JPH0322800B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a washing machine that can automatically dispense liquid detergent according to the amount of laundry.

[Background of the invention]

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 53-35272 also describes the automatic addition of detergent, but today, as washing machines are equipped with microcomputers and electronic control is progressing, it is possible to add more finely and at the right timing. If the washing machine does not automatically load the washing machine, it will not last a long time. This varies depending on the amount of detergent required depending on the stain, the amount required depending on the washing process, the amount required depending on the amount of laundry, and even the temperature of the water used. By this,
A washing machine must be able to maintain stable functionality at all times with little variation in cleaning rate.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine in which an amount of detergent is added to the washing machine in accordance with the amount of laundry.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention includes a cloth amount sensor that detects the amount of laundry put into a washing tub, a water level sensor that detects the amount of water supplied to the washing tub, a container that stores liquid detergent, and a container that stores liquid detergent in the container. In a washing machine equipped with a detergent dosing device that automatically supplies detergent to the washing tub according to the amount of laundry, there is a tube that guides the liquid detergent from the container into the washing tub, and a check valve installed at the end of the tube that faces the washing tub. A pump provided in the flow path of the tube and a motor that rotates the pump form a detergent injection device, and the pump has a casing and a vane that contacts the inner periphery of the casing and is configured to have an air discharging ability. Connect the pump blade and motor rotation shaft,
The amount of liquid detergent dispensed is adjusted by controlling the operating time of the motor according to the amount of laundry.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 is an outer frame, 2 is an outer tank for storing water for washing, and has a support portion 2a projecting outward, and is suspended by a spring 9. Rod 7 is engaged. The suspension rod 7 has a lower suspension rod receiver 7a and an upper suspension rod receiver 8 at both ends, and the upper suspension rod receiver 8 is locked to a corner plate 1b provided on the upper surface of the outer frame 1 and elastically supported by the outer tank 2. . Reference numeral 11 denotes a washing tub, which also serves as a dehydration tub and has small holes around its outer periphery. Reference numeral 12 indicates an agitation blade for agitating the laundry for washing, and reference numeral 16 is connected to the drive unit 15 by a shaft. The drive section 15 has a speed reduction mechanism and a clutch section, and separates the rotation of the stirring blade 12 and the rotation of the washing tub 11. Reference numerals 15a and 14a are pulleys that transmit rotational force from a motor 14 as a drive source through a belt 17. 13 is center based,
It supports the motor 14 and drive parts 15, and is supported at the lower part of the outer tank 2. 2b is a guide part that protrudes from the lower part of the outer tank and connects the tube 5 to guide a position sensor 6 that replaces the amount of water supplied with the water level and checks it; 2c is a drain hole that allows the water to drain through the drain valve 3; The hose 4 extends outside the outer frame 1. 1a
10 is a leg provided at the bottom of the outer frame 1, and 10 is a motor 14.
This is a cloth amount sensor that detects the rotation of the cloth.

A water supply pipe 18 extending from the water supply outlet is supplied with water into the washing tub 11 through a water supply valve 19. 2
3 is a storage tank for liquid detergent and has a lid 23a. 23b is a ventilation hole. 25 is a motor pump that forcibly transfers liquid detergent, and has a suction tube 26 connected to the tank 23 and a discharge tube 22.
The distal end of the discharge tube 22 is connected to a water supply hose having a check valve 32 through a connection portion 24 for supplying water to the washing tub.

The electric control circuit that controls the operation of a washing machine with these components has a processing circuit made of a microcomputer in the center, a driving power supply circuit between the power supplies, a comparison circuit, a detection circuit, and a cloth amount sensor. , with a water level sensor. The selection circuit is used to select a washing process, and the display circuit displays these, the amount of detergent, and various abnormal conditions. The motor, water supply valve, drain valve, and detergent dispenser are arbitrarily driven via a drive circuit that processes signals from the aforementioned sensors using a processing circuit made up of a microcomputer.

