JPH0453589A - Control unit for 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 washing machine control device that optically detects the degree of contamination of liquid in a tub and automatically performs washing or rinsing operations.

Conventional technology Conventionally, this type of washing machine control device was disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-17
As shown in Publication No. 2593, the user is asked to select whether the laundry is "heavily soiled,""normal," or "lightly soiled," and the initial After determining the amount of detergent to be added, if the dirt sensor determines that the amount of dirt removed from the laundry is insufficient during the subsequent washing process, the detergent will be used based on the user's selection of "heavy dirt,""standarddirt," or "light dirt." The amount of additional input was determined.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention With such conventional washing machine control devices, the user has to look at the laundry and judge the degree of dirt by himself/herself. The problem was that it was troublesome.

In addition, some users select ``heavily soiled'' when there is laundry that is not dirty at all, but is partially soiled with oil, mud, fruit juice, etc. The amount of detergent thrown in at this time is rather large, and if the dirt sensor determines that dirt removal is insufficient, additional detergent is added, leading to wasted detergent.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems by detecting the degree of dirtiness of the laundry, automatically washing the laundry, and washing the laundry with the optimum amount of detergent according to the degree of dirtiness of the laundry. It is an object.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a detergent dosing device for putting detergent into a tank, an optical sensor for detecting the degree of turbidity of the liquid in the tank with respect to fresh water, and the optical sensor. control means for controlling washing based on the output data of the washing process, the control means adding and adding detergent according to the level of turbidity of the liquid in the tank detected by the optical sensor during the washing process. The first means of solving the problem is to determine the amount of detergent to be used.

Further, in the first problem-solving means, the second problem-solving means is that the control means additionally adds detergent into the tank when saturation is not detected even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the start of washing.

Effect of the present invention By the above-mentioned first problem-solving means, the degree of turbidity of clean water can be detected, and the optimal washing can be automatically performed according to the degree of dirtiness of the laundry, and the user can make a judgment. There is no need to worry about key operations.

Furthermore, when it is determined that the laundry is heavily soiled and additional detergent is added, an appropriate amount of detergent is added in accordance with the degree of soiling of the laundry, eliminating wasted detergent.

In addition, the second problem-solving method detects the fact that laundry with oil stains or large stains is difficult to remove, and the washing liquid gradually becomes cloudy and is difficult to saturate, and additional detergent is added. By increasing the cleaning power, it becomes possible to finish washing in a short time.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example in which the present invention is applied to a fully automatic washing machine will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

As shown in the figure, a water receptacle has a tank 2 attached to the inside of an outer frame 1, and a washing and dewatering tank 3 is rotatably mounted inside the water receptacle. The water receiver has a power switching mechanism 4 at the bottom of the tank 2.
is provided, and the stirring blade 5 is rotated during washing or rinsing.
The motor 6 rotates the washing and dehydration tank 3 during dehydration.
Switch the power of the. The air pocket 7 generates pressure corresponding to the water level, and transmits this pressure to the water level sensor 9 via the air hose 8. The drain valve 10 serves to drain the liquid from the water tank 2 to the outside via a drain hose 11. Water supply valve 1
A water receiver 2 supplies tap water into the tank 2, and is branched into a first water supply route 13 and a second water supply route 14. The detergent injection device 15 is used to put pre-conditioned and stored detergent into the washing/dehydration tank 3 at the time of washing. The optical sensor 16 detects the degree of turbidity of the liquid in the tank 2, and is cleaned by the second water supply path 14 every time water is supplied to prevent dirt from adhering to it.
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The water level sensor 9 detects the water level in the water tank 2 and generates an electric signal. The controller 17 has a motor 6° and a drain valve 10.
Water supply valve 12. The detergent injection device 15 and the like are sequentially controlled. The operation display circuit 18 sets which process of washing, rinsing, and dehydration to operate, or the water level, and displays the set contents,
It notifies the user of the progress of washing. The cloth amount detection circuit 19 detects the amount of laundry. The switching circuit 20 drives a load such as the motor 6. The signal control circuit 21 includes a water level sensor 9, a light sensor 16. The switching circuit 20 and the like are controlled to drive various loads based on various status inputs of the cloth amount detection circuit 19 and input signals from the operation display circuit 18. Note that 22 is a phase advancing capacitor of the motor 6, and 23 is a commercial power source.

