Washing machine

Abstract

To provide a washing machine capable of preventing the deterioration of rinsing performance due to the execution of a shower rinsing process in a state that water is hardly splashed on laundry.SOLUTION: In the automatic washing machine 1, under a condition that a shower rinsing process of supplying water through the water supply part 50 while rotating the washing and dewatering drum 22 through the driving part 30 is set as the rinsing process, after the dewatering process is executed and before the shower rinsing process is executed, the control part rotates the impeller 24 through the driving part 30 and detects the load applied to the impeller 24 as the load B. Then, the control part executes the shower rinsing process as the rinsing process when the load B is larger than the threshold value, and executes the water-storage rinsing process or the water-injection rinsing process of rotating the impeller 24 in a state that the water is stored in the outer tank 20 as the rinsing process when the load B is smaller than the threshold value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a washing machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, washing machines have been known that perform a rinse cycle known as a shower rinse cycle. In the shower rinse cycle, the washing and spin-drying tub is rotated at a low speed while water is supplied from above the tub toward a position closer to the inner wall than the center of the tub. At this time, the drain valve is open. Water is sprayed onto and penetrates the laundry in the washing and spin-drying tub, and detergent is washed out of the laundry along with the water. The water containing detergent is then discharged from the outer tub.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a washing machine that performs a flush rinse process, which is a shower rinse process. In the washing machine of Patent Document 1, the agitator (pulsator) rotates forward and backward several times before the flush rinse process. This can loosen laundry that has been compressed by the centrifugal force of the spin-drying process. In addition, the centrifugal force can easily cause laundry that has stuck to the inner circumferential surface of the washing tub (washing and spin-drying tub) to peel off. This makes it easier for water supplied to the washing tub to penetrate the laundry. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-334412 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a washing machine, when a small amount of laundry is washed, the laundry tends to stick thinly to the inner circumferential surface of the washing and spin-drying tub after spin-drying. In this state, the water supplied to the washing and spin-drying tub is hardly sprayed onto the laundry. Even if the pulsator is rotated as in the washing machine of Patent Document 1, the rotating pulsator is hardly able to come into contact with the stuck laundry, making it difficult for the laundry to peel off from the inner circumferential surface. Therefore, if the shower rinse cycle is performed while the laundry is hardly sprayed with water, a significant decrease in rinsing performance is likely to be unavoidable.

[0006] To provide a washing machine that can prevent a drop in rinsing performance caused by the shower rinsing step being performed in a state where it is difficult for water to splash on laundry, and that has been made in view of the above problem. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A washing machine according to a main aspect of the present invention includes an outer tub elastically supported within a housing, a washing / spinning tub rotatably disposed within the outer tub, a pulsator rotatably disposed within the washing / spinning tub, a drive unit that drives the washing / spinning tub and the pulsator, a water supply unit that supplies water into the washing / spinning tub from above, and a control unit. When a shower rinse process is set as a rinsing process, in which the drive unit rotates the washing / spinning tub while the water supply unit supplies water, the control unit rotates the pulsator by the drive unit after a spin cycle is performed and before the shower rinse cycle is performed, and detects a load applied to the pulsator as a first load. When the first load is greater than a threshold value, the control unit executes the shower rinsing process as the rinsing process, and when the first load is less than the threshold value, the control unit executes a pool rinsing process or a water injection rinsing process as the rinsing process, in which the pulsator is rotated with water stored in the outer tub.

[0008] According to the washing machine of this aspect, when the first load is smaller than the threshold value and it is deemed that the laundry is sticking to the inner circumferential surface of the washing and spin tub and water from the water supply unit is not easily applied to the laundry, the stored water rinse process or the pouring water rinse process is executed instead of the set shower rinse process. This prevents the shower rinse process from being executed in a state where water is not easily applied to the laundry, which results in a deterioration in rinsing performance.

[0009] In the washing machine according to this aspect, the control unit may be configured to rotate the pulsator using the drive unit before the washing process is performed, detect the load applied to the pulsator as a second load, and set the threshold value based on the second load.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the threshold value is set based on the second load that correlates with the load amount of laundry in the washing and spin-drying tub, so that the determination of the laundry sticking state based on the first load is less affected by the load amount of laundry, thereby making it possible to improve the accuracy of the determination.

