WO2012132272A1

WO2012132272A1 - Drum washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2012132272A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/001716
Authority: WO
Inventors: 中間　啓人; 内山　亘
Original assignee: パナソニック株式会社
Priority date: 2011-03-29
Filing date: 2012-03-13
Publication date: 2012-10-04
Also published as: EP2692930A1; JP2012205625A; EP2692930A4; CN103459701A

Abstract

The present invention provides a drum washing machine which comprises: a rotary drum (4), a water tank (3), a motor (6), a water supply valve (7b) for supplying water into the water tank, a drainage part for draining water from inside the water tank, and a controller (11) comprising a control unit (11a) for controlling at least wash, rinse and water removal steps. The control unit (11a) performs control in such a way that during the rinse step the rotary drum (4) is rotated in a fixed direction, after which water is drained by means of the drainage part, and at least while the water is being drained, the rotation speed of the rotary drum (4) is a rotation speed at which the articles being washed adhere to the inner wall surface of the rotary drum (4).

Description

Drum type washing machine

The present invention relates to a drum-type washing machine for washing by sequentially controlling each step such as washing, rinsing and dewatering.

Conventionally, there has been proposed a drum-type washing machine which accelerates the start of a dewatering step and shortens a washing time by rotating a rotating drum during drainage (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The conventional drum-type washing machine shown in Patent Document 1 starts the drainage operation after the stirring operation in the washing step is performed for a predetermined time. In the drainage operation, first, the drainage pump is driven to drain the water in the water tank. Next, based on the input signal from the state detection circuit, it is detected whether the water level in the water tank or the elapsed time from the start of drainage has reached the driving condition of the rotating drum. At this time, the rotary drum has stopped at the latest until the detection of the drive condition.

When it is detected that the input signal from the state detection circuit has reached the drive condition, the stopped rotating drum is rotated at low speed, and the dewatering step is started early.

However, the conventional drum-type washing machine stops the rotary drum from the start of drainage until the driving condition is reached. That is, after the drive condition is reached, the rotation of the rotary drum is started. Therefore, although the washing time can be shortened, there is a problem that the rinsing performance becomes insufficient because the water level in the water tank is lowered and the rinsing starts.

JP 2004-16399 A

The drum-type washing machine according to the present invention comprises a rotary drum for containing laundry, a water tank for rotatably supporting the rotary drum, a motor for rotatably driving the rotary drum, a water supply valve for supplying water into the water tank, and The control unit has a drainage unit for draining and a control unit having a control unit for controlling at least washing, rinsing, and dewatering steps, and the control unit rotates the rotating drum in a certain direction in the rinsing step before draining by the drainage unit. The rotation speed of the rotary drum is controlled so that the laundry adheres to the inner peripheral wall of the rotary drum at least during drainage.

Thereby, since the rotating drum is rotating before drainage, the laundry is stuck to the rotating drum at least during drainage. As a result, it is possible to simultaneously obtain the effects of water absorption to the laundry and dehydration by centrifugal force.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a drum-type washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a control circuit of the drum type washing machine. FIG. 3 is a time chart showing the operation of the rinsing step and the dewatering step of the drum type washing machine. FIG. 4 is a time chart showing the operation of the rinsing step and the dewatering step of the drum-type washing machine in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the present embodiment.

Embodiment 1
Hereinafter, the drum type washing machine of Embodiment 1 of this invention is demonstrated using FIG.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a drum-type washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the drum-type washing machine according to the present embodiment includes at least a rotating drum 4, a water tank 3, a motor 6, a water supply valve 7 b, a drainage valve 8 b which is a drainage portion, and a control device 11. And.

The water tank 3 is swingably provided inside the main body 1, and a rotating drum 4 is rotatably provided inside the water tank 3. Then, the rotary drum 4 is rotationally driven in the forward and reverse directions about the rotation shaft 4 a by the motor 6 attached to the outside on the back side of the water tank 3.

The inner circumferential wall 4 c of the rotary drum 4 is provided with, for example, a plurality of stirring protrusions 4 b for stirring laundry such as clothes, and a plurality of through holes 4 e communicating with the water tank 3. The rear wall 4 d which is the bottom of the rotary drum 4 is formed with a plurality of rear openings 4 g along the circumferential direction. The back opening 4 g is provided to face the air guide opening 18 formed on the back side of the water tank 3.

The rotary shaft 4a of the rotary drum 4 is inclined downward, for example, at an angle θ of 20 ± 15 degrees, from the horizontal direction X from the front side to the rear side. Thus, the opening 13 of the water tank 3 can be provided upward by inclining the rotation shaft 4a. As a result, the user can take laundry in and out of the rotary drum 4 through the opening 13 of the water tank 3 without taking a posture of bending greatly.

At this time, the water tank 3 is provided inside the main body 1 at the same inclination as the rotating drum 4. As a result, compared with the case where the rotary shaft 4a is in the horizontal direction, a deep water storage state can be obtained even with a small amount of water accumulated in the water tank 3 on the back side. As a result, even with a small amount of water, since the contact with the laundry can be made good, the rinse effect can be further enhanced. Therefore, even if the water level in the rotary drum 4 drops during drainage, the laundry can be made to penetrate water for a long time as compared with the case where the rotary shaft 4a is horizontal, and the rinse performance can be improved. . In addition, if it is not necessary to consider the amount of water supply, the rotational axis 4a may be horizontal or the inclination angle θ may be less than 5 degrees. This improves the degree of freedom in the design of the drum-type washing machine.

