JPH0552235B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (A) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a washing machine that automatically controls washing and rinsing processes.

(B) Prior Art In general, in fully automatic washing machines, if a course is set at the beginning, the washing or rinsing time is constant regardless of the water level or the amount of laundry (load amount). Also, as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-24914,
The rotation cycle of the rotor is also constant.

However, when there is a lot of laundry, it is difficult to move the laundry and the cleaning power decreases, so if you set it so that sufficient cleaning power is obtained at maximum load, then when there is only a small amount of laundry, Laundry moves rapidly, causing fabric damage and water splashing. In other words,
The drawback is that the cleaning power and rinsing performance vary depending on the amount of laundry.

(c) Problems to be solved by the invention The present invention automatically performs washing and rinsing according to the amount of laundry, and increases the amount of water supplied when the amount of laundry is too large for the water level. This prevents insufficient washing by adjusting the amount of water according to the amount of laundry.

(d) Means for Solving Problems The washing machine of the present invention comprises a washing machine frame, an outer tank installed inside the machine frame, and a dehydration hole installed inside the outer tank and around the outer tank. an inner tank having an inner tank, a rotary blade pivotally supported on the bottom of the inner tank, a drive motor for rotating the rotor, and a water supply valve for supplying water into the outer tank;
motor control means for controlling the drive motor to be energized or de-energized so that the rotary blade repeats rotation and stop; and water level detection for detecting the water level in the outer tank when the drive motor is controlled by the motor control means. means for comparing the water level fluctuation width in the outer tank based on the output of the water level detection means with a predetermined fluctuation width; a switching means for switching the control state by the motor control means; and a measuring means for measuring the time during which the drive motor is controlled to be energized by the motor control means. ,
If the measuring means measures a predetermined time before the comparison result is not obtained by the comparing means, the motor control means stops energizing the drive motor and drives the water supply valve to The water supply device includes a water supply means for supplying a predetermined amount of water into the tank, and a restart means for restarting the motor control means to restart energization of the drive motor after the water supply means has supplied water.

(E) Effect In other words, if there is too much laundry for the water level, the rotor blades will have difficulty rotating and insufficient washing will occur.This can be automatically detected based on fluctuations in the water level and water can be supplied separately. By adjusting the amount of water according to the amount of laundry, the rotor blades can rotate easily.

(f) Examples Examples of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
In Figure 2, 1 is the washing machine frame, 2 is the machine frame 1
An outer tank 4 is installed inside the outer tank 2 and has a drainage hole 3 at the bottom, and an inner tank 6 is installed inside the outer tank 2 and has a large number of dewatering holes 5, 5a around the periphery and at the bottom. In the attached balance ring, 7 is a rotary blade which is also pivotally supported at the bottom of the inner tank 4, 8 is a drive motor, and 9 is a bearing case incorporating a clutch operation for transmitting and controlling the rotation of the drive motor 8. The drive motor 8 rotates the rotary blade 7 via a reduction gear during washing, and also rotates the inner tub 4 during dehydration. 10 is a pair of electrodes attached to the lower side wall of the outer tank 2; 11 is a drain hole 3;
A drain hose 13 is connected to a drain solenoid valve 12, and a water supply pipe 13 has a water supply solenoid valve 14 to supply water to the inner tank 4. A water supply pipe 15 is provided at one corner of the bottom of the exterior 2, and is connected to the water level in the tank. An air trap changes the internal air pressure accordingly; 16 is a semiconductor pressure sensor to be described later; and 17 is a pressure hose that connects the air trap 15 and pressure sensor 16.

Here, the structure of the pressure sensor 16 is shown in FIG. A silicon pellet 19 serving as a diaphragm portion is adhered to the header 18, and a cap 21 having a pressure introduction pipe 20 to which the pressure hose 17 is connected is welded to the outside. Silicon pellet 1
There are four piezo diffused resistors 2 in the diaphragm part 9.
2 to 25 are installed. When the pressure inside the air trap 15 is introduced from the pressure introduction pipe 20, the diaphragm portion deforms and the piezo diffusion resistors 22 to 2
The resistance value of 5 changes. Piezo diffused resistor 22-2
By connecting 5 with a bridge as shown in Fig. 4,
The change in resistance value is sensitively converted into a voltage change and output from the output terminals 26, 26'. 27 in Figure 3
is a constant current circuit that supplies a constant current of 1.5mA to the bridge. External resistors 28, 29, and 30 are used for temperature compensation, sensitivity, and zero point adjustment of the pressure sensor 16.
In FIG. 3, 31 is an adhesive, 32 is an insulating material, 33 is a conducting wire, and 34 is six lead terminals, which correspond to point (P) in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 shows a block circuit diagram of the control device, and the washing machine of this embodiment is controlled by the microcomputer 3.
5 (corresponding to the control device).
The microcomputer 35 has a start button 36.
Information from the water level setting button 37 and pressure sensor 16
Information from the electrode 10 is input, and based on this information, the drive motor 8, water supply solenoid valve 14, drain solenoid valve 12, brake device 38, buzzer circuit 39,
Controls the LED display device 40 and the like. In the figure, 41 and 42 indicate interfaces.

