WO2021129293A1

WO2021129293A1 - Drum washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2021129293A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/131618
Authority: WO
Inventors: 山本正和
Original assignee: 青岛海尔洗衣机有限公司; Aqua株式会社; 海尔智家股份有限公司
Priority date: 2019-12-23
Filing date: 2020-11-26
Publication date: 2021-07-01
Also published as: JP7357279B2; JP2023160969A; CN114901887A; JP2021097905A

Abstract

Provided is a drum washing machine capable of improving washing capacity and preventing uneven washing. The drum washing machine is capable of carrying out a washing process, a rinsing process and a water removal process. The drum washing machine is provided with an outer tub configured in a cabinet body; a drum configured in the outer tub and capable of rotating with a horizontal axis serving as the center; a driving motor for driving the drum to rotate; a water supply pipe, a water supply valve, a water drainage pipe and a water drainage valve, which supply water into the outer tub and drain the water out of the outer tub; and a control part controlling the driving motor, the water supply valve and the water drainage valve to perform a water supply action and a water removal action in a pre-washing process in such a manner that the pre-washing process is performed until the start of a washing process, wherein the water supply action is an action of supplying water to the outer tub, and the water removal action is an action of causing, after the water supply action, the drum to rotate.

Description

Drum washing machine

Technical field

The invention relates to a drum washing machine.

Background technique

In the case of washing the laundry with the drum washing machine, generally speaking, after the laundry is put into the drum, it is operated in the order of a washing process, a rinsing process, and a spin-drying process. In this washing process, the water supply operation of supplying water into the drum, the washing operation of rotating the drum, and the drainage operation of draining water from the drum are sequentially performed, and then the dehydration operation is performed.

During the washing operation, the laundry is washed by so-called pounding, that is, the horizontal axis drum is rotated in the outer tube with water stored at the bottom, and the laundry is lifted and lifted by the lifting ribs provided in the drum. It is dropped, and the laundry is beaten to the inner peripheral surface of the drum (for example, Patent Document 1).

In the past, in drum washing machines, in addition to laundry such as clothes, bedding was sometimes washed. In this case, the bedding is put into the drum in the same way as laundry or other laundry, and the operation is performed in the order of a washing process, a rinsing process, and a spin-drying process.

However, in a state where the cotton filled inside is dry and swollen, the bedding (especially feather bedding) has a large volume and easily floats on water. Therefore, when the bedding is thrown into the drum, the space in the drum is in a state of accommodating the bedding with almost no gaps. In addition, when water is supplied into the drum, the bedding may float and it is difficult to contact the lifting ribs. In this state, when the washing operation of the washing process is performed, even if the drum is rotated, there is almost no gap in the drum and the quilt floats. Therefore, the quilt cannot be lifted by the lifting ribs. As a result, the bedding in the drum is maintained in a state where it hardly rotates.

Therefore, although the drum is rotated in order to perform the washing action of the washing process, the bedding in the drum does not rotate. As a result, washing water sags on the outer periphery of the quilt, but the washing water does not spread to the central part of the quilt. In addition, the quilt cannot be lifted. Therefore, the quilt cannot be untied in the drum, and the washing can not be effectively performed. Therefore, in the conventional drum washing machine, there is a problem that uneven washing occurs and it is difficult to sufficiently wash the entire bedding.

In the case of washing bedding in a conventional drum washing machine, during the washing process, the drum rotates alternately and repeats right rotation and left rotation for each predetermined time. In FIG. 15, in order to make it easier to understand the state change of the bedding, the wrinkles formed in the bedding are marked with circular marks. In Fig. 15, the rotation speed of the drum during the cleaning process is 40 rpm.

When the quilt is put into the drum and the drum rotates to the right, as shown in Fig. 15(a), the quilt accommodated in the drum without a gap slightly moves in the right rotation direction. Next, when the drum rotates to the left, as shown in FIG. 15(b), the bedding accommodated in the drum without a gap slightly moves in the left rotation direction. Then, when the drum rotates to the right, as shown in FIG. 15(c), the bedding accommodated in the drum without a gap slightly moves in the right rotation direction.