Further, on the front surface of the main body 1, a door 5 which can be opened and closed is provided opposite to the opening 13 of the water tank 3, and the user can load laundry such as clothes into the rotating drum 4 via the door 5. . At the edge of the opening 13 of the water tank 3, an annular seal member 14 having elasticity is attached. Then, even if the water tank 3 swings up and down, right and left, and back and forth, the sealing material 14 is deformed and pressed to the back side of the door 5, so the tightness between the water tank 3 and the door 5 is maintained.

Above the water tank 3, a water supply unit 7 for supplying water into the water tank 3 is provided. The water supply unit 7 includes a water supply valve 7b, a detergent storage unit 7a supplied with water by opening and closing the water supply valve 7b, and a water supply path 7c for supplying the detergent in the detergent storage unit 7a to the water tank 3 together with the water supply.

Below the water tank 3, a drainage unit 8 for draining water from the water tank 3 is provided. The drainage unit 8 is composed of a drainage pipe 8a whose one end is connected to the bottom of the water tank 3 and a drainage valve 8b. The drainage valve 8b drains the water in the water tank 3 in the open state through the drainage pipe 8a and stops the drainage in the closed state, as necessary after the end of the washing step or at the end of the rinsing step.

Further, on the downstream side of the drainage pipe 8a, a drainage filter 8c removable from the outside of the main body 1 is provided. The drainage filter 8c collects lint contained in the drainage.

A drying unit 9 is provided below the back side of the water tank 3. The drying unit 9 includes a blower 9c, an air blowing path 9d, an inlet 9e, an outlet 9f, a dehumidifying unit 9g, and a heating unit 9h.

The blower 9 c sucks in air from an outlet 9 f for discharging the air from the water tank 3 and the rotary drum 4. The inlet 9 e is provided on the back side of the water tank 3, and blows the air sucked by the blower 9 c into the rotating drum 4. The high humidity air from the outlet 9f is dehumidified by the dehumidifying part 9g. The dehumidified air is heated by the heating unit 9 h provided downstream of the dehumidifying unit 9 g to become high temperature air. The dehumidifying part 9g and the heating part 9h are provided in the air flow path 9d which connects the air blower 9c and the inlet 9e. Here, the dehumidifying unit 9g and the heating unit 9h may be configured by a heat pump unit, or the heating unit 9h may be configured by a heater, and the dehumidifying unit 9g may be configured by a water cooling system or an air cooling system. .

Below the front side of the water tank 3, there are provided a circulating water channel 31 for spouting the water in the water tank 3 into the rotating drum 4, and a circulation pump 30 for sucking the water in the water tank 3 and supplying the water to the circulation water channel 31. ing. The circulation pump 30 is fixed to a base plate 1 a which is a bottom portion of the main body 1, sucks the water in the water tank 3 and supplies the water to the circulation channel 31 via the circulation water jet pipe 32. Then, the water supplied is spouted from the opening 15 of the rotary drum 4 into the rotary drum 4 through the circulation channel 31.

Specifically, the circulating water jet pipe 32 of the circulating water channel 31 is connected from the door 5 side to the injection port 51 provided on the front end wall 3 f at the end peripheral edge of the opening 13 of the water tank 3. Then, as indicated by arrow A in FIG. 1, the rotary drum 4 is formed through the flow path formed between the back surface of the front end wall 3f of the water tank 3 and the front surface of the front end wall 4f corresponding to the back surface of the front end wall 3f. Spout water inside.

Thereby, the water in the water tank 3 is circulated as needed at each step such as washing preparation, washing, rinsing, etc. for detecting the amount of clothes, etc. to prevent early dissolution of detergent and bias of laundry, and washing And improve the rinse performance.

Further, the water injection port 51 from the circulating water discharge pipe 32 is provided at a position not in contact with the laundry in the rotating drum 4. This can prevent the laundry from being caught during the washing, rinsing, and drying steps and disturbing the behavior or damaging the laundry.

Further, when water is simply jetted from the jet port 51 into the rotary drum 4, as shown by arrow B in FIG. 1, the water can only be jetted to a part of the laundry in the rotary drum 4, I can not use the circulation effect. On the other hand, when using, for example, an injection nozzle having a plurality of injection ports 51 in order to inject water from the injection ports 51 over a wide area, the momentum of the water decreases, and as shown by arrow C in FIG. It can only spray on part of the laundry in 4. Therefore, the pump pressure of the circulation pump 30 may be increased to vigorously inject water, but if the pump pressure is increased, the cost is increased. Therefore, in the first embodiment, for the circulation pump 30 for circulating the water in the water tank 3, for example, a DC brushless motor capable of controlling the number of rotations is used to adjust the flow rate and flow rate of the injected water. As a result, even if a separate nozzle is not provided, water can be supplied to the laundry in the water tank 3 in a wide area and at an optimum position by the circulation pump 30. As a result, the washing and rinsing performance is improved. Moreover, since water is not supplied wastefully to the space where the laundry is not located, it is possible to suppress unnecessary consumption of power and to suppress the generation of abnormal foam due to the water containing the detergent.

