JPS61244394A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (b) Industrial application fields The present invention relates to a washing machine.

(b) Conventional technology In general, in fully automatic washing machines, if the 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). -2491
As shown in Publication No. 4, etc., the reversal cycle of the rotor blade 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, there is a drawback that the cleaning power and rinsing performance vary depending on the amount of laundry.

Further, since the cleaning power also differs depending on the water temperature (the higher the water temperature, the higher the cleaning power), if this is not taken into consideration, the above-mentioned drawbacks will be further exposed.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention The present invention provides a washing machine that automatically performs washing or rinsing depending on the amount of laundry and water temperature.

(d) Means for Solving Problems The washing machine of the present invention includes an outer tank installed in the machine frame, an inner tank installed inside the outer tank and having a dehydration hole around the outer tank, and a rotary blade pivotally supported at the bottom of the tank; a drive motor that rotates the rotary blade intermittently; a semiconductor pressure sensor that outputs an output proportional to the water level in the outer tank and detects fluctuations in the water level; a control device that switches the drive motor between an operating state and a non-operating state when the fluctuation detection output from the sensor reaches a predetermined set value, the control device controlling the semiconductor pressure at a predetermined water level and a predetermined temperature The output of the sensor is set as a reference output, and the set value or the number of state switching is changed based on a comparison result between the reference output and the output from the semiconductor pressure sensor at the predetermined water level during washing. be.

(e) Effect: Since the semiconductor pressure sensor for detecting the water level in the tank shows a higher output as the temperature rises at a constant water level, the output of the sensor during washing is determined in advance at a predetermined temperature. If the output is higher than the reference output, the total drive time of the drive motor is made relatively short.

Kube) Example Embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

In Figure 2, (1) is the machine frame of the washing machine, (2) is an outer tank that is installed inside the machine frame (1) and has a drainage hole (3) at the bottom;
(4) is installed inside the outer tank (2) and has a large number of dehydration holes (5) (5a) around the periphery and bottom, and (6) is the inner tank (4).
), (7) is a rotary blade that is also pivotally supported at the bottom of the inner tank (4), (8) is a drive motor, and (9) is a control device that transmits and controls 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.(1
0) is a pair of electrodes attached to the lower side wall of the outer tank (2), (
11) is a drainage hose that is connected to the drainage hole (3) via a drainage solenoid valve (12), and (13) is a water supply pipe that has a water supply solenoid valve (14) and supplies water to the inner tank (4). , (15
) is an air trough knob (1) that is installed at the bottom corner of the exterior (2) and changes the internal air pressure according to the water level in the tank.
6) is a semiconductor pressure sensor to be described later, and (17) is a pressure hose connecting the air trap (15) and the pressure sensor (16).

Here, the structure of the pressure sensor (16>) is shown in Fig. 3.A silicon pellet (19) serving as a diaphragm part is adhered to the header (18), and a pressure hose (17) is attached to the outside.
) with a pressure introduction tube (20) connected to the cap (
21) is completely welded. Four piezo diffused resistors (22) to (
25) is installed. When the pressure in the air trap (15) is introduced from the pressure introduction pipe (20), the diaphragm portion is deformed and the resistance values of the piezo diffusion resistors (22) to (25) change. Piezo diffused resistance (22) to (25)
By bridge-coupling them as shown in Figure 4, changes in the resistance value are converted into voltage changes with high sensitivity, and the output terminal (26)
In FIG. 3, taken from (26'), (27) is a constant current circuit that supplies a constant current of 1.5 [mA] to the bridge. In Figure 2, (28) is adhesive, (29) is insulating material, (30)
is a conductor, and (31) is a 6-wood lead terminal, which corresponds 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 a microcomputer (32) (corresponding to the control device).

The microcomputer (32) has a start N (33)
), water level setting button (34) and pressure sensor (1).
Information from 6> and electrodes 10 can be inputted, and this information can be used to judge the drive motor (8), water supply solenoid valve (14), drain solenoid valve (12), brake device (35), and buzzer circuit.
36), LED display device! (37) etc. In the figure, (38) and (39) indicate interfaces.