[0011] In the washing machine according to this aspect, the control unit may be configured to rotate the pulsator using the drive unit before the washing process is performed, detect the load on the pulsator, determine the load of laundry in the washing and spin-drying tub based on the load, and detect the first load if the load is less than a specified amount.

[0012] According to the above configuration, when there is a certain amount of laundry in the washing and spin-drying tub and it is unlikely that the laundry will stick to the washing machine and become difficult to spray with water, the first load is not detected and the state of the laundry sticking to the washing machine based on the first load is not determined. This makes it possible to prevent the washing operation from being prolonged as much as possible. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a washing machine that can prevent a decrease in rinsing performance caused by the shower rinsing step being performed in a state where it is difficult for water to splash on laundry.

[0014] The effects and significance of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments, however, the following embodiment is merely an example of how the present invention can be implemented, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a fully automatic washing machine according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a fully automatic washing machine according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of a washing operation according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control operation executed by the control unit in the first rinsing step according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5(a) is a diagram showing a state in which no laundry is stuck to the inner surface of the washing and spin-drying tub before the first rinsing process in an embodiment, and Figure 5(b) is a diagram showing a state in which a thin layer of laundry is stuck to the inner surface of the washing and spin-drying tub before the first rinsing process in an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, a fully automatic washing machine 1, which is one embodiment of a washing machine of the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a fully automatic washing machine 1. As shown in FIG.

[0018] The fully automatic washing machine 1 has a housing 10 that forms the exterior. The housing 10 includes a rectangular cylindrical body 11 with open top and bottom faces, a top panel 12 that covers the top face of the body 11, and a base 13 that supports the body 11. A laundry inlet 14 is formed in the top panel 12. The laundry inlet 14 is covered by an openable top lid 15.

[0019] An outer tub 20 with an open top is disposed within the housing 10. The outer tub 20 is elastically suspended and supported by four suspension rods 21 equipped with vibration-isolating devices. A washing and spin-drying tub 22 with an open top is disposed within the outer tub 20. The washing and spin-drying tub 22 rotates around a rotation axis extending vertically. A large number of spin-drying holes 22a are formed around the entire inner circumferential surface of the washing and spin-drying tub 22. A balance ring 23 is provided on the top of the washing and spin-drying tub 22. A pulsator 24 is rotatably disposed at the bottom of the washing and spin-drying tub 22. A plurality of blades 24a are provided radially on the surface of the pulsator 24.

[0020] A drive unit 30 that generates torque to drive the washing / spinning tub 22 and the pulsator 24 is disposed on the outer bottom of the outer tub 20. The drive unit 30 includes a drive motor 31 and a transmission mechanism 32. The transmission mechanism 32 has a clutch mechanism 32a, and by switching operation of the clutch mechanism 32a, the torque of the drive motor 31 is transmitted only to the pulsator 24, causing only the pulsator 24 to rotate, during the washing process, the pool rinse process, and the water injection rinse process, and the torque of the drive motor 31 is transmitted to the pulsator 24 and the washing / spinning tub 22, causing the pulsator 24 and the washing / spinning tub 22 to rotate integrally with each other during the spin process and the shower rinse process.

[0021] A drain outlet 20a is formed on the outer bottom of the outer tub 20. A drain valve 40 is provided in the drain outlet 20a. The drain valve 40 is connected to a drain hose 41. When the drain valve 40 is opened, water stored in the washing and spin-drying tub 22 and the outer tub 20 is drained outside the machine through the drain hose 41. In other words, the drain valve 40 is opened when draining water from the outer tub 20.

[0022] A water supply unit 50 for supplying tap water into the washing and spin tub 22 is disposed at the rear of the top panel 12. The water supply unit 50 includes a water supply valve 51 and a water supply channel member 52. A water inlet 51a of the water supply valve 51 is connected to a water faucet via a water supply hose. The water supply valve 51 is connected to the inlet of the water supply channel member 52. The water supply channel member 52 has a water supply channel through which water from the water supply valve 51 flows to a water inlet 52a, and a detergent container and a fabric softener container provided midway along the water supply channel. The water inlet 52a is provided at the bottom front end of the water supply channel member 52. The detergent container contains detergent, and the fabric softener container contains fabric softener.

[0023] When water supply valve 51 is opened, tap water from a water faucet flows through the water supply channel of water supply channel member 52 and is supplied from water inlet 52a into washing and spin-drying tub 22. Water inlet 52a is directed almost directly downward, and water discharged from water inlet 52a falls at a position closer to the inner circumferential surface than the center of washing and spin-drying tub 22, for example, near the outer circumferential edge of pulsator 24.

