KR20160122844A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The washing machine according to the present embodiment is provided with a water tank 6 provided in the washing machine body 1 and a water tank 6 rotatably provided around the shaft vertically oriented in the water tank 6 and having a dewatering hole 13a in the peripheral wall portion And a control means (35) for controlling the washing operation from washing to dehydration. And the antifouling functional unit 50 is provided on the outer surface of the rotary tub 7. The control means 35 executes the crude cleaning operation for rotating the rotary tub 7 while the water is contained in the water tub 6. [

Description

Washing machine {WASHING MACHINE}

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a washing machine.

Conventionally, it has been considered to provide various kinds of functional coatings on a water tank of a washing machine. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of providing a coating of a heat insulating paint on the inner surface of a water tank in order to reduce power consumption during drying. In addition, in Patent Document 1, the water-repellent insulating coating contains a hollow bead having hydrophilicity, so that the water film adhering to the surface of the coating film is stretched and evaporated to thereby further reduce the power consumption during drying .

Recently, a paint exhibiting an antifouling function by hydrophilicity has been developed. If such a paint is applied to the inner surface of a water tank of a washing machine, the inner surface of the water tank can be kept clean by the antifouling function. However, on the inner surface of the water tank, not only the water which is to be brought into contact with the water in the water tank during the washing operation or the rinsing operation but also the water splashing from the inner rotating bath is also contacted. Therefore, the inner surface of the water tank can be maintained relatively clean without applying such a paint having an anti-fouling function, and therefore, even if the anti-fouling function is maintained on the inner surface of the water tank, its function can not be utilized effectively.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-172436

Thus, a washing machine applied to a portion capable of most effectively utilizing an antifouling function by an antifouling functional portion is provided.

The washing machine according to the present embodiment includes a water tank provided in the washing machine main body, a rotating tub provided rotatably about an axis pointing up and down in the water tub and having a dewatering hole in the peripheral wall portion, and a washing operation from washing to dehydration And control means. An anti-fouling portion is provided on the outer surface of the rotating bath. The control means performs a crude cleaning operation to rotate the rotating bath while holding the water in the water bath.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal side view schematically showing the construction of a washing machine according to a first embodiment. Fig.
2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration,
3 is a flowchart showing the contents of the water supply process,
4 is a flowchart showing the contents of drainage / dehydration processing according to the second embodiment,
Fig. 5 shows a third embodiment, and is a flowchart when a crude washing process is performed after the washing operation is finished,
6 is a flowchart showing the contents of the crude cleaning process, and Fig.
Fig. 7 is a view corresponding to Fig. 6 showing the fourth embodiment.

Hereinafter, a washing machine according to a plurality of embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, substantially the same constituent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

(First Embodiment)

First, a first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. Fig. Fig. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a so-called vertical axis type washing machine as a whole. The outside of the washing machine main body 1 of the washing machine is composed of an outer box 2 having a rectangular box shape, a base plate 3 provided at the bottom of the outer box 2, And a top cover 4. A tank 5 is accommodated in the outer box 2. In this case, the tank 5 is provided with a cylindrical water tank 6 having a bottom open with an upper surface opened, a tubular rotary tank (not shown) having a bottom rotatably installed in the water tank 6, 7). The rotary tub 7 is rotated about the dew condensation shaft 21 which is directed in the vertical direction as described later.

The water tank 6 in the tank 5 is made of synthetic resin and is elastically suspended in the vertical direction in the vertical direction by the elastic suspension mechanism 10 mainly composed of the suspension bar 8 and the spring 9 . A water tank cover 11 is mounted on the upper portion of the water tank 6 and an inner lid 12 for opening and closing these openings is rotatably provided at a substantially central portion of the water tank cover 11.

In this case, the cylindrical peripheral wall portion of the rotary tub 7 is constituted by a cylindrical metal member 13 made of, for example, stainless steel, and the bottom portion of the rotary tub 7 is, for example, (14). The rotary tub 7 is formed into a cylindrical shape with a bottom by connecting the cylindrical member 13 and the bottom member 14 together. A reinforcing reinforcing member (15) is provided on the bottom surface of the bottom member (14). The reinforcing member 15 is made of metal such as stainless steel. A plurality of dewatering holes 13a are formed in the cylindrical member 13 constituting the peripheral wall portion of the rotary tub 7. The dewatering hole 13a is provided substantially all over the upper and lower ends of the cylindrical member 13 except for both ends. In Fig. 1, only a part of these dewatering holes 13a is shown. These dewatering holes 13a pass through the cylinder member 13, and can pass and vent. A balance ring 16 made of a liquid encapsulated synthetic resin is attached to the upper portion of the rotary tub 7. The balance ring 16 is fixed from the outer surface side of the cylindrical member 13 by a metal screw 16a made of, for example, stainless steel. The rotary tub 7 functions as a washing tub and a dewatering tub.