Further, the main body 1 is provided with a cloth amount detection unit (not shown) that detects the amount of laundry loaded into the rotary drum 4.

Below, an example of the detection method of a cloth amount detection part is demonstrated.

First, the motor 6 is driven to rotate. At this time, the number of rotations of the rotary drum 4 is increased to such an extent that the laundry sticks to the inner peripheral wall 4c of the rotary drum 4, for example, about 100 to 140 rpm. Then, after the rotation of the rotary drum 4 is continued at the above rotation speed for a predetermined time, the energization of the motor 6 is turned off. At this time, the rotating drum 4 continues to rotate due to the inertia of the rotating drum 4. As a result, the rotary drum 4 is in the state of rotating the motor 6. After that, the rotation drum 4 stops its rotation due to resistance such as friction. The time from the stop of energization to the stop of the rotary drum 4 is long when the amount of laundry is large and short when the amount of laundry is small. Therefore, the amount of laundry is detected using the fact that the difference in the time required to stop the rotary drum 4 is proportional to the amount of laundry.

Furthermore, on the back side of the lower portion 3b of the water tank 3, a water level detection unit 10 for detecting the amount of water supplied to the inside of the rotary drum 4 is provided. The water level detection unit 10 is configured by connecting an air trap unit 10a provided at a predetermined position near the lower portion 3b of the rotary drum 4 and a pressure detection unit (not shown) by a hose 10b. The pressure detection unit includes, for example, a ferrite integrated in a bellows portion moved by pressure, and a stationary coil surrounding the periphery of the ferrite. Then, the movement stroke distance is converted to the pressure in the air trap portion 10a by utilizing the inductance change between the ferrite and the coil. When there is no water in the air trap unit 10a, the water level detection unit 10 is open to the atmosphere, and the output of the pressure detection unit is constant.

As described above, the water level detection unit 10 generally senses by measuring the internal pressure of the air trap unit 10 a by the air trap mechanism, and measures the time until the internal pressure of the air trap unit 10 a changes from the stable open air pressure. Thus, the water level in the water tank 3 can be properly calculated without being affected by the variation of the water level sensor.

Further, the output of the water level detection unit 10 is changed by the rotation of the rotary drum 4 during the washing and rinsing steps, such as the presence or absence and the number of rotations of the rotary drum 4. Therefore, the control device 11 to be described later has a table of a plurality of frequencies and water levels corresponding to the number of revolutions of the rotary drum 4. That is, the water level can be detected even when the rotating drum 4 is stationary or rotating.

Above the water tank 3, a rotation number detection unit 21 that detects the rotation number of the rotary drum 4 and a control device 11 are provided.

Below, the structure of the control apparatus 11 of the drum type washing machine of this Embodiment is demonstrated using FIG.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a control circuit of the drum-type washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 11 includes at least a control unit 11 a including, for example, a microprocessor, an input setting unit 11 b, a display unit 11 c, a storage unit 11 e, and a time measurement unit 11 f. Be done.

First, when the control method of the drum-type washing machine is input through the input setting unit 11b, the control unit 11a of the control device 11 displays the information on the display unit 11c. Then, according to the input mode setting and control program stored in the storage unit 11e, the control unit 11a of the control device 11 controls the motor 6, the drain valve 8b, the circulation pump 30, the water supply valve 7b and the like via the power switching unit 11d. Automatic control. Thereby, the control device 11 controls a series of steps such as washing, rinsing and dewatering.

The control unit 11a drives the water supply and drainage and the rotary drum 4 based on the signals from the time measurement unit 11f that measures time, the water level detection unit 10, and the rotation speed detection unit 21. As a result, it is possible to manage all the input / output control in time by grasping the required time in each operation and timing, including various sensor outputs such as the water level detection unit 10 and the rotation speed detection unit 21. As a result, a stable cleaning effect can be obtained by appropriately controlling the time from the start of the washing step to the end of the dewatering step.

Hereinafter, the operation and action of the drum-type washing machine configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 1 using FIG. 3.

In the present embodiment, since the presence or absence of the drying function is not relevant, the description of the drying step is omitted.

In the following description, the operation of dewatering while draining will be described as drainage dewatering. And in order to distinguish the operation of drainage dewatering during the rinsing step and the operation of drainage dewatering during the dehydration step, the drainage dewatering during the rinsing step is an operation of intermediate drainage dewatering, the drainage dewatering during the dehydration step is the final drainage dewatering It explains as an operation.

First, the door 5 is opened, and laundry such as clothes is thrown into the rotating drum 4 from the opening 13 of the water tank 3. Next, when the start switch (not shown) is operated to start the operation, the laundry amount is detected by the rotation of the rotary drum 4 and the laundry amount is detected.

Thereafter, the water supply valve 7b is opened, and water of a water amount set in advance is supplied to the water tank 3 according to the detected laundry amount. At this time, the detergent contained in the detergent containing portion 7 a is introduced into the water tank 3 using the water supply.

