Washing machine

Abstract

A washing machine according to the present disclosure is provided with: a drum that accommodates laundry and rotates; and a motor that rotationally drives the drum by being energized. In addition, the washing machine according to the present disclosure is provided with: a current detection unit that detects a current supplied to the motor; a voltage detection unit that detects a voltage applied to the washing machine; and a control device that controls the rotation of the motor. The control device is configured so as to be able to execute a cloth amount detection step for determining the cloth amount of the laundry contained in the drum on the basis of the current value detected by the current detection unit. In addition, the control device executes a cloth amount detection step when the value of the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit is equal to or less than the first voltage value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a washing machine. Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a washing machine having a cloth amount sensor for detecting the amount of laundry put into a drum, that is, the amount of cloth.

[0003] The washing machine in Patent Document 1 includes: a drum that accommodates laundry and performs rotational motion; a water tank that includes the drum and is elastically supported in the washing machine body; and a fluid balancer that is located in the water tank and is provided on the drum. In addition, the washing machine in Patent Document 1 includes: a motor that drives the drum to rotate; a current detection unit that detects the current energized to the motor; and a control unit that controls the rotation of the motor. The control unit has a first detection process and a second detection process. In the first detection process, the control unit accelerates the rotation of the drum by causing the motor to generate an acceleration torque, and controls the motor torque in a prescribed acceleration interval so that the angular acceleration of the drum during acceleration is constant. In addition, in the first detection process, the control unit detects the acceleration current value Iq1' of the motor during the rotation interval of an integer multiple of at least one rotation of the drum. In addition, in the second detection process, after the first detection process, the control unit decelerates the rotation of the drum by causing the motor to generate a deceleration torque, and controls the motor torque in a prescribed deceleration interval so that the angular acceleration of the drum during deceleration is constant. In the second detection step, the control unit detects the deceleration current value Iq2' for energizing the motor in the rotation interval of at least one integral multiple of the drum rotation. In addition, the control unit has a cloth amount detection unit for detecting the cloth amount based on the acceleration current value Iq1' and the deceleration current value Iq2'.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-54498 Summary of the invention

[0007] The present disclosure provides a washing machine capable of suppressing the influence of regenerative power of a motor in a cloth amount detection process.

[0008] The washing machine in the present disclosure includes: a drum that accommodates laundry and rotates; and a motor that drives the drum to rotate by being energized. In addition, the washing machine includes: a current detection unit that detects the current energized to the motor; a voltage detection unit that detects the voltage applied to the washing machine; and a control device that controls the rotation of the motor. The control device is configured to execute a cloth amount detection process that determines the amount of laundry accommodated in the drum based on the current value detected by the current detection unit. In addition, the control device executes the cloth amount detection process when the value of the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit is less than the first voltage value.

[0009] The washing machine of the present disclosure can suppress the influence of the regenerative power of the motor in the cloth amount detection process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the washing machine in the first embodiment.

[0011] Figure 2 1 is a circuit diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control device for a washing machine in accordance with the first embodiment.

[0012] Figure 3 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cloth amount detection process of the washing machine in the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] (Insights, etc. that form the basis of this disclosure)

[0014] Until the inventors came up with the present disclosure, a washing machine was known in which a control unit controls motor torque and detects the amount of laundry based on current flowing in the motor. In a control substrate used in the control unit, if a DC voltage applied to the control substrate due to a voltage applied to the washing machine and regenerative power generated when the motor rotates exceeds an allowable voltage of electronic components included in the control substrate, the electronic components may be adversely affected.

[0015] The inventors have found the following problem: in areas where the AC (Alternating Current) voltage of commercial power supplied to residences and the like is unstable, the voltage value of the AC voltage outside the washing machine varies, so it is difficult to suppress the adverse effects on electronic components by only controlling the motor to suppress regenerative power. In addition, the inventors have found the following problem: in the case where the same washing machine is sold in multiple areas where the AC voltage values ​​of the commercial power supply are different, it is also difficult to suppress the adverse effects on electronic components by only controlling the motor to suppress regenerative power. In order to solve these problems, the inventors have formed the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment as an example of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment.

