JPH02286195A - Washing machine cloth amount detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately detect the quantity of cloth by executing cloth quantity detecting operation before washing operation is started, storing a measured result to a microcomputer and correcting a measured value at the time of normal cloth quantity detecting operation according to the stored value. CONSTITUTION:When water supply to a lowest water level is detected by an water level sensor, electrification to an water supply solenoid valve 26 and a solenoid 7a is stopped and a motor 8 is electrified. Then, stirring is executed. At such a time, a clutch device 10 is set in an washing state without fail and an inverted stirring water current, which is stronger than cloth quantity detection stirring and weaker than normal stirring, is operated. Afterwards, the cloth quantity detection stirring is executed. In the process of the cloth quantity detection, the inverted stirring of ON for 0.4 second and OFF for 1 second is executed and when a rotary body 6 is rotated by inertia at an OFF time, the back electromotive force of the motor 6 is detected by the terminal voltage of a capacitor 8a for driving the motor 8 and converted to a direct current rectangular wave pulse. Then, a time between these pulses is measured and this operation is repeated by 20 times. Afterwards, the total time is compared with relation between the quantity of laundry, which is stored to the microcomputer in advance, and the time and the quantity of the laundry is determined. Then, the water level and time for washing and dehydrating, etc., corresponding to the quantity of the laundry are automatically determined and following operation is executed.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention performs an initial cloth amount correction operation by pressing a correction button without putting any clothes in before a washing operation, and uses the measured value of the correction operation to calculate the normal amount. The present invention relates to a highly accurate cloth amount detection method for washing machines by correcting the cloth amount measurement results.

[Conventional technology]

With the conventional cloth amount detection method, after turning the power switch to ``1 person'', pressing the sensor (standard) button and pressing the start button, a certain amount of water is dispensed.

A cloth amount detection operation is performed, and the measurement result is compared with a reference value stored in advance in the microcomputer to determine the amount of cloth.

In some washing machines, the water level is determined during the first cloth amount detection operation, and after water has been supplied to the determined water level, the cloth amount detection operation is performed again to reconfirm the amount of cloth, and then normal operation is performed. There is something to do.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional technology described above, the variation in the resistance of the cloth when detecting the amount of cloth is taken into consideration to some extent, but the mechanical loss of the clutch drive unit of the washing machine, the variation in the electrical characteristics of the motor, the capacitor, etc. are not considered. There has been a problem in that the accuracy of measuring the amount of cloth is poor because the measured values of the amount of cloth are different due to variations among the washing machines.

An object of the present invention is to minimize the variation in the measured value of the amount of cloth for each washing machine.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above purpose, a correction button is installed to perform an initial correction operation before the start of the washing operation, and before loading clothes, this button is pressed to perform a cloth amount detection operation and calculate the total i (+11 result). By storing the value in the microcomputer and correcting the measured value during normal cloth amount detection operation using that value, it is highly accurate and can absorb variations in cloth amount detection due to mechanical and electrical variations of each washing machine. , the amount of cloth can be detected.

[Effect]

When the initial correction operation is performed in a no-load state without water, for example, the measured value (inter-pulver time ts in one embodiment) becomes shorter when the loss torque of the clutch portion is large. Of course, even when the amount of laundry is normally detected, the measured value t1 is shorter than when the loss torque is small, even when the same amount of laundry is loaded.

Therefore, if the measured value at the time of correction is stored, it is easy to use it to correct the measured value at the time of normal cloth amount detection.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a washing machine employing an embodiment of the present invention has an outer tub made of synthetic resin in an outer frame 1 made of a steel plate, and a suspension rack 2 and a vibration isolating device 3 made of coil springs or elastic rubber. Four suspension supports 2 and four vibration isolators 3 are provided.

A washing/drying tank 5 made of synthetic resin is rotatably provided in an outer tank 4 that stores water for washing. The washing and dehydration tank 5 is provided with a large number of dehydration holes 5a, and a rotating body 6 consisting of a pulsator or an agitator is rotatably provided at the center bottom.The washing and dehydration tank 5 is kept stationary during washing and rinsing operations. 6 clockwise and counterclockwise.

Also, during spin-drying operation, the washing and spin-drying tank is rotated in one direction.

Rotation of the rotating body 6 and the washing/dehydration tank is performed by a drive device 7.

The drive device 7 includes a motor 8 and a pulley 9a for transmitting the rotation of the motor 8 to the rotating body 6 or the washing and dehydrating tank 5.
A transmission means 9 consisting of a belt 9b and a clutch device r that rotates only the rotary body 6 during washing and rinsing, or rotates the washing and dewatering tub 5 during dehydration. glo
It consists of a solenoid 7a that performs the switching, and a drainage device 12 that controls drainage.

The drive device 7 is fixed to the bottom surface of the outer tank 4 using a support plate 15 made of a steel plate. The outer tank 4 is provided with an inlet 4c to which a P, S tube 27 for transmitting the pressure of water in the outer tank 4 to a water level sensor 26 is connected.

A top cover 19 made of synthetic resin is provided at the top of the outer frame 1, and has an input port 19a for loading laundry and an operation box 19b for housing electrical components such as a controller. A lid 20 made of synthetic resin is provided on the inlet 19a.

An operation panel 21 is attached to the upper surface of the operation box 19b, and a water supply solenoid valve 24 is provided inside the operation box 19b.

