KR20090115962A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A washing machine comprises a tank for washing, rinsing and spin-drying the laundry, a lid which opens/closes an opening for entering the laundry into the tank or taking out the laundry therefrom, a means for detecting opening/closing of the lid, a means for detecting whether there is the laundry in the tank or not, a means for drying the tank, and a control means for detecting whether there is the laundry in the tank or not by the means for detecting the laundry when the means for detecting opening/closing of the lid detected opening/closing of the lid after ending the washing operation including at least any one of washing process, rinsingprocess and spin-drying process, and performing operation for drying the tank by the means for drying the tank if there is no laundry as a result of detection.

Description

Washing machine {WASHING MACHINE}

The present invention relates to a washing machine having a bath drying operation function for drying a bath.

Among the washing machines, the laundry dryer having a drying function is provided with a warm air supply device for supplying warm air into the tank. A laundry dryer equipped with a warm air supply device may dry, in addition to washing, rinsing, and dehydrating laundry. However, even with this type of laundry dryer, water remains in the bath when only the normal washing operation is performed, for example, washing, rinsing and dehydrating the laundry, or driving only rinsing and dehydration. The water left in the bath caused mold.

In order to cope with the occurrence of mold due to moisture remaining in the bath, there is a laundry dryer equipped with a dedicated driving course called bath drying course. In the bath drying course, the tank is dried by emptying the tank and supplying warm air into the tank. However, in the case of a laundry dryer having a bath drying course, it is necessary to select a dedicated bath drying course. In this case, too, when only the normal washing operation is performed, water remains in the tank.

Therefore, it is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-49254 to provide an automatic bath drying function that automatically executes the bath drying operation after the end of the washing operation by the user's key operation when performing the normal washing operation. have. Specifically, after setting a normal washing course by key operation, operation of a bath drying operation is set by operating the bath drying key which is a switch. When setting the execution of the tank drying operation, after performing the normal washing operation, when the opening and closing of the lid for opening and closing the laundry entrance is detected by the lid opening / closing detection switch, the tank drying operation is executed.

(Initiation of invention)

(Tasks to be solved by the invention)

The laundry dryer installed with the automatic bath drying function has the following problems. That is, after performing the normal washing operation, in order to shift to the tank drying operation, it is necessary to take out the laundry in the tank and empty the inside of the tank. For this reason, the lid opening and closing detection switch detects the opening and closing of the lid to detect whether the laundry in the tank is taken out. However, if it is determined whether there is laundry in the tank by opening and closing the cover, the user opens or closes the lid, but there is a problem in that the tank drying operation is performed as it is even though the laundry remains in the tank.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent the tank drying operation from being performed while leaving the laundry in the tank even when the tank drying operation is performed by detecting the opening / closing operation of the lid after executing the washing operation. Is to provide a washing machine.

(Means to solve the task)

The washing machine according to the present invention includes a tank used for washing, rinsing, and dehydrating laundry, a lid for opening and closing a laundry entrance for entering and exiting laundry to the tank, a lid opening / closing detection means for detecting opening and closing of the lid, and laundry in the tank. After the laundry operation including the laundry detecting means for detecting the presence or absence, the tank drying means for drying the tank, and at least one of the washing stroke, the rinsing stroke, and the dehydration stroke, the lid opening / closing detecting means is completed. When the opening / closing of the lid is detected, the laundry detection means detects the presence or absence of laundry in the tank, and when the detection result is no laundry, a tank drying operation is performed by the bath drying means to dry the tank. It characterized in that it comprises a control means to.

(Effects of the Invention)

According to the present invention, the control means detects the opening / closing of the lid by the lid opening / closing detection means after executing the washing operation. Thereafter, the laundry detection means detects the presence or absence of the laundry in the tank, and when the detection result is no laundry, the bath drying operation is executed. This can prevent the tank drying operation from being performed while the laundry remains in the tank.

1 is a flowchart showing a control content of a control circuit, showing a first embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the laundry dryer of the first embodiment;

3 is a plan view of the operation panel of the first embodiment;

4 is a block diagram of an electrical configuration of the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a view showing the stroke contents of the bath drying operation of the first embodiment; FIG.

6 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 5 showing a third embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention; and

9 is a flowchart showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

(Best form for carrying out the invention)

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, several embodiment of this invention is described based on drawing. In addition, in some embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the substantially identical component part, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

(1st embodiment)

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, 1st Embodiment of the laundry dryer to which the washing machine of this invention is applied is demonstrated with reference to FIGS.

First, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a longitudinal laundry dryer. In FIG. 2, the outer box 1 has a rectangular cylindrical shape. The outer box 1 and the top cover 2 mounted on the outer box 1 form an outer shell of the laundry dryer. The leg part 3 is provided in the lower surface of the outer box 1. A jaw 4 is provided inside the outer box 1.

The tank 4 is comprised of the outer tank 5 and the double tank of the inner tank 6 installed in the said outer tank 5. These outer tub 5 and inner tub 6 both have a bottomed cylindrical shape. The outer tank 5 and the inner tank 6 are arrange | positioned on the longitudinal axis | shaft which each axis center line orients to an up-down direction. The outer tub 5 is elastically supported by the outer box 1 via the elastic suspension mechanism 7 mainly having the suspension rod 7a. The outer tank 5 has a structure in which water can be stored. The inner tub 6 is rotatably housed in the outer tub 5 and includes a plurality of transmission holes 8 in the peripheral wall portion. The rotary balancer 9 is provided in the circumferential edge portion of the upper end opening of the inner tank 6.

The pulsator 10 is rotatably provided in the bottom part of the inner tank 6. The drive device 11 is provided in the outer bottom part of the outer tub 6. This drive device 11 is equipped with the motor 12 which can be rotated forward and backward shown in FIG. 4, the clutch mechanism etc. which are not shown in figure. The drive unit 11 selectively rotates the pulsator 10 and the inner tank 6. On the upper surface of the outer tub 5, an annular jaw cover 13 is provided. The jaw cover 13 is provided with an inner cover 14. The inner cover 14 can be opened and closed in the vertical direction through the hinge 14a on the rear side located on the left side in FIG. 2. The inner lid 14 is located above the upper opening of the inner tub 6.

