WO2022242566A1

WO2022242566A1 - Washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2022242566A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/092731
Authority: WO
Inventors: 辻野圭则
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: 2021-05-19
Filing date: 2022-05-13
Publication date: 2022-11-24
Also published as: JP2022178222A

Abstract

A washing machine, which can shorten the time required for laundry washing that includes partial cleaning performed by an ultrasonic cleaning device (50). The fully automatic washing machine (1) is provided with: a washing and water removal tub (22), which is configured in a box (10) and accommodates laundry; a water supply unit (80), which supplies water into the washing and water removal tub (22); an ultrasonic cleaning device (50), which cleans the laundry by means of ultrasonic waves generated by an ultrasonic generator (110); and a control part (701), which executes an operation mode of performing a washing operation after a cleaning operation, wherein the cleaning operation is an operation for cleaning the laundry by means of the ultrasonic cleaning device (50), and the washing operation is an operation for washing the laundry accommodated in the washing and water removal tub (22). When the control part (701) performs the cleaning operation, water used for a cleaning process of the washing operation is supplied into the washing and water removal tub (22) by means of the water supply unit (80).

Description

washing machine

technical field

The invention relates to a washing machine.

Background technique

Patent Document 1 describes a washing machine provided with an ultrasonic cleaning device for cleaning laundry with ultrasonic waves generated by an ultrasonic generator. In this washing machine, dirt adhering locally to the laundry can be removed by performing a cleaning operation by an ultrasonic cleaning device before the laundry is accommodated in the washing and dehydrating tub for the washing operation.

In the case of performing the cleaning operation by the ultrasonic cleaning device before the cleaning operation as described above, the cleaning operation will be performed again after the cleaning operation is completed, so the cleaning operation including the partial cleaning by the ultrasonic cleaning device The time required for washing the laundry may become longer.

prior art literature

patent documents

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2021-23547

Contents of the invention

The problem to be solved by the invention

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine capable of shortening the time required for washing laundry including partial washing by an ultrasonic washing device.

solutions to problems

The washing machine according to the main aspect of the present invention is equipped with: a washing tub arranged in a box to accommodate laundry; a water supply unit for supplying water to the washing tub; and an ultrasonic cleaning device for cleaning by ultrasonic waves generated by an ultrasonic generator. laundry; and a control unit that executes an operation mode of performing a washing operation followed by a washing operation in which the laundry is cleaned by the ultrasonic cleaning device, and the washing operation is performed on the The laundry in the washing tub is washed. Wherein, the control unit causes the water supply unit to supply water into the washing tub for a washing process of the washing operation during the washing operation.

According to the above configuration, the water supply into the washing tub for the cleaning process of the washing operation is performed during the washing operation, so the total operation time when the washing operation is performed following the washing operation can be shortened. Thereby, the time required for washing the laundry including partial washing can be shortened.

In the washing machine according to this aspect, a configuration may be employed in which the water supply unit discharges water into the washing tub from above the washing tub.

According to the above configuration, when the washing water used for the washing operation adheres to the user's hands during the washing operation, the user can wash his hands with the water supplied into the washing tub during the washing operation.

In the washing machine according to this aspect, a configuration may be adopted in which the control unit suspends the operation in the operation mode based on the end of the washing operation, and resumes the operation in the operation mode based on detection of an operation for recovery.

According to the above-mentioned structure, after the preparation for the washing operation is completed by throwing into the washing tub partially washed laundry and the like, the operation can be resumed to start the washing operation.

In the washing machine according to this aspect, a configuration can be employed in which a load detection unit for detecting the load of the laundry accommodated in the washing tub is further provided. In this case, a configuration can be adopted in which the control unit determines the amount of water required for the washing process based on the load detected by the load detection unit before starting to supply water into the washing tub. As for the water supply amount, the determined water supply amount required for the washing process is set as an upper limit water supply amount to the washing tub during the washing operation.

According to the above-mentioned structure, during the washing operation, the water required for the washing process can be stored in the washing tub, and the time required for washing the laundry including partial washing can be greatly shortened.

In the washing machine according to this aspect, a configuration can be employed in which a load detection unit for detecting the load of the laundry accommodated in the washing tub is further provided. In this case, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the control unit sets the minimum value of the water supply amount required for the cleaning process determined based on the load amount detected by the load amount detection unit as the The upper limit water supply amount to the washing tub during the washing operation, and the value detected by the load detection unit after the washing operation is completed is corrected based on the water supply amount into the washing tub during the washing operation. Based on the corrected load, the water supply required for the cleaning process is determined.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to detect the load amount while the laundry cleaned by the ultrasonic cleaning device is reliably accommodated in the washing tub. Furthermore, since the detected load is corrected based on the water supply to the washing tub during the washing operation, the detected load can be corrected with high precision, and the water supply required for the washing process can be set with high precision.

In the washing machine of the present aspect, a configuration can be employed in which a presence/absence detection unit for detecting whether laundry is present under the ultrasonic generator can be further provided. In this case, it is possible to employ a configuration in which the control unit operates the ultrasonic generator while the existence of the laundry is detected by the presence/absence detection unit during the washing operation.

According to the above configuration, when the laundry is not being cleaned by the ultrasonic cleaning device, the operation of the ultrasonic generating body is stopped, so that the user can be prevented from unintentionally touching the operating ultrasonic generating body.

Invention effect

According to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the time required for washing laundry including partial washing by an ultrasonic washing device.

The effects and significance of the present invention will become clearer through the description of the embodiments shown below. However, the following embodiments are merely examples for implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited by the contents described in the following embodiments.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of a fully automatic washing machine according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a water supply unit according to the embodiment.

In Fig. 3, (a) is the perspective view of the ultrasonic cleaning device and the upper panel pulled out from the accommodating part of the embodiment, and (b) and (c) are the ultrasonic cleaning device and the upper panel of the embodiment accommodated in the accommodating part A three-dimensional view of the main parts.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the ultrasonic cleaning device in a state where the water reservoir is detached from the main body according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a side sectional view of an ultrasonic cleaning unit and a main body of the embodiment.

6 is a side sectional view of the ultrasonic cleaning device, the storage tank, the supply valve, the supply nozzle, and the drain receiving part when the ultrasonic cleaning device is stored in the storage part according to the embodiment.

7 is a side sectional view of the ultrasonic cleaning device, the storage tank, the supply valve, the supply nozzle, and the drain receiving part when the ultrasonic cleaning device is pulled out from the storage part according to the embodiment.