A synthetic resin agitator 17 is rotatably installed at the bottom of the rotary tub 7. A driving mechanism 19 mainly composed of a washing machine motor 18 is provided on the lower surface of the bottom of the water tub 6. The driving mechanism 19 has a stirring shaft 20 oriented in the vertical direction and a hollow dew condensation shaft 21 through which the stirring shaft 20 is inserted. The central portion of the stirring member 17 is connected to the stirring shaft 20 and the central portion of the bottom portion of the rotating tank 7 (central portion of the reinforcing member 15) is connected to the dewatering shaft 21. Therefore, the rotary tub 7 is rotatable about the dew condensation shaft 21 which is directed in the up-and-down direction.

The washing machine motor 18 is constituted by an outer rotor type brushless motor and the rotor 18a is directly connected to the stirring shaft 20 of the driving mechanism 19. [ The driving mechanism 19 includes a clutch made of a spring clutch for connecting and disconnecting the rotor 18a of the washing machine motor 18 to and from the dewaxing shaft 21 And a braking device for releasing the braking force from the braking force. In addition, the drive mechanism 19 is provided with these electronic devices 22 (see Fig.

The electronic device 22 is configured such that the clutch 18 is disengaged from the dehydrating shafts 21 of the rotor 18a and the brake is actuated So that rotation of the rotary tub 7 is restrained. In this state, the rotation of the rotary tub 7 becomes impossible, and only the agitator 17 is rotated by the washing machine motor 18. The electronic device 22 reversely transmits the rotation of the rotor 18a to the dewaxing shafts 21 by connecting the rotor 18a to the dewaxing shafts 21 by turning on the clutch at the time of energization operation, (Off) so as to release the braking force on the dehydrating shafts 21. In this state, the rotary tub 7 is enabled to rotate, and the rotary tub 7 and the agitator 17 can be rotated integrally by the washing machine motor 18.

A drain port 24 is provided at the bottom of the water tank 6 and the drain port 24 is connected to the drain pipe 26 through a drain valve 25. The drain valve 25 functions as drainage means. A level detecting air trap 27 is provided at a portion communicating with the drain port 24 from the bottom of the water tank 6. One end of the air tube 28a is connected to the air trap 27 . The other end of the air tube 28a is connected to a water level sensor 28. [

The top cover 4 is located above the inner lid 12 and has a laundry inlet 29, and has a rectangular frame shape. The laundry inlet 29 is opened and closed by a two-stage folding type outer cover 30 provided on the top surface of the top cover 4. [ The top cover 4 is provided with a cover switch 31 (see Fig. 2) for detecting the opening and closing of the outer cover 30. Here, the laundry enters and exits the rotary tub 7 through the laundry inlet 29 in a state where the outer lid 30 and the inner lid 12 are opened. An operation panel 32 is provided on a front portion (left side in Fig. 1) of the top cover 4. The operation panel 32 is provided with a plurality of operation keys 33 (see Fig. 2) and a display section 34. Fig. A control device 35 as a control means is provided below the operation panel 32.

A component storage portion 36 is provided in the rear portion of the top cover 4 (right side in FIG. 1), the water level sensor 28 is disposed in the component storage portion 36, (37). The water supply device 37 supplies water supplied from a water supply source such as a water supply source into the rotary tub 7 and further into the water tub 6. The water supply device 38 includes a water supply valve 38 And a water supply pipe 40 and the like. Specifically, the water supply valve 38 is fixed in the water supply case 39. The hose connection portion 38a of the water supply valve 38 is exposed from the upper surface of the component storage portion 36, Is connected to the water supply hose. The discharge port portion (not shown) of the water supply valve 38 is directed toward the inside of the water supply case 39. The water supply portion 39a provided at the front lower portion of the water supply case 39 is connected to one end of the water supply pipe 40 and the other end of the water supply pipe 40 is connected to a water supply port 41 provided in the water storage tank cover 11 Respectively.