Details of the detergent dispenser will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. The relative position of the detergent liquid 3 contained in the tank 23 and the check valve 32 which is a discharge port has a head difference of H. (This H is negative, so-called detergent liquid may be lower than the discharge port. This is because when the tank 23 is on the top surface of the top cover 27, the H
The dimension of is positive, but it becomes like this when it is placed in the blank space inside the outer frame 1). If the head is positive, if there is no check valve 32, it will naturally flow out, and if the head is negative, tubes 22 and 26 will flow out.
The amount of detergent added is determined by the drive time of the motor pump, but this results in variations. Therefore, the check valve 32 is connected to the discharge port 3.
2a and a push-in side 32b, and a rubber plate 38, a spacer 39, and a spring 40 with a weak spring force in the center make it one-way. The motor pump 25 is a small motor, and the casing 27
Inside, there are vanes 37 engaged with the motor shaft 36 and a seal 41 for forcibly transferring the detergent liquid. The vanes 37 are formed to have the ability to discharge air into contact with the inner periphery of the casing 27.

The operation and operation of these configurations will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. The operation panel 51 has a display section 52, and main operation keys 55, 56, 57.
The buttons are large and located in easy-to-operate locations, and the user can select between ``heavily soiled,''``normal,'' and ``lightly soiled,'' and by pressing these keys, laundry can be carried out according to a predetermined washing process program. be. 53 and 54 are auxiliary keys, and by keying in before or after keying in 55 to 57,
This key allows you to perform "pre-washing" and "soak washing".
These programs are formed as one integrated program, and after this program is completed, the cleaning process is automatically switched to the key-in program from 55 to 57. 50 is a simple lid having a handle 50a. Inside this lid, a manual key is located to arbitrarily change the keyed-in programs 55 and 57, for example, to change the washing time or spin-drying time.
Since there are so many keys and they are a nuisance, only the keys that are mainly used are exposed, and the keys that are used occasionally are covered with a simple cover.

As shown in FIG. 8, detergent injection by key-in of the main operation keys 55 to 57 corresponds to each key, and is also adjusted according to the amount of laundry for detailed response. For example, the main operation key A is heavily soiled, and when you start automatic operation by pressing key 55, the amount of detergent increases by about 20% compared to the "standard" key, or the key 57...
"Light dirt" is about half the amount.

In these steps, as shown in the simple flowchart of FIG. 9, the laundry is put in, and water supply 1 is performed by keying in the main operation key depending on how dirty the laundry is. This water supply 1 is made up to a low water level as determined by a water level sensor 6 which determines the amount of water supplied into the washing tub by replacing it with a water level, and is stopped at this point and included in the stirring 1 process. Stirring 1 is much weaker stirring than normal washing, and the amount of laundry is measured using this stirring. Based on this measured value, the water level of the water supply 2, which is the next step, is determined, as well as the amount of detergent. Since we know the amount of laundry and the amount of detergent, we can also decide the amount of water and time for rinsing, and the time for spin-drying, so we can complete the program for the next process and beyond. It's something that makes you do it.

Therefore, the water level is adjusted to match the amount of laundry with the water supply 2, and the washing is carried out with the agitation 2, followed by draining, dewatering,
Supplying water for rinsing 3 Proceed through the steps to complete the washing process. The detergent is automatically added by mixing it into the water supply during the water supply 2, and after the completion of the water supply 2, the detergent dispenser is operated in synchronization with the water supply valve 19, so that it can be performed at the same time as the water supply. .

Along with the key-in process of these main operation keys, the key-in process of the auxiliary keys 53 and 54 is a separate program that automatically performs the conventional hand washing, and the "pre-wash" process is This is the process of washing extremely dirty work clothes, diapers, etc. before regular washing. After this "pre-washing" is completed, it is common to add another load of laundry and proceed to the next process, so the machine automatically adds detergent corresponding to the amount of laundry for the "pre-washing" and then loads the laundry. Stirring 2 → Drainage → Dehydration → Pause in the process shown in , and then issue an alarm and pause. This alarm and pause are "pre-wash"
The system notifies you when the laundry is complete and instructs you to put in another load of laundry.After the machine has paused for the required amount of time, it waits for the required amount of time, and then you can load the laundry separately.
It is possible to detect the opening/closing signal of the lid and decide that there is another load of laundry and proceed to the next process, or conversely, after a predetermined pause, the machine can proceed to the next process without any regard. It is possible. The next process is water supply 1, which supplies water to a low water level by key-in.
It is. At this point, measure the amount of laundry again, add detergent automatically again, and stir the laundry 2. Drain →
Dehydration → Proceed to water supply 3 rinsing process.

