Coin laundry equipment and its operating method

Abstract

To provide a coin-operated laundry device capable of preventing an operation from being started in a state where laundry such as clothing and the like is not in the device.SOLUTION: A coin-operated laundry device 1 includes: a housing 2 for storing laundry and the like; an opening / closing door 7 for opening / closing an input port for putting / taking the laundry and the like in / out of the housing 2; and a control part 30 for measuring a difference between the time in which the processing of closing the opening / closing door 7 is detected and the processing of selecting the course of washing and the like, and for controlling the operation processing of washing and the like. In the case where the difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the coin-operated device guides a user to confirm the input of the laundry and the like.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a coin laundry machine that performs processes such as washing and drying of laundry such as clothes and sheets in response to payment of a usage fee, and to an operating method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, an increasing number of coin laundry machines in coin laundry stores provide audio guidance to users, providing instructions on operation procedures and the like.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that in a coin laundry system where fees are paid with coins or prepaid cards and the laundry is washed and dried automatically, users are notified by voice guidance messages that the laundry has finished washing and the unlock number to prevent theft and other damage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-105501 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, while the voice guidance in Patent Document 1 guides the user through the operation procedure, if the door is closed to begin with, the user will be able to accept the deposit of the fee as long as they press the course button, even if they have not put any clothes in the machine, since there is no error in the operation procedure itself. Thus, with conventional technology such as Patent Document 1, it is difficult for the coin laundry machine to determine whether clothes have been left inside, and there is a problem that the machine may start operating without any clothes inside.

[0006] Therefore, the main object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a coin laundry machine that can prevent operation from starting when there are no laundry items such as clothes inside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In an embodiment of the present invention, a laundry machine includes a housing for storing laundry and the like, an opening / closing door for opening and closing an input port for putting the laundry and the like into and taking out the laundry and the like from the housing, A course button to select a course such as washing, The door has been closed. As a trigger, the door is closed. Time and Operation to select the course button for washing, etc. and a control unit that measures the difference between the time when the washing machine detects the temperature difference and the time when the washing machine detects the temperature difference, and controls the laundry machine to perform washing or other operations. Based on specified time The course button has not been selected within the specified time. I judged that If The present invention provides a coin laundry machine that guides the user of the laundry machine to confirm whether the laundry or other items have been inserted.

[0008] In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, a step of detecting that a door of a laundry apparatus that opens and closes an input port through which laundry or the like is put into and taken out of a housing is closed; Selecting a course button for washing, etc. a step of detecting that the opening and closing door has been closed; As a trigger, after the opening and closing door is closed The aforementioned Until the course button is selected time The difference measuring step; time difference Based on specified time The course button has not been selected within the time limit. I judged that If and a step of instructing the user of the laundry machine to confirm whether the laundry or other items have been inserted. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a coin laundry machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a coin laundry machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a control system of a coin laundry machine according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart showing an operation process using a coin laundry machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below shows an example of a typical embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being narrow.

[0011] <Example of coin laundry equipment configuration> First, an example of the configuration of a coin laundry machine according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a coin laundry machine 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a coin laundry machine according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the control system of a coin laundry machine according to this embodiment.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, coin laundry machine 1, which is a washer / dryer or the like that requires payment of a usage fee, comprises a rectangular parallelepiped housing 2 that stores laundry and the like, and an outer body 3 and drum 4 that are placed inside housing 2. Outer body 3 is a horizontally oriented cylindrical body with a bottom, and is placed inside housing 2. Drum 4 is also a horizontally oriented cylindrical body with a bottom, and is placed inside outer body 3.

[0013] Housing 2 has a circular panel opening 2b approximately in the center of front panel 2a. Outer body 3 has an opening 6 for putting laundry such as clothes and sheets into and taking it out of housing 2, and is fixed so that opening 6 is exposed to panel opening 2b.

[0014] An opening / closing door 7 that opens and closes the insertion slot 6 is disposed on the front panel 2a. The opening / closing door 7 has a disk shape that can close the insertion slot 6, and has a window in the center. A sealing material (not shown) is disposed between the opening / closing door 7 and the edge of the insertion slot 6 to improve airtightness.