When the water supply valve 38 is opened while the water supply hose connected to the faucet is connected to the hose connection portion 38a of the water supply valve 38, the tap water is discharged from the discharge port portion of the water supply valve 38 And the water is supplied into the rotating tub 7 through the water feed port 39a, the water feed pipe 40 and the water feed port 41. [ The water supply port 41 is located on the upper surface of the rotary tub 7 and near the outer peripheral portion than the middle portion.

2 schematically shows an electrical configuration around the control device 35. As shown in Fig. The control device 35 is composed mainly of a microcomputer and has a function of controlling overall operation of the washing machine. In addition to the operation signal of the operation key 33 of the operation panel 32, the control device 35 is provided with a water level detection signal of the water level sensor 28 for detecting the water level of the water stored in the water tank 6, A current detection signal of the current sensor 44 for detecting the current flowing to the washing machine motor 18 and a current detection signal of the current sensor 44 for detecting the opening and closing of the outer lid 30, And a lid opening / closing detection signal of the lid switch 31 is input.

The control device 35 controls the display unit 34 and controls the water supply valve 38, the drain valve 25, the washing machine motor 18, the electronic device 22 And the like through a drive circuit 45. [0050]

Here, the rotary tub 7 is provided with a hydrophilic performance film 50, which is an example of an antifouling functional portion, on the entire inner and outer surfaces of the cylindrical member 13 constituting the peripheral wall portion. Next, the hydrophilic performance film 50 will be described in detail. The hydrophilic performance film 50 is formed by spraying a hydrophilic coating material (hereinafter referred to as " hydrophilic material ") such as a silica-based inorganic coating material on the inner surface and the outer surface of the cylindrical member 13 in the rotary tank 7 .

In this case, since the cylindrical member 13 is made of metal, a hydrophilic material is sprayed on the inner surface and the outer surface of the cylindrical member 13, and the cylindrical member 13 is baked to coat the inner surface and the outer surface of the cylindrical member 13. The baking temperature of the hydrophilic material is preferably set to a temperature higher than 250 deg. C, which is generally considered to be the temperature at which the organic material decomposes. For example, it may be set at 300 deg. C and 500 deg. By baking the hydrophilic material at such a high temperature, the organic material contained in the hydrophilic material can be almost or completely decomposed, and the hydrophilic performance film 50 can be formed almost or completely inorganic.

When coating a material of this kind, it is general to perform degreasing treatment to degrease the surface of the substrate before spraying the material onto the substrate. In this embodiment, since the cylindrical member 13, which is a base member, is made of stainless steel, degreasing can be performed using a strongly alkaline degreasing agent such as PH14, for example, in the degreasing treatment performed in advance of the hydrophilic material. Therefore, the hydrophilic material can be injected from the surface of the tubular member 13, which is a base material, with the retaining component removed almost or certainly, and the hydrophilic material becomes easy to be affinity to the surface of the tubular member 13.

In the present embodiment, a hydrophilic material for forming the hydrophilic performance film 50 having at least the following properties is applied. That is, the hydrophilic performance film 50 of the present embodiment has a hydrophilic performance such that the contact angle of water becomes less than the lower limit value of the contact angle of water with respect to the glass. Generally, the lower limit of the contact angle of water to glass is thought to be 20 degrees. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a hydrophilic material forming a hydrophilic performance film 50 having a water contact angle of less than 20 degrees, for example, 13 degrees is applied.

In the present embodiment, a material containing silicon oxide is used as a hydrophilic material for forming the hydrophilic performance film 50. The hydrophilic performance film 50 formed by this hydrophilic material has a pencil hardness of at least 5H . That is, in the hydrophilic performance film 50 of the present embodiment, a strong structure composed of a so-called siloxane skeleton and an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal is formed, whereby the hydrophilic performance film 50 has a rigid hardness It has one structure.

In addition, the hydrophilic performance film 50 of the present embodiment has a silanol group, and its hydrophilic performance is very high. Specifically, the hydrophilic performance film 50 has a hydrophilic property to such an extent that it is possible to remove a general oily ink adhered to the hydrophilic performance film 50 only by bringing it into contact with water. Therefore, even if ink of a general oil pen is adhered to the hydrophilic performance film 50, water is brought into contact with the portion so that the ink is lifted off by water and peeled and removed.

Further, the hydrophilic performance film 50 of the present embodiment is 10 mu m or less in thickness and has a very thin film thickness. That is, in general, when it is desired to increase the hydrophilic performance, it is necessary to repeat the coating of the hydrophilic material, and thus the film thickness of the obtained hydrophilic portion tends to be thickened. In the present embodiment, a hydrophilic material is used in which a hydrophilic performance film 50 having a very high hydrophilic property is formed by coating and baking a hydrophilic material once. Therefore, the hydrophilic performance film 50 having a very high hydrophilic performance can be formed without repeating the coating of the hydrophilic material, whereby the film thickness of the hydrophilic performance film 50 can be suppressed to a thin thickness of 10 탆 or less . In the drawings, the film thickness of the hydrophilic performance film 500 is shown to be larger than the actual thickness for convenience.

