WO2012114715A1

WO2012114715A1 - Drum-type washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2012114715A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/001115
Authority: WO
Inventors: 田口　智之; 井上　豊; 伊丹　雅洋
Original assignee: パナソニック株式会社
Priority date: 2011-02-23
Filing date: 2012-02-20
Publication date: 2012-08-30
Also published as: EP2604733B1; JP2012170684A; EP2604733A4; JP5753974B2; EP2604733A1; EP2604733B9; CN103080405A; CN103080405B

Abstract

This drum-type washing machine is configured such that during the draining step the draining operation is restarted by rotating a rotation drum (43) in the forward direction, stopping the rotation of the rotation drum (43) when the vibration value of a water tank (42) detected by means of a vibration detecting unit (78) surpasses a threshold value, and then by rotating the rotation drum (43) in the reverse direction. As a consequence, it is possible to prevent abnormities to occur due to unbalance and to prevent the operation from stopping before completing the draining step.

Description

Drum washing machine

The present invention relates to a drum type washing machine for washing laundry stored in a rotating drum.

Conventionally, for example, a washing machine described in Patent Document 1 is known as this type of drum type washing and drying machine. In the washing machine disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to eliminate the abnormality of clothing bunlance that occurs during dehydration, dehydration is temporarily stopped, the rotation of the rotating drum is stopped, the unevenness of the clothes is corrected, and then the rotating drum is rotated again. A control method is employed in which the dehydrating operation is performed a predetermined number of times.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the dehydration process in the conventional drum type washing machine described in Patent Document 1.

When the dehydration process starts in step 100, a drain operation is performed in step 101. Thereafter, in step 102, the rotating drum is rotated forward and backward (unwinding step) at a predetermined rotational speed (for example, about 40 r / min) in order to loosen the laundry such as the garbled clothes.

Next, in Step 103, the rotational speed of the rotating drum is gradually increased to a rotational speed (about 70 r / min) at which the laundry sticks to the inner surface of the rotating drum. Thereafter, in step 104, the rotational speed of the rotary drum is increased to a rotational speed lower than the primary resonant rotational speed (for example, about 80 r / min), and control is performed to maintain the rotational speed for a predetermined time. Further, at this time, rotation unevenness, that is, presence / absence of an imbalance abnormality is detected. If there is an unbalance abnormality exceeding a predetermined level, it is determined that the rotation unevenness is large and the laundry is in a poor balance state, and the routine proceeds to step 105.

In Step 105, it is determined whether or not N = 4 (N indicates the number of times Step 102 to Step 104 were performed). If N is less than 4, the rotating drum is temporarily stopped in

step

106, 1 is added to N at the present time in step 107, and the process returns to step 102. When the operation from Step 102 to Step 107 is repeated and N becomes 4 or more, it is considered that the unevenness of the laundry has not been eliminated in the loosening process of Step 102, and the process proceeds to Step 108.

In step 108, it is determined whether or not N = 10. If N is less than 10, the process proceeds to step 110. In step 110, the operation of supplying washing water into the rotating drum to correct the unevenness of the laundry is performed. After the operation ends, the process returns to step 101. On the other hand, if N is 10 or more at step 108, the routine proceeds to step 109. In step 109, it is considered that the unevenness of the laundry could not be resolved, an imbalance abnormality is displayed, and the operation is stopped.

On the other hand, if there is no unbalance abnormality greater than or equal to the predetermined value in step 104, it is determined that the rotation unevenness is small and the laundry is well balanced, and the process proceeds to step 111.

In step 111, the rotational speed of the rotating drum is increased to the vicinity of the primary resonance rotational speed (for example, 120 to 140 r / min), and the presence / absence of an imbalance abnormality at the rotational speed is determined by an output signal (vibration output). (Also referred to as a value). If an unbalance abnormality has occurred, the routine proceeds to step 105. If there is no unbalance abnormality and it is normal, the routine proceeds to step 112.

In step 112, the rotational speed of the rotating drum is increased to the vicinity of the secondary resonance rotational speed (for example, 141 to 330 r / min), and whether or not there is an imbalance abnormality at the rotational speed is determined by the output signal from the vibration detection unit. The If an unbalance abnormality has occurred, the routine proceeds to step 105. If there is no unbalance abnormality and it is normal, the routine proceeds to step 113.

