WO2016045554A1

WO2016045554A1 - Control method for cleaning filter assembly of washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2016045554A1
Application number: PCT/CN2015/090055
Authority: WO
Inventors: 劳春峰; 王春旭; 张静静; 郝世龙
Original assignee: 青岛海尔智能技术研发有限公司
Priority date: 2014-09-22
Filing date: 2015-09-18
Publication date: 2016-03-31
Also published as: CN105506932A; CN105506932B

Abstract

A control method for cleaning a filter assembly of a washing machine, the method comprising: according to a preset program, determining whether it is necessary to clean the filter assembly; if it is necessary to clean the filter assembly, emitting a visual and/or auditory signal to alert a user to start a filter assembly cleaning program so that the filter assembly is cleaned, and after the visual and/or auditory signal has been emitted for the first time, permitting the washing machine to execute a purified water laundry program a predetermined number of times, the purified water laundry program comprising using the filter assembly to perform a circulating water filtration stage for circulating and filtering on water in a washing drum of the washing machine. In the present invention, when it is determined that it is necessary to clean the filter assembly, the user is permitted to perform the purified water laundry program the predetermined number of times without the filter assembly being cleaned so that the user may continue to use the purified water laundry program when the user lacks a cleaning agent or temporarily does not wish to clean the filter assembly, thereby providing a better user experience.

Description

Control method for cleaning filter components of washing machine

Technical field

The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly to a control method for cleaning a filter assembly of a washing machine.

Background technique

The workflow of the conventional conventional washing machine laundry usually includes water infusion, washing-drying-discharging, multiple rinsing-drying-draining, etc., wherein each rinsing requires a large amount of fresh water to be consumed. Wash or rinse the used water and drain it through the drain to the outside of the washing machine. The entire washing process consumes a lot of water and greatly wastes water resources.

In order to achieve the purpose of water saving, the washing water and/or the rinsing water of the washing machine may be filtered by a circulating water filtration system for recycling. The circulating water filtration system used in the washing machine can be filtered by a filtration membrane. However, as the number of washing machines increases, the separated substances and some other impurities will gradually accumulate on the surface of the filter membrane, causing clogging and contamination of the filter membrane, which will greatly affect the filtration effect.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to overcome at least one of the deficiencies of the prior art washing machine having a circulating water filtration system, and to provide a control method for cleaning a filter assembly in a circulating water filtration system of a washing machine.

It is a further object of the present invention to extend the life of a filter assembly in a circulating water filtration system of a washing machine and to ensure that it always has normal flux.

To this end, the present invention provides a control method for cleaning a filter assembly of a washing machine, comprising:

Determine whether it is necessary to clean the filter component according to a preset program;

If the filter assembly needs to be cleaned, a visual and/or audible signal is sent to alert the user to initiate the filter assembly cleaning process to clean the filter assembly and allow the washing machine to perform a predetermined number of clean water after the first visual and/or audible signal is sent. A laundry program, wherein the water purification laundry program includes a circulating water filtration stage that utilizes a filter assembly to circulate and filter water in a washing tub of the washing machine.

Optionally, after the first time the visual and/or audible signal is sent, if the washing machine executes the water washing process for a predetermined number of times, the user operation instruction for starting the filter component cleaning program is not received, It is forbidden to perform the water purification laundry program again.

Optionally, after the water purification laundry program is executed again, until the user operation instruction for starting the filter component cleaning program is received, the water purification laundry program is executed again, and when the water purification laundry program is executed again, the preset program is re-executed. Determine if the filter assembly needs to be cleaned.

Optionally, after the visual and/or audible signal is sent for the first time, if the washing machine executes the user operation instruction of the cleaning component cleaning program before the number of times the water washing process is performed reaches a predetermined number of times, the water purification washing program is enabled to be executed again. When the water purification washing program is executed again, it is determined according to a preset program whether the filter assembly needs to be cleaned.

Optionally, after the first visual and/or audible signal is sent, the visual and/or audible signal is again alerted to the user after the washing machine is restarted or the water purifying process is performed again after the water washing process is completed. The visual and/or audible signal is stopped when a user operation command to initiate the filter component cleaning program is received.

Optionally, the preset program includes:

Measuring the water production flow rate of the filter assembly after running for a predetermined period of time in the circulating water filtration stage;

Determine whether the production water flow is less than a preset flow threshold.