8 is a perspective view of a storage tank, a supply valve, and a supply nozzle according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fully automatic washing machine according to the embodiment.

In FIG. 10, (a) is a flowchart showing the control process of the washing operation of the embodiment, and (b) is a flowchart showing the vibrator on-off control included in the control process of the washing operation of the embodiment.

11 is a flowchart showing an operation control process of an operation mode in which a washing operation is performed subsequent to a washing operation according to the embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing water supply processing for supplying water into the washing and dehydrating tub during washing operation according to the embodiment.

13 is a flowchart showing an operation control process of an operation mode in which a washing operation is performed subsequent to a washing operation according to Modification 1. FIG.

Explanation of reference signs

1: Fully automatic washing machine (washing machine); 10: Box body; 22: Washing and dehydrating bucket (washing bucket); 50: Ultrasonic cleaning device; 80: Water supply unit (water supply department); 110: Ultrasonic generator; 640: Distance sensor (presence detection part); 650: rotation detection part (load detection part); 701: control part.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the washing machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a fully automatic washing machine 1 .

The fully automatic washing machine 1 includes a housing 10 constituting an outer shape. The housing 10 includes a rectangular cylindrical body portion 11 with open upper and lower surfaces, an upper panel 12 covering the upper surface of the body portion 11 , and a foot stand 13 for supporting the body portion 11 . An inlet 14 for laundry is formed on the top panel 12 . The inlet 14 is covered with an openable and closable upper cover 15 . On the front portion of the upper panel 12, a control unit 16 is arranged inside. The control unit 16 controls the washing operation of the automatic washing machine 1 and the cleaning operation of the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 described later.

The outer barrel 20 with an open upper surface is elastically suspended and supported in the box body 10 by four suspension rods 21 with anti-vibration devices. A washing and dehydrating tub 22 is arranged in the outer tub 20 . The upper surface of the washing and dehydrating tub 22 is open, and the washing and dehydrating tub 22 rotates around a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction. Many dehydration holes 22 a are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the washing and dehydrating tub 22 over the entire circumference. A balance ring 23 is provided on the top of the washing and dehydrating tub 22 . A pulsator 24 is disposed at the bottom of the washing and dehydrating tub 22 . A plurality of blades 24a are radially provided on the surface of the pulsator 24 . It should be noted that the washing and dehydrating tub 22 corresponds to the washing tub of the present invention.

A drive unit 30 that generates torque for driving the washing and dehydrating tub 22 and the pulsator 24 is disposed on the outer bottom of the tub 20 . The drive unit 30 includes a drive motor 31 and a transmission mechanism portion 32 . The transmission mechanism part 32 has a clutch mechanism 32a. Through the switching operation realized by the clutch mechanism 32a, the torque of the drive motor 31 is only transmitted to the pulsator 24 during the washing process and the rinsing process, and only the pulsator 24 is rotated. During the process, the torque of the drive motor 31 is transmitted to the pulsator 24 and the washing and dehydrating tub 22 so that the pulsator 24 and the washing and dehydrating tub 22 rotate integrally.

A drain opening 20 a is formed on the outer bottom of the tub 20 . The drain valve 40 is provided in the drain port part 20a. The drain valve 40 is connected to a drain hose 41 . When the drain valve 40 is opened, the water stored in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 and the outer tub 20 is discharged out of the machine through the drain hose 41 .

An overflow port 20b is formed on the upper portion of the tub 20 . When water above the specified overflow water level is stored in the outer tub 20, the water will be discharged from the overflow port 20b. An overflow receiving portion 25 is provided on the outer surface of the tub 20 so as to cover the overflow port 20b. One end of an overflow pipe 26 is connected to the bottom of the overflow receiving portion 25 . The other end of the overflow pipe 26 is connected to a drain hose 41 . The water discharged from the overflow port 20 b flows to the drain hose 41 through the overflow pipe 26 after being received by the overflow receiving portion 25 .

An ultrasonic cleaning device 50 is disposed substantially in the center of the rear portion of the upper panel 12 . The ultrasonic cleaning device 50 mainly performs a cleaning operation for removing dirt locally adhering to the object to be washed before the fully automatic washing machine 1 performs washing.

On the rear portion of the upper panel 12 , a storage tank 60 is disposed behind the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 , and a drain receiver 70 is disposed below the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 . The storage tank 60 stores detergent-containing water to be supplied to the water storage tank 210 of the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 as washing water.

The drain receiver 70 receives water drained from the water storage tank 210 . In the drain receiving portion 70, a drain hole 71 through which the received water is drained is formed. One end of a drain pipe 72 is connected to the drain hole 71 . The other end of the drain pipe 72 is connected to the upper part of the overflow pipe 26 .

A water supply unit 80 for supplying tap water into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 is arranged at the rear of the upper panel 12 . The water supply unit 80 corresponds to the water supply unit of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the water supply unit 80 .

The water supply unit 80 has a water supply valve 81 . The water supply valve 81 is a so-called double valve, and has a main valve 82 and a sub valve 83 as solenoid valves. The water inlet 81a of the water supply valve 81 is connected to a water faucet via a water supply hose not shown. A main water supply channel 84 is connected to an outlet of the main valve 82 . The main water supply channel 84 is connected to the water injection box 85 located on the top of the washing and dehydrating tub 22 .

The water supply unit 80 includes an automatic input mechanism 90 for automatically injecting liquid detergent into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 . The automatic feeding mechanism 90 also has a function of supplying washing water to the storage tank 60 .

The automatic feeding mechanism 90 includes a detergent box 91 , a supply pipe 92 , a first three-way valve 93 , an auxiliary water supply path 94 , a detergent supply path 95 , a second three-way valve 96 , a washing water supply path 97 , and a supply pump 98 . The auxiliary valve 83 of the water supply valve 81 is also included in the automatic feeding mechanism 90 .

The liquid detergent is stored in the detergent box 91 in the state of an undiluted liquid. The supply pipe 92 guides the liquid detergent of the detergent box 91 to one inlet of the first three-way valve 93 .

The auxiliary water supply channel 94 is connected to the outlet of the auxiliary valve 83 and the other inlet of the first three-way valve 93 .

A detergent supply path 95 is connected to an outlet of the first three-way valve 93 . Detergent supply path 95 is connected to water tank 85 . The water injection box 85 is located above the washing and dewatering tub 22, and has a water injection port 85a on its bottom surface.