In step 113, the rotational speed of the rotating drum is increased to the vicinity of the rotating speed (for example, 800 to 900 r / min) that makes it difficult to eliminate the sticking of the laundry to the rotating drum. Presence / absence is determined by an output signal from the vibration detection unit. If an unbalance abnormality has occurred, the routine proceeds to step 105. If there is no unbalance abnormality and it is normal, the routine proceeds to step 114.

In step 114, the rotational speed of the rotating drum is increased to a rotating speed (for example, 900 r / min or more) that makes it difficult to eliminate the sticking of the laundry to the rotating drum, and whether there is an imbalance abnormality at the rotating speed. This is determined by the output signal from the vibration detection unit. If there is no unbalance abnormality and it is normal, the routine proceeds to step 115.

In step 115, the rotational speed of the rotating drum is gradually increased toward the maximum rotational speed, and each time the rotational speed is increased, the process returns to step 114 to determine whether or not there is an imbalance abnormality at the rotational speed. . If there is no unbalance abnormality and it is normal, the routine proceeds to step 115 where the rotational speed of the rotating drum is increased to the maximum rotational speed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 117. On the other hand, if an unbalance abnormality has occurred, the routine proceeds to step 116 where the rotating drum is operated for a predetermined time while maintaining the rotational speed at which the unbalance abnormality has occurred. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 117. In step 117, the rotation of the rotating drum is stopped. Thereafter, the process proceeds to the next step of step 118.

JP 2009-213803 A

The conventional drum type washing machine is configured such that when an imbalance abnormality occurs, the rotation of the rotating drum is once stopped and the loosening process is performed, and then the dewatering operation is performed again. At this time, the rotation direction of the rotating drum is always a constant direction. For this reason, the vibration mode of the water tank is almost the same every time. As a result, even if the dehydrating operation is performed again a predetermined number of times, the imbalance abnormality is not resolved, and the operation of the washing machine is often stopped before the dehydrating process is completed. This is particularly noticeable when a small amount of clothing is dehydrated. That is, in the conventional drum type washing machine, there is a problem that there is a high probability that the operation of the washing machine is stopped before the dehydration process is completed.

An object of the present invention is to solve the conventional problems described above, and to provide a drum-type washing machine that can suppress the occurrence of an imbalance abnormality and stop the operation before the dehydration process is completed. It is to provide.

In order to solve the above problems, the drum-type washing machine of the present invention includes:
A rotating drum whose rotating shaft is inclined downward from the horizontal or front side to the back side;
A water tank containing the rotating drum;
A motor for rotating the rotating drum;
A washing machine housing that elastically supports the lower side of the water tank by means of an anti-vibration damper and two support dampers;
A vibration detector provided in the water tank;
A controller that controls the motor and executes a washing process including a dehydration process,
In the dehydration step, the control unit rotates the rotating drum in a normal rotation direction, and stops the rotation of the rotating drum when the vibration value of the water tank detected by the vibration detection unit exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Thereafter, the rotating drum is rotated in the reverse direction to perform the dehydration operation again.

According to the drum type washing machine of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of an imbalance abnormality and to stop the operation before the dehydration process is completed.

