lower plate is provided at the bottom of the front cover to accommodate the filter device. do.

The drum washing machine configured as described above is put powder detergent, bleach and fabric softener into the detergent container before washing, and then sets the type of laundry or the washing time through the control panel to press the start button. Therefore, a series of processes from washing to rinsing, dehydration and drying are automatic. On the other hand, liquid detergents that are well diluted in washing water and excellent in emulsification have been widely used in recent years.

If the liquid detergent is to be put into the drum washing machine, it is impossible to open the door in the washing tank with the washing water supplied due to the characteristics of the drum washing machine. I had to put it through. However, when the liquid detergent is introduced through the detergent container, the problem of the detergent input amount not being accurate due to the structural characteristics for the powder detergent.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is a liquid detergent supply apparatus is installed so that the liquid detergent is automatically supplied into the tub according to the amount of laundry after putting a high concentration of liquid detergent into the detergent container. To provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is installed in the upper portion of the drum, the upper end is provided with a sealing cover, the liquid detergent storage container is equipped with a water supply valve on one side; A detergent case connected to the liquid detergent storage container and a supply pipe and temporarily installed between the liquid detergent storage container and the tub to temporarily store a low concentration liquid detergent supplied from the liquid detergent storage container; A drain motor installed inside the liquid detergent storage container and supplying the liquid detergent from the liquid detergent storage container to the detergent case; A liquid detergent sensor installed at one side of the liquid detergent storage container to detect an amount of the liquid detergent stored in the liquid detergent storage container; A temperature sensor installed at one side of the liquid detergent storage container; A heater installed on a bottom surface of the liquid detergent storage container; When a signal corresponding to a detergent supply request is applied from the liquid detergent detection sensor, a signal is applied to a warning sound generating unit and a warning light generating unit to operate a warning sound and a warning lamp, and a signal applied from the temperature sensor is set to a first temperature value. If lower, the heater is operated, and if it is higher than the set second temperature value, a liquid detergent supply device comprising a microcomputer that does not drive the heater is provided.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the structure of this invention is demonstrated with reference to an accompanying drawing.

1 is a view schematically showing a liquid detergent storage container provided in the drum washing machine according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a flow chart schematically showing the operation flow for automatically supplying a liquid detergent according to the present invention, Figure 3 4 is a schematic view showing a heating operation of a liquid detergent storage container according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a liquid detergent supply device and a heating device for heating the liquid detergent supply container according to the present invention.

1 to 3, the liquid detergent storage container 10 is installed on the upper side of the tub 16 installed inside the drum washing machine, and the liquid detergent storage container 10 is first described. High concentrations of liquid detergents are stored. An upper end of the liquid detergent storage container 10 is provided with a cover 22, and the cover 22 seals the liquid detergent storage container 10.

One side of the liquid detergent storage container 10 is provided with a water supply valve 36, the water supply valve 36 is to supply water to the interior of the liquid detergent storage container 10 when the supply button 40 is pressed. It is opened and closed. A detergent case 14 is installed below the liquid detergent storage container 10. The detergent case 14 is connected to the liquid detergent storage container 10 through a supply pipe.

The drain motor 38 is installed in the liquid detergent storage container 10, and the drain motor 38 supplies the liquid detergent in the liquid detergent storage container 10 to the detergent case 14. The liquid detergent supplied from the liquid detergent storage container 10 to the detergent case 14 by the drain motor 38 is introduced into the tub 16 together with the washing water.

A liquid detergent sensor 32 is installed at one side of the liquid detergent storage container 10, and the liquid detergent sensor 32 detects the amount of liquid detergent stored in the liquid detergent storage container 10. do. On the other side of the liquid detergent storage container 10 is a temperature sensor 34 is installed. The temperature sensor 34 detects the temperature of the liquid detergent stored in the liquid detergent storage container 10. A heater 24 is installed at the bottom of the liquid detergent storage container 10, and the heater 24 heats the liquid detergent stored in the liquid detergent storage container 10 to maintain a constant temperature.

The liquid detergent sensor 32 and the temperature sensor 34 are connected to the microcomputer 30, the microcomputer 30 is a signal corresponding to the detergent supply request from the liquid detergent sensor 32 is applied and analyzed By operating the warning sound generator or warning light generator to inform the user of the lack of liquid detergent.

In addition, the microcomputer 30 heats the liquid detergent storage container 10 by driving the heater 24 when the temperature value applied from the temperature sensor 34 is lower than the set first temperature value. When the temperature applied from the sensor 34 is higher than the set second temperature value, the heater 24 is stopped to operate so that the liquid detergent stored in the liquid detergent storage container 10 maintains a constant temperature range.

When the present invention is described in more detail through one embodiment, when the high concentration of the liquid detergent is put into the liquid detergent storage container 10 and the supply button 40 for supplying the liquid detergent is pressed, the water supply valve 36 is opened. As water is introduced into the liquid detergent storage container 10, the liquid detergent of high concentration is adjusted to an appropriate concentration. After the liquid detergent is adjusted to an appropriate concentration in the liquid detergent storage container 10, the washing process is performed, and the drain motor 38 operates.

When the drain motor 38 is operated, a liquid detergent having an appropriate concentration stored in the liquid detergent storage container 10 is supplied to the detergent case 14 by the drain motor 38. The liquid detergent supplied to the detergent case 14 is introduced into the tub and the drum by the wash water in a state temporarily stored in the detergent case 14.

When the liquid detergent is insufficient in the liquid detergent storage container 10, the liquid detergent sensor 32 is detected and applied to the microcomputer 30, the microcomputer 30 is a warning light generator that the liquid detergent is insufficient. The alarm sound generator is activated to notify the user.