If the production water flow rate is less than the flow threshold, increase the cumulative number of flow exceeding the limit of the washing machine by one, otherwise the cumulative number of flow overruns is cleared and re-accumulated;

After the accumulated number of traffic overruns is increased by 1, if the cumulative number of traffic overruns is equal to the preset cumulative threshold of traffic overrun, it is determined that the filter component needs to be cleaned.

Optionally, the control method further includes:

Receiving an operation instruction for the user to start the filter component cleaning program, and performing a filter component cleaning program to clean the filter component, wherein

Filter component cleaning procedures include:

The lye cleaning stage and the acid cleaning stage, the lye cleaning stage and the acid cleaning stage respectively include a respective liquid immersion step and a gas washing step, wherein

The liquid immersion step includes: discharging the cleaning liquid from the washing tub of the washing machine, and injecting the filter assembly from the water inlet of the filter assembly until the filter film of the filter assembly is completely or partially immersed in the cleaning liquid, and then stopping the injection of the cleaning liquid. The injected cleaning liquid is statically placed in the filter assembly to soak the filter membrane of the filter assembly;

The air washing step includes injecting a gas stream into the filter assembly to purge the filter assembly.

Optionally, the lye wash stage and the acid wash stage are further packaged after their respective gas wash steps include:

Continuing to circulate the liquid infusion immersion step and the air washing step until the respective predetermined number of cycles is completed; wherein the cleaning liquid injected in the subsequent liquid immersion step of the air washing step replaces the air-washed cleaning liquid in the filter assembly from the filter assembly to Outside the washing machine;

The lye cleaning stage and the acid cleaning stage, after completing the respective predetermined number of cycles of the respective infusion immersion step and the air washing step, further include:

Flushing step: a predetermined amount of clean water is pumped from the washing tub of the washing machine into the filter assembly, rinsed, and discharged to the outside of the washing machine.

Optionally, the preset time is 10 seconds to 2 minutes;

The flow threshold is 25-50 liters / hour;

The traffic overrun cumulative threshold is 3-5 times.

Optionally, the predetermined number of times is 3-10 times.

The invention determines whether it is necessary to clean the filter component according to a preset program, and intelligently reminds the user to clean the filter component after determining that the cleaning is required. It avoids excessive or too little cleaning of the filter membrane module of the washing machine due to the user's own negligence, which not only ensures the water production flow rate of the filter assembly, but also avoids the waste of water and electricity caused by the cleaning frequency of the filter membrane module of the washing machine being too frequent.

The invention determines whether it is necessary to clean according to the water production flow rate of the filter assembly, effectively ensures the pertinence and timeliness of the cleaning of the filter assembly, and prevents excessive dirt trapped on the ultrafiltration membrane, thereby causing the ultrafiltration membrane to be excessively stressed. Breakage helps to extend the life of the filter assembly.

Further, the present invention performs special cleaning on the filter assembly, further prolonging the life of the filter assembly in the washing machine and ensuring a high water production flow rate, thereby ensuring stable operation of the filter assembly.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, when it is judged that the filter component needs to be cleaned, the user is allowed to perform a predetermined number of water washing processes without cleaning the user, so that the user does not want to filter because of lack of cleaning agent or temporarily When the components are cleaned, they can continue to use the clean water wash program for a better user experience.

The above as well as other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the <

DRAWINGS

Some specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below by way of example, and not limitation. The same reference numbers in the drawings identify the same or similar parts. Field The skilled artisan will understand that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In the figure:

1 is a schematic flow chart of a control method for cleaning a filter assembly of a washing machine in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic flow chart of a preset procedure for determining whether cleaning of a filter component is required, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The washing machine of an embodiment of the present invention may generally include a circulating water filtration system. The circulating water filtration system is configured to cause water in the washing tub of the washing machine to flow into the circulating water filtration system during at least one working phase of the washing machine, and to be filtered and recycled back into the washing tub in the circulating water filtration system. At least one working phase here may be, for example, a rinsing phase or a washing phase of the washing machine. For example, when the washing machine is rinsing, the water in the washing tub can be made to flow into the circulating water filtration system, and is filtered, purified, and recycled back into the washing tub in the circulating water filtering system; in other working stages, such as washing In the stage or in the dehydration stage, the water in the washing tub can be filtered out without flowing into the circulating water filtration system, but directly discharged from the washing machine.