These and other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this drawing,
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a drum-type washing machine in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the interior of the drum type washing machine of FIG. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a part of the configuration related to the control device of the drum type washing machine of FIG. 4A is a control flowchart of a dehydration process in the drum type washing machine of FIG. 4B is a control flowchart of a dehydration process in the drum type washing machine of FIG. FIG. 5 is a control flowchart of the dehydration process in the conventional drum type washing machine.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotating drum whose rotating shaft is inclined downward from the horizontal or front side toward the back side;
A water tank containing the rotating drum;
A motor for rotating the rotating drum;
A washing machine housing that elastically supports the lower side of the water tank by means of an anti-vibration damper and two support dampers;
A vibration detector provided in the water tank;
A controller that controls the motor and executes a washing process including a dehydration process,
In the dehydration step, the control unit rotates the rotating drum in a normal rotation direction, and stops the rotation of the rotating drum when the vibration value of the water tank detected by the vibration detection unit exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Then, a drum type washing machine is provided in which the rotating drum is rotated in the reverse direction to perform the dewatering operation again.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the anti-vibration damper is provided such that a compressive force received from the rotating drum rotating in the forward rotation direction is greater than that of the two support dampers. A drum-type washing machine according to one aspect is provided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the control unit, after the vibration value of the water tank detected by the vibration detection unit exceeds a predetermined threshold in the dehydration step, stops the rotation of the rotating drum, When the rotation value of the water tank detected by the vibration detection unit exceeds a predetermined threshold, the dehydration operation in the normal rotation direction is performed again to rotate the rotating drum again in the normal rotation direction. After the rotation of the rotating drum is stopped, the drum type washing machine according to the first or second aspect is provided, in which the dewatering operation in the reverse direction is performed to rotate the rotating drum in the reverse direction.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the vibration-proof damper is provided on the right side of the rotating shaft of the rotating drum when viewed from the front, and the forward rotation direction is any one of the first to third aspects in which the rotating direction is counterclockwise. The drum type washing machine described in 1. is provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the vibration-proof damper is provided on the left side of the rotating shaft of the rotating drum when viewed from the front, and the forward rotation direction is any one of the first to third aspects in which the rotating direction is clockwise. The drum type washing machine described in 1. is provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a drum type washing machine in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the interior of the drum type washing machine of FIG. 1 as viewed from the front.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a water tank unit 49 is provided inside the washing machine housing 41. The water tank unit 49 includes a water tank 42, a rotating drum 43, and a motor 45. The water tub 42 is swingably disposed inside the washing machine casing 41. A rotating drum 43 is rotatably disposed in the water tank 42. A rotation shaft (rotation center shaft) 44 extending in the horizontal direction is provided at the rotation center portion of the rotation drum 43. A motor 45 disposed near the back side of the water tank 42 is connected to the rotating shaft 44 via a belt 46. The motor 45 rotates the rotating drum 43 in the forward direction or the reverse direction. Several protrusion plates 47 for stirring the laundry are provided on the inner wall surface of the rotating drum 43. In addition, a large number of water passage holes 48 are provided on the outer peripheral wall of the rotating drum 43.

The water tank 42 is supported by two support dampers 51 for damping vibration isolation and one vibration isolation damper 91 attached to the lower part of the washing machine housing 41. A plurality of spring bodies 50 are provided between the upper part of the washing machine housing 41 and the water tub 42 as shown in FIG. The water tank 42 is supported by a plurality of spring bodies 50 in a vibration-proof manner.

The two support dampers 51 are dampers provided for the purpose of supporting the water tank 42 and suppressing vibrations. As shown in FIG. 2, the two support dampers 51 are arranged symmetrically when viewed from the front. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the two support dampers 51 are disposed on the front side of the center of gravity position G in the front-rear direction of the water tank unit 49. The anti-vibration damper 91 is a damper provided mainly for the purpose of suppressing the vibration of the water tank 42. As shown in FIG. 1, the anti-vibration damper 91 is disposed on the back side of the gravity center position G. In addition, the vibration damping damper 91 is connected to the washing machine casing 41 by a casing support section 93 and is connected to the water tank 42 by a water tank support section 94. The anti-vibration damper 91 may be indirectly connected to the washing machine casing 41 and the water tank support portion 94 via another member. The water tank 42 is supported by the

respective dampers

51 and 91 in a well-balanced manner and is damped and vibration-proof.

In the present embodiment, friction dampers are used as the

dampers

51 and 91. A friction pad (not shown) is housed inside the friction damper. A frictional force is generated by friction between the friction pad and a tube (not shown), and the frictional force becomes a damping force that suppresses vibration of the water tank 42.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the vibration damping damper 91 is provided so that the compressive force received from the rotating drum 43 rotating in the normal rotation direction (left rotation) A is larger than that of the two support dampers 51. Yes. In other words, the anti-vibration damper 91 has a normal rotation direction with respect to a straight line connecting the housing support portion 93 and the water tank support portion 94 to the straight line connecting the center position O of the water tank support portion 93 and the water tank support portion 94 when viewed from the front. It is provided on the upstream side of A so as to be inclined at an angle α.

Further, the vibration proof damper 91 is provided such that the inclination angle with respect to the bottom surface of the washing machine casing 41 extending in the horizontal direction is smaller than that of the support damper 51. As a result, the vibration damping damper 91 exhibits a greater damping effect particularly with respect to vibration in the horizontal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 2).

The damping force of the support damper 51 and the damping force of the vibration damping damper 91 may be the same, or the damping force of the vibration damping damper 91 may be slightly weaker than the damping force of the support damper 51.