[0017] (Implementation Method 1)

[0018] Next, use Figure 1 to Figure 3 Embodiment 1 will be described. In addition, in this embodiment, as washing machine 100, an example of a drum type washing machine will be described.

[0019] [1-1. Structure of washing machine]

[0020] Figure 1 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic structure of the washing machine 100 of the present embodiment. Figure 1 The vertical direction in the state where the washing machine 100 is set as shown (hereinafter, also referred to as the "set state") is recorded as the up and down direction. In addition, in the set state, the side of the main body 1 of the washing machine 100 where the door 5 exists is sometimes recorded as the front side, and the opposite side is recorded as the back side.

[0021] In the main body 1 of the washing machine 100, a water tank 2 is supported in a suspended state by a suspension structure (not shown) having a vibration-proof structure. A drum 3 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape and can accommodate laundry and rotate, and is supported in the water tank 2 in such a manner that its axial direction is tilted downward from the front side to the back side. In addition, the laundry is not limited to clothing, and may also be items that can be washed and dried other than cloth or leather products, such as bedding, curtains, carpets, shoes, etc.

[0022] An annular fluid balancer 15 having a plurality of storage chambers is provided near the front side of the water tank 2, and the fluid balancer 15 is directly connected to the drum 3. The fluid balancer 15 has a plurality of storage chambers filled with a liquid with a large specific gravity (e.g., a calcium chloride aqueous solution), is separated into a plurality of chambers in the radial direction, and a connecting hole is provided on the partition plate. The fluid balancer 15 detects the bias of the laundry and injects the fluid into the storage chamber on the opposite side of the detected bias of the laundry. Thus, when the eccentric load of the laundry in the drum 3 is on one side of the drum 3, the fluid is moved to the opposite side of the eccentric load to correct the bias, thereby reducing the vibration noise when the drum 3 is rotated.

[0023] A clothing inlet and outlet 4 leading to the open end of the drum 3 is formed on the front side of the water tank 2. The user can take out and put laundry into the drum 3 through the clothing inlet and outlet 4 by opening and closing a door 5 that closes an opening portion of an upwardly inclined surface provided on the front side of the main body 1 of the washing machine 100 in an openable and closable manner.

[0024] A plurality of through holes 6 leading to the water tank 2 are formed on the circumference of the drum 3, and agitation protrusions 19 for agitating clothes are provided at a plurality of positions on the inner circumference. The drum 3 is driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions by a motor 7 installed at the lower part of the water tank 2. The rotation of the motor 7 is transmitted to a pulley 18 fixed to a rotating shaft 17 of the drum 3 via a belt 16.

[0025] In addition, water tank 2 is connected to water supply pipe 8 and drainage pipe 9 by piping, and water supply and drainage in water tank 2 are performed by controlling water supply valve 27 and drainage valve 28 .

[0026] The user opens the door 5 to put laundry and detergent into the drum 3, and starts the operation by operating the operation panel 10 provided on the upper front surface of the main body 1 of the washing machine 100. Then, the water supply valve 27 is opened, thereby supplying a predetermined amount of water from the water supply pipe 8 to the water tank 2, and the motor 7 is rotated to drive the drum 3 to start the washing process.

[0027] By the rotation of the drum 3, the laundry contained in the drum 3 is repeatedly stirred by being lifted up in the rotation direction by the stirring protrusions 19 provided on the inner wall of the drum 3 and dropped from a suitable height position after being lifted up, thereby beating and washing the laundry.

[0028] After the required washing time, drain valve 28 is opened, thereby the dirty detergent is discharged from drain pipe 9, and the detergent contained in the laundry is dehydrated by the dehydration action of rotating drum 3 at high speed, and then water is supplied from water supply pipe 8 to water tank 2 to implement the rinsing process.