Accordingly, the washing machine of the embodiment of the present invention may have a water purification laundry program including a circulating water filtration stage that circulates water in the washing tub of the washing machine using a circulating water filtration system. The water purification laundry procedure may be equivalent to increasing the filtration of the wash water or rinse water using a circulating water filtration system during the wash or rinse phase of a conventional laundry program. The washing or rinsing stage herein may be referred to as the circulating water filtration stage of the water purification laundry program.

In particular, the circulating water filtration system of embodiments of the present invention may include a filtration assembly, particularly an ultrafiltration membrane assembly. In the circulating water filtration stage, the water in the washing tub is circulated and filtered using a filter assembly. The filter assembly is divided into separation principle, which can effectively reduce the residual wire waste of the clothes, and can effectively remove particles, colloids, bacteria, microorganisms and high molecular organic substances in the rinse water to purify and recycle the washing water or the rinse water, thereby achieving water saving. the goal of. However, as the number of washing machines increases, the separated substances and some other impurities will gradually accumulate on the surface of the filter assembly, causing clogging and contamination of the filter membrane in the filter assembly, and the filtration effect will be affected to some extent. For the above problems of the filter assembly in the washing machine, by properly cleaning the filter assembly of the washing machine, the filtering effect of the filter assembly, especially the ultrafiltration membrane module, can be significantly improved, and the service life of the filter assembly, especially the ultrafiltration membrane module, can be prolonged. It also ensures that the filter components, especially the ultrafiltration membrane modules, operate reliably over their service life.

1 is a control side for cleaning a filter assembly of a washing machine in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Schematic flow chart of the law. Referring to FIG. 1, the cleaning method of the embodiment of the present invention may include step S102 and step S104.

Step S102: Determine whether it is necessary to clean the filter component according to a preset program. If the result of the determination is "YES", then step S104 is performed.

Step S104: A reminder signal for cleaning the filter component is issued for the first time. In step S104, the washing machine may issue a visual and/or audible signal to prompt the user to activate the filter assembly cleaning program to clean the filter assembly. For example, a specific music or ringtone or voice prompt can be issued by a sounding device built in the washing machine, and/or a text reminder can be issued by a display device provided by the washing machine, and/or a user can be reminded by lighting or flashing an indicator light.

In some embodiments, if the result of the determination in step S102 is YES, the washing machine may immediately perform step S104, or may perform step S104 again when the execution of the program corresponding to the user operation command it receives ends. It is even possible to execute step S104 after the next power-on. Further, if the decision result in the step S102 is "NO", the washing machine may ignore the judgment result of the step S102 and continue executing the program corresponding to the received user operation instruction.

In some embodiments, to avoid unnecessary cleaning, the filter assembly cleaning program can be locked, refusing to receive an operational command by the user to initiate the filter assembly cleaning program. When the washing machine determines that it is not necessary to clean the filter assembly, the filter assembly cleaning program is kept locked until the washing machine determines that the filter assembly needs to be cleaned.

In some embodiments of the present invention, when the washing machine determines that the filter assembly needs to be cleaned and the user is prompted for cleaning, the user may choose whether to immediately start the filter assembly cleaning program. When the user lacks the cleaning agent or temporarily does not want to clean the filter assembly, the user may be allowed to reuse the predetermined number of water purification laundry programs. That is, after the first visual and/or audible signal reminder is issued, the washing machine can continue to perform the predetermined number of water purification laundry procedures. In some embodiments, the predetermined number of times the washing machine can continue to perform the water purification laundry procedure after the first visual and/or audible signal is issued may be 3-10 times, such as 5 times.

In some embodiments, after the first visual and/or audible signal is issued, if the washing machine executes the water washing process for a predetermined number of times, the user operation instruction for starting the filter assembly cleaning program is not received, then the water purification laundry is prohibited from being executed again. program. In particular, after the water purification laundry program is executed again, until the user operation instruction for starting the filter assembly cleaning program is received, the water purification laundry program is executed again, and when the water purification laundry program is executed again, it is determined according to the preset program again. The filter assembly needs to be cleaned.