Also, the washing machine casing 41 is provided with a housing opening at a position facing the clothing entrance 53 of the rotary drum 43. A lid 52 is provided so as to cover the opening of the casing so as to be freely opened and closed. By opening the lid 52, the laundry can be taken in and out of the rotary drum 43 through the clothing entrance 53. The front portion of the water tank 42 and the housing opening are connected by a seal packing 92. The seal packing 92 is provided so as to suppress vibration of the water tub unit 49 and perform a watertight seal so that water does not enter the space between the washing machine casing 41 and the water tub 42. When the lid body 52 is closed, the lid body 52 and the seal packing 92 are brought into close contact with each other, and the inside of the washing machine casing 41 is sealed.

Further, a control device 81 is provided at the upper part in the washing machine housing 41. The control device 81 is configured by a microcomputer or the like. The control device 81 controls the motor 45, the first electromagnetic valve 57, the second electromagnetic valve 58, the drainage pump 63, and the circulation pump 67 in accordance with the mode setting and control program, and performs a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dehydrating process. The washing process including is executed.

Further, inside the washing machine casing 41, a water supply path 54 for supplying washing water (for example, tap water) into the water tank 42, and drainage for discharging the washing water in the water tank 42 to the outside of the washing machine casing 41. A path 55 and a water circulation path 56 for circulating the wash water in the water tank 42 are provided.

The water supply path 54 includes a first water supply hose 59, a second water supply hose 60, a detergent container 61, and a water supply path 62.

The first water supply hose 59 is provided with a first electromagnetic valve 57. The second water supply hose 60 is provided with a second electromagnetic valve 58. The detergent storage 61 stores a drawer (not shown) for storing the detergent and the soft finish so that it can be pulled out from the outside. By opening the first electromagnetic valve 57 or the second electromagnetic valve 58, the washing water flows into the first water supply hose 59 or the second water supply hose 60. The washing water that has flowed into the first water supply hose 59 or the second water supply hose 60 passes through the detergent storage 61 and the water supply path 62 and is supplied into the water tank 42.

The drainage path 55 includes a drain pipe 64, a filter case 88, a drain pump 63, and a drain hose 66.

The drain pipe 64 is connected to a drain port 95 provided in the recess 71 at the bottom of the water tank 42 and a filter case 88. Inside the filter case 88, a lint filter 65 that collects lint in the washing water is provided. The lint filter 65 is configured to be removable by pulling a filter knob 89 provided at the lower front portion of the washing machine housing 41 outward.

The drain pump 63 is connected to the filter case 88 and the drain hose 66. The drain hose 66 is provided so as to extend from the inside of the washing machine casing 41 to the upper outside of the washing machine casing 41. When the drainage pump 63 is driven at a predetermined timing such as at the end of the washing process or at the end of the rinsing process, the washing water in the water tank 42 causes the drainage pipe 64, the filter case 88, the drainage pump 63, and the drainage hose 66 to move. It passes through in order and is drained to the outside.

In the present embodiment, the filter case 88 is disposed in the lower right part of the front surface of the washing machine housing 41 in order to improve the operability of the filter knob 89. In the present embodiment, the drainage port 95 is provided on the right side of the vertical center of the water tank 42 as viewed from the front in order to efficiently pipe the drainage pipe 64.

The water circulation path 56 is provided to circulate the washing water in the water tank 42 at a predetermined timing such as during the pre-washing process, the washing process, or the rinsing process. The water circulation path 56 allows the detergent to dissolve in the washing water at an early stage, and prevents the detergent from being biased. As a result, the ability of the drum type washing machine to be easily washed is improved.

The water circulation path 56 includes a drain pipe 64, a filter case 88, an inflow side path 68, a circulation pump 67, a discharge side path 69, and a jet outlet 70. The inflow side path 68 is a path that connects the filter case 88 and the circulation pump 67. The discharge side path 69 is a path that connects the circulation pump 67 and the ejection port 70. The spout 70 is provided in the front part of the water tank 42 so that the washing water passing through the discharge side passage 69 is discharged into the rotary drum 43.

When the circulation pump 67 is driven, the washing water in the water tank 42 sequentially passes through the drain pipe 64, the filter case 88, the inflow side path 68, the circulation pump 67, the discharge side path 69, and the jet outlet 70, and is indicated by a solid arrow. Is discharged into the rotating drum 43 as circulating water indicated by. A plurality of jet nozzles 70 are provided side by side in the circumferential direction of the rotary drum 43. Thereby, the circulating water is sprinkled from a plurality of directions toward the laundry in the rotating drum 43.

