KR20080032526A - Control method of washing machine and washing machine using the method - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for controlling a washing machine and a washing machine applying the same are provided to improve washing efficiency by comparing injected amount of detergent to weight of clothes and controlling operation variable of the washing machine according to the results. A method for controlling a washing machine comprises the steps: sensing volume of clothes and amount of detergent that injected to a washing tub(S20); and regulating variable that needed for controlling operation of the washing machine by comparing setting range of amount of detergent according to weight of clothes to the amount of detergent that injected to the washing tub already(S30,S40,S50,S100).

Description

Washing machine control method and washing machine using the same {Control Method of Washing Machine and Washing Machine Using the Method}

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

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

30: detergent supply device 31: detergent concentration detection device

100: control unit 120: detergent amount detection unit

130: laundry amount detection unit

The present invention relates to a control method of a washing machine and a washing machine to which the same is applied. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of controlling a setting value of a variable controlling the operation of a washing machine by determining whether the amount of detergent added is appropriate for the amount of laundry.

In general, a washing machine (typically, a drum washing machine) includes a drum-type washing tank containing washing water and a rotating drum rotatably installed inside the washing tank to rotate laundry into which laundry is inserted. The device is to be washed by the force to drop the laundry to the upper side and falling.

When the user selects a washing course, the washing machine determines the washing amount according to the weight of the laundry, that is, the amount of washing, and then drops the water due to the rotation of the rotating drum after supplying the washing water into the washing tank and adding the detergent. Use to wash the laundry.

However, the conventional washing machine does not control to compensate for the case where the amount of detergent input by the user is more or less than the amount of laundry, and the operation control variable value set by the user according to the operation control variable value or laundry amount input by the user. There is a problem in that the washing efficiency is reduced because the washing machine is operated.

That is, when less detergent is added compared to the amount of laundry, the washing performance is lowered because the detergent is operated in the same manner as the normal amount of detergent despite the decrease in washing power. On the other hand, when a lot of detergent is added, the amount of detergent is normal despite the improvement of washing power. Since it is operated in the same manner as the waste energy in the washing administration and rinsing performance is reduced.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to determine whether the amount of detergent put into the washing machine by the user is suitable for the amount of laundry to optimize the washing efficiency by controlling the washing machine operation control variable value according to the result It is to provide a washing machine control method.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention compares the first step of detecting the amount of laundry and the amount of detergent put into the washing tank and comparing the setting range of the amount of detergent according to the input laundry amount and the amount of detergent is added to control the variable value required for washing machine operation control A washing machine control method comprising a second step is characterized in that.

In addition, the second step is to control the variable value so that the washing force is reduced and the rinsing force is increased than the predetermined when the amount of detergent is added exceeds the set range, and if the detergent amount is less than the set range, the variable to increase the washing force than the predetermined It is characterized by controlling the value.

The variable value for increasing or decreasing the washing force may include at least one of a washing time, an operation rate of the motor, or a washing temperature, and the variable value for increasing the rinsing force may include at least one of a rinsing water amount, a rinsing time, or a rinsing frequency. It is characterized by.

In addition, the second step is to generate an indication or a warning sound for the addition of the detergent for a set time when the amount of detergent dispensed is less than the set range, and if there is no addition, the variable value is controlled so as to increase the washing power and if there is an additional dose Characterized in performing step 1.

In addition, the detergent amount detection of the first step is characterized in that the detection of the weight of the detergent or the detergent concentration of the wash water in which the detergent is added.

In addition, the present invention is a washing machine including a washing tank and a water supply device for providing the washing water in the washing tank, laundry amount sensing means for outputting the laundry amount put into the washing tank, detergent amount sensing means for outputting the amount of detergent put into the washing tank And a control unit for controlling a variable value necessary for controlling the washing machine operation by comparing the setting range of the detergent amount according to the output of the laundry amount detecting means with the output of the detergent amount detecting means.