Next is the "soak washing" process, which is traditionally done by hand, by soaking stubbornly soiled items in water with detergent in a tub instead of in a washing machine. Then add the motion of moving the laundry by kneading it from time to time, let it soak, and after a suitable amount of time, put it in the washing tub with water containing detergent and wash it according to the normal program. This is something that should be done by the washing machine itself. By keying in the auxiliary key 54A either before or after keying in any of the main operation keys 55 to 57 A to C, the same program will proceed until the automatic injection of detergent, and the agitation 3 and agitation 3 as shown in the figure will proceed. The mud is stirred for a long time (10 seconds to 3 minutes), then paused for quite a long time, and this cycle is repeated several times to create a ``soak wash.''
Usually it takes about 1 hour.

After this "soaking and washing" is finished, washing is carried out without draining or dehydrating, and finally proceeding from the pause step to the two stirring steps, which have the usual selections.
Further, in this case, automatic injection of detergent is performed only once at the beginning, and is not performed thereafter.

Although it is a complicated program, the time for agitation 2 in normal washing is not set in advance, but can also be adjusted by keying in each operation key.
First, the detergent is automatically dispensed with liquid detergent, and when you run out of liquid detergent and want to use the powder you have on hand, open the simple lid 50 and keep it inside. The circuit is such that the detergent is not automatically added by keying in the automatic detergent injection cancel key. At this time, powdered detergent has more time to dissolve in water than liquid detergent, and if the agitation 2 is performed for the same amount of time as liquid detergent, stain removal will be worse. Liquid detergent dissolves quickly, while powder detergent can take several minutes, depending on the water temperature. Therefore, by keying in the cancel key, the time for agitation 2, which is the detergent, can be increased and the difference in cleaning rate can be eliminated.

Secondly, the key-in for "soaking and washing" is also the same, and it is so effective that it can be done for half the normal time.

The same idea applies to the automatic addition of detergent, and in the case of the key-in of "pre-washing", it is sufficiently effective to reduce the amount of detergent than the original amount, and can save detergent.

Next, the cloth amount sensor 10 for determining the amount of laundry and the water level sensor 6 for determining the amount of water supplied will be explained. In FIGS. 10 to 15, a magnetized magnet 63 is attached to the shaft 10b protruding from the motor 14.
The engaging element 64 is press-fitted therein. magnet 6
3, a case 60 having a magnetic pole 60a has a mounting leg 60b fixed to the motor 10 with a screw 65, a coil 61 is wound around a bobbin 66, and a lead 62 is pulled out by the coil 61. Motor 10 stirs for 0.3 to 1.0 seconds.
Repeat ON and OFF for 0.3 to 2.0 seconds. Shaft 1
When the magnet 0b rotates, an electromotive force is generated by the magnet 63 and the magnet 60a, but even if the magnet 63 and the magnet 60a are turned off, the inertia causes the shaft 10b to rotate, so that a voltage waveform as shown in FIG. 11 is obtained. Here, turn the motor OFF at point a.
The amount of laundry that has been put in can be determined by reading h, the time until point b when the rotation of the shaft 10b stops. This is shown in FIG.

The water level sensor 6 has a pressure transmission hole 70a in the base 70, and transmits pressure to the diaphragm 71. 72 is a plunger, diaphragm 71
The movable guide support rod 72a prevents it from falling to the left or right. Reference numeral 73 is made of a magnetic material and is supported integrally with the plunger. A coil 74 has a lead 75. A spring 76 applies a load arbitrarily matched to the pressure transmitted to the diaphragm 71. 77 is a spring receiver. With this configuration, when the water level rises, the diaphragm moves upward, the magnetic body 73 approaches the coil 74, and as the pressure decreases, it descends again and returns to its original state. Due to so-called pressure fluctuations,
The relative position between the magnetic body 73 and the coil 74 changes.
This changes the reactance of the coil 74, so this change in reactance is used, and generally the LC
It forms an oscillator, and the oscillation frequency is determined by a microcomputer and interpreted as the water level. The basic circuit is shown in FIG. 14, where 80 is a capacitor, 84 and 81 are adjustment resistors, and 73 is an inverter. The oscillation frequency for the actual movement of the magnetic body 73 decreases as the reactance increases, so draw a curve as shown in Figure 15, and use any point on this curve to determine and control the water level. It is something that can be done.