The laundry cover 15 is formed at the top cover 2 above the inner cover 14. In addition, the top cover 2 is provided with a cover 16 for opening and closing the laundry entrance and exit 15. The lid 16 is rotatably mounted to the top cover 2 via the hinge 16a on the rear side. In the case of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, two lids 16 are folded.

The warm air supply device 20 is provided at the rear of the top cover 2. The hot air supply device 20 includes a fan 21 for blowing, a fan casing 22 surrounding the fan 21, a fan motor 23 for rotating the fan 21, a heater 24 for heating, and the The heater case 25 which accommodated the heater 24, and the supply duct 26 connected to the said heater case 25 are comprised. The suction port 22a of the pan casing 22 communicates with the external suction port 27 formed at the rear of the top cover 2. The discharge port 22b of the fan casing 22 communicates with the heater case 25. The supply duct 26 has a bellows shape rich in elasticity and flexibility. The lower end of the supply duct 26 is connected to the warm air supply port 28 formed in the tank cover 13.

The discharge port 29 is formed in the lower part of the circumferential wall part of the outer tank 5. Moreover, the circulation duct 30 extended in an up-down direction is provided in the outer side of the circumferential wall part of the outer tub 5. The lower part of this circulation duct 30 communicates with the inside of the outer tank 5 via the discharge port 29. The upper part of the circulation duct 30 communicates with the outer tank 5 through the circulation port 31 formed in the tank cover 13. An exhaust port 32 is formed at the upper end of the circulation duct 30. The exhaust port 32 is equipped with a filter 33. The drainage passage 35 is connected to the bottom of the outer tub 5 via a drain valve 34.

When the fan 21 is rotationally driven by the fan motor 23 of the warm air supply device 20, and the heater 24 is energized, air is blown by the fan 21, as shown by arrow A in FIG. Flow is formed. Specifically, when the fan 21 is driven, external air is sucked into the fan casing 22 from the external suction port 27 through the suction port 22a. The air sucked into the fan casing 22 is discharged into the heater case 25 from the discharge port 22b. The air in the heater case 25 is heated by the heater 24 and warmed. This warm air is supplied into the tank 4 through the supply duct 26. The warm air supplied in the tank 4 is mainly supplied in the inner tank 6, and then also supplied between the inner tank 6 and the outer tank 5 through the permeation hole 8. The warm air in the outer tank 5 flows out from the discharge port 29 to the circulation duct 30 side once, and flows upward through the circulation duct 30. Then, part of the warm air flows out of the exhaust port 32 into the outer box 1 outside the circulation duct 30, and the remaining warm air returns from the circulation port 31 back into the tank 4. In this way, the air heated in the heater 24 is circulated by the rotation of the fan 21.

The control circuit unit 39 is provided inside all of the top covers 2. The operation panel 40 shown in FIG. 3 is provided in the upper surface of all the top covers 2. The operation panel 40 includes a power supply "on" key 41, an "off" key 42, a "start" key 43, a "dry" key 44, and a "clean" key (45). ), "Laundry" key 46, "reservation" key 47, "dehydration" key 48, "rinse" key 49, "washing" key 50, "jo clean" key 51 The "care" key 52, the "water level" key 53, the "water flow" key 54, and the "bath water" key 55 are provided. In addition, the operation panel 40 is provided with various indicators 57 to 64 which display the contents or the presence or absence of selection or setting of these keys. The "start" key 43 also serves as a "pause" key.

As shown in Fig. 4, the control circuit unit 39 is provided with a control circuit 65 mainly composed of a microcomputer. 4 shows an electrical configuration centering on the control circuit 65. The control circuit 65 constitutes a control means of the claims. The control circuit 65 is connected to the nonvolatile memory 66. The control circuit 65 receives various operation signals from various operation keys 41 to 55 provided on the operation panel 40. In addition, the control circuit 65 detects the water level in the water level sensor 67, the temperature sensor 68, the tank 4, and the outer tank 5, and controls the water level detection signal based on the detected water level. Will output The temperature sensor 68 detects the temperature in the heater case 25 and outputs a temperature detection signal based on the detected temperature to the control circuit 65. The lid switch 69 detects the opening and closing of the lid 16, and outputs an opening / closing detection signal based on the opening and closing of the lid 16 to the control circuit 65. In addition, the control circuit 65 receives a signal from the rotation sensor 70. The rotation sensor 70 detects the rotational speed of the motor 12 of the drive device 11, and outputs a rotational speed detection signal based on the detected rotational speed of the motor 12 to the control circuit 65.

The control circuit 65 is provided in the motor 12, the water supply valve 71, the drain valve 34, the operation panel 40 based on the input signal input from the above-described various sensors and the control program stored in advance. The indicators 57-64, the buzzer 72 which is a reminder, the fan motor 23, the heater 24, and the cover lock mechanism 73 are controlled. The water supply valve 71 controls the water supply into the tank 4 or the inner tank 6 of the tap water supplied from the tap not shown. The lid locking mechanism 73 locks the lid 16 in the closed state.

Subsequently, the operation of the laundry dryer controlled by the control circuit 65 will be described.

The driving courses set in the laundry dryer according to the first embodiment are three types of washing courses, laundry drying courses, and drying courses. These laundry courses, laundry drying courses, and drying courses are each set up in several granular courses. In the case of performing normal course operation, a predetermined course is selected when any one of the "laundry" key 46, the "washing" key 45, and the "drying" key 44 is operated. In addition, if necessary, contents of the washing stroke, rinsing stroke and dehydration stroke and water level setting, the intensity of the water flow, the presence or absence of water supply of bath water, etc. 50), the "water level" key 53, the "water flow" key 54, and the "bath water" key 55 are set. In addition to the course operation, a bath drying course for drying the tank 4, that is, the outer tank 5 and the inner tank 6 can be set. After each course is set, the operation of the washing dryer according to the selected course is started when the "start" key 43 is operated. In addition, the laundry is put into the inner tank 6 beforehand.

