WO2010041421A1 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A washing machine comprising a housing, a washing tub rotated with laundry contained therein, a motor for rotationally driving the washing tub, a motor control section for controlling the motor, a containing tube for containing the washing tub and supported relative to the housing, a support device for supporting the containing tube while maintaining the attitude of the containing tube, an imbalance detecting section for detecting an imbalance of the washing tub caused by an eccentric distribution of the laundry in the washing tub, and an imbalance-vibration control section for adding to a motor controlling signal a signal for correcting a variation in the torque of the motor caused by the imbalance of the laundry.

Description

Washing machine

The present invention relates to a washing machine having a motor that generates a rotational driving force for rotating a washing tub in order to perform washing, rinsing, dehydration and drying.

Generally, washing machines are roughly classified into a pulsator type that uses a flowing water stream to wash laundry and a drum type that uses the falling of the laundry to wash (tap).

In the pulsator type, the laundry is taken in and out from above, and the direction of the washing tub is vertical, which is called the vertical type. On the other hand, the drum type is called a horizontal type because the direction of the washing tub is horizontal. In general, the dryer is also of a horizontal type.

On the other hand, in recent drum type washing machines, from the viewpoint of universal design, the washing tub which is a drum is arranged smoothly. As a result, the drum type washing machine can easily take out the laundry, and the washing performance is improved by tapping, and the drying time is shortened as compared with the vertical type.

However, drum-type washing machines tend to generate vibration noise due to unbalanced laundry in the dehydration process, and the vibration is reduced by a damper or the like (for example, see Patent Document 1).

As another drum type washing machine, the vibration of the washing tub is detected by a vibration sensor attached to the upper part of the washing tub, and the rotational speed of the motor is controlled by the dehydration process control unit based on the detected signal. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

However, the drum-type washing machine has a problem that the laundry is unbalanced during dehydration because the drum is licked, and the washing tub vibrates greatly.

Moreover, the drum type washing machine of patent document 2 only detects the vibration of the washing tub and controls the number of rotations according to the level, and does not actively reduce the vibration of the washing tub by motor control. . Thus, the vibration reduction of the washing tub of the drum-type washing machine of patent document 2 is only performed by the damper arrange | positioned under a receiving cylinder, and the subject that the vibration of a washing machine cannot be reduced stably. Had.

JP 2006-136602 A JP-A-5-154275

The washing machine of the present invention includes a housing, a washing tub that accommodates and rotates laundry, a motor that rotationally drives the washing tub, a motor control unit that controls the motor, and a washing tub that accommodates the housing. Supported by the receiving cylinder, a supporting device that supports the attitude of the receiving cylinder, an unbalance detection unit that detects an imbalance that occurs when the laundry is biased in the washing tub, and a motor torque caused by the unbalance of the laundry. And an unbalance vibration control unit that adds a signal for correcting the fluctuation to the motor control signal.

Such a washing machine detects the unbalance of the laundry and the torque fluctuation caused thereby, and corrects the torque fluctuation by motor control. As a result, it is possible to reduce the vibration due to the imbalance of the washing tub in the dehydration process, reduce the noise associated therewith, suppress the vibration when the dehydration speed is increased, and shorten the dehydration time.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vibration control device for a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vibration control device for a washing machine according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a vibration control device for a washing machine according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a model diagram of a receiving cylinder vibration system when an imbalance due to laundry occurs in the washing tub of the washing machine. FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram of a vibration trajectory when the torque fluctuation of the washing machine is 2.7 Nm. FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram of a vibration trajectory when the torque fluctuation of the washing machine is 0 Nm.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the embodiment of the present invention.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vibration control device for a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the washing machine includes a washing machine mechanism 10, a rotating drum 11, and a motor 12. Here, the rotating drum 11 is a washing tub that accommodates and rotates laundry. The motor 12 is a brushless motor, and rotates the rotary drum 11 while controlling the speed.

