JPH0243518B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a washing machine equipped with, for example, a program timer as a stroke control device.

[Technical background of the invention]

Conventionally, in this type of washing machine, when laundry is loaded into the washing tub and a program timer is set, water is supplied into the washing tub, and when this water is stored up to a predetermined water level, a water level switch is activated. When the water supply is stopped, the washing motor is immediately driven to proceed to the washing process.

[Problems with background technology]

However, with such a washing machine that supplies water into the washing tub, a large amount of air is trapped inside the laundry that is submerged in the water immediately after water is supplied, so the washing process immediately begins and the laundry is washed. When the laundry is stirred, the air contained in the laundry is released and the water level in the washing tub is lowered. However, when the water level drops to this extent, the water level switch does not return to its original state and therefore water is not resupplied, so conventionally washing is continued with less water, which tends to damage the fabric.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and
The purpose is to provide a washing machine that can prevent fabric damage.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention provides a washing machine that executes a washing operation by sequentially executing a series of processes, including an initial water supply process in which water is stored up to a predetermined water level in the washing tub at the start of operation, and then a water supply process in which water in the washing tub is drained. A preliminary stirring process in which the laundry is stirred by an agitator, a supplementary water supply process in which water is then supplied into the washing tub, and a washing process in which the laundry is washed by re-driving the agitator are automatically performed. By being equipped with a process control device that controls the washing process, after the air contained in the laundry is removed in the pre-agitation process, water is automatically supplied into the washing tub in the replenishment water supply process to ensure the proper amount of water during the washing process. The feature is that it allows you to do the following.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a dehydrating and washing machine will be described below with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes an outer box, and inside this outer box 1, a water receiving tank 3 is provided via an elastic suspension mechanism 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a washing tank which is installed inside the water receiving tank 3 and also serves as a dehydration tank, and a pulsator 5 is arranged at the bottom. Reference numeral 6 indicates a mechanism unit attached to the bottom center of the water receiver tank 3, 7 indicates a motor attached to the water receiver tank 3, and this motor 7 is connected to a belt transmission mechanism 8.
As is well known, by the rotation transmission path switching action of the mechanism section 6, the pulsator 5 is rotationally driven during washing and rinsing, and the washing tub 4 is rotationally driven during spin-drying. There is. Reference numeral 9 denotes an air trap connected to a drain tube 3a at the bottom of the water receiving tank 3, and this is connected via an air tube 10 to a water level switch 12 provided in an operation box 11. 13 is a water supply valve attached to the rear wall of the operation box 11; 14 is the panel 1 of the operation box 11;
5 is a stroke control device, for example, a program timer; 16 is a knob for the program timer 14; Further, 17 is a drain valve connected to the drain pipe 3a of the water receiving tank 3.

Now, to explain the program timer 14 in detail, it is equipped with a timer mechanism using a timer motor as a driving source (not shown), and opens and closes a group of switches in accordance with the timing operation of this timer mechanism, thereby opening and closing the water supply valve 13 and drain valve 17. opening/closing, motor 7 and mechanism section 6
It is configured such that by setting the knob 16, the steps shown in FIG. 2 are automatically performed in sequence. That is, knob 16
A water supply process is started by setting , and in this water supply process, the water supply valve 13 is opened to supply water into the washing tub 4, and when the water level in the washing tub 4 reaches a predetermined water level, the water level switch 12 is activated to stop the water supply. It's becoming like that. When the above-mentioned water supply process is completed, the timer mechanism starts measuring operation, and first a preliminary stirring process is performed in which the washing motor 7 is energized for a predetermined period of time. When this preliminary stirring process is completed, a supplementary water supply process is performed in which the water supply valve 13 is opened for a preset predetermined period of time. When this supplementary water supply process is completed, a washing process is performed in which the motor 7 is energized again for a predetermined period of time.
Next, a well-known rinsing process is performed in which the drain valve 17 is opened to drain the water in the water receiving tank 3, and then new water is supplied to drive the pulsator 5 by the motor 7.
Furthermore, a well-known dewatering process in which the washing tub 4 is rotated is then performed.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained. Put the laundry into the washing tub 4, and turn the knob 1 on the program timer 14.
6, a water supply process is started and a predetermined amount of water is stored in the washing tub 4. Immediately after this water supply process, the laundry submerged in water in the washing tub 4 contains air (see FIG. 3). After this water supply process, the laundry in the washing tub 4 is agitated together with water by the pulsator 5 in order to proceed to a preliminary agitation process in which the motor 7 is energized for a short time. As a result, the air contained in the submerged portion of the laundry is expelled from the laundry. Therefore, after the preliminary stirring process, the water level in the washing tub 4 decreases in proportion to the amount of air expelled from the water (see FIG. 4). However, since such a drop in water level is not as large as on the left (the drop in water level is about 2 to 3), the water level switch 12 does not return. When this preliminary stirring process is completed, the water supply valve 13 is opened for a predetermined time set in advance in the program timer 14 in the replenishment water supply process, and water is again supplied into the washing tub 4. The water level in the washing tub 4 rises to about the initial water level immediately after the water supply process, that is, the water level in the washing tub 4 is replenished to the level originally required for washing. When this replenishment water supply process is completed, the process shifts to a washing process in which the pulsator 5 is driven again, and a normal washing operation is started. In this washing process, the water level in the washing tub 4 has returned to an appropriate level, so damage to the fabric due to insufficient water can be prevented. After this, a rinsing process and a dehydration process are performed in order, and the entire process is completed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, the present invention provides a washing machine that performs a washing operation by sequentially executing a series of processes, including: an initial water supply process in which water is stored up to a predetermined water level in the washing tub at the start of operation; After this, there is a preliminary stirring process in which the water in the washing tub is stirred together with the laundry by an agitator, a supplementary water supply process in which water is supplied into the washing tub, and then the agitator is driven again to stir the laundry. By being equipped with a process control device that automatically controls the washing process, it is possible to perform the washing process with an appropriate amount of water depending on the amount of laundry, and to prevent damage to the fabric. A washing machine that can be expected to have good washing effects can be provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an overall longitudinal sectional view, FIG. 2 is a process diagram, and FIGS. 3 to 5 are longitudinal sectional views of a washing tub showing different states. , FIG. 3 shows the time when the water supply process is completed, FIG. 4 shows the time when the preliminary stirring process is completed, and FIG. 5 shows the time when the supplementary water supply process is completed. In the figure, 4 is a washing tub, 5 is a pulsator, and 14 is a program timer (stroke control device).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a washing machine that executes a washing operation by sequentially executing a series of processes, there is an initial water supply process in which water is stored up to a predetermined water level in the washing tub at the start of operation, and then the water in the washing tub is drained together with the laundry. A preliminary agitation process in which water is stirred by an agitation body, a supplementary water supply process in which water is then supplied into the washing tub, and a washing process in which the laundry is washed by driving the agitation body again are automatically performed. A washing machine characterized by being equipped with a stroke control device.