JPH0811157B2 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a washing machine that sets an optimum water level according to the amount of cloth (cloth type, cloth weight, cloth quality).

2. Description of the Related Art Techniques for measuring distance using ultrasonic waves have been known for a long time, and various methods have been proposed for using ultrasonic waves in a washing machine to detect the amount of cloth and automatically set the amount of water supplied. ing.

As an example, measure the distance to the bottom of the washing tub with ultrasonic waves before loading the laundry, then load the laundry and measure the distance to the top surface of the laundry, and compare both It is known that the water supply amount is set by determining

Further, as another example, in order to improve the cloth amount detection accuracy, it is known that the cloth amount is measured by ultrasonic waves while rotating a basket for dehydration.

Furthermore, as another example, in addition to the above-mentioned conventional example, a method of detecting both the amount of cloth and the water level by using ultrasonic waves, and a sprinkler that wets the upper surface of the laundry to improve the reflection of ultrasonic waves are provided. It is proposed to do so.

Furthermore, a water supply amount detecting device using ultrasonic waves has also been proposed, which is a means for detecting the cloth amount, a means for detecting that the cloth amount is suppressed by the water supply effect, and a method for continuing water supply. And means for detecting that the cloth surface is pushed up.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the basic idea of the conventional example is to measure the amount of cloth with ultrasonic waves and determine the water level based on the result,
The measurement results vary considerably depending on the shape of the cloth, the condition when it is put in, the quality of the cloth, etc., and the amount of cloth cannot be detected accurately. Further, as a method of increasing the accuracy, it is very difficult to rotate the basket at the time of detection in the method of detecting the amount of cloth while rotating the basket by providing the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver shifted from the center of the washing tub.
Furthermore, in the method of pressing the upper surface of the cloth with a sprinkler or detecting the movement of the cloth during the water supply process to detect the amount of cloth,
The former is not enough to make the cloth uniform, and the latter is complicated in processing and poor in accuracy.

That is, it is difficult to determine the optimum water level for the amount of cloth with the conventional technique.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks. Basically, the water level itself is not detected to set the water level, but the already set water level (raising from low to high in stages) By determining whether or not the water level is necessary and sufficient to make it, the water level suitable for the amount of cloth is accurately set.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the washing machine of the present invention includes an ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving means provided above a washing tub, a water supply means for raising the water level from low to high, and a cloth and water. Agitating means for agitating, distance measuring means for measuring the distance to the object to be measured in the washing tub by the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving means, and agitating the inside of the washing tub by agitating means after supplying a predetermined water level from the water supplying means. , After the stirring is stopped, the distance measuring means measures the distance data a plurality of times, and when the variation of the distance data is within a predetermined range, the cloth determining means determines the cloth, and the center value of the plurality of distance data is determined. A storage means for storing, a statistical processing means for calculating the cloth ratio by performing the operations of stirring, measuring, and storing all over the washing tub, and the fluctuations of a plurality of central values stored in the storage means are predetermined. Comparing means for outputting when it is in the range, and a suitable water level determining means for determining the proper water level when the cloth ratio calculated by the statistical processing means is less than or equal to a predetermined value or output from the comparing means, and the statistical processing means If the calculated cloth ratio is less than or equal to a predetermined value or is output from the comparison means, the appropriate water level determination means determines the appropriate water level and executes washing, and in other cases, the appropriate water level determination means is not the appropriate water level. And
The water is gradually supplied by the water supply means and the measurement is repeated.

Action In the above configuration, the cloth and water are agitated so that the cloth and water are sufficiently absorbed, and variations due to the shape of the cloth, the condition of the cloth when thrown in, the quality of the cloth, etc. are suppressed, and the movement of the cloth after stopping stirring is judged. Determine whether the set water level at that time is appropriate, and even if the cloth is completely submerged below the surface of the water, the pattern of movement prevents misjudgment of the appropriate water level and is suitable for the amount of cloth. The water level can be set. The movement of the cloth after the stirring is stopped is judged by using the distance measuring means. That is, when the cloth is moving from the surface of water after stirring is stopped, the distance data fluctuates if the distance data is measured a plurality of times by the distance measuring means. In the case of "1", the cloth is judged to be "cloth" by the cloth judging means.
However, it can be considered that the distance data does not change at this time, either when the cloth does not move or when the cloth is completely submerged below the water surface. This agitation / measurement / memory operation is performed for the entire area of the washing tub, and the ratio of “cloth” judgment is calculated by the statistical processing means cloth. When the “cloth” ratio calculated by the statistical processing means is less than or equal to a predetermined value, washing is performed. It is determined that the cloth around the entire tub is good, and it is determined that the water level is appropriate, and the laundry is executed. If the cloth does not move, such a judgment by the cloth judging means is sufficient, but as described above, even if the cloth is completely submerged below the water surface, it is not detected that the cloth is moving. It is a problem to assume that the water level is not appropriate. Therefore, in order to eliminate this inconvenience, the center values of the plurality of distance data after the stirring was stopped are measured over the entire washing tub, and when the fluctuation of these center values is within a predetermined range, that is, the distance from the water surface is measured. If so, the comparison means outputs it. Then, even when there is an output from this comparing means, it is determined that the water level is appropriate, and the washing is executed. In this way, the optimum water level for the amount of cloth can be set.

