Washing machine

Abstract

To provide a washing machine capable of performing washing which omits a rinsing step with a simple operation.SOLUTION: A washing machine 1 includes: an outer tub 5 provided in a housing 3; a washing tub 6 rotatably provided in the outer tub 5; a control circuit 13 for controlling an operation of an electric motor 18 for rotating the washing tub 6; a storage device 23 for storing a "standard course" program for executing a washing step, a plurality of times of dewatering steps and a plurality of times of rinsing steps; an operation part 11; a water supply valve 9 and a water supply path 14 for constituting a water supply device for supplying water to the outer tub 5; and a drain valve 10, an electric motor 10a, and a drain path 15 for constituting a drain device for draining water from the outer tub 5. In the storage device 23, a "course without rinsing" program which has a washing step and only one time of dewatering step is stored, and in the washing step of this program, the larger amount of water and a weaker water flow are set, compared to the washing step of the "standard course" program, in the case of washing the same amount of the laundry.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly to a washing machine capable of saving time and water. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of washing machine, there is known a washing machine that can selectively execute a plurality of operation courses that combine each process such as washing, rinsing, and spin-drying. Usually, in such a washing machine, as a standard course, water is supplied to a washing tub containing laundry and detergent is added to wash the laundry (washing process), the washing water is drained after the washing process and spin-drying is performed (first spin-drying process), water is supplied to the washing tub after the first spin-drying process and rinsed (first rinsing process), water is drained after the first rinsing process and spin-drying is performed (second spin-drying process), water is supplied to the washing tub after the second spin-drying process and rinsed (second rinsing process), water is drained after the second rinsing process and spin-drying is performed (third spin-drying process). In addition, some washing machines are set to a course that omits the second rinsing process and the third spin-drying process depending on the type of detergent. In this way, by reducing the number of rinsing processes depending on the type of detergent used, not only can water be saved but also time can be saved. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6997122 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, detergents that do not require rinsing have been released in recent years. When such detergents are used, water is supplied to a washing tub containing laundry and the detergent is added to wash the laundry (washing process), and after the washing process is completed, the washing water is drained and the laundry is dehydrated (spinning process). In this way, if the rinsing process is completely omitted, it is possible to significantly save water and reduce time compared to the conventional method. However, such detergents cannot currently be used to wash all types of clothing, and are mainly used to wash delicate clothes. For this reason, when using such detergents, it is necessary to manually set parameters for each process rather than simply omitting the rinsing process, which is a hassle.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine which solves the above problems and can perform washing with a simple operation without the rinsing step. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The washing machine described in claim 1 of the present invention comprises a housing, an outer tub provided within the housing, a washing tub rotatably provided within the outer tub, an electric motor for rotating the washing tub, a control circuit for controlling the operation of the electric motor, an operating unit, a water supply device for supplying water to the outer tub, and a drainage device for draining water from the outer tub, and the control circuit has a memory device for storing a "standard course" program which executes a washing process, multiple spin-drying processes, and multiple rinsing processes, and the memory device stores a "no-rinse course" program which has a washing process and only one spin-drying process, and the washing process in this "no-rinse course" program is set to use a larger amount of water and a weaker water flow than the washing process in the "standard course" program when washing the same amount of laundry.

[0007] In addition, the washing machine according to claim 2 of the present invention is configured in such a way that the single spin-drying step in the "no-rinse course" program is the same or shorter in duration as the final spin-drying step in the "standard course" program when washing the same amount of laundry, and the washing tub rotation speed is controlled to be low.

[0008] Furthermore, the washing machine according to claim 3 of the present invention is the washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a heating device for increasing the water temperature in the washing tub in the washing step of the "no-rinse course" program. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The washing machine according to claim 1 of the present invention, configured as described above, can perform washing easily without the need for troublesome settings, even when using a detergent specifically for no-rinse washing.

[0010] Furthermore, by controlling the single spin-dry step in the "no-rinse course" program to be the same length or shorter than the final spin-dry step in a "standard course" program when washing the same amount of laundry, and by controlling the rotation speed of the washing tub to be kept low, it is possible to spin-dry clothes that are suitable for no-rinse laundry detergent without damaging them.