[0024] Water supply valve 51 has a first valve and a second valve. When the first valve is opened, water from the first valve flows into the detergent container, flushing out the detergent from the detergent container. This causes the detergent to be supplied to washing and spin-drying tub 22 together with the water. When the second valve is opened, water from the second valve flows into the fabric softener container, flushing out the fabric softener from the fabric softener container. This causes the fabric softener to be supplied to washing and spin-drying tub 22 together with the water.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fully automatic washing machine 1. As shown in FIG.

[0026] In addition to the above-described configuration, the fully automatic washing machine 1 includes an operation unit 61, a display unit 62, and a water level sensor 63. The fully automatic washing machine 1 also includes a control unit 100. The control unit 100 includes a control unit 101, a memory unit 102, a motor drive unit 103, a clutch drive unit 104, a water supply drive unit 105, and a drain drive unit 106.

[0027] The operation unit 61 includes various operation buttons such as a power button for turning on and off the power of the fully-automatic washing machine 1, a start / pause button for starting and pausing a washing operation, a course selection button for selecting an operation course from a plurality of operation courses related to the washing operation, etc. The operation unit 61 outputs an input signal to the control unit 101 according to the operation button operated by the user.

[0028] The display unit 62 includes a display such as a light-emitting element such as an LED or a liquid crystal panel, and displays the selected operation course, the progress of the washing operation, notifies of abnormalities, etc. according to a control signal from the control unit 101.

[0029] Water level sensor 63 detects the water level in washing and spin-drying tub 22 and outputs a water level signal to control unit 101 according to the detected water level.

[0030] The motor driving unit 103 drives the driving motor 31 in accordance with a control signal output from the control unit 101. The clutch driving unit 104 drives the clutch mechanism 32a of the transmission mechanism unit 32 in accordance with a control signal output from the control unit 101. The water supply driving unit 105 drives the water supply valve 51 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 101. The drain driving unit 106 drives the drain valve 40 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 101.

[0031] The storage unit 102 includes an EEPROM, a RAM, etc. The storage unit 102 stores programs for executing various operation courses of the washing operation. The storage unit 102 also stores various operation conditions used in the washing operation.

[0032] The control unit 101 includes a CPU and the like, and controls the motor drive unit 103, clutch drive unit 104, water supply drive unit 105, drain drive unit 106, and the like in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit .

[0033] In the fully automatic washing machine 1, under the control of the control unit 101, washing operations of various operation courses are performed.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the washing operation.

[0035] When laundry is placed in washing / dehydrating tub 22 and the start / pause button on operation unit 61 is pressed, the washing operation starts.

[0036] When the washing operation starts, the control unit 101 rotates the pulsator 24 by the drive unit 30 when there is no water in the washing and spinning tub 22, and detects the load applied to the rotating pulsator 24 by the laundry as load A (S1). The pulsator 24 rotates, for example, left and right (forward and reverse directions) with stops in between. Load A corresponds to the second load of the present invention.

[0037] For example, the greater the load on pulsator 24, the greater the load on drive motor 31, and the greater the current value flowing through drive motor 31. Therefore, the current value flowing through drive motor 31 is detected by a current detection unit provided in drive unit 30, and the detected current value is taken as load A. Alternatively, for example, the greater the load on pulsator 24, the greater the load on drive motor 31, and the smaller the amount of inertial rotation until drive motor 31 stops. Therefore, the amount of inertial rotation of drive motor 31 is detected by a rotation amount detection unit provided in drive unit 30, and the detected amount of inertial rotation is taken as load A.

[0038] Control unit 101 determines the load amount of laundry stored in washing and spin-drying tub 22 based on detected load A (S2). The load on pulsator 24 and the load amount of laundry are correlated. That is, the greater the load amount of laundry, the greater the load on pulsator 24. Therefore, the greater the detected load A, the greater the load amount of laundry is determined to be.

[0039] Based on the determined load amount, control unit 101 determines the operating conditions, such as the amount of water to be supplied in the washing process and rinsing process (pool rinse process) and the time for each process (S3). The determined amount of water to be supplied is displayed on display unit 62, and the user pours detergent and fabric softener into the detergent container and fabric softener container of water supply unit 50 in amounts corresponding to the amount of water to be supplied.

