CN113286921B - Vertical washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A vertical washing machine is provided, which can increase the capacity of the washings contained in the drum without enlarging the drum. The vertical washing machine comprises: an outer tub disposed inside the cabinet; a drum configured in the outer tub in a manner of rotating around a rotating shaft; an annular container disposed in the drum and accommodating the rolling elements; a motor for driving the drum to rotate; and a motor control unit for controlling the motor, wherein the motor control unit controls the motor to perform the following unbalance elimination control before starting the dehydration process: after the rotational speed of the drum is increased to a target rotational speed exceeding a resonance rotational speed at which lateral resonance of the drum occurs, the rotational driving of the drum is stopped.

Description

vertical washing machine

technical field

The present invention relates to, for example, a vertical washing machine that performs a washing process, a rinsing process, and a dehydration process.

Background technique

In the vertical washing machine, after the dehydration process starts, if the laundry is eccentric in the drum and the drum is unbalanced, the drum may vibrate and the dehydration cannot be started. Therefore, in some vertical washing machines, a balance device for canceling the unbalance is provided in the drum (rotary drum) (see Patent Document 1).

The balance device has a circular balance shell, and liquid (aqueous solution) is sealed inside the balance shell. Thus, after starting the dehydration process, the imbalance can be eliminated by the liquid moving to a position that counteracts the imbalance.

Since the specific gravity of the liquid enclosed in the balance case in the balance device is small, in order to suppress the vibration of the drum, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the liquid enclosed in the balance case. Therefore, when the internal space of the balance case provided in the drum is enlarged, the capacity of the laundry that can be accommodated in the drum decreases.

prior art literature

patent documents

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2018-82916

Contents of the invention

The problem to be solved by the invention

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vertical washing machine capable of increasing the capacity of the laundry that can be accommodated in the drum without increasing the size of the drum for storing the laundry.

solutions to problems

That is, the vertical washing machine of the present invention includes: an outer tub arranged inside the cabinet; a drum arranged in the outer tub so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis; a rolling body; a motor to rotationally drive the drum; and a control unit to control the motor to perform unbalance elimination control before starting the dehydration process by changing the rotational speed of the drum to After increasing to a target rotational speed exceeding the resonance rotational speed at which lateral resonance of the drum occurs, the rotational drive of the drum is stopped. In the present invention, the resonance rotational speed at which the lateral resonance of the drum occurs refers to the resonance rotational speed when the resonance of the drum occurs in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the drum.

Preferably, in the vertical washing machine of the present invention, liquid is accommodated in the annular container.

Preferably, in the vertical washing machine of the present invention, ambient temperature detection means for detecting ambient temperature is provided, and in the unbalance elimination control, after stopping the rotational drive of the drum, the control means The motor is controlled so that the rotation speed of the drum is reduced, and the predetermined motor deceleration force when the rotation speed of the drum is reduced in the unbalance elimination control can be determined according to the temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection unit. change with ambient temperature.

Preferably, in the vertical washing machine according to the present invention, a load amount detection unit that detects a load amount corresponding to an amount of laundry in the drum is provided, and in the unbalance elimination control, when the drum is stopped, After rotational driving, the control unit controls the motor according to a prescribed motor deceleration force to reduce the rotation speed of the drum, and the prescribed motor deceleration when reducing the rotation speed of the drum in the unbalance elimination control The force can vary according to the load detected by the load detection unit.

Preferably, in the vertical washing machine according to the present invention, ambient temperature detection means for detecting ambient temperature is provided, and the number of times of the unbalance elimination control can be changed according to the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection means.

Preferably, in the vertical washing machine according to the present invention, vibration detection means for detecting vibration of the outer tub is provided, and the continuation of the unbalance elimination control is based on the vibration of the outer tub detected by the vibration detection means. size to determine.

Invention effect

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, the annular container for accommodating the rolling elements is arranged on the drum, and before starting the dehydration process, unbalance elimination control is performed as follows: After the rotation speed of the drum is raised to a value exceeding the resonance rotation speed at which lateral resonance of the drum occurs After the target rotational speed, the rotary drive of the drum is stopped. Therefore, the rolling elements accommodated in the annular container can eliminate the unbalance of the drum by moving toward the opposite side of the eccentric position where the laundry in the drum deviates by the centrifugal force during the unbalance elimination control. Compared with the liquid of the conventional liquid balancer, since the specific gravity of the rolling element accommodated in the ring-shaped container is larger, the size of the ring-shaped container can be reduced. Therefore, the capacity of the laundry that can be accommodated in the drum can be increased without increasing the size of the drum. In addition, before starting the dehydration process, it is possible to start the dehydration process in a state where the imbalance of the drum is eliminated by performing the unbalance elimination control.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, the liquid is accommodated in the annular container, and the liquid moves quickly toward the opposite side of the eccentric position where the laundry in the drum deviates, so that the unbalance of the drum can be eliminated in a short time.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, the viscosity of the liquid contained in the annular container decreases as the ambient temperature increases, and increases as the ambient temperature decreases. In the unbalance elimination control, as the motor deceleration force becomes larger, the amount by which the rolling elements that move when the motor accelerates returns to their original position due to the inertial force generated by the deceleration becomes larger. Therefore, in order to minimize the return of the rolling elements when the motor decelerates, increase the deceleration force of the motor when the ambient temperature is low when the viscosity of the liquid becomes high, and decrease it when the ambient temperature is high when the viscosity of the liquid becomes low. The deceleration force of the motor suppresses the amount of homing and improves the unbalance elimination ability.

