JP7518653B2 - washing machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a washing machine.

There is a known technology for identifying clothes by placing an RFID antenna in a washing machine and reading an RFID tag attached to the clothes. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that "the RFID antenna transmits a signal while the user is putting clothes into the washing machine" (paragraph 0034), that "the RFID antenna is installed in the door gasket or under the door of the washing machine, and is oriented in a direction toward the washing machine door" (paragraph 0050, Figure 4), and that "the washing machine is a pulsator washing machine, and the RFID antenna is installed under the display panel" (paragraph 0058, Figure 5).

Special table 2019-519286 publication

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

The objective of the present invention is to provide a washing machine that makes it easier for radio waves to reach the clothes in the inner tub and improves the efficiency of reading RFID tags.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a washing machine that includes an outer tub that is installed in a housing and stores water, an inner tub that is installed in the outer tub and rotated by a motor, and a lid that is opened and closed when putting clothes in and taking them out of the inner tub, and is characterized in that an antenna that wirelessly communicates with an RFID tag attached to the clothes is provided on the lid.

The present invention makes it possible to provide a washing machine that allows radio waves to easily reach the clothes in the inner tub and improves the efficiency of reading RFID tags.

1 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a drum type washer/dryer according to a first embodiment with a part of a housing cut away; 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of a drum type washer-dryer according to a first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a drum type washer-dryer 1 of a first embodiment. 11 is a table showing the results of an experiment in which the RFID tag was read while the drum was rotating and while the drum was stationary. FIG. 11 is an external perspective view showing a vertical washing machine according to a second embodiment. 13 is a table showing the experimental results of measuring the read rate of RFID tags when antennas were installed at four locations on the lid.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

First, a drum-type washing machine according to a first embodiment will be described. The overall configuration of the drum-type washer-dryer 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a part of the housing 3 cut away to show the internal structure of the drum-type washer-dryer according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the drum-type washer-dryer according to this embodiment.

The cover 2 is for closing the opening for inserting and removing clothes, which is located approximately in the center of the front cover 3a, and is supported so as to be openable and closable by a hinge (not shown) provided on a front reinforcement (not shown) of the drum type washer-dryer 1. Note that, although the following description is given using an example of a drum type washer-dryer with washing and drying functions, it may also be a drum type washer without a drying function, or a drum type dryer without a washing function.

The drum 8 (inner tub) of the drum-type washer-dryer 1 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom. The drum 8 is rotatably supported in the outer tub 10, and has a number of through holes (not shown) on its outer wall for water and ventilation. The drum 8 also has an opening 8a on its front end surface for loading and unloading clothes. A fluid balancer 8c is provided on the outside of the opening 8a of the drum 8, which is integrated with the drum 8. A plurality of lifters 8b extending in the axial direction are provided discretely in the circumferential direction on the inner wall of the drum 8. When the drum 8 rotates during washing and drying, the clothes are lifted along the inner wall of the drum 8 by the lifters 8b and centrifugal force, and perform a tumbling action in which the clothes are repeatedly lifted along the inner wall of the drum 8 by the lifters 8b and centrifugal force, and fall by gravity. The central axis of rotation of the drum 8 is inclined at about 0 to 30 degrees from the horizontal so that the horizontal or opening 8a side is higher.

The outer tub 10, which is cylindrical and has a bottom, is coaxially contained within the drum 8 and has an open front. In other words, the outer tub 10 is inclined to match the inclination of the drum 8. The outer tub 10 also has a drum motor 15 at the center of the outside of the rear end face. The rotating shaft 15a of the drum motor 15 passes through the outer tub 10 and is connected to the drum 8.

An outer tub cover 20 is provided at the opening on the front of the outer tub 10. By attaching this outer tub cover 20, the outer tub 10 is able to store water inside. A front opening is provided at the center of the front side of the outer tub cover 20 for putting laundry in and taking it out.

The front opening and an opening (not shown) provided in the housing 3 of the drum type washer-dryer 1 are connected by a rubber bellows 11 (annular sealing member). In other words, the bellows 11 is provided along the circumferential direction of the front opening. When the lid 2 is closed, the bellows 11 comes into contact with the inner surface of the lid 2, sealing the outer tub 10 watertight.

The air blowing unit 21 is composed of a driving fan motor 16 and other components, and its outlet is connected to an air blowing duct 24. The air blowing duct 24 is connected to an outlet 25 provided in the outer tub cover 20, and hot air is blown from this outlet 25 into the drum 8.

In addition, a control board 12 (not shown) that controls the drum motor 15, fan motor 16, etc. is provided on the top of the drum type washer-dryer 1.