In addition, in a recess 71 formed at the bottom of the water tank 42 and connected to the drain pipe 64, a heater 72 made of a sheathed heater or the like is provided to heat the washing water. The heater 72 is arranged such that its longitudinal direction coincides with or substantially coincides with the horizontal direction. The washing water in the water tank 42 is heated by the heater 72.

The washing water heated by the heater 72 is circulated through the water circulation path 56, discharged into the rotary drum 43, and sprinkled on the laundry. Thereafter, the washing water sprinkled on the laundry moves into the water tank 42 through the water passage hole 48 and is heated by the heater 72. These operations are repeated. By heating the wash water, the molecular activity of the wash water is activated and the detergent is activated. As a result, the washing ability of the washing water is improved, and washing unevenness of the laundry can be reduced. A temperature detection unit 73 such as a thermistor for detecting the water temperature is provided in the vicinity of the heater 72.

Also, an air trap 74 is formed on the side wall behind the bottom of the water tank 42 so as to communicate with the drain pipe 64. The air trap 74 is connected to the air pipe 75. The air pipe 75 is connected to a water level detection unit 76 provided at the upper part in the washing machine housing 41. The water level detection part 76 is comprised by the pressure sensor etc., for example. The water level detector 76 detects the water level of the wash water in the water tank 42 based on the water pressure of the wash water inside the water tank 42, that is, the pressure in the corresponding air trap 74.

In addition, a connecting hose 77 that connects the rear upper part of the detergent container 61 and the upper part of the water tank 42 is provided in the upper part of the washing machine housing 41. The connection hose 77 functions to remove air in the water tank 42 pressurized during the washing process.

Further, a vibration detection unit 78 that detects the vibration of the water tank unit 49 is disposed at the upper rear portion of the water tank 42. In the present embodiment, as the vibration detection unit 78, not only vibrations in one direction but also vibration components in a three-dimensional direction in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction), left-right direction (Y-axis direction), and vertical direction (Z-axis direction). An acceleration sensor is used to detect. Since the actual vibration of the aquarium unit 49 does not necessarily occur in only one direction, an acceleration sensor that detects vibrations in a plurality of directions is used as the vibration detection unit 78, so that the vibration of the aquarium unit 49 can be detected with high accuracy. Can be detected. The control device 81 controls the operation based on the detection result of the vibration detection unit 78.

In addition, an operation display unit 79 is provided at the upper front of the washing machine housing 41. The operation display unit 79 includes an input setting unit 80 capable of setting (selecting) a mode such as a driving course and various functions, and a display unit 96 (see FIG. 3) for displaying information input to the input setting unit 80. Is provided. The user can perform a mode such as a driving course and various function settings by inputting them to the input setting unit 80.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a part of the configuration related to the control device for the drum type washing machine in the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 81 includes a control unit 82 and a load driving unit 86. When the power switch 84 is turned on, power is supplied from the commercial power supply 83, and the control unit 82 starts controlling each unit. The control unit 82 controls the load driving unit 86 based on output signals from the water level detection unit 76, the temperature detection unit 73, the cloth amount detection unit 85, the vibration detection unit 78, and the rotation speed detection unit 90. The load driving unit 86 includes a bidirectional thyristor, a relay, and the like. The load driving unit 86 operates the motor 45, the heater 72, the first electromagnetic valve 57, the second electromagnetic valve 58, the drainage pump 63, the circulation pump 67, and the like under the control of the control unit 82. Thereby, a washing process, a rinse process, and a dehydration process are performed. The cloth amount detection unit 85 detects the amount of laundry in the rotary drum 43. The rotation speed detector 90 detects the rotation speed of the rotating drum 43 by detecting the number of rotations of the rotating drum 43 per unit time.

In addition, the control unit 82 displays information based on the setting content input to the input setting unit 80 on the display unit 96. Further, when there is any abnormality in the operation of each unit, the control unit 82 displays an abnormality on the display unit 96 and notifies the notification unit 87 of the abnormality.

The operation of the drum type washing machine configured as described above will be described.

4A and 4B are control flowcharts of the dehydration process of the drum type washing machine in the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the dehydration process starts in step S1, the motor 45 is driven in step S2, and the rotating drum 43 reverses the rotation direction at a predetermined rotation speed (for example, about 50 r / min) (left Rotate while changing the direction of rotation so that rotation and rotation are performed alternately. Thereby, the cloth entangled in the rotating drum 43 during the washing process or the rinsing process is loosened (unraveling process).