Further, the washing machine of FIG. 1 includes a receiving cylinder 13, a seal packing 14, a support spring 15, a damper mechanism 16, a housing 17, a laundry insertion port 18, a vibration isolating rubber 19, and a triaxial acceleration sensor 20. Here, the receiving tube 13 accommodates the washing tub and is supported with respect to the housing 17. The support spring 15 supports the posture of the washing tub. The housing 17 has a laundry input port 18. The seal packing 14 is connected without a gap between the receiving tube 13 and the housing 17. The damper mechanism 16 includes a spring element and a damper element. The spring element and the damper element reduce vibration generated during washing (when the motor rotates), and reduce vibration transmission to the housing 17 and the floor.

The support spring 15 and the damper mechanism 16 are support devices that support the attitude of the receiving tube 13. The triaxial acceleration sensor 20 is a vibration sensor, and is arranged on the upper side of the side surface of the receiving tube 13 to detect the vibration state of the receiving tube 13. Then, the washing machine comes into contact with the floor by the vibration proof rubber 19.

The washing machine of FIG. 1 includes a motor control unit 21, a Hall IC speed detection unit 24, a control microcomputer control amount calculation unit 25, and an inverter circuit drive unit 26. Here, the Hall IC speed detector 24 detects the rotational speed of the motor 12. The control microcomputer control amount calculation unit 25 calculates a control amount by calculating an error from the target rotation speed based on the motor rotation speed output from the Hall IC speed detection unit 24, and outputs a motor control signal 31. . The inverter circuit driving unit 26 applies a driving current to the motor 12.

1 further includes an unbalance detection unit 22, an unbalance vibration control unit 23, and an addition unit 27. Here, the unbalance detection unit 22 calculates the amount of vibration (displacement) and the unbalance caused by the laundry being biased in the washing tub from the output of the triaxial acceleration sensor 20.

The unbalance vibration control unit 23 estimates torque variation based on the output of the unbalance detection unit 22, and outputs a signal for correcting the variation in torque of the motor 12 due to unbalance. Further, a motor control signal 31 is output from the control microcomputer control amount calculation device 25. The adder 27 adds the output of the control microcomputer control amount calculator 25 and the output of the unbalance vibration controller 23 and outputs the result to the inverter circuit driver 26.

First, motor control will be described. The motor control unit 21 receives a washing mode signal from a washing machine controller (not shown). The motor control unit 21 detects the operation mode of washing, dehydration, and drying, and sets the motor rotation speed according to the operation mode as the target rotation speed. The motor 12 is an 8-pole 12-slot DC brushless motor with a built-in Hall element. The Hall IC speed detector 24 detects the rotation speed of the motor 12 based on the Hall IC signal. Then, the control microcomputer control amount calculation unit 25 calculates an error between the target rotation speed and the detected rotation speed of the motor, and calculates the control amount so that the error becomes zero.

In the vibration control system, the unbalance detection unit 22 detects the vibration of the receiving cylinder 13 and estimates the unbalance of the laundry based on the acceleration signal of the triaxial acceleration sensor 20. That is, the unbalance detection unit 22 detects the unbalance of the laundry as vibration of the cylinder 13 by the vibration sensor. Thus, by detecting the vibration of the receiving cylinder 13 with low cost, small size, and high accuracy, it is possible to reduce the vibration of the receiving cylinder 13 at the time of dehydration and the noise associated therewith at low cost.

The unbalance vibration control unit 23 detects torque fluctuation due to unbalance vibration, and performs control by calculating a control amount so that the torque fluctuation becomes zero. In particular, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the control amount for torque fluctuation correction is added to the control amount of the motor rotation speed control system in the adding unit 27, and the motor 12 is controlled and driven.

That is, the motor 12 is controlled and driven so as to reduce the vibration that causes the torque fluctuation by adding the state quantity in the motor vibration system called the vibration quantity as the torque fluctuation of the motor control quantity and adding it to the speed control quantity of the motor 12.