[0029] In the rinsing step, the laundry contained in drum 3 is also rinsed by repeatedly performing a stirring action in which agitation protrusions 19 are lifted up and dropped due to the rotation of drum 3.

[0030] Furthermore, a rotation detector 14 is provided inside the motor 7 to detect the rotation state of the motor 7 . The rotation detector 14 is constituted by a position detection element or the like that detects the position of a rotor of the motor 7 .

[0031] In addition, the washing machine 100 is provided with a function of drying the laundry stored in the drum 3. The washing machine 100 drives the air supply fan 12 to discharge the air in the water tank 2 into the circulating air supply path 11, and blows the air dehumidified, heated and dried by the heat pump 29 back into the water tank 2 through the lint filter 13.

[0032] Figure 2 is a circuit diagram showing a schematic structure of a control device C of the washing machine 100 in this embodiment. Figure 1Although not specifically shown in the figure, the control device C is built into the main body 1 of the washing machine 100, and the control device C is composed of Figure 2 The control substrate 43 shown. Figure 2 In the control device C shown, the control substrate 43 uses the DC voltage obtained by rectifying the AC voltage of the commercial power supply 20 through the rectifier 21 and smoothing it through the smoothing circuit composed of the choke coil 22 and the smoothing capacitor 23 as a driving source, and drives the motor 7 to rotate through the inverter circuit 24.

[0033] The control board 43 controls the rotation of the motor 7 based on the operation instruction input from the operation panel 10 and the monitoring information of the operation state detected by each detection unit. The control board 43 controls the operation of the water supply valve 27, the drain valve 28, the air supply fan 12, and the heat pump 29 through the load drive unit 26.

[0034] The motor 7 is a DC brushless motor having a stator and a rotor and provided with three position detection elements 30a, 30b, 30c, wherein the stator has three-phase windings 7a, 7b, 7c and the rotor has a two-pole permanent magnet. The motor 7 is controlled to rotate by an inverter circuit 24 based on PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control composed of switching elements 24a to 24f.

[0035] The rotor position detection signals detected by the position detection elements 30a, 30b, and 30c are input to a control unit 31 composed of a microcomputer (not shown). Based on the rotor position detection signals, the control unit 31 performs PWM control on the on / off states of the switching elements 24a to 24f through the drive circuit 32, thereby controlling the energization of the three-phase windings 7a, 7b, and 7c of the stator, so that the rotor rotates at a desired speed.

[0036] The control unit 31 has a rotation speed detector 33 to which the rotor position detection signals of the three position detection elements 30a, 30b, and 30c are input. Whenever the state of the signal of any one of the three position detection elements 30a, 30b, and 30c changes, the rotation speed detector 33 detects its cycle and calculates (detects) the rotation speed of the rotor based on its cycle. The detection output (the detected rotation speed of the rotor) of the rotation speed detector 33 is output to the cloth amount detector 34, and the cloth amount detector 34 detects the cloth amount of the laundry based on the detected rotation speed as described below.

[0037] The voltage detection unit 36 ​​detects the voltage by dividing the voltage of the smoothing capacitor 23 using a resistor or the like, and inputting the voltage obtained by the voltage division into a microcomputer. Thus, when the motor 7 is not rotating, the AC voltage of the commercial power supply 20 is indirectly detected. In addition, the AC voltage of the commercial power supply 20 is equivalent to an example of the "voltage applied to the washing machine" in the present disclosure.

[0038] The current detection unit 35 is composed of, for example, a shunt resistor and a circuit built in a microcomputer. The current detection unit 35 detects the current flowing through the motor 7 .

[0039] In addition, the detection output of rotation speed detector 33 (rotor rotation speed) corresponds to the rotation speed of drum 3 , and therefore in the following description, the rotation speed of drum 3 is obtained based on the detection output of rotation speed detector 33 .