When the water level in the water tank 3 exceeds a predetermined level, the control unit 11a operates the circulation pump 30 to accelerate the dissolution of the detergent. Further, the control unit 11 a controls the motor 6 to rotationally drive the rotary drum 4. As a result, the laundry in the rotary drum 4 is lifted in the rotational direction by the stirring projections 4 b and falls onto the surface of the water in which the detergent is dissolved from above the rotary drum 4 by its own weight. Is repeated. As a result, the penetration of the detergent into the laundry and the discharge of the detergent from the laundry cause the soil to be removed. Next, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 11a opens the drain valve 8b via the power switching unit 11d, drains the contaminated water in the water tank 3 from the drain pipe 8a, and ends the washing step Do.

Hereinafter, steps after the washing step will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a time chart showing operations of the rinsing step and the dewatering step of the drum-type washing machine in the first embodiment of the present invention.

In the first rinse step, each operation of intermediate dewatering mainly for dewatering and water supply stirring mainly for rinsing is sequentially performed.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, in the operation of intermediate dewatering, the control unit 11a is a balance for reducing the vibration generated when the rotary drum 4 is rotated at high speed by the laundry in the rotary drum 4. Start control The balance control usually rotates the rotary drum 4 at a rotational speed of, for example, 50 rpm, and detects the vibration of the rotary drum 4 with a general vibration detection sensor (not shown) such as an acceleration sensor, for example. To be executed.

After completion of the balance control, the control unit 11a increases the number of revolutions of the rotary drum 4 to a predetermined number of revolutions, for example, about 900 rpm, and removes water from the laundry by centrifugal force. After reaching a predetermined number of rotations, the number of rotations of the rotary drum 4 is maintained for a predetermined time t1. Thereafter, the drive of the motor 6 is stopped. Then, when the rotation of the rotary drum 4 is stopped, the operation of intermediate dewatering is ended, and the process shifts to the next water supply stirring. At this time, the laundry is stuck to the inner peripheral wall 4 c of the rotary drum 4.

In the water supply / stirring operation, first, the control unit 11a opens the water supply valve 7b and stores water in the water tank 3 while rotating the rotary drum 4 in a predetermined direction. At this time, the rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 is, for example, about 80 rpm such that the laundry sticks to the inner peripheral wall 4 c of the rotary drum 4.

Then, when water is accumulated in the water tank 3 and the water level detection unit 10 detects the water level h1, the control unit 11a controls the water supply valve 7b to stop the water supply and simultaneously turns on the circulation pump 30. Thereby, water is spouted from the spout 51 to the laundry in the rotating drum 4. At this time, the rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 is increased from 80 rpm to, for example, about 170 rpm, and lint of the laundry is removed by the drainage filter 8c.

Then, when a predetermined time T has elapsed since the start of the increase in the number of rotations of the rotary drum 4, the control unit 11 a reduces the number of rotations of the motor 6.

Thereafter, the control unit 11a performs the tumbling operation of agitating the laundry in the rotary drum 4, and at the same time, starts the water supply into the water tank 3 and stops the operation of the circulation pump 30. In the tumbling operation, the rotational direction of the rotary drum 4 may be forward or reverse, or may be rotation in a fixed direction. As a result, the laundry is pulled off from the inner peripheral wall 4c of the rotary drum 4, stirred in the water accumulated in the water tank 3, and rinsing is performed.

During this time, when water is accumulated in the water tank 3 and the water level detection unit 10 detects the water level h2, the control unit 11a controls the water supply valve 7b to stop the water supply. After stopping the water supply, when a predetermined time t2 elapses, the control unit 11a stops the operation of the rotary drum 4. The predetermined time t2 is set to be longer than the predetermined time t1 at which the rotary drum 4 is rotated at a high rotational speed at the time of intermediate dewatering in the first rinse step, in order to provide sufficient rinse performance. Thus, the feed water agitation is completed, and the first rinse step is completed. And it transfers to the 2nd rinse step which is the following step.

In the second rinse step, respective operations of intermediate drainage dewatering mainly for dewatering and water supply stirring mainly for rinsing are sequentially performed.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the middle drainage dewatering operation, the control unit 11 a rotates the rotating drum 4 in a fixed direction. At this time, the rotation direction may be the same as or opposite to the rotation direction at the time of the operation of water supply agitation in the first rinse step.

Further, the rotation speed of the rotary drum 4 is rotated in a fixed direction at a first rotation speed such as 80 rpm, for example, when the laundry sticks to the inner peripheral wall 4c of the rotary drum 4 in a drained state. The rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 may be, for example, 50 to 120 rpm, as long as the laundry adheres to the inner peripheral wall 4c of the rotary drum 4, but a rotational speed in the range of 80 to 100 rpm is preferable. Further, the number of rotations of the rotary drum 4 may not be constant, and may be increased stepwise or proportionally to a predetermined number of rotations.

After time t3, which is the first predetermined time, has elapsed since the rotation drum 4 starts rotating in a certain direction, the control unit 11a controls the drainage valve 8b to start drainage of water in the water tank 3 Do. Thereby, the water level in the water tank 3 falls gradually. At the same time, based on the signal from the water level detection unit 10, the control unit 11a increases the rotation number of the rotary drum 4 to a second rotation number of, for example, about 500 rpm. At this time, the laundry in the rotary drum 4 rotates in a state of being stuck to the inner peripheral wall 4 c of the rotary drum 4. Here, a time t3 which is a first predetermined time is a time until the rotating drum 4 reaches a fixed rotation number in a fixed direction.