[0011] In addition, by providing a heating device that raises the water temperature in the washing tub during the washing process in the "no-rinse course" program, dirt can be removed effectively even with a weak water flow without damaging clothes that can be treated with detergents designed for no-rinse washing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a washing machine showing one embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a comparison between the standard course program and the no-rinse course program. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a comparative explanatory diagram of the washing steps of the standard course program and the no-rinse course program. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a comparative explanatory diagram of the motor drive time in the washing process of the standard course program and the washing process of the no-rinse course program. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a comparative explanatory diagram showing multiple spin-drying steps in a standard course program and only one spin-drying step in a no-rinse course program. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a comparative explanatory diagram of the motor rotation speed during multiple spin-dry cycles in a standard course program and during a single spin-dry cycle in a no-rinse course program. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 6. Reference numeral 1 denotes a washing machine of the present invention. Although this washing machine 1 is of a vertical type, it may be of a so-called drum type.

[0014] This washing machine 1 is configured to include a housing 3 having an opening 2 at the top, a door 4 for opening and closing the opening 2, an outer tub 5 provided in the housing 3, a washing tub 6 provided in the outer tub 5, a pulsator 7 rotatably provided at the bottom of the washing tub 6, a drive mechanism 8 provided at the bottom of the housing 3, a water supply valve 9 constituting a water supply device, a drain valve 10 constituting a drain device and an electric motor 10a for opening and closing the drain valve, an operation unit 11 and a display device 12 provided at the top of the housing 3, and a control circuit 13. Then, the laundry is put into the washing tub 6 from the opening 2. A water supply path 14 constituting a water supply device is provided at the top of the outer tub 5, and the water supply valve 9 is provided in this water supply path 14. The water supply path 14 is connected to a water supply (not shown). A drain path 15 constituting a drain device is provided at the bottom of the outer tub 5, and the drain valve 10 is provided in this drain path 15. The drainage path 15 is connected to a sewer system (not shown).

[0015] The outer tub 5 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a heater 16 is provided on the inner surface of the outer tub 5 as a heating device. The washing tub 6 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a number of through holes 17 are formed on the side surface of the washing tub 6. The washing tub 6 is connected to the drive mechanism 8. The drive mechanism 8 is composed of an electric motor 18, a clutch 19, an inner shaft 20, and an outer shaft 21. The inner shaft 20 is connected to the pulsator 7. On the other hand, the outer shaft 21 is connected to the bottom of the washing tub 6. The clutch 19 is a device that stops the rotation of the outer shaft 21 by a built-in brake (not shown). That is, when the outer shaft 21 is not rotated by the clutch 19, only the pulsator 7 rotates, and the washing tub 6 does not rotate. On the other hand, when the brake of the clutch 19 is released, the rotation of the electric motor 18 is transmitted to the outer shaft 21, and the pulsator 7 and the washing tub 6 rotate together. The brake of the clutch 19 is operated by the electric motor 10a.

[0016] Next, the control circuit 13 will be described in detail. The control circuit 13 includes a microcomputer 22, a storage device 23, and a drive circuit 24. The storage device 23 stores programs for a plurality of washing courses. The storage device 23 may be built into the chip of the microcomputer 22. The drive circuit 24 operates the motor 18, the clutch 19, the water supply valve 9, the drain valve 10, and the heater 16 based on a command signal output from the microcomputer 22. Therefore, the motor 18, the motor 10a, the water supply valve 9, and the heater 16 are connected to the drive circuit 24. The microcomputer 22 of the control circuit 13 is connected to a water level sensor 25, a rotation speed detector 26, and an abnormality detector 27. The water level sensor 25 detects the water levels in the outer tub 5 and the washing tub 6. The rotation speed detector 26 detects the rotation speed of the electric motor 18 and is attached to the clutch 19. The abnormality detector 27 stops the supply of electricity to the electric motor 18 when the vibration of the outer tub 5 is large.

[0017] Next, the operation of the washing machine 1 will be described. First, a user operates the operation unit 11 to turn on the power of the washing machine 1. The drain valve 10 is closed in the initial state. Also, in the initial state, the clutch 19 suppresses the rotation of the outer shaft 21 by its brake (not shown). Then, a user operates the operation unit 11 to select a desired washing course. In this embodiment, at least a "standard course" and a "no-rinse course" program are stored in the storage device 23, so one of these or another stored washing course program is selected.

