JP7091154B2 - washing machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a washing machine for washing clothes and the like.

In the vertical washing machine, the washing / dehydrating tub arranged freely inside the outer tub for storing water is rotated at high speed to dehydrate the laundry contained in the washing / dehydrating tub. The clothes being dehydrated are pressed against the inner wall of the washing / dehydrating tub by centrifugal force, and the clothes may remain stuck to the washing / dehydrating tub even after the dehydration is completed. In addition, there is a problem that clothes that are entangled due to rinsing are easy to wash and remain as they are after dehydration, making it difficult to remove the clothes.

Therefore, the vertical washing machine described in Patent Document 1 includes a frame, an outer tub suspended and supported inside the frame, a washing / dehydrating tub rotatably arranged in the outer tub, and washing / dehydrating. A fully automatic washing machine or a fully automatic washing / drying machine having a stirring blade rotatably arranged in the tub, a washing / dehydrating tub, a driving means for rotationally driving the stirring blade, and a control means for controlling the driving means. By using a fully automatic washing machine or a fully automatic washing and drying machine that drives the stirring blade after the final dehydration stroke, the control means can remove the clothes stuck to the side wall of the washing and dehydrating tub, and the user can fully automate it. It is stated that clothes can be easily removed from the washing machine or fully automatic washing and drying machine.

Further, the vertical washer / dryer described in Patent Document 2 describes a method of loosening the washing / dehydrating tub after dehydration in a stirring mode in which the rotational power of the motor is transmitted to the rotary blades in a fixed or free-rotating state. Has been done.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-31107 JP-A-2017-189271

However, neither document considers a method of selecting a state in which the washing / dehydrating tub is fixed and a state in which the washing / dehydrating tub is free to rotate. In order to remove clothes from the washing / dehydrating tank in a shorter time and loosen them, it is desirable to select an appropriate control method according to the condition of the clothes.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine capable of improving the ease of taking out clothes after dehydration in a shorter time.

In order to solve the above problems, the washing machine of the present invention is arranged in an outer tub elastically supported by the housing, a washing / dehydrating tub rotatably supported in the outer tub, and a lower portion of the washing / dehydrating tub. It has a stirring blade, a drive mechanism for driving the washing / dehydrating tank and the stirring blade, and a clutch mechanism for switching the object to be driven by the drive mechanism. The configuration is such that the first drive mode for driving and the second drive mode for driving the stirring blade with the washing / dehydrating tub free to rotate are switched or selected based on predetermined conditions.

Further, an outer tank elastically supported by the housing, an inner tank rotatably supported in the outer tank, a stirring blade arranged at the lower part of the inner tank, and a driving unit for driving the inner tank and the stirring blade. The switching unit has a switching unit for switching an object to be driven by the driving unit, and the switching unit has a first driving mode for driving the stirring blade with the inner tank fixed and stirring with the inner tank freely rotating. In the case of the second drive mode, the drive unit has a second drive mode for driving the blades, and in the case of the second drive mode, the kinetic energy of the rotational movement of the inner tank or the clothes in the inner tank in which the stirring blade is stopped is a predetermined value. In the above cases, the stirring blade is configured to be inverted.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a washing machine capable of improving the ease of taking out clothes in a shorter time.

It is an external perspective view which shows Example 1 of the washing machine which concerns on this invention. It is a right side sectional view which shows the internal structure of the washing machine of FIG. It is a figure which shows the control flow of the whole washing course of the washing machine of FIG. It is a figure which shows the control flow of the unraveling process of Example 1 of the washing machine which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the control flow of the unraveling process of Example 2 of the washing machine which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the control flow of the unraveling process of Example 3 of the washing machine which concerns on this invention.

Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Example 1]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the washing machine 100, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view on the right side of the washing machine 100 so that the internal structure of the washing machine 100 can be seen. The washing machine 100 of FIG. 1 includes a housing 1 constituting an outer shell, and a top cover 2 is provided on the upper part of the housing 1 and a base 3 is provided on the lower part of the housing 1. The base 3 is provided with four legs, of which an adjusting leg 3a capable of increasing the height is provided in one place on the right front side toward the washing machine 100 main body, and the remaining three places are in height. A fixed leg 3b that cannot be adjusted is provided. When installing the washing machine 100, the inclination and rattling of the main body are adjusted by adjusting the height of the adjusting legs 3a. Further, the top cover 2 is provided with an outer lid 2b so as to cover the clothes inlet 2a. The front side of the top cover 2 is equipped with an operation switch 5 such as a power switch 4, a course selection switch 5a, a time setting switch 5b, and a start button 5c, and an operation / display 6 for displaying the selected course and remaining time. A panel 7 is provided. The operation / display panel 7 is electrically connected to the control device 8 provided on the back surface of the housing 1. Further, behind the top cover 2, a water supply port 2c for connecting a water supply hose is provided.

Inside the housing 1, an outer tank 10 for storing water is elastically supported by the housing 1 at four corners via hanging rods. An air trap 21a is provided on the back surface of the outer tank 10, and the pressure inside the air trap 21a is transmitted to the water level sensor 21 via the tube 21b to detect the water level of the water stored in the outer tank 10. A safety switch 22 is provided in the front corner of the housing 1, and has a structure in which the outer tank 10 vibrates during dehydration and detects when the vibration displacement exceeds a predetermined value.

Inside the outer tub 10, a washing / dehydrating tub 9 which is an inner tub for storing clothes is provided. The washing / dehydrating tub 9, which is an inner tub, has a large number of small through holes 9a for water passage and ventilation in the outer peripheral wall thereof, and a plurality of through holes 9b for water passage and ventilation in the bottom wall thereof. A fluid balancer 9c is provided on the upper edge thereof, and the stirring blade 11 is freely rotated and supported on the inside of the bottom portion.

A clutch mechanism 12 which is a switching part and a drive mechanism 13 which is a drive part provided with a motor connected to the stirring blade 11 are provided on the outside of the bottom of the outer tank 10, and the clutch mechanism which is a switching part is provided. By controlling 12, it is possible to change or switch the drive form of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 and the stirring blade 11 which are inner tanks. As a specific structure, the clutch mechanism 12 switches whether the washing / dehydrating tank 9 is connected to the rotor in the motor, connected to the outer tank 10, or not connected to the rotor or the outer tank 10. Or you have selected.

The drive mode is the first drive mode in which the stirring blade 11 is driven in a state where the washing / dehydrating tank 9 is fixed so as not to rotate (the stirring blade 11 is connected to the rotor, and the washing / dehydrating tank 9 is connected to the outer tank 10). The second drive mode (the stirring blade 11 is connected to the rotor and the washing / dehydrating tank 9 is not connected anywhere) to drive the stirring blade 11 in a state where the washing / dehydrating tank 9 is freely rotated. There are three drive modes (a state) in which the washing / dehydrating tank 9 and the stirring blade 11 are integrally rotated in the same direction (a state in which the washing / dehydrating tank 9 and the stirring blade 11 are connected to the rotor).

The first drive mode and the second drive mode are mainly used in the washing step, the rinsing step, and the drying step, and the third drive mode is mainly used in the dehydration step. Further, the drive mechanism 13 is provided with a rotation speed measuring means 13a using a hall sensor or the like in order to measure the rotation speed. In the first drive mode and the second drive mode, the drive mechanism 13 is connected to the stirring blade 11 via a gear, so that the rotation speed of the stirring blade 11 is divided by the gear ratio with respect to the rotation speed of the drive mechanism 13. Become slow. On the other hand, in the third drive mode, the drive mechanism 13 and the washing / dehydrating tank 9 are connected, so that the rotation speeds of the driving mechanism 13, the washing / dehydrating tank 9 and the stirring blade 11 match.