In the course operation of the laundry dryer, when the washing course is operated, the washing process, the rinsing process, and the dehydration process are performed in this order. In addition, depending on the setting, either stroke may not be performed. In the case of performing the washing stroke, detergent is introduced into the inner tank 6 in advance. In the washing stroke, the water supply valve 71 is opened while the drain valve 34 is closed to feed water into the tank 4 to store water. Then, the washing stroke is performed by rotating the pulsator 10 forward and reverse by the motor 12. Thereby, the laundry accommodated in the inner tank 6 is sucked. When the washing stroke is finished, the drain valve 34 is opened to discharge the water in the tank 4 from the drainage path 35 to the outside of the cabin. The rinsing stroke is performed in the same manner as the washing stroke except that no detergent is used. The dewatering stroke is performed by integrally rotating the pulsator 10 and the inner tank 6 at high speed by the motor 12 with the drain valve 34 open. Thereby, the laundry in the inner tank 6 is centrifugally dewatered. Water from the laundry is discharged to the outside from the drainage channel (35).

In the case where such a washing course is carried out, the operation is usually terminated at the end of the dehydration stroke, and informed by the buzzer 72, and then the power of the laundry dryer is turned off. The user opens the lid 16 and the inner lid 14 to take out the laundry in the inner tub 6. Thereafter, these inner lids 14 and lid 16 are closed. Thereafter, the laundry dryer is left to stand. At this time, moisture remains on the inner surface of the outer tank 5 of the tank 4, and on the inner surface and outer surface of the inner tank 6, which causes mold.

Therefore, in 1st Embodiment, the following automatic bath drying function is added. Hereinafter, this automatic bath drying function will be described with reference to a flowchart showing the control contents of the control circuit 65 in FIG. 1.

The user first sets a course for driving on the operation panel 40 (step S1). When the user sets the automatic bath drying function, the "care" key 52 is operated when the washing course is selected and set. As a result, the control circuit 65 sets the automatic bath drying function, and turns on the indicator 61 corresponding to the "care" key 52. The control circuit 65 also stores in the nonvolatile memory 66 that the automatic bath drying function is set. Once the setting of this automatic bath drying function is set, it is memorize | stored as it was at the time of next washing.

When canceling the setting of the automatic coarse drying function, when the user selects and sets the washing course, the user operates the "care" key 52 again. In this way, the display 61 corresponding to the "care" key 52 is turned off, and the control circuit 65 releases the setting of the automatic bath drying function. The control circuit 65 stores in the nonvolatile memory 66 that the setting of the automatic roughening function is released. In this case, the automatic washing and drying function is also set as the next washing.

The control circuit 65 judges whether the automatic rough drying function is set as the course selected and set in step S2. When the automatic bath drying function is set, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S3 in accordance with "Yes", and determines whether the driving of the washing course is set here. When the driving of the washing course is set, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S4 in accordance with "Yes". Here, the control circuit 65 determines whether the stroke of the set washing course includes a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke or a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke. If it is a normal washing course, it corresponds to either of these.

The control circuit 65 includes the washing stroke, the rinsing stroke and the dewatering stroke of the washing course set in step S4. Or when it determines with a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke, it transfers to step S5 according to "Yes" and waits until the "start" key 43 is operated. When the "start" key 43 is operated, the control circuit 65 executes the washing course corresponding to the washing operation selected and set by the user (step S6). The selected washing course is a course consisting of a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke, or a course consisting of a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke.

The control circuit 65 executes the washing course set by the user, and notifies the buzzer 72 when the operation is completed. As a result, the control circuit 65 informs the user that the washing operation is finished (step S7). Thereafter, the control circuit 65 measures the elapsed time since the washing operation is finished, and determines whether the predetermined time T1, in this case, one hour has elapsed. This predetermined time T1 corresponds to "third predetermined time" of the claims. In addition, the control circuit 65 determines whether or not the lid opening and closing detection has been performed (steps S8 and S9).

In the normal case, when the user recognizes that the washing operation is finished by the notification by the buzzer 72, the user opens the lid 16 and the inner lid 14 to take out the laundry in the inner tub 6. Thereafter, the user closes the inner cover 14 and the cover 16. At this time, the control circuit 65 determines that the laundry is taken out from the inner tank 6 by detecting the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 by the lid switch 69.

The control circuit 65 judges that the user takes out the laundry from the inner tank 6 when the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 is detected within one hour after the washing operation is finished in steps S8 and S9. . And the control circuit 65 moves to step S10, S11 according to "Yes." The control circuit 65 measures the elapsed time after the opening / closing detection of the lid 16, and determines whether the start key has been operated within a predetermined time T2 in which the elapsed time is set in advance, in this case, 30 minutes. This predetermined time T2 corresponds to "fourth predetermined time" of the claims. If the control circuit 65 determines that the "start" key 43 has been operated within 30 minutes in step S10, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S12 in accordance with "yes". Then, the control circuit 65 operates the lid lock mechanism 73 to lock the lid 16 in the closed state, and then performs a rough drying operation (step S13). In this case, the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 and the key operation of the “start” key 43 correspond to a specific operation for executing the bath drying operation after executing the washing operation.

Specifically, the crude drying operation is performed as shown in FIG. 5. The bath drying operation is composed of a bath drying stroke and a cooling stroke. In the tank drying stroke, the control circuit 65 keeps the drain valve 34 open, energizes the fan motor 23 to drive the fan 21 in rotation. In addition, the control circuit 65 energizes the heater 24 and rotates the inner tank 6 at high speed by the motor 12. In FIG. 5, an energized state or a drive state is shown with the diagonal line.

