WO2024067554A1

WO2024067554A1 - Washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2024067554A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/121441
Authority: WO
Inventors: 前场克之; 三崎日奈子
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: 2022-09-27
Filing date: 2023-09-26
Publication date: 2024-04-04
Also published as: JP2024048295A

Abstract

Provided in the present invention is a washing machine which can ensure the clothes disinfection performance and can use an ultraviolet light-emitting part for a long time. A front-loading washing machine (1), comprising: a box body; an outer drum, arranged inside the box body; a drum, rotatably arranged inside the outer drum to accommodate clothes; a UV-C light-emitting module (60), used for emitting UV-C to water retained inside the outer drum; and a control unit (301), performing disinfection operation of irradiating the water inside the outer drum with ultraviolet light from the UV-C light-emitting module (60), wherein the water contains bacteria removed from clothes in the drum, and the control unit (301) determines the load amount of clothes in the drum during the disinfection operation, and enables the UV-C light-emitting module (60) to emit UV-C in the following manner: the higher the load amount, the higher the total light amount of the UV-C irradiating the water in the outer drum during one disinfection operation.

Description

washing machine

Technical Field

The invention relates to a washing machine.

Background technique

Patent document 1 describes a drum washing machine equipped with an ultraviolet light emitting device. In the drum washing machine, during the rinsing process, the ultraviolet light emitting device irradiates ultraviolet light to the laundry and the rinsing liquid to which Ag ion water is added. When Ag ions are irradiated with ultraviolet light, they generate active oxygen such as hydroxyl radicals or superoxides with strong sterilizing effects. The strong oxidizing power of these active oxygen species can sterilize the laundry.

In a drum washing machine equipped with an ultraviolet light emitting device, unlike the structure of Patent Document 1 in which ultraviolet rays are irradiated to Ag ions to generate active oxygen and the clothes are sterilized by the active oxygen, the following structure can be adopted: the drum is rotated in an outer drum filled with water to cause the clothes to tumble, and the bacteria released from the clothes into the water in the outer drum are irradiated with ultraviolet rays to kill the bacteria and make it difficult for them to re-attach to the clothes, thereby sterilizing the clothes.

In the case of such a configuration, the more the amount of clothes in the drum, i.e., the load, the more bacteria are released into the water in the outer drum. Therefore, regardless of the load of clothes, when the total amount of ultraviolet light irradiated to the water in the outer drum in one sterilization operation is set constant, if the total amount of light decreases, there is a risk that the sterilization may not be fully performed when there are many clothes. On the other hand, if the total amount of ultraviolet light increases, the ultraviolet light emitting device may reach the end of its life prematurely and cannot be used for a sufficient period of time.

It should be noted that, in the sterilization operation, the longer the ultraviolet irradiation time is or the higher the brightness of the ultraviolet ray is, the greater the total light amount is.

Prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-77749

Summary of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present invention is made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a washing machine that can ensure the sterilization performance of clothes and can use the ultraviolet light emitting part for a long time.

Solutions for solving problems

The main scheme of the present invention is a washing machine comprising: a housing; an outer drum disposed in the housing; an inner drum rotatably disposed in the outer drum and containing clothes; an ultraviolet light emitting unit emitting ultraviolet rays to water stored in the outer drum; and a control unit that performs a sterilization operation of irradiating the water in the outer drum with ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet light emitting unit, wherein the water contains bacteria released from the clothes in the inner drum. The control unit determines the load amount of the clothes in the inner drum during the sterilization operation, and causes the ultraviolet light emitting unit to emit ultraviolet rays in the following manner: the greater the load amount, the greater the total amount of ultraviolet rays irradiated to the water in the outer drum during one sterilization operation.

For example, the control unit makes the irradiation time of ultraviolet rays longer as the load increases. Also, for example, the control unit makes the brightness of ultraviolet rays higher as the load increases.

According to the washing machine of this scheme, even when the load of clothes is large, clothes can be fully sterilized, and as a result, the sterilization performance of clothes can be ensured. Moreover, when the load of clothes is small, ultraviolet rays are not wastefully irradiated, and as a result, the ultraviolet emitting unit can be used for a long time.