The hydrophilic performance film 50 of the present embodiment has a so-called surface roughness of 2 m or less. In this embodiment, a hydrophilic material in which the hydrophilic performance film 50 having a very smooth surface is formed is applied. In addition, the hydrophilic material applied in the present embodiment is milky white in the preliminary state, but becomes transparent so that milky white can hardly be recognized after injection, and becomes almost or completely transparent after baking.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.

The user of the washing machine selects the washing operation in the desired mode by inputting the laundry into the rotary tub 7 and inputting an appropriate amount of the detergent and by operating the operation key 33 on the operation panel 32 Setting. Then, the operation signal is inputted to the control device 35. The control device 35 automatically executes the respective strokes of washing, rinsing and dehydration based on the operation signal and the control program previously provided.

The washing, rinsing and dewatering steps will be briefly described. The control device 35 first carries out the laundry quantity detection before entering the washing cycle. The washing amount detection is performed by rotating the stirring body 17 by the washing machine motor 18 in a state in which the clutch of the driving mechanism 19 is turned off and the brake is turned on and the rotation of the rotating bath 7 is disabled , And then the current value flowing through the washing machine motor 18 is detected by the current sensor 44, and the water level is set based on the magnitude of the measurement result. The control device 35 divides into three levels, for example, a high level, a middle level, and a low level based on the measured amount of laundry.

In Fig. 1, for example, a high-level line is indicated by L1. The water level can also be set by the user with the operation key 33. [ The high water level position L1 is the highest water level during washing and rinsing. In this case, in the tubular member 13 in the rotary tub 7, the hydrophilic performance film 50 is installed up to a position higher than the highest water level L1 during washing and rinsing.

When the water level is set, the control device 35 opens the water supply valve 38 with the drain valve 25 closed and performs water supply to supply water into the tank 5. [ The water supplied in the tank 5 is stored in the tank 5. The water level in the tank 5 is detected by the water level sensor 28. When the detected water level by the water level sensor 28 reaches the set water level, the water supply valve 38 is closed to stop the water supply. Then, the washing operation is carried out by rotating the agitating body 17 by the washing machine motor 18. At this time, the agitating body 17 repeats the forward rotation and the reverse rotation. By the rotation of the stirring member 17, the washing water and the laundry in the rotating tub 7 are stirred and the laundry is washed.

The control device 35 stops the rotation of the agitator 17 and opens the drain valve 25 to discharge the water in the bath 5 to the outside of the room. . The controller 35 turns on the clutch of the driving mechanism 19 and turns off the brake so that the washing machine motor 18 rotates the rotary tub 7 ) Is rotated at a high speed in one direction to perform intermediate dehydration. By this intermediate dewatering, the laundry in the rotating tub 7 is centrifugally dewatered. The controller 35 performs this intermediate dewatering for the set time and then shifts to the next rinsing cycle.

In the rinsing step, water is supplied in the same order as the above-described washing, stirring with the stirring member 17, and drainage. In this case, particularly, the water supply treatment at the time of rinsing will be described with reference to Fig. The control device 35 first closes the drain valve 25 (step A1), turns on the clutch of the drive mechanism 19 and turns off the brake to enable rotation of the rotary tub 7 (step A2 ). Then, the water supply valve 38 is opened to start water supply into the tank 5 (step A3). As a result, the water level of the water stored in the bath 5 rises.

The control device 35 detects the water level in the tank 5 by the water level sensor 28 and determines whether or not the detected water level has reached the predetermined leveling operation start water level L2 (step A4). In this case, the water level L2 for starting the bath cleaning operation is, for example, the position shown in Fig. The water level L2 for starting the bath cleaning operation is set at a lower portion slightly below the middle position in the vertical direction in the rotary tub 7.