The first number of rotations of the rotary drum 4 in the middle drainage dewatering of the second rinse step is lower than the second number of rotations in the middle dehydration of the first rinse step. That is, by lowering the number of revolutions of the rotary drum 4, it is possible to prevent all the water of the laundry from being removed. As a result, the rinse performance can be maintained without reducing the centrifugal force by the weight of the laundry containing water.

Further, the control unit 11 a starts driving of the circulation pump 30 before starting drainage of the water in the water tank 3 while the rotary drum 4 is rotating.

That is, after time t4, which is the second predetermined time, elapses after the rotating drum 4 starts to rotate in a predetermined direction, the control unit 11a starts driving of the circulation pump 30.

Then, the water which has passed through the circulation channel 31 from the water tank 3 by the circulation pump 30 is spouted from the injection port 51 to the laundry in the rotary drum 4. At this time, the laundry absorbs water spouted water and is dewatered by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the rotary drum 4, and the laundry is repeatedly subjected to water absorption and dewatering.

This promotes the replacement of water with the laundry to dissolve the detergent components in the laundry into the water present around the laundry. In addition, detergent components such as foam remaining in the laundry can be efficiently removed. As a result, the detergent component in the laundry decreases in a short time.

Thereafter, when drainage progresses and the water level detection unit 10 detects the predetermined water level h3, the control unit 11a stops the driving of the circulation pump 30. The predetermined water level h3 is a level at which the circulation pump 30 does not see air. Thus, the air in the circulation pump 30 can be prevented from leaking, and the water in the water tank 3 can be efficiently circulated through the circulation water jet pipe 32.

Next, after a predetermined time t5 has elapsed since the rotary drum 4 starts high-speed rotation in the intermediate drainage dewatering step, the control unit 11a stops the rotation of the rotary drum 4. Then, when the rotation of the rotary drum 4 is stopped, the operation of intermediate drainage dewatering is finished, and the operation shifts to the operation of water supply and agitation of the next second rinse step.

In the operation of water supply and agitation, the control unit 11a opens the water supply valve 7b, stores water in the water tank 3, and at the same time, starts a tumbling operation of agitating the rotary drum 4.

Next, when water is accumulated in the water tank 3 and the water level detection unit 10 detects the water level h4, the control unit 11a controls the water supply valve 7b to stop the water supply and simultaneously start the driving of the circulation pump 30.

Then, after stopping the water supply, when a predetermined time t6 has elapsed, the control unit 11a stops the operation of the rotary drum 4 and the circulation pump 30, and the operation of the water supply stirring is ended. Thus, the second rinse step is completed, and the process proceeds to the final drainage dewatering of the next dewatering step.

In the final drainage dewatering operation, first, the control unit 11a rotates the rotating drum 4 in a fixed direction. The direction of rotation may be the same as or opposite to the direction of rotation of the water supply and agitation operation in the first and second rinse steps.

Further, in the drained state, the laundry adheres to the inner circumferential wall 4c of the rotary drum 4, and the rotary drum 4 is rotated in a fixed direction at a predetermined rotational speed such as 80 rpm. The rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 may be, for example, 50 to 120 rpm, as long as the laundry adheres to the inner peripheral wall 4c of the rotary drum 4, and preferably, for example, a rotational speed in the range of 80 to 100 rpm. Further, the number of rotations of the rotary drum 4 may not be constant, and may be increased stepwise or proportionally to a predetermined number of rotations.

Next, after a predetermined time t7 has elapsed since the rotary drum 4 starts rotating in a fixed direction, the control unit 11a controls the drain valve 8b to start draining water in the water tank 3. Thereby, the water level in the water tank 3 falls gradually. At the same time, based on the signal from the water level detection unit 10, the control unit 11a increases the rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 to a high speed rotational speed of, for example, about 900 rpm. At this time, the laundry in the rotary drum 4 rotates in a state of being stuck to the inner peripheral wall 4 c of the rotary drum 4.

Further, the control unit 11a starts driving of the circulation pump 30 before starting to drain water in the water tank 3 while the rotary drum 4 is rotating in a predetermined direction.

That is, after a predetermined time t8 has elapsed since the rotation drum 4 starts rotating in a predetermined direction, the control unit 11a starts driving of the circulation pump 30. Then, the water which has passed through the circulation channel 31 from the water tank 3 by the circulation pump 30 is spouted from the injection port 51 to the laundry in the rotary drum 4. At this time, the laundry absorbs water by the spouted water. Furthermore, dehydration is also performed by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the rotary drum 4, and the laundry repeats water absorption and dehydration. This promotes the replacement of water with the laundry to dissolve the detergent components in the laundry into the water present around the laundry. In addition, detergent components remaining in the laundry can be efficiently removed. As a result, the detergent component in the laundry decreases in a short time.

Thereafter, when drainage progresses and the water level detection unit 10 detects the predetermined water level h5, the control unit 11a stops the driving of the circulation pump 30. Thus, the water from the circulating water channel 31 can be ejected to the laundry in the rotary drum 4 until the water level of the water drops from the predetermined water level h4 to the predetermined water level h5. Therefore, the amount of water absorption of the laundry can be increased without increasing the amount of water supplied, and the amount of detergent components remaining in the laundry can be reduced. The predetermined water level h5 is a level at which the circulation pump 30 does not see air. Thus, the air in the circulation pump 30 can be prevented from leaking, and the water in the water tank 3 can be efficiently circulated through the circulation water jet pipe 32.

