WO2013011606A1

WO2013011606A1 - Drum washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2013011606A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/001755
Authority: WO
Inventors: 内山　亘; 安井　利彦; 菊川　智之; 脇田　克也
Original assignee: パナソニック株式会社
Priority date: 2011-07-15
Filing date: 2012-03-14
Publication date: 2013-01-24
Also published as: WO2013011604A1; WO2013011605A1

Abstract

A drum washing machine is provided with: a water tank for housing a washing tub that is tilted downward towards the rear surface side; a vibration detection unit (16) for detecting the vibration of the water tank; a torque variation detection unit for detecting the magnitude of the torque variation of a drive unit for driving the washing tub; an air blower for blowing circulation air to the washing tub; and a control unit (11a) for controlling steps such as the washing step, rinsing step, draining step, and drying step. The drive unit is operated such that the magnitude of the vibration detected by means of the vibration detection unit (16) reaches the maximum. Then the control unit (11a) modifies the output of a heating unit during the drying step in accordance with the fabric quality detected by means of a fabric quality detection unit (11b) which detects the fabric quality of the laundry from the magnitude of the torque variation while the drive unit is operated as mentioned above.

Description

Drum washing machine

The present invention includes a drum-type washing machine or drum that includes a laundry tub that is rotatable and accommodates laundry in an elastically supported water tub, and performs washing, rinsing, dehydration, and drying of the laundry in the laundry tub. The present invention relates to a type washing dryer.

In general, when comparing cotton and chemical fiber, the characteristics of clothing such as water absorption capacity and water retention for washing water, familiarity with water, etc. are greatly different, so when washing, washing, rinsing, dehydrating and drying, There is no need to perform the same process uniformly. Therefore, if it is possible to determine whether the laundry is cotton, for example, whether it is a polyester-based chemical fiber, washing is performed by reflecting the operation sequence on the basis of the fabric quality and performing the optimum operation. Improvement, water saving and reduction of time.

As a conventional cloth quality detection part, there is one in which the cloth quality of the laundry in the washing tub is determined from the magnitude of the torque fluctuation of the driving part detected by the torque fluctuation detection part at the time of washing operation (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

However, in the case of the conventional configuration, as a condition for generating uneven rotation (torque fluctuation of the drive unit) due to the difference in the cloth quality, the maximum amount of laundry is directed from the top of the rotating washing tub to the bottom (washing tub bottom). It is necessary to knock it down with acceleration.

FIG. 11A is a diagram showing a behavior in which a laundry containing a large amount of chemical fiber rotates in a rotating drum in conventional cloth quality detection. FIG. 11B is a diagram showing a behavior in which a laundry with a lot of cotton rotates in a rotating drum in conventional cloth quality detection. As shown in FIG. 11A, a chemical fiber or the like having low water absorption sticks to the inside of the washing tub, so that torque fluctuation is small. Thus, when detecting a chemical fiber, since water absorption is low, torque fluctuation is small.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11B, cotton having high water absorption has a small torque fluctuation because the laundry does not lift up to the upper part of the washing tub, and thus idles at a low position in the washing tub. Therefore, in both cases, since the torque fluctuation is small, there is a problem that it is difficult to determine the cloth quality.

Also, in the drying process of a conventional drum type washing machine, heated drying air is blown into the washing tub through the air passage, and the drying air is brought into contact with the clothes put in the washing tub to take away moisture from the clothes. Dry clothing. At the same time, the drying air containing moisture and having become high humidity is discharged to the air passage outside the washing tub.

In particular, since clothes are dried in a limited, narrow laundry tub space, clothes are entangled during drying, and the drying air does not contact the entangled parts of the clothes and is partially undried (dry unevenness) It may become. In order to prevent drying unevenness, it is necessary for the drying air to be in uniform contact with all clothing, and a slightly longer drying time is required while maintaining the temperature of the drying air at a predetermined level or higher.

Thus, in order to prevent partial undried (drying unevenness), there is a problem that heating energy and required time more than necessary are required, and the required time increases, and various methods are available for solving the problem. It is considered (for example, refer to Patent Document 2).

The conventional clothes dryer described in Patent Document 1 includes a washing tub, an air circulation device, and a heat pump. A clothes dryer that dries laundry by operating an air circulation device and a heat pump, and the rotation speed of the compressor is varied by controlling the frequency.

By changing the driving frequency of the compressor, it is possible to select and execute either a quick-drying course for drying laundry in a relatively short time or a saving course for drying laundry in a longer time than the quick-drying course. is there. The quick-drying course is executed by increasing the drive frequency of the compressor of the heat pump.

This will increase the rotational speed of the compressor and increase the circulation of refrigerant in the heat pump. Therefore, the laundry is dried in a short time. On the other hand, during the saving course, the driving frequency of the compressor of the heat pump is lowered. Thereby, the rotational speed of a compressor becomes low and the circulation of the refrigerant | coolant in a heat pump is suppressed.

Therefore, the laundry is dried with low power consumption. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both reduction of the time required for drying and reduction of power consumption for each course to be selected. Further, in the saving course, by driving the compressor in a predetermined high frequency band, an efficient operation can be performed, and power consumption can be further saved.

However, in the conventional configuration, in order to drive the compressor at a predetermined high frequency band, it is necessary for the user to select the saving course every time, and even if the saving course is selected, it is introduced. Since the predetermined high frequency band is different depending on the combination of clothes, there is a problem that the degree of saving is limited.

The present invention provides a washing machine capable of accurately detecting the cloth quality of clothes put in a washing tub.

In addition, the present invention can detect insufficient dryness and uneven drying by switching the output of the heating unit according to the detected fabric composition ratio while accurately detecting the fabric composition ratio of the clothes to be dried in the drying process. A drum-type washing machine capable of realizing a drying operation with high energy saving while suppressing power consumption of drying is provided.

JP 2007-185357 A International Publication No. 10/010679

In order to solve the above-described problems, a drum-type washing machine of the present invention accommodates laundry, and is a washing tub that is rotatable around a horizontal rotating shaft or a rotating shaft that is inclined downward from the front side toward the back side. A water tank for storing the washing tub, a heating unit for drying the air in the washing tub, a vibration detecting unit for detecting vibration of the water tub, a driving unit for driving the washing tub, and the magnitude of torque fluctuation of the driving unit. A torque fluctuation detection unit for detecting, a cloth quality detection unit for detecting the quality of the laundry, and a control unit for driving the driving unit and the like to control each process such as a washing process, a rinsing process, a dehydrating process, and a drying process; Is provided. The control unit operates the drive unit so that the magnitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit is maximized, and the cloth quality detection unit determines the cloth quality of the laundry from the magnitude of torque fluctuation in this state, A control part changes the output of a heating part according to the cloth quality by a cloth quality detection part.