To explain the water supply process in order, first, Figure 6 shows a semiconductor pressure sensor (1
6) is the output characteristic. 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, then this output characteristic formula is Y=
It can be expressed as ax+b.

Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, first, the height from the position where the electrode (10) is installed, that is, the bottom of the outer tank (2) to the electrode (10) is h (constant), and Input the water level Ho=nh when the water supply is completed.

In other words, when the water level is high, n”nl, and when the water level is low, it is n”n.
Set n in advance as z(n+>nz),
Then, start water supply. Then, first input the output (AI) of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) when the water level is zero (portoco), and then when the water level reaches zero, the output (AI) of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) is input.
conducts water to the medium, so the output (A2) of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) at that time [input portco. Therefore, since A Is A 2 is determined, the output characteristic equation becomes as follows, and by further substituting X=Ho-n-h, the output Y1 of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) when the water level is Ho can be obtained. In other words, semiconductor pressure sensor (16)
Water supply is stopped when the output reaches Yl.

Next, the washing and 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 Yl, and this output Yl is inputted in advance.

Now, after water supply is completed, the rotary blade (7) for washing or rinsing is reversed at a cycle of t1 seconds ON and tz seconds oFF. Then, when the rotor (7) is rotating, water between the inner tank (4) and the outer tank (2) is drained into the dehydration hole (5) by the pump action.
a) is sucked into the inner tank (4), the water level between the inner tank (4) and the outer tank (2) temporarily lowers, and the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) also decreases.

Here, the amount by which this output decreases is input in advance as the set value j2+.

When the rotor (7) stops, the water that was sucked into the inner tank (4) flows out from the dehydration holes (5) (5a), and the reaction causes the water to flow between the inner tank (4) and the outer tank (2) again. water level rises, and the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) also increases.

Here, this increase in output is input in advance as a set value of 2.

In this way, during washing and rinsing, the rotor blade (7) is turned to 0N-O.
The washing and rinsing process times are determined by the number of times the rotor blade (7) turns ON and OFF. That is, rotor blade (7) (drive motor <8))
A counting circuit is provided to count the number of ON signals, and when the number of times reaches N, the process moves to the next step.

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

Set water level Ho (output Y+ of semiconductor pressure sensor (16)
) (period C in the figure) drive motor (8)
is energized, and the rotor blade (7) rotates (after adding detergent when washing). Then, the water level between the inner tank (4) and the outer tank (2) starts to decrease as described above, and the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) starts to decrease accordingly. At this time, the drive motor (
8) means that the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor <16) decreases by the set value 11 from Yl or the O of the drive motor (8)
The ON state continues until t1 seconds, which is N time, has elapsed.

The output of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) when any of these conditions is satisfied is M L n (n −1,2−N
), and after inputting this M L n, drive motor (8)
When the rotor blade (7) stops, the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) starts to increase as described above, so at this time, the drive motor (8) changes the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) to M. Set value from Ln! The OFF state continues until the time increases by 2 or until t2 seconds, which is the OFF time of the drive motor (8), elapses. The output of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) when any of these conditions is satisfied is defined as MHn (nJ, 2.-・N-1>, and this M H
After inputting n, the drive motor (8) is turned on again. This time, the ON state continues until the output of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) decreases by 1z from M Hn or until time t2 elapses.

After the drive motor (8) repeats ON and OFF in the same manner, when the ON signal of the drive motor (8) is counted N times, the drive motor (8) is stopped and the water is drained from the magnetic valve (12). ) and move on to the drainage process.

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, a semiconductor pressure sensor is used to measure the water level between the inner tub (4) and the outer tub (2), which changes depending on the amount of laundry.
16), the washing time can be automatically controlled according to 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. Since the time for the output of 16) to decrease by I+ (or 12) is quick, the ON state of the drive motor (8) is shortened.

Now, when washing, there is a difference in water temperature of about 20° C. depending on water and hot water, summer and winter, region, etc., and the higher the water temperature, the higher the cleaning power. However, under the same conditions every time (setting value 1+, 92
, number of inversions N, etc.), there may be a difference in cleaning power.

Therefore, by utilizing the fact that the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) which is not subjected to temperature compensation exhibits the characteristics shown in FIG. 6(a), the number of inversions N is changed depending on the temperature.