[0040] [1-2. Operation of cloth amount detection processing]

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, the control substrate 43 is constructed as a substrate on which a plurality of electronic components having different allowable voltages are mounted, and a microcomputer and the like are mounted. The electronic component is, for example, a smoothing capacitor 23. In order not to adversely affect the electronic components, the DC voltage applied to the control substrate 43 due to the voltage applied to the washing machine 100 and the regenerative power generated when the motor 7 rotates can be made smaller than the allowable voltage. In the present embodiment, when the DC voltage component of the control substrate 43 is greater than the allowable voltage during the cloth amount detection process, the cloth amount detection process that generates a large regenerative power is not performed. That is, in the present embodiment, when the voltage of the smoothing capacitor 23 is greater than a specified value when the commercial power supply 20 is applied and the motor 7 is not rotating, the cloth amount detection process that generates a large regenerative power is not performed.

[0042] The cloth amount detection process is a process for detecting and / or determining the amount of laundry such as clothes put into the drum 3 (hereinafter, also referred to as "cloth amount"), and determining the washing time, etc. according to the amount of laundry. When laundry is put into the drum 3 and a start instruction of the washing operation is input through the operation panel 10, the cloth amount detection process starts. Figure 3 The cloth amount detection process will be described below.

[0043] Figure 3 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cloth amount detection process of washing machine 100 in the first embodiment.

[0044] like Figure 3As shown, when the cloth amount detection process starts (step S1), the control device C uses the voltage detection unit 36 ​​built in the control unit 31 to detect the AC voltage applied to the washing machine 100 (step S2). In step S2, since the commercial power supply 20 is applied and the motor 7 is not rotating, the AC voltage of the commercial power supply 20 applied to the main body 1 of the washing machine 100 can be detected by detecting the voltage of the smoothing capacitor 23.

[0045] The control device C determines whether the AC voltage applied to the washing machine 100 is equal to or lower than the first voltage value (step S3).

[0046] The first voltage value in this embodiment is predetermined to be a value greater than the rated voltage of washing machine 100, for example, 1.06 times the rated voltage. For example, when the rated voltage of washing machine 100 is 100V, the first voltage value is set to 106V.

[0047] When the value of the AC voltage exceeds the first voltage value (step S3: "No"), the control device C does not implement the cloth amount detection process using the motor torque, but implements the cloth amount determination process that determines the cloth amount without using the current value (step S4). The washing machine 100 in this embodiment implements a process of determining the cloth amount by regarding the value of the cloth amount as a predetermined first cloth amount value, as a cloth amount determination process that does not use the current value of the motor 7 in the determination. The first cloth amount value in this embodiment is the value of the maximum load, that is, the maximum amount of cloth that can be washed by the washing machine 100. When the cloth amount is determined to be the maximum amount of cloth that can be washed by the washing machine 100, the amount of detergent to be put in, the amount of water, and the mechanical force are set to the maximum, so that the washing performance can be ensured regardless of the actual amount of cloth. In addition, the first cloth amount value may also be half of the maximum amount of cloth that can be washed by the washing machine 100, or the average amount of cloth detected in the cloth amount detection process in the past washing. In this case, the possibility that the amount of detergent to be put in, the amount of water, and the mechanical force are too large relative to the actual amount of cloth can be reduced. When the cloth amount determination step is completed, the control device C ends the cloth amount detection processing.

[0048] When the AC voltage value is equal to or less than the first voltage value (step S3: Yes), the control device C applies a predetermined voltage to the three-phase windings 7a, 7b, 7c of the motor 7, detects the temperature of the motor 7 (step S5), and calculates a temperature correction coefficient.