In the vertical washing machine according to the present invention, laundry is accommodated in the drum, and the smaller the load corresponding to the amount of laundry in the drum, the smaller the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control. Therefore, the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control can be appropriately determined according to the load amount.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, the viscosity of the liquid contained in the annular container decreases as the ambient temperature increases, and increases as the ambient temperature decreases. Therefore, the amount of movement of the rolling elements in the annular container when the unbalance elimination control is performed changes according to the viscosity of the liquid. Therefore, even if the ambient temperature is higher, the number of times of unbalance elimination control is reduced, and the unbalance of the drum can be eliminated. Therefore, the number of times of unbalance elimination control can be appropriately determined according to the ambient temperature.

In the vertical washing machine of the present invention, when the vibration of the outer tub is small, the unbalance of the drum is small, so the unbalance elimination control is terminated, whereas when the vibration of the outer tub is large, the unbalance of the drum is large. , thus continuing the imbalance elimination control. Therefore, whether or not to continue the unbalance canceling control can be appropriately determined according to the magnitude of the vibration of the outer tub.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a vertical washing machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the ball balancer 30 of the vertical washing machine 100 of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the vertical washing machine 100 of FIG. 1 .

4 is a graph showing changes in the drum rotation speed after the unbalance elimination control performed before starting the dehydration process and the drum rotation speed during the dehydration process.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the movement of a plurality of rolling elements 32 in the annular container 31 of the ball balancer 30 after the unbalance elimination control is performed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of determining the number of times of unbalance elimination control according to the ambient temperature of vertical washing machine 100 .

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method of determining a motor deceleration force in unbalance elimination control according to the ambient temperature of vertical washing machine 100 .

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method of determining a motor deceleration force in unbalance elimination control according to the load amount of vertical washing machine 100 .

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the correspondence between the motor deceleration force and the ambient temperature and load of the vertical washing machine 100 in the unbalance elimination control.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a method of determining whether to continue the unbalance elimination control according to the magnitude of the vibration of the tub 2 .

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the washing operation of vertical washing machine 100 .

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of unbalance elimination control.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a dehydration process in the washing operation of vertical washing machine 100 .

14 is a flowchart showing a flow of unbalance elimination control in a vertical washing machine according to a modified example of the present invention.

Explanation of reference signs

1: Box; 2: Outer bucket; 3: Drum; 7: Motor; 31: Ring container; 32: Rolling body; 33: Liquid; 51: Load detection unit; 55: Motor control unit; 61: Ambient temperature Detection sensor; 62: vibration detection sensor; 100: vertical washing machine.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, a vertical washing machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a vertical washing machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A vertical washing machine 100 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as washing machine 100) has a cabinet 1 as the main body of the washing machine, and inside the cabinet 1, a bottomed cylindrical outer tub 2 is suspended and supported by a plurality of suspension rods not shown. . Inside the tub 2, a drum 3 having many water holes around it is rotatably supported around a support shaft 4 fixed to the bottom wall thereof. A stirring blade 5 is provided at the bottom of the drum 3 , and the stirring blade 5 is freely rotatable around an inner shaft 6 inserted into the support shaft 4 .

The rotational driving force of the motor 7 mounted on the lower surface of the tub 2 is transmitted through a transmission mechanism including a small pulley 9 fixed to the motor shaft 8 , a V-belt 10 , a large pulley 11 , and a clutch mechanism 12 and a torque motor 13 . The power switching mechanism 14 is transmitted to the support shaft 4 and the inner shaft 6 .

Mainly during the washing operation and rinsing operation, the clutch mechanism 12 releases the connection between the large pulley 11 and the support shaft 4 according to the operation of the torque motor 13, and rotates the stirring blade 5 in one direction or two directions through the inner shaft 6. On the other hand, during dehydration operation, the clutch mechanism 12 connects the large pulley 11 and the support shaft 4, and makes the drum 3 and the stirring blade 5 integrally rotate in one direction.

The upper rear of casing 1 is provided with the water supply pipe 15 that is connected with external faucet, when water supply valve 16 is opened, the water that introduces by water supply pipe 15 flows into the water injection port 17 that has detergent container, injects in the tub 2. On the other hand, a drain port 18 is provided at the bottom of the tub 2 , and a drain pipe 19 connected to the drain port 18 is opened and closed by a drain valve 20 .

The opening and closing action of the drain valve 20 is linked with the action of the clutch mechanism 12. When the stirring blade 5 is separated from the drum 3 and is in a state of independent rotation, the drain valve 20 is closed. When the stirring blade 5 and the drum 3 are in a state of integral rotation , the drain valve 20 is open.

The laundry inlet 21 opened on the upper surface of the housing 1 is provided with a lid 22 which can be freely opened and closed. A safety device 24 is provided at the upper front in the casing 1 . The safety device 24 integrates a lid opening/closing detection device for detecting the opening and closing of the lid body 22 shown in FIG. finished device.

Housing 1 is provided with ambient temperature detection sensor 61 for detecting the ambient temperature of washing machine 100 and vibration detection sensor 62 for detecting vibration of tub 2 . The vibration detection sensor 62 is arranged below the outer tub 2 in the housing 1 and can detect that the vibration of the outer tub 2 exceeds a threshold value.

A ball balancer 30 is provided near the opening 3 a formed at the upper end of the drum 3 . The ball balancer 30 has an annular container 31, and a plurality of rolling elements 32 and a liquid 33 are accommodated in the annular container 31 as moving bodies. The annular container 31 is installed inside the opening 3 a of the drum 3 so that the rotation axis thereof coincides with the rotation axis of the drum 3 .

The rolling elements 32 are metal balls, and the liquid 33 is, for example, silicone oil (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.: Shin-Etsu Silicone KF-96-350CS). The rolling element 32 is not limited to a substantially spherical shape as long as it has a rotating shape. Oil such as silicone oil can be used as the liquid 33, but the type of liquid is not limited.

