Washing machine control method and pulsator washing machine

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of washing machines and discloses a washing machine control method. A control panel of the washing machine is controlled to rise to a set position, the control panel is controlled to be inclined at the set position, and an operation interface faces a user. When the clothes putting stage is finished, the control panel ascends to the set position where the user can operate conveniently, so that the user feels more comfortable when selecting a washing program and the like, the method is friendly to the user, and the use experience of the user is fully guaranteed. The invention further provides the pulsator washing machine adopting the washing machine control method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of washing machines, and in particular, relates to a washing machine control method and a pulsator washing machine. Background Art

[0002] For pulsator washing machines, although users do not need to bend down to put clothes in the inner drum, they still need to lower their heads to see the operation interface of the control panel when selecting a washing program, and the user experience cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, how to improve the user's comfort when operating the washing machine has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0003] In view of this, the present invention is proposed. Summary of the invention

[0004] One object of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and to provide a pulsator washing machine. When the clothing loading stage ends, the control panel of the washing machine rises to a height that is convenient for the user to operate, making the user more comfortable when performing operations such as selecting a washing program, which is more user-friendly.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide a pulsator washing machine using the above-mentioned washing machine control method.

[0006] In order to achieve the first invention objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A washing machine control method, obtaining information on the end of a laundry delivery phase;

[0008] The control panel of the washing machine is controlled to rise to a set position, and the control panel is controlled to be inclined at the set position, with its operation interface facing the user.

[0009] Furthermore, the washing machine is provided with an image acquisition module to identify user information, and the washing machine determines the set position according to the user information fed back by the image acquisition module.

[0010] Furthermore, the washing machine is provided with a distance measuring module. When the user uses the washing machine for the first time, the washing machine determines the rising height of the control panel according to the feedback information of the distance measuring module, and binds the rising height with the user information recognized by the image acquisition module.

[0011] Furthermore, the washing machine is provided with a weight sensor, and when the washing machine obtains information indicating the end of the laundry delivery phase, the following steps are included:

[0012] Determine whether the current stage is in the clothing delivery stage, if not, stop determining;

[0013] If so, it is further determined whether the feedback information of the weight sensor has not changed within the set time and the cover is in a closed state. If so, the clothing delivery stage ends; if not, it is still in the clothing delivery stage.

[0014] Furthermore, when the washing machine determines whether it is in the laundry delivery stage, the following steps are included:

[0015] S1, determine whether the cover is open, if so, jump to S2; if not, stop judging;

[0016] S2, determine whether the feedback information of the weight sensor is greater than or equal to the set value, if so, jump to S3; if not, stop judging;

[0017] S3. Determine whether the feedback information of the weight sensor continues to increase. If so, the current stage is the stage of putting clothes in; if not, the current stage is the stage of taking clothes out after washing.

[0018] Furthermore, when the washing stage ends, the control panel returns to its initial position.

[0019] Furthermore, during the washing stage, when the image acquisition module feeds back information of another user, the control panel moves to a set position corresponding to the other user.

[0020] Furthermore, when and only when the image acquisition module detects that the distance between the other user and the washing machine is less than or equal to the first set distance, the image acquisition module feeds back the other user information to the washing machine.

[0021] In order to achieve the second invention objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0022] A pulsator washing machine comprises a drum, a cover and a control panel, wherein the cover is connected to the upper end of the drum, and the control panel is arranged on the upper end of the drum, and adopts the above-mentioned washing machine control method.

[0023] Furthermore, it also includes a lifting module, an image acquisition module and a distance measurement module;

[0024] The lifting module is used to control the lifting of the control panel;

[0025] The image acquisition module is arranged on the front wall of the cylinder body and is used to collect user information;

[0026] The distance measuring module is used to confirm the rising height of the control panel.

[0027] After adopting the above technical scheme, the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art.

[0028] 1. At the end of the clothing delivery stage, the control panel of the present invention rises to a set position that is convenient for the user to operate, making it more comfortable for the user to select a washing program and other operations, which is more user-friendly.

[0029] 2. The setting position in the present invention is determined according to user information, so as to facilitate the operation of each user; and if other people come to check the remaining time during the washing stage, the control panel will also move to the corresponding setting position, so that the user can check the remaining time without approaching the washing machine, thereby ensuring the user's usage experience.

[0030] 3. When the washing stage of the present invention ends, the control panel returns to the initial position, and the user can confirm the end of the washing stage by observing the control panel circuit without having to approach the washing machine to check the remaining washing time on the control panel.

[0031] The specific implementation modes of the present invention are further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The accompanying drawings are part of the present invention and are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention, but do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. In the drawings:

[0033] Figure 1 It is a flow chart of a washing machine control method of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the process of judging the stage of putting clothes in the present invention.