In this way, by alternately repeating the right rotation and the left rotation of the drum, the bedding accommodated in the drum repeats a minute movement in the right rotation direction and a minute movement in the left rotation direction. Therefore, the quilt does not rotate in the drum, and the washing water hardly spreads to the central part of the quilt.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-33512

Summary of the invention

The problem to be solved by the invention

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a drum washing machine capable of sufficiently washing bedding without uneven washing.

Solutions used to solve the problem

That is, a drum washing machine of the present invention can perform a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dehydration process, and is characterized by having: an outer tube arranged in the box; the drum is arranged in the outer tube, and can be arranged on a horizontal axis or opposite to each other. The tilt shaft inclined in the horizontal direction rotates at the center; a driving motor for rotating the drum; a water supply and drainage unit for supplying and draining water into and out of the outer cylinder; and a control unit, The drive motor and the water supply and drainage unit are controlled in such a way that the pre-cleaning process is performed until the cleaning process is started, and the water supply action and the dehydration action are performed in the pre-cleaning process, and the water supply action is to supply water to In the operation in the outer cylinder, the dehydration operation is an operation of rotating the drum after the water supply operation.

In the drum washing machine of the present invention, it is preferable that, in the pre-washing process, an agitation action is performed between the water supply action and the dehydration action, and the agitation action is performed as compared with the dehydration action. The operation of rotating the drum at a low rotation speed of 45 to 55 rpm.

In the drum washing machine of the present invention, it is preferable that, in the pre-washing process, a drain action is performed between the stirring action and the dehydration action, and the drain action is to drain water from the outer tub Actions.

Invention effect

In the drum washing machine of the present invention, by performing the pre-washing process until the start of the washing process, centrifugal force is applied while the bedding such as feather bedding is wetted, so that moisture can penetrate into the bedding in a short time and the swelling of the cotton can be suppressed. Therefore, the volume of the quilt can be reduced in a short time. Therefore, a gap is formed in the drum in which the quilt is accommodated, and the quilt becomes easy to move in the drum. In addition, the quilt does not float easily due to the penetration of moisture into the inside of the quilt, so that the quilt can be lifted by the lifting ribs. As a result, pounding washing can be performed, which can be washed to the center part of the bedding, and the washing power is improved and uneven washing is suppressed.

In the drum washing machine of the present invention, in the pre-washing process, by performing the stirring operation that rotates the drum after the water supply operation, the moisture can quickly penetrate into the inside of the bedding.

In the drum washing machine of the present invention, in the pre-washing process, the dehydration operation is started after the water is drained from the outer tub, so the dehydration operation can be shortened.

Description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a drum washing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the drum washing machine 1 of Fig. 1.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the drum washing machine 1.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation method of the drum washing machine 1.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaning process of the standard cleaning process.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the pre-washing process of the bedding-only washing course.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state change of the bedding in the drum 4 during the pre-washing process.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the state change of the bedding in the drum 4 during the pre-washing process.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a change in the state of the bedding in the drum 4 during the pre-washing process.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaning process of the bedding exclusive cleaning process.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a change in the state of the bedding in the drum 4 during the washing process.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a change in the state of the bedding in the drum 4 during the washing process.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a change in the state of the bedding in the drum 4 when the drum 4 is rotated at 50 rpm to perform the washing operation without performing the pre-washing process.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a change in the state of the bedding in the drum 4 when the drum 4 is rotated at 40 rpm to perform the washing operation after the pre-washing process is performed.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing changes in the state of the bedding in the drum when the bedding is washed by the conventional drum washing machine.

Description of Reference Signs

1: Drum washing machine; 2: Cabinet 3: Outer tub; 4: Drum; 11: Motor; 30: Water supply pipe (water supply and drainage unit); 30a: Water supply valve (water supply and drainage unit); 31: Drain pipe (water supply and drainage unit) ); 31a: drain valve (water supply and drainage unit); 50: control unit (control unit).

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, a drum washing machine 1 as an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a drum washing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the drum washing machine 1 of Fig. 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the drum washing machine 1 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as washing machine 1) of the present embodiment has a box-shaped box 2, and a substantially cylindrical inner peripheral surface is arranged inside the box 2. The outer tub 3 is a drum 4 having a substantially cylindrical inner peripheral surface for accommodating laundry, and is pivotally supported inside the outer tub 3 by a main shaft 5 extending in the front-rear direction. The drum 4 can rotate around the horizontal axis.