2( a ) is a plan view of the ball balancer 30 , and FIG. 2( b ) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2( a ). The annular container 31 has an annular shape and has an outer peripheral surface 31a and an inner peripheral surface 31b. The rolling elements 32 and the liquid 33 are housed so as to be movable throughout the entire circumference of the annular container 31 .

The diameter of the rolling element 32 is slightly smaller than the distance between the outer peripheral surface 31 a and the inner peripheral surface 31 b of the annular container 31 . Therefore, although (b) of FIG. 2 shows a state where the rolling elements 32 are in contact with the outer peripheral surface 31a of the annular container 31, a gap D (for example, 1mm).

The height dimension of the annular container 31 (the dimension of the space for accommodating the plurality of rolling elements 32 and the liquid 33 ) is smaller than that of the annular container for accommodating liquid in conventional liquid balancers.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of washing machine 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3 , the control unit 50 of the washing machine 100 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and includes a CPU, a ROM storing a program for controlling the operation of the washing machine 100 , and a RAM temporarily storing data for executing the program. The operation of the washing machine 100 is controlled by the control unit 50 .

In the vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 to perform each operation of the washing process, the rinsing process, and the dehydration process, but before starting the dehydration process, controls the motor 7 to perform the following unbalance elimination control: After the rotation speed of drum 3 is increased to reach a target rotation speed exceeding the resonance rotation speed at which lateral resonance of drum 3 occurs, the rotational drive of drum 3 is stopped. In the present embodiment, the control unit 50 performs unbalance elimination control a predetermined number of times before starting the dehydration process. The predetermined number of times is, for example, three times.

The resonance rotation speed at which the lateral resonance of drum 3 occurs is the resonance rotation speed at which drum 3 resonates in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of drum 3 , and is, for example, 70 rpm to 90 rpm. Therefore, the target rotation speed exceeding the resonance rotation speed is, for example, a rotation speed of 100 rpm to 150 rpm.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing changes in the rotational speed of the drum after unbalance elimination control performed before starting the dehydration process and changes in the rotational speed of the drum during the dehydration process. Fig. 4 shows the case where unbalance elimination control is performed three times before starting the dehydration process. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the movement of a plurality of rolling elements 32 in the annular container 31 of the ball balancer 30 after the unbalance elimination control is performed.

In this embodiment, the following situation is described: in the state where the drum 3 is stopped, the laundry in the drum 3 is biased toward the left side of the bottom of the drum 3 as shown in FIG. 5 and the eccentric position is located on the left side of the drum 3 In a partial state, unbalance elimination control is performed.

(a) of Figure 5 shows that at time 0, in the state where the drum 3 is stopped, the laundry in the drum 3 is biased toward the left side of the bottom of the drum 3, and a plurality of rolling elements 32 are positioned at the biased position of the laundry The state of the periphery of the eccentric position. Therefore, the drum 3 is in an unbalanced state.

At time 0, the control unit 50 starts to control the motor 7 so that the rotation speed of the drum increases to 100 rpm which is the target rotation speed. The target rotational speed of 100 rpm is a rotational speed exceeding the resonance rotational speed at which lateral resonance of drum 3 occurs. It should be noted that, when the rotational speed of the drum 3 is 0 rpm to 100 rpm, the rotational speed acceleration is 80 rpm/s. In the present embodiment, in the unbalance elimination control, the rotational speed acceleration when the drum rotational speed increases to the target rotational speed is 40 rpm/s or more. The movement amount of the rolling elements 32 is larger in the case where the drum rotational speed acceleration in the unbalance elimination control is larger.

Then, as the rotation speed of the drum 3 increases, in the annular container 31, the plurality of rolling elements 32 are driven by centrifugal force, as shown in FIG. move. That is, as the rotation speed of drum 3 increases, the plurality of rolling elements 32 in annular container 31 move toward the opposite side of the eccentric position where the laundry in drum 3 deviates.

At time t1, when the rotation speed of the drum reaches 100 rpm which is the target rotation speed, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 to stop the rotation drive of the drum 3 . As shown in FIG. 4 , after the rotational drive of the drum 3 is stopped, the drum rotation speed increases to 120 rpm due to the inertial force, but after that, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 so that the drum rotation speed decreases with a predetermined motor deceleration force. . At time t3, when the drum rotational speed decreases to 0, the first unbalance elimination control ends. In the present embodiment, in the unbalance elimination control, the drum rotation speed is controlled to be reduced to a rotation speed smaller than the resonance rotation speed at which lateral resonance of the drum 3 occurs.

At time t2, when the rotation speed of the drum decreases to 0, the control unit 50 starts to control the motor 7 again so that the rotation speed of the drum increases to 100 rpm which is the target rotation speed. At time t3, when the rotation speed of the drum reaches 100 rpm which is the target rotation speed, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 to stop the rotation drive of the drum 3 . Thereafter, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 so that the rotation speed of the drum decreases with a predetermined motor deceleration force. At time t4, when the rotation speed of the drum decreases to 0, the second unbalance elimination control ends.

Afterwards, similar to the above, at time t4, the control unit 50 starts to control the motor 7 again to increase the drum speed to the target speed of 100 rpm, and at time t5, when the drum speed reaches the target speed of 100 rpm, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 to increase The rotational drive of the drum 3 is stopped. Thereafter, the control unit 50 controls the motor 7 so that the rotation speed of the drum decreases with a predetermined motor deceleration force. At time t6, when the rotation speed of the drum decreases to 0, the third unbalance elimination control ends.

