A method for controlling the spin-drying of a multi-drum washing machine and the washing machine itself.

Abstract

This invention provides a spin-drying control method and a washing machine for a multi-drum washing machine, belonging to the field of washing machine technology. The control method includes: when the target washing drum completes the eccentricity detection stage, acquiring the operating status of other washing drums besides the target washing drum; if the operating status of other washing drums besides the target washing drum is spin-drying and in the accelerated spin-drying stage, acquiring the rotational speed of the other washing drums and determining whether the rotational speed of the other washing drums falls within the resonant range; based on the determination result, controlling the target washing drum to enter the accelerated spin-drying stage with different acceleration strategies. In this invention, when the target washing drum executes the spin-drying program, by determining whether the rotational speed of other washing drums falls within the resonant range, the working process between multiple washing drums can be reasonably arranged according to the determination structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of washing machine technology, and in particular to a spin-drying control method for a multi-drum washing machine and the washing machine itself. Background Technology

[0002] As people's living standards improve and their health awareness increases, more and more people are inclined to wash clothes separately. Currently, most washing machines on the market have only one washing drum, and the washing conditions of single-drum washing machines are difficult to meet users' health washing requirements. Buying two or more washing machines for separate washing not only wastes a lot of energy and time resources but also takes up a lot of space, making them unsuitable for large families. Therefore, the use of multi-drum washing machines will meet people's health washing needs while saving energy and space.

[0003] In most multi-drum washing machines on the market, when one washing drum is running a spin cycle and another washing drum is about to spin, the second drum usually waits for the first drum to finish spinning before starting its own spin cycle. This can lead to excessively long running times due to the spin cycle and cause inaccurate displayed remaining time compared to the actual time, affecting the user experience. However, if multiple drums are spinning simultaneously, it can also cause increased vibration and excessive power consumption, affecting the lifespan of the controller. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the problems existing in related technologies, this invention proposes a dehydration control method for a multi-drum washing machine and the washing machine itself.

[0005] The first aspect of this invention proposes a spin-drying control method for a multi-drum washing machine. The washing machine includes multiple washing drums, and the spin-drying program of the multi-drum washing machine includes an eccentricity detection stage and a speed-up spin-drying stage. The control method includes:

[0006] When the target washing drum has completed the eccentricity detection stage, the operating status of other washing drums besides the target washing drum is obtained.

[0007] If the other washing drums besides the target washing drum are in the dehydration state and are in the accelerated dehydration stage, the rotation speed of the other washing drums is obtained and it is determined whether the rotation speed of the other washing drums falls within the speed range of the resonance range. Based on the determination result, the target washing drum is controlled to enter the accelerated dehydration stage with different acceleration strategies.

[0008] In the above technical solution, the rotational speed of the target washing drum when it completes the eccentricity detection stage is the first target rotational speed. The method for controlling the target washing drum to enter the speed-up dehydration stage using different speed-up strategies based on the judgment result includes:

[0009] If the rotation speed of other washing drums falls into the resonant range, the target washing drum is controlled to enter the speed-up spin-drying stage with the first speed-up strategy. The first speed-up strategy includes a steady-speed stage where the drum runs at a steady speed at the first target speed and an acceleration stage where the drum speeds up from the first target speed to the second target speed after the steady-speed stage is completed. During the steady-speed stage, the target washing drum adjusts the rotation speed of other washing drums until the rotation speeds of other washing drums are adjusted to fall outside the resonant range. At this point, the steady-speed stage of the target washing drum is completed.

[0010] If the rotation speed of other washing drums falls outside the resonant range, the target washing drum is controlled to enter the speed-up dehydration stage using a second speed-up strategy. The second speed-up strategy includes an acceleration stage from the first target rotation speed to the second target rotation speed.

[0011] In the above technical solution, the control method also includes:

[0012] If the other washing drums besides the target washing drum are not in the dehydration state, then the target washing drum is controlled to enter the speed-up dehydration stage using the third acceleration strategy.

[0013] The third acceleration strategy includes an acceleration phase in which the target washing drum is controlled to increase its speed from the first target rotation speed to the second target rotation speed.

[0014] In the above technical solution, the control method also includes:

[0015] The machine obtains the overall operating power value of the washing machine when the target washing drum is running in the acceleration phase, and controls the rotation speed of the target washing drum based on the overall operating power value of the washing machine.

[0016] In the above technical solution, the method for controlling the rotational speed of the target washing drum based on the overall operating power value of the washing machine includes:

[0017] Determine whether the total operating power of the washing machine exceeds the preset power of the washing machine;

[0018] If the overall operating power of the washing machine exceeds the preset power, the target washing drum speed will be maintained at the current speed or the target washing drum speed will be reduced from the current speed.