The drum-type washing machine of the present invention accommodates laundry and a washing tub that is rotatable about a horizontal rotation shaft or a rotation shaft that is inclined downward from the front side toward the back side, and a washing tub. Water tank, vibration detection unit for detecting the vibration of the water tank, drive unit for driving the washing tub, torque fluctuation detection unit for detecting the magnitude of torque fluctuation of the drive unit, and cloth for detecting the cloth quality of the laundry A quality detection unit, and a control unit that drives the drive unit and the like to control each process such as a washing process, a rinsing process, a dehydration process, and a drying process. The control unit operates the drive unit so that the magnitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit is maximized, and the cloth quality detection unit determines the cloth quality of the laundry from the magnitude of torque fluctuation in this state, A control part changes the time of a drying process according to the cloth quality by a cloth quality detection part.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a drum-type washing machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device for the drum-type washing machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a correlation between magnitudes of torque fluctuations due to differences in fabric quality when the rotating drum of the drum type washing machine in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is rotated in one direction at 45 rpm. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a correlation between magnitudes of torque fluctuations due to a difference in cloth quality when the rotating drum of the drum type washing machine in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is rotated at a rotation speed corresponding to the cloth quality. . FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the correlation of the torque variation according to the cloth quality with respect to the cloth amount of the drum type washing machine in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the behavior of the laundry in the rotating drum in a general drum-type washing machine. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the drum type washing machine in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the drum type washing machine in the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the drum type washing machine in the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a drum-type washing machine according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the drum type washing machine in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating a behavior in which a laundry containing a lot of chemical fibers rotates in a rotating drum in a general drum type washing machine. FIG. 11B is a diagram illustrating a behavior in which laundry with a lot of cotton rotates in a rotating drum in a general drum-type washing machine.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a drum-type washing machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The configuration will be described below with reference to FIG.

A washing tub 3 is housed in the washing machine body 1 so as to be swingable, and a rotating drum 4 serving as a washing tub is disposed in the tub 3 so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 4a. A rotating shaft 4 a of the rotating drum 4 is directly connected to a motor 6 as a driving unit attached to the outside of the back surface of the water tank 3, and the rotating drum 4 is driven to rotate by the motor 6.

The rotating drum 4 is provided with a plurality of through holes 4e over the entire peripheral wall 4c so that water can be passed and vented between the water tank 3 and the rotating drum 4. The back wall 4d of the rotating drum 4 is formed with a plurality of back openings 4f along the circumferential direction, and these back openings 4f are arranged so as to oppose the inlet 9e formed at the top on the back side of the water tank 3. Has been. In addition, a plurality of stirring protrusions 4 b are provided on the inner surface of the peripheral wall 4 c of the rotating drum 4, and the stirring protrusions 4 b can lift the laundry in the rotating drum 4 by the rotation of the rotating drum 4. Although the through-hole 4e is provided over the entire peripheral wall of the rotary drum 4, it may be partially formed on the peripheral wall of the rotary drum 4. In short, the air permeability between the water tank 3 and the rotary drum 4 and the passage of air are sufficient. What is necessary is just to set so that wateriness can be ensured and it does not interfere with drying from washing.

Further, the rotating shaft 4a of the rotating drum 4 is inclined so as to face downward from the front side toward the back side. Specifically, the rotating shaft 4a is arranged to be inclined downward from the horizontal direction X by, for example, an angle θ = 20 ± 10 degrees. Has been. By inclining the rotation shaft 4a in this way, the opening 13 on the front side of the water tank 3 can be arranged on the upper side, and the inside of the rotating drum 4 can be passed through the opening 13 of the water tank 3 without taking a posture of bending greatly. The laundry can be taken out.

Further, as compared with the case where the rotating shaft 4a is in the horizontal direction, the water supplied into the water tank 3 is accumulated on the back side, and a deep water storage state can be obtained even with a small amount of water. That is, it becomes easy for the laundry to hydrate with a small amount of water supply.

The water tank 3 is provided along the vicinity thereof with the same inclination as the rotating drum 4 in order to efficiently supply water to the laundry in the rotating drum 4. By inclining the rotating drum 4 and the water tub 3, the water starts to come into contact with the outer peripheral side of the laundry earlier than the horizontal arrangement, so that the laundry is likely to contain water. If the amount of water supply is not taken into consideration, the rotating drum 4 may be horizontal or the inclination angle θ may be less than 10 degrees.

In addition, an opening communicating with the inside of the rotating drum 4 through the opening 13 of the water tub 3 is provided on the front side of the washing machine body 1, and an opening / closing door 5 is provided in the opening so as to be freely opened and closed. The opening 13 of the water tank 3 is provided with an annular sealing material 14 at the mouth edge. The front surface side of the sealing material 14 is in contact with the rear surface side of the opening / closing door 5 and is sealed. As a result, hermeticity is maintained.

The upper part of the water tank 3 is provided with a detergent storage part 7a, a water supply valve 7b which is a water supply part, and a water supply path 7c. The detergent container 7a is supplied with water by opening and closing the water supply valve 7b. The water supply path 7c supplies the detergent in the detergent container 7a to the space Y formed between the inner surface of the water tank 3 and the outer surface of the rotating drum 4 together with water supply.

The bottom of the aquarium 3 has a drain pipe 8a with one end connected to the bottom of the aquarium 3, and a drain valve 8b as a drain. When the drain valve 8b is opened and closed, the washing process ends and the rinse process ends. For example, the water in the water tank 3 is drained through the drain pipe 8a when necessary. Further, on the downstream side of the drainage pipe 8a, a drainage filter 8c that can be removed from the outside of the washing machine body 1 is disposed to collect lint contained in the drainage.

The drying unit 9 includes a blower 9c, a blower path 9d, an inlet 9e, a lead-out port 9f, a dehumidifying unit 9g, a heating unit 9h, and a filter (not shown).

The outlet 9f takes out air from the water tank 3 and the rotating drum 4. The blower 9c sucks air from the outlet 9f. The filter (not shown) collects and removes dusts contained in the air from the outlet 9f. The introduction port 9 e is provided on the back side of the water tank 3 and puts air blown from the blower 9 c into the rotating drum 4. The air passage 9d connects the air blower 9c and the introduction port 9e. The dehumidifying part 9g is arranged in the air blowing path 9d and dehumidifies the high-humidity air from the outlet 9f. The heating unit 9h is arranged on the downstream side of the dehumidifying unit 9g in the air blowing path 9d, and heats the air after dehumidification into high-temperature air. That is, the heating unit 9 h dries the air in the rotating drum 4. The dehumidifying part 9g and the heating part 9h may be constituted by a heat pump unit, the heating part 9h may be constituted by a heater, and the dehumidifying part 9g may be a water cooling method or an air cooling method.

In the drum type washing machine in the present embodiment, the dehumidifying part 9g and the heating part 9h are configured by a heat pump unit, and the compressor constituting the heat pump unit together with the dehumidifying part 9g and the heating part 9h in the washing machine body 1 (Not shown) shall be provided.

In addition to the above, the water in the aquarium 3 is circulated by the circulation pump 30 as necessary at the time of the washing process including the water supply and drainage operations, the rinsing process, etc. It is possible to improve the function too much.

As shown in FIG. 1, the circulation pump 30 is fixed on a base plate 2 a that is the bottom of the washing machine body 1, and sucks wash water and sends it to the circulation channel 31. Further, the fed wash water is discharged into the washing tub from the opening 13 of the rotary drum 4 through the circulation water channel 31. More specifically, the discharge side path 31b of the circulation water channel 31 is connected from the outer surface to the injection port 51 provided in the front end wall 3g around the opening of the water tank 3, and the inner surface of the front end wall 3g of the water tank 3; Washing water is jetted between the outer surface of the front end wall 4g of the corresponding rotating drum 4 and discharged into the rotating drum 4 through a flow path formed therebetween. As a result, the water injection port 51 from the discharge side passage 31b is in a position where it does not come into contact with the laundry in the rotating drum 4, so that the laundry is caught and washed, disturbing the behavior required for rinsing or drying, or It is possible to prevent the laundry from being damaged or torn, and the appearance is not impaired. At this time, the rotational speed of the motor of the circulation pump 30 is set to about 3500 rpm, for example.