Thereafter, in step S3, the rotating drum 43 is rotated counterclockwise (rotated in the forward direction), and the rotation speed is increased. In step S4, the vibration detector 78 detects the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 when the rotation speed of the rotating drum 43 is 85 to 90 r / min (the vibration values in the three directions of the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction). The control unit 82 compares the detected vibration value with the threshold value a. When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S4 is greater than or equal to the threshold value a (in the case of N), the process proceeds to step S19.

In step S19, the rotating drum 43 stops rotating. Next, in step S <b> 20, the control unit 82 determines whether or not the rotation stop count of the rotary drum 43 is less than 20 times. In step S20, when the rotation stop count of the rotating drum 43 is less than 20 (in the case of Y), the process returns to step S2 in order to loosen the clothes. When the number of rotation stops of the rotating drum 43 reaches 20 in step S20 (in the case of N), the process proceeds to step S21 (see FIG. 4B) described later.

On the other hand, when the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S4 is smaller than the threshold value a (in the case of Y), the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, the rotational speed is increased while the rotary drum 43 is rotated counterclockwise. In step S6, the vibration detection unit 78 detects the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 when the rotation speed of the rotary drum 43 is 90 to 200 r / min, and the control unit 82 compares the detected vibration value with the threshold value b. To do. When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S6 is greater than or equal to the threshold value b (in the case of N), the process proceeds to step S19 described above.

When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S6 is smaller than the threshold value b (in the case of Y), the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, the rotational speed is increased while the rotary drum 43 is rotated counterclockwise. In step S8, the vibration detection unit 78 detects the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 when the rotation speed of the rotary drum 43 is 200 to 300 r / min, and the control unit 82 compares the detected vibration value with the threshold value c. To do. When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S8 is greater than or equal to the threshold value c (in the case of N), the process proceeds to step S19 described above.

When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S8 is smaller than the threshold value c (in the case of Y), the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the rotational speed is increased while the rotating drum 43 is rotated counterclockwise. In step S10, the vibration detection unit 78 detects the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 when the rotation speed of the rotating drum 43 is 300 to 320 r / min, and the control unit 82 compares the detected vibration value with the threshold value d. To do. When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S10 is greater than or equal to the threshold value d (in the case of N), the process proceeds to step S19 described above.

When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S10 is smaller than the threshold value d (in the case of Y), the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the rotational speed is increased to 400 r / min while the rotary drum 43 is rotated counterclockwise. Thereafter, in step S12, the rotational speed of the rotary drum 43 is further increased. In step S13, the vibration detector 78 detects the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 when the rotation speed of the rotary drum 43 is 410 to 420 r / min, and the controller 82 determines the detected vibration value and the threshold value e. Compare. When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S13 is equal to or greater than the threshold value e (in the case of N), the process proceeds to step S19 described above.

If the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S13 is smaller than the threshold value e (in the case of Y), the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the rotation speed is increased to 700 r / min while the rotary drum 43 is rotated counterclockwise. In step S15, the vibration detection unit 78 detects the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 when the rotation speed of the rotary drum 43 is 700 r / min, and the control unit 82 compares the detected vibration value with the threshold value f. When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S15 is greater than or equal to the threshold f (in the case of N), the control unit 82 determines that further increase in the rotation speed of the rotary drum 43 is dangerous, The rotational speed of the rotating drum 43 is maintained at 700 r / min. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S18.

When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S15 is smaller than the threshold value f (in the case of Y), the process proceeds to step S16. In step S16, the maximum rotation speed that can be reached by the control unit 82 is determined based on the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S15. In step S17, the rotational speed of the rotary drum 43 is increased to the maximum rotational speed determined in step S16.

In step S18, the rotating drum 43 is rotated counterclockwise for a predetermined time at the above-described rotation speed (700 r / min or maximum rotation speed). After a predetermined time elapses, the rotation of the rotary drum 43 is stopped and the dehydration process ends.

Next, the control flow after step S21 shown in FIG. 4B will be described.

As described above, when the number of rotation stop of the rotating drum 43 reaches 20 times in Step S20 (in the case of N), the process proceeds to Step S21. In step S21, the motor 45 is driven and the rotating drum 43 rotates at a predetermined rotation speed (for example, about 50 r / min) while reversing the rotation direction. Thereby, the cloth entangled in the rotating drum 43 during the washing process or the rinsing process is loosened (unraveling process).

Thereafter, in step S22, the rotating drum 43 rotates to the right (rotation in the reverse direction), which is the reverse of the normal left rotation (standard dewatering rotation direction), and the rotation speed is increased.