In the case of the third drive mode, since the washing / dehydrating tub 9 and the driving mechanism 13 rotate integrally, it is possible to grasp the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 by the rotation speed measuring means 13a. On the other hand, in the case of the second drive mode, since the drive mechanism 13 rotates integrally with the stirring blade 11, the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 cannot be grasped by the rotation speed measuring means 13a. Therefore, the clutch mechanism 12 is provided with a washing / dehydrating tub rotation speed measuring means 9d for detecting the rotation speed of the shaft connected to the washing / dehydrating tub 9, and grasping the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 regardless of the drive mode. Is possible.

The present invention is characterized in that the clutch mechanism 12 switches or selects between the first drive mode and the second drive mode based on predetermined conditions. Further, it is characterized in that three drive modes including the third drive mode are switched or selected based on the conditions. Details of the switching method and its conditions will be described later.

A tank cover 14 is provided on the upper surface of the outer tank 10, and the tank cover 14 includes a clothing inlet 14a, a warm air outlet 14b, and a water supply inlet 14c that communicate the upper surface and the lower surface. Further, the tank cover 14 is provided with an inner lid 15 so as to cover the clothes inlet 14a, and can be opened and closed by the hinge 15a. The inner lid 15 is unlocked and opened by lifting the handle 15b upward, and locked by pushing it downward.

Further, the housing 1 is provided with a water supply valve 16 connected to the water supply port 2c, and water can be supplied to the washing / dehydrating tank 9 via the water supply inlet 14c. A drainage port 10b for draining water is provided in the lower part of the outer tank 10, and a drainage hose 18 is connected via a drainage valve 17.

A drying duct 10c is provided on the rear side of the outer tank 10. The drying duct 10c is connected to the drying unit 19 via the bellows 10d. The drying unit 19 includes a heater 19b, which is a heat source for the blower fan 19a, and a temperature sensor 19c. The drying unit 19 is connected to the warm air outlet 14b provided on the tank cover 14 via the bellows 19d. The air whose temperature has been raised by the heater 19b is circulated from the blower fan 19a to dry the clothes.

Next, the control of the washing course of the vertical washing machine according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the control of the entire washing course, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control of the unraveling process (Step 108 in FIG. 3) of the present invention.

When the power switch 4 is operated and the power is turned on, the initialization control process of the clutch mechanism 12 is performed (Step 101). Specifically, the clutch mechanism 12 is controlled so as to have a second drive mode. Next, the operation switch 5 is operated to perform initial settings such as the operation course, the number of rinses, and the dehydration time, and the start button 5c is pressed to start the operation (Step 102). In Step 103, the amount of clothing is measured. This clothing amount measurement is based on the magnitude of the rotational load acting on the stirring blade 11 during which the driving mechanism 13 is energized for a short time to drive the stirring blade 11 several times while reversing the stirring blade 11 in the dry cloth state before water supply. conduct. Based on the measured amount of clothes, the amount of washing water and the amount of detergent required to generate a cleaning liquid having a desired detergent concentration are calculated and determined, and the amount of detergent is displayed on the display 6. Next, the drive mechanism 13 is energized by Step 104 to rotationally drive the stirring blade 11 to perform washing. At this time, the drive mechanism 13 is controlled so that the stirring blade 11 repeats forward and reverse rotation (for example, right rotation-stop-left rotation-stop). The rotation time (on) and stop time (off) at this time are called on time and off time, respectively, and the time is set in advance according to the amount of clothing, the course, and the like. The off time here is the stop time (stop state) of the stirring blade 11, but it means that the rotation command is not input to the motor of the drive mechanism 13, and is actually together with the inner tank and clothing. The stirring blade 11 is rotated and may not be stopped. Further, the rotation speed of the stirring blade 11 is also preset according to the amount of clothing, the course, and the like. Further, the water supply valve 16 is opened at a predetermined timing during the washing process to supply water.