In some embodiments, after the first visual and/or audible signal is issued, if the user operates the user operation command to start the filter assembly cleaning program before the number of times the washing machine performs the water purification laundry program reaches a predetermined number of times, the water purification laundry is enabled again. When the program is executed again and the water purification washing program is executed again, it is determined according to the preset program whether the filter assembly needs to be cleaned.

That is, in the embodiment of the present invention, after receiving the visual and/or audible signal for the first time, if the user operation instruction for starting the filter component cleaning program is received, the water purification laundry program is executed again, and the new one is restarted. The duty cycle, ie the number of times the water purification laundry program is executed, is not necessarily limited by the aforementioned predetermined number of times, and may continue at least until it is determined again that the filter assembly needs to be cleaned. And if the washing machine has not received the user operation instruction for starting the filter assembly cleaning program after the first visual and/or audible signal is issued for the first time, the predetermined number of water purification laundry procedures can be executed, and the predetermined number of water purification laundry is performed. After the program, it is forbidden to perform the water purification laundry program again. It can be understood that at this time, the washing machine only prohibits the execution of the water purifying laundry program, and does not prohibit the execution of other washing programs, such as the conventional washing program (ie, in the rinsing stage, the rinsing water is not filtered by the filter assembly), dehydration. The program, a single-drawing program that does not use the filter unit to circulate and filter the rinsing water, and a single-washing program that does not use the filter unit to circulate and filter the washing water.

Before the washing machine executes the water purification laundry program a predetermined number of times, the user is free to choose whether to start the water purification laundry program and whether to start the filter assembly cleaning process. Until the washing machine executes the water purification laundry program a predetermined number of times, if the user still does not start the filter assembly cleaning program, the washing machine prohibits the user from using the water purification laundry program again.

In some embodiments of the invention, the control method may further include steps S106 to S114.

Step S106: It is judged whether a user operation instruction for starting the filter component cleaning program is received. When the result of the determination is "NO", step S108 is performed.

Step S108: Continue to judge whether the number of times the water purification laundry program is executed reaches the predetermined number of times after the first warning signal is issued. When the result of the determination is "YES", step S110 is performed.

Step S110: It is prohibited to execute the water purification laundry program again. After step S110, it may return to step S106 to continue to determine whether a user operation instruction for starting the filter component cleaning program is received.

If the result of the determination in step S108 is "NO", that is, after the first reminder signal is issued, the number of times the water purification laundry program is executed does not reach the predetermined number of times, step S114 is performed: the water purification laundry is performed after the first visual and/or audible signal is sent. The number of times the program. Then, returning to step S106, it is continued to determine whether a user operation instruction for starting the filter component cleaning program is received.

If the result of the determination in step S106 is YES, that is, the user operation instruction for starting the filter component cleaning program is received, step S112 is performed to clean the filter component and enable the water purification laundry program to be executed again. Then, returning to step S102, it is determined according to the preset program whether it is necessary to clean the filter component.

In other alternative embodiments, step S106 and step S108 may also be performed simultaneously, that is, it is determined whether the number of times the water purification laundry program is executed reaches a predetermined number of times after the first notification signal is issued, and whether the startup filter component cleaning program is received is determined. User operation instructions. If the result of the determination is “the user operation instruction for starting the filter component cleaning program is not received, and the number of times the water purification laundry program is executed reaches a predetermined number of times”, step S110 is executed to prohibit the water purification laundry program from being executed again, and the process returns to step S106 until receiving. To the cleaning instruction, step S112 is executed to enable the water purification laundry program to be executed again. Then, returning to step S102, it is determined according to the preset program whether it is necessary to clean the filter component.

If the determination result of step S106 and step S108 is performed at the same time, "the user operation instruction for starting the filter component cleaning program is received (whether or not the number of times the water purification laundry program is executed reaches a predetermined number of times)", step S112 is executed to enable Perform a clean water laundry program. Then, returning to step S102, it is determined according to the preset program whether it is necessary to clean the filter component.

In some embodiments, the aforementioned predetermined procedure may include determining whether the filter assembly requires cleaning based on measuring the water production flow rate of the filter assembly. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the preset program may further include steps S202 to S214.

Step S202: Perform a water purification laundry program. After the laundry to be washed is placed in the washing tub of the washing machine, the water washing process is executed after the washing machine receives the clean water washing operation instruction. In step S202, when the circulating water filtration stage is operated, the washing machine pumps the water in the washing tub into the filter assembly, and is filtered in the filter assembly and recirculated back into the washing tub.