Among these, as described above, air outside the air is sucked into the fan casing 22 from the external inlet port 27 by the blowing by the rotation of the fan 21, and the air in the fan casing 22 is discharged from the outlet port 22b. Is discharged into the heater case 25. And the air discharged in the heater case 25 by the heating by the heater 24 is heated and warmed. This warm air is supplied into the tank 4 through the supply duct 26. The warm air supplied in the tank 4 is mainly supplied in the inner tank 6, and then also supplied between the inner tank 6 and the outer tank 5 through the permeation hole 8. Then, the warm air in the outer tank 5 once exits the circulation duct 3 side from the outlet port 29 and flows upward through the circulation duct 30, and then a part of the external air outside the circulation duct 30 is exhausted from the exhaust port 32. It discharges into (1), and others return to the tank 4 from the circulation port 31 again. In this way, the warm air is circulated. In addition, the inner tank 6 is rotated at a high speed so that the moisture adhered to the inner tank 6 is blown off by centrifugal force.

By the supply of warm air and the high speed rotation of the inner tub 6, the tub 4, ie the outer tub 5 and the inner tub 6, is dried. At this time, the discharge amount from the tank 4 increases by opening the drain valve 34. As a result, the moisture in the tank 4 is discharged more quickly out of the tank 4, so that the drying efficiency is improved. The crude drying stroke is carried out, for example, for 10 minutes.

When the drying stroke is completed, a cooling stroke is performed. In the case of a cooling stroke, the control circuit 65 closes the drain valve 34 while continuing the operation of the fan motor 23, and stops energization to the heater 24. In addition, the control circuit 65 stops the high speed rotation of the inner tank 6, and instead rotates only the pulsator 10 forward and reverse. This cooling stroke is performed for 5 minutes, for example. When the cooling stroke is completed, the control circuit 65 stops the fan motor 23 and also stops the rotation of the pulsator 10. As a result, the bath drying operation is completed.

The control circuit 65 unlocks the cover 16 by the cover locking mechanism 73 when the bath drying operation is completed, and informs that the bath drying operation is finished by the buzzer 72 (steps S14, S15). )). Thereafter, the control circuit 65 turns off the power supply (step S16) to end all the operations.

By the way, when the washing operation is executed in the step S6, and the opening and closing detection of the cover 16 is not performed even after one hour has elapsed after the notification of the buzzer 72, the control circuit 65 allows the user to clean the laundry. Determine that you forgot to remove it or are not willing to remove it. For this reason, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S16 according to "Yes" in step S8, and forcibly turns off a power supply without performing rough drying operation. Thus, even after the washing operation is executed, even when the user is left without performing the above-described specific operation, the washing dryer is not left for a long time with the power on.

Further, the washing operation is executed in the step S6, and after the notification of the buzzer 72, the opening / closing detection of the cover 16 is performed, i.e., in step S9, "yes", but the "start" key ( If 43) does not operate even after 30 minutes have elapsed, the control circuit 65 judges that the user has taken out the laundry, but has forgotten the operation of the "start" key 43. For this reason, the control circuit 65 moves to step S12 according to "Yes" in step S11, and locks the cover 16 by the cover lock mechanism 73, and then performs a rough drying operation. In this case, since the laundry is taken out of the tank 4, there is no problem even if the tank drying operation is performed. In this case, only the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 after executing the washing operation corresponds to the specific operation for executing the rough drying operation.

On the other hand, when the control circuit 65 determines that the automatic coarse drying function is not set in the operation course set in step S2, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S17 according to "no", and waits until there is operation of the start key. do. And when the "start" key 43 is operated, the control circuit 65 executes the selected set course (step S18). The control circuit 65 informs by the buzzer 72 when the operation of the selected set course is finished (step S19), and then proceeds to step S16 to turn off the power supply.

The control circuit 65 judges that there is an automatic coarse drying function setting in step S2. However, when it is determined that the course set in step S3 is not a washing course, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S20 according to "no" and automatically Wait for the operation of the start key as there is no drying setting. Then, the control circuit 65 executes the selected set course when the "start" key 43 is operated (step S22). The control circuit 65 informs by the buzzer 72 when the operation of the selected set course is finished (step S23), and then proceeds to step S16 to turn off the power supply. In addition, the case where the set course is not a washing course is a case where the washing drying course or the drying course is set, for example.

According to the said 1st Embodiment, the following effects can be acquired.

The control circuit 65 is a case where a washing operation consisting of a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke or a washing operation consisting of a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke is performed, and when the automatic bath drying function is set, after executing the washing operation. When the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 and the operation of the “start” key 43 are performed, it is determined that there is a specific operation, and the bath drying operation is executed. On the other hand, when the control circuit 65 has no specific operation including opening / closing operation of the lid 16 and operation of the “start” key 43 even after the predetermined time T1 elapses after the washing operation is finished. Turn off the power, without running the tank dry operation. Thereby, even if the user has left the laundry dryer while executing the washing operation, it is possible to prevent a long time of leaving the power on.

In addition, the control circuit 65 detects the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 by the lid switch 69 after executing the washing operation, and when the "start" key 43 is not operated even after 30 minutes have elapsed, the crude drying Carry out the operation. According to this, after a user takes out laundry, even if it forgets the key operation of the "start" key 43, a rough drying operation can be performed.

The laundry dryer is provided with a "care" key 52 for setting the presence or absence of the automatic bath drying function. When setting the thing with the automatic rough-drying function by operation of this "care" key 52, the control circuit 65 memorize | stores the said set in the nonvolatile memory 66. For this reason, the next time the washing dryer is turned on, the washing dryer is automatically set to have an automatic bath drying function. For this reason, it is convenient to use because the user does not need to perform setting with automatic bath drying function every time washing operation is performed. In addition, it can also set that there is no automatic roughening function by operation of the "care" key 52. The control circuit 65 stores this in the nonvolatile memory 66 even when the control circuit 65 is set to have no automatic conditioning function. For this reason, the next time the power of the laundry dryer is turned on, the automatic drying function is automatically set.