[0018] A case where the "standard course" program is selected will be described. Before starting the "standard course" program, the laundry and a predetermined amount of laundry detergent are put into the washing tub 6. The laundry detergent may be automatically put in using a dosing mechanism (not shown) operated by the control circuit 13. When the "standard course" program is started, the control circuit 13 opens the water supply valve 9 using the drive circuit 24. This starts water supply to the washing tub 6 from the water supply path 14, and the put-in laundry detergent dissolves. As described above, the washing tub 6 has a large number of through holes 17, so that the space inside the washing tub 6 and the space between the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5 communicate with each other through the through holes 17. Therefore, the water supplied to the washing tub 6 is also stored in the outer tub 5. When the water level sensor 25 detects a predetermined water level, the control circuit 13 closes the water supply valve 9 using the drive circuit 24. This stops water supply to the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5. The amount of water supplied to the outer tub 5 varies depending on the amount of laundry to be washed.

[0019] When the water supply to the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5 is stopped, the washing process starts. In this washing process, the clutch 19 suppresses the rotation of the outer shaft 21 by its brake. Then, the control circuit 13 rotates the electric motor 18 using the drive circuit 24. The rotation of the electric motor 18 is transmitted to the inner shaft 20, which rotates the pulsator 7, and a water flow is generated in the washing tub 6. Then, during the washing process, the electric motor 18 repeats a forward rotation for a time Td1, a stop for a time Tr1, a reverse rotation for a time Td1, a stop for a time Tr1, and so on. At this time, if the forward and reverse rotation time Td1 of the electric motor 18 is long, the strength of the water flow in the washing tub 6 becomes strong. When such a forward rotation for a time Td1, a stop for a time Tr1, a reverse rotation for a time Td1, a stop for a time Tr1, and so on are performed for a time Tw, the washing process ends.

[0020] During the washing process, the heater 16 is energized to raise the temperature of the washing water (water containing detergent, etc.) in the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5. In this way, raising the temperature of the washing water can improve the effect of removing dirt from the washed items.

[0021] When the washing cycle is completed, the control circuit 13 operates the electric motor 10a using the drive circuit 24 to open the drain valve 10, and drains the wash water from the drain path 15 to the outside of the washing machine 1. When the electric motor 10a is operated to open the drain valve 10, the brake of the clutch 19 is released by the operation of the electric motor 10a at the same time. Then, when the draining of the wash water from the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5 is completed, the first spin cycle is started.

[0022] In the first spin-drying step, the control circuit 13 rotates the electric motor 18 using the drive circuit 24. As described above, since the brake of the clutch 19 is released, the rotation of the electric motor 18 is also transmitted to the outer shaft 21, which rotates the washing tub 6. When the washing tub 6 is rotated in this manner, the washing water contained in the laundry in the washing tub 6 is moved in the centrifugal direction by centrifugal force, and then discharged from the washing tub 6 through the many through holes 17, and further discharged from the outer tub 5 to the outside of the washing machine 1 through the drainage path 15. In this manner, by performing the first spin-drying step, the components of the laundry detergent contained in the laundry are removed to a certain extent. The rotation speed of the electric motor 18 is detected by the rotation speed detector 26. When the rotation speed detector 26 detects that the rotation speed of the electric motor 18 has increased to the upper limit value R1H, the control circuit 13 stops the supply of electricity to the electric motor 18 using the drive circuit 24. In this way, when the power supply to the motor 18 is stopped, the rotation speed of the motor 18 decreases. Then, when the rotation speed detector 26 detects that the rotation speed of the motor 18 has decreased to the lower limit value R1L, the control circuit 13 resumes the power supply to the motor 18 using the drive circuit 24. In this way, the rotation speed of the motor 18 is kept within the range from the upper limit value R1H to the lower limit value R1L, and the rotation speed of the washing tub 6 is also kept within a predetermined range. Then, when the motor 18 is driven for a predetermined time (6 minutes in this embodiment), the first spin-drying process is completed.

[0023] When the first spin cycle is completed, the control circuit 13 operates the electric motor 10a using the drive circuit 24 to close the drain valve 10 and open the water supply valve 9 to start supplying water from the water supply path 14 to the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5. When the electric motor 10a is operated to close the drain valve 10, the clutch 19 is braked by the operation of the electric motor 10a at the same time. When the water level sensor 25 detects a predetermined water level, the control circuit 13 closes the water supply valve 9 using the drive circuit 24. This stops the supply of water to the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5. The amount of water supplied to the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5 varies depending on the amount of laundry.