Step S204: measuring the water production flow rate of the filter assembly after the circulating water filtration stage is operated.

In order to obtain a relatively accurate water production flow rate, it is preferred to measure the water production flow rate of the filter assembly after a predetermined period of time in the circulating water filtration stage. In a further embodiment, the preset time may be set to 10 seconds to 2 minutes; more preferably 20 seconds to 1 minute.

Step S206: determining whether the measured water production flow rate is less than a preset flow rate threshold. If yes, go to step S210; if no, go to step S208.

The flow threshold here can be set to 25-50 liters/hour; more preferably 30 liters/hour. In this way, when the water production flow rate of the filter component is greater than or equal to the flow threshold, the filtered water can be satisfied in the washing machine. The flow requirements of the ring.

Step S208: The cumulative number of flow overruns is cleared and re-accumulated.

Step S210: Add 1 to the accumulated number of flow limit violations of the washing machine.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when the water production flow rate of the filter assembly is less than a preset flow rate threshold, it indicates that the pollution of the filter assembly is serious. Therefore, it can be judged that the filter assembly needs to be cleaned when the measured water production flow rate is less than the preset flow rate threshold.

In a further embodiment, the washing machine of the embodiments of the present invention may include an air pump for purging the filter assembly, and the water purification laundry program may further include a filter assembly air washing and water washing stage after the circulating water filtration stage, for The filter assembly performs one or more air washes and water wash operations. The air washing and water washing operations include sequentially purging the filter assembly with a gas stream and washing the filter assembly with a water stream. For the washing machine of these embodiments, when the water production flow rate of the filter assembly measured in the circulating water filtration stage is less than the flow rate threshold, it is not immediately judged that it needs to be cleaned. This is because the washing machine of these embodiments can remove some impurities of the filter membrane or the surface of the membrane wire by one or more air washing and water washing operations after each use of the filter assembly, which will make the filter assembly The production water flow rate is increased, and sometimes the water production flow rate measured when the filter assembly is used in the next water purification laundry program is greater than or equal to the flow threshold. Therefore, in a further embodiment of the present invention, when it is determined in step S206 that the water production flow rate is less than the flow rate threshold, it may not be determined that the filter assembly needs to be cleaned.

The inventors of the present application have found that if the water production flow rate measured when the filter unit is used to filter the water in the washing tub several times is smaller than the flow rate threshold, it indicates that the air washing operation and the water washing operation of the filter assembly cannot be made. Its water production flow increases. At this time, the filter assembly needs to be cleaned.

Therefore, after the step S210 is performed, step S212 may be performed: determining whether the cumulative number of flow overruns is equal to a preset flow overrun accumulation threshold. In one embodiment, the flow overrun accumulation threshold may be 3-5 times. If the result of the determination in step S212 is YES, step S214 is performed to determine that the filter component needs to be cleaned.

The cumulative number of flow limit violations of the washing machine in the embodiment of the present invention can be set to 0 at the time of shipment. When the measured water production flow rate is less than the flow threshold value, the accumulated flow overrun limit is incremented by one each time the measured water production flow rate is exceeded; if the measured production water flow rate is greater than the flow threshold, the flow is overrun The cumulative number of times is cleared and re-accumulated. In the next execution of the clean water washing program, if the re-measured production water flow is still less than the flow threshold, the flow overrun cumulative number is incremented by one again; if the re-measured production water flow is not less than the flow threshold, the flow exceeds the cumulative limit The number of times is cleared and re-tired meter. By analogy, it is judged that the filter component needs to be cleaned until the cumulative number of flow overruns reaches the preset flow limit cumulative threshold.

When it is determined that the filter assembly needs to be cleaned, a visual and/or audible signal is issued to alert the user to initiate a filter assembly cleaning procedure to clean the filter assembly. In the embodiment of the present invention, after the first visual and/or audible signal is issued, the visual and/or audible signal is re-issued when the washing machine is turned on again or the water purification washing program is executed again after the water washing process of the washing machine is finished. The user stops emitting visual and/or audible signals until receiving a user operation command to initiate the filter component cleaning program. That is, visual and/or audible is emitted each time the visual and/or audible signal is first sent and before the user's operating instructions that initiate the cleaning of the filter assembly are received, each time the water is turned on or each time the water washing process is performed. The signal alerts the user.