It should be noted that the injection port 51 is not limited to the attachment position at the lower part, and may be provided at the upper part as long as it does not come into contact with the laundry in the rotating drum 4. It may be arranged at a plurality of positions.

Further, when the washing water is simply sprayed into the rotating drum 4, the circulating water is sprayed only to the local portion of the laundry in the rotating drum 4, and the circulation effect is not fully utilized. On the other hand, when a special injection nozzle is used to inject circulating water over a wide area, the necessary pump pressure increases, which causes a cost increase. Therefore, in the first embodiment, for example, a DC brushless motor capable of controlling the rotation speed is used to circulate the water in the water tank 3 by the circulation pump 30.

Thus, by adjusting the flow rate and flow velocity of the discharged circulating water, the vertical angle and the lateral extent of the discharged circulating water can be changed without using a special injection nozzle. As a result, it becomes possible to supply the circulating water evenly and optimally to the laundry in the rotating drum 4 by the circulation pump 30, and the washing performance and the rinsing performance can be improved.

Further, since it is possible to avoid unnecessary supply of circulating water toward the space where the laundry is not located, wasteful power consumption can be suppressed, and abnormal foaming due to the cleaning water can also be suppressed.

The rotation speed of the circulation pump 30 is, for example, about 3500 rpm as described above during normal washing operation, and about 20 L of circulating water per minute is supplied to the laundry in the rotating drum 4. This will improve washing performance and rinsing performance. On the other hand, when the load amount detection unit determines that the amount of laundry is less than a predetermined value, the control unit 11a configuring the control device 11 reduces the rotation speed of the circulation pump 30 to, for example, about 2500 rpm and supplies the circulation. Make water about 15L / min. By reducing the number of revolutions of the circulation pump 30, as shown by an arrow B in FIG. 1, the angle in the vertical direction in which the circulating water is discharged is made closer to the horizontal, and the degree of spread in the left-right direction is reduced. Thereby, when there is little laundry, the discharged circulating water is injected to the laundry located in the downward direction in the rotating drum 4, and circulating water is supplied efficiently.

In addition, in this Embodiment 1, although it was set as the structure which installs the circulation pump 30 on the baseplate 2a which is the bottom part of the washing machine main body 1, it is not limited to this, The water in the water tank 3 is circulated. However, the structure where the circulation pump 30 is installed in the lower part 3b of the water tank 3 may be sufficient. Moreover, the discharge side path | route 31b is not restricted to one, There may be multiple, and the injection port 51 may be not only from the lower part but from the upper part, and may be plural.

Furthermore, the drum-type washing machine according to the first embodiment is provided with a water level detection unit 10 that detects the amount of water supplied into the rotary drum 4. In this, an air trap part 10a and a pressure detection part 10c arranged at a predetermined position near the lowest part of the water tank 3 are connected by a hose 10b. The pressure detection unit 10c is composed of a ferrite integrated with a bellows portion that moves by pressure, and a fixed-side coil that surrounds the outer periphery of the pressure detection unit 10c. To do. The water level detection unit 10 is open to the atmosphere and the output is constant when the cleaning water does not come into the air trap unit 10a.

As described above, the water level detection unit 10 is generally sensing by measuring the air internal pressure by the air trap mechanism, and measuring the time until the air internal pressure changes from the stable atmospheric open pressure affects the variation of the water level sensor. It is an appropriate calculation method that is not subject to

Further, the output of the water level detection unit 10 changes depending on the rotation of the rotating drum 4 during the washing operation, such as whether or not the rotating drum 4 is rotating, and the rotation number of the rotating drum 4. Correspondingly, there are several tables of rotation speed and water level. That is, the water level can be recognized while the rotating drum 4 is stationary or rotating.

The control unit 11a includes a system that can manage all input / output control with a timer, including various sensor outputs such as the water level detection unit 10 as well as instructions for water supply, drainage, and driving of the rotating drum 4. The time required for each operation and timing can be known.

The vibration detection unit 16 detects the vibration of the water tank 3. The vibration detection unit 16 includes at least one acceleration sensor (not shown), detects vibration in at least one of the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction of the water tank 3, and detects the acceleration in each detected direction. Output the sum of.

In Embodiment 1, as an example, vibration (acceleration) in the vertical direction with respect to the front surface of the rotating drum 4 is detected. The acceleration sensor may be a semiconductor acceleration sensor, a piezoelectric acceleration sensor, or the like, and may be a multi-axis (two-axis or three-axis) acceleration sensor. The actual vibration of the aquarium 3 occupies most of the components in the vertical direction, so the acceleration of clothing falling can be detected with sufficient accuracy in only one direction of the vertical direction. Since there is a rare case where the water tank 3 hits the casing, in the first embodiment of the present invention, a three-axis acceleration sensor is used to add and add the three-axis acceleration components. .

Next, details of the control device 11 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control device 11 of the drum type washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The control device 11 includes a microcomputer, and includes a control unit 11a, a cloth quality detection unit 11b that detects the quality of the laundry, and a cloth amount detection unit 11d that detects the amount of the laundry. . Further, the control unit 11a controls at least the motor 6, the water supply valve 7b, the drain valve 8b, and the like through a power switching unit (not shown), thereby performing at least washing, rinsing, dehydration, and drying.

The rotation speed calculation unit 11e calculates the rotation speed of the rotary drum 4 from the speed signal output from the hall element 6a as the rotation speed detection unit. The rotation speed of the rotary drum 4 is supplied to the cloth amount detection unit 11d, and the cloth amount is detected based on the detected rotation speed.

Cloth amount detection is performed as follows. First, the control unit 11a drives the motor 6 to rotate. The rotational speed of the rotating drum 4 at this time is once raised to a rotational speed at which the laundry is stuck to the inside of the peripheral wall 4c of the rotating drum 4, for example, about 100 to 140 rpm. The controller 11a turns off the motor 6 after maintaining the rotation of the rotary drum 4 for a predetermined time. Then, the motor 6 rotates because the rotating drum 4 rotates due to inertia. At this time, the rotation of the rotating drum 4 gradually decreases due to the friction torque, and the rotating drum 4 eventually stops. The time from the stop of energization to the stop of the rotating drum 4 is long when the amount of laundry is large, and short when the amount of laundry is small. The amount of laundry is detected using the fact that the difference in time required for this stop is proportional to the amount of laundry.

The control unit 11a determines the cleaning water level according to the cloth amount detected by the cloth amount detection unit 11d, and opens the water supply valve 7b to supply water to the cleaning water level. Thereafter, the output from the vibration detection unit 16 is input, and the number of rotations of the motor 6 is determined by varying the number of rotations of the motor 6 while performing vector control so that the maximum acceleration is applied in a predetermined direction (in the present invention, the vertical direction). To do. Thereafter, the output from the torque fluctuation calculation unit 11c is input while the determined number of revolutions is kept constant, and the fabric quality of the laundry is determined by the fabric quality detection unit 11b.

The torque fluctuation calculation part 11c calculates the output of the motor 6 detected from the motor current detection part 17 which is a torque fluctuation detection part. In the configuration in which the rotation of the motor 6 is controlled by vector control, the q-axis current obtained by vector control is proportional to the torque, so the torque of the motor 6 and the magnitude of torque variation are calculated using the q-axis current.

The drum type washing machine in the first embodiment of the present invention automatically controls the motor 6, the water supply valve 7b, the drain valve 8b, and the drying unit 9 according to mode setting and a control program, and at least a washing process, a rinsing process, a dehydrating process, It has a function of performing a drying process.

For the drum type washing machine configured as described above, the process of detecting the cloth quality will be described below for its operation and action.

