JP3880887B2 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, a rotating tub is disposed in an outer tub elastically suspended in an outer box, and a stirrer provided in the rotating tub is rotated by a motor disposed at the bottom of the outer tub. Related to the machine.
[0002]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When performing a washing operation in a washing machine, one of the control purposes is how to improve the washing power by transmitting the driving force generated by the motor to the laundry. In order to realize such a control purpose, conventionally, the maximum rotation speed and rotation time of the motor have been controlled.
[0003]
However, at present, in a vertical washing machine, a rotating tub is disposed in an outer tub elastically suspended in an outer box, and a stirring body provided in the rotating tub is disposed at the bottom of the outer tub. The mainstream is a structure that is driven to rotate. Since this structure forms a vibration system, when the motor rotates the stirrer, the driving force is transmitted to vibrate the outer suspension tank that is elastically suspended. Therefore, it is difficult to efficiently transmit the driving force generated by the motor to the laundry simply by controlling the maximum rotation speed and rotation time of the motor.
[0004]
In addition, since such a vibration system is configured, in consideration of the quietness of the washing machine, how to suppress vibrations that are about to occur in the washing machine when the agitator is rotated is controlled for operation control. There should be an objective that contradicts the above objective. That is, it can be said that it is impossible to achieve this object at the same time with only the simple control described above.
[0005]
For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-56971, (1) by setting the reversal cycle of the rotor blade to 0.5 times or more and 2 times or less of the primary natural vibration period of the vibration system, A technique for improving the cleaning power by oscillating the tub greatly and promoting the movement of the laundry in the washing tub is disclosed. In the same publication, (2) it is also proposed to suppress the vibration of the entire washing machine by setting the reversal cycle of the rotary blade to be different from the natural vibration period.
[0006]
Considering this prior art, for (1), it is assumed that if the outer tub and the washing tub are vibrated greatly, the laundry in the washing tub will move with water and the washing power will be improved. It seems to be a premise. However, in the washing machine having such a configuration, what is to wash the laundry in the washing tub should be a water flow generated by the rotational force of the rotating blades arranged at the bottom of the tub. In order for this water flow to be generated strongly, rotating the rotor blades while the washing tub is still as much as possible will increase the force transmitted to the water stored in the tub, and the water flow will have no energy loss. It is reasonable to think that it occurs.
[0007]
That is, according to the technique presented in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-56971, the laundry in the washing tub is surely moved greatly, but the movement is a useless movement that impairs the original washing action, and the improvement of the washing power is extremely high. I shouldn't expect it.
[0008]
As for (2), only the flip of (1) has been described, but in general washing machines, even if the design is not particularly conscious, the cycle of the rotor blades is a natural vibration period. Should be different. That is, (2) is not substantially different from the well-known technique, and it is clear that it is not a technique that exerts a remarkable effect on the effect of “suppressing vibration”.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to efficiently transmit the rotational driving force generated by the motor to the laundry via the stirrer and to generate vibrations to be generated at that time. It is in providing the washing machine which can be suppressed as much as possible.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the washing machine according to claim 1 includes an outer tub elastically suspended in an outer box,
A rotating tank disposed in the outer tank;
A stirring body provided in the rotating tank;
A motor disposed at the bottom of the outer tub and configured to rotate the stirrer;
Stirring period for positive inverting the agitator, Ru set Teisu to an integral multiple of the natural period of a vibration system including the outer tub.
[0011]
That is, if the stirring cycle is set in this way, the vibration generated by the forward rotation of the stirring body acts so as to cancel the torque generated when the stirring body is reversed next. the vibration of the definitive vibration system can be favorably suppressed. In addition, the efficiency of the driving force transmitted to the stirrer is maximized as a result of the vibration of the vibration system being suppressed, and the relative displacement is increased, so that the stirrer can generate a stronger water flow, The power can be improved.