[0024] When the water supply to the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5 is stopped, the first rinsing step is started. In this rinsing step, as described above, the clutch 19 is braked, so that only the inner shaft 20 can rotate. Then, the control circuit 13 rotates the electric motor 18 using the drive circuit 24. The rotation of the electric motor 18 is transmitted to the inner shaft 20, which rotates the pulsator 7. During the rinsing step, the electric motor 18 repeats a predetermined period of forward rotation, a predetermined period of stop, a predetermined period of reverse rotation, a predetermined period of stop, and so on. At this time, if the period of forward rotation and reverse rotation of the electric motor 18 is long, the strength of the water flow becomes strong. In this rinsing step, the detergent components remaining on the laundry are dispersed into the water stored in the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5. When such a predetermined period of forward rotation, a predetermined period of stop, a predetermined period of reverse rotation, a predetermined period of stop, and so on are executed for a predetermined period of time, the first rinsing step is completed.

[0025] When the first rinsing step is completed, drainage, the second spin-drying step, water supply, the second rinsing step, drainage, and the third spin-drying step are performed. The second spin-drying step and the third spin-drying step are performed in the same manner as the first spin-drying step, except that the time is different from that of the first spin-drying step (in the present embodiment, the second spin-drying step is 3 minutes and the third spin-drying step is 12 minutes). The second rinsing step is the same as the first rinsing step. In this way, by performing two rinsing steps and three spin-drying steps, the detergent components contained in the laundry are sufficiently removed. Then, by performing the water supply, washing step, drainage, the first spin-drying step, water supply, the first rinsing step, drainage, the second spin-drying step, water supply, and the third spin-drying step, the "standard course" program is completed.

[0026] Next, a case where the "no-rinse course" program is selected will be described. Before starting the "no-rinse course" program, the laundry and a predetermined amount of detergent for no-rinse washing (hereinafter, the "dedicated detergent") are put into the washing tub 6. The dedicated detergent may be automatically put in using a dosing mechanism (not shown) operated by the control circuit 13. The clothes that can be washed with the dedicated detergent are mainly those called "delicate clothes". When the "no-rinse course" program is started, the control circuit 13 opens the water supply valve 9 using the drive circuit 24. This starts the supply of water from the water supply path 14 to the washing tub 6, and the put-in dedicated detergent dissolves. As described above, the washing tub 6 has a large number of through holes 17 formed therein, so that the space inside the washing tub 6 and the space between the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5 are connected by the through holes 17. Therefore, the water supplied to the washing tub 6 is also stored in the outer tub 5. When the water level sensor 25 detects a predetermined water level, the control circuit 13 closes the water supply valve 9 using the drive circuit 24. This stops the supply of water to the washing tub 6 and outer tub 5. The amount of water supplied to the washing tub 6 and outer tub 5 is greater than the amount of water supplied in the washing process in the "standard course" program when washing the same amount of laundry. In this embodiment, the amount of water supplied to the washing tub 6 and outer tub 5 is the maximum amount of water supplied in the washing machine 1.

[0027] When the water supply to the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5 is stopped, the washing process is started. In this washing process, the clutch 19 suppresses the rotation of the outer shaft 21 by its brake. Then, the control circuit 13 rotates the electric motor 18 using the drive circuit 24. The rotation of the electric motor 18 is transmitted to the inner shaft 20, which rotates the pulsator 7, and a water flow is generated in the washing tub 6. Then, during the washing process, the electric motor 18 repeats a forward rotation for a time Td2, a stop for a time Tr2, a reverse rotation for a time Td2, a stop for a time Tr2, and so on. The forward and reverse rotation times Td2 of the electric motor 18 are shorter than the forward and reverse rotation times Td1 of the electric motor 18 in the "standard course" program, so the strength of the water flow in the washing tub 6 is weaker than the strength of the water flow in the "standard course" program. When the forward rotation at time Td2, the stop at time Tr2, the reverse rotation at time Td2, the stop at time Tr2, ... are performed for time Tw, the washing process ends. In this embodiment, the time Tw of the washing process in the "no-rinse course" program is the same as the time Tw of the washing process in the "standard course" program. In this way, by setting the water volume in the washing process in the "no-rinse course" program to the maximum water volume and weakening the water flow strength, the laundry is prevented from moving violently, and the laundry is made loose in the washing tub 6, so that the frequency of the laundry rubbing against each other or getting tangled is reduced, and as a result, it is possible to wash delicate laundry such as "fine clothes" that can be washed with a special detergent with less damage.