First, the washing process will be explained. In a normal washing operation, the laundry is first put in from the door 5 and the cloth amount is detected along with the rotation of the rotary drum 4 without being wet. The basic water supply amount is determined from the result of the cloth amount detection at this time. Then, the water supply valve 7b is opened and water supply is started. Further, the detergent in the detergent container 7 a is also put into the water tank 3 using the water supply at this time. When the water is supplied to the washing water level determined according to the amount of cloth, the rotating drum 4 repeats the left and right rotations for about 3 minutes to sufficiently absorb the washing water (containing water).

In Embodiment 1 of the present invention, after the laundry has sufficiently absorbed the washing water, the motor 6 operates so that the magnitude of the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 16 is maximized. That is, the control unit 11a changes the rotational speed of the rotating drum 4 in a range of 40 to 49 rpm so that the maximum acceleration is generated in the vertical direction (vertical direction) when viewed from the front side of the rotating drum 4. Specifically, the rotating drum 4 is rotated at 45 rpm for 20 seconds, and the vibration detector 16 detects an average vertical acceleration for 20 seconds. Next, while rotating the rotating drum 4 for the same time at 46 rpm, the vibration detector 16 similarly detects the acceleration in the vertical direction. The controller 11a searches for the number of rotations of the rotating drum 4 to which an average acceleration is applied in the vertical direction compared to the vertical acceleration during rotation at 45 rpm. In the same manner, the rotational drum rotational speed at which acceleration is averaged on average is obtained by changing the rotational drum rotational speed from 47, 48, and 49 rpm to 44 to 40 rpm.

Next, the behavior of torque fluctuation according to the properties of the fabric will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the correlation between the magnitudes of torque fluctuations due to the difference in fabric quality when the rotating drum of the drum type washing machine in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is rotated in one direction at 45 rpm. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the correlation of the magnitude of torque fluctuation due to the difference in cloth quality when the rotating drum of the drum type washing machine in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is rotated at the number of rotations according to the cloth quality.

As shown in FIG. 3A, when there are many chemical fibers with low water absorption, when the rotating drum 4 is rotated at 45 rpm, most of the laundry is stuck inside the rotating drum 4 and uneven rotation is less likely to occur. Torque fluctuation is also reduced. On the other hand, when there are many cotton clothes with high water absorption, it does not lift to the upper part of the rotating drum 4, and the laundry runs idle at a low position of the rotating drum 4. As shown in FIG. 11B, the engine is idle in the vicinity of the lower part, and rotation unevenness is unlikely to occur, that is, torque fluctuation is reduced.

In addition, when the laundry is idle at a low position of the rotating drum 4, the laundry that is lifted and dropped halfway hits the stirring protrusion 4b that rises in the rotation direction and may be knocked up. At this time, the rotating drum 4 vibrates greatly in the left-right direction, and the torque fluctuation detected by the torque fluctuation detector 17 increases. Due to such behavior, just because the torque fluctuation is large, the laundry does not necessarily fall from the uppermost part of the rotating drum 4 to the lowermost part.

As described above, if the laundry does not fall from the uppermost part to the lowermost part of the rotating drum 4, it is difficult to distinguish the rotation unevenness and the torque fluctuation according to the cloth quality, and it is difficult to detect the cloth quality.

When the rotational speed of the rotating drum 4 is in the range of 40 to 49 rpm, the vibration detecting unit 16 determines the rotational speed at which the maximum acceleration is detected, and the rotating drum 4 is rotated at that rotational speed. Facing the bottom, the laundry is knocked down with maximum acceleration. When the rotational speed and torque fluctuation are detected in this state, a result as shown in FIG. 3B is obtained. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the laundry has a large amount of chemical fiber, the garment sticking to the inner side of the peripheral wall 4 c of the rotating drum 4 is reduced by reducing the rotational speed to 43 rpm. That is, it is in a state in which the laundry is struck down with maximum acceleration from the uppermost part to the lowermost part of the rotating drum 4.

On the other hand, when there are many cotton clothes with high water absorption, clothes containing water are heavy, so by increasing the number of revolutions to 48 rpm, the clothes can be lifted up to the top of the rotating drum 4, and the laundry is directed to the bottom. Is knocked down with maximum acceleration.

In this way, the minimum condition for rotating the rotary drum 4 is established, and then the cloth quality is determined based on the magnitude of torque fluctuation.

In the process of determining the cloth quality based on the magnitude of the torque fluctuation, as described above, the control unit 11a has a rotation speed at which the laundry can be reliably knocked down with the maximum acceleration. In this case, the rotating drum 4 is continuously rotated at 43 rpm or the like. At this time, it is finely detected whether the fluctuation (torque fluctuation) of the rotational speed in the short period cycle is large or small, for example, the magnitude of the torque fluctuation in units of 0.1 second is detected.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the rotating rotating drum 4 sinks due to the fall of the laundry in the rotating drum 4, thereby causing rotation unevenness (torque fluctuation of the motor 6). For example, if you put about 4kg of cotton clothes, double 8kg of washing water. For this reason, the rotation drum 4 is calculated to have 12 kg of cloth containing washing water.

Although the laundry in the rotating drum 4 depends on how the cloth is biased, a lump of cotton containing approximately 2 kg of water is lifted up to the top of the rotating drum 4 and dropped down toward the bottom of the rotating drum 4 Therefore, the rotating drum 4 easily sinks and uneven rotation occurs. The magnitude of the rotation unevenness is ± 2 rpm for chemical fibers and ± 5 rpm for cotton, and the numerical difference itself is small. This is because even if rotation unevenness occurs by using vector control having high-speed response as the control method of the motor 6, it is difficult to cause rotation unevenness by rapidly increasing and decreasing the motor current. Since the influence on the torque fluctuation is large as much as the difference in rotation unevenness is small, the control device 11 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can easily distinguish the difference in the fabric quality by referring to the torque fluctuation (the q-axis current of the motor current). . When the vector control is not performed, the variation in the rotation speed (rotation unevenness) becomes larger, so that the cloth quality can be determined based on the magnitude of the rotation unevenness.

Note that the torque fluctuation is detected at the timing when the operation of the motor 6 is started, that is, for 5 seconds after the rotation of the rotating drum 4 is started, the laundry in the rotating drum is not stable, and thus the torque fluctuation is not detected. Start detecting changes. It is better to detect the fluctuation as long as possible until the rotating drum 4 is stopped.

Finally, the process of detecting the cloth quality from the magnitude of the torque fluctuation detected by the torque fluctuation detector 17 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the correlation of the torque variation according to the cloth quality with respect to the cloth amount of the drum type washing machine in the first embodiment of the present invention.

The difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the torque fluctuation of the rotary drum 4 is replaced with a numerical value that is easy to calculate (for example, a numerical value in units of a maximum of 400 bits) by the torque fluctuation calculation section 11c, and the cloth quality detection section 11b. As shown in FIG. 4, the fabric quality is determined by comparing the first predetermined value A and the second predetermined value B, which are threshold values, with the ratio of fibers having high water absorption and fibers having low water absorption. .

In the case of FIG. 4, if it is 2nd predetermined value B or less, for example, 240 bits or less, it will be determined that the ratio of the clothing which consists of a chemical fiber is large. If it exceeds 240 bits and is less than the first predetermined value A, for example, less than 290 bits, cotton and chemical fibers are roughly half of the laundry, and if it exceeds 290 bits, the proportion of clothing made of cotton is high. Next, the fabric quality is determined.