As described above, when the first unbalance elimination control ends, as shown in FIG. The opposite side moves, but not to a position exactly opposite the off-center position. Afterwards, when the second unbalance elimination control and the third unbalance elimination control are finished, in the annular container 31, as shown in FIG. location.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 50 starts the spin-drying process with the balance of the drum 3 optimized by performing the unbalance elimination control three times. It should be noted that, when the balance of the drum 3 cannot be optimized by performing the unbalance elimination control three times, the unbalance rinsing is performed. The unbalanced rinsing is performed by supplying a predetermined amount of water into the drum 3 and rotating the stirring blade 5 in order to release the laundry in the drum 3 when the unbalance is not eliminated by three times of unbalance elimination control. operation. It should be noted that, when the unbalance elimination control of the predetermined number of times is not completed even though the unbalanced rinsing of the predetermined number of times is performed, the control unit 50 displays an error on the display unit (not shown). The prescribed number of rinses is, for example, two times.

The control unit 50 has a load amount detection unit 51 , an order determination unit 52 , a motor deceleration force determination unit 53 , a continuation determination unit 54 , and a motor control unit 55 . An ambient temperature detection sensor 61 , a vibration detection sensor 62 , and a motor 7 are connected to the control unit 50 .

Load detection unit 51 detects a load corresponding to the amount of laundry in drum 3 . In the present embodiment, the load is expressed as a ratio to the rated capacity of washing machine 100 . In the washing machine 100, the motor 7 is turned on for a short time after the washing operation is started to rotationally drive the stirring blade 5, and then the stirring blade 5 is rotated by inertia when the motor 7 is turned off. The load amount detection unit 51 counts the pulse signal synchronized with the rotation of the motor 7 during the inertial rotation period, and detects the load amount based on the counted value. In addition, since the resistance to the rotation of the stirring blade 5 becomes larger as the load is larger, the continuation time of inertial rotation becomes short.

The number determination unit 52 determines the number of times (predetermined number) of unbalance elimination control performed before starting the dehydration process. In the present embodiment, the frequency determination unit 52 determines the frequency of the unbalance elimination control according to the ambient temperature (air temperature) of the washing machine 100 .

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of determining the number of unbalance elimination controls according to the ambient temperature of the washing machine 100. Referring to FIG.

<Steps S1, S2>

In step S1, the control part 50 judges whether the surrounding temperature detected by the surrounding temperature detection sensor 61 is in the range of 5 degreeC - 10 degreeC. When the control unit 50 determines that the ambient temperature is within the range of 5° C. to 10° C., it proceeds to step S2 and sets the number of times of unbalance elimination control to five.

<Steps S3, S4>

In step S1, when the control unit 50 judges that the ambient temperature is not within the range of 5°C to 10°C, it proceeds to step S3, and the control portion 50 determines whether the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection sensor is within the range of 10°C to 20°C. within range. When the control unit 50 determines that the ambient temperature is within the range of 10° C. to 20° C., it proceeds to step S4 and sets the number of times of unbalance elimination control to four.

<Step S5>

When the control part 50 judges that ambient temperature is not in the range of 10 degreeC - 20 degreeC in step S3, it progresses to step S5, and determines the number of times of unbalance elimination control as three times.

As described above, the frequency determination unit 52 determines the frequency of unbalance elimination control according to the ambient temperature of the washing machine 100, and the viscosity of the liquid 33 of the ball balancer 30 becomes smaller as the ambient temperature becomes higher, and becomes smaller as the ambient temperature becomes lower. get bigger. Therefore, the movement amount of the rolling elements 32 in the annular container 31 changes according to the viscosity of the liquid 33 when the unbalance elimination control is performed. Therefore, the unbalance of the drum 3 can be eliminated even if the number of times of unbalance elimination control is reduced as the ambient temperature becomes higher. Therefore, the number of times determination unit 52 determines the number of times of the unbalance elimination control to be a smaller value as the ambient temperature becomes higher, and to be larger as the ambient temperature becomes lower.

The motor deceleration force determination unit 53 determines the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control. The motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control corresponds to the deceleration acceleration that decelerates the drive shaft of the motor 7 when the drum rotation speed is reduced in the unbalance elimination control. Specifically, motor deceleration force determination unit 53 determines the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control based on the ambient temperature of washing machine 100 and the amount of load corresponding to the amount of laundry in drum 3 .

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method of determining a motor deceleration force in unbalance elimination control according to the ambient temperature of washing machine 100 .

<Steps S101, S102>

In step S101, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection sensor 61 is within the range of 5°C to 15°C. When the control unit 50 determines that the ambient temperature is within the range of 5° C. to 15° C., it proceeds to step S102 and determines the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control as the first value.

<Steps S103, S104>

In step S101, when the control unit 50 determines that the ambient temperature is not within the range of 5°C to 15°C, the process proceeds to step S103, and the control unit 50 determines whether the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection sensor 61 is within the range of 15°C to 30°C. In the range. When the control unit 50 determines that the ambient temperature is within the range of 15° C. to 30° C., the process proceeds to step S104 , and the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control is determined as the second value.

<Step S105>

When the control unit 50 determines that the ambient temperature is not in the range of 15° C. to 30° C. in step S103 , the process proceeds to step S105 , and the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control is determined as a third value.

As described above, the motor deceleration force determining unit 53 determines the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control according to the ambient temperature of the washing machine 100, and the viscosity of the liquid 33 of the ball balancer 30 becomes smaller as the ambient temperature becomes higher, and as the ambient temperature becomes higher, the viscosity becomes smaller. The ambient temperature becomes lower and larger. In the unbalance elimination control, when the deceleration force of the motor becomes larger, the amount of the rolling element 32 that moves when the motor is accelerated is returned to a larger position due to the inertial force generated by the deceleration. Therefore, in order to minimize the return amount of the rolling elements 32 when the motor decelerates, the deceleration force of the motor is increased when the ambient temperature is low when the viscosity of the liquid is high; Reduce the deceleration force of the motor, thereby suppressing the amount of homing and improving the ability to eliminate unbalance.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method of determining a motor deceleration force in unbalance elimination control according to the load of washing machine 100 .