The explanation will be given in order starting from the water supply process. First, FIG. 6 shows the output characteristics of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 with respect to the water level. That is, as shown in the figure, the output voltage of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 is proportional to the water level. Here, if the output voltage is Y and the water level is X, this output characteristic equation can be expressed as Y=ax+b.

Below, explanation will be made with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
First, input the position where the electrode 10 is attached, that is, the height from the bottom of the outer tank 2 to the electrode 10 (h (constant)), and further input the water level Ho=n·h when water supply is completed. In other words, when the water level is high, n=n ₁ , when the water level is low, n=n ₂
n is set in advance as (n ₁ > n ₂ ).
Then, start water supply. Then, first input the output (A ₁ ) [volts] of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 when the water level is zero, and then when the water level reaches h, the electrode 10 conducts water to the medium, so the output (A 1 ) [volts] of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 at that time is input. Enter the output (A ₂ ) [volts]. Therefore, since A ₁ and A ₂ are determined, the above output characteristic formula becomes Y ₁ = A ₂ - _{A 1} /h・X+A ₁ , and further substituting X=Ho=n・h, the water level
The output Y ₁ of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 at the time of Ho can be obtained. In other words, the water supply is stopped when the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 reaches _Y1 .

Next, the washing/rinsing process will be explained.

In FIG. 6, the output for the water level Ho immediately after the water supply is completed is designated as _Y1 , and this output _Y1 has been input in advance.

Now, in order to perform washing or rinsing after water supply is completed, the rotary blade 7 is reversed at a cycle of t ₁ second ON and t ₂ seconds OFF. Then, when the rotor 7 is rotating, the water between the inner tank 4 and the outer tank 2 is sucked into the inner tank 4 through the dehydration hole 5a by the pump action, and the water between the inner tank 4 and the outer tank 2 is
The water level between them temporarily decreases, and the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 also decreases. Here, input the amount by which the output decreases as the set value ₁ in advance.

When the rotor 7 stops, the water sucked into the inner tank 4 flows out from the dehydration holes 5 and 5a, and the water level between the inner tank 4 and the outer tank 2 rises again due to the reaction, and the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 Output also increases. Here, input this increase in output as the set value ₂ in advance.

In this way, for washing and rinsing, turn on the rotary blade 7.
The washing and rinsing process times are determined by the number of times the rotor blade 7 turns ON and OFF. That is, a counting circuit is provided to count the ON signals of the rotary blade 7 (drive motor 8), and when the number of times reaches N, the next stroke is started.

Based on the above, the operation will be explained based on FIGS. 8 and 9.

Set water level Ho (output of semiconductor pressure sensor 16
When water is supplied to Y ₁ ) (period C in the figure), the drive motor 8 is energized and the rotor blades 7 rotate (after washing detergent). Then, the water level between the inner tank 4 and the outer tank 2 begins to decrease as described above, and the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 begins to decrease accordingly. At this time, the drive motor 8 operates until the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 decreases by the set value ₁ from Y ₁ or until t ₁ second, which is the ON time of the drive motor 8, elapses.
Continues to be ON. The output of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 when any of these conditions is met is MLn
(n=1, 2...N), and after inputting this MLn, the drive motor 8 is turned off. When the rotor blade 7 stops, the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 is activated as described above.
Since the output of the drive motor 8 starts to increase, at this time the output of the drive motor 8 starts to increase.
, the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 increases by the set value ₂ from MLn, or the output of the drive motor 8 increases.
The OFF state continues until the OFF time of t ₂ seconds has elapsed. The output of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 when any of these conditions is satisfied is MHn (n=1, 2,
...N-1), and after inputting this MHn, the drive motor 8 is turned on again. And this time,
The ON state continues until the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 decreases by ₂ from MHn or the time _t2 elapses.

Thereafter, the drive motor 8 repeats ON and OFF in the same manner, and when the ON signal of the drive motor 8 is counted N times, the drive motor 8 is stopped, the drain electromagnetic valve 12 is opened, and the process moves to the drain stroke.