[0035] It should be noted that these drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the conceptual scope of the present invention in any way, but are intended to illustrate the concept of the present invention for those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. The following embodiments are used to illustrate the present invention but are not used to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0037] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “inside” and “outside” are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0038] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0039] For a pulsator washing machine, although the user does not need to bend over when putting clothes in, the user still needs to lower his head to operate the control panel when confirming the washing program. The user's comfort during the operation is poor and the user experience cannot be guaranteed.

[0040] like Figure 1-2 As shown, the present invention provides a control method for a washing machine, comprising:

[0041] Get the information about the end of the clothing delivery phase;

[0042] The control panel for controlling the washing machine rises to a set position, and the control panel is tilted at the set position, with its operation interface facing the user. As the position of the control panel is raised, the user is more comfortable when confirming the washing program, fully ensuring the user's experience.

[0043] The setting position can be a fixed value or can be determined according to user information. When the setting position is a fixed value, it can be set according to the height of the washing machine and the average height of the country. However, the setting position at this time is still not friendly to some users.

[0044] In one embodiment of the present invention, the washing machine is provided with an image acquisition module to identify user information, and the washing machine determines the setting position of the control panel according to the user information fed back by the image acquisition module.

[0045] Specifically, the image acquisition module is set on the front wall of the washing machine. The image acquisition module feeds back the collected user information to the lifting module of the washing machine. The lifting module is used to control the lifting and lowering of the control panel. The lifting module receives the user information fed back by the image acquisition module and raises the control panel to the set position corresponding to the user information.

[0046] In this embodiment, the washing machine is also provided with a distance measuring module, which is used to confirm the height of the control panel. When the user uses the washing machine for the first time, when the user stands in front of the washing machine, the distance measuring module obtains the user's height information and confirms the height of the control panel, so that the user can operate the control panel more comfortably at the set position after the control panel is raised. The height of the rise at this time is bound to the user information recognized by the image acquisition module. In subsequent use, the image acquisition module feeds back the collected user information to the lifting module, and the lifting module can raise the control panel to the set position.

[0047] Furthermore, when the control panel is rising, if there is an obstacle on the way, the ranging module can also provide timely feedback to the lifting module to stop the control panel from moving, thereby avoiding damage to the control panel.

[0048] In one embodiment of the present invention, the washing machine is provided with a weight sensor, and when the washing machine obtains information on the end of the laundry delivery phase, the following steps are included:

[0049] Determine whether the current stage is in the clothing delivery stage, if not, stop determining;

[0050] If so, it is further determined whether the feedback information of the weight sensor provided in the washing machine has not changed within the set time. If so, the clothing delivery stage ends; if not, it is still in the clothing delivery stage.

[0051] The feedback information of the weight sensor is the weight of the clothes in the washing machine drum.

[0052] If the washing machine determines that the current stage is in the clothing loading stage, but the user temporarily leaves during the clothing loading process, for example, to get the rest of the laundry, the judgment condition that the feedback information of the weight sensor has not changed within the set time is met, but the clothing loading stage has not yet ended. Therefore, the control panel rising to the set position at this time may affect the user's clothing loading and reduce the user's experience.

[0053] In another embodiment of the present invention, when the washing machine obtains the information on the end of the laundry delivery phase, the following steps are included:

[0054] Determine whether the current stage is in the clothing delivery stage, if not, stop determining;

[0055] If so, it is further determined whether the cover is in a closed state. If so, it is determined that the clothing delivery stage is over. If not, it is determined that the clothing delivery stage is still in progress.

[0056] If the washing machine determines that the current stage is in the clothing loading stage, but the user closes the cover due to accidental operation, the condition for closing the cover is met, but the clothing loading stage has not yet ended. Therefore, the control panel rising to the set position may affect the user's clothing loading and reduce the user's experience.

[0057] Therefore, when the washing machine in the present invention obtains the information of the end of the laundry delivery phase, the following steps are included:

[0058] Determine whether the current stage is in the clothing delivery stage, if not, stop determining;

[0059] If so, it is further determined whether the feedback information of the weight sensor changes within the set time and the cover is in the closing stage. If so, the clothing delivery stage ends; if not, it is still in the clothing delivery stage.

[0060] When the above judgment process is adopted, it can avoid the situation where the user leaves to get the rest of the laundry during the laundry process, and the feedback information of the weight sensor does not change within the set time, resulting in the judgment that the laundry loading phase is over. It can also avoid the situation where the user mistakenly closes the cover, resulting in the judgment that the laundry loading phase is over.