In the washing machine of this embodiment, the following configuration may be adopted: the inner drum is a horizontal axis type drum, and the washing machine further comprises a drive motor for rotating the drum. In this case, the following configuration may be adopted: the control unit performs a first action of rotating the drum at a first rotation speed through the drive motor, wherein the first rotation speed is a rotation speed at which the clothes in the drum tumble, and the control unit performs a second action of emitting ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet light emitting unit after the first action in a state where the drum is stopped.

According to the above structure, the clothes are thrown on the inner peripheral surface of the drum by tumbling, so the bacteria attached to the clothes are thrown out and easily released into the water in the outer drum. In addition, the ultraviolet rays are emitted when the drum is in a stopped state so that the water in the outer drum is difficult to move and the bacteria are also difficult to move, so it is easy to continuously irradiate the same bacteria with ultraviolet rays and kill the bacteria.

When the above configuration is adopted, the control unit may further adopt a configuration in which, after the first operation, the control unit repeatedly performs the second operation and a third operation of rotating the drum at a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed by the drive motor.

If such a structure is adopted, the water in the outer cylinder will move to the vicinity of the ultraviolet emitting part little by little, and the ultraviolet rays will irradiate the bacteria contained in the water near the ultraviolet emitting part to kill the bacteria. Thus, it is easy to kill the bacteria contained in all the water in the outer cylinder.

Effects of the Invention

According to the present invention, a washing machine can be provided which can ensure the sterilization performance of clothes and can use the ultraviolet light emitting part for a long time.

The effects and significance of the present invention will be further clarified by the description of the following embodiments. However, the following embodiments are only examples of implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the structure of a drum washing machine according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a partial front cross-sectional view showing the bottom of the outer cylinder and the drum according to the embodiment.

In FIG. 3 , (a) is a block diagram showing the structure of the drum washing machine according to the embodiment, and (b) is a diagram showing the structure of a storage unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a control unit executed during the sterilization operation according to the embodiment.

In FIG. 5 , (a) and (b) are flow charts respectively showing a bacteria knocking-out process and a bacteria-containing water sterilization process included in the sterilization operation of the embodiment.

Description of Reference Numerals

1: drum washing machine (washing machine); 10: housing; 20: outer drum; 23: drum (inner drum); 30: driving motor; 60: UV-C light emitting module (ultraviolet light emitting unit); 301: control unit.

Detailed ways

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

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the structure of a drum washing machine 1 .

The drum washing machine 1 includes a square housing 10. A circular inlet 11 for putting laundry in is formed on the front surface of the housing 10. The inlet 11 is covered by a door 12 that can be opened and closed.

An outer cylinder 20 is arranged in the housing 10. The outer cylinder 20 is elastically supported by a plurality of dampers 21 and springs 22. A horizontal axis type roller 23 is rotatably arranged in the outer cylinder 20. The roller 23 rotates around a horizontal axis. The roller 23 has a circular opening 23a on its front surface. The roller 23 is equivalent to the inner cylinder of the present invention.

The outer cylinder 20 has a circular opening 20a in front of the opening 23a of the drum 23. The peripheral edge of the opening 20a of the outer cylinder 20 and the peripheral edge of the inlet 11 of the box body 10 are connected by a door gasket 24, which is formed of an elastic material. The peripheral surface of the closed door 12 contacts the door gasket 24, and the inlet 11 and the door 12 are water-sealed.

A large number of dehydration holes 23b are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the drum 23. In addition, three lifting ribs 25 having a substantially triangular prism shape are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the drum 23 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

A drive motor 30 for generating a torque for rotating the drum 23 is disposed at the rear of the outer drum 20. The drive motor 30 is, for example, an outer rotor type DC brushless motor. During the cleaning process and the rinsing process, the drive motor 30 rotates the drum 23 at a speed at which the centrifugal force applied to the laundry in the drum 23 is less than the gravity and the laundry tumbles. On the other hand, during the dehydration process, the drive motor 30 rotates the drum 23 at a speed at which the centrifugal force applied to the laundry in the drum 23 is much greater than the gravity and the laundry is closely attached to the inner circumferential surface of the drum 23.