[0012]
In this case, it configures the estimated Teisu so that a unique period in accordance with the capacity and volume of water injection into the rotatable tub with the corresponding volume of washing 濯物. In other words, the natural period of the vibration system changes depending on the amount of laundry (cloth amount) put into the rotating tub and the amount of water stored accordingly. Therefore, if the amount of cloth can be detected, the natural period can be estimated from the amount of cloth and the amount of water corresponding to the amount of cloth , and the stirring period is appropriately set based on the estimated natural period. Can do.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment when the present invention is applied to a fully automatic dehydrating washing machine will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the dehydrating combined washing machine according to the present embodiment. The washing machine body 1 includes a rectangular box-shaped outer box 2 and a hollow top cover 3 provided on the upper surface of the outer box 2. A water receiving tank 4 serving as an outer tub is elastically suspended inside the outer box 2 by an elastic suspension mechanism 5, and a rotating tub 6 serving as a dehydrating tub and washing tub is rotatably disposed inside the water receiving tank 4. It is installed.
[0018]
A number of dewatering holes 6 a are formed in the peripheral wall portion of the rotating tub 6. Further, a balance ring is provided at the upper end portion of the rotating tub 6. Further, an agitator 8 is rotatably disposed at the inner bottom of the rotary tank 6.
[0019]
A drive mechanism unit 9 is disposed below the water receiving tank 4 in the outer box 2. The drive mechanism 9 includes a washing machine motor 10 including a direct drive type outer rotor brushless motor, a clutch mechanism (not shown), and the like. The stator 10a of the washing machine motor 10 is attached to the water receiving tank 4 through a drive mechanism base 9a, and the rotor 10b is directly connected to the agitator 8. In the washing process and the rinsing process, only the agitator 8 is rotated forward and backward by the washing machine motor 10, and in the dehydration process, the agitator 8 and the rotating tub 6 are rotated at high speed synchronously. Yes.
The water receiving tank 4, the elastic suspension mechanism 5, the rotating tank 6 and the drive mechanism unit 9 constitute a vibration system 100.
[0020]
A drain port 11 is formed at the bottom of the water receiving tank 4. A drain hose 13 is connected to the drain port 11 via a drain valve 12. Further, an air trap 14 is provided at the drain port 11. The pressure of the air trap 14 is configured to be guided to the water level sensor 16 (see FIG. 3) via the air tube 15. As is well known, the water level sensor 16 detects the water level in the water receiving tank 4 (rotating tank 6), and is disposed inside the top cover 3.
[0021]
The top cover 3 is provided with a lid 17. An operation panel 18 is provided on the upper surface of the front portion of the top cover 3, and a control device 19 is provided on the back side thereof.
[0022]
In FIG. 3 showing the electrical configuration, the control device 19 is composed of a circuit mainly composed of a microcomputer, and stores a control program for controlling the overall washing. The control device 19 detects the rotational state of the motor 10 by a position detection element provided for the washing machine motor 10 to detect the rotor position, for example, a Hall IC 10c.
[0023]
Further, the control device 19 is supplied with switch signals from various switch groups 20 provided on the operation panel 18, water level detection signals from the water level sensor 16, and rotor magnetic pole detection signals from the Hall IC 10c. Yes. Further, the control device 19 controls the drain valve 12 and the water supply valve 22 via the drive circuit 21, further controls the washing machine motor 10 via the motor drive circuit 23, and various displays 24 ( This is also provided on the operation panel 18). The motor drive circuit 23 includes an inverter circuit, a PWM circuit, and the like, and is configured to drive and control the washing machine motor 10 by PWM control. The water supply valve 22 is provided inside the rear portion of the top cover 3 shown in FIG. 2, and the water supply valve 22 supplies water into the rotating tub 6.
[0024]
Now, the control device 19 determines the amount (cloth amount) of the designated laundry as follows. First, the washing machine motor 10 is energized for a predetermined time in a predetermined energization mode in a state where there is no water in the rotating tub 6 and is turned off. The output signal (pulse) from the Hall IC 10c is counted during the period from the start of rotation to the stop of inertial rotation due to power interruption, and it is determined that the greater the count value, the smaller the amount of cloth.