[0061] In one embodiment of the present invention, when the washing machine determines whether it is in the laundry delivery stage, the steps include:

[0062] S1, determine whether the cover is open, if so, jump to S2; if not, stop judging;

[0063] S2, determine whether the feedback information of the weight sensor is greater than or equal to the set value, if so, jump to S3; if not, stop judging;

[0064] S3. Determine whether the feedback information of the weight sensor continues to increase. If so, the current stage is the stage of putting clothes in; if not, the current stage is the stage of taking clothes out after washing.

[0065] In this embodiment, if the feedback information of the weight sensor is greater than or equal to the set value, the current stage is judged to be the clothing delivery stage. Considering that if the user takes out the clothes after washing, the feedback information of the weight sensor is still greater than or equal to the set value, and the cover is open, there is a possibility of misjudgment. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the feedback information of the weight sensor is greater than or equal to the set value, it is further judged whether the feedback information of the weight sensor is continuously increasing or continuously decreasing, so as to avoid misjudgment.

[0066] Specifically, a distance sensor may be provided on the drum of the washing machine to detect the distance between the cover and the drum, and then determine whether the cover is open. For example, when the distance sensor detects that the distance between the cover and the drum is less than or equal to the second set distance, it indicates that the cover is in a closed state at this time; when the distance sensor detects that the distance between the cover and the drum is greater than the second set distance, it indicates that the cover is in an open state at this time.

[0067] After the control panel rises to the set position, it can return to the original position after the user takes out the clothes, or it can return to the original position at the end of the washing stage.

[0068] If the control panel returns to its original position after the user takes out the clothes, it may affect the user's ability to take the clothes; if the control panel returns to its original position at the end of the washing stage, the user can see from a distance that the control panel has fallen and confirm that the washing stage is over and can take the clothes, and the control panel at this time will not affect the user's ability to take the clothes, which greatly facilitates the user.

[0069] During the washing stage, another user may come to confirm the remaining washing time on the control panel. For example, when the mother puts the clothes into the washing machine for washing, the control panel determines the setting position according to the mother's user information. However, during the washing process, the mother asks the child to confirm the remaining washing time. If the control panel is still in the current setting position, that is, the setting position determined according to the mother's user information, it is not user-friendly for the child, and it is more difficult for the child to confirm the remaining washing time on the control panel. Or when the control panel rises to the setting position determined according to the father's user information, but the mother or child comes to confirm the remaining washing time on the control panel, the mother or child may not be able to confirm the remaining washing time on the control panel because the position of the control panel is too high.

[0070] In one embodiment of the present invention, during the washing process, when the image acquisition module receives information from another user and gives feedback, the control panel moves to a set position corresponding to the other user, so that the other user can more conveniently confirm the remaining washing time on the control panel.

[0071] In the prior art, when the user needs to confirm the remaining washing time, since the control panel is arranged approximately horizontally at the upper end of the drum of the washing machine, the user needs to get close to the washing machine to see the remaining washing time displayed on the control panel. In this embodiment, the control panel can be moved to a set position corresponding to another user. The user does not need to get close to the washing machine, and can see the remaining washing time on the control panel at a distance, which greatly facilitates the user.

[0072] Furthermore, the image acquisition module also has a distance measurement function, which is used to measure the distance between the user and the washing machine. To avoid misjudgment, when and only when the image acquisition module detects that the distance between another user and the washing machine is less than or equal to the first set distance, the image acquisition module feeds back the user information of the other user to the lifting module of the washing machine, and the control panel moves according to the user information of the other user. When the user gradually approaches the washing machine from the first set distance, the control panel will move to the set position for the user to view.

[0073] The present invention also provides a pulsator washing machine adopting the above-mentioned washing machine control method, comprising a drum, a cover and a control panel, wherein the drum is used to accommodate clothes, the cover is connected to the upper end of the drum to prevent washing water from splashing out of the drum when washing clothes, and the control panel is arranged at the upper end of the drum. The control panel is provided with buttons such as start and program selection buttons. After the user puts the clothes to be washed into the drum, the washing program is started through the control panel.

[0074] The pulsator washing machine of the present invention further comprises a lifting module, an image acquisition module and a distance measurement module, wherein the lifting module is used to control the lifting of the control panel;

[0075] The image acquisition module is arranged on the front wall of the cylinder body and is used to collect user information;

[0076] The distance measuring module is used to confirm the height at which the control panel is lifted.

[0077] When the washing machine is not started, the lifting module, image acquisition module and ranging module remain in working condition, so that the control panel can be raised to the set position before the washing machine is started, ensuring the comfort of the user during operation.

[0078] Furthermore, the pulsator washing machine of the present invention also includes a weight sensor arranged in the drum for detecting the weight of the clothes and a distance sensor for detecting whether the cover is closed. Accordingly, the weight sensor and the distance sensor are also in working state when the pulsator washing machine is not started.