A drain port 20b is formed at the bottom of the outer cylinder 20. A drain portion 40 for draining water from the inner part of the outer cylinder 20 is connected to the drain port 20b. The drain portion 40 is composed of a drain valve 41, a drain hose 42, and a drain filter 43. The drain filter 43 is connected to the drain port 20b. The drain valve 41 is provided downstream of the drain filter 43, and includes, for example, a valve and a torque motor for opening and closing the valve. The drain hose 42 is connected to the drain valve 41. When the drain valve 41 is opened, the water stored in the outer cylinder 20 is discharged to the outside of the machine through the drain port 20b, the drain filter 43, and the drain hose 42. Foreign matter such as wire scraps is captured by the drain filter 43.

A water supply device 50 is disposed at the upper portion of the housing 10. The water supply device 50 supplies water into the outer tub 20. The water supply device 50 also has a function of automatically injecting liquid detergent and liquid softener into the outer tub 20.

The water supply device 50 includes a water supply valve unit 51 , a water injection unit 52 , and a nozzle unit 53 .

The water supply valve unit 51 includes a water supply valve 110, a first water supply hose 120, and a second water supply hose 130. The water supply valve 110 includes a first valve 111 and a second valve 112. A water supply port 113 of the water supply valve 110 is connected to a faucet via a connection hose (not shown).

The inlet of the first water supply hose 120 is connected to the first valve 111, and the inlet of the second water supply hose 130 is connected to the second valve 112. When the first valve 111 is opened, water flows to the first water supply hose 120, and when the second valve 112 is opened, water flows to the second water supply hose 130.

The water filling unit 52 includes a water filling port member 140 whose front surface is open, a liquid agent box 150 removably accommodated in the water filling port member 140 , and a water channel forming member 160 disposed on the upper surface of the water filling port member 140 .

A water inlet 141 is formed at the bottom of the water inlet member 140 . The water inlet pipe 54 extending from the water inlet 141 is connected to the outer tube 20 .

Liquid agent box 150 has a detergent chamber for storing liquid detergent and a softener chamber for storing liquid softener. Liquid agent box 150 is accommodated in water inlet member 140 through accommodation port 13 provided on the front surface of housing 10. A cover 151 is provided on the front surface of liquid agent box 150 to block accommodation port 13.

A first water channel to which the outlet of the first water supply hose 120 is connected and a second water channel to which the outlet of the second water supply hose 130 is connected are formed inside the water channel forming member 160 .

The water supplied from the first water supply hose 120 to the water channel forming member 160 flows through the first water channel and is discharged to the bottom of the water inlet member 140, and is supplied to the outer tub 20 through the water inlet 141 and the water inlet pipe 54. When liquid detergent or liquid softener is automatically added to the outer tub 20, before the first valve 111 is opened, the liquid detergent or liquid softener is introduced into the first water channel from the liquid agent box 150 through a detergent pump or softener pump (not shown). The liquid detergent or liquid softener is mixed with the water flowing through the first water channel and supplied to the outer tub 20.

The water supplied from the second water supply hose 130 to the water channel forming member 160 flows through the second water channel and is sent to the nozzle unit 53 .

The nozzle unit 53 includes a shower nozzle 170 disposed on the inner side of the upper portion of the door liner 24. The water outlet of the shower nozzle 170 faces the rear lower direction, that is, the direction of the bottom of the drum 23. A water supply hose 180 extending from the second water channel of the water channel forming member 160 is connected to the shower nozzle 170. Water flowing out of the second water channel reaches the shower nozzle 170 through the water supply hose 180, and is discharged from the outlet of the shower nozzle 170 toward the drum. 23 is released in a shower shape. Thus, water is splashed onto the laundry in the drum 23, and water easily penetrates the inside of the laundry.

FIG. 2 is a partial front cross-sectional view showing the bottom of the outer cylinder 20 and the drum 23 .

A UV-C light emitting module 60 is disposed at the bottom of the outer tube 20. The UV-C light emitting module 60 includes a UV-C light emitting element 61 and emits UV-C ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 100 nm to 280 nm with a high sterilization effect. The UV-C light emitting module 60 corresponds to the ultraviolet light emitting unit of the present invention.

A recess 201 is formed in the bottom of the outer cylinder 20 in the central portion so as to extend long in the front-to-back direction. An opening 202 is formed in the central portion of the right side wall in the front-to-back direction of the recess 201, and a cylindrical attachment portion 203 is formed outside the position of the opening 202 in the right side wall. The UV-C light emitting module 60 is attached to the attachment portion 203 in such a manner that its front end portion is inserted into the opening 202. The UV-C light emitting module 60 and the opening 202 are water-sealed by a gasket 204.