As described above, the washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention is equipped with the three-axis acceleration sensor 20, senses the vibration of the receiving cylinder 13, and performs vibration control by controlling torque fluctuation due to vibration and motor speed control. Do. As a result, vibration control of the receiving cylinder 13 by the motor 12 can be realized. The resonance vibration of the support mechanism at the start-up in the washing / dehydration / drying process of the washing machine, the support mechanism vibration due to the resonance vibration of the receiving cylinder 13 during steady rotation, and the noise due to the support mechanism vibration can be reduced or prevented. . And during the dehydration process, vibrations due to laundry imbalance and motor torque fluctuations can be reduced, so the chance of stopping dehydration can be reduced by increasing the vibration in the process of increasing the dehydration rotation speed, etc. Since the dehydration speed can be increased early, the dehydration time can be shortened.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vibration control device for a washing machine according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Since the basic configuration of the vibration control device is the same as that of the first embodiment of the present invention, the description thereof is omitted. The same components as those in the first embodiment of the present invention are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

1 is that the unbalance vibration control unit 23 has a torque fluctuation correction unit 28. The unbalance vibration control unit 23 that detects the torque variation of the motor 12 estimates the torque variation and corrects the torque variation based on the output of the unbalance detection unit 22 and the output of the inverter circuit driving unit 26. Therefore, the torque fluctuation correction unit 28 generates a signal having the same phase and the same amplitude as the torque fluctuation of the motor 12 so that the torque fluctuation of the motor 12 becomes zero, and outputs the signal to the motor control unit 21. As a result, the torque fluctuation due to the unbalance of the laundry can be corrected with high accuracy, and the unbalanced vibration during dehydration and the noise associated therewith can be reduced.

The torque fluctuation correction unit 28 compares the vibration of the receiving cylinder 13 with the torque fluctuation of the motor control signal 31 by the triaxial acceleration sensor 20. Of the torque fluctuation, the same frequency component as the vibration frequency of the receiving cylinder 13 synchronized with the rotation speed is extracted. The torque fluctuation correction unit 28 has the same amplitude as that of the frequency component, generates a signal having a phase opposite to that of the torque fluctuation, outputs the signal to the motor control unit 21, and adds the motor control unit 21 to the motor control unit 21 in the addition unit 27. It is carried out.

As described above, the washing machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes the three-axis acceleration sensor 20, senses the vibration of the receiving cylinder 13, and controls the vibration control by controlling the torque fluctuation due to the vibration and the speed control of the motor 12. I do. As a result, vibration control of the receiving cylinder 13 by the motor 12 can be realized. The resonance vibration of the support mechanism at the start-up in the washing / dehydrating / drying process of the washing machine, the support mechanism vibration due to the resonance vibration of the receiving cylinder during steady rotation, and the noise due to the support mechanism vibration can be reduced or prevented.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a vibration control device for a washing machine according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Since the basic configuration of the vibration control device is the same as that of the first embodiment of the present invention, the description thereof is omitted. The same components as those in the first embodiment of the present invention are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

1 is different from FIG. 1 in that the unbalance detection unit 22 has a vibration trajectory detection unit 30 and the unbalance vibration control unit 23 has a signal phase adjustment unit 29. Here, the vibration trajectory detection unit 30 detects a swing trajectory of the receiving tube 13. In this way, the motor 12 is controlled by the unbalanced vibration control unit 23 so as to reduce the whirling of the receiving tube 13, so that the vibration of the receiving tube 13 during dehydration and the accompanying noise can be reduced. The signal phase adjusting unit 29 adjusts the phase of the signal having the same amplitude as the torque fluctuation of the motor 12 output from the inverter circuit driving unit 26, and brings the state where the output of the vibration locus detecting unit 30 is elliptical closer to a circle. As a result, it is possible to reduce the vibration of the receiving cylinder 13 during dehydration and to reduce the noise associated therewith.