<Steps S201, S202>

In step S201, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the load detected by the load detection unit 51 is within the range of 0% to 30% of the rating. When the control unit 50 determines that the load is within the range of 0% to 30% of the rated value, the process proceeds to step S202, and the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control is determined as a fourth value.

<Steps S203, S204>

In step S201, when the control unit 50 determines that the load is not within the range of 0% to 30% of the rated value, the process proceeds to step S203, and the control unit 50 determines whether the load detected by the load detection unit 51 is within 30% of the rated value. %~70% range. When the control unit 50 determines that the load is within the range of 30% to 70% of the rated value, the process proceeds to step S204, and the control unit 50 determines the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control as the fifth value.

<Step S205>

When the control unit 50 determines that the load is not within the range of 30% to 70% of the rated value in step S203, the process proceeds to step S205, and the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control is determined as the sixth value.

As described above, the motor deceleration force determination unit 52 determines the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control according to the load corresponding to the amount of laundry in the drum 3. Small makes the motor decelerate when the drum speed is reduced. Therefore, the motor deceleration force determination unit 52 determines the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control to be a value that increases as the load increases, and also determines that the motor deceleration force decreases as the load decreases.

In the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8 described above, the determination of the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control as the first to sixth values has been described. FIG. 9 shows the relationship between the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control and the washing machine 100. Correspondence between ambient temperature and load. As described above, the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control is determined to be a smaller value as the ambient temperature becomes higher. Therefore, in FIG. 9, the motor deceleration force a ₁₁ >motor deceleration force a ₁₂ >motor deceleration force a ₁₃ , motor deceleration force a ₂₁ >motor deceleration force a ₂₂ >motor deceleration force a ₂₃ , motor deceleration force a ₃₁ >motor deceleration force a ₃₂ >motor deceleration force a ₃₃ .

In addition, the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control is determined to be a larger value as the load corresponding to the amount of laundry in the drum 3 becomes larger. Therefore, in FIG. 9, the motor deceleration force a ₁₁ <motor Deceleration force a ₂₁ <motor deceleration force a ₃₁ , motor deceleration force a ₁₂ <motor deceleration force a ₂₂ <motor deceleration force a ₃₂ , motor deceleration force a ₁₃ <motor deceleration force a ₂₃ <motor deceleration force a ₃₃ .

The continuation determination section 54 determines whether to continue the unbalance elimination control. In the present embodiment, the continuation determination unit 54 determines whether to continue the unbalance elimination control based on the magnitude of the vibration of the outer tub 2 detected by the vibration detection sensor 62 . Specifically, the continuation determination unit 54 determines to continue the unbalance elimination control when the vibration of the outer tub 2 detected by the vibration detection sensor 62 is greater than the threshold value while performing the unbalance elimination control. When the magnitude of the vibration of the tub 2 detected by the sensor 62 is within the threshold value, it is determined to end the unbalance elimination control.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a method of determining whether to continue the unbalance elimination control according to the magnitude of the vibration of the tub 2 .

<Step S301>

In step S301, the control unit 50 determines whether the vibration of the tub 2 is within a threshold.

<Step S302>

When the control unit 50 determines that the vibration of the outer tub 2 is within the threshold value, it proceeds to step S302 and determines to end the unbalance elimination control.

<Step S303>

When the control unit 50 determines in step S301 that the vibration of the tub 2 is not within the threshold, the process proceeds to step S303, where the control unit 50 determines to continue the unbalance elimination control.

In the vertical washing machine 100 of this embodiment, a vibration detection sensor 62 is provided as vibration detection means for detecting the vibration of the outer tub 2, and the unbalance elimination control is determined based on the magnitude of the vibration of the outer tub 2 detected by the vibration detection sensor 62. continue.

Thus, in the vertical washing machine 100 according to the present embodiment, when the vibration of the outer tub 2 is small, the unbalance elimination control of the drum 3 is relatively small, whereas the vibration of the outer tub 2 is large. In the case of , since the unbalance of the drum 3 is large, the unbalance elimination control is continued. Therefore, whether or not to continue the unbalance elimination control can be appropriately determined according to the magnitude of the vibration of the tub 2 .

The washing operation of washing machine 100 will be described based on FIG. 11 .

<Step S401>

In step S401, when the user puts the laundry into the drum 3, performs appropriate settings, and then presses the start key, the control unit 50 executes the load detection process. The control unit 50 determines the washing water level in a plurality of steps according to the load.

<Step S402>

In step S402, the washing water level is determined and the actual washing process is carried out. In order to start the washing process, the control unit 50 opens the water supply valve 16 to supply water to the drum 3 to a predetermined water level, and makes the stirring blade 5 rotate in one direction or two directions at a predetermined speed, thereby to perform a washing operation. When the cleaning process ends, the control unit 50 drives the torque motor 13 to open the drain valve 20 to drain the water in the drum 3 .

<Step S403>

In step S403, the control unit 50 executes unbalance elimination control. The flow of unbalance elimination control will be described in detail later.

<Step S404>

Then, in step S404, the control unit 50 performs intermediate dehydration by rotating the drum 3 at a high speed. By this intermediate dehydration, the detergent water permeated into the laundry is scattered and removed.