Dehydration is performed at Step 105. In the dehydration step, first, the drain valve 17 is opened and water is discharged from the outer tank 10. Next, the clutch mechanism 12 is controlled to change to the third drive mode so that the washing / dehydrating tank 9 and the stirring blade 11 rotate together. When the drive mechanism 13 is rotationally driven to rotate the washing / dehydrating tub 9 at high speed, the clothes in the washing / dehydrating tub 11 stick to the side surface of the washing / dehydrating tub 11 due to centrifugal force. At this time, the water contained in the clothes is discharged to the outer tub 10 from the dehydration hole 9a provided in the washing / dehydrating tub 9.

Rinse with Step 106. In the rinsing step, the drain valve 17 is closed, the water supply valve 16 is opened, and the water required for rinsing is supplied into the outer tank 10. The clutch mechanism 12 is controlled to change to the first drive mode or the second drive mode. Similar to the washing step, the drive mechanism 13 is controlled to drive the stirring blade 11 while changing the rotation direction. After a lapse of a predetermined time, the process proceeds to the next step.

The final dehydration is carried out in Step 107. The clutch mechanism 12 is controlled to change to the third drive mode. The drain valve 17 is opened to drain the water stored in the outer tank 10. When the drive mechanism 13 is rotationally driven to rotate the washing / dehydrating tub 9 at high speed, the clothes in the washing / dehydrating tub 11 stick to the side surface of the washing / dehydrating tub 11 due to centrifugal force. At this time, the water contained in the clothes is discharged to the outer tub 10 from the dehydration hole 9a provided in the washing / dehydrating tub 9.

Unraveling is carried out at Step 108. In the loosening step, the drive mechanism 13 is controlled so that the stirring blade 11 repeats forward and reverse rotation (for example, one (right) rotation-stop-the other (left) rotation-stop) as in the washing step. The clothes after the dehydration operation are in a state of being pressed against the side surface of the washing / dehydrating tub 9, and when the operation is finished as they are, a force is required to loosen the clothes stuck to take out the clothes. Further, when the clothes are left as they are after the operation is completed and the clothes are taken out after a lapse of time, the clothes are left in a state of being stuck to the side surface of the washing / dehydrating tank 9, so that wrinkles become tight. Therefore, by carrying out a loosening step after dehydration and peeling the clothes from the side surface of the washing / dehydrating tank 9, the ease of taking out the clothes is improved and wrinkles are reduced even when the clothes are left as they are after dehydration. Can be done.

Here, the operation of the unraveling process will be described in detail based on the difference in the driving form. The dehydrated clothes are in a state of being attached to the side surface of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 and in contact with the stirring blade 11. Therefore, by rotating the stirring blade 11 and applying a force to the clothes, the clothes can be peeled off from the washing / dehydrating tank 9 by applying a force in the shearing direction between the clothes and the washing / dehydrating tank 9. The effect of peeling clothes from the washing / dehydrating tank 9 (unraveling performance) increases as the relative speed between the stirring blade 11 and the clothes increases.

As described above, the driving mode for driving the stirring blade 11 includes a first driving mode in which the washing / dehydrating tank 9 is fixed and a second driving mode in which the washing / dehydrating tank 9 is freely rotated. .. In the case of the first drive mode, since the washing / dehydrating tub 9 is fixed, the clothes attached to the washing / dehydrating tub 9 do not rotate either. Therefore, the relative speed between the stirring blade 11 and the clothing matches the rotation speed of the stirring blade 11.

On the other hand, in the case of the second drive mode, since the washing / dehydrating tub 9 is free to rotate, the washing / dehydrating tub 9 is rotated by the force applied to the clothes when the stirring blade 11 is rotated. Since the washing / dehydrating tank 9 rotates in the same direction as the stirring blade 11, the relative speed between the stirring blade 11 and the clothes is smaller than the rotation speed of the stirring blade 11. That is, the effect of loosening clothes is lower than that of the case where the loosening operation is performed in the first driving mode. However, if the stirring blade 11 is rotated and the washing / dehydrating tank 9 is rotated in the same direction as the stirring blade 11 and the stirring blade 11 is inverted, the rotation direction of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 and the stirring blade 11 The direction of rotation is opposite, and the relative speed between the stirring blade 11 and the clothes increases accordingly. Immediately after reversal, the relative speed becomes maximum, but after that, the rotation of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 gradually slows down and eventually rotates in the same direction as the stirring blade 11, so that the relative speed also gradually decreases during the rotation of the stirring blade 11. do. However, the next time it is reversed, the relative speed increases again, and this state is repeated thereafter.