A water level sensor 26 disposed in the operation box 19b detects the pressure of water in the outer tank 4 to determine whether the water has accumulated to a specified water level. The water level sensor 26 is composed of a core, a coil, a spring, and the like.

A controller unit that controls washing, rinsing, dehydration, etc. is arranged inside the storage box 31.

A power switch button 29 and an external operation switch 30 are arranged on the operation panel 21.

FIG. 2 shows the operation panel 21. As shown in FIG.

In the above configuration, when the power switch button 29 is pressed to turn the power switch ONL and the "sensor (standard)" button of the external operation switch 30 is pressed, the water supply solenoid valve 26 is energized by a signal from the controller, and the washing and dehydration tank is water is supplied inside. At this time, the solenoid 7a is also energized to enter the dewatering state, and the motor is energized for 0.5 seconds 0N and 4 seconds OFF, so that the laundry loading/unloading tank rotates in one direction with a gentle rotation, and the supplied water is evenly applied to the laundry. That's what I do.

When the water level sensor detects water supply up to the lowest water level, the water supply solenoid valve 26. Stop energizing solenoid 7a,
The motor 8 is energized and stirred.

At this time, the clutch device 10 is in a dehydrated state, so
In order to ensure that the clutch device 10 is in the washing state and not to damage the cloth, a reverse agitation water flow stronger than cloth amount detection stirring and weaker than normal stirring is used for 0.5 seconds 0N-0.5 seconds 0FF after operating for 8 seconds, cloth amount detection stirring is performed. Do this.

In the cloth amount detection process, 0.4 seconds 0N-1 seconds 0FFC71 reverse stirring is performed, and the back electromotive force of the motor 8 when the rotating body 6 rotates by inertia when OFF is converted to the terminal voltage of the motor 8 drive capacitor 8a. The amount of cloth is determined by converting this into DC rectangular wave pulses and measuring the time tlt between these pulses.

That is, when there is a large amount of laundry, the resistance to the rotating body 6 is large, which impedes inertia rotation and the time t1 between pulses becomes longer, and when there is a small amount of laundry, the time t1 between pulses becomes shorter. . The time between pulses is measured using the first pulse (
■) and the width tl of the rise time of the third pulse (@), repeat this 20 times, compare the total time with the relationship between the amount of washing and time stored in the microcomputer in advance, and determine the amount of washing. Then, the water level, washing time, spin-drying time, etc. are automatically set according to the amount of washing, and subsequent operations are performed.

Alternatively, the rise time t2 of the second pulse ()) and the fourth pulse (@) of the full-wave detected pulses may be measured.

According to this embodiment, full wave detection of the pulse is performed and the first and third shots are detected.
Since the rise time of the first, second, and fourth pulses is measured, variations in pulse width due to variations in the Zener diode (■), photocoupler (θ), etc. used in the pulse conversion circuit can be avoided. Can be made smaller.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a correction button is provided.

By pressing this button before starting washing (before loading laundry), the above-mentioned cloth amount detection process is performed without water, and the inter-pulse time tl is measured, and the inter-pulse time t1 stored in advance in the microcomputer is By storing tx' tt) as a correction time in the microcomputer and adding it to the inter-pulse time 11 during subsequent cloth amount detection, the initial clutch device 10. Variation in loss torque of drive device 7 Motor 8
．． Since variations in the electrical characteristics of the capacitor 8a and the Zener diode (■) for pulse detection can be corrected, the amount of cloth can be measured with high accuracy. This correction button does not need to be provided exclusively, and may also be used, for example, by pressing the start/stop button for 3 seconds or more.

As another example, the pulse time t1 when detecting the amount of cloth is measured each time the rotating body 6 rotates clockwise and counterclockwise, and the total of each measurement time is stored in the microcomputer, and both values are set in advance. Safety can be ensured by adding up the values for each value and determining the measured value if it is above the value determined by the microcomputer, and by indicating an abnormality by blinking a buzzer lamp if it is below the determined value.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, the initial correction operation can absorb the factors that cause variations in the measured values of cloth amount detection of each washing machine, so that it is possible to perform extremely accurate cloth amount detection. .

Further, as long as the accuracy is the same, it is possible to have a washing machine with a cloth amount detection function with very high productivity even if the accuracy of the parts of the product is rough.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a fully automatic washing machine, FIG. 2 is a diagram of an operation panel, and FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of an embodiment of cloth amount detection. FIG. 4 is a diagram of generated pulses detected in FIG. 3. 6... Rotating body, 7... Drive device, 7a... Solenoid, 8... Motor, 8a... Capacitor, 10...
...Clutch device, 26...Water supply solenoid valve, 29...
Power switchboard diagram 2 water valve

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Clothes are put into a washing machine that detects the amount of clothes thrown in by rotating the rotating body of the washing machine and measuring the resistance of the clothes applied to the rotating body at that time. A cloth amount detection method for a washing machine characterized in that a cloth amount initial correction operation is performed by pressing a correction button beforehand, and the measurement results obtained by normal cloth amount detection are corrected based on the measurement results. 2. The method for detecting the amount of cloth in a washing machine according to item 1, characterized in that the initial corrected measurement result is corrected to the normal measurement result by either addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. 3. The method for detecting the amount of cloth in a washing machine according to item 1, characterized in that the correction button is shared with other operation buttons.