Generally, when washing clothes, the larger the load (laundry), the longer it is necessary to turn on the drive motor 8. Therefore, in this embodiment, since the water level between the inner tub 4 and the outer tub 2, which changes depending on the amount of laundry, is detected by the semiconductor pressure sensor 16, the washing time can be automatically controlled to match the amount of laundry. . That is, for example, when the amount of laundry is small, the rotor blade 7 rotates quickly because there is little resistance, and the water level between the inner tub 4 and the outer tub 2 decreases quickly. Therefore, since the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 decreases by ₁ (or ₂ ) quickly, the ON state of the drive motor 8 becomes shorter.

Now, the set values ₁ and ₂ are set to values that allow suitable washing for the laundry, and the set values ₁ or ₂ are set within the specified time _t1.
If there is no fluctuation, it could mean that the load is too large, the belt that transmits the rotation of the drive motor 8 is slipping, the rotation of the rotor blade 7 is obstructed by a foreign object (the motor is locked), etc. It is possible that a problem has occurred.

Even if the drive motor 8 is repeatedly turned on and off in this state, not only will the cleaning power decrease, but if the motor is locked, the drive motor 8 may overheat and burn out.

Therefore, as shown in FIG.
If the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 does not decrease by the set value ₂ within the ON time t ₁ second, the drive motor 8 is stopped after t ₁ second has elapsed, and after replenishing a certain amount of water (the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor 16 The drive motor 8 is turned ON again until the output increases by, for example, Yo. At this time, the output reaches the set value within t ₁ second as usual.
₂ , that is, if the predetermined fluctuating water level is not obtained, the microcomputer 35
determines that there is an abnormality, and notifies the user by stopping the drive motor 8 and sounding a buzzer.

Furthermore, as shown by the dotted line in the figure, if the water level has been set to the highest water level in advance, it is useless to replenish water any further, so the drive motor 8 is immediately stopped without replenishing water, and the buzzer is sounded. You may let them.

(G) Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, the water level in the outer tub changes slowly between when the rotor is stopped and when it rotates, and the time it takes to reach a specified value is delayed as the amount of laundry increases. The stop time or rotation time of the rotor blades is automatically controlled depending on the amount of laundry, which prevents over-washing (rinsing) when the amount of laundry is small, and ensures sufficient washing when the amount of laundry is large. Can be washed (rinsed) until strength is obtained.

Furthermore, if the amount of laundry is too large and the laundry does not rotate properly, the water level fluctuation in the tub during rotation of the rotor will not reach a predetermined value within a predetermined time. Since water is supplied, even if there is a large amount of laundry, the laundry can be rotated well, and insufficient washing can be prevented when there is too much laundry.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1A and 1B are flow charts showing the washing and rinsing steps in the washing machine of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the washing machine in the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the semiconductor pressure sensor. Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the relationship between the semiconductor pressure sensor and the constant current circuit, Fig. 5 is a block circuit diagram, Fig. 6 is an output characteristic diagram of the semiconductor pressure sensor with respect to water level, and Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the water supply process. , FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the output characteristics of the semiconductor pressure sensor with respect to time during the washing/rinsing process, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the washing/rinsing process. 1...Machine frame, 2...Outer tank, 4...Inner tank, 5,5
a...Dehydration hole, 7...Rotary blade, 8...Drive motor, 14...Water supply solenoid valve, 15...Air trap, 16...Semiconductor pressure sensor, 35...Microcomputer (control device).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A washing machine frame, an outer tank installed in the machine frame, an inner tank installed in the outer tank and having a dehydration hole around it, and a rotor rotor supported on the bottom of the inner tank. and,
A drive motor for rotating the rotary blade, a water supply valve for supplying water into the outer tank, and a motor control means for controlling the drive motor to be energized or de-energized so that the rotor blade repeats rotation and stop. and,
water level detection means for detecting the water level in the outer tank when the drive motor is controlled by the motor control means; and comparison means for comparing the water level fluctuation range in the outer tank based on the output of the water level detection means with a predetermined fluctuation range. and a switching means for switching the control state by the motor control means when the comparison means obtains a comparison result that the water level fluctuation width in the outer tank is equal to or larger than the predetermined fluctuation width; a measuring means for measuring the time during which the drive motor is controlled to be energized; and if the measuring means measures a predetermined time before the comparison result is obtained by the comparing means, the motor a water supply means for supplying a predetermined amount of water into the outer tank by stopping energization of the drive motor by a control means and driving the water supply valve; and after water is supplied by the water supply means;
A washing machine comprising: restart means for restarting energization of the drive motor by the motor control means.