Therefore, in the case of the second drive mode, the relative speed with the clothes decreases due to the rotation of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 at the first rotation, and the loosening performance becomes lower than that of the first drive mode. In rotation, the relative speed between the stirring blade 11 and the clothes is higher than in the first drive mode, and the loosening performance is improved. Further, in the case of the second drive mode, the washing / dehydrating tub 9 and the clothes are integrally rotated by inertia during the off time period, but when the stirring blade 11 is inverted in that state, the washing / dehydrating tub 9 becomes. Although the clothes try to continue rotating, the clothes try to stop by receiving the force from the stirring blade 11, so that a shearing force is generated between the clothes and the washing / dehydrating tank 9, and the clothes are easily peeled off.

However, if the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 decreases during the off period when reversing and the rotation speed when reversing is small, the relative speed between the stirring blade 11 and the clothes is improved with respect to the first drive mode. It cannot be done, and the loosening performance becomes low. Therefore, the present invention focuses on the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 which is an inner tank as a condition. It is important to select the first drive mode and the second drive mode according to the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 during the off-time when reversing. When the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 is high, the second drive mode is used, and when the rotation speed of the washing / dehydration tub 9 is low, the first drive mode is used. The loosening performance can be improved as compared with the case of carrying out. Whether the rotation speed is large or small can be selected by setting a threshold value of the rotation speed in advance and comparing the threshold value with the measured value to switch the drive mode.

Further, although it is described as the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 during the off time when reversing, it is the case that the washing / dehydrating tub rotation speed measuring means 9d is not provided, and the washing / dehydrating tub rotation speed measuring means 9d is used. If the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 which is a direct inner tub can be measured, it is not necessary to limit the rotation speed to the off time period. This is based on the assumption that the inner tank and the stirring blade are rotated integrally by the clothing during the off period, and the rotation speed of the rotor of the drive mechanism 13 directly connected to the stirring blade 11 is measured. This is because the rotation speed of the inner tank can be estimated by detecting with the means 13a.

Here, the control of the unraveling process will be described in detail by using the flowchart of the unraveling process according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. The unraveling process is started, the clutch mechanism 12 is controlled by Step 201, and the third drive mode is switched to the second drive mode. Next, stirring is performed by rotating the stirring blade 11 with Step 202. At this time, inversion is performed at least once. Step 203 determines whether the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 at the time of reversal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold (a predetermined threshold, for example, about 5 min ^-1 ), and if it is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold, the stirring operation is continued. do. When the rotation speed is less than a predetermined threshold value, the clutch mechanism 12 is controlled by Step 204 to switch to the first drive mode. Stirring is performed in Step 205, and the time of the unraveling process is a predetermined time t ₁ (a predetermined time from the time when the drive mode is switched from the third to the first or the second by the clutch mechanism 12 and the stirring blade 11 is first rotated). The end determination for determining whether or not the above has elapsed is performed (Step 206), and if it has elapsed, the operation is terminated. If it has not elapsed, that is, if it is less than the predetermined time t ₁ , the mixture is stirred. In this way, by determining the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 and appropriately selecting the drive mode, the relative speed between the stirring blade 11 and the clothes can be kept high, and the ease of taking out the clothes is improved. The time required to do this can be reduced.

