Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
  • D06F33/00—Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers 
  • D06F33/30—Control of washing machines characterised by the purpose or target of the control 
  • D06F33/48—Preventing or reducing imbalance or noise
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
  • D06F2103/00—Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
  • D06F2103/26—Imbalance; Noise level
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
  • D06F34/00—Details of control systems for washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
  • D06F34/14—Arrangements for detecting or measuring specific parameters
  • D06F34/16—Imbalance
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
  • D06F37/00—Details specific to washing machines covered by groups D06F21/00 - D06F25/00
  • D06F37/20—Mountings, e.g. resilient mountings, for the rotary receptacle, motor, tub or casing; Preventing or damping vibrations
  • D06F37/22—Mountings, e.g. resilient mountings, for the rotary receptacle, motor, tub or casing; Preventing or damping vibrations in machines with a receptacle rotating or oscillating about a horizontal axis
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
  • D06F37/00—Details specific to washing machines covered by groups D06F21/00 - D06F25/00
  • D06F37/20—Mountings, e.g. resilient mountings, for the rotary receptacle, motor, tub or casing; Preventing or damping vibrations
  • D06F37/24—Mountings, e.g. resilient mountings, for the rotary receptacle, motor, tub or casing; Preventing or damping vibrations in machines with a receptacle rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method of installing a laundry machine.
• the installation method according to the present invention may be used to particular advantage for a washing machine, to which the following description refers purely by way of example.
• the vibration generated by the washing machine may be resonance-amplified to an unacceptable noise level.
• drum rotation speeds at which resonance phenomena occur mainly depend, however, on installation conditions, and in particular on the type of floor, optimum drum rotation speed varies from one machine to another and from one installation to another, so that it is practically impossible to determine beforehand, at the manufacturing stage, the rotation speeds at which resonance phenomena occur and which are therefore to be avoided.
• US5930855A1 describes a method of optimizing the rotation speed of a washing machine drum to minimize vibration of the machine: the washing machine employs an accelerometer to sense machine vibration, and a computer software program monitors, records, and compares machine vibrations over a range of rotation speeds to determine a rotation speed which minimizes machine vibration.
• Number 1 in the attached drawing indicates as a whole a washing machine comprising a casing 2 resting on a floor 3 on a number of feet 4.
• Casing 2 supports a revolving drum 5 (defining a wash tub) which rotates about a horizontal rotation axis 6 (in alternative embodiments not shown, rotation axis 6 may be tilted or vertical), and front access to which is closed by a door 7 hinged to casing 2.
• Drum 5 is rotated about rotation axis 6 by an electric motor 8 connected to drum 5 by a transmission system, which comprises a belt 9 connecting a pulley 10, fitted to the shaft of drum 5, directly to a pulley 11 fitted to the shaft of electric motor 8.
• electric motor 8 is coaxial with drum 5, and the shaft of drum 5 is connected rigidly to the shaft of electric motor 8.
• Electric motor 8 is equipped with a drive system 12; and a tachometer generator 13 (or other equivalent speed-sensing device) for measuring the speed of electric motor 8 and therefore the rotation speed of drum 5.
• Drive system 12 of the motor is preferably operated on the basis of the difference between the command (desired) speed and the actual speed as read by tachometer generator 13.
• Washing machine 1 also comprises a control unit 14, which receives user commands from a user interface 15, and controls overall operation of washing machine 1.
• Control unit 14 is connected to a machine vibration-sensing accelerometer 16.
• accelerometer 16 is fixed to casing 2 of washing machine 1 , close to one foot 4.
• accelerometer 16 is fixed to a foot 4 of casing 2.
• accelerometer 16 is fixed to floor 3, close to one foot 4.
• Control unit 14 implements a method of installing washing machine 1 to determine the rotation speeds at which machine vibration is maximum and/or minimum, and so identify the rotation speeds at which resonance phenomena occur.
• the method of installing washing machine 1 comprises the steps of emptying drum 5 completely; providing the empty drum 5 with a predetermined unbalance; and then accelerating and/or decelerating drum 5 over a range of speeds.
• control unit 14 senses the rotation speeds of drum 5 by means of tachometer generator 13, and senses machine vibration by means of accelerometer 16 over the range of speeds (in an alternative embodiment, vibration- sensing accelerometer 16 is replaced by a different type of motion sensor).
• control unit 14 compares machine vibration over the range of speeds, and determines the rotation speeds at which machine vibration is maximum and/or minimum.
• the predetermined unbalance of drum 5 is only added to determine the rotation speeds at which machine vibration is maximum and/or minimum, and is therefore defined by a calibrated mass 17 which is fixed temporarily in a predetermined position to an inner surface of drum 5 before accelerating and/or decelerating drum 5, and which is removed after accelerating and/or decelerating drum 5.
• the predetermined unbalance of drum 5 is intrinsic and permanent (i.e. is always present, even during normal use), and is defined by a calibrated mass 17 fixed to an outer surface of drum 5.
• calibrated mass 17 is much lighter than the nominal working load of drum 5, and is for example more than 50 g and between 50 g and 100 g.
• the step of accelerating and/or decelerating drum 5 over a range of speeds comprises accelerating drum 5 steadily from zero to maximum rotation speed with a spinning ramp (for example a linear spinning ramp), and then decelerating drum 5 steadily from maximum rotation speed to zero with a spinning ramp (for example a linear spinning ramp).
• a spinning ramp for example a linear spinning ramp
• the above installation method has numerous advantages, by being easy to implement and highly effective and efficient.
• the above installation method is highly effective by accurately and quickly determining real installation conditions using a predetermined unbalance of known position and weight.
• the above installation method is efficient by only being performed once, after the washing machine is actually installed, and by not having to be repeated at each wash cycle.
• the above installation method also applies to any other kind of laundry machine, such as a drier.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Control Of Washing Machine And Dryer (AREA)
• Accessory Of Washing/Drying Machine, Commercial Washing/Drying Machine, Other Washing/Drying Machine (AREA)
• Detail Structures Of Washing Machines And Dryers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=37685799

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (4)

• 2006
  • 2006-07-25 DE DE602006006050T patent/DE602006006050D1/de active Active
  • 2006-07-25 PL PL06117836T patent/PL1882770T3/pl unknown
  • 2006-07-25 EP EP06117836A patent/EP1882770B1/de not_active Not-in-force
  • 2006-07-25 AT AT06117836T patent/ATE427375T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2006-07-25 ES ES06117836T patent/ES2321645T3/es active Active
• 2007
  • 2007-07-25 WO PCT/EP2007/006591 patent/WO2008012077A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (4)

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