If the control device 35 determines that the detected water level in the bath 5 has reached the tank cleaning operation start water level L2, the control device 35 proceeds to step A5 in accordance with "YES" at step A4, (18) rotates the rotary tub (7). By the rotation of the rotary tub 7, the water in the rotary tub 7 ascends along the inner surface of the rotary tub 7 by the centrifugal force and is discharged to the outside of the rotary tub 7 from the dewatering hole 13a. Accordingly, the inner surface of the tub member 13 and the upper surface of the outer surface of the tub member 13 in the rotating tub 7 come into contact with water. As a result, the hydrophilic performance film 50 provided on both the inner and outer surfaces of the cylinder member 13 is also brought into contact with water, so that the anti-fouling function by the hydrophilic performance film 50 is further exerted. The rotational speed of the rotary tub 7 at this time is set to such a degree that the water in the tub 5 does not protrude to the outside of the water tub 6. [

The control device 35 performs this tank cleaning operation until a predetermined set time has elapsed or when the water level in the tank 5 reaches the set water level (steps A6 and A7). When the set time has elapsed until the set water level is reached, the process proceeds to step A8 in accordance with "YES" in step A6 to stop the rotation of the rotary bath 7 and continue watering until the set water level is reached Step A9). When the control device 35 determines that the set water level has been reached, the process proceeds to step A10 to stop the water supply, finish the process, and return to the main routine.

If it is determined that the water level in the tank 5 has reached the set water level before the set time has elapsed in the tank cleaning operation (steps A6 and A7), the process proceeds to step A11 in accordance with YES in step A7, ), The flow advances to step A10 to stop the water supply. In this embodiment, steps A5 to A8 correspond to the sub-cleaning operation.

The controller 35 turns off the clutch of the drive mechanism 19 and turns on the brake so that the rotation of the rotary tub 7 is disabled and the washing machine motor 18 By rotating the stirring body 17, the same rinsing operation as the washing operation is performed. Also in this case, the stirring body 17 repeats forward rotation and reverse rotation. By the rotation of the stirring body 17, the washing water and the laundry in the rotating tub 7 are stirred to rinse the laundry.

The control device 35 stops the rotation of the agitator 17 and opens the drain valve 25 to discharge the water in the bath 5 to the outside of the room. . The controller 35 turns on the clutch of the drive mechanism 19 and turns off the brake so that the rotary tub 7 is rotated by the washing machine motor 18 The intermediate dehydration is performed by rotating at a high speed in one direction.

The control device 35 performs this rinsing cycle twice or three times, performs the final dewatering process at the end of the last rinsing cycle, and ends the washing operation. The final dehydration is carried out in the same manner as the intermediate dehydration. The rinsing may be performed only once.

The washing machine according to the present embodiment is provided with the hydrophilic performance film 50 having a very high hydrophilic performance on the inner and outer surfaces of the tubular member 13 in the rotary tub 7 rotatably provided in the water tub 6 . According to this configuration, the outer surface of the cylindrical member 13, which can not easily be cleaned or the like, can be easily attached to the inner surface of the tubular member 13 in the rotary tub 7, ), So that the anti-fouling function by hydrophilicity can be utilized most effectively in the washing machine.

In addition, since the hydrophilic performance film 50 is provided on the outer surface of the cylindrical member 13 of the rotating turntable 7, when the rotary tub 7 is rotated, The material can be easily removed due to centrifugal force, and the surface of the rotary tub 7 can be kept clean.

Further, the hydrophilic performance film 50 is provided on the entire inner and outer surfaces of the cylindrical member 13 in the rotary tub 7. Therefore, the inner surface and the entire outer surface of the cylindrical member 13 in the rotating tub 7 can be kept clean by the anti-fouling function of the hydrophilic performance film 50. Since the cylindrical member 13 of the rotating tub 7 is made of metal rather than synthetic resin, it can be coated by firing a hydrophilic material on the inner and outer surfaces of the metal portion of the rotary tub 7. As a result, the hydrophilic performance film 50 can be formed which is highly inorganic and strong and has durability.

Further, the hydrophilic performance film 50 has a contact angle of water less than the lower limit value of the contact angle of water with respect to the glass, and also has a silanol group. Therefore, the hydrophilic performance film 50 exhibits a very high hydrophilic performance. This makes it easier for water to enter between the surface of the hydrophilic performance film 50 and the contaminant adhered to the hydrophilic performance film 50 and to remove the contaminants adhering to the hydrophilic performance film 50 can do.

In addition, the hydrophilic performance film 50 has a silicon oxide and a hardness property that the pencil hardness is 5H or more. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the hydrophilic performance film 50 from being scratched or the hydrophilic performance film 50 from being peeled off. In addition, the hydrophilic performance film 50 has a thickness of 10 탆 or less, and a very thin hydrophilic performance film 50 is realized. The hydrophilic performance film 50 has a hydrophilic performance film 50 having a surface roughness of 2 탆 or less and a very smooth surface.