Supplementing the relationship between the fabric quality and the amount of fabric, according to FIG. 4, the so-called practical area is called laundry capacity (generally, it is said that the capacity of laundry that an adult changes and wash in one day is 1.5 kg. The range of the most practical washing capacity (up to 3 families washing every day) can determine the fabric quality without depending on the amount of fabric. However, in the case of a capacity of 1 kg or less or a capacity exceeding 6 kg, it is necessary to change the cloth quality judgment threshold value according to the cloth quantity obtained as a result of the cloth quantity judgment (the cloth quality detection threshold value based on the cloth quantity). Correction).

When the laundry is less than 1 kg, it is difficult to detect the difference in the cloth quality by the vibration detection unit 16 because it is relatively light even if it contains washing water. When the laundry exceeds 6 kg, the rotary drum 4 is almost filled with the laundry, and it is difficult to drop the rotary drum 4 from the upper part to the lower part. For this reason, it is difficult to detect a difference in fabric quality by the vibration detection unit 16. Therefore, the maximum torque fluctuation range, which is the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of torque fluctuation, becomes small. Therefore, the fabric quality can be determined according to the amount of fabric by lowering the threshold value for determining the level of water absorption.

As described above, the drum-type washing machine in the present embodiment accommodates laundry, and a washing tub that is rotatable around a horizontal rotation axis or a rotation axis that is inclined downward from the front side toward the back side; Water tank for storing the washing tub, vibration detection unit for detecting vibration of the water tub, driving unit for driving the washing tub, torque fluctuation detecting unit for detecting the magnitude of torque fluctuation of the driving unit, and the quality of the laundry And a control unit that drives at least the drive unit and controls at least each process such as washing, rinsing, dehydration, and drying, and the control unit detects by the vibration detection unit. The drive unit is operated so that the magnitude of vibration is maximized, and the cloth quality detection unit is configured to determine the cloth quality of the laundry from the magnitude of the torque fluctuation in this state.

With such a configuration, the magnitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit is maximized after a certain amount of water corresponding to the weight of the laundry is supplied into the washing tub and absorbed by the laundry regardless of the fabric quality. The drive unit is operated so that That is, the laundry can be knocked down with the maximum acceleration from the uppermost part of the rotating washing tub toward the lowermost part (the bottom of the washing tub). Therefore, by drawing out the maximum amount of torque fluctuation (variation width) according to the fabric quality (water absorption), the laundry is often made of a material with high water absorption or low water absorption. The cloth quality of the material can be easily and accurately detected.

In addition, the drum type washing machine in the present embodiment includes a water supply unit that supplies water to the washing tub or the water tub, and a rotation number detection unit that detects the rotation number of the drive unit, and the control unit operates the water supply unit to supply water. Then, the laundry contains water and the drive unit is operated at a rotation speed at which the magnitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit is maximized. The cloth quality is detected.

Further, in the drum type washing machine in the present embodiment, the control unit performs a process of rotating the washing tub at a predetermined rotation speed for a predetermined time after the start of water supply, and changes the predetermined rotation speed to detect vibration detected by the vibration detection unit. This determines the number of rotations at which the size of is the maximum.

Further, in the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment, the cloth quality detection unit is configured such that the magnitude of the torque fluctuation at the rotational speed at which the magnitude of the vibration detected by the vibration detection part is the maximum is larger than the predetermined torque fluctuation. When the size is large, the laundry is judged to have a high proportion of highly water-absorbing fibers.

Further, in the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment, the cloth quality detection unit determines the cloth quality based on the magnitude of the torque fluctuation after the elapse of a predetermined time from the start of the operation of the driving unit.

With such a configuration, the torque fluctuation detection is canceled in a section where the torque value is not stable immediately after the operation of the drive unit is started, and the cloth quality is determined based on the torque fluctuation in a state where the torque value is stable after a predetermined time has elapsed. It is possible to improve the accuracy of the cloth quality determination.

Further, in the drum type washing machine in the present embodiment, the vibration detection unit has at least one acceleration sensor, and detects vibration in at least one of the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction of the water tank, The sum of accelerations in each detected direction is output.

With such a configuration, even when the laundry is biased in the washing tub, the drive unit is adjusted so that the magnitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit is always maximized by the high-speed response of the acceleration sensor. be able to. As a result, the laundry can always be struck down with the maximum acceleration from the top to the bottom of the rotating washing tub.

In addition, the drum type washing machine in the present embodiment is configured such that the control unit performs vector control of the drive unit, and the torque fluctuation detection unit is based on the q-axis current when the control unit performs vector control of the drive unit. Thus, the magnitude of torque fluctuation is detected.

With this configuration, the drive unit is configured to be rotationally controlled by vector control, and is configured to detect the magnitude of torque variation of the drive unit based on the q-axis current obtained in vector control. Detection accuracy can be further improved, and the accuracy of the cloth quality determination can be further improved.

The drum-type washing machine in the present embodiment includes a cloth amount detection unit that detects the amount of laundry in the washing tub, and the control unit is a torque that determines the cloth quality based on a signal from the cloth amount detection unit. The threshold value of the magnitude of fluctuation is corrected.

With such a configuration, when the amount of laundry is large, the width of torque fluctuation due to the cloth quality becomes larger. Therefore, by correcting the cloth quality judgment threshold value, the cloth quantity can be improved without being affected by the cloth quantity. Quality can be detected.

Next, when the washing process is finished, the drain valve 8b is opened, and the wash water in the water tank 3 passes through the drain pipe 8a and the drain filter 8c and is drained outside the apparatus. Thereafter, the rinsing step, the dehydrating step and the drying step are performed, and the washing operation is completed.

In this drying step, the control unit 11a provided in the drum type washing machine in Embodiment 1 of the present invention performs the following operation.

That is, when the control unit 11a determines that the laundry fabric has high water absorption, the control unit 11a changes the direction of increasing the output of the heating unit 9h in accordance with the high water absorption fabric. Specifically, in the heating unit 9h using a heat pump, the frequency of the compressor is set high to ensure sufficient drying performance.

On the other hand, if the control part 11a determines with the cloth quality of the laundry having low water absorption, the control part 11a changes the direction of decreasing the output of the heating part 9h according to the cloth quality having low water absorption. Specifically, the frequency of the compressor is set low so that the heating unit 9h using the heat pump does not become undried.

Hereinafter, the operation of the drying process in the drum type washing machine in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the drum type washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the rotating drum 4 that is the washing tub is rotated by the motor 6 as the driving unit (S1), and the rotation number of the rotating drum 4 is adjusted to the motor. 6 (S2). The vibration detector 16 detects the vibration of the water tank 3 accompanying the rotation of the rotating drum 4 and determines whether or not the vibration is maximum (S3). If it is determined that the vibration is not maximum, the motor 6 is controlled. The rotational speed of the rotating drum 4 is changed.

When it is determined that the vibration of the water tank 3 is maximum (YES in S3), the control unit 11a detects the magnitude of the torque at that time by the motor current detection unit 17. When the torque fluctuation calculation unit 11c determines that the torque fluctuation range (torque fluctuation magnitude) is larger than the first predetermined value A (YES in S4), the frequency of the compressor (not shown) is set high. Ensuring sufficient drying performance (S5).

When the torque fluctuation calculation unit 11c determines that the torque fluctuation range is smaller than the first predetermined value A and larger than the second predetermined value B, which is a value smaller than the first predetermined value (NO in S4, (YES in S6), the setting content of the compressor is left as it is, and the frequency is not changed (S7).

Furthermore, when the torque fluctuation calculation unit 11c determines that the torque fluctuation width is smaller than the first predetermined value and smaller than the second predetermined value B (NO in S6), the compressor fluctuation is reduced to the extent that it does not become undried. The frequency is set low (S8).