[0019] In the above technical solution, the preset power of the washing machine includes a first preset power and a second preset power, wherein the first preset power is less than the second preset power. Methods for controlling the rotation speed of the target washing drum to remain at the current rotation speed or to reduce the rotation speed of the target washing drum from the current rotation speed include:

[0020] If the overall operating power of the washing machine is greater than the first preset power but less than the second preset power, the rotation speed of the target washing drum will be maintained at the current speed.

[0021] If the overall operating power of the washing machine is greater than the second preset power, the target washing drum will be controlled to reduce its speed until the overall operating power is less than the second preset power, at which point the speed reduction operation will stop.

[0022] In the above technical solutions, the methods for controlling the speed reduction of the target washing drum include:

[0023] This causes the target washing drum speed to fall outside the resonance range after the speed reduction.

[0024] In the above technical solution, the control method also includes:

[0025] During the acceleration phase of the target washing drum, other washing drums continue to perform dehydration operations. At the same time, the operating status of other washing drums is acquired. If the acceleration dehydration phase of other washing drums is completed, the target washing drum is controlled to accelerate from the current speed to the second target speed and enter the acceleration dehydration phase.

[0026] In the above technical solution, at least one resonance interval is provided;

[0027] When there is one resonance interval, the first target speed is less than the minimum speed value of the resonance interval speed range;

[0028] When there are multiple resonance intervals, the multiple resonance intervals include the first resonance interval, ... the nth resonance interval, which are sequentially increasing in speed range, wherein the first target speed is less than the minimum speed value of the speed range of the first resonance interval.

[0029] In the above technical solution, the first target speed is any speed value between 93 rpm / min and 150 rpm / min;

[0030] The second target speed is any speed value between 400 rpm / min and 1400 rpm / min;

[0031] The resonance range includes a first resonance range and a second resonance range. The range of the first resonance range is 150 rpm / min-350 rpm / min, and the range of the second resonance range is 700 rpm / min-1000 rpm / min.

[0032] The first preset power range is 800W-1200W, and the second preset power range is 1300W-1500W.

[0033] A second aspect of the present invention provides a washing machine that employs the above-described spin-drying control method when performing a spin-drying program.

[0034] In the above technical solution, the washing machine is a twin-tub washing machine.

[0035] By adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0036] 1. In this embodiment of the invention, when one washing drum in the washing machine is about to execute the spin-drying program, it obtains the operating status of other washing drums. If the operating status of other washing drums is in the speed-up spin-drying stage, it obtains the other washing speeds and determines whether the speeds of other washing drums are in the resonance range. Based on the determination result {in the resonance range or not in the resonance range}, it adopts different speed-up strategies to control the target washing drum to enter the speed-up spin-drying stage, so that it is no longer necessary to wait for the second washing drum to finish spin-drying before starting spin-drying. By using different speed-up strategies to control the speed-up of the target washing drum, the working process between multiple washing drums can be reasonably arranged, solving the problem of excessive waiting time when one drum is about to spin-dry in a multi-drum washing machine and another drum is already spinning. Attached Figure Description

[0037] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0038] Figure 1 This is a control flowchart of an embodiment of the washing machine control method of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0039] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present invention. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the invention as detailed in the appended claims.

[0040] Currently, most multi-drum washing machines on the market, when one drum is executing its spin-drying program and another drum is about to spin-dry, typically wait for the first drum to finish before starting its own spin-drying cycle. This results in excessively long running times due to the spin-drying process and inaccurate displayed remaining time compared to the actual time, negatively impacting user experience. However, simultaneous spin-drying of multiple drums can also lead to increased vibration and excessive power consumption, affecting the lifespan of the controller. The washing machine in this embodiment acquires the operating status of other drums when it is about to execute its spin-drying program. If the other drums are in the accelerated spin-drying phase, it acquires their spin speeds and determines whether they are within the resonance range. Based on the determination result (whether within or outside the resonance range), it employs different acceleration strategies to control the target drum to enter the accelerated spin-drying phase. This eliminates the need to wait for the second drum to finish spinning before starting the spin-drying process. By using different acceleration strategies to control the target drum's speed, the working process between multiple drums can be rationally arranged, solving the problem of excessively long waiting times when one drum is about to spin-dry while another is already spinning in a multi-drum washing machine.