[0015] The outer body 3 is a horizontally oriented cylindrical body with a bottom, and is disposed inside the housing 2. The drum 4 is also a horizontally oriented cylindrical body with a bottom, and is disposed inside the outer body 3. Clothes, sheets, etc. are placed in the drum 4, and the clothes, sheets, etc. are stored in the drum 4 while the washing and / or drying processes are carried out.

[0016] A handle-type door lock 8 is provided on the edge of the insertion slot 6. A user can use the door lock 8 to open and close the opening and closing door 7, and to latch and unlatch the opening and closing door 7. The door lock 8 can also control the locking and unlocking of the opening and closing door 7 by the control unit 30, which will be described later.

[0017] The control unit 30 can fix the door lock 8 with the door 7 closed and latched. In other words, the control unit 30 can lock the door 7 with the door lock 8 to keep the insertion slot 6 sealed. On the other hand, when the control unit 30 unlocks the door 7, it becomes possible to manually pull the door lock 8 to release the latch, and then open the door 7 to open the insertion slot 6. The door lock 8 can be provided with an opening / closing sensor 41 that detects the state in which the door 7 is closed and latched. The opening / closing sensor 41 outputs detection data to the control unit 30.

[0018] A water supply pipe 15 and a drain pipe 16 (not shown) are connected to the outer body 3. The outer body 3 stores water supplied from the water supply pipe and discharges the stored water to the outside of the coin laundry machine 1 via the drain pipe 16. A water level sensor 42 that detects the water level can be provided on the outer body 3. The water level sensor 42 outputs detected data to the control unit 30.

[0019] Furthermore, a hot air supply path 20 for supplying hot air for drying and a hot air discharge path 21 are connected to the outer body 3. A heating unit 22, an overheat prevention device, a safety device, etc. are arranged in the hot air supply path 20. The heating unit 22 is a gas burner. A filter, a fan 23, an overheat prevention device, a check damper, etc. are arranged in the hot air discharge path 21.

[0020] When fan 23 is rotated, the air introduced into warm air supply path 20 is heated by heating unit 22, and warm air is supplied to outer shell 3. This dries the laundry placed in drum 4. Then, the moist air is introduced from outer shell 3 into warm air discharge path 21 and discharged to the outside.

[0021] A temperature sensor 18 is disposed downstream of the hot air discharge path 21. The temperature sensor 18 measures the temperature of the air introduced into the hot air discharge path 21 from the outer shell 3. The temperature sensor 18 then outputs the measurement data to the control unit 30.

[0022] The drum 4 is positioned with a gap between it and the outer body 3, with its opening coinciding with the insertion port 6 of the outer body 3. The drum 4 has a rotating shaft (not shown) extending rearward, which is rotatably supported by the outer body 3. A rotation drive unit including a motor 28 is connected to the rear end of the rotating shaft. The rotation drive unit transmits the rotation of the motor 28 to the rotating shaft via a pulley and a belt, thereby driving the drum 4 to rotate.

[0023] An operation input unit 11 is disposed on the upper part of the front panel 2a. The operation input unit 11 is connected to the control unit 30, and is used by the user to perform operations related to laundry processing operations. A display unit 31 is disposed adjacent to the operation input unit 11.

[0024] The display unit 31 displays information related to the laundry processing operation, etc. For example, the display unit 31 displays information related to the laundry processing operation, such as the usage time of the coin laundry machine 1, usage fees (including excess fees and weighted excess fees), and required operating procedures.

[0025] A fee receiving unit 12 that receives a usage fee for processing such as washing is located to the right of the operation input unit 11. The fee receiving unit 12 receives the usage fee before starting the laundry processing operation of the coin laundry device 1. The fee receiving unit 12 can receive payment as a usage fee not only in cash but also by prepaid card, credit card, various points, etc.

[0026] When a user deposits money or the like into the fee acceptance unit 12, the fee acceptance unit 12 outputs to the control unit 30 that money has been deposited. When the user operates in the appropriate procedure, the fee acceptance unit 12 calculates the deposited money or the like, and if the usage fee (including the excess fee and weighted excess fee) is met, outputs fee payment completion information to the control unit 30. The fee acceptance unit 12 and the control unit 30 may cooperate to determine whether the fee has been paid in full.

[0027] A control unit 30 that controls the coin laundry machine 1 is located inside the housing 2. The control unit (laundry processing completion determination unit, operation procedure determination unit, usage fee determination unit) 30 is configured by a microcomputer including, for example, a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. Also located in the housing 2 is a speaker 40 that generates audio. The speaker 40 outputs audio guidance such as usage instructions to the user.

[0028] The control unit 30 measures the difference between the time when the process of closing the door 7 is detected and the time when a process other than the process of putting in laundry, etc. is detected, and controls the operation process of washing, etc. For example, the control unit 30 measures the difference between the time when the process of closing the door 7 is detected and the time when a process of selecting a course such as washing is detected, and if the difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time (for example, about 30 seconds to 1 minute), it performs control to prompt the user to confirm putting in laundry, etc.

[0029] Furthermore, the control unit 30 detects that the user has performed payment processing to the fee receiving unit 12, and controls operation processing such as washing. For example, the control unit 30 detects that the user is about to pay the fee, and when guidance is needed in the event of an incorrect operation, the control unit 30 performs control to guide the user through appropriate operating procedures by voice or the like.

[0030] Furthermore, the control unit 30 controls the laundry processing operation (washing process, drying process) for the laundry placed in the drum 4 through a plurality of preset operation steps.

[0031] In conventional coin laundry machines with voice guidance, the opening and closing of the door is used as a trigger to provide the user with voice guidance on the operating procedure and the next operation to be performed.

[0032] Here, an example of the operating procedure for a conventional coin laundry machine is as follows: (1) place the clothes to be washed in the drum and close the door; (2) select the desired washing course and press the course button for that course; and (3) insert the fee for the selected course or pay using a prepaid card, IC card, credit card, etc.

[0033] When performing such an operation, it is not a problem if the above steps (1) and (2) are reversed, but if either of the above steps (1) or (2) is not performed, the coin laundry device will not be able to accept payment due to an error in the operating procedure.

[0034] This is because if the above (1) is not performed, the operation cannot be started because the door is open, and if the above (2) is not performed, the fee varies depending on the course, so the coin laundry device cannot determine the fee to be collected unless the course is selected first.

[0035] However, it is difficult for the coin laundry device 1 to determine whether clothes or the like have been placed in the drum 4 and whether the door 7 should be closed. Therefore, if the door 7 is already closed, even if no clothes or the like have been placed inside, simply pressing the course button may result in the machine accepting payment and starting operation.

[0036] Therefore, the coin laundry machine 1 according to this embodiment can prevent operation without putting in any clothes by providing guidance to the user about leaving clothes in the machine, as will be described later. Note that the guidance on the operation procedure is not limited to audio guidance, but may also be displayed on a display screen, etc.

[0037] <Example of operation processing method> Next, an example of an operation processing method using the coin laundry machine 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation processing using the coin laundry machine 1 according to this embodiment.

[0038] First, the control unit 30 detects that the process of closing the door 7 has been performed and that the process of selecting a course such as washing, which is a process other than the process of putting in laundry, etc., has been performed.

[0039] Then, when the control unit 30 measures the difference between the time when it detects the process of closing the door 7 and the time when it detects that the course button, which is the process of selecting the course, is pressed, the operation process shown in Fig. 4 is started. As an example, the difference represents the time between the closing of the door 7 and the pressing of the course button.

[0040] In Step 1, the control unit 30 determines whether the difference is within a predetermined time. If the course button has not been pressed within the predetermined time (No), the process proceeds to Step 2. If the course button has been pressed within the predetermined time (Yes), the process proceeds to Step 3.

[0041] In Step 2, if the difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the control unit 30 guides the user to check whether laundry, etc. has been put in. That is, the control unit 30 issues a command to the user to check whether clothes, etc. have been put in the drum 4, and then to open the door 7 and then close the door 7 again.

[0042] For example, if the course button is pressed 30 minutes after the door 7 is closed without the door 7 being opened or closed, it is not determined that clothes or the like have been put into the drum 4. Therefore, if it is determined that there are no clothes or the like in the drum, the control unit 30 will give instructions such as "Please check whether clothes or the like are in the drum, close the door again, and then insert a coin."

[0043] In Step 3, the control unit 30 determines whether or not the process to close the opening and closing door 7 has been performed. If the door 7 is open (No), the process proceeds to Step 4, and if the door 7 is closed (Yes), the process proceeds to the end and no guidance is provided.

[0044] In Step 4, the control unit 30 issues a command to provide guidance to the user on how to close the door 7. For example, guidance such as "Put your clothes in the drum, close the door, and then insert a coin" is given.

[0045] The above-described operation processing method can also be applied by using the difference in time between pressing the course button and closing the door 7. In this case, if the door 7 is opened, closed, or closed within a predetermined time after pressing the course button, it can be assumed that clothes, etc., have been placed in the drum 4.

[0046] When the control unit 30 detects that the user has followed the guidance to close the door 7 and press the course button, the operation process ends and the coin laundry machine 1 accepts payment. Payment can be made by inserting coins into the payment acceptance unit 12, such as a coin mechanism, or by using a prepaid card, IC card, credit card, etc.

[0047] In the coin laundry machine 1 according to this embodiment, the closing of the door 7 is used as a trigger to measure the difference, and if the course button is not pressed within a predetermined time, it is not considered that clothes or the like have been placed in the drum 4. This makes it possible to easily determine whether the door 7 was opened or closed within several tens of seconds before or after the act of pressing the course button.

[0048] This allows the coin laundry device 1 to determine whether or not clothes or other items are in the drum 4 before giving advice on appropriate operating procedures, thereby preventing the user from forgetting to put clothes or other items in the drum 4 and preventing the device from starting operation when there are no clothes or other laundry items inside.

[0049] In this embodiment, the coin laundry machine 1 is described as being capable of performing both washing and drying processes, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to a washing machine that only performs washing on laundry, or to a dryer that only performs drying on laundry.

[0050] In the above embodiment, a water-washing type appliance that performs washing using water has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to a dry-cleaning type washing machine (washer-dryer) that performs washing using a solvent such as a petroleum-based solvent.

[0051] Furthermore, although the case where operation input unit 11 and fee reception unit 12 are arranged in housing 2 has been described, this is not a limitation. Operation input unit 11 and fee reception unit 12 may also be arranged separately from housing 2. In other words, it is not limited to a separate type in which one coin laundry machine is equipped with fee reception unit 12, etc., but may also be a so-called centralized payment system in which operations for one or more coin laundry machines and payment of fees are accepted using a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

[0052] The present embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The present embodiment and its modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the present invention, and are also included in the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1 Coin laundry equipment 2. Case 2a Front Panel 2b Panel opening 3 Outer body 4 Drums 6 Inlet 7 Opening and closing doors 8 Door Lock 11 Operation input section 12 Fee Reception Department 30 Control Unit 31 Display section

Claims

1. a housing of a laundry device that accommodates laundry, etc.; an opening / closing door that opens and closes an input port through which the laundry or the like is put into and taken out of the housing; A course button to select a course such as washing, a control unit that, triggered by the closing of the door, measures a difference between a time when the door is closed and a time when an operation to select a course button for washing or the like is detected, and controls an operation of the laundry machine for washing or the like; Equipped with The control unit determines based on the difference that no operation to select the course button has been performed within a predetermined time, and then prompts the user of the laundry device to confirm that the laundry, etc. has been inserted.

2. detecting whether a door of the laundry apparatus that opens and closes an opening through which laundry or the like is put into and taken out of a housing is closed; a step of detecting that an operation for selecting a course button such as washing has been performed; a step of measuring a time difference between when the door is closed and when the course button is selected, using the closing of the door as a trigger; a step of instructing a user of the laundry machine to check whether the laundry or the like has been inserted when it is determined based on the time difference that the course button has not been selected within a predetermined time; A method for operating a coin laundry machine, comprising:

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