When the washing process is finished (S9), the rinsing process (S10), the dehydration process (S11) and the drying process (S12) are entered, the drying time and drying in which the frequency of the compressor of the heating unit 9h is changed as described above. Perform the action. When the set drying time has elapsed (YES in S13), the drying process is finished and all the operations are finished.

Here, we will supplement the setting of the drying time according to the fabric quality. As described above, the laundry is roughly divided into cotton fibers and chemical fibers. However, the cotton fibers are more dense than the chemical fibers because the fibers themselves form when they contain water and expand. Accordingly, when drying is performed by applying heat to clothing, the time required for the moisture from the clothing to evaporate is longer for cotton fibers than for chemical fibers. This is because the chemical fibers are less sparse and the heat is more likely to reach the back of the fibers and does not absorb much water. That is, the amount of heat required for drying away moisture during drying is large for cotton fibers. On the other hand, when the fabric quality is large, the water absorption is low, so that the heating amount necessary for drying is relatively small. For this reason, as in the past, in the drying method when the fabric quality is unknown, if there is no undried for all the clothes and an attempt is made to satisfy the drying finish, the cotton fibers will be timed to dry, and the chemical fibers Becomes overdried. Therefore, there is a concern about thermal stress on chemical fibers. On the other hand, in the case of the drying method of the present embodiment, by setting the condition that the mixing ratio of cotton and chemical fibers is about 1: 1 as a standard drying setting, about ± 10 minutes depending on the ratio If the time is changed, it is possible to avoid excessive heat stress on the clothing while satisfying the drying performance.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the cloth quality detection unit that detects the composition ratio of the cotton and the synthetic fiber of the garment accommodated in the washing tub is provided, and is the ratio composed of the fiber having high water absorption high? It can be determined whether the proportion of the fibers having low water absorption is large. Furthermore, by setting the minimum required compressor frequency according to the result of the cloth quality detection unit 11b, it is excellent in energy saving that suppresses the power consumption of drying without causing insufficient drying and uneven drying. Dry operation can be realized.

Each configuration described in this embodiment cooperates with hardware resources such as a CPU (or microcomputer), a RAM, a ROM, a storage / recording device, an electrical / information device including an I / O, a computer, a server, and the like. You may implement with the form of the program to be made. In the form of a program, new functions can be easily distributed / updated and installed by recording them on a recording medium such as magnetic media or optical media, or distributing them using a communication line such as the Internet.

As described above, in the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment, the control unit sets the minimum output of the heating unit according to the fabric quality detected by the fabric quality detection unit, so that the drying is insufficient or uneven drying occurs. Therefore, it is possible to realize a drying operation with high energy saving while suppressing power consumption of drying.

Further, in the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment, the cloth quality detection unit determines a ratio of fibers having high water absorption and fibers having low water absorption as a material constituting the laundry.

With such a configuration, the laundry that has been thrown in by the cloth quality detection unit “has a large proportion of materials made of materials with high water absorption” or “large proportion of materials made of materials with low water absorption”. Such a determination can be made appropriately, and the minimum required output of the heating unit can be set according to the fabric characteristics. For this reason, the drying operation with high energy saving which maximized the drying efficiency can be realized.

Further, in the drum type washing machine in the present embodiment, when the control unit detects that the ratio of the laundry made of fibers having low water absorption is large by the cloth quality detection unit, the larger the ratio, The output is reduced.

With such a configuration, the laundry that has been thrown in by the cloth quality detection unit “has a large proportion of materials made of materials with high water absorption” or “large proportion of materials made of materials with low water absorption”. After the determination is made, the output of the heating unit can be greatly reduced because at least the amount of heat required at the time of drying is at least when there are many synthetic fibers. For this reason, the drying operation excellent in energy saving property is realizable.

In addition, the drum type washing machine in the present embodiment is a heat pump cycle having a heating unit including a compressor and a heat exchanger.

With such a configuration, since the heating method using the heat pump cycle has better thermal efficiency, it is possible to improve the drying performance under the condition of excellent energy saving.

Further, in the drum type washing machine in the present embodiment, when the control unit detects that the laundry is composed of fibers having low water absorption by the cloth quality detection unit, the compressor increases as the ratio increases. The driving frequency is lowered.

With such a configuration, the laundry that has been thrown in by the cloth quality detection unit “has a large proportion of materials made of materials with high water absorption” or “large proportion of materials made of materials with low water absorption”. After the determination is made, the output of the heating unit can be greatly reduced because at least the amount of heat required at the time of drying is at least when there are many synthetic fibers. For this reason, it becomes possible to improve a drying performance on the conditions excellent in energy saving property.

(Embodiment 2)
Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Since the drum-type washing machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as the first embodiment of the present invention, the method for detecting the cloth quality, the components for performing the cloth quality detection, and the washing process are the same. Description is omitted.

The cloth quality detection of the drum type washing machine in the second embodiment of the present invention determines the ratio of fibers having high water absorption and fibers having low water absorption as a material constituting the laundry.

Unlike the first embodiment of the present invention, the heating unit is configured by a heater 19 as a heating unit and a water cooling system as a dehumidifying unit. In addition, the dehumidifying part 9g is good also as an air cooling system.

In this drying step, the control unit 11a provided in the drum type washing machine in the second embodiment of the present invention performs the following operation.

That is, if the control part 11a determines that the cloth quality of the laundry is highly absorbent, the controller 11a changes the direction of increasing the output of the heater according to the highly absorbent cloth quality to ensure sufficient drying performance. .

On the other hand, if the control unit 11a determines that the laundry fabric has low water absorption, the control unit 11a changes the output of the heater to a level that does not become undried according to the low water absorption.

Hereinafter, the operation of the drying process in the drum type washing machine according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the drum type washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the rotating drum 4 serving as the washing tub is rotated by the motor 6 as the driving unit (S1), and the rotational speed of the rotating drum 4 is adjusted to the motor. 6 (S2). The vibration detector 16 detects the vibration of the water tank 3 accompanying the rotation of the rotating drum 4 and determines whether or not the vibration is maximum (S3). If it is determined that the vibration is not maximum, the motor 6 is controlled. The rotational speed of the rotating drum 4 is changed.

When it is determined that the vibration of the water tank 3 is maximum (YES in S3), the control unit 11a detects the magnitude of the torque at that time by the motor current detection unit 17. If the torque fluctuation calculation unit 11c determines that the torque fluctuation width (torque fluctuation magnitude) is greater than the first predetermined value A (YES in S4), the heater output is increased to ensure sufficient drying performance. (S5).

When the torque fluctuation calculation unit 11c determines that the torque fluctuation range is smaller than the first predetermined value A and larger than the second predetermined value B, which is a value smaller than the first predetermined value (NO in S4, N6 in S6), the heater setting is left as it is, and the heater output is not changed (S7).

Furthermore, when the torque fluctuation calculation unit 11c determines that the torque fluctuation width is smaller than the first predetermined value and smaller than the second predetermined value B (NO in S6), the output of the heater is set so as not to be undried. Is set small (S8).