The screw 16a made of metal attached to the rotary tub 7 may also be provided with the hydrophilic performance film 50. [ In the case of forming the hydrophilic performance film 50 on the metal screw 16a, it is not necessary to form the hydrophilic performance film 50 on the entire screw, and the hydrophilic performance film 50 is formed on the surface of the screw head, Formation is sufficient. Further, the hydrophilic performance film 50 may be provided on the outer surface of the reinforcing member 15 made of metal.

Further, the hydrophilic performance film 50 may be colored. That is, as the hydrophilic material forming the hydrophilic performance film 50, a material in which the color remains after the dispersion on the substrate and after the firing may be applied. As a result, it is possible to easily confirm whether or not the formed hydrophilic performance film 50 has any unevenness, for example, by naked eyes, and for example, to specify a rotary tank in which the hydrophilic performance film 50 is not formed uniformly as a defective product . In addition, a rust prevention effect by the hydrophilic performance film 50 can be expected.

Particularly in the upper part of the outer surface of the cylindrical member 13 in the rotary tub 7 there is less chance of contact with water and the hydrophilic performance film 50 is provided thereon. It is feared that the antifouling function by the antifouling performance can not be sufficiently exhibited. In the case of the present embodiment, the hydrophilic performance film 50 is provided on the peripheral wall of the rotary tub 7 to a position higher than the highest water level L1 during washing and rinsing. Therefore, in the normal washing operation, the upper part of the outer surface of the cylindrical member 13 in the rotary tub 7 is less likely to come into contact with water. In this respect, in the present embodiment, the tank cleaning operation for rotating the rotary tub 7 in a state where water is contained in the tub 5 is performed. This raises the water in the rotating tub 7 to increase the chance of water coming into contact with the upper part of the outer surface of the tub member 13 of the rotating tub 7, The anti-fouling function by the anti-fouling agent 50 is easily exhibited.

The water level L2 for starting the crude cleaning operation which is the water level of the water stored in the water tank 6 when the crude cleaning operation is performed is lower than the upper position of the hydrophilic performance film 50 in the cylindrical member 13 of the rotary tank 7 Location. However, by rotating the rotating bath 7, it is possible to raise the water in the rotating bath 7 and to bring the water to the vicinity of the upper end position of the hydrophilic performance film 50. Further, the crude cleaning operation can be carried out at the time of water supply at the time of rinsing, so that the cleaning can be carried out efficiently without a separate step.

(Second Embodiment)

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. In this embodiment, the crude cleaning operation as described above is performed at the time of drainage in the rinsing cycle. In the state where the rinsing operation by the stirring of the stirring body 17 is completed, water is accumulated in the water tank 6. [

The controller 35 opens the drain valve 25 to start the drainage (step B1), turns on the clutch of the drive mechanism 19 and turns off the brake, (Step B2). The control device 35 continues to drain water until the water level in the bath 5 reaches a preset level L3 for starting the washing operation (see Fig. 1) (step B3). The water level L3 for starting the crude cleaning operation in this case is set to be slightly higher than the water level L2 for starting the crude cleaning operation at the time of water supply in the first embodiment.

When the control device 35 determines that the detected water level in the bath 5 has reached the bath cleaning operation starting water level L3, the control device 35 proceeds to step B4 in accordance with "YES" in step B3, And the rotary tub 7 is rotated by the motor 18. As described above, the water in the rotary tub 7 is raised by the centrifugal force along the inner surface of the rotary tub 7 by the rotation of the rotary tub 7, and the water from the dehydrating hole 13a to the outside of the rotary tub 7 . Accordingly, the inner surface of the tubular member 13 in the rotating tub 7 and the upper portion of the outer surface thereof are brought into contact with water. As a result, the hydrophilic performance film 50 provided on both the inner and outer surfaces of the cylindrical member 13 is also brought into contact with water, so that the anti-fouling function by the hydrophilic performance film 50 is further exerted. This is the bath cleaning operation.

At this time, the control device 35 raises the rotational speed of the rotary tub 7 more slowly than in the case of ordinary intermediate dehydration or final dehydration, and then raises the rotational speed to the normal rotational speed at the time of dewatering, The centrifugal dehydration is performed. In this case, if the rotational speed of the rotary tub 7 is raised as in the case of ordinary intermediate dehydration or final dehydration, the amount of water discharged from the rotary tub 7 is large, There is a possibility that the noise generated when bouncing to the outside of the water tub 6 or colliding with the water tub 6 becomes large. In this regard, by increasing the rotational speed of the rotary tub 7 more slowly than in the case of ordinary intermediate dehydration or final dehydration, the water discharged from the rotary tub 7 bounces to the outside of the water tub 6, 6 can be suppressed from increasing.