[0040] Thereafter, the control unit 101 executes the washing step, the intermediate spin-drying step, the first rinsing step, the intermediate spin-drying step, the second rinsing step, and the final spin-drying step in that order (S4 to S9).

[0041] In the washing step (S4), detergent and water are supplied by water supply unit 50 to washing and spin-drying tub 22, i.e., outer tub 20. Water containing detergent is stored in washing and spin-drying tub 22 up to a washing water level corresponding to the determined amount of water to be supplied, and in this state, pulsator 24 is rotated forward and backward by operation of drive unit 30. The rotation of pulsator 24 generates a water flow in washing and spin-drying tub 22, and laundry is washed by the water flow and detergent.

[0042] In the first rinse step (S6), a shower rinse step, a pool rinse step, or a water rinse step is selectively performed according to the settings in accordance with the operation program or the settings selected by the user. In the second rinse step (S8), a pool rinse step or a water rinse step is selectively performed. In the second rinse step, fabric softener is added to the washing and spin tub 22.

[0043] In the shower rinsing process, water is supplied into the washing and spin-drying tub 22 while the washing and spin-drying tub 22 rotates at a low speed. The water falls on and penetrates the laundry in the washing and spin-drying tub 22, and the detergent is flushed out of the laundry together with the water. At this time, the drain valve 40 is open, and the water containing the detergent drained from the laundry is discharged from the outer tub 20.

[0044] In the pool rinse process and the water injection rinse process, water is supplied from the water supply unit 50 to the washing and spin-drying tub 22, and the pulsator 24 rotates forward and backward to generate a water flow in the washing and spin-drying tub 22. The generated water flow rinses the laundry, and the detergent contained in the laundry is discharged into the water. In the pool rinse process, the water supply stops when the water reaches the rinse level corresponding to the determined amount of water to be supplied. On the other hand, in the water injection rinse process, the water supply continues even after the rinse level is reached, and the water containing detergent is discharged from an overflow port (not shown) located at the top of the outer tub 20. In the second rinse process, fabric softener is added from the water supply unit 50, so the water in the washing and spin-drying tub 22 contains fabric softener.

[0045] In the intermediate spin-drying steps (S5, S7) and the final spin-drying step (S9), the drive unit 30 operates to rotate the washing / spin-drying tub 22 and the pulsator 24 together at high speed at a predetermined spin-drying rotation speed. The laundry is dehydrated by the action of centrifugal force generated in the washing / spin-drying tub 22. The drain valve 40 is in an open state, and water squeezed out of the laundry is discharged from the outer tub 20. Mainly, in the intermediate spin-drying step, water containing detergent is squeezed out of the laundry and discharged from the outer tub 20. After the spin-drying rotation speed is reached and a predetermined spin-drying time has elapsed, the washing / spin-drying tub 22 and the pulsator 24 stop. In the final spin-drying step, the spin-drying time is longer than in the intermediate spin-drying step.

[0046] After the spin cycle, laundry tends to stick to the inner circumferential surface of washing / spinning tub 22. In particular, when the laundry in washing / spinning tub 22 is small, such as two or three towels, a thin layer of laundry tends to stick to the inner circumferential surface of washing / spinning tub 22. If a shower rinse cycle is set as the first rinse cycle, and such a sticking state occurs before the shower rinse cycle, the laundry will not extend beyond the inner circumferential surface to the area where water drips from water inlet 52a of water supply unit 50, and almost no water will be applied to the laundry. Therefore, if the shower rinse cycle is performed in this state, a significant decrease in rinsing performance will be unavoidable.

[0047] Furthermore, in the above-described stuck state, even if the pulsator 24 is rotated, it is difficult for the rotating pulsator 24 to come into contact with the stuck laundry, making it difficult to remove the laundry from the inner circumferential surface. Therefore, it is also difficult to perform the shower rinsing process after removing the stuck laundry.

[0048] On the other hand, if the laundry is less likely to come into contact with the pulsator 24, the load on the pulsator 24 is significantly reduced. Therefore, by checking the magnitude of the load on the pulsator 24, it can be determined whether or not the laundry is thinly adhering to the inner circumferential surface of the washing and spin-drying tub 22.

[0049] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the shower rinse process is set in the first rinse process, if it is found that a thin layer of laundry is stuck to the inner surface of the washing and spin tub 22, the shower rinse process is switched to the pool rinse process.