The light emitting surface 60a of the UV-C light emitting module 60 faces the inside of the outer cylinder 20 so as to face obliquely upward. UV-C is emitted from the light emitting surface 60a toward the inside of the outer cylinder 20 obliquely upward.

Fig. 3(a) is a block diagram showing the structure of the drum washing machine 1. Fig. 3(b) is a diagram showing the structure of the storage unit 302.

In addition to the above-mentioned structure, the drum washing machine 1 further includes a control unit 301, a storage unit 302, an operation unit 303, a display unit 304, a sound output unit 305, a water level detection unit 306, a motor drive unit 307, a water supply drive unit 308, a drainage drive unit 309 and a light emitting module drive unit 310.

The operation unit 303 includes: a power button for turning the power on and off; a mode selection button for selecting any operation mode from a plurality of operation modes of the washing operation; and a start button for starting and pausing the washing operation. The operation unit 303 outputs an input signal corresponding to the button operated by the user to the control unit 301.

The display unit 304 includes a light-emitting element such as an LED (light-emitting diode) and a display such as a liquid crystal panel, and displays the selected operation mode, the progress of the washing operation, and abnormal notifications according to the control signal from the control unit 301. The sound output unit 305 includes a speaker, and sounds such as voice and alarm sounds are output from the speaker. The operation unit 303 and the display unit 304 can also be composed of an operation display unit such as a touch panel.

The water level detection unit 306 detects the water level in the outer cylinder 20 and outputs a water level signal corresponding to the water level to the Control unit 301.

The motor driving unit 307 drives the drive motor 30 according to the control signal from the control unit 301. The motor driving unit 307 includes a rotation sensor for detecting the rotation speed of the drive motor 30, an inverter circuit, etc., and adjusts the drive power so that the drive motor 30 rotates at the rotation speed set by the control unit 301. In addition, the motor driving unit 307 includes a current sensor for detecting the current flowing to the drive motor 30.

The water supply driving unit 308 drives the first valve 111 and the second valve 112 of the water supply valve 110 according to the control signal from the control unit 301. The drainage driving unit 309 drives the drainage valve 41 according to the control signal from the control unit 301.

The light-emitting module driving unit 310 drives the UV-C light-emitting module 60 according to the control signal from the control unit 301. That is, the light-emitting module driving unit 310 energizes the UV-C light-emitting element 61 of the UV-C light-emitting module 60 so that a current having a value set by the control unit 301 flows. The greater the value of the energized current, the higher the brightness of the UV-C emitted from the UV-C light-emitting module 60.

The storage unit 302 includes an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 302 stores programs for executing washing operations in various operation modes. In addition, the storage unit 302 stores various parameters and various control flags for executing these programs.

The control unit 301 includes a CPU (central processing unit), etc., and controls the display unit 304, the sound output unit 305, the motor drive unit 307, the water supply drive unit 308, the drainage drive unit 309, the light emitting module drive unit 310, etc. based on various signals from the operation unit 303, the water level detection unit 306, etc., according to the program stored in the storage unit 302.

As shown in FIG3(b), the storage unit 302 stores a load-light-emitting current table TA1 and a load-irradiation schedule TA2 used in the sterilization operation described later. In the load-light-emitting current table TA1, the current value of the UV-C light-emitting module 60 during the sterilization operation is registered in correspondence with the load. The larger the load, the larger the current value. In the load-irradiation schedule TA2, the irradiation time of UV-C irradiated from the UV-C light-emitting module 60 during the sterilization operation is registered in correspondence with the load. The larger the load, the longer the irradiation time.

Furthermore, in the drum washing machine 1, based on the user's operation of the operating unit 303, the washing operation of various operation modes is performed under the control of the control unit 301. In the washing operation, the washing process, the intermediate dehydration process, the rinsing process and the final dehydration process are performed in sequence. Depending on the operation mode, sometimes two operations are performed. The above rinsing process and intermediate dehydration process.

During the washing process, water containing detergent is accumulated in outer drum 20 to a washing water level corresponding to the load of laundry contained in drum 23, and the laundry immersed in the water is tumbled by repeatedly rotating drum 23 forward and reversely. The water containing detergent penetrates into the laundry, and the dirt attached to the surface and inside of the laundry falls off due to the power of the detergent and the mechanical force generated by the tumbling.