The optical sensor 16 consists of a light emitting element 24 and a light receiving element 25,
It is controlled by an optical sensor drive circuit 26. The optical sensor control circuit 27 has an output voltage ■. . , is A/D converted and PWM
The optical sensor drive circuit 26 is feedback-controlled by control and switching control. The storage means 28 is connected to the commercial power supply 2
3 is cut off, the PWM value etc. is stored.

The optical sensor control circuit 27 changes the D by changing the PWM value.
/A converter 260 output voltage, i.e. transistor 2
The drive current If of the light emitting element 24 is changed by changing the base potential of the light emitting element 61.
change. Further, the sensitivity is adjusted by turning on and off the transistor 262 using the SW terminal to switch the emitter resistance value of the light receiving element 25.

The operation of the above configuration will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

In FIG. 4, first, in step 100, the PWM value for driving the optical sensor 16 is stored in the storage means 28.

The Vo value and SW value are transferred and used for subsequent control of the optical sensor 16. These values are determined during the first rinsing water supply in the previous wash, and are specifically controlled based on the flowchart shown in FIG. To explain this simply, first, in step 150, the water supply valve 12 is turned ON to start water supply, and then in step 151, after a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) has elapsed, in steps 152 to 154, the drain valve 10 is turned on for a predetermined time (10 seconds, for example). For example, turn it on for 5 seconds). This is to discharge the bubbles generated during the previous intermediate dehydration. Subsequently, in step 155, the output voltage of the optical sensor 16 is determined. 1. Adjust the PWM value and SW value so that the value becomes VO. This is the sensitivity correction of the optical sensor 16.

Then, in step 156, these values are transferred to the storage means 28.

After turning on the water supply valve 12 to start water supply in step 101, the detergent injection device 15 is turned on for a predetermined period of time (for example, 15 seconds) in step 102. Next step 1
In step 03, the water level sensor 9 determines whether the minimum water level has been reached, and if so, the process proceeds to step 104 and the water supply valve 12 is temporarily turned off. Then, in step 105, the amount of laundry is detected by the cloth amount detection circuit 19, and thereafter the water level and water flow are controlled to be appropriate for the amount of laundry. Step 10
After the water supply valve 12 is turned on in Step 6 to resume water supply, the detergent injection device 15 is turned on for a predetermined time in Step 107. The predetermined time here is something that can be lengthened or shortened based on the result of determining the amount of cloth in step 105. For example, if the amount of cloth is large, the detergent injection time may be set to increase the amount of detergent. Lengthen. Thereafter, in step 108, it is determined whether the water level sensor 9 has reached the predetermined water level determined by the cloth amount determination in step 105. If it has reached the predetermined water level, the water supply valve 12 is turned off in step 109, and then the process proceeds to step 110. Start advance washing. This is shown in Figure 6.
Washing starts at time T.

As washing progresses, the dirt on the laundry dissolves into the washing liquid and becomes cloudy, and the output voltage of the optical sensor 16 decreases. In steps 111 and 112, the change in the output voltage of the optical sensor 116 for a predetermined period of time (for example, 2 minutes) is calculated by ΔV.
Then, the determination is repeated until 10 minutes have passed from the start of washing to determine whether ΔV is less than a certain value Vc (for example, 0.IV), that is, whether the turbidity change of the washing liquid is saturated. If ΔV≦Vc is not satisfied even after 10 minutes have passed, it is determined that the cleaning power is too low, and in steps 115 and 116, additional detergent is added based on Table 1 to extend the washing time.