[0041] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1 The technical solution of this embodiment is described in detail. Unless otherwise specified, the following implementation methods and embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0042] Example

[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, the first aspect of this embodiment proposes a spin-drying control method for a multi-drum washing machine. The washing machine has at least two washing drums, and the control method includes:

[0044] Monitor the operating status of each washing drum in the washing machine, including the spin-drying status, which includes the eccentricity detection stage and the speed-up spin-drying stage;

[0045] When the target washing drum has completed the eccentricity detection stage, the operating status of other washing drums besides the target washing drum is obtained.

[0046] If the other washing drums besides the target washing drum are in the dehydration state and are in the accelerated dehydration stage, the rotation speed of the other washing drums is obtained and it is determined whether the rotation speed of the other washing drums falls within the speed range of the resonance range. Based on the determination result, the target washing drum is controlled to enter the accelerated dehydration stage with different acceleration strategies.

[0047] In this embodiment of the invention, when the target washing drum is about to enter the accelerated spin-drying stage, the operating status of other washing drums is obtained. If the operating status of other washing drums is in the accelerated spin-drying stage, the rotation speed of other washing drums is obtained and it is determined whether the rotation speed of other washing drums falls within the speed range of the resonance range. Based on the determination result {falling within the resonance range or falling outside the resonance range}, different acceleration strategies are adopted to control the target washing drum to enter the accelerated spin-drying stage. Thus, it is no longer necessary to wait for the second washing drum to finish spin-drying before starting spin-drying. By adopting different acceleration strategies to control the acceleration of the target washing drum, the working process between multiple washing drums can be reasonably arranged, solving the problem of excessive waiting time when one drum is about to spin-dry in a multi-drum washing machine and another drum is already spinning.

[0048] It should be noted that the resonance range mentioned in the embodiments of the present invention is a range of rotational speeds in which the washing machine vibrates the most. This range is set based on experimental conditions. By detecting the rotational speed of the washing drum, it can be determined whether the rotational speed of the washing drum is within the resonance range.

[0049] It should also be noted that when the washing machine in the embodiment of the present invention performs the eccentricity detection stage, it performs eccentricity and weight detection on the washing drum. The eccentricity detection stage is only completed when the speed-up condition is met. The condition for meeting the speed-up condition is that the eccentricity value does not exceed a preset value. The preset eccentricity value is related to the weight detection. The greater the weight of the clothes, the smaller the preset eccentricity value.

[0050] Specifically, the rotational speed of the target washing drum when it completes the eccentricity detection stage is the first target rotational speed. Methods for controlling the target washing drum to enter the speed-up dehydration stage using different speed-up strategies based on the judgment result include:

[0051] If the rotation speed of other washing drums falls into the resonant range, the target washing drum is controlled to enter the speed-up spin-drying stage with the first speed-up strategy. The first speed-up strategy includes a steady-speed stage where the drum runs at a steady speed at the first target speed and an acceleration stage where the drum speeds up from the first target speed to the second target speed after the steady-speed stage is completed. During the steady-speed stage, the target washing drum adjusts the rotation speed of other washing drums until the rotation speeds of other washing drums are adjusted to fall outside the resonant range. At this point, the steady-speed stage of the target washing drum is completed.

[0052] If the rotation speed of other washing drums falls outside the resonant range, the target washing drum is controlled to enter the speed-up dehydration stage using a second speed-up strategy. The second speed-up strategy includes an acceleration stage from the first target rotation speed to the second target rotation speed.

[0053] In this embodiment of the invention, when the washing machine detects that the rotational speeds of other washing drums fall within the resonance range, it causes the target washing drum to operate at a stable first target rotational speed. Simultaneously, it adjusts the rotational speeds of the other washing drums so that they fall outside the resonance range. Once the rotational speeds of the other washing drums are adjusted to fall outside the resonance range, the target washing drum is then controlled to increase its speed towards a second target rotational speed. This avoids excessive vibration and noise caused by multiple washing drums simultaneously being in the resonance range, and consequently prevents excessive vibration of the entire machine when the target washing drum enters the speed-up spin-drying stage. It is worth noting that when the detected rotational speeds of other washing drums are directly outside the resonance range, there is no need to adjust their rotational speeds; the target washing drum can be directly controlled to increase its speed from the first target rotational speed to the second target rotational speed.

[0054] It should be noted that the above control operations are performed when the operating status of other washing drums is detected as being in the spin-drying state. When the operating status of other washing drums besides the target washing drum is detected as being in the non-spinning state, the target washing drum can be controlled to enter the accelerated spin-drying stage using the third acceleration strategy.

[0055] The third acceleration strategy includes an acceleration phase in which the target washing drum is controlled to increase from the first target speed to the second target speed.

[0056] When only one washing drum is spinning, the target washing drum can be directly controlled to increase its speed to that of the second target washing drum. In this case, the spinning operation is the same as that of a regular washing machine.