Next, after a predetermined time t9 has elapsed since the rotary drum 4 starts high-speed rotation in the final drainage dewatering operation, the control unit 11a stops the operation of the rotary drum 4. Then, when the rotation of the rotary drum 4 is stopped, the operation of intermediate drainage dewatering is finished, and the dewatering step is finished.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the time to start the water drainage can be set based on the time when the rotating drum 4 starts to rotate in a certain direction, the time to start the drainage can be set. It can be fixed. As a result, the time for starting drainage can be appropriately controlled to shorten the time and obtain a stable cleaning effect.

Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to set the injection start time of the water jetted out through the circulation water passage 31 based on the time when the rotary drum 4 starts to rotate in a fixed direction. Thereby, the time to start the water circulation can be properly controlled to obtain a high cleaning effect.

In the present embodiment, the activation of the circulation pump 30 is described as an example defined by the time by the time measurement unit 11 f, but is not limited thereto. The control unit 11a may control to start the circulation pump 30 after the rotary drum 4 reaches a predetermined number of rotations. Details will be described in Embodiment 2 below.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 4 is a time chart showing the operation of the rinsing step and the dewatering step of the drum-type washing machine in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

In this embodiment, final drainage dewatering in the intermediate drainage dewatering and dewatering steps in the second rinsing step is different from that in the first embodiment. The other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same symbols are attached to the same configurations, and the detailed description uses the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the following, the intermediate drainage dewatering in the second rinse step and the final drainage dewatering in the dewatering step will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 4, in intermediate drainage dewatering, first, the control unit 11 a rotates the rotating drum 4 in a fixed direction. At this time, the rotation direction may be the same as or opposite to the rotation direction at the time of the operation of water supply agitation in the first rinse step.

The rotation speed of the rotary drum 4 is a first rotation speed at which the laundry adheres to the inner circumferential wall 4c of the rotary drum 4 in a drained state, and is rotated in a fixed direction at a predetermined rotation speed such as 80 rpm. The rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 may be, for example, 50 to 120 rpm, as long as the laundry adheres to the inner peripheral wall 4c of the rotary drum 4, and more preferably, for example, the rotational speed in the range of 80 to 100 rpm. Further, the number of rotations of the rotary drum 4 may not be constant, and may be increased stepwise or proportionally to a predetermined number of rotations.

When the rotation number detection unit 21 detects that the rotation number of the rotation drum 4 has reached a predetermined rotation number after the rotation drum 4 starts rotation in a fixed direction, the control unit 11a drives the circulation pump 30. To start. Thereby, water can be stably spouted to the laundry through the circulation channel 31 in the rotary drum 4 in a state where the rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 is constant. As a result, the rinse performance of the laundry is improved.

Then, after time t13 which is the first predetermined time passes after the rotary drum 4 reaches the first predetermined number of rotations, the control section 11a controls the drainage valve 8b to set the water in the water tank 3 Start drainage of water. Thereby, the water level in the water tank 3 falls gradually. At the same time, based on the signal from the water level detection unit 10, the control unit 11a increases the rotation number of the rotary drum 4 to a high-speed rotation number, which is a second rotation number of about 500 rpm, for example. At this time, the laundry in the rotary drum 4 rotates in a state of being stuck to the inner peripheral wall 4 c of the rotary drum 4.

The first number of rotations of the rotary drum 4 in the middle drainage dewatering of the second rinse step is lower than the second number of rotations in the middle dehydration of the first rinse step described in the first embodiment. I assume. That is, by lowering the number of revolutions of the rotary drum 4, it is possible to prevent all the water of the laundry from being removed. As a result, the weight of the water-containing laundry can maintain the rinse performance without reducing the centrifugal force.

Next, after time t14 which is the second predetermined time has elapsed since drainage was started, the control unit 11a stops driving of the circulation pump 30. Thereby, after the rotary drum 4 reaches the first rotation number, it is possible to shift to the next operation. As a result, the rinse performance of the laundry by centrifugal force is not reduced.

Next, after a predetermined time t15 has elapsed since the water level in the water tank 3 has become zero, the control unit 11a stops the operation of the rotary drum 4. Then, when the rotation of the rotary drum 4 is stopped, the intermediate drainage dewatering step is finished, and the operation of the next water supply stirring is performed.

In the water supply and agitation, first, the control unit 11a opens the water supply valve 7b, stores water in the water tank 3, and at the same time starts a tumbling operation for agitating the rotary drum 4.

Next, when water is accumulated in the water tank 3 and the water level detection unit 10 detects the water level h14, the control unit 11a controls the water supply valve 7b to stop water supply.

Then, after the start of the water supply, when a predetermined time t16 has elapsed, the control unit 11a starts the driving of the circulation pump 30. At this time, the water is accumulated in the water tank 3 to the water level h14, and the tumbling operation is performed. Thereby, the detergent component is dissolved out of the laundry in the water tank 3, and the rinse performance is improved.

And after stopping water supply, when predetermined time t17 passes, control part 11a stops operation of rotation drum 4 and circulation pump 30, and water supply stirring is completed. Thus, the second rinse step is completed, and the process proceeds to the final drainage dewatering of the next dewatering step.