[0050] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the control operation executed by control unit 101 in the first rinsing step. Fig. 5(a) is a diagram showing a state before the first rinsing step in which no laundry is stuck to the inner circumferential surface of washing and spin-drying tub 22, and Fig. 5(b) is a diagram showing a state before the first rinsing step in which a thin layer of laundry is stuck to the inner circumferential surface of washing and spin-drying tub 22.

[0051] 4, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the shower rinse process is set as the first rinse (S101). If the shower rinse process is not set (S101: NO), the control unit 101 executes another rinse process that has been set, i.e., the reservoir rinse process or the water injection rinse process (S102).

[0052] On the other hand, when the shower rinsing process is set (S101: YES), the control unit 101 determines whether the load amount of laundry determined in S2 is small (S103). When the load amount is smaller than the specified amount corresponding to a small load, the control unit 101 determines that the load amount is small.

[0053] If there is a certain amount of laundry in washing / spinning tub 22, even if the laundry is stuck inside washing / spinning tub 22, a large portion of the laundry is likely to protrude inward, so that in the shower rinsing process, the water discharged from water supply unit 50 is likely to spray onto the laundry in an appropriate amount. Therefore, when the laundry load is not small (S103: NO), control unit 101 executes the set shower rinsing process (S104).

[0054] On the other hand, if the laundry load is small (S103: YES), the control unit 101 causes the drive unit 30 to rotate the pulsator 24 in the same manner as in S1, and detects the load applied to the rotating pulsator 24 by the laundry as load B (S105). Load B corresponds to the first load of the present invention. Furthermore, the control unit 101 sets a threshold value to be compared with load B based on load A detected before the washing process, i.e., in S1 (S106). For example, the threshold value can be a value obtained by adding a coefficient determined in advance by testing or the like to load A.

[0055] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether the load B is smaller than a threshold value (S107).

[0056] As shown in Figure 5(a), when a small amount of laundry is not sticking to the inner circumferential surface of washing and spin-drying tub 22 and is in sufficient contact with pulsator 24, a load significantly greater than load A acts on pulsator 24 because the laundry is wet and heavy. Therefore, load B does not become smaller than the threshold value. In this state, water discharged from water supply unit 50 sprays appropriately onto the laundry during the shower rinsing process.

[0057] Therefore, when the control unit 101 determines that the load B is not smaller than the threshold value (S107: NO), the control unit 101 executes the set shower rinsing process (S104).

[0058] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5(b), when a small amount of laundry is thinly attached to the inner circumferential surface of the washing and spin-drying tub 22 and each laundry item is barely or not in contact with the pulsator 24, a load slightly greater than or equal to load A acts on the pulsator 24. As a result, load B becomes smaller than the threshold value. In this state, the water discharged from the water supply unit 50 hardly falls on the laundry during the shower rinsing cycle. This makes it difficult to achieve proper rinsing performance during the first rinsing cycle.

[0059] Therefore, when the control unit 101 determines that the load B is smaller than the threshold value (S107: YES), the control unit 101 executes the pool rinse process instead of the set shower rinse process (S108). This makes it possible to obtain appropriate rinsing performance in the first rinse process.

[0060] If the load amount of laundry in washing / spinning tub 22 is different, the overall load applied to pulsator 24 may change even if each laundry item is in a similar state where it is difficult for the laundry to come into contact with pulsator 24, as shown in Fig. 5(b). In this embodiment, the threshold value is set in S106 based on load A, which correlates with the load amount, so that the determination in S107, i.e., the determination of whether the laundry is in a state where it is thinly adhering to the inner circumferential surface of washing / spinning tub 22, is less affected by the load amount, and it is possible to improve the accuracy of the determination.

[0061] Furthermore, laundry that has been stuck to the inner circumferential surface of washing / spinning tub 22 may come off due to contact with rotating pulsator 24, resulting in a non-stick state as shown in Figure 5(a). In other words, the state of the laundry may change due to the rotation of pulsator 24. Therefore, in S105, it is desirable that load B be detected after a predetermined time has elapsed since pulsator 24 started to rotate.

[0062] Furthermore, in S108, a water-pouring rinse process may be executed instead of the pool rinse process. Also, the operation unit 61 may be used to set whether to execute the pool rinse process or the water-pouring rinse process instead of the shower rinse process.