[0057] In any of the above embodiments, the control method further includes:

[0058] The machine obtains the overall operating power value of the washing machine when the target washing drum is running in the acceleration phase, and controls the rotation speed of the target washing drum based on the overall operating power value of the washing machine.

[0059] In this embodiment of the invention, by obtaining the overall operating power value of the washing machine during the acceleration phase of the target washing drum, and controlling the rotation speed of the target washing drum by obtaining the overall operating power value, the problem of excessive spin-drying power at the same time can be avoided when the target washing drum and other washing drums are at a high rotation speed.

[0060] Specifically, methods for controlling the rotational speed of the target washing drum based on the overall operating power of the washing machine include:

[0061] Determine whether the total operating power of the washing machine exceeds the preset power of the washing machine;

[0062] If the overall operating power of the washing machine exceeds the preset power, the target washing drum speed will be maintained at the current speed or the target washing drum speed will be reduced from the current speed.

[0063] More specifically, the preset power of the washing machine includes a first preset power and a second preset power, where the first preset power is less than the second preset power. Methods for controlling the rotation speed of the target washing drum to remain at the current speed or to reduce the rotation speed of the target washing drum from the current speed include:

[0064] If the overall operating power of the washing machine is greater than the first preset power but less than the second preset power, the rotation speed of the target washing drum will be maintained at the current speed.

[0065] If the overall operating power of the washing machine is greater than the second preset power, the target washing drum will be controlled to reduce its speed until the overall operating power is less than the second preset power, at which point the speed reduction operation will stop.

[0066] In this embodiment of the invention, the rotation speed of the target washing drum is adjusted during the acceleration phase to prevent the overall operating power of the machine from exceeding the second preset power. In other words, the washing machine in this embodiment of the invention provides a spin-drying power protection program, which is triggered to protect the washing machine once the overall operating power exceeds the preset power.

[0067] Furthermore, methods for controlling the target washing drum speed reduction include:

[0068] This ensures that the target washing drum's rotational speed falls outside the resonance range after the speed reduction, thereby preventing the target washing drum from resonating after the speed reduction.

[0069] In any of the above embodiments, the control method further includes:

[0070] During the acceleration phase of the target washing drum, other washing drums continue to perform dehydration operations. At the same time, the operating status of other washing drums is acquired. If the acceleration dehydration phase of other washing drums is completed, the target washing drum is controlled to accelerate from the current speed to the second target speed and enter the acceleration dehydration phase.

[0071] In other words, when the target washing drum in this embodiment of the invention performs the dehydration program, the dehydration effect of other washing drums that started the dehydration program before the target washing drum is given priority. That is, the dehydration effect of other washing drums is given priority. When the other washing drums have finished dehydrating, the target washing drum is then controlled to increase its speed from the current speed to the second target speed to enter the speed-up dehydration stage for dehydration.

[0072] It is worth noting that at least one of the aforementioned resonance intervals is provided;

[0073] When there is one resonance interval, the first target speed is less than the minimum speed value of the resonance interval speed range;

[0074] When there are multiple resonance intervals, the multiple resonance intervals include the first resonance interval, ... the nth resonance interval, which are sequentially increasing in speed range, wherein the first target speed is less than the minimum speed value of the speed range of the first resonance interval.

[0075] Furthermore, the first target speed mentioned above is any speed value between 93 rpm / min and 150 rpm / min; preferably, the first target speed is 130 rpm / min.

[0076] The second target speed mentioned above is any speed value between 400 rpm / min and 1400 rpm / min; preferably, the second target speed is 1400 rpm / min.

[0077] The aforementioned resonance range preferably includes a first resonance range and a second resonance range, wherein the range of the first resonance range is 150 rpm / min-350 rpm / min and the range of the second resonance range is 700 rpm / min-1000 rpm / min.

[0078] The first preset power ranges from 800W to 1200W, preferably 1000W. The second preset power ranges from 1300W to 1500W, preferably 1500W.

[0079] A second aspect of the present invention provides a washing machine that employs the above-described spin-drying control method during the spin-drying process.

[0080] Specifically, the washing machine mentioned above is a twin-tub washing machine, which includes a first washing tub and a second washing tub arranged vertically. When the washing machine is a twin-tub washing machine, the target washing tub mentioned above can be the first washing tub, and the other washing tubs mentioned above can be the second washing tub; alternatively, the target washing tub mentioned above can be the second washing tub, and the other washing tubs mentioned above can be the first washing tub.

[0081] Other embodiments of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the embodiments disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention that follow the general principles of the invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the invention are indicated by the following claims.