At the beginning of installation, after supplying detergent to the container, once or twice the motor pump 25 is operated manually to fill the disposed tubes 26 and 22 with the detergent solution, the check valve 32, there is no leakage of detergent liquid, and the next automatic injection can be performed without any problem and an accurate amount can be added. This is possible due to the structure of the motor pump, which has the ability to discharge air.
Ordinary pumps create air locks or require a separate and difficult structure for air venting.

If an air vent is provided when transferring an accurate amount like this detergent injection device, air may get into the tubes 26 and 22 depending on the condition, which causes a big problem of inaccurate transfer amount. Therefore, a pump structure capable of discharging air, such as a so-called air pump, as in the present invention, is optimal.

If the detergent itself comes into contact with air, water vapor will be promoted, resulting in a change in viscosity and partial gelation, so it is best not to allow the detergent to come in contact with air.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention includes a cloth amount sensor that detects the amount of laundry put into a washing tub, a water level sensor that detects the amount of water supplied to the washing tub, a container that stores liquid detergent, and a container that stores liquid detergent in the container. In a washing machine equipped with a detergent dosing device that automatically supplies detergent to the washing tub according to the amount of laundry, there is a tube that guides the liquid detergent from the container into the washing tub, and a check valve installed at the end of the tube that faces the washing tub. A pump provided in the flow path of the tube and a motor that rotates the pump form a detergent injection device, and the pump has a casing and a vane that contacts the inner periphery of the casing and is configured to have an air discharging ability. Connect the pump blade and motor rotation shaft,
The present invention is characterized in that the amount of liquid detergent dispensed is adjusted by controlling the operating time of the motor according to the amount of laundry.

According to this configuration, the following advantages can be expected.

(1) The pump used has vanes that come into contact with the inner periphery of the casing and is capable of discharging air.
When used for the first time, the air accumulated in the liquid detergent container and the suction side of the pump is vented by operating the pump, so no special air venting device is required.

(2) If a special air bleed device is installed, the tube,
Depending on the placement of the air bleed device, air may remain in the tube, making it impossible to dispense the correct amount of liquid detergent for the amount of laundry.Using a pump with air discharging capability eliminates this problem. do not have.

(3) A check valve is installed at the end of the tube facing the washing tub, so there is no problem of air entering the tube and hardening the liquid detergent when the pump is stopped.

(4) Because it is equipped with a check valve, it requires more force to push out the liquid detergent compared to a tube with an open end, and because it uses a pump with a strong discharge force that has air discharge capacity, the opposite is true. Suitable for those using stop valves.

(5) Since a check valve is provided, there is no problem such as dripping of liquid detergent or backflow of liquid detergent inside the tube, which tends to occur with tubes with open ends.

(6) Pumps with air discharging capacity whose vanes are in contact with the inner periphery of the casing have little variation in the amount of liquid detergent transferred per rotation, so the injection of liquid detergent can be controlled by determining the operating time of the motor that turns the pump. The quantity will be accurate.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the overall configuration of the washing machine;
The figure is a schematic diagram of the electric circuit, Figure 3 is a diagram explaining the operation of the detergent dispenser, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along the center line of the check valve, Figure 5 is a diagram showing the blades of the detergent dispenser motor pump, Figure 6 is a sectional view of the casing of the motor pump, Figure 7 is a partial view of the operation and display panel, Figure 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between detergent input amount and selection keys, Figure 9 is a simple flowchart, Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the cloth amount sensor, Figure 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the output of the cloth amount sensor and time, Figure 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between decay time and amount of laundry, and Figure 13 is a diagram showing the water level. Schematic diagram of the sensor, Figure 14 is its electrical circuit diagram, Figure 1
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a curve in which the oscillation frequency changes with the movement of the magnetic material. 6... Water level sensor, 10... Fabric amount sensor,
25...Motor pump.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A cloth amount sensor that detects the amount of laundry put into the washing tub, a water level sensor that detects the amount of water supplied to the washing tub, and a container that stores liquid detergent.
In a washing machine equipped with a detergent dosing device that automatically supplies liquid detergent from a container to the washing tub according to the amount of laundry, there is a tube that leads the liquid detergent from the container to the washing tub and a tube at the end of the tube that faces the washing tub. The check valve installed, the pump installed in the flow path of the tube, and the motor that turns this pump form a detergent injection device. A washing machine characterized in that the amount of liquid detergent dispensed is adjusted by connecting the blades of the pump and the rotating shaft of the motor, and controlling the operating time of the motor according to the amount of laundry. Machine.