In an alternative embodiment, the user may no longer be alerted by a visual and/or audible signal after the first visual and/or audible signal is sent. Or, after the first visual and/or audible signal is issued, the reminder signal is not temporarily issued until the washing machine can execute the user operation instruction for starting the filter component cleaning program after the washing machine executes the water washing program for a predetermined number of times. A visual and/or audible signal is sent again to alert the user.

After the washing machine receives the operation instruction of the user to start the filter component cleaning program, the filter component cleaning program may be executed to clean the filter component. In some embodiments, the filter assembly cleaning procedure can include a lye wash phase and an acid wash phase that are performed sequentially. The lye washing stage and the acid washing stage respectively include a respective infusion immersion step and a gas washing step. The injecting and immersing step comprises discharging the cleaning liquid from the washing tub of the washing machine, and injecting the filtering component from the water inlet of the filtering component until the filtering membrane of the filtering component is completely or partially immersed in the cleaning liquid, and then stopping the injection of the cleaning liquid. The injected cleaning solution is placed in the filter assembly to soak the filter membrane of the filter assembly. The air washing step includes injecting a gas stream into the filter assembly to purge the filter assembly.

In some embodiments, the lye wash stage and the acid wash stage further comprise, after their respective gas wash steps, continuing to circulate their liquid infusion step and gas wash step until the respective predetermined number of cycles is completed; wherein in the gas wash step The cleaning liquid injected in the liquid immersion step replaces the air-washed cleaning liquid in the filter assembly from the filter assembly to the outside of the washing machine.

In some embodiments, the lye cleaning stage and the acid cleaning stage further comprise, prior to their respective first infusion immersion steps, a cleaning solution preparation step of: injecting water into the washing tub, the water stream carrying the cleaning that has been placed in the detergent box of the washing machine The medicament is injected into the washing tub, mixed into a washing liquid in the washing tub, and the washing liquid is heated in the washing tub to respective initial predetermined temperatures.

In the cleaning liquid preparation step of the lye cleaning stage, the alkaline cleaning liquid can be heated to 50 to 60 ° C in the washing tub, for example, 55 ° C; in the cleaning liquid preparation step of the acid cleaning stage, the acidic cleaning liquid can be The inside of the washing tub is heated to 35 to 45 ° C, for example 40 ° C.

In some embodiments, the detergent box of the washing machine may include a first compartment and a second compartment for respectively placing an alkaline cleaning agent and an acidic cleaning agent, and the cleaning liquid in the alkali cleaning stage and the acid cleaning stage. In the preparation step, water is respectively injected into the washing tub through the first compartment and the second compartment. The alkaline cleaning agent and the acidic cleaning agent can be respectively placed in the first compartment and the second compartment of the detergent box of the washing machine by the user, and then the first compartment of the detergent box is filled with water through the water inlet pipe of the washing tub. The water flow carries the alkaline cleaning agent that has been placed in the detergent box into the washing tub, and is mixed into an alkaline washing liquid therein; the alkaline washing liquid in the washing tub can be heated to the lye through the heating device inside the washing machine After the initial predetermined temperature, the liquid injection soaking step and the air washing step are performed cyclically. After the lye washing stage is finished, water is injected into the second chamber of the detergent box through the water inlet pipe of the washing tub, and the water stream carries the acidic cleaning agent that has been placed in the detergent box into the washing tub, and is mixed therein. The acidic cleaning solution can be circulated by the infusion immersion step and the air washing step after the acidic cleaning liquid in the washing tub is heated to the initial predetermined temperature of the acid solution by a heating device inside the washing machine.

The lye washing stage and the acid washing stage, after the respective infusion immersion step and the air washing step complete the respective predetermined number of cycles, further include a rinsing step of pumping a predetermined amount of clean water from the washing tub of the washing machine into the filter assembly After flushing, it is discharged to the outside of the washing machine. The rinsing step can include rinsing the filter assembly a predetermined number of times for the purpose of draining the wash tub and filter assembly and residual cleaning fluid in the flow path therebetween. After the rinsing step of the acid cleaning stage is completed, the cleaning of the filter assembly can be completed.

In this regard, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the <RTIgt;the</RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; The content directly determines or derives many other variations or modifications consistent with the principles of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be understood and construed as covering all such other modifications or modifications.