[0025]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4 to 8 as well. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the motor drive control at the time of washing by the control device 19 is performed in a state where water of a predetermined water level is accumulated in the rotary tub 6, and the motor 10, that is, the stirring body 8 is rotated forward, paused, Energization control is performed so as to repeat inversion and pause. Moreover, FIG.1 (b) shows the torque which generate | occur | produces with rotation.
[0026]
In this case, the control device 19 sets an agitation time T1 for rotating the agitator 8 forward and backward, and an agitation period T3 that is the sum of the agitation time T1 and the rest time T2 according to the natural period T0 of the vibration system 100. To do. That is,
T1 = (T0 / 2) × (2m + 1), (m = 1, 2, 3,...)
T3 = T0 × n, (n = 2, 3,...)
And For example, if T0 = 0.62, m = 2, and n = 3,
T1 = (0.62 / 2) × 5 = 1.55 (seconds)
T3 = 0.62 × 3 = 1.86 (seconds)
It becomes.
[0027]
This is determined based on the following principle. FIG. 5 shows the starting acceleration generated in the vibration system 100 (water receiving tank 4) when the stirring cycle of the stirring body 8 is changed. In this case, the natural period T0 of the vibration system 100 is about 0.62 seconds. Then, at 3T0 and 4T0, which are integer multiples of the natural period T0, the curve indicating the starting acceleration has a valley, and at 2.5T0, 3.5T0, and 4.5T0 between them, the curve has a peak. It is made.
Based on this result, the stirring time T1 was set to 2.5T0 corresponding to the peak, and the stirring cycle T3 was set to 3T0 corresponding to the valley.
[0028]
That is, with respect to the stirring cycle T3, by setting as described above, the vibration generated when the stirrer 8 rotates forward acts so that the torque generated when the next reverse rotation is canceled. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily suppress the vibration of the vibration system 100 when the stirrer 8 is started. Further, as a result of suppressing the vibration of the vibration system 100, the transmission efficiency of the driving force of the motor 10 with respect to the stirring body 8 is maximized and the relative displacement is increased, so that the stirring body 8 is more powerful in the rotating layer 6. It becomes possible to generate a simple water flow. As a result, the cleaning power is improved.
[0029]
FIG. 6 shows the result of measuring the cloth rotation average angle when the agitation period T3 is set to 2.5T0 and 3T0 for the cloth load immediately after dehydration. Here, the cloth rotation average angle is an angle at which the cloth in the rotating layer 6 is rotated when the stirrer 8 rotates once. In this case, when T3 = 3T0, the cloth rotation average angle is larger, indicating that the cloth is moving more greatly. That is, this measurement result confirms that the transmission efficiency of the driving force of the motor 10 to the stirrer 8 is increased by suppressing the vibration of the vibration system 100 as described above.
[0030]
FIG. 7 shows that when the stirring cycle T3 is set to 3T0 = 1.86 (seconds), the stirring time T1 is set to 1.5T0 = 0.93 (seconds) and 2T0 = 1.24 (seconds). It is the result of having measured the fabric entanglement rate in the case of. When the amount of water was 40 L with a 4 kg cloth, the measurement was performed at the end of the washing operation. Here, the fabric entanglement rate A is defined as follows.
A (%) = (B−C) / C × 100
Here, C is the laundry take-out time (seconds) when the laundry is not entangled, and B is the laundry take-out time (seconds) at the end of washing.
[0031]
That is, as apparent from FIG. 7, the entanglement rate is lower when T1 = 1.5T0. This is considered as follows. When the stirring time T1 is set in this way, the vibration of the vibration system 100 when the rotation of the stirring body 8 stops increases, but the water receiving tank 4 and the rotating tank 6 vibrate greatly with respect to the stopped stirring body 8. By displacing, the laundry that is displaced according to the relative displacement amount of both of them also moves more greatly. Accordingly, the fabric of the stirring body 8 and the laundry is prevented from getting tangled.
