WO2021205714A1

WO2021205714A1 - Washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2021205714A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/002797
Authority: WO
Inventors: 久功松本; 林　正二; 和規原; 梅澤　功一; 智則金子
Original assignee: 日立グローバルライフソリューションズ株式会社
Priority date: 2020-04-07
Filing date: 2021-01-27
Publication date: 2021-10-14
Also published as: JP2021164558A; CN115298381A

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a washing machine that makes it easier for radio waves to reach clothes in an inner tank, thereby improving the efficiency of RFID reading.　To this end, the present invention provides a washing machine comprising: an outer tank 10 that is disposed in a housing 3 and that holds water therein; an inner tank that is disposed in the outer tank 10 and that is driven by a motor to rotate; and a lid 2 that is opened and closed when clothes are put in and taken out of the inner tank, wherein an antenna 5 for wireless communication with RFID tags attached to clothes is provided on the lid 2 or within the projection of an opening of the inner tank.

Description

Washing machine

The present invention relates to a washing machine.

A technique for identifying clothes by arranging an RFID antenna in a washing machine and reading an RFID tag provided on the clothes is known. For example, Patent Document 1 states that "the RFID antenna transmits a signal while the user is putting clothes into the washing machine" (paragraph 0034), "the RFID antenna is the door packing of the washing machine or under the door. And the RFID antenna is oriented towards the door of the washing machine ”(paragraph 0050, FIG. 4),“ a pulsator washing machine with the RFID antenna installed under the display panel ”(paragraph 4). 0058, FIG. 5), and the like are disclosed.

Special Table 2019-591286

In the washing machine described in Patent Document 1, radio waves are usually blocked in an inner tub made of a metal such as stainless steel, which may reduce the reading efficiency of RFID.

An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine in which radio waves can easily reach clothes in an inner tank and the reading efficiency of RFID is improved.

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, an outer tank installed in a housing and storing water, an inner tank installed in the outer tank and driven to rotate by a motor, and clothes are taken in and out of the inner tank. In a washing machine provided with a lid that opens and closes at the time, an antenna that wirelessly communicates with an RFID tag attached to clothes is provided on the lid.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a washing machine in which radio waves can easily reach clothes in an inner tub and the RFID reading efficiency is improved.

It is a perspective view which cut and showed a part of the housing in order to show the internal structure of the drum type washer-dryer which concerns on Example 1. FIG. It is a side sectional view which shows the internal structure of the drum type washer-dryer which concerns on Example 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure of the drum type washer-dryer 1 of Example 1. FIG. It is a table which shows the result of having performed the experiment in the case where the reading of the RFID tag was performed while the drum was rotating, and the case where it was performed while it was stationary. It is an external perspective view which shows the vertical type washing machine which concerns on Example 2. FIG. It is a table which shows the experimental result which measured the reading rate of the RFID tag in the case where the antenna was installed in four places of the lid body.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the first embodiment regarding the drum type washing machine will be described. The overall configuration of the drum-type washer-dryer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a part of the housing 3 cut out in order to show the internal structure of the drum type washer / dryer according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the internal structure of the drum-type washer-dryer according to the present embodiment.

The lid 2 is for closing an input port for putting in and taking out clothes provided in the substantially center of the front cover 3a, and is a hinge portion (not shown) provided in the front reinforcing material (not shown) of the drum type washer / dryer 1. It is supported so that it can be opened and closed (not shown). In the following, an example of a drum-type washer-dryer having a washing function and a drying function will be described, but it is a drum-type washing machine without a drying function or a drum-type dryer without a washing function. Is also good.

The drum 8 (inner tank) of the drum type washer / dryer 1 has a bottomed cylindrical shape. The drum 8 is rotatably supported in the outer tank 10, and has a large number of through holes (not shown) for water passage and ventilation in the outer peripheral wall thereof. Further, the drum 8 has an opening 8a on the front end surface for putting in and taking out clothes. A fluid balancer 8c integrated with the drum 8 is provided on the outside of the opening 8a of the drum 8. A plurality of lifters 8b extending in the axial direction are discretely provided on the inner peripheral wall of the drum 8 in the circumferential direction. When the drum 8 rotates during washing and drying, the clothes are lifted along the inner peripheral wall of the drum 8 by the lifter 8b and centrifugal force, and perform a tumbling operation that repeats a movement of falling by gravity. The rotation center axis of the drum 8 is inclined by about 0 to 30 ° with respect to the horizontal so as to be horizontal or higher on the opening 8a side.