Table 1 Here, VIO is the output voltage of the optical sensor 16 when 10 minutes have passed from the start of washing, and VO is the output voltage of the optical sensor 16 when water is fresh, and the voltage ratio indicates the degree of dirt on the laundry. The amount of detergent to be added and the washing time to be extended are determined by the voltage ratio. Here, the types of detergents are classified based on whether V1o/vo is 0.5 or less, and Table 1 is for powder detergents, and the same control is applied for liquid detergents.

Also, if the amount of detergent added is 0.6 or 0.4,
This is the ratio when the total amount of detergent added in step 102 and step 107 is set to 1.

On the other hand, when ΔV≦Vc within 10 minutes of starting washing (
At time TI in FIG. 6, additional detergent is added in steps 113 and 114 based on Table 2, and the washing time is extended based on FIG.

Table 2 This shows that at time T, almost no stains were removed from the laundry, but depending on the degree of soiling of the laundry, detergent was added and the washing time was extended, except in cases where the stains were very small. This means doing a final wash to remove the dirt properly. Here, Vl is the sensor output voltage at the time of saturation, and ΔTs is the time from the start of washing to saturation. Then, in step 117, the washing operation is ended.

In addition, in this embodiment, the sensitivity correction of the optical sensor 16 is performed by rinsing 1.
This is done during the first water supply, but this is due to the optical sensor 16.
Any time fresh water enters the detection unit is fine.
For example, the same effect can be obtained even if the cleaning is performed after washing starts and before adding detergent.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above embodiments, according to the present invention, the control means for controlling washing based on the output data of the optical sensor detects the turbidity of the liquid in the tank detected by the optical sensor during the washing process. Since the addition of detergent and the amount of detergent to be added are determined according to the degree of turbidity, it is possible to detect the degree of turbidity of the liquid in fresh water.
It is possible to automatically perform optimal washing according to the degree of dirtiness of the laundry, and the user does not have to judge the degree of dirtiness of the laundry and press a key each time. When additional detergent is added, only the appropriate amount of detergent is added depending on the degree of soiling of the laundry, so detergent can be saved.

Additionally, if the control means does not detect saturation even after a predetermined period of time has passed from the start of washing, additional detergent is added to the tank. By detecting this and adding additional detergent, it has the effect of increasing cleaning power and completing washing in a short time.

Furthermore, since the sensitivity of the optical sensor is adjusted every time laundry is done, there is no change in the performance of the optical sensor even if water scale, dirt, or detergent residue builds up on the inner wall of the optical sensor detection part.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a fully automatic washing machine equipped with a washing machine control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the fully automatic washing machine, and Fig. 3 is a control device of the washing machine. Fig. 4 is an operation flowchart of the control device of the washing machine, Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the operation when correcting the sensitivity of the optical sensor of the control device of the washing machine, and Fig. 6 is a flowchart of the operation of the control device of the washing machine. FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram of the washing time extension time of the control device of the same washing machine. 2...Water receiver is a tank (tank), 15...Detergent injection device, 16...Light sensor, 21...
- Signal control circuit (control means). Name of agent: Patent attorney Shigetaka Awano and 1 other person 2- Water tube Kei (tank) 15- Bakuman Keiiriku l 16- Optical sensor Sui @ Ir1 Kuchijima (O-prepared) Soot I! B@'s waterworks A-surroundings

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A detergent dosing device that puts detergent into a tank, an optical sensor that detects the degree of turbidity of the liquid in the tank with respect to fresh water, and a control means that controls washing based on the output data of the optical sensor. A washing machine control device, wherein the control means determines the addition of detergent and the amount of detergent to be added according to the turbidity of the liquid in the tank detected by the optical sensor during the washing process. . (2) The control device for a washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the control means is configured to add additional detergent into the tub if saturation is not detected even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the start of washing.