The lid 2 is provided with an antenna 5 that wirelessly communicates with an RFID tag attached to the clothes. The antenna 5 used in this embodiment is a directional antenna. Since the directionality of the radio waves is toward the drum 8, the RFID tags of the clothes inside the drum 8 are effectively read, and the RFID tags placed outside the drum type washer-dryer 1 are prevented from being erroneously read. In addition, it is possible to eliminate the adverse effects on antenna performance caused by electromagnetic obstacles (e.g., metal or moisture) placed outside the drum type washer-dryer 1.

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

The dimensions of the radiating element 5a are designed to match the operating frequency with the frequency band (e.g., 920 MHz band, 2.45 GHz band, etc.) used in the RFID system, taking into consideration the material constant, thickness, etc. of the antenna substrate. For example, if the borosilicate glass member of the lid 2 is used as the antenna substrate, and the relative dielectric constant is 4.6 and the thickness is 20 mm, the dimensions of the radiating element 5a are approximately a square with one side measuring 76 mm. However, this is only an example, and for various design reasons, other dimensions may be used, or the shape may be other polygons or circles instead of a square. In addition, a glass member made of a different dielectric material may be used as the antenna substrate, or a cover member made of ABS may be used. Furthermore, the lid 2 having such a multi-layer structure may be used as the antenna substrate.

The materials for the radiating element 5a and the ground electrode 5b are electrode materials commonly used in industrial products, such as aluminum, copper, and gold. In addition, if a transparent conductive film such as ITO or ZnO is used as the transparent electrode material, the antenna 5 becomes invisible, improving the design. Even if the electrode material is not transparent, it can be made substantially transparent by processing it into a fine wire mesh.

Here, it is preferable to protect the surfaces of the radiating element 5a and the ground electrode 5b with a coating to prevent oxidation. The radiating element 5a and the ground electrode 5b may also be embedded inside the lid 2. Furthermore, the radiating element 5a and the ground electrode 5b are basically of planar structure, but may also be of curved structure to fit the shape of the lid 2.

The power supply line 6 of the antenna 5 is connected to an RFID reader 18 inside the control board 12 at the upper rear of the drum-type washer-dryer 1 through the hinge of the lid 2. This allows the antenna 5 to be wired without interfering with the opening and closing of the lid 2.

In this embodiment, the antenna 5 is provided approximately in the center of the lid 2, but this is not limiting. If the antenna 5 is not transparent, it may be provided at the end of the lid 2 to make it less noticeable. For example, providing the antenna 5 closer to the hinge section shortens the wiring, reducing resistance loss and improving the design. Also, providing the antenna 5 at the top of the lid 2 brings the antenna 5 closer to the clothes lifted by the rotation of the drum 8, making it easier to read the RFID tag. Furthermore, providing the antenna 5 at the bottom of the lid 2 has the advantage of making it less noticeable from a design perspective, even if the antenna 5 is not transparent.

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

The main control unit 13 is electrically connected to the communication module 14, drum motor 15, fan motor 16, operation panel 17, etc., and controls them. Here, the communication module 14 is connected to a network via a router in the residence where the drum type washer-dryer 1 is installed. The communication module 14 transmits its own identification information, information on clothes read by the RFID reader 18, information on the operation status, etc., to a mobile terminal such as a smartphone via the network. On the other hand, the mobile terminal can also set the operation contents for the drum type washer-dryer 1 by communicating with the communication module 14. The communication terminal may be directly connected to the communication module 14 by Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like. The communication module 14 may be installed on the top of the housing 3, but may be installed in another location. Furthermore, the RFID reader 18 may be provided separately from the control board 12, not within the control board 12.

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

Figure 4 is a table showing the results of an experiment in which the RFID tag was read while the drum 8 was rotating and while it was stationary. In this experiment, the RFID tag read rate was measured for each of five locations where the antenna 5 was installed: the center, top, left, right, and bottom of the lid 2. As shown in Figure 4, regardless of where the antenna 5 was installed, the read rate was 100% when the RFID tag was read while the drum 8 was rotating, whereas the read rate was less than 100% when the RFID tag was read while the drum 8 was stationary.

When the drum type washer-dryer 1 reads the RFID tag of the clothes, it automatically sets the optimum operating course according to the type and amount of clothes, and adjusts the rinse time, spin speed, etc. In addition, the number of times a particular piece of clothing has been washed or dried can be recorded, and the user can check this via a mobile device, which can be useful in determining when to replace the clothes. In addition, the server can collect information via the communication module 14 about what kind of clothes are washed and how they are washed, and use this information for data analysis.

In this embodiment, the antenna 5 is mounted on the cover 2, but the antenna 5 may also be mounted on the bellows 11. In this case, a loop antenna is preferable as the type of antenna 5, since it is easy to run the electrode along the bellows 11. The material of the bellows 11 is a dielectric material such as ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM).

Furthermore, it is also possible to provide the antenna 5 on the outer tank 10 or the outer tank cover 20. Providing the antenna 5 in such a location makes wiring easier and improves assembly.