Examples Before describing the examples, what is meant by the "optimal water level for the amount of cloth" that is the premise of the present invention will be explained.

Having several women use the washing machine in the laboratory, changing the weight of the cloth, the kind of cloth, and the experience of what is the most suitable water level for washing those clothes. I had it judged. The water level is "low" (24), "low" (32
), "Medium" (36) and "High" (40) can be selected manually. As a result, it was found that there was almost no individual difference in judgment, and the water level was determined by the cloth weight and cloth type. Conversely, it has been found that not only the weight of the cloth but also the kind (volume, cloth quality) of the cloth is greatly involved in determining the appropriate water level for a certain laundry. FIG. 3 shows the results.

In the figure, the shaded area is the optimum water level for the cloth weight of a specific cloth type. The mark ● is a simulation result of one embodiment of the present invention and will be described later.

On the other hand, in order to consider how the user decides the water level from this experimental result, conversely, set the state of the experimental result (set weight, type, water level) and set the cloth and water. I stirred it and saw it. As a result, it was found that all the water levels moved very well due to the inertia even when the cloth circumference was very good and stirring was stopped. On the contrary, when the water level was lower than that, the cloth was moving during stirring, but when the stirring was stopped, the movement of the cloth was stopped immediately because the amount of water was small. That is, the user visually judges the amount of cloth,
It was found that the water level was increased step by step, the cloth and water were stirred appropriately, and the water level was set by judging the movement of the cloth.

In addition, although the experimental result about 3 types of cloth is shown in FIG. 3, the actual experiment was conducted for each of 12 types of cloth. The optimum water level for the cloth weight is different,
It was found that the criteria for determining the water level were all based on the above-mentioned way of thinking.

An embodiment of the present invention that realizes the basic idea of water level setting described above will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a washing tub, and an ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 2 is provided above the tub so as to be displaced from the center of the tub.

3 is a distance measuring means including an ultrasonic wave transmission / reception circuit connected to the ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver 2, 4 is a water supply means for supplying water to the washing tub 1, 5 is a water level sensor, and the water level by the operation with the water supply means 4 is “ "Low" (24), "Low" (32), "Medium" (36
), “High” (40). 6 is a stirring blade provided on the inner bottom of the washing tub 1, and 7 is a motor for driving the stirring blade 6. Numeral 8 is a microcomputer and an interface circuit, and the cloth around judgment means 9, the cloth judgment means 10 for realizing it, and the statistical processing means 1
1, storage means 14, comparison means 15, suitable water level determination means 1
2. The stroke parameter setting means 13 is realized by a microcomputer program. Then, the stirring blade 6 and the motor 7 described above
Is for agitating the cloth and water when setting the water level. The cloth circumference judging means 9 comprises a cloth judging means 10 and a statistical processing means 11. The cloth judging means 10 makes a plurality of distances to the object to be measured (water or laundry) by the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 2 after the stirring is stopped. The measurement is performed twice, and when the difference between the distance data is within a predetermined range, it is determined as cloth.

Then, the central value (representative value) of the distance data is stored in the storage means.
Output to 14. The statistical processing means 11 repeats agitation, measurement, and storage a plurality of times, measures the distance in the entire washing tub, and calculates the cloth ratio. The comparison means 15 compares the center values of the distance data stored in the storage means 14 with each other,
If the difference is within a predetermined range, a signal is output.

If the cloth ratio calculated by the statistical processing means 11 is larger than a predetermined value, and the signal is not output from the comparison means 15, the appropriate water level determination means 12 further raises the water level and causes the operation to be performed again. When the cloth ratio is less than or equal to a predetermined value or a signal is output from the comparison means 15, the set water level is determined to be an appropriate water level. The stroke parameter setting means 13 automatically sets all or part of the subsequent washing stroke based on the appropriate water level determined by the appropriate water level determination means 12.