<Step S405>

In step S405, the control unit 50 performs dehydration rinsing as the first rinsing. The dehydration rinse is a rinse in which water is sprayed onto the laundry from the water inlet 17 while the drum 3 is rotating, so that the laundry absorbs clean water and squeezes out the detergent water that has penetrated into the laundry instead. .

<Step S406>

In step S406, the control unit 50 executes unbalance elimination control. The flow of the unbalance elimination control will be described in detail later.

<Step S407>

Then, in step S407, after fully hydrating the laundry, control unit 50 executes intermediate dehydration to scatter the water penetrating into the laundry in the same manner as step S404.

<Step S408>

In step S408, furthermore, as the second rinsing, the control unit 50 supplies a predetermined amount of water into the drum 3, and performs storage rinsing by rotating the stirring blade 5 as in the washing process of step S402. When the stored water rinsing is completed, the control unit 50 opens the drain valve 20 to drain the water in the drum 3 .

<Step S409>

In step S409, the control unit 50 executes unbalance elimination control. The flow of the unbalance elimination control will be described in detail later.

<Step S410>

Then, in step S410, the control unit 50 executes the final dehydration by rotating the drum 3 at a high speed as in the intermediate dehydration.

It should be noted that the above actions are the most standard actions, and the content of each process can be appropriately changed according to the operation mode or various settings of the user, such as water storage rinse instead of dehydration rinse process, water injection rinse instead Water storage, rinsing, etc.

The procedure of the said unbalance elimination control is demonstrated based on FIG. 12. FIG.

<Step S501>

In step S501 , the control unit 50 determines the number of times of unbalance elimination control based on the flow shown in FIG. 6 .

<Step S502>

In step S502 , the control unit 50 determines the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control, as shown in FIG. 9 , based on the flow shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 .

<Step S503>

In step S503, the control unit 50 starts the unbalance elimination control. Therefore, the control unit 50 starts to control the motor 7 so that the drum rotation speed increases toward the target rotation speed, thereby accelerating the drum rotation speed.

<Step S504>

In step S504 , the control unit 50 detects the vibration of the outer tub 2 through the vibration detection sensor 62 . The control unit 50 continues to detect the vibration of the tub 2 while the rotation speed of the drum is increasing.

<Step S505>

In step S505, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the drum rotation speed has reached the target rotation speed. When the control unit 50 determines that the rotation speed of the drum has not reached the target rotation speed, the process proceeds to step S503, and the control unit 50 continues to control the motor 7 so that the rotation speed of the drum 3 increases toward the target rotation speed.

<Step S506>

When the control unit 50 determines that the drum rotation speed has reached the target rotation speed in step S505, the process proceeds to step S506, and after stopping the rotation drive of the drum 3, the control unit 50 starts to control the motor 7 to reduce the drum rotation speed.

<Step S507>

In step S507, the control unit 50 determines whether to continue the unbalance elimination control based on the flow shown in FIG. 10 . In the flow chart shown in FIG. 10 , when the control unit 50 determines to end the unbalance elimination control, return to the flow chart in FIG. 11 , and the control unit 50 executes the intermediate dehydration process or the final dehydration process.

<Step S508>

In the flow shown in FIG. 10 , when the control unit 50 determines to continue the unbalance elimination control, the process proceeds to step S508 , and the control unit 50 determines whether the unbalance elimination control has been completed a predetermined number of times.

When the control unit 50 determines in step S508 that the unbalance elimination control has not been completed a predetermined number of times, the process proceeds to step S503 to execute the unbalance elimination control again.

<Step S509>

When the control unit 50 determines in step S508 that the unbalance elimination control has been completed a predetermined number of times, the process proceeds to step S509, and the control unit 50 executes unbalance rinsing. After that, go to step S510.

<Step S510>

In step S510, control unit 50 determines whether unbalanced rinsing of a predetermined number of times of rinsing has been completed. When the control unit 50 determines in step S510 that the unbalanced rinsing for the predetermined number of rinsings has not been completed, the process proceeds to step S501 to execute the unbalanced elimination control again.

<Step S511>

When the control unit 50 determines in step S510 that the unbalanced rinsing of the predetermined number of rinsing times has been completed, the process proceeds to step S511, and the control unit 50 displays an error on the display unit (not shown).

The operation of the dehydration course in the washing operation of washing machine 100 will be described based on FIG. 13 .

<Step S601>

In step S601, the control unit 50 increases the rotation speed of the drum to the first rotation speed (for example, 50 rpm). In this embodiment, the first rotation speed is set to a rotation speed below 100rpm, and the drum rotation speed is increased to the first rotation speed to rotate the drum 3 , so that the plurality of rolling elements 32 are arranged at a position offset from the laundry in the drum 3 . The eccentric position is completely opposite to the final optimal position, after which the dehydration is started.

<Step S602>

In step S602, the control unit 50 determines whether the drum rotates at the first rotation speed for a first predetermined time. When the control unit 50 determines that the drum has not been operated at the first rotational speed for the first predetermined time, the drum rotational speed continues the state of the first rotational speed.

<Step S603>

When the control unit 50 determines in step S602 that the drum has been operated at the first rotation speed for the first predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S603, and the control unit 50 increases the rotation speed of the drum to the second rotation speed (for example, 170 rpm).

<Step S604>

In step S604, the control unit 50 determines whether the drum rotates at the second rotation speed for a second predetermined time. When the control unit 50 determines that the drum has not been operated at the second rotational speed for the second predetermined time, the drum rotational speed continues the state of the second rotational speed.

<Step S605>

When the control unit 50 determines in step S604 that the drum has been operated at the second rotation speed for the second predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S605, and the control unit 50 increases the rotation speed of the drum to the third rotation speed (for example, 350 rpm).