[0063] <Effects of the embodiment> As described above, according to this embodiment, when the shower rinsing process is set, pulsator 24 is rotated after the intermediate spin cycle is executed and before the shower rinsing process is executed, and the load applied to pulsator 24 is detected as load B. Then, when load B is smaller than the threshold value and it is deemed that the laundry is sticking to the inner circumferential surface of washing and spin tub 22 and water from water supply unit 50 is not easily applied to the laundry, the pool rinsing process or the water injection rinsing process is executed instead of the set shower rinsing process. This prevents the shower rinsing process from being executed in a state where the laundry is not easily applied with water, resulting in a decrease in rinsing performance.

[0064] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, before the washing cycle is performed, pulsator 24 is rotated, and the load applied to pulsator 24 is detected as load A. Load A correlates with the load amount of laundry in washing and spin-drying tub 22, and a threshold value is set based on load A. This makes it possible to make the determination of the laundry sticking state based on load B less susceptible to the influence of the load amount of laundry, thereby improving the accuracy of the determination.

[0065] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, before the washing cycle is performed, the load amount of laundry in washing and spin-drying tub 22 is determined based on load A, and if the load amount is less than a specified amount, load B is detected. As a result, when there is a certain amount of laundry in washing and spin-drying tub 22 and it is unlikely that the laundry will stick to the tub and become difficult to spray with water, detection of load B and determination of the state of laundry sticking based on load B (S105 to S107) are not performed. This makes it possible to prevent the washing operation time from being prolonged as much as possible.

[0066] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications to the embodiments of the present invention are possible.

[0067] For example, the process of S103 in Figure 4, i.e., determining whether the laundry load is small or not, may not be performed, and the processes of S105 to S107 in Figure 4, i.e., detecting load B and comparing load B with a threshold value, may be performed regardless of the load amount.

[0068] Furthermore, the process of S106 in FIG. 4 may not be executed, that is, the threshold value may not be set based on the load A, but may be set to a constant value regardless of the load A.

[0069] Furthermore, even if there is no thin adhesion as shown in Figure 5(b), when laundry is stuck to the inner circumferential surface of the washing and spin-drying tub 22, water from the water supply unit 50 is less likely to splash onto the laundry than when the laundry is not stuck. Therefore, when the control unit 101 determines that the load amount is not small in S103, it may rotate the pulsator 24 left and right with pauses for a predetermined time before executing the shower rinsing step in S104. This allows the laundry stuck to the inner circumferential surface to be removed, making it easier for water to splash onto the laundry.

[0070] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the water supply unit 50 or the like may have a liquid agent tank that can store enough detergent and fabric softener for multiple washing runs, and an automatic liquid agent dispensing device may be provided that automatically dispenses detergent and fabric softener into the washing and spin tub 22.

[0071] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the present invention is applied to the fully automatic washing machine 1. However, the present invention can also be applied to a fully automatic washer-dryer equipped with a clothes drying function.

[0072] In addition, the embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various ways as appropriate within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1. Fully automatic washing machine (washing machine) 10. Cabinet 20 Outer tank 22 Washing and spinning tub 24 Pulsator 30 Drive unit 50 Water supply section 101 Control section

Claims

1. an outer tank elastically supported within a housing; A washing and dehydration tub rotatably disposed within the outer tub; a pulsator rotatably disposed in the washing and dewatering tub; a drive unit that drives the washing and dewatering tub and the pulsator; a water supply unit that supplies water into the washing and dewatering tub from above the washing and dewatering tub; a control unit, When a shower rinsing process in which the washing and dewatering tub is rotated by the driving unit and water is supplied by the water supply unit is set as the rinsing process, After the spin-drying step is performed and before the shower rinsing step is performed, the pulsator is rotated by the driving unit, and a load applied to the pulsator is detected as a first load; When the first load is greater than a threshold value, the shower rinsing step is executed as the rinsing step; When the first load is smaller than the threshold value, the rinsing step is a water-filled rinsing step or a water-injection rinsing step in which the pulsator is rotated with water stored in the outer tub. A washing machine characterized by:

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, The control unit Before the washing step is performed, the pulsator is rotated by the driving unit, and a load applied to the pulsator is detected as a second load; setting the threshold value based on the second load; A washing machine characterized by:

3. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, The control unit Before the washing step is performed, the pulsator is rotated by the driving unit to detect a load applied to the pulsator, and a load amount of laundry in the washing and spin-drying tub is determined based on the detected load; When the load amount is smaller than a specified amount, the first load is detected. A washing machine characterized by:

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