Here, the reason why the rotating drum 43 is rotated to the right in the direction opposite to the normal left rotation in step S22 is as follows. In step S20, the number of rotation stoppages of the rotary drum 43 reaches 20 times, particularly when the dehydration process is performed on a small amount of clothing that tends to be in an unbalanced state in the rotary drum 43. When the rotating drum 43 is rotated counterclockwise, the clothes easily move from the lower left to the upper right as viewed from the front (see FIG. 2). Thereby, the water tank unit 49 becomes easy to vibrate so as to draw an elliptical shape whose longitudinal direction is the direction from the lower left to the upper right when viewed from the front. In this case, the damping force of the vibration damping damper 91 that acts on the water tank unit 49 becomes small, and it is difficult to suppress the vibration of the water tank unit 49. On the other hand, when the rotating drum 43 is rotated to the right, the clothes easily move from the lower right to the upper left as viewed from the front. Thereby, the water tank unit 49 becomes easy to vibrate so as to draw an elliptical shape whose longitudinal direction is the direction from the lower right to the upper left when viewed from the front. In this case, the damping force of the vibration damping damper 91 acting on the water tank unit 49 is increased, and the vibration of the water tank unit 49 is easily suppressed. For this reason, in step S22, the rotation direction of the rotary drum 43 is changed to the right rotation that is the opposite direction to the normal left rotation.

In step S23, the vibration detector 78 detects the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 when the rotation speed of the rotating drum 43 is 85 to 90 r / min (the vibration values in the three directions of the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction). The control unit 82 compares the detected vibration value with the threshold value a. When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S23 is greater than or equal to the threshold value a (in the case of N), the process proceeds to step S34.

In step S34, the rotation of the rotary drum 43 is stopped. Next, in step S35, the control unit 82 determines whether or not the number of rotation stops of the rotating drum 43 (total number of times since the dehydration process is started) is less than 30 times. In step S34, when the rotation stop count of the rotating drum 43 is less than 30 (in the case of Y), the process returns to step S21 in order to loosen the clothes. When the rotation stop count of the rotary drum 43 has reached 30 (in the case of N), the control unit 82 determines that it is difficult to loosen the clothes and moves to step S36. In step S36, the control unit 82 stops the dehydration process, causes the display unit 96 to display that the abnormality has occurred, and causes the notification unit 87 to notify it.

On the other hand, when the vibration value of the aquarium unit 49 detected in step S23 is smaller than the threshold value a (in the case of Y), the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the rotation speed is increased while the rotating drum 43 is rotated to the right. In step S25, the vibration detector 78 detects the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 when the rotation speed of the rotating drum 43 is 90 to 200 r / min, and the controller 82 compares the detected vibration value with the threshold value b. . When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S25 is greater than or equal to the threshold value b (in the case of N), the process proceeds to step S34 described above.

When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S25 is smaller than the threshold value b (in the case of Y), the process proceeds to step S26. In step S26, the rotational speed is increased while the rotating drum 43 is rotated to the right. In step S27, the vibration detection unit 78 detects the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 when the rotation speed of the rotary drum 43 is 200 to 300 r / min, and the control unit 82 compares the detected vibration value with the threshold value c. To do. When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S27 is equal to or greater than the threshold value c (in the case of N), the process proceeds to the above-described step S34.

If the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S27 is smaller than the threshold value c (in the case of Y), the process proceeds to step S28. In step S28, the rotation speed is increased while the rotating drum 43 is rotated to the right. In step S29, the vibration detection unit 78 detects the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 when the rotation speed of the rotary drum 43 is 300 to 320 r / min, and the control unit 82 compares the detected vibration value with the threshold value d. To do. When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S29 is greater than or equal to the threshold value d (in the case of N), the process proceeds to step S34 described above.

When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S29 is smaller than the threshold value d (in the case of Y), the process proceeds to step S30. In step S30, the rotational speed is increased to 400 r / min while the rotating drum 43 is rotated right. Thereafter, in step S31, the rotational speed of the rotary drum 43 is further increased. In step S32, the vibration detection unit 78 detects the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 when the rotation speed of the rotary drum 43 is 410 to 420 r / min, and the control unit 82 compares the detected vibration value with the threshold value e. To do. When the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S32 is equal to or greater than the threshold value e (in the case of N), the process proceeds to the above-described step S34.