[0049] Next, the control device C performs a low-speed rotation process, and then performs a cloth amount detection process. In the low-speed rotation process, the control device C starts the drum 3 from a stationary state by causing the motor 7 to generate an acceleration torque, and accelerates the motor 7 to a predetermined rotation speed N1 (for example, 440 r / min) (step S6). Next, the control device C performs a cloth amount detection process following the low-speed rotation process.

[0050] After a predetermined time has passed since the start of the process in step S6, or Figure 3 Although not specifically shown in the figure, after reaching the specified rotation speed (step S7: "Yes"), the control device C starts the cloth amount detection process. The cloth amount detection process consists of a first detection process and a second detection process. First, the first detection process is performed, in which the motor 7 is vector-controlled to accelerate the rotation of the drum 3 at a specified angular acceleration α1, and the drum 3 is accelerated from the rotation speed N1 to the rotation speed N2 (step S8).

[0051] In the first detection step, control device C detects the current supplied to motor 7 through current detection unit 35 and calculates an average or cumulative value of current values ​​Iq1 in the first detection interval in which drum 3 rotates at least one integral multiple of one rotation.

[0052] In this way, by using the average value or cumulative value of the current value Iq1 during one rotation (360 degrees) of the drum 3, the up and down fluctuations of the current value caused by the biased state of the laundry can be offset. Therefore, by using the current value of the integral multiple rotation interval of the drum 3 at least one rotation as the cloth amount determination value, the up and down fluctuations of the current value caused by the biased state of the laundry can be offset, and the deviation of the cloth amount determination value can be suppressed.

[0053] When a predetermined time has passed since the start of the process in step S8 or drum 3 reaches rotation speed N2 (step S9: YES), control device C calculates current value Iq1 during one rotation of drum 3 (step S10) and ends the first detection step.

[0054] After the first detection process is completed, the second detection process (step S11) is performed. In the second detection process, after the control device C turns the rotation speed of the drum 3 to decelerate, the motor 7 is vector-controlled to decelerate the rotation of the drum 3 at a predetermined angular acceleration α2, and the drum 3 is decelerated from the rotation speed N3 to the rotation speed N4.

[0055] When the rotation speed of the drum 3 reaches N4 (step S12: "Yes"), the control device C performs the following processing. That is, the control device C detects the current supplied to the motor 7 through the current detection unit 35, and calculates the average value or cumulative value of the current value Iq2 of the integral multiple rotation interval of the drum 3 at least one rotation (step S13), and ends the second detection process.

[0056] Next, the control device C performs motor induced voltage correction (step S14 ) and temperature correction (step S15 ) based on the calculated difference between the current values ​​Iq1 and Iq2 .

[0057] Finally, the control device C determines the amount of cloth based on the relationship between the calculated current value difference (Iq1-Iq2) and the predetermined cloth amount value (step S16), and ends the cloth amount detection process and the cloth amount detection processing (step S17). In addition, the relationship between the current value difference (Iq1-Iq2) and the cloth amount value can be stored in the control device C in the form of a table (i.e., a combination of the current value difference and the cloth amount value) or in the form of a calculation formula.

[0058] As described above, in the present embodiment, the washing machine 100 determines whether or not the cloth amount detection process can be performed based on the value of the AC voltage input to the washing machine 100, and performs the cloth amount determination process without using the motor torque when the cloth amount detection process is not performed. Thus, the washing machine 100 can suppress the adverse effects of the regenerative power on the electronic components in the cloth amount detection process where there is a high possibility of generating large regenerative power. In addition, even in the case where large regenerative power is generated due to the bias state of the laundry or the induced voltage constant of the motor 7, the washing machine 100 can suppress the adverse effects of the regenerative power on the electronic components by not performing the cloth amount detection process using the motor torque.

[0059] [1-3. Effects, etc.]