The first three-way valve 93 is switchable between a state in which the supply pipe 92 communicates with the detergent supply passage 95 and a state in which the auxiliary water supply passage 94 communicates with the detergent supply passage 95 .

A second three-way valve 96 is provided on the detergent supply path 95 . An upstream side supply path 95 a of the detergent supply path 95 is connected to an inlet of the second three-way valve 96 , and a downstream side supply path 95 b of the detergent supply path 95 is connected to one outlet of the second three-way valve 96 . In addition, one end of the washing water supply path 97 is connected to the other outlet of the second three-way valve 96 . The other end of the washing water supply path 97 is connected to the storage tank 60 .

The second three-way valve 96 is switchable between a state in which the upstream supply passage 95 a communicates with the downstream supply passage 95 b and a state in which the upstream supply passage 95 a communicates with the washing water supply passage 97 .

A supply pump 98 is disposed in the upstream supply passage 95a. As the supply pump 98, for example, a piston pump can be used.

Next, the structure of the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 and the peripheral structure of the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 including the storage tank 60 and the drainage receiving part 70 will be described in detail.

(a) of FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 and the upper panel 12 pulled out from the storage portion 17 . (b) and (c) of FIG. 3 are perspective views of main parts of the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 and the upper panel 12 housed in the housing portion 17 . In (c) of FIG. 3 , illustration of the cover 19 is omitted so that the inside of the storage portion 17 can be seen.

On the upper panel 12, the storage part 17 which accommodates the ultrasonic cleaning apparatus 50 is provided in the center part of a rear part. In the upper panel 12 , the front of the storage portion 17 is opened as an entrance/exit 18 . A cover 19 is provided at the entrance and exit 18 .

The ultrasonic cleaning device 50 includes an ultrasonic cleaning unit 100 , a water storage unit 200 , and a main body unit 300 . The ultrasonic cleaning unit 100 has a sonotrode 110 that generates ultrasonic waves. The main body part 300 holds the ultrasonic cleaning part 100 . The water storage part 200 is attached to the main body part 300 and is located below the sonotrode 110 . Water storage unit 200 is provided with water storage tank 210 for storing washing water.

As shown in FIG. 3( a ), during the cleaning operation, the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 is drawn forward from the storage portion 17 and protrudes inside the inlet 14 of the upper panel 12 . On the other hand, as shown in (b) and (c) of FIG. 3 , when the cleaning operation is not performed, the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 is housed in the housing portion 17 . The entrance and exit 18 are closed by a cover 19 .

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 in a state where the water storage unit 200 is detached from the main body unit 300 . FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the ultrasonic cleaning unit 100 and the main body unit 300 .

In the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 , the ultrasonic cleaning unit 100 is held on the main body 300 , and the water storage unit 200 is detachably attached to the main body 300 .

The ultrasonic cleaning unit 100 includes an ultrasonic generator 110 and a housing 120 . The ultrasonic generator 110 includes an ultrasonic vibrator 111 and a vibration horn 112 combined with the ultrasonic vibrator 111 . The sonotrode 110 generates ultrasonic waves from the tip of the vibrating horn 112 by the high-frequency vibration of the ultrasonic vibrator 111 . The housing 120 has an arm shape that is long in the front-rear direction and whose front end 121 is bent downward. The sonotrode 110 is arranged at the front inside the casing 120 . The sonotrode 110 is pressed from above by the frame-shaped fixing member 130 . The front end of the vibration horn 112 is exposed from the opening 122 of the housing 120 . The rear portion 123 of the housing 120 is fixed on the upper portion of the main body 300 .

In the water storage part 200, a handle 201 is formed on the front surface. In addition, a water storage tank 210 having a shape along the outer shape of the water storage unit 200 is formed in the water storage unit 200 . In the water storage tank 210, a drain port 211 is formed in the lower part of the rear surface. The drain port 211 is closed by the valve body 220 . A valve movable member 230 is connected to the valve body 220 . The rear part 231 of the valve movable member 230 protrudes rearward from the water storage part 200 . The valve movable member 230 is biased rearwardly by the spring 240 shown in FIG. 6 to close the valve body 220 .

6 is a side sectional view of the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 , the storage tank 60 , the supply valve 400 , the supply nozzle 500 , and the drain receiver 70 in a state where the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 is housed in the housing portion 17 . 7 is a side sectional view of the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 , the storage tank 60 , the supply valve 400 , the supply nozzle 500 , and the drain receiving part 70 in a state where the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 is pulled out from the housing part 17 . FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the storage tank 60 , the supply valve 400 and the supply nozzle 500 .

In the storage unit 17 , the storage tank 60 , the supply valve 400 and the supply nozzle 500 are arranged behind the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 .

The supply valve 400 is a solenoid valve. The supply valve 400 includes: a valve seat 410 having inlets on its left and right sides and an outlet on its lower surface; a valve body 420 that opens and closes the outlet of the valve seat 410; and a driving unit 430 such as a solenoid that drives the valve body 420. The outlet of the valve seat 410 is connected to the inlet of the supply nozzle 500 .

The storage tank 60 is formed of a resin material, and is divided into a first tank 61 and a second tank 62 via a supply valve 400 . Upper portions of both the first tank 61 and the second tank 62 are connected by a communication portion 63 extending from the first tank 61 . The outlet 64 formed in the lower part of the first tank 61 is connected to the inlet on the left side of the valve seat 410 . The outlet 65 formed in the lower portion of the second tank 62 is connected to the inlet on the right side of the valve seat 410 . In the first tank 61 and the second tank 62 , the

mutual outflow ports

64 and 65 are connected via the valve seat 410 .

The first tank 61 is formed with an inflow port 66 for washing water to enter the storage tank 60 . The inflow port 66 is connected to a washing water supply path 97 of the automatic injection mechanism 90 . The washing water supplied from the automatic injection mechanism 90 flows into the first tank 61 from the inflow port 66 , and then flows into the second tank 62 through the valve seat 410 and the communicating portion 63 . Thus, the washing water is stored in the storage tank 60 . The water storage capacity of the storage tank 60 is set larger than the water storage capacity of the water storage tank 210 .

When the supply valve 400 , that is, the valve body 420 is opened, washing water flows out from the first tank 61 and the second tank 62 of the storage tank 60 through the outlet of the valve seat 410 .

The supply nozzle 500 is formed of a resin material, extends forward from the supply valve 400, and has a front end portion 500a bent downward. The discharge port 501 is formed in the lower surface of the front-end|tip part 500a.