After executing the washing operation, before executing the bath drying operation, the control circuit 65 locks the lid 16 in the closed state by the lid locking mechanism 73. Thereby, when the bath drying operation is performed, it is possible to prevent the lid 16 from being accidentally opened.

The control circuit 65 makes the drain valve 34 open at the time of bath drying operation. For this reason, the displacement from the tank 4 side increases. Thereby, moisture can be discharged out of the tank 4 more quickly, and the drying efficiency of the tank 4 can be improved.

(2nd embodiment)

The second embodiment of the present invention will be mainly described with reference to FIG. 6.

When the washing operation of step S6 of FIG. 1 ends and the buzzer is notified and the opening / closing of the cover 16 is detected by the cover switch 69 within one hour in steps S8 and S9, the control circuit ( 65, the flow advances to step S31 in accordance with " Yes " in step S9. Here, the control circuit 65 determines whether the time from detecting that the lid 16 is open to detecting that the lid 16 is closed is longer than a predetermined time T3, for example, 2 seconds. . That is, the control circuit 65 judges the time required for opening and closing the lid 16. This predetermined time T3 corresponds to "the fifth predetermined time" of the claims. The control circuit 65 determines that the user has taken out the laundry in a normal operation when the time required for opening and closing the lid 16 is longer than 2 seconds. For this reason, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S32 according to "Yes", and determines that the lid 16 is opened and closed.

On the other hand, when trying to open the door 16 to take out laundry, the user's hand may slip, for example, and the cover 16 may be immediately closed. In such a case, even if the laundry cannot be taken out, the opening and closing operation of the lid 16 has been performed. Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, when the control circuit 65 detects that the cover 16 is opened in step S31 and determines that the time from detecting that the cover 16 is closed is less than 2 seconds. It is determined that the user has failed to open the lid 16. For this reason, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S33 according to "no" in step S31. Thereby, the control circuit 65 determines that there is no opening / closing operation of the lid 16, and resets the timer for one hour (step S34). Thereafter, the control circuit 65 returns to step S8 and waits until the lid 16 is opened and closed again.

If it is determined in step S32 that the lid 16 is opened or closed, the control circuit 65 waits until the lid 16 is opened again or the start key is operated until 30 minutes have elapsed thereafter (step ( S35, S36, S37). Usually, the user operates the "start" key 43 within 30 minutes after opening and closing the lid 16 to take out the laundry. For this reason, the control circuit 65 moves to step S12 according to "Yes" in step S36. Here, the control circuit 65 locks the lid 16 in the closed state by the lid locking mechanism 73 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and then executes a rough drying operation (step S13).

The control circuit 65 returns to step S38 according to "Yes" in step S35 when the cover 16 is opened again within 30 minutes in the opening and closing operation of the cover 16 in the above steps S35 to S37. Then, the timer of 1 hour is reset. Then, the control circuit 65 determines whether the lid 16 is closed before one hour has elapsed (steps S39, S40). If it is determined in step S39 that the lid 16 is closed before 1 hour has elapsed in step S39, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S41 according to "Yes", and after resetting the timer for 30 minutes, step The process proceeds to S36.

If the cover 16 is not closed even if 1 hour has elapsed in steps S39 and S40, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S16 in accordance with "Yes" in step S40. For this reason, the control circuit 65 turns off a power supply without performing bath drying operation.

Especially in the said 2nd Embodiment, the following effects can be acquired.

The control circuit 65 detects the opening and closing of the lid 16 by the lid switch 69 after the washing operation is executed when the automatic bath drying function is set. If the time from the opening of the lid 16 to the closing is longer than 2 seconds, the control circuit 65 determines that the opening and closing operation of the lid 16 has been performed. On the other hand, when the time from the opening of the lid 16 to the closing is less than 2 seconds, the control circuit 65 determines that the user has failed to open the lid 16, and determines that there is no opening / closing operation of the lid 16. . When the control circuit 65 determines that there is no opening / closing operation of the lid 16, the control circuit 65 detects the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 again. For this reason, the control circuit 65 does not recognize the short-term opening and closing in which the user failed to open the lid 16 as the opening and closing operation of the lid 16. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably determine whether the laundry has been taken out. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the transfer to the tank drying operation while the laundry remains in the inner tank 6.

(Third embodiment)

7 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.

The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the following points. That is, in the case of 1st Embodiment, the structure which performs bath drying by supplying only warm air by the electricity supply of the heater 24 for warm air production in the tank drying stroke of bath drying operation was demonstrated. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the heater 24 is alternately energized and disconnected. Thereby, drying is performed to the tank 4, supplying warm air and cold air alternately. In the third embodiment, the energization time to the heater 24 is reduced. For this reason, the power consumption can be reduced.

In the third embodiment, the user may select whether to supply only warm air or alternately supply warm air and cold air in the bath drying operation of the bath drying operation. For example, after operating the "on" key of the power supply in the state which operated the "care" key 52, the property of the wind drying the tank 4 by the operation of the "washing" key 50 can be changed. Make sure At this time, the seven-segment display portion 59a of the display 59 displays "1" when only hot air is supplied, and "2" when alternately supplying warm and cold air. By viewing this indication, the user can easily recognize whether the setting is supplied with only warm air or the setting with alternating supply of warm and cold air.

(4th Embodiment)

A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the configuration of the laundry dryer is almost the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, only the difference point is demonstrated about the structure of a laundry dryer.

In 4th Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the operation panel 40 is equipped with the laundry presence display part 60a. The laundry presence display part 60a is electrically connected with the control circuit 65 similarly to the other part of the operation panel 40.

In the fourth embodiment, the rotation sensor 70 and the control circuit 65 include weight detection means for detecting the weight of laundry contained in the inner tub 6 and laundry detection means for detecting the presence or absence of laundry in the inner tub 6. Configure. Specifically, the control circuit 65 rotates the pulsator 10 by the motor 12. And the control circuit 65 judges the weight of the laundry accommodated in the inner tank 6 based on the rotation speed detected by the rotation center 70 at this time, and the table which the control circuit 65 has beforehand. Even when a constant power is supplied from the control circuit 65 to the motor 12, the amount of laundry contained in the inner tub 6, i.e., the weight is large, the rotation speed detected by the rotation sensor 70 is lowered. On the other hand, when the amount of laundry, i.e., the weight is small, the rotation speed detected by the rotation sensor 70 becomes high.