The control device 35 continues rotating the rotary tub 7 until the predetermined set time elapses, and dehydrates the laundry (step B5). When the set time has elapsed, the control device 35 proceeds to step B6 in accordance with "Yes" in step B5, determines the rotation of the rotating bath 7, terminates the process, and returns to the main routine. In this embodiment, drainage, bath cleaning operation, and dehydration are continuously performed. In this embodiment, steps B4 and B5 correspond to the crude cleaning operation.

In this second embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

(Third Embodiment)

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. In this embodiment, the crude cleaning operation is performed after the normal washing operation is completed. When the crude cleaning operation is performed after the normal washing operation is completed, for example, by setting the mode by the operation of the operation keys 33 on the operation panel 32 by the user before starting the washing operation do.

5, the controller 35 terminates the washing operation (step C1), and notifies the buzzer or the like of the completion of the washing operation (step C2). Based on the notification, the user takes out the laundry in the rotary tub 7. It is necessary to open the outer lid 30 and the inner lid 12 in order for the user to take out the laundry in the rotary tub 7. Further, the user closes the inner lid 12 and the outer lid 30 when the laundry is taken out. The control device 35 detects the opening and closing of the outer lid 30 by the lid switch 31 and detects that the outer lid 30 is once opened and then closed (steps C3 and C4) It is judged that the laundry is taken out.

Thereafter, the control device 35 waits for the operation of the specific key (step C5). In this case, after the user takes out the laundry, a specific key, such as a start key, is operated among the operation keys 33 on the operation panel 32. When it is determined that the specific key has been operated, the control device 35 proceeds to step C6 in accordance with "Yes" in step C5, turns off the clutch in the drive mechanism 19, and turns on the brake. Thereby, only the stirring body 17 can be rotated in a state where the rotation of the rotating bath 7 is restricted.

Then, the control device 35 performs laundry presence / absence detection (step C7). The presence or absence of laundry is detected by rotating the stirrer body 17 by the washing machine motor 18 and by measuring the magnitude of the load applied to the stirrer body 17 by the detected value of the rotation sensor 43 or the current sensor 44 . If it is determined in step C8 that there is no laundry as a result of the laundry presence / absence detection, the control device 35 proceeds to step C9 and executes the later-described washing cleaning process. If it is determined in step C8 that the laundry is present, the process proceeds to step C10 according to " NO " to notify that the laundry remains in the buzzer or the like, and then returns to step C3.

If the opening of the outer lid 30 is detected even after the lapse of a predetermined time, the operator is notified of the abnormality and the process is terminated. It may be terminated.

Next, the crude cleaning process (C9) will be described with reference to Fig. The control device 35 first closes the drain valve 25 (step D1), turns on the clutch of the drive mechanism 19 and turns off the brake to enable rotation of the rotary bath 7 (step D2 ). Then, the water supply valve 38 is opened to start water supply into the tank 5 (step D3). As a result, the water level of the water stored in the bath 5 rises. The control device 35 controls the water level in the tank 5 until the water level in the tank 5 reaches L3 at the same level as the water level for starting the tank cleaning operation in advance and in this case, (Step D4).

The controller 35 closes the water supply valve 38 to stop the water supply (step D5), and when the water level in the tank 5 reaches the tank cleaning operation start water level L3, (Step D6), and the drain valve 25 is opened to start drainage (step D7). The water in the rotary tub 7 is raised by the centrifugal force along the inner surface of the rotary tub 7 by the rotation of the rotary tub 7 and is discharged to the outside of the rotary tub 7 from the dehydrating hole 13a. As a result, the inner surface of the tub member 13 and the upper surface of the outer surface of the tub member 13 in the rotating tub 7 come into contact with water. As a result, the hydrophilic performance film 50 provided on both the inner and outer surfaces of the cylinder member 13 is also brought into contact with water, so that the anti-fouling function by the hydrophilic performance film 50 is further exerted. The rotational speed of the rotary tub 7 at this time is also set to such a degree that the water in the bath 5 does not protrude to the outside of the water tub 6. [ In this case, the tank cleaning operation is performed in which the rotating tub 7 is rotated while draining the water stored in the tub 5.