The triaxial acceleration sensor 20 detects vibrations in three orthogonal directions. Therefore, the run-out trajectory of the receiving cylinder 13 can be detected, and the motor 12 is controlled by the unbalance vibration control unit 23 so as to reduce the run-out of the receiving cylinder 13. As a result, it is possible to reduce the vibration of the receiving cylinder during dehydration and the accompanying noise.

Further, the unbalance detector 22 detects the unbalance of the laundry as the vibration of the cylinder 13 by the three-axis acceleration sensor 20 that can detect the vibrations in the three orthogonal directions. The vibration trajectory detection unit 30 detects the swing trajectory of the receiving tube 13 from at least two of the three signals of the three-axis acceleration sensor 20.

FIG. 4 is a model diagram of a receiving barrel vibration system when an imbalance due to the laundry occurs in the washing tub of the washing machine according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The factor of vibration is centrifugal force F.

Also, as torque fluctuation Tpul (t)

There is. Also, torque fluctuation is

As described above, there are a component generated by the gravity due to the unbalance of the laundry and a component generated by a change in bearing friction or the like due to vibration.

Here, m is the mass of the laundry causing imbalance, rx (t) is the x-axis component of the distance to the laundry causing imbalance, r ₀ is the receiving cylinder radius, g is the gravitational acceleration, and ω is the drum angular velocity. , Tloss (t) is a torque fluctuation caused by a change in bearing friction or the like caused by vibration. Also, the rotational movement of the washing tub by the motor

It is assumed that the angular velocity motion is as follows.

Consider a vibration system in which a washing tub with unbalanced laundry is rotated by rotation of a motor 12 in a receiving cylinder 13 supported by a support spring 15 and a damper mechanism 16.

Such a vibration system is a general coordinate system,

It is expressed as When this equation is expressed in a 6-degree-of-freedom orthogonal coordinate system,

It is expressed as Here, in (Expression 6), M is the mass of the receiving cylinder 13, the drum of the washing tub, and the clothing, J is the moment of inertia around each axis of the receiving cylinder 13, c is the viscosity coefficient, k is the spring constant, and Fx (t) , Fy (t), Fz (t) are centrifugal force axis components, Tx (t), Ty (t), Tz (t) are torque fluctuation axis components, and x (t) is the origin x-axis vibration. , Y (t) is the vibration in the y-axis direction at the origin, z (t) is the vibration in the z-axis direction at the origin, θx (t) is the rotational vibration around the x-axis, θy is the rotational vibration around the y-axis, and θz is around the z-axis This is the rotational vibration.

Now, considering only the rotational coordinates around the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis where external force acts as a discontinuous system, and assuming that the external force is harmonically oscillating, the equation of motion is

become that way. Where the coefficients k and c are

Is taken, the vibration of the point (x, y) at the angle φ on the outer periphery of the receiving cylinder 13 is

become that way.

Next, FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram of a vibration locus when the torque variation of the washing machine according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention is 2.7 Nm, and FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram of a vibration locus when the torque variation of the washing machine is 0 Nm. is there.

In (Equation 7) and (Equation 9), in the case of a torque fluctuation of 2.7 Nm when 700 g of unbalance is assumed by the laundry, as shown in FIG. 5A, the swing around the receiving tube 13 is elliptical. However, when the torque fluctuation is brought close to 0 by the control, the swing around the receiving tube 13 approaches a perfect circle as shown in FIG. 5B, and the swing can be reduced.

The trajectory around this swing is detected by the vibration trajectory detection unit 30, and the torque fluctuation is reduced by the signal phase adjustment unit 29 of the unbalance vibration control unit 23. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B, it is possible to reduce the swing around the receiving tube 13.

As described above, the washing machine according to the third embodiment of the present invention is equipped with the three-axis acceleration sensor 20, senses the vibration of the receiving cylinder 13, and controls the vibration by controlling the torque fluctuation caused by the vibration and the speed control of the motor 12. And do. As a result, vibration control of the receiving cylinder 13 by the motor 12 can be realized. The resonance vibration of the support mechanism at the start-up in the washing / dehydration / drying process of the washing machine, the support mechanism vibration due to the resonance vibration of the receiving cylinder 13 during steady rotation, and the noise due to the support mechanism vibration can be reduced or prevented. .