The bottomed cylindrical outer tank 10 is contained coaxially with the drum 8 and the front surface is open. That is, the outer tank 10 is inclined according to the inclination of the drum 8. Further, the outer tank 10 is provided with a drum motor 15 at the center of the outer side of the rear end surface. The rotating shaft 15a of the drum motor 15 penetrates the outer tank 10 and is coupled to the drum 8.

An outer tank cover 20 is provided at the opening on the front surface of the outer tank 10. By attaching the outer tank cover 20, the outer tank 10 can store water inside the outer tank 10. A front opening for taking in and out the laundry is provided in the center of the front side of the outer tub cover 20.

The front side opening and the opening (not shown) provided in the housing 3 of the drum type washer / dryer 1 are connected by a rubber bellows 11 (annular seal member). That is, the bellows 11 is provided along the circumferential direction of the front opening. The bellows 11 comes into contact with the inner surface of the lid 2 by closing the lid 2, and the outer tank 10 is watertightly sealed.

The blower unit 21 is composed of a fan motor 16 for driving and the like, and its discharge port is connected to the blower duct 24. The air blowing duct 24 is connected to an air outlet 25 provided on the outer tank cover 20, and warm air is blown into the drum 8 from the air outlet 25.

Further, a control board 12 (not shown) for controlling the drum motor 15 and the fan motor 16 is provided on the upper part of the drum type washer / dryer 1.

Here, the lid 2 is provided with an antenna 5 that wirelessly communicates with an RFID tag attached to clothing. The antenna 5 used in this embodiment is a directional antenna. Since the directivity of the radio waves is directed toward the drum 8, the RFID tag of the clothes inside the drum 8 is effectively read, and the RFID tag placed outside the drum-type washer-dryer 1 is erroneously read. It is prevented from being lost. Further, it is possible to remove the adverse effect on the antenna performance due to an electromagnetic field-like obstacle (for example, metal or moisture) placed outside the drum-type washer-dryer 1.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the microstrip antenna is mounted on the lid 2 as the directional antenna 5. The microstrip antenna of this embodiment includes an antenna substrate made of a dielectric material, a radiating element 5a provided on the first surface of the antenna substrate, and a ground electrode 5b provided on the second surface of the antenna substrate. Has. Here, the lid 2 is composed of a glass member made of a dielectric material such as soda lime glass or borosilicate glass, and a cover member made of a dielectric material such as ABS. Therefore, in this embodiment, the lid 2 itself serves as the antenna substrate. Then, the radiating element 5a is provided inside the lid body 2, and the ground electrode 5b is provided outside the lid body 2.

The dimensions of the radiating element 5a are designed so that the operating frequency matches the frequency band used for the RFID system (for example, 920 MHz band, 2.45 GHz band, etc.) in consideration of the material constant, thickness, etc. of the antenna substrate. For example, when the glass member of the borosilicate glass of the lid 2 is used as an antenna substrate, for example, when the relative permittivity is 4.6 and the thickness is 20 mm, the size of the radiating element 5a is approximately a square with a side of 76 mm. .. However, this is just an example, and for various design reasons, it may have different dimensions, or it may be another polygon or circle instead of a square. Further, as the antenna substrate, a glass member made of another dielectric material may be used, or a cover member made of ABS may be used. Further, these multi-layered lids 2 may be used for the antenna substrate.

As the material of the radiating element 5a and the ground electrode 5b, an electrode material generally used in industrial products is used, and for example, aluminum, copper, gold and the like. Further, if, for example, an ITO or ZnO-based transparent conductive film is used as the transparent electrode material, the antenna 5 cannot be visually recognized, so that the design surface is improved. Even if the electrode material is not transparent, it may be substantially transparent by processing it into a thin wire mesh.

Here, it is desirable to protect the surfaces of the radiating element 5a and the ground electrode 5b with a coating in order to prevent oxidation. Further, the radiating element 5a and the ground electrode 5b may be embedded inside the lid 2. Further, the radiating element 5a and the ground electrode 5b basically have a planar structure, but may have a curved structure along the shape of the lid 2.

Further, the feed line 6 of the antenna 5 is connected to the RFID reader 18 in the control board 12 at the upper rear of the drum type washer / dryer 1 through the hinge portion of the lid 2. Therefore, the antenna 5 can be wired without hindering the opening and closing of the lid 2.

