JPH02265600A - Control device for automatic washing dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate wasteful drying time and terminate washing in a satisfactory drying state by starting drying from a starting time set based on a drying required time selected by a load quantity setting switch and a termination time. CONSTITUTION:An operation part 16 has a load quantity setting switch 20, and this switch 20 is divided into each switch in which the magnitude of the load quantity is set stepwise, for example, five-staged switches of small load quantity to large load quantity. The limit of washing drying with a large quantity of clothes is switch '5', that with an extremely small quantity of clothes is switch '1', and switches '2, 3, 4' are provided between them. A drying required time calculating means 18 calculates the drying required time necessary for drying step from the load quantity set by the load quantity setting switch 20. The drying starting time is set on the basis of the drying required time and a termination time selectively set. As the drying required time is a time suitable to the load quantity of the clothes, washing step can be precisely terminated at the termination time selectively set.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is an automatic washer/dryer, particularly an automatic washing machine or an automatic dryer, in which a finish time is set and the drying process is controlled to end at this finish time. This invention relates to an automatic washer/dryer.

[Prior Art] A washing/drying machine that includes at least a drying process is a drum-type washing machine that performs both the washing/rinsing process and the drying process of laundry, and is an automatic washing machine that is installed separately from the washing machine that performs washing and rinsing. It exists as a dryer, and in such a drum-type automatic washing machine or automatic dryer, when the midnight course is selected, the start time of the washing or drying process is set by counting backward from the end time of the drying process. things are done.

Conventionally, there is a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 197100/1983 that controls the operation of a dryer based on the end time of late-night power and the required drying time.

Figure 5 shows the operating parts of a conventional drum-type washing machine, where (1) is the power switch, (2) is the time display, and (
3) is a reservation timer button that allows you to reserve the start or end time of washing in minutes, and (4) is a timer button that allows you to set the washing process time in minutes.
Wash selection button to select one from 0 minutes, 20 minutes or 15 minutes, (5) a dehydration selection button to select either high speed dehydration or slow dehydration in the dehydration process, (6)
(7) is a drying selection button that allows you to select whether the finish level is T* standard or ironable in the drying process, and (7) is a late night button that allows you to wash on the standard course or during the late night hours when electricity costs are low. This is a course selection button for selecting one of the courses.

According to such a washing machine, by setting the late-night course using the course selection button (7), all washing can be completed at the end of the late-night time period when electricity charges are low.

The late-night course is provided for the following reasons.

In other words, in recent years, power consumption has been concentrated during the daytime, and electric power plants are required to have a scale that can supply the maximum amount of power used during the daytime, and for this purpose, it is necessary to increase the number of power facilities. There is also the problem that this requires a huge amount of investment. Therefore, on the power supply side, it is necessary to moderate the power consumption, suppress the height of the consumption peak as much as possible, and average it out throughout the day.

For this reason, the idea is to use the electricity used in the daytime during the night when electricity consumption is low.
One method is to set lower electricity rates during late night hours. Therefore, in automatic washing machines, especially those with a drying process that requires a long time, if the washing machine is used late at night, the benefits for the user will be greater.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, in conventional washer/dryers that include a drying process, the drying time varies depending on the amount of clothes, the moisture content in the clothes, etc., so the drying time is calculated backwards from the end time of drying. When starting, there is a problem in that unnecessary drying must be performed.

That is, in the control for setting the start time of washing or drying from the end time of the midnight time slot, the start time of washing or drying is determined in consideration of the predicted maximum time required for drying. Therefore, even if the amount of clothes to be dried is small, the moisture content of the clothes is low, or even if a short drying time is sufficient depending on the ambient temperature and humidity, long drying operations are required. .

This wastes power, and the unnecessary drying process increases contact between the drum and the cloth or between the cloths, resulting in damage to the cloth.

Furthermore, in order to avoid wasting drying time, conventional apparatuses automatically detect the end of the drying process and stop the drying operation. However, this method does not allow the drying process to end at the set end time, and since the clothes are left in the drum even after the drying process is finished, there is a problem in that the clothes may wrinkle.

Furthermore, in a device that automatically detects the end of the drying process, it has been proposed to rotate the drum for several seconds at 172 minute intervals in order to prevent the occurrence of wrinkles, but even with this, unnecessary contact of the cloth may occur. This will cause fabric damage, and it will also generate noise, especially late at night.

This invention was made in order to solve these problems, and provides a control device for an automatic washer/dryer that eliminates wasted drying time, eliminates damage and wrinkles on clothes, and finishes washing in a good dry state. The purpose is to provide.