In the rinsing process, when water is stored in the outer tub 20 to the rinsing water level, the drum 23 repeatedly rotates forward and reversely, and the laundry tumbles. Thus, the detergent contained in the laundry is discharged together with the water, and the laundry is rinsed.

When supplying water in the washing process and the rinsing process, the water supply device 50 supplies water into the outer tub 20 through the water inlet member 140 and supplies water into the outer tub 20 through the spray nozzle 170. In addition, in the washing process, the water supply device 50 supplies water and automatically injects the liquid detergent in the liquid agent box 150, and in the rinsing process, the water supply device 50 supplies water and automatically injects the liquid softener in the liquid agent box 150. In the case of performing two or more rinsing processes, the liquid softener is injected in the last rinsing process.

In the intermediate dehydration process and the final dehydration process, the driving motor 30 rotates unidirectionally at a high speed, and the drum 23 rotates unidirectionally at a speed at which the centrifugal force acting on the laundry in the drum 23 is much greater than the gravity. The laundry is pressed against the inner circumference of the drum 23 by the centrifugal force and dehydrated. In the final dehydration process, the drum 23 rotates at a speed higher than that in the intermediate dehydration process.

Before the washing process, a load detection process is performed to detect the load of the laundry. The drum 23 rotates at a rotation speed such as 40rpm to 50rpm at which the laundry in the drum 23 will tumble, and the load applied to the drum 23 during rotation is detected based on the current value flowing to the drive motor 30. The greater the load of the laundry, the greater the load applied to the drum 23, and the greater the current value flowing to the drive motor 30. The control unit 301 determines the load based on the magnitude of the current value. The water supply during the washing process, i.e., the washing water level, is determined based on the load, and the determined water supply is displayed on the display unit 304. The amount of liquid detergent automatically added by the water supply device 50 corresponds to the load, i.e., the water supply.

In the drum washing machine 1 of the present embodiment, in addition to the washing operation, a sterilizing operation for sterilizing clothes and the like can be performed.

FIG4 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the control unit 301 executed during the sterilization operation. (a) and (b) are flow charts showing the bacteria knocking-out process and bacteria-containing water sterilization process included in the sterilization operation, respectively.

After the user puts the clothes to be sterilized into the drum 23, the user performs a start operation of the sterilization operation on the operation unit 303. Thus, the sterilization operation starts.

4, control unit 301 determines the load amount of the laundry contained in drum 23 (S1). The determination of the load amount in the sterilization operation is the same as the determination of the load amount in the washing operation described above.

Next, the control unit 301 refers to the load-emission current table TA1 and sets the current value for the UV-C light emitting module 60 according to the determined load (S2). The larger the load, the larger the set current value, and the higher the brightness of UV-C emitted from the UV-C light emitting module 60.

Then, the control unit 301 refers to the load-irradiation schedule TA2 and sets the irradiation time of UV-C from the UV-C light emitting module 60 according to the determined load (S3). The larger the load, the longer the set irradiation time.

Next, the control unit 301 operates the water supply device 50, that is, opens the first valve 111 and the second valve 112, and supplies water to the outer drum 20 until the specified water level (S4). Liquid detergent and liquid softener are not automatically added. The larger the load, the higher the specified water level is set, and the more water is stored in the outer drum 20.

Next, the control unit 301 executes a bacteria knocking-out process (S5).

As shown in Fig. 5 (a), in the bacteria knocking out process, the control unit 301 drives the motor 30 to rotate the drum 23 at a first speed (S101). The first speed is set to a speed at which the centrifugal force applied to the clothes in the drum 23 is less than the gravity and the clothes tumble.

The clothes are tumbled and thrown against the inner peripheral surface of the drum 23 , whereby bacteria attached to the clothes are thrown out of the clothes and released into the water in the outer drum 20 .

When the number of rotations of the drum 23 reaches a predetermined number of rotations (S102: Yes), the control unit 301 stops the drum 23 (S103). The predetermined number of rotations can be set to, for example, about ten to several dozen times. It should be noted that, it can also be set that when the drum 23 rotates for a predetermined time (for example, about ten to several dozen seconds), the control unit 301 stops the drum 23.