[0028] During the washing process, the temperature of the wash water (water containing detergent, etc.) in the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5 can be increased by energizing the heater 16. In this way, by increasing the temperature of the wash water, it is possible to improve the effect of removing dirt while suppressing damage to delicate items to be washed, such as "fine clothes," even with a weak water flow.

[0029] When the washing step is completed, the control circuit 13 operates the electric motor 10a using the drive circuit 24 to open the drain valve 10, and drains the washing water from the drain path 15 to the outside of the washing machine 1. When the electric motor 10a is operated to open the drain valve 10, the brake of the clutch 19 is released by the operation of the electric motor 10a at the same time. Then, when the draining of the washing water from the washing tub 6 and the outer tub 5 is completed, the process proceeds to the spin-drying step.

[0030] In the spin-drying step, the control circuit 13 rotates the electric motor 18 using the drive circuit 24. As described above, since the brake of the clutch 19 is released, the rotation of the electric motor 18 is also transmitted to the outer shaft 21, which rotates the washing tub 6. When the washing tub 6 is rotated in this manner, the washing water contained in the laundry in the washing tub 6 moves in the centrifugal direction, and is then discharged from the washing tub 6 through the many through holes 17, and is further discharged from the outer tub 5 to the outside of the washing machine 1 through the drainage path 15. In this manner, the components of the special detergent contained in the laundry are removed by performing the spin-drying step. The rotation speed of the electric motor 18 is detected by the rotation speed detector 26. When the rotation speed detector 26 detects that the rotation speed of the electric motor 18 has increased to the upper limit value R2H, the control circuit 13 stops the supply of electricity to the electric motor 18 using the drive circuit 24. In this way, when the power supply to the motor 18 is stopped, the rotation speed of the motor 18 decreases. Then, when the rotation speed detector 26 detects that the rotation speed of the motor 18 has decreased to the lower limit value R2L, the control circuit 13 resumes the power supply to the motor 18 using the drive circuit 24. In this way, the rotation speed of the motor 18 is kept within the range from the upper limit value R2H to the lower limit value R2L, so that the rotation speed of the washing tub 6 is also kept within a predetermined range. Note that the upper limit value R2H and the lower limit value R2L of the rotation speed of the motor 18 in the spin-drying process of the "no-rinse course" program are set lower than the upper limit value R1H and the lower limit value R1L of the rotation speed of the motor 18 in the spin-drying process of the "standard course" program, respectively. Also, in this example, the upper limit value R2H of the rotation speed of the motor 18 in the spin-drying process of the "no-rinse course" program is set lower than the lower limit value R1L of the rotation speed of the motor 18 in the spin-drying process of the "standard course" program. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the range of rotation speeds of the motor 18 (i.e., the range of rotation speeds of the washing tub 6) in the spin-drying process of the "no-rinse course" program is lower than the range of rotation speeds of the motor 18 (i.e., the range of rotation speeds of the washing tub 6) in the spin-drying process of the "standard course" program.Then, when the motor 18 is driven for a predetermined time (8 minutes in this embodiment), the spin-drying process ends, and the "no-rinse course" program ends. The time for the spin-drying process of the "no-rinse course" program is set shorter than the time for the last spin-drying process (i.e., the third spin-drying process) of the "standard course" program, which is 12 minutes. In this way, by keeping the rotation speed of the motor 18 (i.e., the rotation speed of the washing tub 6) low and shortening the spin-drying time in the spin-drying process of the "no-rinse course" program, it is possible to spin-dry delicate laundry, such as "fine clothes" that can be washed with a special detergent, while minimizing damage to the laundry. In this spin-drying process, the special detergent and dirt contained in the laundry are sufficiently removed together with the wash water.