[0032]
Based on the above principle, the control device 19 sets the stirring time T1 to 2.5T0 and the stirring cycle T3 to 3T0. In addition, the natural period T0 of the actual vibration system 100 changes according to the amount of the laundry thrown into the rotating tub 6 by the user and the amount of water stored in the rotating tub 6 accordingly. Therefore, when estimating the amount of laundry put in as described above for each washing operation, the control device 19 estimates the natural period T0 based on the table shown in FIG. 4, and sets the stirring time T1 and the stirring period T3. .
[0033]
FIG. 8 shows the rotation speed of the stirring body 8 (however, the forward and reverse directions are not distinguished) and the acceleration of the vibration system 100 observed after actually setting the stirring time T1 and the stirring cycle T3 as described above. A waveform is shown. As is clear from this figure, the vibration at the time of starting of the stirrer 8 is small, and the vibration at the time of stop is large, and the control is performed as expected.
[0034]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the control device 19 of the washing machine is disposed at the bottom of the water receiving tank 4 elastically suspended in the outer box 2 and is provided at the inner bottom of the rotating tank 6. When rotating 8 with the motor 10, the stirring cycle T <b> 3 for rotating the stirring body 8 forward and backward was set to 3 times the natural cycle T <b> 0 of the vibration system 100 including the water receiving tank 4. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily suppress the vibration of the vibration system 100 when the stirrer 8 is started. In addition, as a result of the vibration of the vibration system 100 being suppressed, the efficiency of the driving force transmitted to the stirrer 8 is maximized and the relative displacement is increased, so that the stirrer 8 can generate a stronger water flow. Thus, the cleaning power can be improved.
[0035]
Further, since the control device 19 sets the stirring time T1 of the stirring body 8 to 2.5 times the natural period T0, the vibration of the vibration system 100 when the rotation of the stirring body 8 stops increases. As the relative displacement amount increases, the laundry also moves more greatly. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fabric of the stirring body 8 and the laundry from getting tangled.
[0036]
In this case, the natural period T0 of the vibration system 100 including the water receiving tub 4 is estimated based on the detected laundry volume, and the stirring period T3 and the stirring time T1 are set. The stirring cycle can be appropriately set based on the natural cycle T0 estimated from the above.
[0037]
(Second embodiment)
9 to 11 show a second embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Only different parts will be described below. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a vibration sensor 25 for detecting the vibration of the water receiving tank 4 is attached. A control device 26 in place of the control device 19 directly detects the vibration of the water receiving tank 4 (vibration system 100) with reference to the output signal of the vibration sensor 25, and the stirring time T1 and the stirring cycle T3 are optimal according to the result. Adjust the amount to
[0038]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the control contents when the control device 26 adjusts the stirring cycle and the stirring time. The variable of the stirring cycle is Tx, and the variable of the stirring time is Ty (see FIG. 11). First, the control device 26 sets initial values T11 and T12 for the stirring cycle Tx and the stirring time Ty, respectively (step S1). Then, when the stirrer 8 is driven, the vibration value A1 generated at the start and the vibration value A2 generated at the stop are measured (steps S2 and S3), respectively.
[0039]
Next, the control device 26 adds a time increment ΔT11 to the stirring cycle Tx and the stirring time Ty, respectively.
, ΔT12 (step S4), the next time, the agitator 8 is driven with the agitation period Tx and the agitation time Ty, and the vibration value B1 generated at the start is measured (step S5). Then, the vibration value A1 measured last time is compared with the vibration value B1 measured this time (step S6). If the latter is smaller than the former (“YES”), a time increment ΔT11 is further added to the stirring cycle Tx (step S6). S7). If the latter is greater than or equal to the former (“NO”), the time increment ΔT11 is subtracted from the stirring cycle Tx (step S8).
[0040]
Subsequently, the control device 26 measures the vibration value B2 generated when the stirrer 8 is stopped (step S9). Then, the vibration value A2 measured last time is compared with the vibration value B2 measured this time (step S10), and if the latter increases from the former (“YES”), a time increment ΔT12 is further added to the stirring time Ty (step S10). S11). If the latter is less than or equal to the former (“NO”), the time increment ΔT12 is subtracted from the stirring time Ty (step S12). Then, when the value B1 is substituted for the value A1 and the value B2 is substituted for the value A2 (step S13), the process proceeds to step S5.