In the housing portion 17 , a substantially square dish-shaped drain receiving portion 70 is disposed below the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 . On the right side of the drain receiving portion 70, a drain hole 71 is formed at the lower end of the rear portion. A drain pipe 72 is connected to a connecting pipe 73 extending rightward from the discharge hole 71 .

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fully automatic washing machine 1 .

Fully automatic washing machine 1 includes an operation unit 610 , a water level sensor 620 , a water level detection unit 630 , a distance sensor 640 , and a rotation detection unit 650 in addition to the above configuration. In addition, the control unit 16 includes a control unit 701 , a storage unit 702 , an operation detection unit 703 , a motor drive unit 704 , a clutch drive unit 705 , five valve drive units 706 to 710 , a pump drive unit 711 , and a vibrator drive unit 712 .

The operation unit 610 includes various operation buttons such as a power-on button 611 , a power-off button 612 , a start button 613 , and a mode selection button 614 . The power on button 611 and the power off button 612 are buttons for turning on and off the power of the fully automatic washing machine 1, respectively. The start button 613 is a button for starting a washing operation and a washing operation. Mode selection button 614 is a button for selecting an arbitrary operation mode from a plurality of operation modes prepared in fully automatic washing machine 1 .

The water level sensor 620 is, for example, a diaphragm water level sensor, which detects the water level in the outer tub 20 , that is, the washing and dehydrating tub 22 , and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the detected water level to the control unit 701 .

The water level detection unit 630 includes a pair of electrode terminals disposed in the storage tank 60 , and detects that the water level in the storage tank 60 has reached a full water level.

The distance sensor 640 measures the distance to the detection target object by reflection of light or ultrasonic waves, and outputs a measurement signal corresponding to the measured distance to the control unit 701 . The distance sensor 640 is disposed, for example, facing downward at the front end of the casing 120 of the ultrasonic cleaning unit 100 , and is used to detect whether there is laundry under the ultrasonic generator 110 . The distance sensor 640 is equivalent to the presence/absence detection part of this invention.

When no laundry, that is, a dirt-adhered part of the laundry, is not provided in water storage tank 210 and there is no laundry under ultrasonic generator 110, distance sensor 640 measures the distance from the bottom surface of water storage tank 210 and outputs a measurement signal indicating the distance. On the other hand, when laundry is placed in water tank 210 and laundry is present under ultrasonic generator 110 , distance sensor 640 measures the distance to the laundry and outputs a measurement signal indicating the distance. The control unit 701 sets a predetermined distance shorter than the distance from the bottom surface of the water storage tank 210 as a threshold value, and when the measured distance is shorter than the threshold value, it is determined that there is laundry under the ultrasonic generator 110. When the distance is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it is determined that there is no laundry under the ultrasonic generator 110 .

The rotation detection unit 650 is, for example, an encoder, and detects the amount of inertial rotation of the drive motor 31 corresponding to the amount of inertial rotation of the pulsator 24 when the pulsator 24 is rotated to detect the load of laundry in the washing and dehydrating tub 22, and sends The control unit 701 outputs a rotation amount signal corresponding to the detected amount of inertial rotation. The amount of inertial rotation of pulsator 24 changes according to the load amount of laundry. Therefore, the control unit 701 can detect the load amount based on the rotation amount signal from the rotation detection unit 650 . The rotation detection unit 650 corresponds to the load detection unit of the present invention.

The operation detection unit 703 outputs an operation signal corresponding to an operation button operated by the user among various operation buttons of the operation unit 610 to the control unit 701 .

The motor drive unit 704, the clutch drive unit 705, the five valve drive units 706-710, the pump drive unit 711, and the vibrator drive unit 712 respectively drive the drive motor 31, the clutch mechanism 32a, and the water supply valve 81 according to the control signals from the control unit 701. , the first three-way valve 93 , the second three-way valve 96 , the supply valve 400 , the drain valve 40 , the supply pump 98 and the ultrasonic vibrator 111 .

The storage section 702 includes EEPROM (Electric Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The storage unit 702 stores programs for executing the washing operation and the washing operation. In addition, various parameters and various control flags for executing these programs are stored in the storage unit 702 .

The control unit 701 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc., based on signals from the operation detection unit 703, the water level sensor 620, the water level detection unit 630, the distance sensor 640, the rotation detection unit 650, etc., according to the program stored in the storage unit 702. The motor drive unit 704, the clutch drive unit 705, the five valve drive units 706 to 710, the pump drive unit 711, the vibrator drive unit 712, and the like are controlled. As a result, the control unit 701 controls the ultrasonic generator 110 , the water supply unit 80 , and the automatic feeding mechanism 90 .

The fully automatic washing machine 1 can perform an operation mode of performing only a washing operation, an operation mode of performing only a washing operation, and an operation mode of performing a washing operation following a washing operation by selecting the mode selection button 614 .

In the operation mode in which only the washing operation is performed, a washing course, an intermediate dehydration course, a rinsing course, and a final dehydration course constituting the washing operation are sequentially performed. As an operation mode for performing only the washing operation, a plurality of operation modes such as a standard mode for washing standard laundry and a gentle mode for washing delicate laundry can be prepared.

During the washing process and the rinsing process, the pulsator 24 rotates to the right and to the left when water is stored in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 . Through the rotation of the pulsator 24 , a water flow is generated in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 . During the washing process, the laundry is cleaned by the generated water flow and the detergent contained in the water. During the rinsing process, the laundry is rinsed by the generated water flow.

During the intermediate dehydration process and the final dehydration process, the washing and dehydration tub 22 and the pulsator 24 are integrally rotated at high speed. The laundry is dehydrated by centrifugal force generated in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 .

During water supply during washing, liquid detergent is automatically injected into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 by the automatic feeding mechanism 90 together with the water supply into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 . That is, when water is supplied into washing-dehydrating tub 22 , first, first three-way valve 93 is switched to a state in which supply pipe 92 communicates with detergent supply passage 95 . In addition, the second three-way valve 96 is switched to a state in which the upstream side supply passage 95 a communicates with the downstream side supply passage 95 b. As indicated by the dotted arrow in FIG. 2 , when the supply pump 98 operates, the liquid detergent in the detergent box 91 is pumped out to the detergent supply passage 95 . Supply pump 98 operates for a predetermined time, whereby a predetermined amount of liquid detergent is stored in detergent supply path 95 .