The front surface of the cabinet 2 is formed with an operating portion 2 a for user operations and a clothing input port 6 opposed to an opening 4 a formed at the front end of the drum 4. The box 2 is provided with a door 8 that opens and closes the laundry inlet 6. The laundry inlet 6 is opened and closed by the door 8. When the door 8 is opened, the laundry can enter and exit the drum 4.

A plurality of lifting ribs 4b are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the drum 4 so as to protrude into the drum 4. The lifting ribs 4b are protrusions used to lift the laundry contained in the drum 4. For example, during the washing process, when the drum 4 is rotated by the driving force of the motor 11 described later, the washing of the water contained in the drum 4 The laundry is subjected to so-called pounding, that is, the laundry is lifted by the lifting ribs 4b and then falls naturally.

The inner peripheral surface of the drum 4 is provided with a number of water passing holes 4c. The water supplied into the outer tub 3 during washing and rinsing flows into the drum 4 through the water passing holes 4c, and is discharged from the laundry to the drum during centrifugal dehydration. The water in 4 is scattered to the outer tube 3 side through the water through hole 4c. It should be noted that, as the drum washing machine 1 of this embodiment, for example, the laundry washing capacity (drum capacity) may be 17 kg, and the laundry washing capacity may be 27 kg.

The main shaft 5 is rotatably supported by a bearing 5a attached to the back wall of the outer cylinder 3, and a main pulley 10 is attached to the top end of the main shaft 5 protruding rearward. A motor 11 is provided at the bottom of the box 2, and a motor pulley 12 is mounted on the rotating shaft of the motor 11. The rotation power of the motor pulley 12 is transmitted to the main pulley 10 via a timing belt 16. Thus, when the motor 11 is driven, the drum 4 rotates with the main shaft 5 as the center.

A water supply pipe 30 provided with a water supply valve 30 a in the middle is connected to the upper part of the back wall of the outer cylinder 3. When the water supply valve 30 a is opened, water supplied from the outside is supplied to the outer cylinder 3 via the water supply pipe 30. The drain port provided at the bottom of the outer cylinder 3 is connected to a drain pipe 31 provided with a drain valve 31a in the middle. When the drain valve 31a is opened, the water in the outer cylinder 3 is discharged to the outside of the machine through the drain pipe 31.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the drum washing machine 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 50 of the drum washing machine 1 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and includes a CPU (central processing unit: central processing unit), and a ROM (read-only memory: Read-only memory) and RAM (random access memory: random access memory) that temporarily stores data used when executing the above-mentioned programs. The operation of the drum washing machine 1 is controlled by the control unit 50. The control unit 50 is connected to the operation unit 2 a, the water supply valve 30 a, the drain valve 31 a, and the motor 11.

In the washing machine 1, the user can select the standard washing course and the special washing course for bedding by operating the operation part 2a of the cabinet 2. It should be noted that in the washing machine 1, various operation courses can be selected by operating the operation portion 2a of the cabinet 2, but in the following description, only the standard washing course and the special washing course for bedding will be described.

The standard washing course is a standard course used when washing clothes, etc., and runs in the order of washing process, rinsing process, and spin-drying process.

The special washing course for bedding is the course used when washing feather bedding and other beddings. It runs in the order of pre-washing process, washing process, rinsing process and dehydration process.

The operation method of the drum washing machine 1 will be described based on FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation method of the drum washing machine 1.

In step S1, the control unit 50 determines whether or not any one of the standard washing course and the bedding-only washing course is selected based on the content of the operation performed on the operation unit 2a.

(Standard cleaning process)

In the case where it is determined by the control unit 50 that the standard cleaning course is selected in step S1, the cleaning course of the standard cleaning course is implemented in step S2.

The specific actions of the cleaning process of the standard cleaning process will be described based on FIG. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaning process of the standard cleaning process.