That is, as shown in Table 1, the temperatures T1, Ta, (T
When the water level at I < Ta ) is zero, the outputs A I , B I and the water level of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) are h (
The outputs A2 and B2 of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) when the electrodes are conducting) are defined.

Below margin The explanation will be given below based on FIG.

Output D of the semiconductor pressure sensor (16) when the water level is zero
After the water supply starts, the semiconductor pressure when the electrode (10) is turned on, and the output D2 of the sensor (16) are measured, and the microcomputer (32) compares this output D2 with the above A2 and B2, and the results are shown in Table 2. Accordingly, set the number of reversals N+, N2, and N3 of the drive motor (8). Here, Da<A2
When B2<B2, the water temperature is lower in the former case, so the decrease in cleaning power due to the lower water temperature is compensated for by increasing the number of inversions Nn. That is, N1〉
The relationship is N2>N3. Then, the water supply is controlled as described above from the characteristic equations of DI, B2, and the pressure sensor (16), and then the washing process is controlled based on the set number of inversions Nn.

In addition, as shown in Figure 10, the TI in Table 1 is
% A+ , A2 and the number of inversions N are specified. For example, if the outputs D I and D 2 are measured at the temperature To, then the number of inversions N0 at this time is the specified value A.
A value obtained by multiplying the difference between I and the output D+ by 0 to a constant and adding it to the specified value N is used. That is, No-N+Ko ・(AI-DI
). In this way, when TI>To, A
I-DI is a positive value, N o > N, and TI <
Conversely, when it is To, it becomes No. Therefore, the lower the water temperature is, the more the number of reversals can be increased, and the number of times N of reversals can be increased. can be set steplessly.

As described above, in this embodiment, it is possible to perform washing according to the amount of laundry and the temperature of the washing liquid, and there is no need to perform temperature compensation on the semiconductor pressure sensor (16), so the time spent on it is reduced. You can save time and effort.

Incidentally, instead of changing the number of inversions N, the set values 1+ and Ilz may be changed depending on the temperature.

(G) Effects of the Invention The washing machine of the present invention can perform washing or rinsing according to the amount of laundry, and furthermore, the difference in cleaning power caused by the difference in water temperature can be compensated for by driving the drive motor according to the water temperature. Since the time is automatically lengthened or shortened, the difference in cleaning power due to the difference in water temperature can be reduced, and almost uniform cleaning power can always be obtained.

Further, since a separate water temperature detection element is not required, the device can be simplified.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing the water supply process in the washing machine of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the washing machine of the invention, Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram of the semiconductor pressure sensor, and Fig. 4 is the semiconductor pressure sensor. A circuit diagram showing the relationship between the sensor and the constant current circuit, Fig. 5 is a block circuit diagram, Figs. 6 (a) and (b) are output characteristic diagrams for the water level of the semiconductor pressure sensor, and Fig. 7 is a flow chart showing the water supply process. , Figure 8 is a diagram of the output characteristics versus time of the semiconductor pressure sensor during the washing and rinsing process.
Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the washing and rinsing process.
FIG. 0 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing another embodiment. (1) Machine frame, (2) Outer tank, (4) Inner tank, (5) (5a) Dehydration hole, (7) Rotating blade, (8 )...Drive motor, (14)...Water supply solenoid valve, (15)...Air trap, (16)...Semiconductor pressure sensor, (32)...Microcomputer (control device).

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An outer tank installed inside the machine frame, and an inner tank installed inside this outer tank,
An inner tank having a dehydration hole around the outer tank, a rotor rotor supported at the bottom of the inner tank, a drive motor that rotates the rotor intermittently, and an output proportional to the water level in the outer tank, which generates an output proportional to the water level. a semiconductor pressure sensor that detects fluctuations in the drive motor; and a control device that switches the drive motor between an operating state and a non-operating state when a fluctuation detection output from the semiconductor pressure sensor reaches a predetermined set value, the control device The output of the semiconductor pressure sensor at a predetermined water level and a predetermined temperature is set as a reference output, and based on the comparison result between the reference output and the output from the semiconductor pressure sensor at the predetermined water level during washing, A washing machine characterized by changing a set value or the number of times the state is changed.