Further, the end determination of Step 206 is determined based on whether the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time t ₁ , but it is desirable to change this t ₁ according to the amount of clothing. In the case of a vertical washing machine, if the amount of clothes is small, the clothes are gathered at the lower part of the washing / dehydrating tub 9, but if the amount of clothes is large, the clothes are also located at the upper part of the washing / dehydrating tub 9. As the clothes are located at the upper part, the force from the stirring blade 11 is less likely to be transmitted, so that the time required to loosen the clothes becomes longer. Therefore, the larger the amount of clothes, the longer t ₁ used for the end determination is set. That is, when the predetermined time t ₁ is less than the predetermined value when the amount of clothes in the washing / dehydrating tank 9 is equal to or more than the predetermined value. It is set longer than. As a result, it is possible to perform a loosening operation according to the amount of clothes. When t ₁ is constant regardless of the amount of clothes, when the amount of clothes is small, t ₁ is shortened, which leads to a shorter time, and when the amount of clothes is large, t ₁ is long, so that the clothes are not loosened. It can be suppressed from terminating. However, if it is decided that the amount of clothing does not change approximately each time, t ₁ may be set to a constant value in advance.

In this embodiment, the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 is measured by using the washing / dehydrating tub rotation speed detecting means 9d that detects the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9. It is not necessary to directly measure the rotation speed of 9. An actually measured value measured by the rotation speed measuring means 13a (for example, a hall sensor or the like) of the rotation speed of the drive mechanism 13 during the off time period, that is, the rotation speed of the motor may be used. During the off period, the stirring blade 11 is not fixed and is in a state of freely rotating. Therefore, the rotation speed is the same as that of the clothes in contact with the stirring blade 11 and the washing / dehydrating tank 9 in contact with the clothes. Become. As a result, the state is the same as that of the third drive mode, so that the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 can be grasped by measuring the rotation speed of the drive mechanism 13. That is, the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 during the off time is the detection result of the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 or the detection of the rotation speed of the drive mechanism 13 in the state where the rotation command is not input to the drive mechanism 13. As a result, can be used.

In this embodiment, a vertical washing machine having a drying function is described as an example, but the same applies to a vertical washing machine not having a drying function.

[Example 2]
Since the basic structure is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description of the structure will be omitted, and the control method of the loosening process will be described.

It was stated that the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 when reversing the stirring blade 11 is important when the loosening operation is performed in the second drive mode. The larger the moment of inertia, the more difficult it is for the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 to decelerate, and the smaller the amount of decrease in speed during the off time period. The moment of inertia of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 increases as the amount of clothes contained in the washing / dehydrating tank 9 increases. From this, when the amount of clothes is small, the amount of decrease in the rotation speed during the off time period is large, so that the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 when the stirring blade 11 is inverted tends to be small, and the first drive mode is However, it is difficult to improve the loosening performance. Therefore, the present invention focuses on the amount of clothes in the washing / dehydrating tank 9 as a condition. In terms of conditions, the first drive mode is desirable when the amount of clothing is small (less than a predetermined value), and the second drive mode is desirable when the amount of clothing is large (more than a predetermined value). Therefore, referring to the result of the clothes amount measurement carried out at the start of the washing operation, the loosening step is carried out in the second driving mode when the amount of clothes is more than the predetermined amount, and the first loosening step is carried out when the amount is less than the predetermined clothes amount. To carry out.

The flow of control of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The loosening process is started, and the amount of clothes is first determined by Step 301 to determine whether or not the amount of clothes is larger than a predetermined amount of clothes (for example, 3 kg) set in advance. Here, as the amount of clothes used for determining the amount of clothes, the result of the amount of clothes measured at the initial stage of the washing operation is used. However, it is not always necessary to use the result of the clothing amount measurement, and the clothing amount may be measured in the loosening step or other steps and the value may be used.

When it is determined in Step 301 that the amount of clothing is large (when the amount of clothing is a predetermined value of 3 kg or more), the clutch mechanism 12 is controlled by Step 302 to switch from the third drive mode to the second drive mode, and Step 303 is the drive mechanism. 13 is controlled to rotate the stirring blade 11 to perform stirring. At this time, the stirring blade 11 is made to change the rotation direction at least once. It is determined whether or not t ₂ has elapsed for a predetermined time after the stirring in the second drive mode is performed in Step 304, and when t ₂ or more has elapsed, the process proceeds to Step 305. The clutch mechanism 12 is controlled by Step 305 to switch from the second drive mode to the first drive mode, and stirring is performed by Step 306. Step 307 determines whether or not the predetermined time t ₃ has elapsed, and if so, the operation is terminated.