Next, the first three-way valve 93 is switched to a state in which the sub-water supply passage 94 communicates with the detergent supply passage 95, and the main valve 82 and the sub-valve 83 are opened. The water from the faucet flows through the main water supply channel 84, and is released from the water injection port 85a of the water injection box 85, that is, from the top of the washing and dehydrating tub 22 to the washing and dehydrating tub 22. Simultaneously, as shown by the solid line arrow in FIG. 2 , the water from the faucet flows to the detergent supply path 95 through the auxiliary water supply path 94 and the first three-way valve 93 to wash away the liquid detergent. 2, the liquid detergent washed away by the water flows through the detergent supply path 95 together with the water, and is poured into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 from the water injection port 85a. When the water level in the washing and dehydrating bucket 22 reaches the prescribed washing water level, the main valve 82 and the auxiliary valve 83 are closed, and the water supply is finished.

When the user performs partial cleaning of the laundry with the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 , the user pulls the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 out of the storage unit 17 as shown in FIG. 3( a ). As shown in FIG. 7 , the water storage bucket 210 is in a state where the drain port 211 is closed by the valve body 220 .

When the user selects the operation mode for performing only the cleaning operation with the mode selection button 614 and operates the start button 613 , the cleaning operation by the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 starts.

(a) of FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing control processing of the cleaning operation. (b) of FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing vibrator on-off control included in the control process of the washing operation.

Referring to FIG. 10( a ), when the washing operation starts, control unit 701 controls automatic injection mechanism 90 and supply valve 400 to execute washing water supply processing for supplying washing water to water tank 210 ( S101 ).

In the washing water supply process, first, the washing water is supplied into the storage tank 60 by the automatic feeding mechanism 90 . That is, the first three-way valve 93 is switched to a state in which the supply pipe 92 communicates with the detergent supply passage 95 . In addition, the second three-way valve 96 is switched to a state in which the upstream side supply passage 95 a communicates with the washing water supply passage 97 . Also, the supply valve 400 is closed. Supply pump 98 operates for a predetermined time, and a predetermined amount of liquid detergent is stored in detergent supply path 95 .

Next, the first three-way valve 93 is switched to a state in which the sub-water supply passage 94 communicates with the detergent supply passage 95, and the sub-valve 83 is opened. The water from the faucet flows to the detergent supply passage 95 through the auxiliary water supply passage 94 and the first three-way valve 93 to wash away the liquid detergent. Water and liquid detergent are mixed to become washing water. As shown by the bold arrow in FIG. 2 , the washing water flows into the storage tank 60 through the washing water supply path 97 .

When it is detected by the water level detector 630 that the water level in the storage tank 60 has reached the full water level, the sub-valve 83 is closed. In this way, by the supply of the washing water from the automatic injection mechanism 90, the washing water having a predetermined amount of water and a predetermined detergent concentration is stored in the storage tank 60.

Next, the supply valve 400 is opened. The washing water in the storage tank 60 is discharged into the water storage tank 210 from the discharge port 501 through the supply nozzle 500 . The washing water is stored in the water storage tank 210, and the water level in the water storage tank 210 rises. 7, when the water level in water storage tank 210 rises to the height of discharge port 501 and discharge port 501 is blocked by washing water, the air pressure in storage tank 60 is balanced with the external air pressure. As a result, the supply valve 400 is kept open, and the water supply from the storage tank 60 is stopped. About one-third of the washing water when the storage tank 60 is full remains. The tip of the sonotrode 110 is in contact with the water surface.

When the washing water supply process is completed, the control unit 701 determines whether there is laundry under the ultrasonic generator 110 (S102).

When washing water is stored in the water storage tank 210 , the user inserts the dirt-attached part of the laundry between the water storage tank 210 and the vibration horn 112 of the ultrasonic generator 110 , and sets it in the water storage tank 210 . The dirt-attached part of the object to be washed is soaked in the washing water in the water storage tank 210, and the washing water permeated into the inside of the object to be washed seeps out to the surface. It is a state in which a thin water layer is formed on the surface of the object to be cleaned, and the vibrating horn 112 is in contact with the water layer.

When the amount of water in the water storage tank 210 decreases due to the water absorption of the object to be washed, and the water level drops so that the discharge port 501 of the supply nozzle 500 is no longer blocked by the washing water, the washing water is supplied from the storage tank 60 to the water storage tank 210. Clean water until the discharge port 501 is blocked by clean water again. Thereby, the water level in the water tank 210, that is, the water volume is maintained in an appropriate state.

When the laundry is set in the water tank 210, the laundry is present under the ultrasonic generator 110. FIG. When it is determined that there is laundry under the ultrasonic generator 110 (S102: YES), the control unit 701 turns on and off the ultrasonic oscillator 111 to operate the ultrasonic generator 110 (S103). Ultrasonic waves are generated from the tip of the vibrating horn 112, and dirt is peeled off from the laundry by the action of the ultrasonic waves. At this time, the detergency improves by adding the effectiveness of the detergent.

The control unit 701 starts the vibrator on-off control of energizing and stopping the energization of the ultrasonic vibrator 111 according to whether there is laundry under the ultrasonic generator 110 ( S104 ).

Referring to (b) of FIG. 10 , control unit 701 monitors whether there is no laundry under ultrasonic generator 110 (S201). When the user finishes washing one laundry, the laundry is detached from tub 210 . Thereby, laundry no longer exists under the ultrasonic generator 110 . When there is no laundry under the ultrasonic generator 110 (S201: YES), the control unit 701 stops energizing the ultrasonic vibrator 111 and stops the operation of the ultrasonic generator 110 (S202).

Next, the control part 701 monitors whether the laundry exists under the ultrasonic generator 110 (S203). When washing new laundry, the user sets the laundry in tub 210 . Thereby, laundry exists below the ultrasonic generator 110 . When there is laundry under the ultrasonic generator 110 (S203: YES), the control unit 701 energizes the ultrasonic oscillator 111 to operate the ultrasonic generator 110 (S204). The control unit 701 repeats the processing of S201 to S204. In this way, the sonotrode 110 operates only when the laundry is set in the water storage tub 210 and is washed, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from touching the sonotrode 110 in operation unintentionally.

Returning to FIG. 10 (a), when a predetermined replenishment time elapses from the initial operation of the ultrasonic generating body 110, for example, one minute (S105: "Yes"), the control unit 701 executes the process of replenishing the washing water in the storage tank 60. Wash water replenishment process (S106). The operation of the washing water supply process is the same as that of the washing water supply process. Wash water is supplied into the storage tank 60 until the storage tank 60 becomes full. As a result, even when multiple pieces of highly water-absorbent laundry are washed at once, the inside of the storage tank 60 will not become empty during the washing operation, and the inside of the water storage tank 210 will not be washed. Water shortage situation.