After the user opens the door 8 to store laundry and other laundry in the drum 4, the control unit 50 opens the water supply valve 30a to supply water to the outer tub 3 with the door 8 closed. At this time, the control unit 50 closes the drain valve 31a, and the supplied water is stored in the outer cylinder 3 and also stored in the drum 4 through the water passage hole 4c. Then, when a predetermined amount of water is supplied, the control unit 50 closes the water supply valve 30a.

When the water supply operation ends, the control unit 50 drives the motor 11. When the motor 11 is driven, its driving force is transmitted to the drum 4 via the motor pulley 12, the timing belt 16 and the main pulley 10. In the washing operation, the control unit 50 rotates the drum 4 by alternately repeating right and left rotations, for example, at 40 rpm, and the water-containing laundry in the drum 4 is pounded for a predetermined time (for example, 4 minutes), that is, the washing The object is lifted by the lifting ribs 4b and then falls naturally.

Then, when the washing operation ends, the control unit 50 opens the drain valve 31a, and drains the washing water in the outer tub 3 through the drain pipe 31 to the outside of the machine.

When the drainage operation ends, the control unit 50 drives the motor 11. When the motor 11 is driven, the drum 4 rotates at a high speed of 600 rpm, for example, to spin-dry the washing water contained in the laundry. The washing water detached from the laundry is discharged into the outer tub 3 through the water passage hole 4c, and is discharged from the drain port 31 to the outside of the machine.

When the washing process ends, the control unit 50 opens the water supply valve 30a after closing the drain valve 31, and supplies a predetermined amount of rinsing water to the outer cylinder 3. Then, when a predetermined amount of water is supplied, the control unit 50 closes the water supply valve 30a, drives the motor 11 to rotate the drum 4, and rinses the laundry in the drum 4 for a predetermined time. When the rinsing is completed, the control unit 50 opens the drain valve 31a, and drains the rinsing water in the outer cylinder 3 to the outside of the machine via the drain pipe 31.

When the rinsing process ends, the control unit 50 drives the motor 11 to rotate the drum 4 at a high speed to perform high-speed dehydration for a predetermined time. When the high-speed dehydration ends, the control unit 50 stops the rotation of the drum 4 and ends the operation of the standard washing course. The water desorbed by the high-speed dehydration is also discharged to the outside of the machine through the drain port 31 in the same manner as described above.

(Special cleaning process for bedding)

When it is determined by the control unit 50 in step S1 that a bedding-only washing course is selected, in step S5, a pre-washing course is implemented.

The specific actions of the pre-cleaning process will be described based on FIG. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the pre-washing process of the bedding-only washing course.

After the user opens the door 8 and puts bedding such as feather bedding into the drum 4, with the door 8 closed, the control unit 50 opens the water supply valve 30 a to perform a water supply operation for supplying water to the outer tube 3. At this time, the control unit 50 closes the drain valve 31a, and the supplied water is stored in the outer cylinder 3 and also stored in the drum 4 through the water passage hole 4c. Then, when a predetermined amount of water is supplied, the control unit 50 closes the water supply valve 30a.

It should be noted that the volume of the bedding (especially feather bedding) is large when the bedding is put into the drum 4 and the water supply operation is started. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 7(a), the bedding is accommodated almost without gaps. The state of the space in the drum 4.

Then, when the washing water is caused to run on the quilt by the water supply operation, the moisture penetrates to the outer periphery of the quilt, but the washing water does not spread to the central part of the quilt. At this time, there is no change in the state where there is almost no gap in the space in the drum 4.

When the water supply operation ends, the control unit 50 drives the motor 11 to perform a stirring operation. In the stirring operation, when the control unit 50 drives the motor 11, its driving force is transmitted to the drum 4 via the motor pulley 12, the timing belt 16, and the main pulley 10. In the stirring operation, the control unit 50 rotates the drum 4 so as to alternately repeat right and left rotations at 45 to 55 rpm (50 rpm in this embodiment), and performs the stirring operation for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute).