The control device 35 performs this cleaning operation until a predetermined set time has elapsed (step D8), and when the set time has elapsed, the control device 35 shifts to step D9 to stop the rotation of the rotating bath 7 and end the process do.

According to the third embodiment, after completion of the washing operation, the bath cleaning operation can be performed in a state in which there is no laundry in the rotary tub 7. As a result, the anti-fouling function by the hydrophilic performance film 50 can be further exerted.

(Fourth Embodiment)

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. The fourth embodiment is similar to the above-described third embodiment in that the cleaning process is performed after the end of the washing operation, but the content of the cleaning process differs from that of the third embodiment in the following points. That is, after the water supply is started in step D3, the controller 35 continues watering until the water level in the tank 5 reaches the water level L2 for starting the tank cleaning operation in step D10. The level L2 for starting the crude cleaning operation in this case is set to the same level as the level L2 for starting the crude cleaning operation at the time of water supply in the first embodiment.

When the control device 35 determines that the water level in the tank 5 has reached the tank cleaning operation start water level L2, the control device 35 proceeds to step D11 in accordance with "YES", and continues to feed water to the washing machine motor 18 Thereby rotating the rotary tub 7 (step D11). By the rotation of the rotary tub 7, the water in the rotary tub 7 ascends along the inner surface of the rotary tub 7 by the centrifugal force and is discharged to the outside of the rotary tub 7 from the dewatering hole 13a. Accordingly, the inner surface and the outer surface of the cylindrical member 13 in the rotating tub 7 come into contact with the water up to the upper portion. As a result, the hydrophilic performance film 50 provided on both the inner and outer surfaces of the cylinder member 13 is also brought into contact with water, so that the anti-fouling function by the hydrophilic performance film 50 is further exerted. In this case, the bath cleaning operation is performed in which the rotary bath 7 is rotated while supplying water into the bath 5. [

The control device 35 performs this tank cleaning operation until a predetermined set time has elapsed (step D12). When the set time has elapsed, the control device 35 proceeds to step D13 to stop the rotation of the rotary tank 7, The drain valve 25 is opened and drained (step D14), and the process is terminated.

Even in the fourth embodiment, it is possible to perform the crude cleaning operation in the state where there is no laundry in the rotary tub 7 after the end of the washing operation. As a result, the anti-fouling function by the hydrophilic performance film 50 can be further exerted.

(Other Embodiments)

In each of the embodiments described above, the hydrophilic performance film 50 having excellent hydrophilicity is exemplified as the antifouling functional portion, but a water repellent performance film having excellent water repellency may be applied as the antifouling functional portion. Examples of the material of the water-repellent performance film include fluorine resin and water-repellent silicone.

As described above, the washing machine of the present embodiment is provided with the antifouling function portion on the outer surface of the rotating tub provided rotatably in the water tub. According to this configuration, the outer surface of the rotary tub, which is a part that can not be easily handled by the washing machine and can not easily be cleaned, can be kept clean, and the anti-fouling function by the anti-fouling function can be utilized most effectively. Further, a crude cleaning operation is performed to rotate the rotating bath in a state in which water is contained in the water bath. With this structure, the water in the rotary tub is raised to increase the chance that the water comes into contact with the upper part of the outer surface of the rotary tub, and the function of the anti-fouling function by the anti-flaw function portion tends to be more exerted to the upper surface of the rotary tub. As a result, it is possible to more effectively utilize the antifouling effect by the antifouling functional portion.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are provided as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and alterations can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims (8)

A water tank installed in the washing machine body,
A rotating tub which is rotatably provided around the shaft vertically oriented in the water tub and has a dewatering hole in the peripheral wall portion,
And control means for controlling the washing operation from washing to dehydration,
An antifouling function unit is provided on the outer surface of the rotating tub,
And the control means executes a crude cleaning operation for rotating the rotary bath in a state in which water is contained in the water tank. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the anti-fouling function unit is installed on an outer surface of the rotary tub to a position higher than a maximum water level during washing and rinsing. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
And the water level of the water stored in the water tank during the crude washing operation is lower than the upper position of the antifouling functional unit. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Wherein the water level of the water stored in the water tank during the tank cleaning operation is the lower portion of the tank, and raises the water in the tank by rotating the tank. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the crude cleaning operation is performed at the time of rinsing in the washing operation. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the tank washing operation is performed such that water is left in the water tank while the water in the water tank is drained. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the crude cleaning operation is performed when draining the rinsing in the washing operation. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the crude washing operation is performed after the washing operation is completed.

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