The control unit 301 performs a bacteria-containing water sterilization process after the bacteria knocking-out process ( S6 ).

As shown in FIG. 5( b ), in the sterilization process of the bacteria-containing water, the control unit 301 performs the sterilization process according to the setting in step S2. The UV-C light emitting module 60 is energized with a predetermined current value (S201). UV-C is emitted from the UV-C light emitting module 60, and the water in the outer drum 20 containing bacteria released from the clothes is irradiated with UV-C. Thus, the bacteria contained in the area irradiated with UV-C are killed.

At this time, the drum 23 is in a stopped state, so it is difficult for water and bacteria to move in the outer drum 20. Therefore, it is easy to continuously irradiate the same bacteria with UV-C.

It should be noted that, in order to wait for the water level in the outer cylinder 20 that moves due to the rotation of the drum 23 during the bacteria knocking-out process to calm down, it is better to set a predetermined waiting time before performing the process of step S201.

The control unit 301 determines whether a unit irradiation time has elapsed since the power was turned on (S202). The unit irradiation time is set to a time that can sufficiently kill bacteria by continuous irradiation of UV-C, for example, a time of several seconds to several dozen seconds.

When the unit irradiation time has elapsed (S202: Yes), the control unit 301 stops energizing the UV-C light emitting module 60 (S203). Each time the energization is stopped, the control unit 301 accumulates the unit irradiation time (S204). The accumulated unit irradiation time is stored in the storage unit 302 as the total irradiation time.

Next, the control unit 301 determines whether the number of UV-C irradiation times in step S201 has reached a predetermined number of irradiation times (S205). The predetermined number of irradiation times can be set to, for example, about ten to several dozen times.

If the number of UV-C irradiation times does not reach the specified number of irradiation times (S205: No), the control unit 301 drives the motor 30 to rotate the drum 23 at the second speed for one rotation (S206). The water moves at the bottom of the outer cylinder 20 by being stirred by the drum 23. At this time, the second speed is set to a speed lower than the first speed so that the water moves slowly at the bottom of the outer cylinder 20.

Returning to step S201, the control unit 301 re-energizes the UV-C light emitting module 60. The UV-C light emitting module 60 irradiates the portion of water that has moved to the vicinity of the UV-C light emitting module 60 with UV-C to kill bacteria contained in the portion. It should be noted that in order to wait for the water in the outer cylinder 20 to calm down, it is better to set a predetermined waiting time between the processing of step S206 and the processing of step S201.

In this way, the processing of steps S201 to S206 is repeated until the number of UV-C irradiation reaches the specified number of irradiation. The water in the outer cylinder 20 moves gradually toward the vicinity of the UV-C light emitting module 60, and the bacteria contained in the water near the vicinity are irradiated with UV-C, thereby killing the bacteria. In this way, it is easy to kill the bacteria contained in all the water in the outer cylinder 20.

When the number of UV-C irradiation times reaches the predetermined number of irradiation times (S205: Yes), the control unit 301 ends Sterilization of bacterial water.

When the sterilization process of the bacterium-containing water is completed, the control unit 301 determines whether the total irradiation time stored in the storage unit 302 has reached the irradiation time set in step S3 (S7). Then, the control unit 301 performs the bacteria knocking-out process and the sterilization process of the bacterium-containing water until the total irradiation time reaches the set irradiation time (S7: No→S5→S6).

By the bacteria knocking-out treatment, bacteria attached to the clothes in the drum 23 are released into the water in the outer drum 20, and by the bacteria-containing water sterilization treatment, the water in the outer drum 20 is sterilized by UV-C irradiation. Bacteria are discharged from the clothes into the water, and the bacteria in the water are killed so that they do not reattach to the clothes, and as a result, the clothes in the drum 23 are sterilized.

When the total irradiation time reaches the set irradiation time (S7: Yes), the control unit 301 opens the drain valve 41 to drain water from the outer drum 20 (S8). After that, the control unit 301 drives the motor 30 to rotate the drum 23 at a high speed to dehydrate the clothes in the drum 23 (S9). When the dehydration is completed, the sterilization operation is completed.