[0041]
By repeatedly executing the above control, the stirring cycle Tx is adjusted so that the vibration generated in the vibration system 100 when the stirring body 8 is started is minimized, and the stirring time Ty is adjusted when the stirring body 8 is stopped. The vibration generated in 100 is adjusted to be maximum.
[0042]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, the water receiving tank 4 includes the vibration sensor 25 for detecting the magnitude of the vibration that vibrates in the rotation direction of the stirring body 8, and the control device 26 detects the output of the vibration sensor 25. Since the agitation period Tx and the agitation time Ty are set based on the above, the agitation period Tx and the agitation time Ty are set according to the actual vibration state of the vibration system 100 that changes according to the amount of cloth put into the rotary tank 6 and the like. It can be set appropriately.
[0043]
(Third embodiment)
FIG. 12 is a side view showing a third embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a vertical washer / dryer, with the schematic configuration of the entire washer / dryer partially broken. The casing 31 that forms the outer shell is composed of a rectangular outer box 32 and a top cover 33 that is attached to the top of the box. Among them, the top cover 33 is formed in a flat container shape whose height dimension (vertical direction) is suppressed, and has a loading port 33a through which the laundry is taken in and out at a substantially central portion, and a lid 34 for opening and closing the loading port 33a. It has.
[0044]
Further, inside the outer box 32, a bottomed cylindrical water tank 36 having an open upper surface is elastically supported through elastic support mechanisms 37 (only one is shown in FIG. 12) at four corners. Yes. A drainage port 36a is formed at the lowest part of the bottom of the water tank 36, and a drainage pipe 39 is connected to the drainage valve 38 through a drainage valve 38 so that the drainage can be performed outside the machine. A disc-shaped tank cover 40 is fitted and fixed to the upper surface opening of the water tank 36 so as to close the water tank 36, and an inner lid 40a is provided on the upper surface of the water tank 36 toward the front side of the bowl so as to be openable and closable. The laundry can be taken in and out. Therefore, when the inner lid 40a is in the closed state, the upper end opening of the water tank 36 is concealed by the tank cover 40, and the inside is held in a substantially sealed state.
[0045]
A rotating tub 41 for storing laundry is provided inside the water tub 36 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis. Specifically, it has a so-called vertical bottomed cylindrical shape that opens the same top surface as the water tank 36 and rotates around a vertical vertical axis, and has a large number of through holes 41a on the entire peripheral wall including the bottom, Is provided with a balance ring 41b. Further, a dish-like stirring body 42 having a large diameter and a large area along the bottom surface is provided on the inner bottom portion so as to be able to rotate forward and backward.
[0046]
A hollow shaft 43 is connected to the center of the bottom of the rotating tub 41, and a rotating shaft 44 having the upper end connected to the agitator 42 is inserted and supported in the hollow shaft 43. 44 is configured to be selectively rotated by a drive motor 45 mounted on the outer bottom of the water tank 36 via a clutch mechanism (not shown). The drive control is performed by the control device 19 or 26 in the first or second embodiment.
[0047]
A circulation path 46 is provided in the casing 31 so as to communicate with the inside of the water tank 36 at its upper and lower portions, and the hot water is sucked into and discharged from the water tank 36. It is fixedly attached to an appropriate stationary part of the casing 31 on the outer box 32 side by an attaching means (not shown). Specifically, the lower end of the circulation path 46 is in direct communication with the drain 36a near the bottom of the water tank 36, and the upper end of the other end is in communication with the top of the water tank 36 through the top cover 33. On the other hand, the lower end portion functions as a hot air (exhaust air) suction duct 46a, and the upper end portion functions as a new warm air blowing duct 46b.