Subsequently, the automatic bath drying function according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9.

The user first sets a course for driving on the operation panel 40 (step S101). When the user sets the automatic bath drying function here, the "care" key 52 is operated when the washing course is selected and set. As a result, the control circuit 65 sets the automatic bath drying function, and turns on the indicator 61 corresponding to the "care" key 52. The control circuit 65 also stores in the nonvolatile memory 66 that the automatic bath drying function is set. Once the setting of the automatic bath drying function is set, it is memorized as it is set at the next washing.

When canceling the setting of the automatic coarse drying function, when the user selects and sets the washing course, the user operates the "care" key 52 again. In this way, the display 61 corresponding to the "care" key 52 is turned off, and the control circuit 65 releases the setting of the automatic bath drying function. The control circuit 65 stores in the nonvolatile memory 66 that the setting of the automatic roughening function is released. In this case, it is regarded that there is no setting of the automatic bath drying function at the next washing.

The control circuit 65 determines whether or not the automatic bath drying function is set as the course selected and set in step S102. When the automatic bath drying function is set, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S103 in accordance with "Yes", and determines whether or not the driving of the washing course is set here. When the driving of the washing course is set, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S104 in accordance with "Yes". Here, the control circuit 65 determines whether the stroke of the set washing course includes a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke or a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke. If it is a normal washing course, it corresponds to either of these.

If the control circuit 65 determines that the stroke of the washing course set in step S104 includes a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke and a dewatering stroke, or includes a rinsing stroke and a dewatering stroke, the control circuit 65 performs the step according to "Yes". The flow advances to S105, and waits for the "start" key 43 to be operated. When the "start" key 43 is operated, the control circuit 65 executes a washing course corresponding to the washing operation selected and set by the user (step S106). The selected washing course is a course consisting of a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke, or a course consisting of a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke.

The control circuit 65 executes the washing course selected and set by the user, and notifies the buzzer 72 when the operation ends. As a result, the control circuit 65 notifies the user that the washing operation is finished (step S107). Thereafter, the control circuit 65 measures the elapsed time after the washing operation is finished, and determines whether or not the predetermined time T4, which is 1 hour, has elapsed in this case. This predetermined time T4 corresponds to "the first predetermined time" of the claims. In addition, the control circuit 65 determines whether or not the lid opening and closing detection has been performed (steps S108 and S109).

In a normal case, when the user recognizes that the washing operation is finished by the notification by the buzzer 72, the user opens the lid 16 and the inner lid 14 to take out the laundry in the inner tub 6. Thereafter, the user closes the inner cover 14 and the cover 16. At this time, the control circuit 65 determines that the laundry is taken out from the inner tank 6 by detecting the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 by the lid switch 69.

If the control circuit 65 detects the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 within one hour after the washing operation is finished in steps S108 and S109, it is determined that the user takes out the laundry from the inner tank 6. do. And the control circuit 65 moves to step S110, S111 according to "Yes." The control circuit 65 measures the elapsed time after the opening / closing detection of the lid 16, and determines whether or not the start key has been operated within a predetermined time, in this case, 30 minutes after the elapsed time is set in advance. If the control circuit 65 determines that the "start" key 43 has been operated within 30 minutes in step S110, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S112 in accordance with "yes". Then, the control circuit 65 operates the lid lock mechanism 73 to lock the lid 16 in the closed state. Thereafter, the control circuit 65 performs weight detection to determine the presence or absence of laundry in the inner tank 6 (steps S113 and S114).

Here, the weight detection in step S113 is performed in the same manner as the weight detection in the washing stroke. That is, the control circuit 65 rotates only the pulsator 10 by the motor 12. And the control circuit 65 judges the weight of the laundry based on the magnitude | size of the rotation speed of the rotation sensor 70 at the time of rotating only the pulsator 10, and the table which it has beforehand. The determination of the presence or absence of laundry in step S114 does not determine the amount of laundry. That is, in step S114 it is determined whether the laundry remains in the inner tank (6). For this reason, the control circuit 65 compares the rotation speed detected by the rotation sensor 70 with the threshold value when the laundry in the inner tank 6 is least, and determines the presence or absence of the laundry. If it is determined in step S114 that there is no laundry, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S115 in accordance with "Yes". Here, when there is a display of "with laundry" in the laundry presence display unit 60a, the control circuit 65 erases the display, i.e., turns off the display, and erases the memory of "with laundry" in the nonvolatile memory 66. . Thereafter, the control circuit 65 executes the rough drying operation (step S116). In this case, the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 and the key operation of the “start” key 43 after executing the washing operation correspond to a specific operation for executing the bath drying operation. The rough drying operation is specifically performed as shown in FIG. 5 described in the above-described first embodiment. Therefore, the description is omitted here.

The control circuit 65 releases the lock state of the cover 16 by the cover locking mechanism 73 when the bath drying operation is finished (step S117). Thereafter, the control circuit 65 turns off the power supply (step S118) to end all the operations.

By the way, if the washing operation is executed in the step (S106), and the opening and closing detection of the lid 16 is not performed even after one hour has elapsed after the notification of the buzzer 72, the control circuit 65 allows the user to clean the laundry. Determine that you forgot to remove it or are not willing to remove it. For this reason, the control circuit 65 moves to step S118 according to "Yes" in step S108, and forcibly turns off the power supply without executing the bath drying operation. Accordingly, even after the washing operation is executed, even when the user is left, the laundry dryer is not left for a long time with the power on.