When it is determined in Step 301 that the amount of clothing is small (when the amount of clothing is less than a predetermined value of 3 kg), the process proceeds to Step 305, the clutch mechanism 12 is controlled to switch from the third embodiment to the first drive mode, and Step 306 determines. Carry out stirring. Step 307 determines whether or not the predetermined time t ₃ has elapsed, and if so, the operation is terminated.

As described above, even if there is no means for measuring the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tub 9, the drive mode can be appropriately selected. As a result, the loosening performance can be improved as compared with the case where the loosening step is always performed in the first driving mode or the second driving mode regardless of the amount of clothing.

In this embodiment, it is described that when the amount of clothes is large, the stirring operation is performed for a predetermined time in the second driving mode, and then the stirring operation is performed for a predetermined time in the first driving mode. It is not necessary to perform the stirring operation in the driving mode of. When the amount of clothes is large, the second drive mode may be selected, and when the amount of clothes is small, the drive mode may be selected according to the amount of clothes, and the loosening operation may be performed only in that drive mode.

[Example 3]
Since the basic structure is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description of the structure will be omitted, and the control method of the loosening process will be described.

By stirring in the loosening step, the clothes are gradually peeled off from the washing / dehydrating tank 9. The rotation of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 in the loosening process occurs when the rotation of the stirring blade 11 is transmitted to the washing / dehydrating tub via the clothes, so that the clothes are strongly attached to the washing / dehydrating tub 9 to be washed / removed. The rotation speed of the water tank 9 increases. On the other hand, as the loosening process progresses and the clothes are gradually peeled off, the force transmitted from the stirring blade 11 to the washing / dehydrating tank 9 via the clothes also gradually decreases, and the rotation speed of the washing / dehydrating tank 9 decreases. If the rotation speed is low, the rotation stops during the off time period, and the relative speed between the stirring blade 11 and the washing / dehydrating tank 9 cannot be expected to improve. Therefore, as a condition, the present invention focuses on the time from the time when the drive mode is switched from the third to the first or the second by the clutch mechanism 12 and the stirring blade 11 is first rotated. In terms of condition, if a predetermined time has not passed since the start of the loosening process, there is a high possibility that the clothes are stuck to the washing / dehydrating tank 9, so the loosening is performed by using the second drive mode. Performance can be improved. On the other hand, if a predetermined time has passed since the unraveling process was started, there is a high possibility that the clothes have begun to peel off from the washing / dehydrating tank 9, and the relative speed at the time of reversal cannot be expected to improve. It is desirable to use a drive mode.

Next, the control flow of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The unraveling process is started, the clutch mechanism 12 is first controlled by Step 401 to switch from the third drive mode to the second drive mode, the drive mechanism 13 is controlled by Step 402, and the stirring blade 11 is rotated to perform stirring. .. At this time, the stirring blade 11 is made to change the rotation direction at least once. It is determined whether or not t4 has elapsed for a predetermined time after the stirring in the _{second drive mode is performed by Step 403, and when t 4 or} more has elapsed, the process proceeds to Step 404. The clutch mechanism 12 is controlled by Step 404 to switch from the second drive mode to the first drive mode, and stirring is performed by Step 405. Step 406 determines whether or not a predetermined time _t5 has elapsed from the start of stirring Step 402, and if so, the operation is terminated.

In this way, by determining the elapsed time of the loosening process, it is possible to appropriately select the driving mode according to the state of the clothes. As a result, the unraveling performance can be improved and the unraveling time can be shortened as compared with the case where the unraveling process is carried out on either side.