Next, the operation of the washing machine configured as described above will be described. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the flow of operation of the embodiment of the present invention. First, when laundry is put in and washing is started, water is supplied by the water supply means 4 and the water level sensor 5 sets the water level to "small" (F-1 in FIG. 2). Next, the motor 7 is operated to stir the laundry and the water by the stirring blades 6 so that the both are blended (F-2 in FIG. 2). Then, after stirring for a short time, the motor 7 is stopped (Fig. 2 F-3), ultrasonic waves (25 kHz) are emitted from the ultrasonic transceiver 2, and the ultrasonic transceiver 2 reflected by the laundry or water is returned. The time to reach the object is measured, and the distance to the object to be measured is measured by the distance measuring means 3 including the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving circuit. It 10
Repeat (F-4 in FIG. 2). The result is sent to the cloth and cloth determining means 9 of the microcomputer and the interface circuit 8. Here, the cloth determination means 10 takes a difference between the 10 pieces of distance data, and if the difference is within a predetermined range (within one wavelength), it is determined that the cloth does not move and it is judged as a cloth (second). Figure F-5). Then, the central value (representative value) of the distance data at that time is output to the storage means 14 (F- in FIG. 2).
6).

Such stirring, stopping, measurement, judgment and storage are repeated 10 times (Fig. 2, F-3 to F-7). The statistical processing means 11 calculates the ratio of the number determined to be cloth among the 10 determination results (F-8 in FIG. 2).

However, when the laundry is completely submerged below the surface of the water, the distance just under the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 2 is the same even though only the water is directly under the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 2. Nevertheless, it is judged as a cloth. This can occur, for example, if no detergent is used, or if there is too little and the foam is poor. (If the bubble is bubbling, the ultrasonic wave will be attenuated and an accurate distance cannot be measured, so in this case, it is judged that it is not a cloth. Also, the bubble gets better enough to reach an appropriate water level). Therefore, the comparison means 13 takes the difference between the center values of the 10 distance data stored in the storage means 14, and if the difference is within a predetermined range (for example, 5 mm), the appropriate water level determination means 12 The signal is output to (F-9 in FIG. 2). In the appropriate water level determination means 12, when the above-mentioned cloth ratio is 30% or less, or even if it is 30% or more, it is judged that the cloth rotation is good when the signal is output from the comparison means 13, and the set water level at that time is judged. Is determined to be optimal, the washing is executed, and the process parameter setting means 13 sets subsequent parameters (washing, rinsing time, etc.). Cloth ratio
When the signal is not output from the comparison means 15 when it is 30% or more, it is determined that the cloth rotation is bad, and the set water level is raised to change from "low" to "low" water level (Fig. 2, F-10 to F-10). -1
2). This series of operations is repeated until the cloth area is improved. However, in the example, since there is only "high" water level,
"High" even if it is judged that the cloth is not properly wrapped at the "medium" water level
Let the laundry run at the water level.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As is clear from the description of the above embodiments, the present invention uses ultrasonic waves to determine whether a preset water level is suitable for improving cloth rotation and set an optimum water level. Therefore, even if the laundry is completely submerged below the surface of the water and the foaming of the detergent is small, it is possible to accurately adjust the amount of cloth without being affected by the type and amount of cloth by comparing the distance data at multiple locations. The water level can be set, and the configuration is simple and has great practical value.

Further, the fact that the optimum water level is known means that the cloth amount is indirectly detected, and the parameter of the stroke after washing can be set to a value suitable for the cloth amount.

The results of simulations of actual prototypes of the examples are shown in FIG. The ▴ mark shows the same result when the foaming was small. It can be seen that the simulation results are in good agreement with the water level that the user thinks is optimal for the particular fabric type.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a washing machine of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an optimum water level and a simulation result based on experience in use. 1 ... Washing machine, 2 ... Ultrasonic transmitter / receiver, 3 ... Distance measuring means, 4 ... Water supply means, 5 ... Water level sensor, 6 ... Stirring blade, 7 ... Motor, 8 ... Microcomputer and Interface, 9 …… Clothes circumference judgment means, 10 ……
Cloth judging means, 11 ... Statistical processing means, 12 ... Suitable water level judging means, 13 ... Stroke parameter setting means, 14 ... Storage means, 15 ... Comparison means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic transmitting / receiving means provided above a washing tub, a water supplying means for raising a water level from a low level to a high level, a stirring means for agitating cloth and water, and an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving means for the inside of the washing tub. The distance measuring means for measuring the distance to the object to be measured, and after stirring the inside of the washing tub with the stirring means after supplying a predetermined water level from the water supplying means, after the stirring is stopped, the distance measuring means measures the distance data a plurality of times. Measure
The cloth judging means for judging that the variation of the distance data is within a predetermined range is a cloth, the storing means for storing the central value of the plurality of distance data, and the operation up to the stirring, measuring and storing the whole area in the washing tub. The statistical processing means for calculating the cloth ratio, the comparing means for outputting when the fluctuations of the plurality of central values stored in the storage means are within a predetermined range, and the cloth ratio calculated by the statistical processing means are predetermined. When the cloth ratio calculated by the statistical processing means is equal to or less than a predetermined value or is output from the comparing means,
The appropriate water level determination means determines the appropriate water level and executes washing, and in other cases, the appropriate water level determination means determines that it is not the appropriate water level, and the water supply means gradually supplies water and repeats the measurement. Machine.