After finishing the washing process (S9), passing through the rinsing process (S10) and the dehydrating process (S11) and entering the drying process (S12), the drying time and drying in which the output of the heater as the heating unit 9h is changed as described above Perform the action. When the set drying time has elapsed (YES in S13), the drying process is finished and all the operations are finished.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the cloth quality detection unit that detects the composition ratio of the cotton and the synthetic fiber of the clothes stored in the washing tub is provided, and the cloth quality detected by the cloth quality detection unit is the ratio of cotton. Is large, the water absorption is high, so that a large amount of heating is required to take away moisture during drying. On the other hand, when the fabric quality is large, the water absorption is low, that is, the necessary heating amount for drying is relatively small. Therefore, by setting the minimum output of the heater 19 according to the cloth quality, it is possible to realize an energy saving operation that suppresses the power consumption of drying without causing insufficient drying or uneven drying.

(Embodiment 3)
Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Since the drum-type washing machine according to the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as the first embodiment of the present invention, the method for detecting the cloth quality, the components for performing the cloth quality detection, and the washing process are the same. Description is omitted.

The control unit 11a of the drum type washing machine in the third embodiment of the present invention changes the time of the drying process according to the fabric quality by the fabric quality detection unit 11b.

More specifically, in this drying step, the control unit 11a provided in the drum type washing machine in Embodiment 3 of the present invention performs the following operation.

That is, if the controller 11a determines that the ratio of the laundry fabric composed of fibers having high water absorption is large, the control unit 11a changes the drying time to increase in accordance with the fabric having high water absorption. Specifically, the drying time is increased by, for example, 5 minutes to ensure sufficient drying performance.

On the other hand, if the controller 11a determines that the proportion of the laundry fabric composed of fibers with low water absorption is large, the control unit 11a changes the drying time in a direction that reduces the drying time according to the fabric with low water absorption. Specifically, the drying time is set to be short, for example, about 3 minutes so as not to be undried.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the drum type washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the rotating drum 4 as the washing tub is rotated by the motor 6 as the driving unit (S1), and the rotation number of the rotating drum 4 is adjusted to the motor. 6 (S2). The vibration detection unit 16 detects the vibration of the water tank 3 accompanying the rotation of the rotating drum 4, determines whether the vibration is maximum (S3), and determines that the vibration is not maximum (NO in S3). The motor 6 is controlled to change the rotational speed of the rotary drum 4.

When it is determined that the vibration of the water tank 3 is maximum (YES in S3), the control unit 11a detects the magnitude of the torque at that time by the motor current detection unit 17. When the torque fluctuation calculation unit 11c determines that the torque fluctuation range (torque fluctuation magnitude) is larger than the first predetermined value A (YES in S4), the drying process time T (H) is increased by, for example, 5 minutes. Thus, sufficient drying performance is ensured (S5).

When the torque fluctuation calculation unit 11c determines that the torque fluctuation range is smaller than the first predetermined value A and larger than the second predetermined value B, which is a value smaller than the first predetermined value (NO in S4, YES in S6), the drying process time T (H) is left as it is (S7).

Further, when the torque fluctuation calculation unit 11c determines that the torque fluctuation range is smaller than the first predetermined value and smaller than the second predetermined value B (NO in S6), for example, 3 The drying process time T (H) is set short (about S8).

After finishing the washing process (S9), passing through the rinsing process (S10) and the dehydrating process (S11) and entering the drying process (S12), the drying operation is performed by changing the drying process time as described above. When the set drying time set above has elapsed (YES in S13), the drying process is finished and all the operations are finished.

Here, we will supplement the setting of the drying time according to the fabric quality. As described above, the laundry is roughly divided into cotton fibers and chemical fibers. However, the cotton fibers are more dense than the chemical fibers because the fibers themselves form when they contain water and expand. Accordingly, when drying is performed by applying heat to clothing, the time required for the moisture from the clothing to evaporate is longer for cotton fibers than for chemical fibers. This is because the chemical fibers are less sparse and the heat is more likely to reach the back of the fibers and does not absorb much water. That is, the amount of heat required for drying away moisture during drying is large for cotton fibers. On the other hand, when the fabric quality is large, the water absorption is low, so that the heating amount necessary for drying is relatively small. For this reason, as in the past, in the drying method when the fabric quality is unknown, if there is no undried for all the clothes and an attempt is made to satisfy the drying finish, the cotton fibers will be timed to dry, and the chemical fibers Becomes overdried. Therefore, there is a concern about thermal stress on chemical fibers. On the other hand, in the case of the drying method this time, by setting the condition that the mixing ratio of cotton and chemical fiber is about 1: 1 as a standard drying setting, a time of about ± 10 minutes is set according to the ratio. If changed, it is also possible to avoid excessive heat stress on the clothing while satisfying the drying performance.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the cloth quality detection unit that detects the composition ratio of the cotton and the synthetic fiber of the garment accommodated in the washing tub is provided, and is the ratio composed of the fiber having high water absorption high? It can be determined whether the proportion of the fibers having low water absorption is large. Furthermore, by setting the time required for the minimum drying process according to the result of the cloth quality detection unit 11b, drying with excellent energy savings within a specific time without causing insufficient drying or uneven drying. Driving can be realized.

The drying unit 9 may be a heater as the heating unit 9h and a water cooling method or an air cooling method as the dehumidifying unit 9g.

As described above, in the drum type washing machine according to the present embodiment, the control unit changes the time of the drying process according to the cloth quality detected by the cloth quality detection unit. Without generating, it is possible to realize a drying operation with excellent energy saving within a specific time.

With such a configuration, the laundry that has been thrown in by the cloth quality detection unit “has a large proportion of materials made of materials with high water absorption” or “large proportion of materials made of materials with low water absorption”. Such a determination can be made appropriately, and the minimum drying process time can be set according to the fabric properties. For this reason, the drying operation excellent in energy saving can be realized within a specific time.

Further, in the drum type washing machine in the present embodiment, when the control unit detects that the ratio of the laundry composed of fibers having low water absorption is large by the cloth quality detection unit, the larger the ratio, the more the drying process. The time is reduced.

With such a configuration, the laundry that has been thrown in by the cloth quality detection unit “has a large proportion of materials made of materials with high water absorption” or “large proportion of materials made of materials with low water absorption”. After the determination is made, especially when there are many synthetic fibers, the amount of heat required for drying is small, and the time of the drying process can be shortened. For this reason, it is possible to realize a drying operation with excellent energy saving within a specific time.

(Embodiment 4)
The drum-type washing machine of the present embodiment further includes a dryness detection unit that detects the dryness of the laundry in the washing tub, and determines that there are many fibers with low water absorption depending on the detection content by the cloth quality detection unit, and When the drying detection unit detects that the laundry is in a predetermined drying level, the time for the drying process is shortened. Embodiment 3 uses the other configuration.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the drum type washing machine according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a flowchart at the time of cloth quality detection of the drum type washing machine according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The drying unit 9 captures the discharge port 9f that discharges air from the water tank 3 and the rotating drum 4, the blower 9c as a blowing unit that sucks air from the discharge port 9f, and yarn waste contained in the air from the discharge port 9f. A filter (not shown) that collects and removes dust is connected to an inlet 9e that is provided on the back side of the water tank 3 and that introduces air blown from the blower 9c into the rotating drum 4, and the blower 9c and the inlet 9e. It has a ventilation path 9d and a drying unit 9. The drying unit 9 is a heat pump cycle in the present embodiment, and includes a heat exchanger including a dehumidifying unit 9g and a heating unit 9h, a compressor 9i, and a throttle unit 9j. Therefore, also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the output control of the heating unit 9h means the control of the frequency of the compressor 9i. The dehumidifying part 9g is arranged in the air blowing path 9d and dehumidifies the high-humidity air from the outlet 9f. The heating unit 9h is arranged on the downstream side of the dehumidifying unit 9g in the air blowing path 9d, and heats the air after dehumidification into high-temperature air.