In this embodiment, the antenna 5 is provided substantially in the center of the lid 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. When the antenna 5 is not transparent, the antenna 5 may be provided at the end of the lid 2 to make it inconspicuous. For example, if the antenna 5 is provided on the side close to the hinge portion, the wiring is shortened, so that the resistance loss is reduced and the design surface is also improved. Further, when the antenna 5 is provided on the upper part of the lid 2, the antenna 5 is brought closer to the clothes lifted by the rotation of the drum 8, and the RFID tag can be easily read. Further, if the antenna 5 is provided at the lower part of the lid 2, there is an advantage that the antenna 5 becomes inconspicuous in terms of design even if the antenna 5 is not transparent.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the drum-type washer-dryer 1 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the control board 12 is provided with a main control unit (microcontroller) 13 that controls the entire drum-type washer-dryer 1 and an RFID reader 18 that reads RFID tags. ..

The main control unit 13 is electrically connected to the communication module 14, the drum motor 15, the fan motor 16, the operation panel 17, and the like, and controls them. Here, the communication module 14 is connected to the network via a router or the like in the house where the drum type washer / dryer 1 is installed. Then, the communication module 14 transmits information such as its own identification information, clothing information read by the RFID reader 18, and driving status to a mobile terminal such as a smartphone via a network. On the other hand, the mobile terminal can also set the operation content for the drum-type washer-dryer 1 by communicating with the communication module 14. The communication terminal may be directly connected to the communication module 14 by Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like. Further, the installation position of the communication module 14 may be the upper part of the housing 3, but may be another place. Further, the RFID reader 18 may be provided separately from the control board 12 instead of inside the control board 12.

It is desirable that the RFID tag is read while the drum 8 is rotating after detecting the locked state of the lid 2, for example, when sensing the amount of clothing. Since the RFID tag is read when the lid 2 is in the locked state, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of the RFID tag outside the drum-type washer-dryer 1. Further, since the clothes are agitated by the rotation of the drum 8, the RFID tag is also agitated and the reading rate is improved. In particular, in the case of a drum-type washing machine, clothes lifted by centrifugal force fall due to gravity, so that stirring efficiency is good and a high reading rate can be expected. By repeating the rotation and stop of the drum 8 a plurality of times, the reading rate can be further improved.
Further, if wireless communication with the RFID tag is performed while the drum 8 is rotating, it is possible to avoid a situation in which radio waves are continuously blocked by the fluid in the fluid balancer 8c and cannot be read.

FIG. 4 is a table showing the results of experiments conducted when the RFID tag was read while the drum 8 was rotating and when it was stationary. In this experiment, the reading rate of the RFID tag was measured when the antenna 5 was installed at five locations of the center, the upper part, the left part, the right part, and the lower part of the lid 2. As shown in FIG. 4, when the RFID tag is read while the drum 8 is rotating, the reading rate is 100% regardless of the installation location of the antenna 5, whereas when the RFID tag is read while the drum 8 is stationary, the reading rate is 100%. , It can be seen that the reading rate is less than 100%.

When the drum type washer / dryer 1 reads the RFID tag of clothes, it automatically sets the optimum operation course according to the type and amount of clothes, and adjusts the rinsing time, the number of rotations of dehydration, and the like. In addition, by recording the history of how many times a specific piece of clothing has been washed or dried so that the user can check it via a mobile terminal, it may be useful for grasping the timing of replacement of clothes. good. Further, it is also possible to use it for data analysis by collecting information on what kind of clothes are washed and what kind of washing is done by the server via the communication module 14.

In this embodiment, the antenna 5 is mounted on the lid 2, but the antenna 5 may be mounted on the bellows 11. As the type of the antenna 5 at this time, it is preferable to use a loop antenna in which the electrodes can easily crawl along the bellows 11. The material of the bellows 11 is a dielectric such as ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM).

Furthermore, it is also possible to provide the antenna 5 on the outer tank 10 or the outer tank cover 20. If the antenna 5 is provided in such a place, wiring can be facilitated and the assembling property can be improved.

Next, Example 2 regarding the vertical washing machine will be described. The overall configuration of the vertical washing machine 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view showing the vertical washing machine 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the vertical washing machine 100 includes a housing 110, an outer tub installed in the housing 110 for storing water (not shown), and a motor installed in the outer tub (not shown). An inner tub 120 (washing and dehydration tub) driven by rotation, a rotary blade (not shown) provided at the bottom of the inner tub 120, and a lid that opens and closes when clothes are taken in and out of the inner tub 120. It is equipped with 130.

The outer shell of the housing 110 is formed by combining a steel plate and a resin molded product, and supports the entire base 111, front plate 112, rear plate 113, left and right side plates 114, and top cover 115. It has (upper plate) and is configured in a substantially square box shape.