When a predetermined cleaning time, for example, three minutes, has elapsed since the first operation of the ultrasonic generator 110 (S107: YES), the control unit 701 ends the vibrator on-off control (S108), and the cleaning operation ends. At this time, if the ultrasonic vibrator 111 is being energized, the control unit 701 stops energizing.

The user stores the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 in the storage unit 17 as shown in (b) and (c) of FIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the valve movable member 230 abuts against the rear wall of the drain receiver 70 and moves forward. Thereby, the valve body 220 moves forward, and the drain port 211 opens. When the drain port 211 is opened, the washing water in the water storage tank 210 is discharged to the drain receiving portion 70 . The washing water discharged to the drain receiving portion 70 is discharged from the discharge hole 71 , flows through the drain pipe 72 , the overflow pipe 26 , and the drain hose 41 to the outside of the machine. At this time, the supply valve 400 is opened, and the washing water remaining in the storage tank 60 is also discharged outside the machine through the water storage tank 210 and the like.

As described above, fully automatic washing machine 1 according to the present embodiment has an operation mode in which a washing operation is performed following a washing operation. Hereinafter, this operation mode is referred to as "continuous operation mode". The user can select the continuous operation mode when performing partial cleaning of the laundry with the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 and then washing the laundry including the laundry that has been partially cleaned.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing operation control processing in the continuous operation mode. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a water supply process for supplying water into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 during the washing operation. The operation control process in the continuous operation mode includes the control process of the washing operation in (a) of FIG. 10 and the water supply process in FIG. 12 .

After the user temporarily stores all the laundry including the laundry for partial cleaning in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 or stores the laundry in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 except for the laundry for partial cleaning, the user presses the mode selection button 614 to select the continuous operation mode and operate the start button 613. The operation control process in the continuous operation mode is started by the control unit 701 .

Referring to FIG. 11 , the control unit 701 rotates the pulsator 24 by driving the motor 31 and detects the amount of inertial rotation of the pulsator 24, that is, the drive motor 31 through the rotation detection unit 650, thereby detecting the load of the laundry in the washing and dehydrating tub 22. Quantity (S11). Then, the control unit 701 sets the upper limit water supply amount of water to be supplied into the washing/dehydrating tub 22 in the next ultrasonic cleaning process based on the detected load amount (S12). That is, the control unit 701 determines the amount of water to be supplied to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 (hereinafter referred to as "washing water supply amount") required for the cleaning process of the washing operation following the ultrasonic cleaning process based on the detected load, and The determined washing water supply amount is set as the upper limit water supply amount. In this embodiment, the amount of water supplied to the washer-dehydration tub 22 is detected as the water level in the washer-dehydration tub 22. Accordingly, the control unit 701 determines the washing water level corresponding to the washing water supply volume, and sets the washing water level to the upper limit water level corresponding to the upper limit water supply volume.

Next, the control unit 701 executes an ultrasonic cleaning process (S13). During the ultrasonic cleaning, the control unit 701 executes the control processing of the cleaning operation in (a) of FIG. 10 . The washing operation is started, and the laundry is set in the water tank 210 storing washing water. Partial cleaning of the laundry is performed by ultrasonic waves generated by the sonotrode 110, and local dirt on the laundry is removed.

In addition, during the ultrasonic cleaning, the control unit 701 executes the water supply process of FIG. 12 in parallel with the control process of the cleaning operation of FIG. 10( a ). Thus, water is supplied into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 during the washing operation.

Referring to FIG. 12 , control unit 701 waits for the completion of the washing water supply process in S101 in (a) of FIG. 10 , that is, the completion of the supply of washing water to water tank 210 ( S301 ). This is because it is necessary to inject detergent when supplying water into the washing and dehydrating tub 22, and the automatic injecting mechanism 90 is used.

When the washing water supply process is completed (S301: YES), the control unit 701 controls the water supply unit 80 and the automatic feeding mechanism 90 to start water supply into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 (S302). When water is supplied, detergent is injected into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 by the automatic input mechanism 90 . This water supply operation with detergent injection is the same as the water supply operation during the washing in the above-mentioned operation mode in which only the washing operation is performed. That is, after the liquid detergent is discharged from the detergent box 91 to the detergent supply passage 95 by the operation of the supply pump 98, the main valve 82 and the sub-valve 83 are opened to supply water through the main water supply passage 84 and supply water from the detergent. The detergent in the supply path 95 is injected. After the detergent is injected, the sub-valve 83 is continuously opened to supply water through the sub-water supply path 94 and the detergent supply path 95 in addition to the water supply through the main water supply path 84 .

When the laundry is partially cleaned by the ultrasonic cleaning device 50, the washing water in the water tank 210 may adhere to the user's hand. In such a case, the user can wash hands with the water flowing down into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 from the water injection port 85 a above the washing and dehydrating tub 22 .

The control unit 701 monitors whether the amount of water supplied to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 has reached the upper limit, that is, whether the water level in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 has reached the upper limit (S303). Then, the control unit 701 monitors whether or not the washing operation has ended (S304). When the upper limit water level is reached before the cleaning operation is finished (S303: "Yes"), the control unit 701 closes the main valve 82 and the auxiliary valve 83, stops the water supply to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 (S305), and ends the water supply process. . Moreover, when the washing operation is finished before the water supply reaches the upper limit (S303: "No" → S304: "Yes"), the control unit 701 also stops water supply to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 (S305), and ends the water supply process. .

It should be noted that, during the washing operation, when the washing water is replenished into the storage tank 60 , the automatic injection mechanism 90 is used for the replenishment. Therefore, under the control of the control unit 701, only water is supplied to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 through the main water supply channel 84 during replenishment, and the water supply through the sub water supply channel 94 and the detergent supply channel 95 is restored once the replenishment is completed. It should be noted that the water supply through the main water supply channel 84 into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 may be temporarily stopped during replenishment.

Through the water supply process in FIG. 12 , water containing detergent can be stored in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 to the maximum amount up to the upper limit water supply amount, that is, the upper limit water level, during the cleaning operation in the ultrasonic cleaning process.