Claims

A control method for cleaning a filter assembly of a washing machine, comprising:

Determining whether the filter component needs to be cleaned according to a preset program;

If the filter assembly needs to be cleaned, a visual and/or audible signal is sent to alert the user to initiate a filter assembly cleaning procedure to clean the filter assembly, and after first issuing the visual and/or audible signal, permitting The washing machine executes a predetermined number of water purification laundry programs, wherein the water purification laundry program includes a circulating water filtration stage that circulates water in a washing tub of the washing machine using the filter assembly.
The control method according to claim 1, wherein

After the first time the visual and/or audible signal is issued, if the number of times the washing machine executes the water purifying laundry program reaches the predetermined number of times, and the user operation instruction for starting the filter assembly cleaning program is not received, the second operation is prohibited. The water purification laundry procedure is performed.
The control method according to claim 2, wherein

After the water purification laundry program is prohibited from being executed again, until the user operation instruction for starting the filter assembly cleaning program is received, the water purification laundry program is executed again, and when the water purification laundry program is executed again, the preset program is re-executed. It is determined whether the filter assembly needs to be cleaned.
The control method according to claim 1, wherein

After the visual and/or audible signal is issued for the first time, if the number of times the washing machine executes the water purifying laundry program reaches the predetermined number of times, receiving a user operation instruction for starting the filter assembly cleaning program, enabling again When the water purification laundry program is executed and the water purification laundry program is executed again, it is determined according to a preset program whether the filter assembly needs to be cleaned.
The control method according to claim 1, wherein

After the first visual and/or audible signal is issued, the visual and/or audible signal is re-issued when the washing machine is turned on again or the water purifying process is executed again after the end of the washing water washing process of the washing machine. The user is alerted to stop issuing the visual and/or audible signals until a user operation command to initiate the filter assembly cleaning procedure is received.
The control method according to claim 1, wherein said preset program comprises:

Measuring a water production flow rate of the filter assembly after the predetermined period of time in the circulating water filtration phase;

Determining whether the water production flow rate is less than a preset flow threshold,

If the water production flow rate is less than the flow rate threshold, the cumulative number of flow exceeding the limit of the washing machine is increased by 1, otherwise the cumulative number of the flow exceeding limit is cleared and re-accumulated;

After the cumulative number of traffic overruns is increased by one, if the accumulated number of traffic overruns is equal to the preset cumulative threshold of traffic overrun, it is determined that the filter component needs to be cleaned.
The control method according to claim 6, further comprising:

Receiving an operation instruction for a user to start the filter component cleaning program, and performing the filter component cleaning program to clean the filter component, wherein

The filter assembly cleaning program includes:

a lye washing stage and an acid washing stage, which are sequentially performed, the lye washing stage and the acid washing stage respectively comprising a respective liquid immersion step and a gas washing step, wherein

The liquid infusion immersing step includes discharging the cleaning liquid from the washing tub of the washing machine, and injecting the filter assembly from the water inlet of the filter assembly until the filter film of the filter assembly is completely or partially immersed in the After the cleaning liquid is stopped, the injection of the cleaning liquid is stopped, and the injected cleaning liquid is statically placed in the filter assembly to soak the filtration membrane of the filter assembly;

The gas washing step includes injecting a gas stream into the filter assembly to purify the filter assembly.
The control method according to claim 7, wherein

The lye washing stage and the acid washing stage further include, after their respective air washing steps,:

Continuing to circulate its infusion immersion step and air washing step until the respective predetermined number of cycles is completed; wherein the cleaning liquid injected in the subsequent liquid immersion step of the air washing step passes the air-washed cleaning liquid in the filter assembly from the Displacement of the filter assembly to the outside of the washing machine;

The lye washing stage and the acid washing stage, after the respective infusion immersion step and the air washing step complete the respective predetermined number of cycles, further include:

The rinsing step: pumping a predetermined amount of clean water from the washing tub of the washing machine into the filter assembly, rinsing it, and discharging it to the outside of the washing machine.
The control method according to claim 6, wherein

The preset time is 10 seconds to 2 minutes;

The flow threshold is 25-50 liters/hour;

The flow exceeding limit cumulative threshold is 3-5 times.
The control method according to claim 1, wherein

The predetermined number of times is 3-10 times.