[0082] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the spin-drying of a multi-drum washing machine, characterized in that, The multi-drum washing machine includes multiple washing drums, and the spin-drying program of the multi-drum washing machine includes an eccentricity detection stage and a speed-up spin-drying stage. The control method includes: When the target washing drum completes the eccentricity detection stage, the operating status of other washing drums besides the target washing drum is obtained; If the other washing drums besides the target washing drum are in the dehydration state and are in the speed-up dehydration stage, the rotation speed of the other washing drums is obtained and it is determined whether the rotation speed of the other washing drums falls within the speed range of the resonance range. Based on the determination result, the target washing drum is controlled to enter the speed-up dehydration stage with different speed-up strategies. The rotational speed of the target washing drum when the eccentricity detection stage is completed is the first target rotational speed. The method for controlling the target washing drum to enter the speed-up dehydration stage with different speed-up strategies based on the judgment result includes: If the rotation speed of other washing drums falls within the resonant range, the target washing drum is controlled to enter the speed-up spin-drying stage using a first speed-up strategy. The first speed-up strategy includes a steady-speed stage where the drum operates at a steady speed at a first target speed and an acceleration stage where the drum accelerates from the first target speed to the second target speed after the steady-speed stage is completed. During the steady-speed stage, the target washing drum adjusts the rotation speed of other washing drums until the rotation speed of other washing drums is adjusted to fall outside the resonant range, at which point the steady-speed stage of the target washing drum is completed. If the rotation speed of other washing drums falls outside the resonant range, the target washing drum is controlled to enter the speed-up dehydration stage using a second speed-up strategy. The second speed-up strategy includes an acceleration stage from the first target rotation speed to the second target rotation speed.

2. The dehydration control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control method further includes: If the other washing drums besides the target washing drum are not in the dehydration state, then the target washing drum is controlled to enter the speed-up dehydration stage using the third acceleration strategy. The third acceleration strategy includes an acceleration phase in which the target washing drum is controlled to increase its speed from the first target rotation speed to the second target rotation speed.

3. The dehydration control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control method further includes: The machine obtains the overall operating power value of the washing machine when the target washing drum is running in the acceleration phase, and controls the rotation speed of the target washing drum based on the overall operating power value of the washing machine.

4. The dehydration control method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method for controlling the rotational speed of the target washing drum based on the overall operating power value of the washing machine includes: Determine whether the total operating power of the washing machine exceeds the preset power of the washing machine; If the overall operating power of the washing machine exceeds the preset power, the target washing drum speed will be maintained at the current speed or the target washing drum speed will be reduced from the current speed.

5. The dehydration control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The preset power of the washing machine includes a first preset power and a second preset power, wherein the first preset power is less than the second preset power. The method for controlling the rotation speed of the target washing drum to maintain at the current rotation speed or to reduce the rotation speed of the target washing drum from the current rotation speed includes: If the overall operating power of the washing machine is greater than the first preset power but less than the second preset power, the rotation speed of the target washing drum will be maintained at the current speed. If the overall operating power of the washing machine is greater than the second preset power, the target washing drum will be controlled to reduce its speed until the overall operating power is less than the second preset power, at which point the speed reduction operation will stop.

6. The dehydration control method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method for controlling the target washing drum speed reduction includes: This causes the target washing drum speed to fall outside the resonance range after the speed reduction.

7. The dehydration control method according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, The control method further includes: During the acceleration phase of the target washing drum, the other washing drums continue to perform dehydration operations. At the same time, the operating status of the other washing drums is acquired. If the acceleration dehydration phase of the other washing drums is completed, the target washing drum is controlled to accelerate from the current speed to the second target speed and enter the acceleration dehydration phase.

8. The dehydration control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one resonance interval is provided; When there is one resonance interval, the first target rotational speed is less than the minimum rotational speed value of the resonance interval rotational speed range; When there are multiple resonance intervals, the multiple resonance intervals include a first resonance interval with a sequentially increasing rotational speed range, ..., the nth resonance interval, wherein the first target rotational speed is less than the minimum rotational speed value of the rotational speed range of the first resonance interval.

9. The dehydration control method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first target speed is any speed value between 93 rpm and 150 rpm; The second target speed is any speed value between 400 rpm and 1400 rpm; The resonance range includes a first resonance range and a second resonance range, the first resonance range is in the range of 150rpm-350rpm, and the second resonance range is in the range of 700rpm-1000rpm. The first preset power ranges from 800W to 1200W, and the second preset power ranges from 1300W to 1500W.

10. A washing machine, characterized in that, The washing machine employs the dehydration control method as described in any one of claims 1-9 when performing the dehydration program.

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