The greater the load of clothes in the drum 23, the greater the amount of bacteria released into the water in the outer drum 20. In the present embodiment, the greater the load, the greater the current value supplied to the UV-C light emitting module 60, and the higher the brightness of UV-C from the UV-C light emitting module 60. In addition, the greater the load, the longer the time for the UV-C light emitting module 60 to irradiate the water in the outer drum 20 containing bacteria with UV-C. As a result, the greater the load, the greater the total amount of UV-C light irradiated to the water in the outer drum 20 containing bacteria in one sterilization operation. Therefore, in one sterilization operation, unlike the case where the total amount of UV-C light is set to be constant regardless of the load of clothes, the clothes can be fully sterilized even when the load of clothes is large, and the sterilization performance of the clothes can be ensured. In addition, when the load of clothes is small, UV-C is not wastefully irradiated, and as a result, the UV-C light emitting module 60 can be prevented from becoming unusable prematurely due to its life.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the action of step S101 of bacteria-removing treatment is equivalent to the first action of the present invention, the action of step S201 of bacteria-containing water sterilization treatment is equivalent to the second action of the present invention, and the action of step S206 of bacteria-containing water sterilization treatment is equivalent to the third action of the present invention.

The drum washing machine 1 of this embodiment may also include a drying device for drying the laundry. In this case, the drying device includes, for example, a circulation path connected to the outer drum 20. A fan, a cooling fan, and a cooling fan are arranged in the circulation path. The air heated by the heater circulates between the outer drum 20 and the circulation path by the action of the blower fan, drying the laundry in the drum 23. The air returned from the outer drum 20 to the circulation path is cooled and dehumidified by the cooler before being heated by the heater.

In this way, when drum washing machine 1 has a drying function, in the sterilization operation, the clothes may be dried by the drying device after the clothes are dehydrated.

＜Effects of implementation＞

According to the present embodiment, the drum washing machine 1 adopts the following structure, that is, it comprises: a UV-C light emitting module 60, which emits ultraviolet rays, i.e., UV-C, to water stored in the outer drum 20; and a control unit 301, which performs a sterilization operation of irradiating the water in the outer drum 20 with UV-C from the UV-C light emitting module 60, wherein the water contains bacteria released from the clothes in the drum 23, and the control unit 301 determines the load amount of the clothes in the drum 23 during the sterilization operation, and causes the UV-C light emitting module 60 to emit UV-C in the following manner: the greater the load amount, the greater the total amount of UV-C light irradiated to the water in the outer drum 20 during one sterilization operation.

Specifically, the control unit 301 increases the UV-C irradiation time or increases the brightness of ultraviolet rays so that the total amount of UV-C light increases as the load increases.

According to this configuration, even when the load of clothes is large, the clothes can be fully sterilized, and as a result, the sterilization performance of the clothes can be ensured. In addition, when the load of clothes is small, UV-C is not wastefully irradiated, and as a result, the UV-C light emitting module 60 can be prevented from becoming unusable prematurely due to its life span.

Moreover, according to the present embodiment, the drum washing machine 1 is configured as follows: the control unit 301 performs a first action of rotating the drum 23 at a first speed by driving the motor 30, wherein the first speed is a speed at which the clothes in the drum 23 tumble, and after the first action, the control unit 301 performs a second action of emitting UV-C from the UV-C light emitting module 60 when the drum 23 is stopped.

According to this structure, the clothes are thrown against the inner peripheral surface of the drum 23 by tumbling, so the bacteria attached to the clothes are thrown out and easily released into the water in the outer drum 20. In addition, UV-C is emitted in a state where the drum 23 is in a stopped state and the water in the outer drum 20 is difficult to move, and the bacteria are also difficult to move, so it is easy to continuously irradiate the same bacteria with UV-C and kill the bacteria.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the drum washing machine 1 is configured as follows: the control unit 301 repeatedly performs the second operation of emitting UV-C from the UV-C light emitting module 60 while the drum 23 is stopped and the second operation of emitting UV-C from the UV-C light emitting module 60. The third operation is to drive motor 30 to rotate drum 23 at a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed.

According to this configuration, the water in the outer cylinder 20 gradually moves toward the vicinity of the UV-C light emitting module 60, and UV-C is irradiated to kill bacteria contained in the water near the UV-C light emitting module 60. Thus, bacteria contained in all the water in the outer cylinder 20 can be easily killed.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of the present invention was described, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment etc. at all, and various changes other than the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention can be made.