Means for Solving Problem E] Claim 1R of this invention has at least a drying step,
A control device for an automatic washer/dryer that is controlled so that the drying process ends at a selected end time includes a load setting switch for setting the load of clothes to be washed and dried, and a load setting switch for setting the load of clothes to be washed and dried. a drying time calculation means for calculating the drying time necessary for drying based on the set load amount, and the drying time is set based on the drying time selected by the load amount setting switch and the end time. The washing and drying process is characterized in that washing and drying starts from the specified start time.

Further, the control device according to the second claim includes a weighing scale i'1llJ means for measuring the weight of clothes in order to determine the load amount of clothes to be washed and dried, and weight information of this weight measuring means. drying time calculation means for calculating the drying time required for drying based on the load amount, and a start time set based on the drying time calculated by the weight measuring means and the end time; It is characterized by starting washing and drying at the specified time.

[Operation] In the first aspect, the load amount of the clothes to be washed and dried is set by the load amount setting switch.

The load here indicates the heat capacity required to dry the clothes in the drum to 100% dryness in the drying process, and this is the heat capacity required to dry the clothes in the drum to 100%. It is determined from factors such as moisture content, ambient temperature, or ambient humidity.

Therefore, the load amount setting switch is divided into several levels of load amount, and by selecting a predetermined load amount, the load amount of the drying basin can be empirically set based on the weight of the clothes and other factors. This means that wasteful drying can be eliminated with a simple configuration.

Then, the drying time required for drying is calculated from the load amount selected with the switch, and this drying time is combined with the selected end time, that is, the end time set with the reservation timer or the late night course. The drying start time is set based on the end time of the midnight time zone.

Since the required drying time is an appropriate time that matches the load of clothes, the drying process can be accurately completed at the selected and set end time.

In the second aspect of the invention, the function of the load amount setting switch is performed by weight measuring means. That is, in order to determine the load amount of clothes to be washed and dried, it is possible to provide a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the clothes. Measure the weight of the clothes (iii. before putting them into the washer/dryer) at a predetermined location on the outer periphery.

Alternatively, the change in the weight of the drum may be measured after the clothes are placed in the drum. According to this, the load amount can be determined from the weight of the clothes simply by placing the clothes in the washer/dryer.

These processes after weight measurement are performed automatically, and the required drying time is calculated based on the weight information, and the drying process can be completed in the same manner as described above.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a drum-type washing machine according to the present invention, which performs all steps from washing to drying in one drum.
(8) is a cabinet, (9) is a laundry suspended on the cabinet (8) [Sonogai-1, (10) is a washing machine that rotates in the outer tub (9) and washes the laundry by beating or massaging it. (11) is a rotating drum that serves as a washing tub for drying and serves as a drying tub in the drying process; (11) is a door for loading and unloading laundry;
2) is a motor connected to the support rotating shaft of the rotating drum (10) via a pulley or a belt, (13) is an air path for circulating hot air, and (14) is an air channel for circulating hot air toward the rotating drum (10). The heater (15) provided at the exit of the road is a fan for circulating hot air.

The characteristic feature of the present invention is that an accurate drying time is set according to the amount of clothing loaded.
The first claim is characterized in that the load amount can be easily selected by a switch, and the second claim is characterized in that the load amount is determined from the weight.

In FIG. 1, (16) is the operation unit in the present invention, in addition to the conventional operation switches, the load amount setting switch (2
0) is provided. The load amount setting switch (20) is divided into switches in which the magnitude of the load amount is set in stages, and in the embodiment, it is a switch with five stages from a small load amount to a large load amount. Switch "5" indicates the limit of washing and drying when the amount of clothes is large, switch "1" indicates the extremely small amount of clothes, and switches "2, 3.4" are provided between these.

This load port is approximately proportional to the heat capacity required to dry the clothes put into the rotating drum (10) 100%, and when drying is in the iron mode, the heat capacity is 100%.
% or less is the standard.

Strictly speaking, this load amount should take into account the moisture content in the clothes, the ambient temperature, and the ambient humidity, but it can mainly be determined from the following two factors: It is.

Further, (17) is a controller that controls load judgment operation, etc., and (18) is the load amount setting switch (20).
The drying time calculation means calculates the drying time necessary for the drying process from the load amount set in the step. In this case, the required drying time is set to a predetermined time corresponding to each switch of the load amount setting switch (20).

Furthermore, in the embodiment, a weight scale (19) is provided on the upper surface of the cabinet (8) as a weight measuring means (second claim). This weighing scale (19) is a well-known weighing scale that measures the weight by placing clothes on the scale (19) (putting them in a special basket or the like). Information on the weight value measured by the weight scale (19) is supplied to the controller (17).