Returning to FIG. 11 , when the ultrasonic cleaning process ends with the end of the cleaning operation, the control unit 701 temporarily suspends the operation in the continuous operation mode, and waits for a recovery operation ( S14 ). For example, at least one of the operation of the start button 613 and the action of closing the upper cover 15 is set as a recovery operation. Closing of the upper cover 15 can be detected by an open/close switch not shown.

The user performs the recovery operation when the laundry or the like that has been partially cleaned by the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 is put into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 and preparations for the washing operation are completed.

When the recovery operation is performed (S14: YES), the control unit 701 determines whether or not the water supply of the upper limit water supply amount into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 has been completed (S15). When the water supply of the upper limit water supply amount is not completed (S15: No), the control unit 701 supplies additional water into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 until the upper limit water supply amount reaches the upper limit water level (S16).

When the water supply of the upper limit water supply amount into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 has been completed (S15: YES), or when the water supply of the upper limit water supply amount has been completed by the additional water supply in S16, the control unit 701 starts washing. Run, execute the cleaning process (S17). At this point, the washing and dehydrating tub 22 already stores water which is the upper limit of the water supply required for the washing process. Therefore, during the washing process, the washing operation by the pulsator 24 is directly started without supplying water into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 .

When the cleaning process ends, the control unit 701 sequentially executes the intermediate dehydration process, the rinsing process, and the final dehydration process (S18, S19, S20). When the washing operation ends with the end of the final spinning process, the operation of the continuous operation mode ends. It should be noted that, during the washing operation, multiple times, for example, two intermediate dehydration processes and rinsing processes may be performed.

According to the present embodiment, the control unit 701 executes the continuous operation mode in which the washing operation is performed following the washing operation. Water supply in bucket 22. According to this structure, since the water supply into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 for the washing process is performed during the washing operation, the total operating time when the washing operation is performed following the washing operation can be shortened. Thereby, the time required for washing the laundry including spot washing can be shortened.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, water supply unit 80 discharges water into washing and dehydrating tub 22 from above the washing and dehydrating tub 22 . According to this configuration, when the washing water in water tank 210 adheres to the hands during the washing operation, the user can wash his hands with the water supplied to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 during the washing operation.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 701 suspends the operation in the continuous operation mode upon completion of the cleaning operation, and thereafter resumes the operation in the continuous operation mode upon detection of the recovery operation. According to this configuration, after preparations for the washing operation, such as laundry that has been partially washed, are thrown into the washing and dehydrating tub 22, the operation can be resumed and the washing operation can be started.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, before the water supply to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 is started, the control unit 701 determines the amount of laundry on the basis of the load of the laundry in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 detected by the rotation detecting unit 650 as the load detecting unit. As for the washing water supply amount required for the washing process, the determined washing water supply amount is set as the upper limit water supply amount to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 during the washing operation. According to this configuration, water of the washing water supply volume can be stored in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 during the washing operation, and the time required for washing the laundry including partial washing can be greatly shortened.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, during the washing operation, the control unit 701 operates the ultrasonic generator 110 while the presence of the laundry is detected by the distance sensor 640 as the presence/absence detection unit. According to this configuration, when the laundry is not cleaned by the ultrasonic cleaning device 50, the operation of the ultrasonic generator 110 is stopped, so that the user can prevent the user from accidentally touching the ultrasonic generator 110 in operation.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment at all, In addition, various changes other than the above can be added to embodiment of this invention.

＜Modification 1＞

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing operation control processing in the continuous operation mode according to Modification 1. FIG. The operation control process of the continuous operation mode in FIG. 13 includes the control process of the washing operation in FIG. 10( a ) and the water supply process in FIG. 12 .

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 701 detects the load of the laundry in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 before the ultrasonic cleaning process, and determines the washing operation for the washing operation following the ultrasonic cleaning process based on the detected load. The cleaning water supply volume of the process is set as the upper limit water supply volume.

In Modification 1, the lowest value of the washing water supply amount determined based on the laundry load is set as the upper limit water supply amount to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 during the washing operation. Moreover, the load is detected after the ultrasonic cleaning process is completed, and the cleaning water supply volume is set based on the detected load.

Referring to FIG. 13 , control unit 701 sets the upper limit water supply amount of water to be supplied to washing/dehydrating tub 22 in the next ultrasonic cleaning process ( S31 ). At this time, the lowest value of the washing water supply amount determined based on the laundry load is set as the upper limit water supply amount. That is, the lowest value of the washing water level corresponding to the washing water supply amount is set as the upper limit water level corresponding to the upper limit water supply amount.

Next, the control unit 701 executes an ultrasonic cleaning process (S32). Similar to the ultrasonic cleaning process in the continuous operation mode of the above-mentioned embodiment, the control unit 701 executes the control process of the cleaning operation in FIG. 10( a ) and the water supply process in FIG. 12 . Partial cleaning of the laundry is performed by the cleaning operation. Furthermore, by the water supply process, the water of the lowest washing water supply amount determined based on the laundry load can be stored in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 to the maximum extent during the washing operation.

When the ultrasonic cleaning process ends, the control unit 701 temporarily interrupts the operation of the continuous operation mode, and when the recovery operation is performed (S33: "Yes"), the amount of water supplied to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 during the cleaning operation is The control unit 701 detects the water level in the washing/dehydrating tub 22 corresponding to the supplied water amount by the water level sensor 620 (S34). Then, the control unit 701 rotates the pulsator 24 by driving the motor 31, and detects the load amount of laundry in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 (S35). Since water is stored in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 during load detection, not only the load from the laundry but also the load from the water are applied to the rotating pulsator 24 . The greater the amount of water supplied to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 during the washing operation, the greater the load due to the water. Accordingly, the control unit 701 corrects the detected load so that the load decreases as the amount of water supplied to the washing/dehydrating tub 22 increases during the washing operation (S36).

Next, the control unit 701 sets the washing water supply amount based on the corrected load amount (S37). Then, the control unit 701 starts water supply to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 (S38), and stops the water supply when the water level in the washing and dehydrating tub 22 reaches the washing water level corresponding to the amount of washing water supplied (S39: "Yes") (S40).

Thereafter, similar to the continuous operation mode of the above-mentioned embodiment, the control unit 701 starts the washing operation, and sequentially executes the washing process, the intermediate dehydration process, the rinsing process, and the final dehydration process (S41-S44). When the washing operation ends with the end of the final spinning process, the operation of the continuous operation mode ends.

According to the structure of this modified example 1, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, the water supply to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 for the washing process is performed during the washing operation, so the time required for washing the laundry including partial washing can be shortened. time.