Further, the washing operation is executed in the step S106, and after the notification of the buzzer 72, the opening / closing detection of the lid 16 is performed, i.e., "Yes" in step S109, even if 30 minutes have elapsed. When the "start" key 43 is not operated, the control circuit 65 determines that the user has taken out the laundry, but has forgotten the operation of the "start key" 43. For this reason, the control circuit 65 moves to step S112 according to "Yes" in step S111, locks the lid 16 by the lid locking mechanism 73, and then performs weight detection (step ( S113)).

When the control circuit 65 performs the weight detection in step S113 and determines the presence or absence of laundry in step S114, it is considered that laundry remains in the inner tank 6. In this case, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S119 according to "no". Here, the control circuit 65 displays "with laundry" on the laundry presence display unit 60a, that is, turns on the laundry presence display unit 60a, and stores the "with laundry" in the nonvolatile memory 66. The control circuit 65 displays "with laundry" on the laundry presence display unit 60a to inform the user that the laundry remains in the inner tank 6. The user may notice that he forgot to take out the laundry by looking at the indication of "with laundry" in the laundry presence display unit 60a. As a result, the user opens the lid 16 and the inner lid 14 again to take out the laundry in the inner lid 6 and then closes the inner lid 14 and lid 16.

After displaying "with laundry" on the laundry presence display unit 60a, the control circuit 65 judges whether or not the lid 16 has been opened or closed within 10 minutes, which is a predetermined time T5 (step ( S120, S121). This predetermined time T5 corresponds to "the second predetermined time" of the claims. When the control circuit 65 detects the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 within 10 minutes, it determines that the user takes out the laundry from the inner tank 6. For this reason, the control circuit 65 returns to step S110 according to "Yes" in step S121. On the other hand, if the control circuit 65 does not detect the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 even after 10 minutes have elapsed, the control circuit 65 shifts to step S118 according to "Yes" in step S120, and turns off the power supply.

The control circuit 65 displays "with laundry" in the laundry presence display unit 60a in step S119, and further stores 10 minutes as described above in the state in which "with laundry" is stored in the nonvolatile memory 66. When the power supply is turned off without detecting the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 even if the elapsed time is elapsed, when the power is turned on next time, the presence or absence of laundry is displayed on the laundry presence display unit 60a. The display unit 60a is turned on. As a result, the control circuit 65 can inform the user that the laundry remains in the inner tub 6.

If the control circuit 65 determines that the automatic rough-drying function is not set in the driving course set in step S102, it transfers to step S122 according to "no". The control circuit 65 waits until there is operation of the start key. The control circuit 65 executes the selected set course when the "start" key 43 is operated (step S123). The control circuit 65 notifies by the buzzer 72 when the operation of the selected set course is finished (step S124). Thereafter, the control circuit 65 proceeds to step S118 to turn off the power supply.

The control circuit 65 determines that there is an automatic coarse drying function setting in step S102, for example, when a laundry drying course or a drying course is set, and determines that the course set in step S103 is not a selection course. If it is determined, the flow advances to step S125 in accordance with "no". Then, the control circuit 65 disables automatic coarse drying and waits until there is operation of the start key (step S126). Then, the control circuit 65 executes the selected set course when the "start" key 43 is operated (step S127). The control circuit 65 informs the buzzer 72 when the operation of the selected set course is finished (step S128). Thereafter, the flow advances to step S118 to turn off the power supply.

If the control circuit 65 is not a course including a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke, or a course including a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke in the step S104, the washing course set in the step S101, The flow advances to step S125 in accordance with NO.

According to the fourth embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

The control circuit 65 performs a washing operation course consisting of a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke, or a washing operation course consisting of a rinsing stroke and a dehydration stroke, and when the automatic bath drying function is set, these washing operation courses After executing, the opening and closing operation of the lid 16 is detected by the lid switch 69. And when the control circuit 65 detects that the operation of the "start" key 43 was performed, and detected the presence or absence of the laundry in the inner tank 6 by weight detection, when it judges that there is no laundry, it drys a bath. Run the operation automatically. Thereby, tank drying operation can be prevented while laundry remains in the inner tank 6.

When the detection result by the weight detection has laundry, the control circuit 65 displays "with laundry" on the laundry presence display unit 60a and notifies the user. The user easily recognizes that the laundry remains in the inner tank 6 by looking at the indication "with laundry". For this reason, the user opens the lid 16 and the inner lid 14 again to take out the laundry in the inner tub 6 and then closes the inner lid 14 and the lid 16. Thereby, the tank drying operation with the laundry remaining in the inner tank 6 can be prevented.

When the control circuit 65 detects the opening / closing of the cover 16 by the cover switch 69 within 1 hour of the predetermined time T4 after executing each washing driving course, the inner tank 6 is detected by weight detection. The presence or absence of laundry in the) is detected. The user cannot take out the laundry without the opening / closing operation of the cover 16. For this reason, the control circuit 65 should just detect the presence or absence of the laundry in the inner tank 6 only when there is opening / closing operation of the cover 16. Therefore, it is not necessary to carry out the detection of the presence or absence of the laundry in the inner tank 6 unnecessarily.

When the control circuit 65 detects the laundry by the laundry presence display unit 60a and then detects the opening and closing of the lid 16 by the lid switch 69 within 10 minutes of the predetermined time T5, the weight is detected again. The presence or absence of the laundry in the inner tank 6 is detected by this. And the control circuit 65 informs the laundry presence display part 60a of the detection result. This can further prevent the laundry from remaining in the inner tub 6.

When the control circuit 65 notifies that the laundry is present by the laundry presence display unit 60a and then the opening / closing of the lid 16 is not detected by the lid switch 69 even after 10 minutes, which is a predetermined time T5, Turn off the power without executing the tank dry operation. This can reliably prevent the tank drying operation from being performed while the laundry remains in the inner tank 6. In addition, it is possible to prevent the laundry dryer from being left for a long time while the power is turned on.