<Step S606>

In step S606, the control unit 50 determines whether the drum rotates at the third rotation speed for a third predetermined time. When the control unit 50 determines that the drum has not been operated at the third rotational speed for the third predetermined time, the drum rotational speed continues the state of the third rotational speed.

<Step S607>

In step S606, when the control unit 50 determines to operate at the third rotation speed for the third predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S607, and the control unit 50 increases the rotation speed of the drum to the fourth rotation speed (for example, 800 rpm).

<Step S608>

In step S608, the control unit 50 determines whether the drum rotates at the fourth rotation speed for a fourth predetermined time. When the control unit 50 determines that the drum has not been operated at the fourth rotation speed for the fourth predetermined time, the drum rotation speed continues to be the fourth rotation speed state.

When the control unit 50 determines in step S608 that the operation has been performed at the fourth rotational speed for the fourth predetermined time, the dehydration process ends.

It should be noted that, when the rotating speed of the drum 3 is 0 rpm to 50 rpm, the drum speed acceleration is 40 rpm/s; when the drum 3 rotating speed is 50 rpm to 170 rpm, the drum speed acceleration is 80 rpm/s; The drum speed acceleration is 10rpm/s.

The vertical washing machine 100 of this embodiment includes: an outer tub 2 disposed inside the casing 1; a drum 3 disposed in the outer tub 2 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis; and an annular container 31 disposed on the drum 3. , to accommodate a plurality of rolling bodies 32 and liquid 33; the motor 7, which rotates and drives the drum 3; and the motor control part 55 as a control unit, which controls the motor 7 to perform the following unbalance elimination control before starting the dehydration process : After the rotational speed of the drum 3 is raised to a target rotational speed exceeding the resonance rotational speed at which the lateral resonance of the drum 3 occurs, the rotational drive of the drum 3 is stopped.

Thus, in the vertical washing machine 100 of this embodiment, the annular container 31 for accommodating a plurality of rolling elements 32 is disposed on the drum 3, and before starting the dehydration process, unbalance elimination control is performed by increasing the rotation speed of the drum 3 After reaching a target rotational speed exceeding the resonance rotational speed at which lateral resonance of drum 3 occurs, the rotational drive of drum 3 is stopped. Therefore, the plurality of rolling elements 32 accommodated in the annular container 31 are moved toward the opposite side of the eccentric position where the laundry in the drum 3 deviates by the centrifugal force at the time of unbalance elimination control, thereby canceling the unbalance of the drum 3 . The specific gravity of the rolling elements 32 housed in the annular container 31 is larger than that of the liquid in a conventional liquid balancer, so that the annular container 31 can be downsized. Therefore, the capacity of the laundry that can be accommodated in drum 3 can be increased without enlarging drum 3 . Furthermore, by performing unbalance elimination control before starting the dehydration process, the dehydration process can be started in a state where the imbalance of the drum 3 is eliminated.

In vertical washing machine 100 of the present embodiment, liquid is accommodated in annular container 31 . Therefore, in the vertical washing machine 100 of this embodiment, the liquid is accommodated in the annular container 31, and the speed of the liquid moving toward the opposite side of the eccentric position where the laundry in the drum 3 deviates is fast, so that the liquid can be moved in a short time. Eliminate the imbalance of drum 3.

Vertical washing machine 100 according to this embodiment includes ambient temperature detection sensor 61 as ambient temperature detection means for detecting ambient temperature, and motor control unit 55 as control means stops the rotational drive of drum 3 in the unbalance elimination control, and then The motor 7 is controlled to reduce the rotation speed of the drum 3 by a predetermined motor deceleration force, and the predetermined motor deceleration force when the rotation speed of the drum 3 is reduced in the unbalance elimination control can be determined according to the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection sensor 61. Variety.

Thus, in vertical washing machine 100 according to the present embodiment, the viscosity of liquid 33 accommodated in annular container 31 decreases as the ambient temperature increases, and increases as the ambient temperature decreases. In the unbalance elimination control, as the motor deceleration force becomes larger, the amount by which the rolling elements that move when the motor accelerates returns to their original position due to the inertial force generated by the deceleration becomes larger. Therefore, in order to minimize the return of the rolling elements when the motor decelerates, increase the deceleration force of the motor when the ambient temperature is low when the viscosity of the liquid becomes high, and decrease it when the ambient temperature is high when the viscosity of the liquid becomes low. The deceleration force of the motor suppresses the amount of homing and improves the unbalance elimination ability.

Vertical washing machine 100 according to the present embodiment includes load amount detection unit 51 as load amount detection means for detecting a load amount corresponding to the amount of laundry in drum 3, and stops rotation of drum 3 during unbalance elimination control. Afterwards, the motor control section 55 as a control unit controls the motor 7 to reduce the number of rotations of the drum 3 according to a prescribed motor deceleration force, and the motor deceleration force when reducing the rotation speed of the drum 3 in the unbalance elimination control can be determined according to The load detected by the load detection unit 51 varies.

Thus, in the vertical washing machine 100 of this embodiment, although the laundry is accommodated in the drum 3, even if the amount of the laundry in the drum 3 is smaller and the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control is smaller, the load of the drum can be eliminated. 3 out of balance. Therefore, the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control can be appropriately determined according to the load amount.

Vertical washing machine 100 of this embodiment includes ambient temperature detection sensor 61 as ambient temperature detection means for detecting ambient temperature, and the number of times of unbalance elimination control can be changed according to the ambient temperature detected by ambient temperature detection sensor 61 .