Note that the drum-type washing machine is not limited to a structure that performs heat pump-type clothing drying. For example, the dehumidifying unit 9g may be a water-cooled type in which water is sprayed directly on the drying air, and the heating unit 9h may be a heater.

The drying detection unit 20 includes an air temperature detection unit 20a before clothing contact and an air temperature detection unit 20b after clothing contact, and the detection of drying is performed by detecting the temperature of the air that dries the clothing. The temperature of the dry air at a high temperature for drying clothes is monitored by a pre-clothing contact air temperature detection unit 20a provided between the blower 9c and the rotary drum 4. Further, the temperature of the air that has come into contact with the clothes and becomes humid is monitored by a post-clothing contact air temperature detection unit 20b provided between the outlet 9f and the dehumidifying unit 9g. The controller 11a performs the drying operation while monitoring the temperature difference Ts between the two temperatures based on the signal from the drying detector 20.

As the drying process progresses, when high-temperature drying air is blown into the rotating drum 4, it comes into contact with the wet clothing in the rotating drum 4, and the temperature of the clothing in the rotating drum 4 gradually increases. The high-temperature air that has come into contact with the clothing is deprived of heat, and is discharged out of the rotating drum 4 in a state where the temperature is lower than before the clothing comes into contact.

As the drying progresses, the temperature of the clothing gradually rises, so the air temperature after contacting the clothing also rises. When moisture contained in clothing decreases, the air temperature after clothing contact approaches the air temperature before clothing contact. In this way, while monitoring the temperature difference between the drying air temperature before clothing contact and the air temperature after clothing contact, if the temperature difference is reduced to a predetermined value, the moisture contained in the clothing is almost dehumidified, It can be seen that the clothes have been dried.

The operation of the drum type washing machine further provided with the above configuration will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 10, S1 to S12 are the same as in the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. In S13, when the time Ta (H) of the drying process set based on the cloth quality detection result has elapsed (YES in S13), the drying detection unit 20 determines whether the laundry is in a predetermined drying level. Judgment is made (S14). If the predetermined dryness has been reached (YES in S14), the drying is finished according to the drying process time Ta (H) set based on the cloth quality detection result. If the predetermined dryness has not been reached (NO in S14), the drying is continued until the predetermined dryness is reached. That is, drying continues even after the time Ta (H) of the drying process set based on the cloth quality detection result.

With such a configuration, when the initial state before washing is wet clothing, it is possible to correct false detection of the cloth detection unit 11b caused by the fact that the water absorption speed is not reflected in the cloth detection result. .

Thus, the drum type washing machine in the present embodiment has a dryness detection unit that detects the dry state of the laundry, determines that there are many fibers with low water absorption according to the detection content by the cloth quality detection unit, and is dry. When the detection unit detects that the laundry is in a predetermined dry degree, the time of the drying process is shortened.

Such a configuration can correct erroneous detection of the cloth quality detection unit when the initial state before washing is wet clothing.

Since the washing machine according to the present invention detects the cloth quality of the laundry, it automatically detects not only the home washing machine but also a washing apparatus for textiles, a commercial washing machine mainly for washing water, and the cloth quality. It can also be applied to controlled equipment.

Furthermore, the washing machine according to the present invention is provided with a cloth quality detection unit for detecting the composition ratio of the cotton and the synthetic fiber of the clothes housed in the washing tub. If the percentage of cotton detected by the cloth quality detector is high, the water absorption is high, so there is a large amount of heating required to take away moisture during drying and the fabric quality is much less than that of synthetic fibers. In some cases, the water absorption is low, that is, the amount of heating required for drying is relatively small. Therefore, by setting the minimum drying process time according to the fabric quality, it is possible to realize a drying operation with excellent energy savings within a specific time without causing insufficient drying and uneven drying. .

1 Washing machine body 2a Base plate 3 Water tank 4 Rotating drum (washing tank)
4a Rotating shaft 4b Stirring protrusion 4c Peripheral wall 4d Back wall 4e Through hole 4f Rear opening 5 Opening / closing door 6 Motor (drive unit)
6a Hall element (rotation speed detector)
7a Detergent storage part 7b Water supply valve (water supply part)
8a Drain pipe 8b Drain valve (drainage section)
8c Drainage filter 9 Drying unit 9c Blower 9d Blower path 9e Inlet 9f Outlet 9g Dehumidifying unit 9h Heating unit 9i Compressor 10 Water level detection unit 11 Controller 11a Control unit 11b Cloth quality detection unit 11c Torque fluctuation calculation unit 11d Cloth amount detection 11d 11e Rotational speed calculation unit 14 Sealing material 16 Vibration detection unit 17 Motor current detection unit (torque fluctuation detection unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Drying detection part 20a Air temperature detection part before clothing contact 20b Air temperature detection part after clothing contact 30 Circulation pump 31 Circulation water path 31b Discharge side path 51 Injection port

Claims

A laundry tub that accommodates the laundry and is rotatable about a horizontal rotation axis or a rotation axis inclined downward from the front side toward the back side;
A water tank containing the washing tub;
A vibration detection unit for detecting the vibration of the water tank;
A drive unit for driving the washing tub;
A torque fluctuation detection unit for detecting the magnitude of torque fluctuation of the drive unit;
A cloth quality detection unit for detecting the quality of the laundry,
And a controller that controls the washing process, the rinsing process, the dehydration process, the drying process, and the like by driving the driving unit, and the control unit has a maximum magnitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit. And the cloth quality detection unit determines the cloth quality of the laundry from the magnitude of the torque fluctuation in a state where the magnitude of the vibration is maximized,
The said control part is a drum type washing machine which changed the said drying process according to the cloth quality by the said cloth quality detection part.
A water supply section for supplying water to the washing tub or the water tub;
A rotational speed detection unit that detects the rotational speed of the drive unit;
The control unit operates the water supply unit to supply water, so that the laundry contains water, operates the driving unit at a rotation speed at which the magnitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit is maximized, and the cloth The drum-type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the quality detection unit detects the quality of the laundry from the magnitude of the torque fluctuation at the rotation speed.
A water supply section for supplying water to the washing tub or the water tub;
A rotational speed detection unit that detects the rotational speed of the drive unit;
The controller performs a step of rotating the washing tub at a predetermined rotation speed for a predetermined time after the start of water supply, and changes the predetermined rotation speed so that the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit is maximized. The drum-type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein:
The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the output of the heating unit in accordance with the fabric quality of the fabric quality detection unit.
The control unit is configured to reduce the output of the heating unit as the ratio increases when the cloth detection unit detects that the laundry is composed of fibers having low water absorption. Item 5. The drum-type washing machine according to Item 4.
The drum type washing machine according to claim 4, wherein the heating unit is a heat pump cycle having a compressor and a heat exchanger.
The said control part makes the frequency which drives the said compressor low, so that the said ratio becomes large, when the said cloth quality detection part detects that the ratio comprised from the fiber with a low water absorption is large. 6. The drum type washing machine according to 6.
The drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the time of the drying process according to the fabric quality of the fabric quality detection unit.
The said control part made it shorten the time of the said drying process, so that the said ratio becomes large, when the said fabric quality detection part detects that the said laundry is comprised from the fiber with low water absorption is large. Item 9. A drum-type washing machine according to Item 8.
A drying detector for detecting the dry state of the laundry in the washing tub;
When it is determined that there are many fibers with low water absorption according to the detection content by the cloth quality detection unit, and when the dry detection unit detects that the laundry is in a predetermined dry degree, the drying process time is shortened. The drum type washing machine according to claim 8.