[0031] As described above, the present invention relates to a washing machine 1 having a housing 3, an outer tub 5 provided in the housing 3, a washing tub 6 rotatably provided in the outer tub 5, an electric motor 18 for rotating the washing tub 6, a control circuit 13 for controlling the operation of the electric motor 18, an operation unit 11, a water supply valve 9 and a water supply path 14 constituting a water supply device for supplying water to the outer tub 5, and a drain valve 10 and a drain path 15 constituting a drain device for draining water from the outer tub, and the control circuit 13 has a memory device 23 for storing a "standard course" program for executing a washing process, multiple spin-drying processes, and multiple rinsing processes. The memory device 23 stores a "no-rinse course" program having a washing process and only one spin-drying process, and the washing process in this "no-rinse course" program is set to a larger amount of water and a weaker water flow than the washing process in the "standard course" program when washing the same amount of laundry, so that even when using a detergent specifically for no-rinse washing, washing can be easily performed without the need for troublesome settings.

[0032] Furthermore, the present invention controls the single dehydration step in the "no-rinse course" program to be shorter and with a lower rotation speed of the washing tub 6 than the final dehydration step in the "standard course" program when washing the same amount of laundry, thereby making it possible to dehydrate clothes that are suitable for no-rinse laundry detergent without damaging them.

[0033] Furthermore, in the present invention, by providing a heater 16 as a heating device for raising the water temperature in the washing tub 6 during the washing process in the "no-rinse course" program, dirt can be removed effectively even with a weak water flow without damaging clothes that can be treated with detergents designed for no-rinse washing.

[0034] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the time Tw of the washing process in the "no-rinse course" program is the same as the time Tw of the washing process in the "standard course" program, but it may be shorter than the time Tw of the washing process in the "standard course" program, or may be set to be shorter. In the above embodiment, the amount of water in the washing process in the "no-rinse course" program is the maximum amount of water in the washing machine, but it may be larger than the amount of water when washing the same amount of laundry in the "standard course" program. In the above embodiment, the upper limit of the motor speed in the spin-drying process in the "no-rinse course" program is lower than the lower limit of the motor speed in the spin-drying process in the "standard course" program when the same amount of laundry is washed, but the upper limit of the motor speed in the spin-drying process in the "no-rinse course" program may be lower than the upper limit of the motor speed in the spin-drying process in the "standard course" program when the same amount of laundry is washed, and the lower limit of the motor speed in the spin-drying process in the "no-rinse course" program may be lower than the lower limit of the motor speed in the spin-drying process in the "standard course" program. In the above embodiment, the time for the spin-drying process in the "no-rinse course" program is 8 minutes, and the time for the final spin-drying process in the "standard course" program when the same amount of laundry is washed is 12 minutes, but the time for the spin-drying process in the "no-rinse course" program can be set to any value as long as it is equal to or shorter than the time for the final spin-drying process in the "standard course" program when the same amount of laundry is washed. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a heater as a heating device is provided in the outer tank and is configured to heat the water stored in the outer tank, but the heating device may also be provided in the water supply path and the water supplied from the water supply path may be heated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1. Washing machine 3. Chassis 5 Outer tank 6 Washing tub 7 Pulsator 9. Water supply valve (water supply device) 10 Drain valve (drainage device) 10a Electric motor (drainage device) 11 Control section 13 Control circuit 14 Water supply route (water supply device) 15 Drainage route (drainage device) 16 Heater (heating device) 18 Electric motor 23 Storage device

Claims

1. A washing machine having a housing, an outer tub provided within the housing, a washing tub rotatably provided within the outer tub, an electric motor for rotating the washing tub, a control circuit for controlling the operation of the electric motor, an operation unit, a water supply device for supplying water to the outer tub and the washing tub, and a drainage device for draining water from the outer tub and the washing tub, wherein the control circuit has a memory device for storing a "standard course" program for executing a washing process, a spin-drying process multiple times, and a rinsing process multiple times, The storage device stores a "no-rinse course" program having a washing step and only one spin-drying step, and the washing step in the "no-rinse course" program is set to use a larger amount of water and a weaker water flow than the washing step in the "standard course" when washing the same amount of laundry.

2. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the single dehydration step in the "no-rinse course" program is set to be shorter and to have a lower rotation speed of the washing tub than the final dehydration step in the "standard course" program when washing the same amount of laundry.

3. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a heater for increasing the temperature of water in the washing tub during the washing process in the "no-rinse course" program.

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