In addition, when the output of the detergent amount sensing means is less than the set range, it characterized in that it further comprises a display unit or an alarm unit for generating a display or warning sound for additional detergent input.

In addition, the detergent amount detecting means detects the detergent amount from the weight of the detergent detected using a load cell, or detects the detergent amount from the detergent concentration detected by measuring the turbidity or electrical conductivity of the wash water in which the detergent is injected It is done.

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

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The washing machine 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a drum type washing tank 11 installed inside the main body 10 for the fresh water of the washing water, and rotatably inside the washing tank 11. Installed and includes a rotating drum 12 formed with a plurality of dehydration holes.

The lower part of the washing tank 11 is provided with a motor 13 for rotating the rotating drum 12 in the forward or reverse direction to perform the washing, rinsing and dehydration operation, the user's water temperature selection in the lower side of the washing tank 11 Washing heater 16 for heating the wash water supplied into the washing tank 11 is installed.

An opening 14 is formed in front of the washing tank 11 and the rotating drum 12 so that a user can take out clothing from the front of the main body 10, and opens and closes the opening 14 in front of the main body 10. The door 15 is installed.

A detergent supply device 30 for supplying a detergent and a water supply device 20 for supplying wash water to the detergent supply device 30 are installed at an upper portion of the washing tank 11, and the detergent supply device 30 is provided. Is installed on the front side of the body 10 to facilitate the user to put detergent and rinsing agent.

The water supply device 20 is a water supply pipe 22 for supplying the washing water to the washing tank 11 from an external water source not shown and a water supply valve 24 installed in the water supply pipe 22 to control the water supply of the water supply pipe 22. In the middle of the water supply pipe 22, the detergent supply device 30 is connected so that the water supplied from the outside is mixed with the detergent into which the water is supplied and supplied to the washing tank 11.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

When the user operates the input unit 110 provided on one side of the main body 10 of the washing machine 1 to connect the power of the washing machine 1 and sets a variable value necessary for the operation control of the washing machine 1, the control unit 100 Accordingly, a control signal is transmitted to the driving unit 160 to control operations of the motor 13, the washing heater 16, and the water supply valve 22.

At this time, the variable value necessary for the operation control of the washing machine 1 includes a washing course, water supply amount, washing time, washing temperature, rinsing time, rinsing frequency and dehydration time, and the like. The motor operation rate calculated by the time ratio of the on and off of the motor 13 is determined.

In addition, the setting of the variable value may be stored in the memory 140 in advance according to the amount of laundry as well as the case of input by the user as in the present embodiment.

On the other hand, the control unit 100 receives information about the amount of laundry and the amount of laundry put into the washing machine 1 from the detergent amount detecting unit 120 and the laundry amount detecting unit 130, by using the appropriate amount of detergent in the laundry amount Determine whether or not.

If the amount of detergent added is excessive or insufficient in comparison to the amount of laundry, the control unit 100 controls the above-described variable value according to an algorithm stored in the memory 140, and in particular, if the amount of detergent is insufficient, the memory 140 using the timer 150. The control signal is transmitted to the alarm unit 170 to generate an alarm sound for the additional input of detergent for the time set in.

At this time, the alarm unit 170 may be replaced with a display unit for displaying a user visually recognize that the detergent addition needs to be added as needed.

In the present embodiment, the detergent amount sensing unit 120 is implemented by a load cell provided in the detergent supply device 19. The detergent amount sensing unit 120 senses the weight of the detergent into which the load cell is injected and transmits the electrical signal to the controller 100. Then, the controller 100 calculates the amount of detergent by comparing it with the data stored in the memory 140.

In addition, the laundry amount detection unit 130 may be implemented using any one of a known method, for example, a method using a weight sensor installed below the rotating drum 12 or a certain amount of rotation speed at a specific rotation speed The time required to change the time is measured by the timer 150 and the weight is compared with the data stored in the memory 140 to obtain a method.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

When the user applies power to the washing machine 1 through the input unit 110, and inputs detergent and laundry, and selects a variable value necessary for the operation control of the washing machine 1 (S10), the detergent amount detecting unit 120 and washing The quantity detecting unit 130 detects the amount of detergent and laundry added to each other and transmits the amount of detergent to the control unit 100 as an electrical signal (S20).