[0060] As described above, in the present embodiment, the washing machine 100 includes: the drum 3 that accommodates laundry and rotates; and the motor 7 that is energized to drive the drum 3 to rotate. In addition, the washing machine 100 includes: the current detection unit 35 that detects the current energized to the motor 7; the voltage detection unit 36 ​​that detects the AC voltage of the commercial power supply 20 applied to the washing machine 100; and the control device C that controls the rotation of the motor 7. The control device C is configured to be able to perform a cloth amount detection process for determining the amount of laundry accommodated in the drum 3 based on the current value detected by the current detection unit 35. In addition, the control device C performs the cloth amount detection process when the value of the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit 36 ​​is less than the first voltage value.

[0061] Thus, when the voltage applied to the control board 43 due to the voltage applied to the washing machine 100 and the regenerative power generated when the motor 7 rotates is a value that does not adversely affect the electronic components mounted on the control board 43, the cloth amount detection process that generates regenerative power can be performed. That is, the washing machine 100 can suppress the influence of the regenerative power of the motor 7 in the cloth amount detection process.

[0062] As in the present embodiment, the control device C may execute the laundry amount determination step of determining the laundry amount without using the current value detected by the current detection unit 35 when the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit 36 ​​exceeds the first voltage value.

[0063] Thus, when the AC voltage value may adversely affect the electronic components mounted on the control substrate 43, the control device C does not perform the cloth amount detection process but determines the cloth amount based on the preset correspondence relationship. Therefore, the washing machine 100 does not generate regenerative power during the cloth amount detection process. In other words, the washing machine 100 completes the cloth amount detection process without being affected by the regenerative power generated by the motor 7 during the cloth amount detection process.

[0064] As in the present embodiment, the control device C may determine, in the cloth amount determining step, that the amount of laundry accommodated in the drum 3 is the first cloth amount value.

[0065] Thus, even when the AC voltage value may adversely affect the electronic components mounted on the control board 43, the control device C can easily set the amount of detergent to be added, the amount of water, and the mechanical force without generating regenerative power.

[0066] As in the present embodiment, the first cloth amount value may be a value of the maximum amount of cloth that can be washed by the washing machine 100 .

[0067] Thus, the amount of cloth is regarded as the maximum load (value of the maximum amount of cloth), and therefore the amount of detergent to be put in, the amount of water, and the mechanical force are set to the maximum, and washing machine 100 can ensure the washing performance regardless of the actual amount of cloth.

[0068] (Other Embodiments)

[0069] As described above, the first embodiment is described as an example of the technology in the present disclosure. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and can also be applied to embodiments obtained by performing changes, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. In addition, each component described in the above-mentioned first embodiment can also be combined to form a new embodiment.

[0070] Therefore, other embodiments are exemplified below.

[0071] In Embodiment 1, as an example of the motor of the present invention, the structure in which the rotation of the motor 7 is transmitted to the pulley 18 fixed to the rotating shaft 17 of the drum 3 via the belt 16 is described. The motor of the present invention can rotate the drum of the present invention, so it is not limited thereto. The motor of the present invention can also be a structure that is directly connected to the rotating shaft of the drum of the present invention to drive it.

[0072] In Embodiment 1, a drum-type washing machine 100 is described as an example of the washing machine of the present disclosure. The washing machine of the present disclosure is not limited to the drum-type washing machine as in Embodiment 1, and may be a washing and drying machine having a drying function or a vertical washing machine.

[0073] In Embodiment 1, the voltage detection unit 36 ​​is described as an example of the voltage detection unit of the present disclosure. The voltage detection unit of the present disclosure only needs to detect the voltage applied to the washing machine of the present disclosure when the motor of the present disclosure is driven, and is therefore not limited to a structure that indirectly detects the AC voltage of the commercial power supply 20. The voltage detection unit of the present disclosure may also be a structure that directly detects the AC voltage of the commercial power supply 20.