Thus, in vertical washing machine 100 according to the present embodiment, the viscosity of liquid 33 accommodated in annular container 31 decreases as the ambient temperature increases, and increases as the ambient temperature decreases. Therefore, the amount of movement of the rolling elements 32 in the annular container 31 when the unbalance elimination control is performed varies with the viscosity of the liquid 33 . Therefore, the unbalance of the drum 3 can be eliminated even if the number of times of unbalance elimination control is reduced as the ambient temperature becomes higher. Therefore, the number of times of unbalance elimination control can be appropriately determined according to the ambient temperature.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, the specific structure of each part is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment.

For example, in the above embodiment, the washing machine 100 is provided with the vibration detection sensor 62, and the continuation determination unit 54 determines whether to continue the unbalance elimination control according to the magnitude of the vibration of the outer tub 2 detected by the vibration detection sensor 62, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

14 is a flowchart showing a flow of unbalance elimination control in a vertical washing machine according to a modified example of the present invention. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14 , when the washing machine according to the modified example of the present invention does not include the vibration detection sensor 62 , the unbalance canceling control may be terminated after the number of times determined by the rotation specifying unit 53 is performed.

FIG. 14 shows a flow of unbalance elimination control of a vertical washing machine according to a modified example of the present invention, but the contents of steps S701 to S706 in the flowchart of FIG. 14 are different from those of steps S501 to S706 in the flowchart of FIG. The contents of S503, step S505, step S506, and step S508 are the same, and detailed descriptions are omitted.

In the above embodiment, the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control is determined according to the ambient temperature and the load of the washing machine 100, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control can be determined only based on the surrounding temperature of the washing machine 100 . In addition, the motor deceleration force in the unbalance elimination control may be determined based on only the load amount.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the unbalance elimination control is performed with the plurality of rolling elements 32 positioned around the eccentric position where the laundry in the drum 3 deviates while the drum 3 is stopped has been described. In the state in which the drum 3 is stopped, the unbalance elimination control is performed in the state where the eccentric position which the some rolling element 32 deviates with respect to the laundry in the drum 3 is located in an arbitrary position.

In the above embodiment, before starting the dehydration process, the unbalance elimination control is performed three times, and the target rotational speeds in the three unbalance elimination controls are the same, but the number of unbalance elimination controls performed before the dehydration process is not limited thereto. In addition, in the case where the unbalance elimination control is performed a plurality of times, the target rotational speed may be changed every time the unbalance elimination control is performed. For example, the target rotational speed in the first imbalance elimination control can be set to 100 rpm, the target rotational speed in the second imbalance elimination control can be set to 120 rpm, and the target rotational speed in the third imbalance elimination control can be set to 150 rpm , the target rotation speed is increased each time the unbalance elimination control is performed.

Thus, the larger the target rotational speed in the unbalance elimination control, the larger the movement amount of the rolling elements 32 in the annular container 31 when the unbalance elimination control is performed, so that the unbalance of the drum 3 is easily eliminated. However, since the energy of the outer tub 2 increases as the rotation speed of the drum 3 increases, the impact when the outer tub 2 collides with the frame becomes larger. Therefore, it is difficult to initially increase the target rotational speed in the unbalance elimination control. When the unbalance elimination control is performed a plurality of times, since the unbalance of the drum 3 becomes smaller each time the unbalance elimination control is performed, the target rotational speed in the unbalance elimination control performed later can be increased. Therefore, when the unbalance elimination control is performed a plurality of times, the unbalance of the drum 3 can be effectively eliminated by making the target rotation speed in the subsequent unbalance elimination control higher than the target rotation speed in the previous unbalance elimination control.

In the above-described embodiment, the plurality of rolling elements 32 and the liquid 33 are accommodated in the annular container 31 of the ball balancer 30 as the moving body, but only the plurality of rolling elements 32 may be accommodated as the moving body. In this case, the rolling elements 32 may be coated with rubber or the like, and the rolling elements 32 may be moved by frictional force between the inner peripheral surface of the annular container 31 and the rolling elements 32 .

Claims (5)

1. A vertical washing machine is characterized by comprising:

an outer tub disposed inside the cabinet;

a drum disposed in the tub to be rotatable around a rotation axis;

an annular container disposed in the drum and accommodating the rolling elements;

a motor that rotationally drives the drum; and

a control unit for controlling the motor,

the control unit controls the motor to perform unbalance elimination control as follows before starting the dehydration process: stopping the rotational driving of the drum after increasing the rotational speed of the drum to a target rotational speed that exceeds a resonance rotational speed at which the lateral resonance of the drum occurs;

a load amount detection unit for detecting the load amount corresponding to the amount of the washings in the drum,

in the unbalance elimination control, after stopping the rotational driving of the drum, the control unit controls the motor to reduce the rotation speed of the drum in accordance with a prescribed motor deceleration force, and,

the predetermined motor deceleration force when the rotation speed of the drum is reduced in the unbalance correction control may be changed according to the load amount detected by the load amount detection unit.

2. The vertical washing machine as claimed in claim 1,

the annular container contains a liquid.

3. The vertical washing machine as claimed in claim 2,

comprises an ambient temperature detection means for detecting an ambient temperature,

in the unbalance elimination control, after stopping the rotational driving of the drum, the control unit controls the motor to reduce the rotation speed of the drum in accordance with a prescribed motor deceleration force, and,

the predetermined motor decelerating force when the rotation speed of the drum is reduced in the unbalance correction control may be changed according to the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detecting unit.

4. The vertical washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 3,

comprises an ambient temperature detection means for detecting an ambient temperature,

the number of times of the unbalance elimination control can be changed in accordance with the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature detection unit.

5. The vertical washing machine as claimed in claim 1,

a vibration detecting unit for detecting the vibration of the outer barrel,

continuation of the unbalance elimination control is determined according to the magnitude of the vibration of the outer tub detected by the vibration detection unit.

Images