The controller 100 compares this with data stored in the memory 140 to quantitatively calculate the amount of detergent and laundry added, and determines whether the amount of detergent added is within the first setting range stored in the memory 140 ( S30).

At this time, the first setting range is a value which is experimentally obtained as a range of the appropriate amount of detergent according to the amount of laundry and is stored in advance in the memory 140.

If the detergent amount added in step S30 is within the first setting range, the control unit 100 transmits a control signal to the driving unit 160 to operate the washing machine 1 according to the water supply of the washing water and the operation control variable of the washing machine 1 selected by the user. (S130).

On the other hand, if the amount of detergent added in step S30 is not the first setting range, the control unit 100 determines whether or not exceeding the first setting range (S40).

When the amount of detergent added in step S40 exceeds the first setting range, the control unit 100 determines whether the amount of detergent added in the second setting range is exceeded (S50). A preset weight is applied to 140 (S70).

At this time, the second setting range is experimentally obtained and stored in the memory 140 in advance, and the lower limit is set to have a value larger than the upper limit of the first setting range.

In addition, as an example of applying the weight in step S70 in the present embodiment, the washing time and the motor operation rate are reduced to 80%, the rinsing water amount and the rinsing time are increased to 120%, and the rinsing frequency is increased twice.

If the detergent amount added in step S50 is within the second set range, the weight set in the memory 140 is applied to the operation control variable value selected by the user (S60).

At this time, as an example of applying the weight in step S60 in the present embodiment, the washing time and the motor operation rate is reduced to 90%, the rinsing water amount and the rinsing time to 110%, and the rinsing frequency is increased once.

On the other hand, if the amount of detergent added in step S40 is smaller than the first set range, the control unit 100 transmits a control signal to the alarm unit 170 to generate an alarm for the addition of detergent (S80), the timer 150 In operation S90, it is determined whether the user additionally inputs the detergent during the setting time stored in the memory 140.

In this case, the determination of whether to add the detergent may be implemented in various ways. For example, a method in which the user who inputs the detergent operates a predetermined button provided in the input unit 110 and the control unit 100 receives the method or detects the amount of detergent. The control unit receives a change in the output of the unit 120 and the like.

If there is no additional input of detergent during the set time in step S90, the control unit 100 determines whether the amount of detergent added is less than the third set range (S100), if less than the memory 140 in the operation control variable value selected by the user In step S110, a predetermined weight is applied.

At this time, the third setting range is experimentally obtained and stored in the memory 140 in advance, and the upper limit is set to have a value smaller than the lower limit of the first setting range.

In addition, as an example of applying the weight in step S110 in this embodiment to increase the washing time and motor operation rate to 120%, washing temperature is increased by 5 ° C.

If the detergent amount added in step S100 is within the third setting range, the weight set in the memory 140 is applied to the operation control variable value selected by the user (S120).

At this time, as an example of the application of the weight in step S120 in this embodiment to increase the washing time and motor operation rate to 110%, washing temperature is increased by 2 ° C.

On the other hand, if there is an additional input of detergent for a set time in step S90 and returns to step S20.

In step S60, S70, S110 or S120, if the adjustment of the operation control variable value of the washing machine 1 selected by the user is completed, step S130 is performed.

Unlike the example described in the present embodiment, the washing machine (1) operation control variable and its weight adjusted according to the amount of detergent added, of course, may be variously changed as necessary.