Furthermore, according to the structure of this modification 1, load detection can be performed in the state which the laundry which was partially cleaned by the washing operation is reliably accommodated in the washing/dehydrating tub 22 . Furthermore, since the detected load is corrected based on the water supply to the washing/dehydrating tub 22 during the washing operation, the detected load can be corrected with high precision, and the washing water supply can be set with high precision.

＜Other modification examples＞

In the above-described embodiment, in the water supply process shown in FIG. 12 , control unit 701 starts water supply into washing/dehydrating tub 22 after completion of supply of washing water to water tank 210 during washing operation. However, the control unit 701 may start water supply into the washing/dehydrating tub 22 simultaneously with the start of the washing operation. In this case, since the automatic feeding mechanism 90 is used to supply the washing water to the water tank 210, only the water supply through the main water supply channel 84 is performed until the supply of the washing water is completed. Then, after the supply of washing water is completed, the detergent is dropped into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 by the automatic feeding mechanism 90, and then the water supply passing through the auxiliary water supply path 94 and the detergent supply path 95 is added to the main water supply path. 84 for water supply.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, in the water supply process of FIG. 12 , when the washing operation ends before the water supply reaches the upper limit water supply amount into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 , the control unit 701 stops the water supply. However, the control unit 701 may not stop the water supply until the water supply reaches the upper limit water supply amount into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 even if the washing operation ends. In this case, when the water supply of the upper limit water supply volume is not completed at the end of the cleaning operation, the control unit 701 waits for the completion of the water supply, ends the ultrasonic cleaning process of S13 in FIG. 11 , and stops the operation. Moreover, the additional water supply into the washing/dehydrating tub 22 of S16 in FIG. 11 is not performed.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the amount of inertial rotation when the pulsator 24 is rotated is detected by the rotation detection unit 650, thereby detecting the load amount of laundry in the washing and dehydrating tub 22. However, the method of load detection is not limited to the above-mentioned method, and any method may be used. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the load amount is detected by detecting the magnitude of the current flowing to the drive motor 31 when the pulsator 24 is rotated by the current detection unit. In this case, the current detection unit serves as a load capacity detection unit.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, in the control process of the washing operation in (a) of FIG. 10 , the washing operation is terminated based on elapse of the washing time. However, the cleaning operation may be terminated by other events such as the end of operation.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, the distance sensor 640 is used as the presence/absence detection part which detects whether the laundry exists under the ultrasonic generator 110 or not. However, for example, a detection element other than the optical sensor equidistance sensor 640 may be used as a presence/absence detection part. In addition, the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 may not be provided with a presence/absence detection unit such as the distance sensor 640, and the ultrasonic generator 110 may always operate during the cleaning operation.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the storage tank 60 is provided, but a configuration may be adopted in which washing water is directly supplied from the water supply unit 80 to the water storage tank 210 without the storage tank 60 .

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the washing water in which the detergent is mixed is supplied from the water supply unit 80 to the storage tank 60 and stored in the water storage tank 210 . However, the water not mixed with detergent may be supplied to the storage tank 60 from the water supply unit 80 and stored in the water storage tank 210 .

Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the automatic feeding mechanism 90 may adopt a structure capable of automatically feeding detergent and softener. In this case, there is a softener box containing liquid softener. The softener box is connected to the auxiliary water supply channel 94 via a supply pipe and a three-way valve. During the rinsing process, the softener in the softener box is supplied into the washing and dehydrating tub 22 by the same operation as the supply of detergent from the detergent box 91 .

Moreover, the structure of the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 is not limited to the structure of the above-mentioned embodiment, and any structure may be used as long as the laundry can be cleaned by the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator 110 .

Moreover, the structures of the water supply unit 80 and the automatic feeding mechanism 90 are not limited to those of the above-mentioned embodiment. As long as the water supply unit 80 can supply water to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 and the storage tank 60, any structure is acceptable. As long as the automatic feeding mechanism 90 can supply detergent to the washing and dehydrating tub 22 and the storage tank 60, any structure can be used.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the automatic feeding mechanism 90 is included in the water supply unit 80 . However, the water supply unit 80 can also adopt a structure that does not include an automatic input mechanism.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 is installed in the fully automatic washing machine 1 . However, the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 may also be installed in a washing machine other than the fully automatic washing machine 1 , such as a drum washing machine. In addition, the ultrasonic cleaning device 50 can also be installed in, for example, a fully automatic washing and drying machine or a drum washing and drying machine with a drying function. In the drum washing machine and the drum type washer-dryer, a drum serving as a washing drum is arranged inside the outer tub.

In addition, the embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately modified in various ways within the range of the technical idea shown in the claims.

Claims

A washing machine, characterized in that it has:

The washing bucket is arranged in the box to accommodate the washing;

a water supply unit for supplying water into the washing tub;

The ultrasonic cleaning device cleans the laundry through the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic generator; and

The control unit executes an operation mode of performing a washing operation followed by a washing operation in which laundry is cleaned by the ultrasonic cleaning device, and the washing operation is performed on clothes stored in the washing tub. The laundry performs washing operation,

The control unit causes the water supply unit to supply water into the washing tub for a washing process of the washing operation during the washing operation.
The washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that,

The water supply unit discharges water into the washing tub from above the washing tub.
The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that,

The control unit suspends the operation in the operation mode based on the completion of the washing operation, and resumes the operation in the operation mode based on detection of an operation for recovery.
A washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that,

further comprising a load detection unit configured to detect a load of laundry accommodated in the washing tub,

The control unit determines the water supply amount required for the washing process based on the load amount detected by the load amount detection portion before starting the water supply into the washing tub,

The control unit sets the determined water supply amount required for the washing process as an upper limit water supply amount to the washing tub during the washing operation.
A washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that,

further comprising a load detection unit configured to detect a load of laundry accommodated in the washing tub,

The control unit sets a minimum value of a water supply amount required for the washing process determined based on the load amount detected by the load amount detection unit as the amount of water supplied to the washing tub during the washing operation. The upper limit of water supply,

The control unit corrects the load detected by the load detection unit after the washing operation is completed based on an amount of water supplied to the washing tub during the washing operation, and based on the corrected The load is used to determine the required water supply for the cleaning process.
A washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that

It also includes a presence/absence detection unit configured to detect whether there is laundry under the ultrasonic generator,

In the washing operation, the control unit operates the ultrasonic generator while the existence of the laundry is detected by the presence/absence detection unit.