In the stirring operation, when the drum 4 starts to rotate to the right, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the quilt in the drum 4 immediately rotates in the right rotation direction, and then the quilt is also rotated in the right rotation direction while being unwound. In FIG. 7(a) and FIG. 7(b), in order to make it easier to understand the state change of the bedding, the wrinkles formed in the bedding are marked with circular marks. Fig. 7(c) is a state when the drum 4 is switched from right rotation to left rotation, but the bedding in the drum 4 rotates from the start of the stirring operation, and greatly changes from the state when the stirring operation starts.

Immediately after the drum 4 starts to rotate to the left, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the quilt in the drum 4 rotates in the left rotation direction. At this time, water enters the gap of the quilt. Fig. 8(b) is a state when the drum 4 is switched from left rotation to right rotation. When the drum 4 starts to rotate right, as shown in Fig. 8(c), the bedding in the drum 4 immediately rotates in the right rotation direction.

In this way, in the stirring action, by alternately repeating the right rotation and left rotation of the drum 4, the bedding contained in the drum 4 rotates while being unwound in the water, and as a result, as shown in Fig. 9(a), the moisture Penetrates to most of the bedding. At this time, the moisture did not penetrate into the central part of the bedding in the drum 4.

As a stirring action, by rotating the drum 4 at 50 rpm for 1 minute, water can quickly penetrate most of the bedding. The rotation speed of the drum 4 in the stirring operation is preferably 45 rpm or more, and more preferably 55 rpm or less, and more preferably about 50 rpm.

As the stirring operation, it is not necessary to simply rotate the drum 4. For example, even if it rotates at a rotation speed lower than 45 rpm, the quilt does not rotate in the drum 4, so it is difficult for moisture to penetrate most of the quilt quickly. Therefore, as the rotation speed of the drum 4 in the stirring action of the pre-cleaning process, 45 to 55 rpm is considered appropriate.

In more detail, in the stirring operation, even if the drum 4 is rotated at 40 rpm, the lifting ribs 4b only dent the surface of the bedding in the expanded state and cannot rotate the bedding. In contrast, when the drum 4 is rotated at 45 to 55 rpm, the lifting ribs 4b can rotate the bedding in the expanded state.

In this way, it is considered that during the stirring operation, the quilt can be rotated when the drum 4 is rotated at 45 to 55 rpm, and the quilt cannot be rotated when the drum 4 is rotated at a rotation speed lower than 45 rpm. Regarding this point, regardless of the drum The volume is the same no matter what.

Then, when the stirring operation is completed, the control unit 50 opens the drain valve 31a, and drains the water in the outer cylinder 3 to the outside of the machine via the drain pipe 31.

When the drainage operation is completed, the control unit 50 drives the motor 11 to rotate the drum 4 at a high speed of, for example, 600 rpm for 2 minutes to perform a dehydration operation. The water detached from the bedding is released into the outer tube 3 through the water passage hole 4c, and is discharged from the drain port 31 to the outside of the machine.

As a dewatering operation, by rotating the drum 4 at 600 rpm for 2 minutes, moisture can permeate the entire area of the quilt and the volume of the quilt can be reduced.

Specifically, in the dehydration operation, by rotating the drum 4 at 600 rpm, the water in the drum 4 exists on the outer peripheral side by centrifugal force. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9( b ), centrifugal force also acts on the bedding A in the drum 4, and the bedding A rotates while being pressed to the outer peripheral side, and a gap is formed near the center of rotation in the drum 4. At this time, the moisture detaches from the inside to the outside of the quilt that has sufficiently penetrated, and therefore, the quilt can be compressed by compressing the cotton of the quilt to reduce the volume of the quilt by allowing the moisture to sufficiently penetrate into the quilt to shrink.

Then, when the dehydration operation ends, the volume of the bedding existing in the drum 4 without any gap at the beginning becomes smaller. As shown in FIG. 9(c), the dehydrated bedding is in a state of being attached to the inner peripheral surface of the drum 4. In this way, when the dehydration action of the pre-washing process ends, the volume of the quilt in the drum 4 becomes smaller, and a large gap is formed in the drum 4 containing the quilt.