The larger the amount of clothing, the more time it takes to loosen the clothing. Therefore, it is desirable that t ₄ used for determining the elapsed time and t ₅ used for determining the end time be larger as the amount of clothing is larger. When t ₄ and t ₅ are constant regardless of the amount of clothing, t ₄ and t ₅ are shorter when the amount of clothing is small, which leads to a shorter time, and when the amount of clothing is large, t ₄ and t ₅ are longer. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the clothes from ending without being loosened.

[Example 4]
Since the basic structure is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description of the structure will be omitted, and the control method of the loosening process will be described. When the loosening step is carried out in the second drive mode, it is important that the rotation of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 does not stop during the off time period. The greater the kinetic energy of the rotational movement of a rotating body such as a washing / dehydrating tank 9 or clothes, which is an inner tub when the drive mechanism 13 is turned off, the higher the rotational speed when reversing after the off time period. Considering the deceleration during the off time period, the value of the kinetic energy of the rotary motion that does not stop the rotation of the washing and dehydrating tank 9 during the off time period is obtained in advance, and by controlling it so as to be equal to or more than that value, it reverses after the off time period. It is possible to prevent the washing / dehydrating tub 9 from stopping when the washing / dehydrating tub 9 is performed.

The kinetic energy of the rotational motion can be obtained from the rotational speed and the inertial moment, and the rotational speed can be measured by the washing / dehydrating tank rotational speed measuring means 9d. When the washing / dehydrating tub rotation speed measuring means 9d is not provided, the output of the rotation speed measuring means 13a at the off time may be referred to. Further, the moment of inertia can be obtained by the sum of the moment of inertia of the washing / dehydrating tub 9 and the rotating portion of the drive mechanism 13 and the moment of inertia of the clothes. Since the moment of inertia of the rotating portion (rotor) of the drive mechanism 13 such as a motor is unique to the product, it can be measured in advance, and the moment of inertia of clothing that differs for each operation can be estimated from the amount of clothing. Here, the amount of clothes can be obtained by referring to a value obtained by clothes amount sensing or the like performed immediately after the start of the washing process.

In this way, the kinetic energy of the rotational motion is obtained by the rotational speed, the amount of clothing, etc., and the rotational speed of the drive mechanism 13 is controlled so that the kinetic energy of the rotational motion becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value. It is possible to prevent the rotation of the water tank 9 from stopping and improve the loosening performance.

1 Housing 3 Base 8 Control device 9 Washing and dehydration tank 9d Washing and dehydration tank Rotation speed measuring means 10 Outer tank 11 Stirring blade 12 Clutch mechanism 13 Drive mechanism 13a Rotation speed measuring means

Claims (4)

With the housing
An outer tank elastically supported by the housing and
An inner tank rotatably supported in the outer tank and
With the stirring blade arranged at the bottom of the inner tank,
The drive unit that drives the inner tank and the stirring blade,
It has a switching unit for switching an object to be driven by the driving unit.
The switching unit has a first drive mode in which the stirring blade is driven with the inner tank fixed, a second drive mode in which the stirring blade is driven with the inner tank free to rotate, and the above . The inner tank and the third drive mode for rotating the stirring blade are switched or selected based on predetermined conditions .
In the loosening step after the final dehydration step, the switching unit switches from the third drive mode in the final dehydration step to the second drive mode, and further performs stirring by reversing the stirring blade at least once. After that, when the rotation speed of the inner tank is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the second drive mode is used, and when the rotation speed of the inner tank is less than the predetermined value, the first drive mode is used. A washing machine that features that. The washing machine according to claim 1 .
A washing machine that switches to the first drive mode or the second drive mode by the switching unit and ends the operation when a predetermined time has elapsed from the time when the stirring blade is first rotated. The washing machine according to claim 2 .
The washing machine has a predetermined time longer when the amount of clothes in the inner tank is equal to or more than the predetermined value and is longer than when the amount is less than the predetermined value. The washing machine according to claim 1 .
The rotation speed of the inner tub is a detection result of the rotation speed of the inner tub, or a detection result of the rotation speed of the drive unit in a state where a rotation command is not input to the drive unit.

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