In addition, the temperature sensor 34 detects the temperature of the liquid detergent stored in the liquid detergent storage container 10 and is stored in the liquid detergent storage container 10 applied from the temperature sensor 34. When the temperature of the liquid detergent is lower than the set first temperature value, the microcomputer 30 heats the heater 24 installed in the bottom of the liquid detergent storage container 10.

When the heater 24 is operated, heat is applied to the liquid detergent so that the temperature of the liquid detergent is increased. When the temperature of the liquid detergent sensed by the temperature sensor 34 is higher than the set second temperature value, the microcomputer 30 turns off the heater 24 so as not to apply heat to the liquid detergent storage container 10. .

Referring to Figure 2, it is determined whether the liquid detergent is present in the liquid detergent storage container (10) (S100). If there is no liquid detergent in the first step (S100) generates a warning sound and warning lights (S110). After the second step (S110), the user supplies the liquid detergent to the liquid detergent storage container 10 (S120).

When the liquid detergent is present in the first step (S100), the water supply valve 36 is operated to introduce water into the liquid detergent storage container 10 (S130). After the fourth step (S130) to operate the drain motor 38 for a set time so that the liquid detergent flows into the detergent case (14) (S140). After the fifth step (S140), the liquid detergent present in the detergent case 14 is introduced into the tub 16 together with the wash water (S150). After the sixth step S150, washing / rinsing / dehydrating is performed (S160).

Referring to Figure 3, it is determined whether the liquid detergent is present in the liquid detergent storage container (10) (S200). If no liquid detergent is present in the twentieth step S200, a warning sound and a warning lamp are generated (S210). After the twenty-first step (S210), the user supplies the liquid detergent to the liquid detergent storage container 10 (S220).

If the liquid detergent is present in the twentieth step (S200), the temperature sensor 34 in the liquid detergent storage container 10 detects the temperature of the liquid detergent (S230). After the twenty-third step (S230) it is determined whether the liquid detergent is lower than the set first temperature value (S240). If the liquid detergent is lower than the set first temperature value in the twenty-fourth step (S240), the heater is driven (S250). After the 25th step S250, it is determined whether the liquid detergent is higher than the set second temperature value (S260). When the liquid detergent is higher than the set second temperature value in the 26th step S260, the heater is stopped (S270).

As can be seen from the above description, the present invention by installing the temperature sensor and the liquid detergent sensor in the liquid detergent storage container of the drum washing machine, respectively, if the liquid detergent is not in the liquid detergent storage container to automatically inform the user of the laundry Put the washing process can proceed smoothly, by detecting the temperature of the liquid detergent temperature sensor can prevent the liquid detergent from freezing by the low temperature.

Claims (3)

It is installed on the upper side of the drum, the upper end is provided with a sealing cover, the liquid detergent storage container is equipped with a water supply valve on one side; A detergent case connected to the liquid detergent storage container and a supply pipe and temporarily installed between the liquid detergent storage container and the tub to temporarily store a low concentration liquid detergent supplied from the liquid detergent storage container; A drain motor installed inside the liquid detergent storage container and supplying the liquid detergent from the liquid detergent storage container to the detergent case; A liquid detergent sensor installed at one side of the liquid detergent storage container to detect an amount of the liquid detergent stored in the liquid detergent storage container; A temperature sensor installed at one side of the liquid detergent storage container; A heater installed on a bottom surface of the liquid detergent storage container; And When a signal corresponding to a detergent supply request is applied from the liquid detergent detection sensor, a signal is applied to a warning sound generating unit and a warning light generating unit to operate a warning sound and a warning lamp, and the signal applied from the temperature sensor is greater than the set first temperature value. A liquid detergent supply device comprising a microcomputer that operates the heater when it is low and does not drive the heater when it is higher than the set second temperature value. The method of claim 1, wherein the microcomputer A first step (S100) of determining whether a liquid detergent is present in the liquid detergent storage container; A second step (S110) of generating a warning sound and a warning light when there is no liquid detergent in the first step (S100); A third step (S120) of supplying a liquid detergent to the liquid detergent storage container after the second step (S110); A fourth step (S130) in which water is introduced into the liquid detergent storage container by operating a water supply valve when the liquid detergent is present in the first step (S100); A fifth step (S140) of operating the drain motor for a set time after the fourth step (S130) to allow the liquid detergent to flow into the detergent case; A sixth step S150 in which the liquid detergent present in the detergent case is introduced into the tub together with the wash water after the fifth step S140; And Liquid detergent supply device, characterized in that performing the seventh step (S160) to proceed to the washing / rinsing / dehydration process after the sixth step (S150). The method of claim 1, A twentieth step (S200) of determining whether a liquid detergent exists in the liquid detergent storage container; A twenty-first step (S210) of generating a warning sound and a warning light when there is no liquid detergent in the twentieth step (S200); A twenty-second step S220 of supplying a liquid detergent to the liquid detergent storage container after the twenty-first step S210; A twenty-third step (S230) of detecting a temperature of the liquid detergent by the temperature sensor in the liquid detergent storage container when the liquid detergent is present in the twentieth step (S200); A twenty-fourth step (S240) determining whether the liquid detergent is lower than the set first temperature value after the twenty-third step (S230); A twenty-fifth step (S250) of driving the heater when the liquid detergent is lower than the set first temperature value in the twenty-fourth step (S240); A twenty-sixth step (S260) determining whether the liquid detergent is higher than a set second temperature value after the twenty-fifth step (S250); And The liquid detergent supply apparatus, characterized in that the twenty-seventh step (S270) performs a twenty-seventh step (S270) to stop the heater when the liquid detergent is higher than the set second temperature value.

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