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the vibration sensor is arranged on the upper side of the side surface of the cylinder 13, but the same is true even if it is arranged on the upper side of the casing 17, on the side surface, on the leg of the bottom surface, or on the bottom surface of the receiving cylinder 13. An effect is obtained.

In the first to third embodiments of the present invention, the vibration control is performed by directly feeding back the signal of the triaxial acceleration sensor 20. However, an observer may be configured using the signal of the triaxial acceleration sensor 20 and a motor current, and vibration control may be performed by feeding back the state quantity.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the triaxial acceleration sensor is arranged in the receiving tube 13 and the casing 17, but it may be arranged in another mechanism element.

In the first to third embodiments of the present invention, the triaxial acceleration sensor 20 is used, but the same effect can be obtained even if a gyro sensor that is an angular velocity sensor is used.

As described above, the washing machine of the present invention detects the unbalance of the laundry and the torque fluctuation caused thereby, and corrects the torque fluctuation by motor control. As a result, it is particularly useful for drum-type washing machines because it can reduce unbalance vibration in the dehydration process, reduce the noise associated with it, suppress vibrations when the dehydration speed is increased, and shorten the dehydration time. is there.

11 Rotating drum (washing tub)
12 Motor 13 Receiving cylinder 14 Seal packing 15 Support spring (support device)
16 Damper mechanism (support device)
17 Housing 18 Laundry slot 20 3-axis acceleration sensor (vibration sensor)
21 Motor control unit 22 Unbalance detection unit 23 Unbalance vibration control unit 24 Hall IC speed detection unit 25 Control microcomputer control amount calculation unit 26 Inverter circuit drive unit 27 Addition unit 28 Torque fluctuation correction unit 29 Signal phase adjustment unit 30 Vibration locus detection Part 31 Motor control signal

Claims (10)

A housing, a washing tub for storing and rotating laundry, a motor for rotationally driving the washing tub, a motor control unit for controlling the motor, and the washing tub for housing and being supported by the housing A receiving cylinder, a support device that supports the attitude of the receiving cylinder, an unbalance detection unit that detects an unbalance in which the laundry is biased in the washing tub, and a torque of the motor due to the unbalance. A washing machine comprising: an unbalanced vibration control unit that adds a signal for correcting fluctuation to a motor control signal. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the unbalance vibration control unit detects a change in torque of the motor. The unbalance vibration control unit further includes a torque fluctuation correction unit that generates a signal having an opposite phase and the same amplitude as the motor torque fluctuation so that the torque fluctuation of the motor becomes zero. The washing machine according to claim 2. The washing machine according to any one of claims 2 and 3, wherein the unbalance detection unit further includes a vibration trajectory detection unit that detects a swing trajectory of the receiving cylinder. The unbalance vibration control unit further includes a signal phase adjustment unit that adjusts the phase of a signal having the same amplitude as the torque fluctuation of the motor so that the output of the vibration trajectory detection unit is close to a circle. The washing machine according to claim 4. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the unbalance detection unit detects an unbalance of the laundry as a vibration of the receiving cylinder by a vibration sensor. The washing machine according to claim 6, wherein the vibration sensor detects a vibration on a front side of the receiving cylinder. The washing machine according to claim 6, wherein the vibration sensor detects vibration on a bottom side of the receiving cylinder. The washing machine according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the vibration sensor detects vibrations in three orthogonal directions. The unbalance detection unit detects an unbalance of the laundry by a vibration sensor capable of detecting three orthogonal vibrations as vibration of the receiving cylinder, and the vibration locus detection unit includes three vibration sensors. The washing machine according to any one of claims 4 and 5, wherein the trajectory of the swivel is detected from at least two of the signals.

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