JPH03215288A - Drum type washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drum type washing machine having laundry load detection means.

Conventional technology Washing machines traditionally used in Europe include:
Yes, it is a horizontal drum type washing machine that rotates around a horizontal axis. This type of washing machine generally performs washing operations by continuously rotating a rotating drum at a low speed, and this rotating drum can also be used to easily perform dewatering and drying. However, no technology is used to detect the amount of laundry, and only an operation switch is provided to change the process based on the user's judgment.

On the other hand, many proposals have been made for load amount detection devices for pulsator type washing machines used in Japan. for example,
There is a load amount detection device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-22598. The detailed explanation described in this bulletin will be omitted, but the outline is that the washing motor is started, the current value of the washing motor is detected after a certain period of time, and the load amount is determined based on the current value. Met. In addition to this, the voltage at the capacitor terminals decays due to the inertial rotation of the stirring blades after starting the washing motor and cutting off the electricity to the washing motor after about 0.2 to 1 second. Techniques for determining load amounts by measuring waveforms and the like are known.

Inventions or Problems to be Solved In this way, when looking at conventional washing machines, there are many load detection devices that detect the amount of laundry that have been proposed for separator-type washing machines, but there are still many proposals for drum-type washing machines. This technology is not used.

Up until now, many attempts have been made to adapt the above-mentioned technology to Severe evening-type washing machines based on various requests, but none of them have been able to achieve the desired results because the washing methods are fundamentally different. .

In order to achieve the above-mentioned demands, the present invention focuses on the characteristics of drum-type washing machines and aims to detect the load amount of laundry with high accuracy.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a rotating drum that rotates horizontally in an outer tank having a water storage function, and a motor that is a driving source for the rotating drum has a motor speed detection system. a control means for controlling the rotation of the motor according to a signal from the motor speed detection means; and a load for detecting the amount of load in the rotating drum based on the time from the start of the motor to a predetermined rotation speed. The structure includes an amount detecting means.

Function As described above, in the present invention, since the rotating drum is installed in the horizontal direction, when the laundry is loaded, the entire weight of the laundry acts directly on the bottom of the rotating drum. Therefore, when the rotation of the motor is started so that the rotating drum reaches a predetermined rotation speed, the rotation speed of the rotating drum, so-called motor, reached within a predetermined time will obviously vary depending on the amount of laundry load. The load amount is determined based on the time it takes for the motor to reach a predetermined rotational speed within a predetermined time.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outer tub 1 has the shape of a horizontal drum, and has a circular opening 2 formed on one side for loading and unloading laundry. Further, this outer tank 1 is supported by an outer box 4 by a support body 3.

An inlet 5 is provided in the part of the outer glass 4 corresponding to the opening 2 of the outer box 1, and the opening 2 and inlet 5 are formed to be openable and closable by a door 6 that can be opened and closed automatically. 7 soles the opening 2 and the input port 5. Inside the outer tank 1, a rotary tram 8 having a substantially similar shape to the outer tank 1 is housed. A large number of small holes 9 are arranged in the peripheral wall of the rotating drum 8, and the outer tank 1
The washing liquid inside can freely flow in and out.

An opening for loading and unloading the laundry is formed on one side of the rotating drum 8, a rotating shaft 10 is connected to the other side, and the other end of the rotating shaft 10 is connected to the side of the outer tub 1. It rotatably penetrates the fixed bearing part and is transmitted to the rotating shaft 10 via the transmission skin 12 by the power of the motor 11 fixed to the outer tank 1 .