Next, a second embodiment of the vertical washing machine will be described. The overall configuration of the vertical washing machine 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the vertical washing machine 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the vertical washing machine 100 includes a housing 110, an outer tub (not shown) that is installed in the housing 110 and stores water, an inner tub 120 (washing and spin-drying tub) that is installed in the outer tub and driven to rotate by a motor (not shown), a rotor (not shown) provided at the bottom of the inner tub 120, and a lid 130 that is opened and closed when putting clothes in and taking them out of the inner tub 120.

The housing 110 has an outer shell made by combining steel plates and resin molded parts, and has a base 111 that supports the entire unit, a front plate 112, a rear plate 113, left and right side plates 114, and a top cover 115 (upper plate), and is configured in a roughly rectangular box shape.

The top cover 115 has an opening 115a for inserting clothes into the inner tub 120. This opening 115a is formed in a roughly semicircular shape when viewed from above (in a plan view), with the straight portion located at the back and the curved portion located at the front. In addition, a detergent insert case 117 for inserting detergent, finishing agent, etc. is provided at the front side of the top cover 115.

Furthermore, the top cover 115 is provided with a lid body 130 that opens and closes the opening 115a, and a hinge part 131 that supports the rear end rotatably with the left-right direction as the axial direction. The lid body 130 has an operation panel (not shown) on its front side for setting the operation course and displaying the operation status, and multiple antennas 101a, 101b on its back side. In this way, since the operation panel is located above the antennas 101a, 101b, the radio waves from the antennas 101a, 101b are effectively radiated to the clothes in the inner tub 120 below without being blocked by the operation panel. Even if there is an inner lid below the lid body 130, it is desirable to provide the antennas 101a, 101b on the lid body 130, which is the outer lid, in consideration of the wiring to the control board. In addition, by providing antennas 101a and 101b in the area of the lid 130 that is within the upward projection of the opening of the inner tub 120, radio waves are not blocked by the stainless steel inner tub 120, and communication with RFID tags attached to clothes inside the inner tub 120 is possible.

Although not shown, the control board of this embodiment is housed in the lower back of the top cover 115 and has a main control unit (microcontroller) that controls the entire vertical washing machine 100, and an RFID reader that reads RFID tags. The main control unit is electrically connected to and controls the communication module, the inner tub 120, the motor that rotates the rotor blades, the operation panel, etc.

It is desirable to read the RFID tag while the impeller is rotating in order to sense the amount of clothing. This is because the rotation of the impeller mixes the RFID tag with the clothing, improving the accuracy of the reading.

Figure 6 is a table showing the experimental results of measuring the RFID tag read rate when antennas were installed in four locations on the lid 130: one at the front, one at the back right, one in the center, and two at the front and back left. As shown in Figure 6, it can be seen that the read rate is high when antennas are installed in two locations, at the front and back left. Therefore, by providing multiple antennas 101a, 101b at different radial distances from the rotation axis of the inner tub 120 as shown in Figure 5, RFID tags attached to clothes can be read evenly when the rotor rotates.

The above-mentioned first and second embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described. It is also possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. It is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Drum type washer-dryer 2 Lid 3 Housing 3a Front cover 5 Antenna 5a Radiating element 5b Ground electrode 6 Power supply line 8 Drum 8a Opening 8b Lifter 8c Fluid balancer 9a Rotating shaft 10 Outer tub 11 Bellows 12 Control board 13 Main control unit 14 Communication module 15 Drum motor 16 Fan motor 17 Operation panel 18 RFID reader 20 Outer tub cover 21 Blower unit 24 Blower duct 25 Air outlet 100 Vertical washing machine 101a, 101b Antenna 110 Housing 112 Front plate 113 Rear plate 114 Side plate 115 Top cover 115a Opening 120 Inner tub 130 Lid 131 Hinge section

Claims (4)

An outer tank installed within the housing for storing water;
an inner tank installed in the outer tank and rotated by a motor;
A lid that is opened and closed when putting clothes into and taking clothes out of the inner tub;
In a vertical washing machine equipped with
A washing machine characterized in that a plurality of antennas for wirelessly communicating with an RFID tag attached to clothing are provided on the lid at positions at different radial distances from the rotation axis of the inner tub. An outer tank installed within the housing for storing water;
an inner tank installed in the outer tank and rotated by a motor;
A lid that is opened and closed when putting clothes into and taking clothes out of the inner tub;
In a vertical washing machine equipped with
A washing machine characterized in that a plurality of antennas for wirelessly communicating with an RFID tag attached to clothing are provided within the projection of the opening of the inner tub at positions at different radial distances from the rotation axis of the inner tub. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The washing machine, characterized in that the antenna is a microstrip antenna having a radiating element provided on the inside of the lid and a ground electrode provided on the outside of the lid. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The washing machine, wherein the antenna wirelessly communicates with the RFID tag while the inner tub is rotating.

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