In the final drainage and dewatering, first, the control unit 11a rotates the rotating drum 4 in a fixed direction at a predetermined rotation speed at which the laundry adheres to the inner peripheral wall 4c of the rotating drum 4 while draining, for example, 80 rpm. Rotate in a fixed direction. At this time, the direction of rotation may be the same as or opposite to the direction of rotation at the time of feedwater agitation in the first and second rinse steps.

The rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 may be, for example, 50 to 120 rpm, as long as the laundry adheres to the inner peripheral wall 4c of the rotary drum 4. For example, the rotational speed in the range of 80 to 100 rpm is preferable. Then, the number of rotations of the rotary drum 4 may not be constant, and may be increased stepwise or proportionally to a predetermined number of rotations.

Next, when the rotation speed detection unit 21 detects that the rotation speed of the rotary drum 4 has reached a predetermined rotation speed, the control unit 11a starts driving of the circulation pump 30.

Thereafter, after a predetermined time t18 has elapsed after the rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 reaches a predetermined rotational speed, the control unit 11a controls the drainage valve 8b to start drainage of water in the water tank 3 . Thereby, the water level in the water tank 3 falls gradually. At the same time, based on the signal from the water level detection unit 10, the control unit 11a increases the rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 to, for example, about 900 rpm. At this time, the laundry of the rotary drum 4 rotates in a state of being stuck to the inner peripheral wall 4 c of the rotary drum 4.

Next, after the start of drainage, when a predetermined time t19 has elapsed, the control unit 11a stops the circulation pump 30.

In addition, after the water level in the water tank 3 becomes zero, after a predetermined time t20 has elapsed, the control unit 11a stops the operation of the rotary drum 4. Then, when the rotation of the rotary drum 4 is stopped, the final drainage and dewatering operation is completed, and the dewatering step is completed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the second rinse step, the rotary drum 4 is rotated in a certain direction before the start of drainage. After the rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 reaches a constant rotational speed, driving of the circulation pump 30 is started. Thereby, the water in the water tank 3 can be circulated in a state in which the rotation of the rotary drum 4 is stable, and the rinse performance is further improved.

In the above embodiment, the example has been described in which the number of rotations of the rotary drum 4 is increased from the first number of rotations to the second number of rotations simultaneously with the start of drainage. For example, the number of revolutions of the rotary drum 4 may be increased from the first number of revolutions to the second number of revolutions before or during drainage, and at least the laundry is contained in the rotary drum 4 during drainage. The same effect can be obtained if it is stuck to the wall.

In the above embodiment, the through hole 4 e is preferably provided over the entire inner peripheral wall 4 c of the rotary drum 4, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the inner circumferential wall 4c of the rotary drum 4 may be partially formed, and the arrangement is not particularly limited as long as the water tank 3 and the rotary drum 4 communicate with each other.

In the above embodiment, the water supply unit 7 has been described as an example provided above the water tank 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may provide in the side and the bottom side.

Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated by the example which used the drainage valve 8b as a drainage part, it is not restricted to this. The drainage portion may also include, for example, a drainage pump, and the drainage pump may be used to drain the water in the water tank 3.

Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated by the structure which installs the circulation pump 30 on the base plate 1a which is the bottom part of the main body 1, it is not restricted to this. For example, the circulation pump 30 may be installed in the lower portion 3 b of the water tank 3 to circulate the water in the water tank 3.

Moreover, although the example which provided the one circulating water jet pipe 32 was demonstrated in the said embodiment, it is not restricted to this, You may provide the circulating water jet pipe 32 with two or more.

Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the example which provided the injection port 51 only in the lower part, it is not restricted to this. That is, the injection ports 51 may be provided not only in the lower part but also in the upper part, as long as the injection port 51 does not come in contact with the laundry in the rotary drum 4.

Moreover, although the control of the rotation speed of the circulation pump 30 was demonstrated by the example performed only by on / off control in the said embodiment, it is not restricted to this. For example, as shown below, you may change and control the rotation speed of the circulation pump 30 by each step or the amount of laundry.

Specifically, in the normal washing step, water of about 20 liters per minute is supplied to the laundry in the water tank 3 by rotating the rotational speed of the circulation pump 30 at, for example, about 3500 rpm, and the washing performance, rinse Improve performance. At this time, water is ejected from the injection port 51 in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. On the other hand, when it is determined by the cloth amount detection unit that the amount of laundry is smaller than the predetermined value, the rotational speed of the circulation pump 30 is reduced to, for example, about 2500 rpm, and the circulating water to be supplied is about 15 liters per minute. At this time, as the momentum of the circulation pump 30 decreases, water is ejected from the injection port 51 in the direction of the arrow B in FIG. It becomes smaller. Thus, when the amount of laundry is small, water can be efficiently supplied to the laundry by avoiding the situation where the circulated circulating water does not hit the laundry located in the lower part in the water tank 3.