Furthermore, the speed detection means 1 has a built-in tacho generator etc.
3 is connected to the motor 11, and is electrically connected to a control means 15 and a load amount detection means 16 built in the operation panel 14. Regarding the loop speedy control of the rotation speed of the motor 11 in the control means 15 and the load detection means 16 in FIG. 2, the rotation speed of the motor 11 is proportional to the rotation speed by the speed detection means 13 The error voltage, which is the difference between the voltages, is converted to a voltage set by the speed setting section, and the error voltage, which is the difference between these voltages, is generated by driving the motor 11 with input from the error amplifier and the drive circuit, and controlling the error voltage to 0. The rotation speed of the motor 11 can be maintained at the value set by the speed setting section. Further, the signal of the rotation speed of the motor 11 converted into voltage by the speed detection means 13 is input to the load amount detection means 16, and by comparing it with a predetermined voltage, the time required to reach the predetermined rotation speed from starting is calculated. However, the load amount can be determined by comparing it with a predetermined reference time.

In the above configuration, a method for determining the load amount of laundry will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. For example, if the motor 11 is approximately 3 Or. p. Start by setting the speed setting section to drive at a low rotational speed of m. (Figure 3a) The reason for this is that the power is transmitted to the load in the low speed range where the output torque of the motor 11 is low, or that the difference in the number of revolutions reached within a predetermined time for each load amount becomes large, and the accuracy of the determination is affected. This is because it increases. Then, the rotation speed of the motor 11 is detected by the speed detection means 13 (see b), and if the predetermined rotation speed has not been reached (see c).
), and further detects the rotational speed within the detection setting time (d), and if the predetermined rotational speed is reached (e), calculates the time from startup to reaching the predetermined rotational speed (f), The signal is input to the load amount detection means 16, and the load amount of the laundry is determined by comparing it with the reference time (g), and the process moves to the next washing process (h). Water supply according to the amount of water. The washing time etc. are set and the washing work is carried out (A).

However, if the rotation speed of the motor 11 does not reach the predetermined rotation speed even after the detection set time has elapsed (see h), the rated capacity has been exceeded! This means that the object has been thrown into the rotating drum 8 (I). Therefore, it is not possible to obtain a smooth and sufficient washing effect, so instead of proceeding to the next washing process, a message indicating that the amount of laundry (cloth amount) has exceeded the rating is displayed on the front side of the operation panel 14. (same), it is possible to warn the user (B).

Furthermore, even if there are variations in the characteristics of the motor 11, for example, by measuring the time required to reach a predetermined rotation speed during no-load rotation,
If reference data indicating how many times the load corresponds to which load state is stored, it can be easily handled by adjusting the parameters of the load amount detection means 16 at the stage of product assembly inspection.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, if the amount of laundry is medium, even after the rotation of the motor reaches the predetermined rotation speed, the rotation speed is maintained at the predetermined rotation speed by the signal from the control means 15 within the detection setting time. The effect of uniformly loosening the laundry before entering the washing process in the drum 8 can also be obtained.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description of the embodiments, according to the present invention, the rotational state of the rotating drum, which changes depending on the amount of laundry, is directly detected by the rotational speed of its drive motor, so that the amount of load can be reduced. This is directly reflected in the starting characteristics of the motor, and the load amount can be detected quickly and accurately. Furthermore, since it is possible to prevent washing and dewatering of laundry exceeding the rating, which would overload the motor, it is possible to provide a drum-type washing machine that is highly reliable for long-term use.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a drum-type washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the method of controlling the motor, Fig. 3 is a flowchart of the load amount determination process, and Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the method of controlling the motor. It is a relationship diagram which shows the example of a determination of the same rotation speed table load amount. 1... Outer tank, 8... Rotating drum, 10
... Rotating axis, 11 ... Motor, 13 ...
... Speed detection means, 15 ... Control means, 1
6...Load amount detection means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An outer tank having a water storage function, a rotating drum that freely rotates around a horizontal rotating shaft passing through a side wall of the outer tank and that stores laundry therein, and a driving source for the rotating drum. It includes a motor, a speed detection means for the motor, and a control means for controlling the rotation of the motor according to a signal from the speed detection means, and the amount of load in the rotating drum is determined from the rotational speed of the motor according to the signal from the speed detection means. A drum-type washing machine having load amount detection means for determining the amount of load.