[0048]
The suction duct 46a and the blow duct 46b are both bent and bellows, and are elastically connected to and supported by the water tank 36. Specifically, the upper blow duct 46b is connected to the tank cover. 40, the vibration transmission from the water tank 36 side is suppressed in a buffering manner in both the ducts 46a and 46b, and the vibration transmission to the outer box 42 side through the circulation path 46 is suppressed. Has been reduced.
[0049]
In such a circulation path 46, a heater 47, a blower fan 48, and the like are provided so that warm air circulates in the direction of arrow A in the figure with respect to the water tank 36. In addition, a water injection part 49 for injecting cooling water for dehumidification, a filter 50 for collecting fiber waste, and the like are disposed in the middle of the circulation path 46.
[0050]
In the washing / drying machine having such a configuration, when the vibration system 51 including the water tub 36 vibrates, the vibration is applied to the bellows-like ducts 46a and 46b. , There is a risk that a part will break. Therefore, if the present invention is applied to this washing / drying machine, unnecessary vibrations can be suppressed as much as possible and the life of the ducts 46a and 46b can be extended.
[0051]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following modifications or expansions are possible.
Either of the control for setting the stirring cycle to suppress the vibration of the vibration system 100 at the start of the stirring body 8 and the control for setting the stirring time to further increase the vibration of the vibration system 100 at the stop Only one may be performed.
In a washing machine having a drying function, the same control may be performed during the drying operation.
Specific numerical values are merely examples, and may be appropriately changed according to individual designs.
[0052]
【The invention's effect】
According to the washing machine of claim 1, since the stirring cycle for normally reversing the stirrer is set to an integral multiple of the natural period of the vibration system including the outer tub, the vibration generated by the normal rotation of the stirrer is The torque generated when the stirrer reverses next acts to cancel out. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily suppress the vibration of the vibration system when the stirring body is started. In addition, the efficiency of the driving force transmitted to the stirrer is maximized as a result of the vibration of the vibration system being suppressed, and the relative displacement is increased, so that the stirrer can generate a stronger water flow, The power can be improved. And since the natural period is estimated according to the volume of the laundry and the amount of water poured into the rotating tub with the capacity, the agitation period can be set appropriately.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a first embodiment when the present invention is applied to a fully automatic dehydrating combined washing machine, (a) is a waveform diagram of energization of a washing machine motor, and (b) is generated as the washing machine motor rotates. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a dehydrating combined washing machine. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an electrical configuration. FIG. 4 is a table showing a table held by a control device. Fig. 6 shows the starting acceleration generated in the vibration system (water receiving tank) when the body agitation cycle is changed. Fig. 6: The agitation cycle T3 is set to 2.5T0 and 3T0 for the fabric load immediately after dehydration. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the measurement result of the cloth rotation average angle in the case of FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows the measurement of the fabric entanglement rate when the stirring time T1 is set to 1.5T0 and 2T0 when the stirring cycle T3 is set to 3T0. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the results. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the number of rotations of the stirring body and the acceleration waveform of the vibration system observed after setting the stirring cycle T3 as described above. FIG. 9 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1; FIG. 12 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 illustrating a third embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a vertical washer-dryer. [Explanation of symbols]
4 is a water receiving tank (outer tank), 5 is an elastic suspension mechanism, 6 is a rotating tank, 8 is an agitator, 10 is a washing machine motor, 19 and 26 are control devices, 36 is a water receiving tank (outer tank), and 37 is An elastic suspension mechanism, 41 is a rotating tub, 42 is a stirring body, 45 is a washing machine motor, and 51 and 100 are vibration systems.

Claims (1)

An outer tank elastically suspended in an outer box,
A rotating tub disposed in the outer tub;
A stirring body provided in the rotating tank;
A motor disposed at the bottom of the outer tub and configured to rotate the stirrer;
The stirring cycle for reversing the stirring body in the normal direction is set to an integral multiple of the natural cycle of the vibration system including the outer tub, and the capacity of the laundry stored in the rotating tub and the capacity of the laundry in the rotating tub A washing machine characterized by estimating the natural period according to the amount of water to be poured.

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