In addition, when the control circuit 65 determines that there is no opening / closing operation of the lid 16 even after 1 hour, which is a predetermined time T4, after the washing operation course is finished, the control circuit 65 turns off the power without executing the bath drying operation. . Thereby, after executing the washing operation, even when the user is left unattended, it is possible to prevent the laundry dryer from being left for a long time with the power on.

In addition, when the "start" key 43 is not operated even if 30 minutes pass after the control circuit 65 detects the opening / closing operation of the lid 16 by the lid switch 69 after the washing operation course is executed. , Weight detection is carried out. And when the weight detection result judges that there is no laundry, the control circuit 65 performs a bath drying operation. Thereby, after a user takes out laundry, even if it forgets the key operation of the "start" key 43, bath drying operation can be performed automatically.

The control circuit 65 stores the set in the nonvolatile memory 66 when the automatic bath drying function is set by the operation of the "care" key 52 for setting the presence or absence of the automatic bath drying function. For this reason, the control circuit 65 sets it automatically with the automatic bath drying function the next time the washing dryer is powered on. For this reason, it is convenient to use because the user does not need to set the setting with automatic bath drying function every time a washing operation is performed. In addition, it is also possible to set the automatic bath drying function without the operation of the "care" key 52. As a result, the control circuit 65 stores the automatic circuit drying function in the nonvolatile memory 66 when it is set. As a result, the control circuit 65 automatically sets the automatic drying function not to be used the next time the power of the laundry dryer is turned on.

The control circuit 65 locks the lid 16 in the closed state by the lid locking mechanism 73 after the washing operation is executed and before the weight detection is executed. For this reason, the cover 16 can be prevented from being accidentally opened when the weight detection or the tank drying operation is performed.

The discharge amount from the tank 4 side increases by opening the drain valve 34 in the tank drying operation. For this reason, moisture can be discharged faster than the tank 4, and the drying efficiency of the tank 4 can be improved.

This invention is not limited only to the said embodiment, It can change or expand as follows.

The bath drying means is not limited to the warm air supply device 20 provided with the blowing fan 21 and the heating heater 24. For example, the blowing fan 21 and the fan motor 23 for rotating the same are provided. It may be provided with. In addition, the tank drying means may only rotate the inner tank 6 by the motor 12. As shown in FIG.

After the washing operation is finished and after the buzzer notification, the time waiting for the cover opening / closure detection, that is, the predetermined time T1 of step S8 of the first embodiment and the predetermined time T4 of step S108 of the fourth embodiment are It is not limited to one hour, 45 minutes or 1 hour 15 minutes may be sufficient.

In addition, after detecting the opening / closing of the lid 16, the predetermined time T2 waiting for the operation of the start key in step S11 of the first embodiment is not limited to 30 minutes, but may be 20 minutes or 40 minutes.

In step S31 of the second embodiment, the predetermined time T3 from the lid opening to the lid closing is not limited to 2 seconds, but may be 3 seconds or 4 seconds.

After displaying and storing the laundry in step S120 of the fourth embodiment, the predetermined time T5 waiting for the open / close detection of the lid 16 is not limited to 10 minutes, but may be 15 or 8 minutes.

The present invention is not limited to a longitudinal laundry dryer, but may also be applied to a drum type laundry dryer in which the axial center line of the bath is oriented almost horizontally, that is, the case is slightly inclined.

Claims (11)

Bath to wash, rinse, dehydration of laundry, A cover for opening and closing a laundry entrance for entering and leaving the laundry with respect to the tank, Cover opening and closing detection means for detecting the opening and closing of the cover, Laundry detection means for detecting the presence or absence of laundry in the tank, Bath drying means for drying the bath, and After the execution of the washing operation including at least one of a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke, and a dehydration stroke is finished, when the opening and closing of the lid is detected by the lid opening and closing detection means, the laundry is detected by the laundry detection means. And a control means for detecting the presence or absence of laundry in the laundry and executing a bath drying operation for drying the bath by the bath drying means when the detection result is no laundry. The method of claim 1, With notification means, And the control means notifies that there is laundry by the notification means when there is laundry as a result of the detection by the laundry detection means. The method of claim 1, And the control means turns off the power supply without performing the bath drying operation when the laundry detection means detects that there is laundry. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The control means detects the presence or absence of the laundry in the tank by the laundry detecting means only when the opening / closing of the lid is detected by the lid opening / closing detection means within a first predetermined period after the execution of the washing operation is finished. Washing machine characterized in that. The method of claim 2, The control means informs that there is laundry by the notification means, and when the lid is opened or closed by the lid opening / closing detection means within a second predetermined time, the presence or absence of laundry in the tank by the laundry detection means again. And detecting the result of the detection by the notification means. The method of claim 2, The control means informs that the laundry is present by the notification means, and if the lid opening / closing detection means does not detect the opening or closing of the lid even after the second predetermined time elapses, the power supply is not executed and the power supply is not executed. The washing machine characterized by turning off. The method of claim 2, The control means informs that the laundry is present by the notification means, and if the opening and closing of the lid is not detected by the lid opening / closing detection means even after the second predetermined time elapses, the power supply is not executed without executing the bath drying operation. And off to inform the laundry that the laundry is present at the next power-on. The method of claim 1, And the control means turns off the power when the opening / closing of the lid is not detected by the lid opening / closing detection means even after the third predetermined time elapses. The method of claim 1, An input key for inputting an instruction to the control means, And the control means detects the presence or absence of laundry in the tank by the laundry detecting means when a key operation is performed with the input key after the execution of the washing operation is finished. The method of claim 1, An input key for inputting an instruction to the control means, And the control means detects the presence or absence of laundry in the tank after a fourth predetermined time has elapsed without the key manipulation by the input key after the execution of the washing operation. The method according to claim 9 or 10, The control means detects the opening of the lid by the lid opening / closing detection means after executing the washing operation, and when the closing of the lid is detected after the fifth predetermined time elapses, the opening / closing operation of the lid is performed. And determining that the lid is closed within the fifth predetermined time after detecting the opening of the lid, and determining that there is no opening / closing operation of the lid.

Images