Further, in the above embodiment, the rotational speed of the rotary drum 4 is not particularly limited, and the setting can be arbitrarily changed in accordance with the amount of laundry and the degree of dirt. In the above embodiment, the on / off control of the circulation pump 30 is always set to on during the rinse step after turning on the circulation pump 30, but the on period is not particularly defined. On / off control may be performed as needed.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the drum type washing machine was demonstrated to the example, it is not restricted to this. For example, the same effect can be obtained in a vertical washing machine such as a pulsator agitation type or an agitator type. In the case of the vertical washing machine, in order to allow the water to penetrate uniformly, the laundry may be uniformly wet from the outer peripheral side of the laundry using a shower or the like provided on the outer side of the rotating drum. In addition, when rotating the rotating drum during drainage, by making the pulsator and the rotating drum move integrally, the laundry may be attached to the rotating drum to absorb and dewater the laundry.

As described above, according to the present invention, in the second rinse step, the rotary drum 4 is rotated in a certain direction before starting drainage. Then, the control unit 11a drives the drainage valve 8b to perform drainage, and at least during drainage, controls the number of rotations of the rotary drum 4 so that the laundry adheres to the inner peripheral wall 4c of the rotary drum 4 Do. Thereby, the detergent component contained in the laundry is removed from the laundry by the centrifugal force due to the increase in the rotation speed of the rotating drum 4. Then, with the dewatering by centrifugal force and the drive of the circulation pump 30, the spouted water is replenished with water again to replenish the dewatered water. As a result, by repeating water absorption and dehydration, the detergent components in the laundry can be efficiently removed to improve the rinsing performance of the laundry.

Further, according to the present invention, since dehydration is performed while absorbing water, it is not necessary to repeat water supply and drainage into the water tank 3. As a result, the total water absorption of the laundry can be increased without increasing the amount of water supplied, so that the water saving property of the drum type washing machine is improved. Further, since the laundry is dewatered while holding a certain amount of water, the rotary drum 4 can be rotated while maintaining a stable centrifugal force.

In the drum-type washing machine according to the present invention, the detergent component in the laundry dissolves out by repeating the absorption of water from the rinse water of the laundry at the time of drainage and the dehydration by the rotation of the rotating drum to improve the rinsing performance. It can be done. Therefore, it is applicable not only to a home-use washing machine but also to a washing machine for fibers and the like, and a business-use washing machine mainly made of washing with water.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 main body 1a base plate 3 water tank 3f front end wall 4 rotating drum 4a rotating shaft 4b stirring projection 4c inner peripheral wall 4d back wall 4e through hole 4f front end wall 4g back opening 5 door 6 motor 7 water supply unit 7a detergent container 7b water supply valve 7c water supply Route 8 drainage unit 8a drainage pipe 8b drainage valve (drainage section)
8c drainage filter 9 drying unit 9c blower 9d air flow path 9e inlet 9f outlet 9g dehumidification unit 9h heating unit 10 water level detection unit 10a air trap unit 10b hose 11 control device 11a control unit 11b input setting unit 11c display unit 11d power switching unit 11e Storage 11f Time measurement unit 13 Water tank opening 14 Sealing material 15 Rotary drum opening 18 Airflow opening 21 Rotational speed detection unit 30 Circulating pump 31 Circulating water passage 32 Circulating water jet pipe 51 Injection port

Claims

With a rotating drum to store laundry,
A water tank rotatably supporting the rotating drum;
A motor that rotationally drives the rotating drum;
A water supply valve for supplying water into the water tank;
A drainage unit for draining water from the water tank;
A controller having at least a controller for controlling the washing, rinsing and dewatering steps;
The control unit is configured to:
After the rotary drum is rotated in a predetermined direction, drainage is performed by the drainage unit, and at least during the drainage, the rotational speed of the rotary drum is the rotational speed at which the laundry sticks to the inner circumferential wall of the rotary drum Drum-type washing machine to control.
The number of rotations stuck to the inner peripheral wall of the rotating drum has a first number of rotations and a second number of rotations higher than the first number of rotations.
The control unit is configured to control the rotating drum to rotate at the second rotation number after a first predetermined time has elapsed after the rotating drum rotates at the first rotation number. The drum-type washing machine according to 1.
A circulation channel for spouting water in the water tank into the rotating drum;
And a circulation pump for suctioning water in the water tank and supplying the water to the circulation channel.
The drum type washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the circulation pump to start driving after a second predetermined time has elapsed after rotating the rotary drum in a predetermined direction.
The drum type washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the first predetermined time is a time until the rotating drum reaches the first rotation number in a predetermined direction.
The drum-type washing machine according to claim 2, wherein the first predetermined time is a predetermined elapsed time after the rotating drum reaches a fixed number of rotations in a fixed direction.
The drum type washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the control unit starts driving the circulation pump before starting drainage.
The drum type washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the control unit starts driving of the circulation pump after the rotating drum reaches a predetermined number of revolutions.
The control device has a time measurement unit that measures time, and the control unit controls to drive at least one of the circulation pump and the drainage valve based on a signal from the time measurement unit. The drum type washing machine according to claim 3.
A rotation number detection unit that detects the rotation number of the rotating drum;
The drum type washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls to drive at least one of the circulation pump and the drain valve based on a signal from the rotation speed detection unit.
The rotation number detection unit determines whether or not the rotation number of the rotating drum has reached a predetermined rotation number, and when the rotation number of the rotating drum has reached a predetermined rotation number, the circulation pump and the drainage 10. The drum-type washing machine according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the valves is driven.