[0074] In Embodiment 1, as an example of the washing machine of the present invention, a cloth amount determination process for determining the cloth amount by regarding the prescribed cloth amount is described. The cloth amount determination process of the present invention that does not use the current value of the motor of the present invention in the determination is not necessarily a cloth amount detection process that uses the motor torque, and is therefore not limited to a process for determining the cloth amount by regarding the prescribed cloth amount. The cloth amount determination process that does not use the current value of the motor of the present invention in the determination may, for example, be a process for determining the cloth amount by detecting the vibration of the water tank 2 using a vibration detection unit. In this process, for example, a determination may be made that the amount of cloth increases as the vibration value increases. In addition, the vibration detection unit may, for example, be a 3D sensor that detects vibration in three axes, or a spring gauge that detects displacement caused by the expansion and contraction of a spring.

[0075] In Embodiment 1, as an example of a process for suppressing the generation of regenerative power, a cloth amount detection process for detecting the amount of laundry is described. If the process is to generate regenerative power by energizing the motor of the present disclosure, the same problem will occur, so the present disclosure can also be applied to processes other than the cloth amount detection process.

[0076] In Embodiment 1, the control device C includes the current detection unit 35 and the voltage detection unit 36, but the washing machine 100 may include the current detection unit 35 and the voltage detection unit 36 ​​as external structures different from the control device C. That is, the washing machine of the present disclosure also includes a structure in which the current detection unit of the present disclosure, the voltage detection unit of the present disclosure, and the control device of the present disclosure for controlling the rotation of the motor of the present disclosure are installed as one control device.

[0077] Industrial Applicability

[0078] The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a drum-type or vertical washing machine or a washing and drying machine. Specifically, for example, it can be applied to a household washing machine, a household washing and drying machine, a commercial washing machine, a commercial washing and drying machine, and the like.

[0079] Description of Reference Numerals

[0080] 1: Main body; 2: Sink; 3: Drum; 4: Clothes entrance and exit; 5: Door; 6: Through hole; 7: Motor; 7a: Three-phase winding; 7b: Three-phase winding; 7c: Three-phase winding; 8: Water supply pipe; 9: Drain pipe; 10: Operation panel; 11: Circulation air supply path; 12: Air supply fan; 13: Lint filter; 14: Rotation detection unit; 15: Fluid balancer; 16: Belt; 17: Rotating shaft; 18: Pulley; 19: Stirring protrusion; 20: Commercial power supply; 21: Rectifier; 22: Choke coil; 23: Smoothing capacitor; 24: Inverter circuit; 24a: Switch element; 24b: Switch element; 24c: Switch element; 24d: Switch Element; 24e: switching element; 24f: switching element; 26: load driving unit; 27: water supply valve; 28: drain valve; 29: heat pump; 30a: position detection element; 30b: position detection element; 30c: position detection element; 31: control unit; 32: drive circuit; 33: speed detection unit; 34: cloth amount detection unit; 35: current detection unit; 36: voltage detection unit; 43: control substrate; 100: washing machine; C: control device; Iq1: current value; Iq1': current value during acceleration; Iq2: current value; Iq2': current value during deceleration; N1: speed; N2: speed; N3: speed; α1: angular acceleration; α2: angular acceleration.

Claims

1. A washing machine, characterized in that: have: A drum that receives laundry and rotates; a motor that rotationally drives the drum by being energized; a current detection unit configured to detect a current supplied to the motor; a voltage detection unit that detects a voltage applied to the washing machine; as well as a control device that controls the rotation of the motor, The control device is configured to execute a cloth amount detection step for determining the amount of the laundry contained in the drum based on the current value detected by the current detection unit. The control device executes the cloth amount detection step when the value of the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit is equal to or less than a first voltage value.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control device executes a cloth amount determination step of determining the amount of the laundry without using the current value detected by the current detection unit when the value of the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit exceeds the first voltage value.

3. The washing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control device determines, in the cloth amount determination step, that the amount of the laundry accommodated in the drum is a first cloth amount value.

4. The washing machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first cloth amount value is a value of a maximum cloth amount that can be washed by the washing machine.

Images