The top cover 115 is formed with an opening 115a for putting clothes into the inner tank 120. The opening 115a is formed in a substantially semicircular shape in a top view (plan view), and is configured such that a straight portion is located on the back side and a curved portion is located on the front side. Further, on the front side of the top cover 115, a detergent charging case 117 for charging a detergent, a finishing agent, or the like is provided.

Further, the top cover 115 is provided with a lid 130 that opens and closes the opening 115a, and a hinge portion 131 that rotatably supports the rear end with the left-right direction as the axial direction. The lid 130 has an operation panel (not shown) for setting an operation course and displaying an operation state on the front side surface thereof, and a plurality of antennas 101a and 101b on the back surface side thereof. Since the operation panel is located above the antennas 101a and 101b in this way, the radio waves from the antennas 101a and 101b are effectively radiated to the clothes in the lower inner tank 120 without being shielded by the operation panel. .. Even if there is an inner lid below the lid 130, it is desirable to provide the antennas 101a and 101b on the lid 130, which is the outer lid, in consideration of wiring to the control board. Further, by providing the antennas 101a and 101b in the area of the lid body 130 in the upper projection of the opening of the inner tank 120, the stainless steel inner tank 120 does not block the radio waves and is inside the inner tank 120. Can communicate with RFID tags attached to clothing.

Although not shown, the control board of this embodiment is housed in the lower part of the back surface of the top cover 115, and has a main control unit (microcontroller) that controls the entire vertical washing machine 100 and an RFID that reads RFID tags. Has a reader. The main control unit is electrically connected to a communication module, an inner tank 120, a motor for rotating a rotary blade, an operation panel, and the like, and controls them.

It is desirable to read the RFID tag when the rotor blades are rotating in order to sense the amount of clothing. This is because the rotation of the rotor blades agitates the RFID tag together with the clothing, improving the reading accuracy.

FIG. 6 shows the measurement of the RFID tag reading rate when the antennas are installed at four locations, one in front of the lid 130, one in the back right, one in the center, and two in the front and the back left. It is a table which shows the result of the experiment performed. As shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen that the reading rate is high when the antennas are arranged at two locations, the front and the left back. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, by providing the plurality of antennas 101a and 101b at different positions in the radial distance from the rotation axis of the inner tank 120, the RFID tag attached to the clothing when the rotor blades rotate. Can be read evenly.

The above-mentioned Examples 1 and 2 have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. It is also possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. It is also possible to add / delete / replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

1 Drum type washer / dryer 2 Lid 3 Housing 3a Front cover 5 Antenna

5a Radiation element

5b Ground electrode 6 Feed line 8 Drum 8a Opening 8b Lifter 8c Fluid balancer 9a Rotating shaft 10 Outer tank 11 Bellows 12 Control board 13 Main control Part 14 Communication module 15 Drum motor 16 Fan motor 17 Operation panel 18 RFID reader 20 Outer tank cover 21 Blower unit 24 Blower duct 25 Outlet 100 Vertical washing machine 101a, 101b Antenna 110 Housing 112 Front plate 113 Rear plate 114 Side plate 115 Top cover 115a Opening 120 Inner tank 130 Lid 131 Hinge

Claims

An outer tank installed inside the housing to store water,
An inner tank installed in the outer tank and driven to rotate by a motor,
A lid that opens and closes when clothes are taken in and out of the inner tank,
In a washing machine equipped with
A washing machine characterized in that an antenna for wireless communication with an RFID tag attached to clothes is provided on the lid.
An outer tank installed inside the housing to store water,
An inner tank installed in the outer tank and driven to rotate by a motor,
A lid that opens and closes when clothes are taken in and out of the inner tank,
In a washing machine equipped with
A washing machine characterized in that an antenna for wireless communication with an RFID tag attached to clothes is provided in the projection of the opening of the inner tub.
In the washing machine according to claim 1 or 2.
The washing machine is characterized in that the antenna is a microstrip antenna having a radiating element provided inside the lid body and a ground electrode provided outside the lid body.
In the washing machine according to claim 1 or 2.
The antenna is a washing machine that wirelessly communicates with the RFID tag when the inner tank is rotating.
In the washing machine according to claim 1 or 2.
The washing machine is a drum type
A washing machine characterized in that the wiring of the antenna is provided on the hinge portion of the lid body.
In the washing machine according to claim 1 or 2.
The washing machine is vertical and
A washing machine characterized in that a plurality of the antennas are provided at positions having different radial distances from the rotation axis of the inner tub.