The rotation speed of the drum 4 during the spin-drying operation is preferably 500 to 600 rpm. As a dehydration operation, even if the drum 4 is rotated at a rotation speed lower than 500 rpm, for example, the quilt cannot be rotated while being pressed to the outer peripheral side in the drum 4, and therefore, it is difficult to reduce the volume of the quilt. In addition, as a dehydration operation, even if the drum 4 is rotated for 1 minute, the volume of the bedding in the drum 4 cannot be sufficiently reduced.

After the pre-washing process of the bedding-specific washing course realized by the control unit 50 in step S5 is completed, in step S6, the washing process of the bedding-specific washing course is implemented.

The specific actions of the cleaning process of the bedding-only cleaning process will be described based on FIG. 10.

In the water supply operation, the control unit 50 opens the water supply valve 30a to perform a water supply operation for supplying water to the outer tube 3. At this time, the control unit 50 closes the drain valve 31a, and the supplied water is stored in the outer cylinder 3 and also stored in the drum 4 through the water passage hole 4c. Then, when a predetermined amount of water is supplied, the control unit 50 closes the water supply valve 30a.

During the water supply operation in the washing process, as described above, the volume of the quilt in the drum 4 realized by the pre-washing process becomes smaller, and a large gap is formed in the drum 4 containing the quilt.

When the water supply operation ends, the control unit 50 drives the motor 11 to perform the washing operation. When the motor 11 is driven, its driving force is transmitted to the drum 4 via the motor pulley 12, the timing belt 16 and the main pulley 10. During the washing operation, the control unit 50 rotates the drum 4 by alternately repeating right and left rotations at 45 to 55 rpm (50 rpm in this embodiment), and regulates the compressed and water-containing bedding in the drum 4 Time (for example, 4 minutes) of pounding, that is, the bedding will fall naturally after being lifted by the lifting ribs 4b.

At the beginning of the washing action, the quilt in the drum 4 is compressed as shown in Figure 11(a), so by alternately repeating the right and left rotations of the drum 4, as shown in Figure 11(b) and Figure 11(c) As shown in ), the bedding in the drum 4 is cleaned by being lifted by the lifting ribs 4b and then falling and being beaten. At this time, in addition to the washing effect achieved by pounding washing, scrubbing achieved by rotation and washing effect achieved by rubbing washing are also obtained, and the washing power is improved.

In the washing operation, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the volume of the bedding is slightly increased due to the swelling of the bedding, but the volume of the bedding is reduced by the pre-washing process, so that the swelling amount of the bedding can be suppressed. Fig. 12(b) shows the state at the end of the washing operation, but it is known that the swelling amount of the quilt is suppressed until the end of the washing operation.

As a washing operation, by rotating the drum 4 at 50 rpm for 4 minutes, the futon can be washed while being rotated and unwound. The rotation speed of the drum 4 in the washing operation is preferably 45 rpm or more, and is preferably 55 rpm or less, and more preferably about 50 rpm.

In the washing operation, the volume of the futon may increase slightly due to the swelling of the futon, but by rotating the drum 4 at 45 to 55 rpm, the futon can be washed while being rotated and unwound.

Based on FIG. 13, a case where the cleaning operation of rotating the drum 4 at 50 rpm is performed without performing the pre-cleaning process will be described. Fig. 13(a) is a state when the cleaning operation is started without performing the pre-cleaning process. Fig. 13(b) is a state when the drum 4 is rotated at 50 rpm to perform a washing operation.

At the start of the washing operation, as shown in FIG. 13(a), the pre-washing process is not performed, and the volume of the bedding in the drum 4 is large, and there is almost no gap in the drum 4 containing the bedding.

Then, when the drum 4 is rotated at 50 rpm to perform the washing operation, as shown in FIG. 13(b), when the washing operation is performed, the bedding greatly expands while rotating. Therefore, the quilt rotates in the drum 4, but the quilt cannot be unclenched because there is little space to untie the quilt in the drum 4, and the entire quilt cannot be cleaned properly. Therefore, compared with the case where the drum 4 is rotated at 50 rpm to perform the cleaning operation after the pre-cleaning process is performed, the cleaning power is low, and the cleaning becomes uneven.

Based on FIG. 14, after the pre-cleaning process is performed, a case where the drum 4 is rotated at 40 rpm and the cleaning operation is performed will be described. Fig. 14(a) is a state when the cleaning operation is started after the pre-cleaning process has been performed. Fig. 14(b) is a state when the drum 4 is rotated at 40 rpm to perform a washing operation.

At the start of the washing operation, as shown in Fig. 14(a), the volume of the quilt in the drum 4 realized by the pre-washing process is reduced, and a large gap is formed in the drum 4 containing the quilt.

When the rotation speed of the drum 4 in the washing operation is 40 rpm, as shown in FIG. 14(b), when the washing operation is performed, the swelling amount of the quilt is suppressed compared with the case where the pre-washing process is not performed.

However, when the rotation speed of the drum 4 in the washing operation is 40 rpm, the quilt cannot be rotated in the drum 4 to untie it, and the entire quilt cannot be cleaned appropriately. Therefore, compared with the case where the rotation speed of the drum 4 during the cleaning operation is 45 to 55 rpm, the cleaning power is low, and the cleaning becomes uneven.

In addition, even if the drum 4 is rotated at 60 rpm, the bedding tends to bounce in the drum 4, causing uneven washing. Therefore, as the rotation speed of the drum 4 in the cleaning operation of the pre-cleaning process, it is considered that 45 to 55 rpm is appropriate.

In this regard, as with the stirring action in the pre-washing process, even if the drum 4 is rotated at 40 rpm in the washing action in the washing process, the lifting ribs 4b only dent the surface of the quilt in the expanded state and cannot rotate the quilt.

In addition, when the rotation speed of the drum 4 is increased excessively, the bedding is easily damaged, and the lifting ribs 4b will lift the bedding violently, and the bedding will not rotate but flies, so the bedding is not untied much and becomes unevenly cleaned. In contrast, when the drum 4 is rotated at 45 to 55 rpm, the lifting ribs 4b can rotate the bedding in the expanded state.

In this way, it is considered that in the cleaning operation of the washing process, the quilt can be rotated when the drum 4 is rotated at 45 to 55 rpm, and the quilt cannot be rotated when the drum 4 is rotated at a rotation speed lower than 45 rpm. , No matter how the drum volume is the same.

It should be noted that, as described above, in the washing operation, the volume of the quilt sometimes increases slightly, but in the case of the washing operation of the washing process after the pre-washing process, the volume of the quilt increases more than the volume of the quilt without pre-washing The cleaning action of the cleaning process is small during the cleaning process. Therefore, by performing the pre-washing process, the increase in the volume of the quilt during the washing action of the washing process is suppressed, and the quilt becomes easy to be unwrapped.

Then, when the washing operation is finished, the control unit 50 opens the drain valve 31a, and drains the washing water in the outer cylinder 3 to the outside of the machine via the drain pipe 31.

After draining, the control unit 50 drives the motor 11. When the motor 11 is driven, the drum 4 rotates at a high speed, and the washing water contained in the laundry is dehydrated. The washing water detached from the laundry by dehydration is discharged into the outer tub 3 through the water passage hole 4c, and is discharged from the drain port 31 to the outside of the machine.

When the cleaning process ends, the control unit 50 closes the drain valve 31 and opens the water supply valve 30a, and supplies a prescribed amount of rinsing water to the outer cylinder 3. Then, when a predetermined amount of water is supplied, the water supply valve 30a is closed, the drum 4 is rotated by the motor 11, and the laundry in the drum 4 is rinsed for a predetermined time.

When the rinsing is completed, the control unit 50 opens the drain valve 31a, and drains the rinsing water in the outer cylinder 3 to the outside of the machine via the drain pipe 31.

When the rinsing process ends, the control unit 50 drives the motor 11 to rotate the drum 4 at a high speed to perform high-speed dehydration for a predetermined time. When the high-speed dehydration ends, the control unit 50 stops the rotation of the drum 4 and ends the operation of the standard washing course. The water desorbed by high-speed dehydration is also discharged from the drain port 31 to the outside of the machine in the same manner as described above.

The drum washing machine 1 of this embodiment is a drum washing machine that can perform a washing process, a rinsing process, and a spin-drying process. Center rotation; drive motor 11 for rotating drum 4; water supply pipe 30, water supply valve 30a, drain pipe 31 and drain valve 31a as a water supply and drainage unit, supply water into and from the outer tube 3 And the control unit 50 as a control unit controls the drive motor 11, the water supply valve 30a, and the drain valve 31a in such a way that the pre-cleaning process is performed until the cleaning process is started, and the water supply and dehydration actions are implemented during the pre-cleaning process, The water supply operation is an operation to supply water into the outer tub 3, and the dehydration operation is an operation to rotate the drum 4 after the water supply operation.

Therefore, in the drum washing machine 1 of the present embodiment, by performing the pre-washing process until the start of the washing process, centrifugal force is applied while the bedding such as feather bedding is wetted, so that moisture can penetrate into the bedding in a short time. The swelling of the cotton is suppressed, so the volume of the bedding can be reduced in a short time. Therefore, a gap is formed in the drum 4 containing the quilt, and the quilt becomes easy to move in the drum 4. In addition, the quilt does not float easily due to the penetration of moisture into the quilt, so that the quilt can be lifted by the lifting ribs 4b. As a result, pounding washing can be performed, which can be washed to the center part of the bedding, and the washing power is improved and uneven washing is suppressed.

In the drum washing machine 1 of this embodiment, during the pre-washing process, the stirring action is performed between the water supply action and the dehydration action. The stirring action is to rotate the drum 4 at 45 to 55 rpm, which is a speed lower than the speed during the dehydration action. Actions.

Thus, in the drum washing machine 1 of the present embodiment, in the pre-washing process, by performing the stirring operation that rotates the drum 4 after the water supply operation, it is possible to quickly allow moisture to penetrate into the inside of the bedding.

In the drum washing machine 1 of the present embodiment, in the pre-washing process, the drain action is performed between the stirring action and the dehydration action, and the drain action is an action to drain water from the outer tub 3.

Thus, in the drum washing machine 1 of the present embodiment, in the pre-washing process, the dehydration operation is started after the water is drained from the outer tub 3, so the dehydration operation can be shortened.

As mentioned above, although the embodiment of this invention was described, the specific structure of each part is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment.

For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, in the pre-washing process, the water supply action, the stirring action, the drain action, and the dehydration action are implemented, but the pre-washing process of the present invention only needs to implement at least the water supply action and the dehydration action.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the example of the rotation speed and the operation time of the drum 4 in the case where the stirring operation and the dehydration operation of the pre-washing process are performed is shown, but it is not limited to this. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the drum 4 of the drum washing machine 1 can be rotated about a horizontal axis, but the drum 4 may be rotated about an inclined axis inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

The laundry washing capacity of the drum washing machine to which the present invention is applied is arbitrary. That is, the present invention can be applied to a drum washing machine having a drum capacity (for example, a drum capacity of 12 kg or more) capable of accommodating bedding. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the drum washing machine 1 that can implement the washing process, the rinsing process, and the dehydration process, and can also be applied to a drum washer-dryer that can implement the cleaning process, the rinsing process, the dehydration process, and the drying process together.

Claims

A drum washing machine capable of implementing a cleaning process, a rinsing process and a dehydration process, and is characterized in that it has:

The outer cylinder is arranged in the box body;

The drum is arranged in the outer cylinder and can rotate around a horizontal axis or an inclined axis inclined with respect to the horizontal direction;

A drive motor for rotating the drum;

A water supply and drainage unit, which supplies water into the outer cylinder and discharges water from the outer cylinder; and

A control unit that controls the drive motor and the water supply and drainage unit in such a way that the pre-cleaning process is implemented until the cleaning process is started,

In the pre-washing process, a water supply operation and a dehydration operation are performed, the water supply operation is an operation of supplying water into the outer cylinder, and the dehydration operation is an operation of rotating the drum after the water supply operation.
The drum washing machine according to claim 1, wherein:

In the pre-washing process, a stirring action is performed between the water supply action and the dehydration action, and the stirring action is to set the drum at 45 to 55 rpm, which is a speed lower than the speed during the dehydration action. Rotating action.
The drum washing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that:

In the pre-washing process, a draining action is performed between the stirring action and the dehydrating action, and the draining action is an action of draining water from the outer cylinder.