4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention, the same reference numerals are given to components that overlap with the first embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, the detergent amount detecting unit 120 is implemented by the detergent concentration detecting unit 31 provided below the washing tank 11, and the detergent concentration detecting unit 31 measures the turbidity or electrical conductivity of the wash water into which the detergent is added. When the sensor 100 detects the signal and transmits the electrical signal to the controller 100, the controller 100 compares the data with the data stored in the memory 140 to quantitatively calculate the amount of detergent.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of the washing machine 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and the same reference numerals are used for the same control steps as those of the first embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted.

When the user applies power to the washing machine 1 through the input unit 110, and inputs detergent and laundry, and selects a variable value necessary for the operation control of the washing machine 1 (S10), the laundry amount detection unit 130 Detecting the amount of laundry is put and transmitted to the control unit 100 as an electrical signal (S21).

The control unit 100 compares the stored data with the data stored in the memory 140 to quantitatively calculate the amount of laundry, and supplies a control signal to the driving unit 160 to supply the washing water according to the operation control variable of the washing machine 1 selected by the user. It passes (S22).

When the detergent amount detecting unit 120 including the detergent concentration detecting device 31 detects the detergent concentration and transmits the detergent concentration to the control unit 100 as an electrical signal (S23), the control unit 100 stores the data stored in the memory 140. Comparingly, the amount of detergent injected is calculated quantitatively (S24).

If the control step after the step S30 to determine whether the detergent amount is in the first setting range stored in the memory 140 is the same as the first embodiment, but if the detergent is added additionally during the set time in step S90 There is a difference between returning to step S23 and performing step S131 when the variable value adjustment is completed in step S60, S70, S110 or S120.

In this embodiment, step S131 is distinguished from step S130 in the first embodiment in that initial wash water supply is excluded.

As described above in detail, the washing machine control method and the washing machine using the same according to the present invention reduce the washing time and the motor operation rate when the amount of detergent input by the user is excessive compared to the washing amount, while the rinsing time, the rinsing amount and the rinsing frequency. Increasing the amount of detergent, and if the amount of detergent is too small, it is possible to optimize the washing efficiency by increasing the washing time, motor operation rate and washing temperature.

Claims (8)

A first step of detecting the amount of laundry and detergent amount put into the washing tank; And Washing machine control method comprising a second step of controlling the variable value required for the washing machine operation control by comparing the setting range of the detergent amount according to the laundry amount and the detergent amount injected. The method of claim 1, The second step is to control the variable value so that the washing power is reduced and the rinsing power is increased than the predetermined when the amount of detergent is added exceeds the set range, and if the detergent amount is less than the set range, the variable value is increased to increase the washing power than the predetermined Washing machine control method to control. The method of claim 2, The variable value for increasing or decreasing the washing power includes at least one of washing time, operation rate of the motor or washing temperature, and the variable value for increasing the rinsing power includes washing machine control including at least one of rinsing water amount, rinsing time or rinsing frequency. Way. The method of claim 2, In the second step, when the amount of detergent added is less than the setting range, an indication or a warning sound for additional addition of detergent is generated for a predetermined time, and if there is no addition, the variable value is controlled to increase the washing power. Washing machine control method to perform. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Detergent amount detection of the first step is a washing machine control method made by sensing the weight of the detergent or the detergent concentration of the wash water in which the detergent is injected. A washing machine including a washing tank and a water supply device for providing washing water to the washing tank, Laundry amount detecting means for outputting the laundry amount put into the washing tank; Detergent amount sensing means for outputting the amount of detergent put into the washing tank; And The washing machine further comprises a control unit for controlling the variable value required for the washing machine operation control by comparing the setting amount of the detergent amount according to the output of the laundry amount detection means and the output of the detergent amount detection means. The method of claim 6, The washing machine further comprises a display unit or an alarm unit for generating an indication or a warning sound for adding detergent when the output of the detergent amount sensing means is less than the set range. The method according to claim 6 or 7, The detergent amount detecting means detects the amount of detergent from the weight of the detergent detected using a load cell, or detects the amount of detergent from the detergent concentration detected by measuring the turbidity or electrical conductivity of the wash water into which the detergent is put.

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