For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, both the current value for energizing the UV-C light-emitting module 60 and the irradiation time for irradiating UV-C from the UV-C light-emitting module 60 are set according to the load amount of the clothing. However, it can also be set that only one of the energizing current value and the irradiation time is set according to the load amount of the clothing, and the other is constant. In the case where only the energizing current value is set according to the load amount, the processing of step S3 of Figure 4 is not performed, and in step S7 of Figure 4, it is determined whether the total irradiation time has reached a constant irradiation time. On the other hand, in the case where only the irradiation time is set according to the load amount, the processing of step S2 of Figure 4 is not performed, and in step S201 of (b) of Figure 5, the UV-C light-emitting module 60 is energized with a constant current value.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, in step S3 of FIG. 4 , the UV-C irradiation time is set according to the load, and in step S7 of FIG. 4 , it is determined whether the total irradiation time has reached the set irradiation time. However, it may also be set as follows: in step S3 of FIG. 4 , the number of times or the time for which the bacteria-removing treatment and the bacteria-containing water sterilization treatment are performed are set according to the load, and in step S7 of FIG. 4 , it is determined whether the bacteria-removing treatment and the bacteria-containing water sterilization treatment have been performed the set number of times or the time. The greater the load, the more times the bacteria-removing treatment and the bacteria-containing water sterilization treatment are performed or the longer the time. Therefore, the greater the load, the longer the UV-C irradiation time in one sterilization operation.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a special sterilization operation for sterilizing clothes is performed separately from the washing operation. However, it can also be set as follows: during the washing process and the rinsing process of the washing operation, while the washing and rinsing of the laundry are being carried out by the rotation of the drum 23, the control unit 301 emits UV-C from the UV-C light emitting module 60 according to the current value and/or the irradiation time set according to the load of the laundry, and irradiates the water in the outer drum 20 containing the bacteria released from the laundry with UV-C. In this case, the greater the load, the greater the current value, and the higher the brightness of the UV-C. In addition, the greater the load, the longer the UV-C irradiation time. In this configuration, the washing process and the rinsing process are equivalent to the sterilization operation of the present invention.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, in step 206 of the bacteria-containing water sterilization treatment, the drum 23 is rotated once, but the drum 23 may be rotated twice or more.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a drum washing machine 1 is shown. However, the present invention can also be applied to a fully automatic washing machine having a longitudinal axis type washing and dehydrating barrel as an inner barrel in an outer barrel. In this case, the fully automatic washing machine can also have a drying function.

It should be noted that in the case of a fully automatic washing machine, during sterilization operation, the pulsator rotates while water is stored in the outer tub, thereby agitating the clothes in the washing and dehydration tub, and releasing bacteria attached to the clothes into the water.

In addition, various modifications can be made to the embodiments of the present invention as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept shown in the claims.

Claims

A washing machine, characterized by comprising:

Box;

An outer cylinder is disposed in the box body;

An inner drum, rotatably disposed in the outer drum, for accommodating clothes;

an ultraviolet light emitting unit that emits ultraviolet light toward the water stored in the outer cylinder; and

The control unit performs a sterilization operation of irradiating water in the outer drum with ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet emitting unit, wherein the water contains bacteria released from the clothes in the inner drum,

The control unit determines the load amount of the clothes in the inner drum during the sterilization operation and causes the ultraviolet light emitting unit to emit ultraviolet rays such that the total amount of ultraviolet rays irradiated to the water in the outer drum during the sterilization operation increases as the load amount increases.
The washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that

The control unit makes the ultraviolet irradiation time longer as the load amount increases.
The washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that

The control unit increases the brightness of the ultraviolet rays as the load increases.
The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that

The inner cylinder is a horizontal axis type cylinder.

The washing machine further includes a drive motor for rotating the drum.

The control unit performs a first action of rotating the drum at a first rotation speed through the driving motor, wherein the first rotation speed is a rotation speed at which the clothes in the drum tumble.

The control unit performs a second operation of emitting ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet light emitting unit in a state where the drum is stopped, after the first operation.
The washing machine according to claim 4, characterized in that

The control unit repeatedly performs the second action after the first action and A third action is achieved to rotate the drum at a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed.