Drum-type washing machine
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- HITACHI GLOBAL LIFE SOLUTIONS INC
- Filing Date
- 2022-05-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-26
Smart Images
Figure 0007865784000001 
Figure 0007865784000002 
Figure 0007865784000003
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a drum washing machine.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, as a drum washing machine, there is one provided with a vibration detector that detects vibration components in a plurality of directions at the front part of a water tank unit (outer tub) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, based on output signals FFR, FLR, and FUD of vibration components in a plurality of directions related to the front-back direction (FFR), front-left and right direction (FLR), and front-up and down direction (FUD), in the process of increasing the rotational speed of the drum during the dehydration operation after the washing and rinsing steps, if the magnitude relationship between the output signal FFR related to the vibration component in the front-back direction and the output signal FUD related to the vibration component in the front-up and down direction at predetermined rotational speed points R1, R2 (R1 < R2) is FFR > FUD at a predetermined rotational speed R1 and FFR < FUD at a predetermined rotational speed R2, it is determined as rear imbalance, and it is described that it corresponds to a rear imbalance abnormality (see paragraph 0019). Further, in Patent Document 1, by skillfully using the relationship between the two output signals FFR and FUD, in the case of rear imbalance, the magnitude relationship between the output signal FFR related to the vibration component in the front-back direction and the output signal FUD related to the vibration component in the front-up and down direction changes at the first resonance point (resonance rotational speed) around 120 r / min. By determining the rear imbalance using this feature, it is described that thereafter, it corresponds to a rear imbalance abnormality after the first resonance point (see paragraph 0022).
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] In recent years, there has been an increase in washing machines that allow users to set the drum's spin-drying speed (the number of rotations per minute during the spin-drying process). In washing machines that allow setting the drum's spin-drying speed, the spin-drying speed can be set to a high-speed rotation speed that is faster than the steady-state rotation speed at which a normal spin-drying cycle is completed. During the spin-drying process, the spin-drying speed is increased while the vibration of the outer tub is detected by a vibration detection device. The vibration of the outer tub is proportional to the magnitude of the imbalance caused by uneven distribution of clothes, and the way the outer tub vibrates changes depending on the location of the imbalance. Also, as the spin-drying speed increases, water is removed from the clothes, so the magnitude and location of the imbalance change with increasing spin-drying speed. If the vibration displacement of the outer tub exceeds a predetermined threshold while the drum's rotation speed is being increased, the machine operates at a slower rotation speed than the set spin-drying speed to prevent an increase in vibration and noise. Alternatively, the spin-drying rotation is stopped and the spin-drying cycle is restarted (retried). Patent Document 1 does not describe how to change the dehydration control according to the imbalance of the clothing to make it easier to correct the imbalance, and there is room for improvement in how to make it easier to correct the imbalance of the clothing.
[0005] This invention was made to solve the aforementioned problems, and its main objective is to provide a drum-type washing machine that makes it easier to correct imbalances in clothing. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a drum-type washing machine comprising: a housing; an outer tub supported within the housing and capable of storing liquid inside; a drum rotatable on the outer tub; a vibration sensor serving as a means for detecting vibrations of the outer tub; and a control unit in the housing that controls the rotation speed of the vibration sensor and the drum, wherein the control unit modifies the dewatering control according to the relationship between the vertical vibration displacement or longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub detected by the vibration sensor and a predetermined threshold. The control unit, at a rotational speed of the drum that is faster than the resonant rotational speed range of the outer tub and below the steady-state rotational speed, determines the unbalance of the clothes according to the position of the clothes, classifying the unbalance into front unbalance, central unbalance, rear unbalance, and opposing unbalance, and performs dewatering control by setting a threshold value for the vibration sensor according to the position of the unbalance. This will be the structure. Other methods will be described later. [Effects of the Invention]
[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily resolve imbalances in clothing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a drum-type washing machine according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of a drum-type washing machine, seen from the right side. [Figure 3A] This is an explanatory diagram of the drum's rotational movement when the rotational speed increases during the dewatering operation. [Figure 3B] This diagram illustrates the rotational movement of the drum during retry and deceleration of the dewatering operation. [Figure 4A] This is an explanatory diagram of the vibrational displacement of the outer tank before the imbalance. [Figure 4B] This is an explanatory diagram of the vibrational displacement of the outer tank due to central imbalance. [Figure 4C] This is an explanatory diagram of the vibrational displacement of the outer tank, showing the rear imbalance. [Figure 4D] This is an explanatory diagram of the vibrational displacement of the outer tank due to opposing imbalance. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the drum-type washing machine in Example 1. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the drum-type washing machine in Example 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "these embodiments") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each figure is merely a schematic representation to the extent necessary for a thorough understanding of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples. Furthermore, in each figure, common or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their redundant descriptions are omitted.
[0010] Furthermore, conventional drum-type washing machines that allow the setting of the drum's spin-drying rotation speed (number of rotations per minute during the spin-drying process), as well as the drum-type washing machine described in Patent Document 1, have the following problems, and this embodiment also aims to provide a drum-type washing machine that can solve these problems.
[0011] Conventional drum-type washing machines, which allow the setting of the drum's spin-drying rotation speed (revolutions per minute during the spin-drying process), tend to misdetect clothing imbalance when the drum's rotation speed is near the resonant rotation speed of the outer tub. Misdetecting imbalance can reduce the probability of the drum reaching high rotation speed, increase the number of spin-drying retries, and thus increase the operating time. This embodiment also aims to provide a drum-type washing machine that can improve the probability of the drum reaching high rotation speed, reduce spin-drying retries, and suppress the increase in operating time due to spin-drying retries.
[0012] Furthermore, the drum-type washing machine described in Patent Document 1 can detect rear unbalance, which occurs when clothes are concentrated at the rear of the drum, by determining the position of the unbalance. However, it does not take into consideration the detection of opposing unbalance, which occurs when clothes are concentrated at both the front and rear of the drum. If opposing unbalance vibrations cannot be detected, there is a risk that the elastic member provided at the front of the drum may be damaged during high-speed rotation. Moreover, if opposing unbalance cannot be detected, it may be mistakenly detected as rear unbalance, leading to an increase in retries during the spin-drying cycle and potentially causing the operation to end before the spin-drying is completed. This embodiment also aims to provide a drum-type washing machine that can detect opposing unbalance, prevent damage to the elastic member provided at the front of the drum during high-speed rotation, and suppress an increase in retries during the spin-drying cycle, thereby preventing the operation from ending before the spin-drying is completed.
[0013] <Configuration of a drum-type washing machine> Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the configuration of the drum washing machine 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the drum washing machine 100 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the upper right front side. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the drum washing machine 100 as viewed from the right side. In the present embodiment, the case where the drum washing machine 100 is a drum type washing and drying machine having a drying function will be described by way of assumption.
[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the drum washing machine 100 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 1 that constitutes an outer shell. The housing 1 has left and right side plates 1a, a front cover 1b, a rear cover 1c (see FIG. 2), an upper cover 1d, and a lower stay 11 (see FIG. 2). In FIG. 1, only the right side plate is shown. The left side plate is formed in the same manner as the right side plate.
[0015] The side plate 1a is provided with a drawing 6 that forms concavities and convexities on the plate surface of the side plate 1a in order to increase the rigidity of the side plate 1a and further the rigidity of the housing 1. Further, the housing 1 has sufficient strength by the side plate 1a, the rear cover 1c, and the reinforcing member. The upper cover 1d is provided with a water supply hose connection port 30 for supplying water from a water tap to the drum washing machine 100.
[0016] The door 2 is for closing an inlet (not shown) for taking in and out clothes provided substantially at the center of the front cover 1b, and is supported so as to be openable and closable by a hinge (not shown) provided on the front cover 1b. The door 2 opens when the door opening handle 2a is pulled to disengage a locking mechanism (not shown), and closes when pressed against the front cover 1b to lock the locking mechanism. The front cover 1b has a circular opening 1ba (see FIG. 2) for taking in and out clothes substantially concentric with the opening 9a (see FIG. 2) of the front stay 9 (see FIG. 2) and the opening 17a (see FIG. 2) of the outer tub 17 (see FIG. 2).
[0017] The operation display panel 3 provided at the upper part of the housing 1 includes a power switch 4 and an operation switch 5. The operation display panel 3 is electrically connected to a control unit 13 (see FIG. 2) provided inside the housing 1.
[0018] As shown in Figure 2, the housing 1 is equipped with an outer tank 17 for holding water. The lower part of the outer tank 17 is vibration-damped and supported by a total of four suspensions: two suspensions 26 fixed to the left and right sides of the front of the lower stay 11, and two suspensions 26 fixed to the left and right sides of the rear of the lower stay 11. The upper part of the outer tank 17 is connected to the upper stay 7 by a suspension device 12, so that the outer tank 17 is supported in a suspended state from the housing 1. The suspension device 12 is composed of, for example, coil springs.
[0019] The outer tub 17 contains a drum 21 for storing clothes. A motor 22 for rotating the drum 21 is located at the rear of the outer tub 17. The motor 22 has a shaft 22a, which serves as the rotation axis, that passes through the outer tub 17 and is connected to the drum 21.
[0020] The control unit 13 acquires the sensor value from a vibration sensor 28, which is a vibration detection means for the outer tub 17 and is located at the bottom of the outer tub 17, and controls the rotation speed (r / min) of the motor 22. If the vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 exceeds a predetermined value of the vibration sensor 28 due to an imbalance in the clothes placed in the drum 21 during the dewatering process, the control unit 13 decelerates the rotation speed of the drum 21 or temporarily suspends the dewatering process, and rotates the drum 21 in the forward and reverse directions or injects water into the drum 21. Once the imbalance in the clothes has been corrected by rotating the drum 21 in the forward and reverse directions or injecting water into the drum 21, the control unit 13 retryes the dewatering operation.
[0021] When the motor 22 is driven, the drum 21 is driven to rotate in both forward (clockwise when viewing the drum-type washing machine 100 from the front) and reverse (counterclockwise when viewing the drum-type washing machine 100 from the front). The rotation axis Az of the drum 21 is horizontal from the front to the rear of the drum-type washing machine 100, or inclined so that the rear side is downward. Figure 2 shows the state inclined so that the rear side is downward.
[0022] The drum 21 is provided with multiple drainage holes 21b for draining the wash water inside the drum 21 into the outer tub 17, and multiple baffles 23 (only one is shown in Figure 2) are provided on its inner circumferential surface. The multiple baffles 23 are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the drum 21 and lift the clothes placed inside the drum 21 as the drum 21 rotates. The baffles 23 extend in the front-to-back direction of the drum 21.
[0023] A cylindrical fluid balancer 21c is provided at the front end (front side) of the drum 21. The outer tub 17 is a roughly cylindrical shape with a closed bottom, open at the front and closed at the rear. The opening of the outer tub 17 and the input port of the housing 1 are connected by a bellows 19 that expands and contracts in the front-to-back direction. The bellows 19 is made of an annular elastic member and seals the drum 21 with water when the door 2 is closed. The input port of the housing 1, the opening of the outer tub 17, and the opening of the drum 21 are in communication with each other, and clothes can be loaded and unloaded into the drum 21 by opening the door 2. The outer tub 17 can be divided into the side including the opening and the side to which the motor 22 is attached.
[0024] A water supply valve 31 is located below the water supply hose connection port 30. One end of a water supply pipe 32 for supplying water to the outer tank 17 is connected to the water supply valve 31. By opening the valve of the water supply valve 31, water flows from the water supply hose connection port 30 through the water supply pipe 32 to the detergent container 33, and is supplied into the outer tank 17 through the front water supply hose 35 or the rear water supply hose 36.
[0025] A drain valve 34a is provided in the drainage path of the drain hose 34 located at the bottom of the outer tub 17. When the drain valve 34a is closed, the water supplied to the outer tub 17 accumulates inside the outer tub 17, and when the drain valve 34a is opened, the wash water in the outer tub 17 is drained out of the drum-type washing machine 100 through the drain hose 34.
[0026] <Overall operation of a drum-type washing machine> The following describes the overall operation of the drum-type washing machine 100. In the drum-type washing machine 100, the user first presses the power switch 4 to start the machine. The user then pulls the door opening handle 2a to open the door 2 and puts clothes into the drum 21. After closing the door 2, the user operates the operation switch 5 to set the spin-drying speed and starts the machine. Once the machine starts, the drum 21 rotates to calculate the amount of clothes before water is added. The amount of clothes is calculated based on the current value of the motor 22 when it is rotating. At this time, the more clothes there are, the greater the load on the motor 22 and the greater the current value, so the amount of clothes can be determined by the current value. Based on the amount of clothes, the amount of detergent to be added is displayed on the operation display panel 3. At this time, the more clothes there are calculated, the more detergent to add. The user checks the display on the operation display panel 3 and adds the predetermined amount of detergent to the detergent container 33. After that, the control unit 13 starts the washing process.
[0027] During the washing process, the control unit 13 opens the water supply valve 31 and supplies water supplied from the water supply hose connection port 30 to the outer tub 17 along with detergent via the water supply pipe 32, detergent container 33, and front water supply hose 35 or rear water supply hose 36. At this time, the larger the calculated laundry capacity, the greater the amount of water supplied during the washing process. After performing this operation for a predetermined time, the drum 21 is rotated forward, stopped, reversed, and stopped repeatedly for a predetermined washing operation. During this time, the clothes are lifted by the baffles 23 and dropped repeatedly, which enhances the cleaning power of the clothes.
[0028] After the washing process, the control unit 13 executes the dewatering process. In the dewatering process, the drum 21 is initially rotated at a low speed so that the clothes do not stick to it. At the low rotation speed, the clothes that have absorbed water in the washing process are lifted by the baffles 23 as the drum 21 rotates, and spread out on the inner surface of the drum 21 as they fall. Once the clothes begin to spread out, the rotation speed of the drum 21 is gradually increased to make the clothes stick to the drum 21. Once the clothes are stuck to the drum 21, the rotation speed of the drum 21 is increased, passing through the resonant rotation speed range of the outer tub 17 where the vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 increases, and reaching the target rotation speed to centrifugeally dewater the water contained in the clothes.
[0029] After the dewatering process, the control unit 13 executes the rinsing process. In the rinsing process, the water supply valve 31 is opened, and water supplied from the water supply hose connection port 30 is supplied into the outer tub 17 via the water supply pipe 32, the detergent container 33, and the front water supply hose 35 or the rear water supply hose 36. Also, as with the washing process, the amount of water supplied increases as the calculated amount of clothing increases. In the rinsing process, as with the washing process, the drum 21 repeats the operation of forward rotation, stopping, reverse rotation, and stopping. At this time, an agitation operation is performed for a predetermined time in which the clothing lifted by the baffle 23 falls.
[0030] Subsequently, the control unit 13 repeats the dewatering and rinsing processes described above a predetermined number of times, and then proceeds to the final dewatering process. The operating time in the target rotation speed section of this final dewatering process is set to be longer than that of the previous dewatering process.
[0031] After the final dewatering process, the control unit 13 executes the drying process. The rotation speed of the drum 21 in the drying process is set to an even lower speed than in the washing process. In the drying process, while the drum 21 rotates at a low speed, warm air is blown onto the clothes inside the drum 21 from a blower unit (not shown) to dry the clothes while reducing wrinkles.
[0032] <Example 1> Next, the rotational operation of the drum 21 in the dewatering process of this embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figures 3A and 3B. Figure 3A is an explanatory diagram of the drum's rotational operation when the rotational speed is increased in the dewatering process of this embodiment 1. Figure 3B is an explanatory diagram of the drum's rotational operation during retries and when the rotational speed is reduced in the dewatering operation of this embodiment 1. Note that the rotational speed values described below are merely examples and can be changed to any value depending on the operation.
[0033] As shown in Figure 3A, the dewatering process gradually increases the rotational speed of the drum 21, passing through the resonant rotational speed range of the outer tub 17 where the vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 increases (e.g., 100 r / min to 400 r / min), and the steady-state rotational speed at which dewatering is judged to be complete (e.g., 800 r / min), before reaching the high-speed rotational speed which is the target rotational speed (e.g., 1400 r / min). During the dewatering process, the vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is constantly detected by the vibration sensor 28. In the resonant rotational speed range of the outer tub 17, the vibration sensor 28 detects the vibration displacement of the outer tub 17, and the rotational speed of the drum 21 is increased while determining the imbalance. If the vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is smaller than a predetermined value of the vibration sensor 28 in the resonant rotational speed range of the outer tub 17, the rotational speed of the drum 21 is increased toward the target rotational speed.
[0034] As shown in Figure 3B, if the vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is greater than a predetermined value from the vibration sensor 28 within the resonant rotation speed range of the outer tub 17, the rotation speed of the drum 21 is stopped and the dewatering operation is retried. If the rotation speed of the drum 21 is between the resonant rotation speed range and the steady rotation speed of the outer tub 17, and the vibration of the outer tub 17 is greater than a predetermined value from the vibration sensor 28, the rotation speed of the drum 21 is stopped and the dewatering operation is retried. If the rotation speed of the drum 21 is faster than the steady rotation speed, and the vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is greater than a predetermined value from the vibration sensor 28, the rotation speed of the drum 21 is reduced (for example, to 1000 r / min), and dewatering is performed at a rotation speed slower than the target rotation speed.
[0035] Here, the imbalances caused by uneven distribution of clothing can be divided into front imbalance, central imbalance, rear imbalance, and opposing imbalance. Front imbalance occurs when clothing is concentrated towards the front of the drum 21. Central imbalance occurs when clothing is concentrated near the center of the front and rear of the drum 21. Rear imbalance occurs when clothing is concentrated towards the rear of the drum 21. Opposing imbalance occurs when clothing is concentrated (unevenly distributed) in two places, the front and the rear of the drum 21.
[0036] In front unbalance, the clothes are concentrated towards the front of the drum 21, resulting in a longer distance between the shaft 22a and the unbalance, making the outer tub 17 prone to vertical vibration. In rear unbalance, the clothes are concentrated towards the rear of the drum 21, and the rear unbalance and the fluid balancer 21c at the front of the drum 21 create a couple on the outer tub 17, making the outer tub 17 prone to back-and-forth vibration. In opposing unbalance, the unbalance occurs at both the front and rear of the drum 21, creating a couple on the outer tub 17, making the outer tub 17 prone to back-and-forth vibration. Furthermore, in opposing unbalance, the magnitude of the back-and-forth vibration of the outer tub 17 is greater than in rear unbalance because the unbalance occurs at both the front and rear of the drum 21. In central unbalance, the clothes are concentrated near the center of the drum 21, resulting in the outer tub 17 exhibiting vibrations intermediate between front and rear unbalance. Therefore, front unbalance and opposing unbalance tend to result in larger vibration displacements on the front side of the outer tank 17 than central unbalance and rear unbalance, making the bellows more susceptible to damage at high rotational speeds. Accordingly, the threshold of the vibration sensor 28 is set so that the magnitude of the unbalance required to increase the rotational speed of the outer tank 17 is smaller for front unbalance and opposing unbalance than for central unbalance and rear unbalance.
[0037] Figures 4A to 4D are explanatory diagrams of the outer tank vibration displacement for front unbalance, central unbalance, rear unbalance, and opposing unbalance, respectively. Figures 4A to 4D show the vertical and longitudinal vibrations of the outer tank 17 in front unbalance, central unbalance, rear unbalance, and opposing unbalance configurations, with a 200g weight attached to the drum 21.
[0038] As shown in Figure 4A, in the case of front unbalance, after passing through the resonant rotational speed range of the outer drum 17, the rotational speed of the drum 21 increases to a high rotational speed while the vertical vibration displacement becomes larger than the longitudinal vibration displacement. As shown in Figures 4B, 4C, and 4D, in the case of central unbalance, rear unbalance, and opposing unbalance, after passing through the resonant rotational speed range of the outer drum, the rotational speed of the drum 21 increases to a high rotational speed while the longitudinal vibration displacement becomes larger than the vertical vibration displacement.
[0039] As the rotational speed of the drum 21 increases, water is removed from the clothes, so the magnitude and position of the unbalance change from those in the resonant rotational speed range of the outer tub 17 when the rotational speed is increased toward a high rotational speed. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the threshold of the vibration sensor 28 is set differently for each unbalance position when increasing the rotational speed toward a high rotational speed.
[0040] In conventional systems, unbalance is determined by the resonant rotational speed of the outer tub 17. This makes it difficult to respond to changes in unbalance caused by an increase in the rotational speed of the drum 21, potentially leading to false detection of unbalance when increasing the rotational speed towards high speed. Consequently, conventional systems may experience a decrease in the probability (percentage) of reaching high rotational speed, an increase in operating time due to increased retries of the dewatering operation caused by false detection of unbalance at high rotational speed, and the risk of damage to elastic components such as the bellows 19 if a large unbalance reaches high rotational speed, resulting in excessive vibrational displacement of the outer tub 17. Furthermore, an increase in retries of the dewatering operation may lead to the operation ending without completing the dewatering process.
[0041] In this embodiment, before increasing the rotational speed of the drum 21 from a steady-state rotational speed (e.g., 800 r / min) to a high rotational speed (e.g., 1400 r / min), the unbalance of the clothes is determined at a predetermined rotational speed (e.g., 600 r / min) of the drum 21 after it has passed through the resonant rotational speed range of the outer tub 17 shown in Figures 4A to 4D (e.g., 100 r / min to 400 r / min). This improves the accuracy of detecting the magnitude and position of the unbalance when increasing the rotational speed of the drum 21 towards a high rotational speed. As a result, the probability of reaching the high rotational speed of the drum 21 can be improved. Furthermore, the increase in operating time due to a reduction in retries of the dewatering operation can be suppressed, and excessive vibrational displacement of the outer tub 17 during high-speed rotation can be suppressed, preventing damage to elastic members such as the bellows 19. In addition, the increase in retries of the dewatering operation can be suppressed, preventing the operation from ending without completing the dewatering. Furthermore, the dewatering control can be changed according to the unbalance of the clothes. As a result, it becomes easier to correct imbalances in clothing.
[0042] Next, referring to Figure 5, we will explain the unbalance determination process that reaches a high rotational speed during the dewatering process in this embodiment. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the drum-type washing machine 100 of Embodiment 1.
[0043] As shown in Figure 5, when the control unit 13 of the drum-type washing machine 100 starts the spin-drying operation (S110), it increases the rotational speed of the drum 21 (S101). When the rotational speed of the drum 21 reaches the resonant rotational speed range of the outer tub 17 (S102), it starts the first unbalance determination process (S103). The resonant rotational speed range is slower than the steady-state rotational speed at which the spin-drying operation is completed. Here, as an example, we will explain assuming that the resonant rotational speed range of the outer tub 17 is approximately 100 r / min to 400 r / min.
[0044] When the first unbalance determination process starts in S103, the control unit 13 determines whether the vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 in the resonant rotational speed range of the outer tank 17 is smaller than a predetermined threshold for resonance detection of the vibration sensor 28 (S104). This determines whether the unbalance (allowable unbalance amount) in the resonant rotational speed range of the outer tank 17 is passable.
[0045] If the result in S104 is "Yes," that is, if the vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 in the resonant rotation speed range of the outer tank 17 is smaller than the threshold for resonance detection, the control unit 13 increases the rotation speed of the drum 21 (S105), brings the rotation speed of the drum 21 to a predetermined high-speed rotation speed that is faster than the resonant rotation speed range of the outer tank 17 (S106), and starts the second unbalance determination process (S107).
[0046] The predetermined high-speed rotation speed is faster than the resonant rotation speed range of the outer tank 17 and lower than or equal to the steady-state rotation speed. Here, as an example, we will explain assuming that the steady-state rotation speed is, for example, 800 r / min and the predetermined high-speed rotation speed is, for example, 600 r / min. However, the predetermined high-speed rotation speed may be a speed other than 600 r / min, as long as it is faster than the resonant rotation speed range of the outer tank 17 and lower than or equal to the steady-state rotation speed. The control unit 13 may perform a second unbalance determination process when the rotation speed of the drum 21 reaches the predetermined high-speed rotation speed.
[0047] Furthermore, if the result in S104 is "No," that is, if the vibration displacement in the resonant rotation speed range of the outer tub 17 is greater than the threshold for resonance detection, the control unit 13 stops the rotation of the drum 21 (S115), performs a clothes loosening operation (S116), and retrys the spin-drying operation.
[0048] When the second unbalance determination process starts in S107 as described above, the location of the unbalance is first determined from the relationship between the vertical vibration displacement and the longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 (S108).
[0049] In S108, the vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 is compared with a predetermined threshold value for detecting unbalance in the vibration sensor 28 to determine the location of the unbalance, and then it is determined whether or not the rotational speed of the drum 21 can be increased. Specifically, in S108, the location of the unbalance is determined from the ratio of the longitudinal vibration displacement to the vertical vibration displacement of the outer tank 17. Then, the threshold value of the vibration sensor 28 is changed according to the location of the unbalance. In the pre-unbalance shown in Figure 4A, the rotational speed of the drum 21 is a predetermined high rotational speed (see the dashed line in Figure 4A), and the vertical vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 is greater than the longitudinal vibration displacement. Therefore, the result of the unbalance location determination when the vertical vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 is greater than the longitudinal vibration displacement is the first determination result (pre-unbalance). The central unbalance, rear unbalance, and opposing unbalance shown in Figures 4B, 4C, and 4D occur when the rotational speed of the drum 21 is a predetermined high rotational speed (see the dashed line in Figures 4B to 4D). As the longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 is greater than the vertical vibration displacement, the position of the unbalance is determined from the ratio of the longitudinal vibration displacement to the vertical vibration displacement of the outer tank 17. The ratio of the longitudinal vibration displacement to the vertical vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 is central unbalance < rear unbalance < opposing unbalance. The position of the unbalance is determined according to each ratio, resulting in the second determination result (central unbalance), the third determination result (rear unbalance), and the fourth determination result (opposing unbalance). The first to fourth determination results of the unbalance position are set in the control unit 13 in advance.
[0050] In S108 described above, if it is determined that the unbalance is front unbalance, then because front unbalance occurs at high rotational speeds, the vertical vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 becomes large. Therefore, it is determined whether the vertical vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is smaller than a predetermined first threshold of the vibration sensor 28 (S109). The first threshold, like the second, third, and fourth thresholds described later, is a reference value for changing the dewatering control, that is, a reference value for determining whether or not to retry the dewatering operation. The control unit 13 changes the threshold used as the reference value for changing the dewatering control to one of the first, second, third, or fourth thresholds, depending on the unbalance position of the clothes.
[0051] Furthermore, in S108 described above, if it is determined that the unbalance is central, rear, or opposing, the longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 will be large at high rotational speeds, so it is determined whether the longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 is smaller than a predetermined threshold of the vibration sensor 28. At this time, if it is determined that the unbalance is central, it is determined whether the longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 is smaller than a predetermined second threshold of the vibration sensor 28 (S110). Also, if it is determined that the unbalance is rear, it is determined whether the longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 is smaller than a predetermined third threshold of the vibration sensor 28 (S111). Also, if it is determined that the unbalance is opposing, it is determined whether the longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tank 17 is smaller than a predetermined fourth threshold of the vibration sensor 28 (S112). The magnitude of the unbalance at which high rotational speeds are reached follows the order of opposing unbalance < rear unbalance < central unbalance. Therefore, the magnitudes from the second threshold to the fourth threshold are fourth threshold < third threshold < second threshold.
[0052] If the result in S109, S110, S11, or S112 is "Yes," that is, if the vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is smaller than the first, second, third, or fourth threshold of the vibration sensor 28, it is determined that the rotation speed of the drum 21 can be increased to a high rotation speed, and the rotation speed of the drum 21 is increased (S113). After this, once the scheduled dewatering time has elapsed (S114), the dewatering operation is terminated.
[0053] Furthermore, if "No" is determined in any of S109, S110, S11, or S112, that is, if the vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is greater than the first, second, third, or fourth threshold of the vibration sensor 28, it is determined that the rotation speed of the drum 21 cannot be increased to the high rotation speed, the rotation of the drum 21 is stopped (S115), the clothes loosening operation is performed (S116), and the spin-drying operation is retried.
[0054] At a drum 21 rotation speed faster than the resonant rotation speed range of the outer tub 17 and below the steady-state rotation speed, the vibration sensor 28 can detect front unbalance, central unbalance, rear unbalance, and opposing unbalance. By setting thresholds for the vibration sensor 28 according to the location of the unbalance, the amount of unbalance required to reach high rotation speed can be optimized. This improves the probability of reaching high rotation speed, reduces retries by preventing false detection of unbalance, suppresses increased operating time, and prevents excessive vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 during high-speed rotation, thus preventing damage to elastic members such as the bellows 19. Furthermore, by preventing false detection of unbalance, the increase in retries can be suppressed, preventing the operation from ending before dewatering is complete.
[0055] <Example 2> Next, with reference to Figure 6, the rotational operation of the drum 21 in the dewatering process of this embodiment 2 will be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the drum-type washing machine 100 in embodiment 2. In this embodiment 2, the drum-type washing machine 100 retries according to the unbalance position detection. The configuration of the drum-type washing machine 100 is basically the same as that of embodiment 1, so the differences will be described below.
[0056] As shown in Figure 6, the operation of this embodiment 2 differs from the operation of embodiment 1 (see Figure 5) in that the operation when "No" is determined in any of S109, S110, S11, or S112, that is, the operation when the vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is greater than the first threshold, second threshold, third threshold, or fourth threshold of the vibration sensor 28. In the operation of this embodiment 2, when "No" is determined in any of S109, S110, S11, or S112, that is, when the vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is greater than the first threshold, second threshold, third threshold, or fourth threshold of the vibration sensor 28, a water injection operation is performed to correct the imbalance of the clothes.
[0057] Specifically, in S109, when the unbalance is in the front unbalance position, if it is determined to be "No", that is, if the vertical vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is greater than the first threshold of the vibration sensor 28, the control unit 13 stops the rotation of the drum 21 (S201), injects water into the front of the drum 21 from the front water injection hose 35 (S202), performs a clothes loosening operation (S116), and retryes the spin-drying operation.
[0058] Front imbalance occurs when the clothes are concentrated towards the front of the drum 21. By adding water to the front of the drum 21 (S202), the uneven distribution of clothes at the front of the drum 21 is more easily resolved when the clothes are loosened (S116). Therefore, in this embodiment 2, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of another retry in the dewatering process after a retry when the imbalance is at the front.
[0059] Furthermore, in S110, when the unbalance is in the center, if it is determined to be "No," that is, if the forward-backward vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is greater than the second threshold of the vibration sensor 28, the control unit 13 stops the rotation of the drum 21 (S203), injects water into the rear of the drum 21 from the rear water injection hose 36 (S204), performs a clothes loosening operation (S116), and retrys the spin-drying operation. Also, in S111, when the unbalance is in the rear, if it is determined to be "No," that is, if the forward-backward vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is greater than the third threshold of the vibration sensor 28, the control unit 13 stops the rotation of the drum 21 (S203), injects water into the rear of the drum 21 from the rear water injection hose 36 (S204), performs a clothes loosening operation (S116), and retrys the spin-drying operation.
[0060] Central and rear imbalances occur because the clothes are concentrated near the center or rear of the drum 21. By adding water to the rear of the drum 21 (S204), the uneven distribution of clothes near the center or rear of the drum 21 is more easily resolved when the clothes are loosened (S116). Therefore, in this embodiment 2, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of further retries in the dewatering process after a retry when the imbalance is central or rear.
[0061] Furthermore, in S112, if the unbalance is in the position of opposing unbalance, and the result is determined to be "No," that is, if the front-to-back vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 is greater than the fourth threshold of the vibration sensor 28, the control unit 13 stops the rotation of the drum 21 (S205), injects water into the front and rear of the drum 21 from the front water injection hose 35 and the rear water injection hose 36 (S206), performs a clothes loosening operation (S116), and retryes the spin-drying operation.
[0062] Opposite imbalance occurs when the clothes are unevenly distributed between the front and back of the drum 21. By adding water to the front and back of the drum 21 (S206), the uneven distribution of clothes between the front and back of the drum 21 is more easily resolved when the clothes are loosened (S116). Therefore, in this embodiment 2, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of another retry in the dewatering process after a retry when the imbalance is an opposite imbalance.
[0063] The drum-type washing machine 100 adjusts the water filling position into the drum 21 according to the unbalance position determination result in S108 by performing the operation of this embodiment 2. This corrects the uneven distribution of clothes. As a result, the number of retries can be suppressed and the operating time can be prevented from increasing. In addition, by preventing false detection of unbalance, the number of retries can be suppressed and the operation can be prevented from ending before the spin-drying is completed.
[0064] <Main features of drum-type washing machines> (1) As shown in Figure 2, the drum-type washing machine 100 according to this embodiment comprises a housing 1, an outer tub 17 supported within the housing 1 and capable of storing liquid inside, a drum 21 rotatable on the outer tub 17, a vibration sensor 28 which serves as a vibration detection means for the outer tub 17, and a control unit 13 which controls the rotational speed of the vibration sensor 28 and the drum 21 within the housing 1. When the rotational speed of the drum 21 reaches a predetermined rotational speed that is faster than the resonant rotational speed of the outer tub 17, the control unit 13 changes the dewatering control according to the relationship between the vertical vibration displacement or longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 detected by the vibration sensor 28 and a predetermined threshold.
[0065] The drum-type washing machine 100 according to this embodiment can change the dewatering control according to the imbalance of the clothes. As a result, it is possible to easily resolve the imbalance of the clothes. Furthermore, the drum-type washing machine 100 according to this embodiment can improve the accuracy of detecting the magnitude and position of the imbalance when the rotation speed of the drum 21 is increased toward a high rotation speed. As a result, the probability of the drum 21 reaching a high rotation speed can be improved. In addition, it is possible to suppress the increase in operating time by reducing retries of the dewatering operation and to suppress excessive vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 at high rotation speeds, thereby preventing damage to elastic members such as bellows 19 provided at the front of the drum 21 when the drum 21 is rotating at high speed. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the increase in retries of the dewatering operation and prevent the operation from ending without completing the dewatering.
[0066] (2) As shown in Figure 5, the control unit 13 of the drum-type washing machine 100 according to this embodiment may change the dewatering control when the rotation speed of the drum 21 reaches a predetermined rotation speed that is faster than the resonant rotation speed of the outer tub 17, and the vertical vibration displacement or longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 detected by the vibration sensor 28 is greater than a predetermined threshold (any of the first threshold in S109, the second threshold in S110, the third threshold in S111, or the fourth threshold in S112).
[0067] In this embodiment of the drum-type washing machine 100, when the rotation speed of the drum 21 reaches a predetermined rotation speed that is faster than the resonant rotation speed of the outer tub 17, and the vertical vibration displacement or longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 detected by the vibration sensor 28 is greater than a predetermined threshold (any of the first threshold in S109, the second threshold in S110, the third threshold in S111, or the fourth threshold in S112), the dewatering control can be changed according to the imbalance of the clothes. As a result, the imbalance of the clothes can be easily resolved.
[0068] (3) As shown in Figure 5, the control unit 13 of the drum-type washing machine 100 according to this embodiment may perform a clothes loosening operation (S116) and then retry the spin-drying operation (S110) if the rotation speed of the drum 21 reaches a predetermined rotation speed that is faster than the resonant rotation speed of the outer tub 17, and the vertical vibration displacement or longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 detected by the vibration sensor 28 is greater than a predetermined threshold (any of the first threshold in S109, the second threshold in S110, the third threshold in S111, or the fourth threshold in S112).
[0069] In this embodiment of the drum-type washing machine 100, when the rotation speed of the drum 21 reaches a predetermined rotation speed that is faster than the resonant rotation speed of the outer tub 17, and when the vertical vibration displacement or longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 detected by the vibration sensor 28 is greater than a predetermined threshold (any of the first threshold in S109, the second threshold in S110, the third threshold in S111, or the fourth threshold in S112), a clothes loosening operation is performed (S116), making it easier to resolve the imbalance of the clothes.
[0070] (4) As shown in Figure 6, when the rotation speed of the drum 21 reaches a predetermined rotation speed that is faster than the resonant rotation speed of the outer tub 17, and the vertical vibration displacement or longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 detected by the vibration sensor 28 is greater than a predetermined threshold (any of the first threshold in S109, the second threshold in S110, the third threshold in S111, or the fourth threshold in S112), the control unit 13 of the drum-type washing machine 100 according to this embodiment may perform a water filling operation to resolve the imbalance of the clothes (any of S202, S204, or S206), perform a clothes loosening operation (S116), and then retry the spin-drying operation (S110).
[0071] In this embodiment of the drum-type washing machine 100, when the rotation speed of the drum 21 reaches a predetermined rotation speed that is faster than the resonant rotation speed of the outer tub 17, and the vertical vibration displacement or longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub 17 detected by the vibration sensor 28 is greater than a predetermined threshold (any of the first threshold in S109, the second threshold in S110, the third threshold in S111, or the fourth threshold in S112), a water filling operation to resolve the imbalance of the clothes is performed (any of S202, S204, or S206), and then a clothes loosening operation is performed (S116), making it easier to resolve the imbalance of the clothes.
[0072] (5) As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the control unit 13 of the drum-type washing machine 100 according to this embodiment may change the threshold according to the position of the unbalanced clothes (for example, changing the threshold to one of the first threshold in S109, the second threshold in S110, the third threshold in S111, or the fourth threshold in S112).
[0073] The drum-type washing machine 100 according to this embodiment can change the spin-drying control (for example, spin-drying control after setting the water filling position to the drum 21 as shown in Figure 6) according to the position of the imbalance in the clothes. As a result, it is possible to easily resolve the imbalance in the clothes.
[0074] As described above, the drum-type washing machine 100 according to this embodiment makes it easier to eliminate imbalances in the clothes.
[0075] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace some of the configurations of the embodiments with other configurations, and it is also possible to add other configurations to the configurations of the embodiments. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace some of the configurations of each configuration with other configurations. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0076] 1 cabinet 1a Side plate 1b Front cover 1ba opening 1c Back cover 1d Top cover 2 doors 2a Door opening handle 3. Operation display panel 4 Power switch 5. Operation switches 6 aperture 7 Upper stay 9 Front stay 9a opening 11 Lower stay 12 Suspension system 13 Control Unit 17 Outer tank 17a opening 19 Bellows 21 Drums 21b Dehydration hole 21c Fluid Balancer 22 motors 22a shaft 23 Baffles 26 Suspension 28 Vibration Sensor 30 Water supply hose connection port 31 Water supply valve 32 Water supply piping 33 Detergent container 34 Drain hose 34a Drain valve 35 Front water filling hose 36 Rear water injection hose 100 Drum-type washing machines Az rotation axis
Claims
1. The casing and An outer tank supported within the aforementioned housing and capable of storing liquid inside, The outer tank includes a rotatable drum, A vibration sensor which serves as a means for detecting vibrations in the outer tank, The housing comprises the vibration sensor and a control unit for controlling the rotation speed of the drum. The control unit modifies the dewatering control according to the relationship between the vertical vibration displacement or longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub detected by the vibration sensor and a predetermined threshold, and The control unit, at a rotation speed of the drum that is faster than the resonant rotation speed range of the outer tub and below the steady-state rotation speed, determines the unbalance of the clothes according to their position, classifying them into front unbalance, center unbalance, rear unbalance, and opposing unbalance, and performs dewatering control by setting a threshold value for the vibration sensor according to the position of the unbalance. A drum-type washing machine characterized by the following features.
2. In the drum-type washing machine according to claim 1, The control unit changes the dewatering control when the rotational speed of the drum reaches a predetermined rotational speed that is faster than the resonant rotational speed of the outer tub, and when the vertical vibration displacement or longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub detected by the vibration sensor is greater than a predetermined threshold. A drum-type washing machine characterized by the following features.
3. In the drum-type washing machine according to claim 1, The control unit, when the rotational speed of the drum reaches a predetermined rotational speed that is faster than the resonant rotational speed of the outer tub, and when the vertical vibration displacement or longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub detected by the vibration sensor is greater than a predetermined threshold, performs a clothes loosening operation and then retryes the spin-drying operation. A drum-type washing machine characterized by the following features.
4. In the drum-type washing machine according to claim 1, When the rotational speed of the drum reaches a predetermined rotational speed that is faster than the resonant rotational speed of the outer tub, and the vertical vibration displacement or longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub detected by the vibration sensor is greater than a predetermined threshold, the control unit performs a water injection operation to correct the imbalance of the clothes, performs a clothes loosening operation, and then retryes the spin-drying operation. A drum-type washing machine characterized by the following features.
5. In the drum-type washing machine according to claim 1, The control unit changes the threshold according to the position of the clothing imbalance. A drum-type washing machine characterized by the following features.
6. In the drum-type washing machine according to Claim 1, The control unit sets the threshold values of the vibration sensors such that the front unbalance and opposing unbalance are smaller than the central unbalance and rear unbalance. A drum-type washing machine characterized by the following features.
7. In the drum-type washing machine according to Claim 1, When the control unit determines that the unbalance is in front, it determines whether the vertical vibration displacement of the outer tub is less than a first threshold; when the unbalance is in the center, it determines whether the longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub is less than a second threshold; when the unbalance is in rear, it determines whether the longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub is less than a third threshold; when the unbalance is in opposite, it determines whether the longitudinal vibration displacement of the outer tub is less than a fourth threshold; and if the vibration displacement of the outer tub is less than the first, second, third, or fourth threshold, it increases the rotation speed of the drum and performs the dewatering operation; on the other hand, if the vibration displacement of the outer tub is greater than the first, second, third, or fourth threshold, it stops the rotation of the drum. A drum-type washing machine characterized by the following features.
8. In the drum-type washing machine according to claim 7, The magnitudes of the second to fourth thresholds are, in descending order from largest to smallest, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the fourth threshold. A drum-type washing machine characterized by the following features.