If the vibration value of the water tank unit 49 detected in step S32 is smaller than the threshold value e (in the case of Y), the process proceeds to step S33. In step S <b> 33, the control unit 82 determines that the tangled clothing has been eliminated, and stops the rotation of the rotary drum 43. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S14 described above, the operations of steps S15 to S18 are performed, and the dehydration process is completed.

In step S14, the rotation direction of the rotating drum 43 is returned from the right rotation to the left rotation again because the drain port 95 at the bottom of the water tank 42 is on the right side of the vertical center of the water tank 42 when viewed from the front. This is because it is provided. That is, in this configuration, when the rotational speed is increased while the rotating drum 43 is rotated to the right, the water dehydrated from the clothing is less likely to come out from the drainage port 95.

As described above, the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment performs the dehydration operation a predetermined number of times, and when the redo exceeds the predetermined number of times, rotates the rotating drum 43 in the reverse direction to perform the dehydration operation. Is configured to redo. Thereby, especially when a small amount of clothes is dehydrated, the dehydration operation cannot be performed due to an imbalance abnormality, and the dehydration process can be prevented from being interrupted. Therefore, the dehydration process can be performed to the end. That is, according to the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of an imbalance abnormality and to prevent the operation from being stopped before the dehydration process is completed.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can implement in another various aspect. For example, in step S20, the threshold value of the rotation stop count of the rotary drum 43 is set to 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the threshold value of the rotation stop count of the rotary drum 43 may be set to less than 20 times (for example, 1 time) or more than 20 times.

In the above description, the vibration damping damper 91 is provided on the right side of the rotation center as shown in FIG. 2, but the vibration damping damper 91 may be provided on the left side of the rotation center. In this case, the rotation direction of the rotating drum 43 in steps S3 to S18 described above is set to the right rotation (forward rotation), and the rotation direction of the rotating drum 43 in steps S22 to S31 is set to the left rotation (reverse rotation). By doing so, the same effect can be obtained.

In the above description, the vibration detector 78 detects the vibration of the water tank unit 49. However, since the vibration of the water tank unit 49 and the vibration of the water tank 42 are substantially the same, the vibration of the water tank 42 is detected. Anything is acceptable. Even in this case, the same effect can be obtained.

In the above description, the rotating drum 43 is provided so that the rotating shaft 44 extends in the horizontal direction (see FIG. 1), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the rotating drum 43 may be provided such that the rotation axis is inclined downward from the front side toward the back side. Even in this case, the same effect can be obtained.

Although the present invention has been fully described in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included therein, so long as they do not depart from the scope of the present invention according to the appended claims.

Japanese patent application No. filed on February 23, 2011 The disclosure of the specification, drawings, and claims of 2011-036741 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

As described above, the drum type washing machine according to the present invention can suppress the occurrence of an imbalance abnormality and can prevent the operation from being stopped before the dehydration process is completed. It can also be applied to uses such as washing machines.

Claims

A rotating drum whose rotating shaft is inclined downward from the horizontal or front side to the back side;
A water tank containing the rotating drum;
A motor for rotating the rotating drum;
A washing machine housing that elastically supports the lower side of the water tank by means of an anti-vibration damper and two support dampers;
A vibration detector provided in the water tank;
A controller that controls the motor and executes a washing process including a dehydration process,
In the dehydration step, the control unit rotates the rotating drum in the normal rotation direction, and stops the rotation of the rotating drum when the vibration value of the water tank detected by the vibration detecting unit exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Then, the drum type washing machine that rotates the rotating drum in the reverse rotation direction and performs the dehydration operation again.
The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the anti-vibration damper is provided so that a compressive force received from the rotating drum rotating in the forward rotation direction is larger than that of the two support dampers.
In the dehydration step, the control unit stops the rotation of the rotating drum after the vibration value of the water tank detected by the vibration detecting unit exceeds a predetermined threshold, and then rotates the rotating drum in the normal rotation direction again. The rotation of the rotating drum is stopped when the rotation value of the water tank detected by the vibration detection unit exceeds a predetermined threshold, and then the rotation of the rotating drum is stopped. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a dewatering operation in a reverse rotation direction for rotating the rotary drum in the reverse rotation direction is performed again.
The drum type washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the anti-vibration damper is provided on the right side of a rotation shaft of the rotating drum when viewed from the front, and the forward rotation direction is left rotation.
The drum type washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the anti-vibration damper is provided on the left side of the rotating shaft of the rotating drum when viewed from the front, and the forward rotation direction is right rotation.