[0079] The working process of the pulsator washing machine of the present invention is as follows:

[0080] When a user approaches the pulsator washing machine with laundry to be washed, the image acquisition module collects user information of the user and feeds it back to the lifting module, and the lifting module determines the setting position of the control panel according to the user information.

[0081] When the distance sensor detects that the distance between the cover and the drum is greater than the second set distance, it is judged that the cover is open. At this time, the washing machine further determines whether the feedback information of the weight sensor is greater than or equal to the set value. If not, the judgment is stopped; if so, it continues to determine whether the feedback information of the weight sensor continues to increase. If so, it is determined that the current stage is the clothing delivery stage. If not, it is determined that the current stage is the clothing retrieval stage.

[0082] When executing the clothing delivery stage, the washing machine determines whether the feedback information of the weight sensor has not changed within the set time and the cover is in a closed state. If not, the current stage is still in the clothing delivery stage; if so, it is determined that the clothing delivery stage is over.

[0083] At this time, the lifting module controls the control panel to rise to the set position according to the user information fed back by the image acquisition module, thereby ensuring the comfort of the user when performing operations such as selecting a washing program.

[0084] During the washing stage, if the image acquisition module detects that the distance between the remaining users and the washing machine is greater than the first set distance, there is no need to feed back the user information to the lifting module;

[0085] If the image acquisition module detects that the distance between the other users and the washing machine is less than or equal to the first set distance, the user information of the user is fed back to the lifting module. The lifting module controls the control panel to move to the corresponding set position. At this time, the user can see the relevant information on the control panel, such as the remaining washing time, without being in front of the washing machine.

[0086] At the end of the washing stage, the lifting module controls the control panel to return to its initial position. The user does not need to approach the washing machine to confirm that the remaining washing time has returned to zero. The end of the washing stage can be confirmed by lowering the control panel, which fully guarantees the user experience.

[0087] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention in any form. Although the present invention has been disclosed as a preferred embodiment as above, it is not used to limit the present invention. Any technician familiar with this patent can make some changes or modifications to equivalent embodiments of equivalent changes by using the technical content suggested above without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. The implementation scheme in the above embodiment can also be further combined or replaced. However, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiment based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention still falls within the scope of the solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A washing machine control method, characterized in that: Get the information about the end of the clothing delivery phase; The control panel of the washing machine is controlled to rise to a set position, and the control panel is controlled to be inclined at the set position, with its operation interface facing the user.

2. A washing machine control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The washing machine is provided with an image acquisition module to identify user information, and the washing machine determines a set position according to the user information fed back by the image acquisition module.

3. A washing machine control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The washing machine is provided with a distance measuring module. When the user uses the washing machine for the first time, the washing machine determines the rising height of the control panel according to the feedback information of the distance measuring module, and binds the rising height with the user information recognized by the image acquisition module.

4. A washing machine control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The washing machine is provided with a weight sensor. When the washing machine obtains information on the end of the laundry delivery phase, the following steps are included: Determine whether the current stage is in the clothing delivery stage, if not, stop determining; If so, it is further determined whether the feedback information of the weight sensor has not changed within the set time and the cover is in a closed state. If so, the clothing delivery stage ends; if not, it is still in the clothing delivery stage.

5. A washing machine control method according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the washing machine determines whether it is in the stage of putting clothes in, the following steps are included: S1, determine whether the cover is open, if so, jump to S2; if not, stop judging; S2, determine whether the feedback information of the weight sensor is greater than or equal to the set value, if so, jump to S3; if not, stop judging; S3. Determine whether the feedback information of the weight sensor continues to increase. If so, the current stage is the stage of putting clothes in; if not, the current stage is the stage of taking clothes out after washing.

6. A washing machine control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: At the end of the wash phase, the control panel returns to its original position.

7. A washing machine control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: During the washing stage, when the image acquisition module feeds back information of another user, the control panel moves to the set position corresponding to the other user.

8. A washing machine control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: When and only when the image acquisition module detects that the distance between the other user and the washing machine is less than or equal to the first set distance, the image acquisition module feeds back the other user information to the washing machine.

9. A pulsator washing machine, comprising a drum, a cover and a control panel, wherein the cover is connected to the upper end of the drum, and the control panel is arranged on the upper end of the drum, characterized in that: A washing machine control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is adopted.

10. A pulsator washing machine according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes a lifting module, an image acquisition module and a distance measurement module; The lifting module is used to control the lifting of the control panel; The image acquisition module is arranged on the front wall of the cylinder body and is used to collect user information; The distance measuring module is used to confirm the rising height of the control panel.

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