When this weight measuring means is used, the drying time calculation means (18) calculates the drying time T based on the weight W of the clothing using the following equation.

T-f(W) +α (1) In the above equation (1), α is an amount that takes into account the variation as an error range, and a time of about 0 minutes is set.

In this way, the controller (17) determines the start time of washing or drying based on the drying time calculated by the drying time calculation means (19).

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, if the selected end time is t3, the washing start time t is obtained by adding the time required for the washing process and the dehydration process to the drying time T.
Set. Further, in the case of an automatic dryer, the drying start time t2 is set based on only the required drying time.

FIG. 1 has the above configuration, and its operation will be explained below based on FIG. 3.

First, in step 101, it is determined whether a reserved course (considering only the case of end time setting) or a late-night course is selected using the operation unit (16), and if "No", step 101 is further repeated. If "YES", the process moves to step 102 and load amount setting is performed.

The load amount of the clothing may be determined and set by the operator using the load amount setting switch (20) of the operation unit (16), or it may be automatically determined based on the weight of the clothing using the weighing scale (19). It can also be set.

Then, in step 103, the required drying time T is calculated from the set load amount, and the process moves to step 104.

In this step 104, the drying time T is calculated backward from the end time set by the reservation timer or by selecting the midnight course, and the washing start time t is determined as shown in FIG.

(Drying start time t2 in the automatic dryer) is set, and the process moves to step 105.

Therefore, in step 105, the timer function waits for the above-mentioned start time, and the washing/drying operation is started from the start time.

Next, an embodiment (another example of the second claim) in which the weight of the clothes is measured from the change in weight of the drum after the clothes are put into the drum will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 4, (22a) and (22a) are outside tli
(9) and a damper for suspending the rotating drum (10) from below; (23a) and (23b) are springs for suspending from the upper side; (24a) and (24b) are attached to the spring (23); This is a weight sensor that detects a change in the weight of the outer tank (9), such as one that detects the amount of strain by attaching a strain gauge to a leaf spring, or one that detects displacement using a differential transistor.

According to such a configuration, the weight sensor (24) measures the change in the weight of the entire outer tank (9) when clothes are placed in the rotating drum (10), thereby detecting the weight of the clothes. can do.

This weight information is also shown in the controller (17) in Figure 1.
The load amount of the clothes can be automatically determined from the weight information, and the required drying time can be calculated thereby, and the same effect as described above can be obtained.

[Effects of the Invention] This invention is as explained above, and since the drying time necessary for drying is calculated from the set or detected load amount, the drying time is The drying process can be accurately completed at the end time of the drying process, and unnecessary drying time can be eliminated.

Further, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that clothing can be finished in a good dry state without damage or wrinkles.

In addition to the above-mentioned effects, according to the first aspect, it is possible to make settings freely based on the operator's experience, and good control is possible with a simple switch configuration.

According to the second aspect, the weight information of clothes can be automatically processed and drying can be performed by setting an accurate load amount.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration when the present invention is applied to a drum-type washing machine, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between the drying end time and the washing or drying start time, and Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of this embodiment, FIG. 4 is a block diagram for measuring the weight of clothes after they have been put into the drum, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the structure of the administrative section of the conventional device. In the figure, (3) is the reservation timer button, (7) is the course selection button, (8) is the cabinet, (9) is the outer tank, (10) is the rotating drum, (12) is the motor, (14)
is the heater, (15) is the fan, (16) is the operation unit, (1
7) is a controller, (18) is a drying time calculation means, (19) is a weighing scale, (20) is a load amount setting switch,
(22) is a damper, (23) is a spring, and (24) is a weight sensor. In addition, in the figures, the same reference numerals indicate the same or equivalent parts. Agent: Patent attorney Masuo Oiwa (and 2 others) Figure 1 Figure 24:! Quantity sensor diagram

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Load amount setting for setting the load amount of clothes to be washed and dried in a control device for an automatic washer/dryer that has at least a drying step and is controlled so that the drying step ends at a selectively set end time. a switch, and drying time calculation means for calculating the drying time required for drying based on the load amount set by the load amount setting switch, A control device for an automatic washer/dryer, characterized in that washing and drying starts from a start time set based on time and the end time. (2) In a control device for an automatic washer/dryer that has at least a drying process and is controlled so that the drying process ends at a selected and set end time, the amount of clothes to be washed and dried is determined. and drying time calculation means for calculating the drying time necessary for drying based on the load amount set by the weight information of the weight measuring means, A control device for an automatic washer/dryer, characterized in that washing and drying is started from a start time set based on the required drying time calculated by a measuring means and the end time.