JPS6316157B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Technical Field) The present invention relates to a method for determining the condition of washing in a washing machine.

(Prior art) In order to efficiently and completely wash dirty laundry, the amount of detergent, water, and washing time must be set appropriately depending on how dirty the laundry is and the amount of laundry. However, in the past, this was left to the discretion of the user. In this case, depending on how the user handles the laundry, proper washing may not be done, and even if the amount of detergent, water, or washing time is set to a lower amount, the washing will not be done properly, and if the laundry is particularly dirty, washing may not be done properly. When washing items, it may not be possible to remove stains in one wash, so it may be necessary to add detergent and wash the item a second time.

However, conventional washing machines do not have a function that determines whether the washing is being done properly or not, so even if the washing is insufficient, the machine does not notice and simply moves on to rinsing and finishes the washing. It was becoming a thing.

(Purpose) The present invention was made in view of the above points, and by detecting the turbidity of the liquid at the start and end of washing and during drainage, and calculating and comparing these values, it is possible to determine whether the washing condition is appropriate or not. to be able to determine
This was designed to eliminate the drawbacks of the previous model.

(Example) Examples of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described in detail below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control system of a washing machine according to the present invention, in which 1 is a washing tub, 2 is a drain pipe of the washing tub 1, 3 is a drain valve inserted in the drain pipe 2, and 4 is a washing machine control system according to the present invention.
is a turbidity detector inserted into the drain pipe 2 before the drain valve 3. This turbidity detector 4 combines a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element to detect the turbidity of the liquid based on the light transmittance of the liquid in the drain pipe 2, and the output voltage of the light-receiving element is detected by the turbidity detector. 4 detection output. 5
1 is a water supply valve for supplying water to the washing tub 1; 6 is a water supply valve control unit that controls on/off the water supply valve 5; 7 is a water amount detection unit that detects the amount of water in the washing tub 1; 8 is a drain valve 3. 9 is a motor that rotates the pulsator 10; 11 is the motor 9;
12 is a level determination section that stores the detected value by the turbidity detector 4 in the storage section 13 and calculates and compares the values; 14 is a notification section such as a lamp or a buzzer.

The operation of the above configuration will now be described.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart for determining the condition of washing, and FIG. 3 is a model diagram showing the transition of the detection level of the turbidity detector 4.

Before water is supplied, there is no water in the optical path (drainage pipe 2) of the turbidity detector 4, only air, so the detection level of the turbidity detector 4 is at a high level (hereinafter referred to as the air level). It's summery. Now, when the water supply valve 5 is opened and water supply starts, the detection level of the turbidity detector 4 will drop to zero level due to water entering the optical path, but the water level will rise and the water will enter the optical path. When the water is filled with water, the detection level becomes high, and when the water in the optical path becomes stable, the detection level becomes stable and becomes the clear water level.
This fresh water level is lower than the air level.

When the amount of water in the washing tub 1 reaches a predetermined amount, the water amount detection section 7 activates the water supply valve control section 6 to close the water supply valve 5, and water supply is completed. When this water supply is completed (same state as when washing starts), the turbidity of the liquid (water) is detected by the turbidity detector 4, and the detected value A is read by the level determination section 12 and stored in the storage section 13.

When detergent is added and the motor 9 is driven to rotate the pulsator 10 to start the washing process, the detergent and water will dissolve, and the dirt from the laundry will precipitate into the washing liquid, making it cloudy. The detection level of the turbidity detector 4 gradually decreases. When the detection level no longer changes over time, the level determination unit 12 detects the end of washing, stops the motor 9, stores the detection value B by the turbidity detector 4 at that time in the storage unit 13, and then The level determination unit 12 calculates the difference between the detected value A and the detected value B, and stores the value V ₁ in the storage unit 13 .

After the washing process is completed, the drain valve 3 is opened and the draining process begins, and a large number of bubbles generated by the detergent during washing are mixed into the washing liquid and are drained into the drain pipe 2 along with the washing liquid.
The amount of bubbles is initially large and gradually decreases. As the amount of bubbles intervening in the optical path increases, the amount of light scattered by the bubbles increases, so the detection level of the turbidity detector 4 rapidly decreases once and then increases again. Therefore, by detecting the minimum value C of the turbidity detector 4 during drainage, it is possible to know the amount of foam in the washing liquid, that is, the detergent content, and how much cleaning ability remains in the washing liquid. You can know. The level determination section 12 calculates the difference between the minimum detection value C during drainage and the detection value B stored in the storage section 13, and stores the value _V2 in the storage section 13. As drainage progresses and most of the washing liquid is discharged, the bubbles floating on the water surface pass through the optical path finally, so the detection level of the turbidity detector 4 drops to zero level. It will rise to the level
This detects the completion of the drainage process.

When the drainage process is completed, the level determination unit 12 first determines whether the value _V1 stored in the storage unit 13 is greater than or equal to the predetermined value X, and if it is greater than or equal to the predetermined value It is determined whether or not V ₂ is less than a predetermined value Y, and when it is less than a predetermined value Y, it is determined that the washing condition is inappropriate (insufficient washing), and the notification unit 14 is activated and the user is instructed to wash the clothes again. It is an encouragement. Note that the values X and Y, which serve as criteria for determining whether the washing condition is appropriate or inappropriate, are determined in advance based on data obtained through experiments or the like.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing changes in the detection level of the turbidity detector when the laundry is heavily soiled or when the amount of detergent or water is insufficient. As is clear from this figure, when the washing liquid is heavily soiled or when there is insufficient water, the turbidity of the washing liquid is extremely large and the value _V1 is also large. When the washing capacity is lost, there are few bubbles in the washing liquid, and the value V ₂ becomes a small value. Then,
In such a case, the relationship is V ₁ > X, V ₂ < Y,
Determining that the washing is insufficient, operating the notification unit 14,
Urge the user to re-wash the clothes.

The present invention can also be implemented in an automatic washing machine to automatically perform the washing process again when the washing condition is determined to be inappropriate. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can of course be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the invention.

(Effects) As described above, according to the present invention, by detecting the turbidity of the liquid at the start and end of washing and during drainage, and calculating and comparing these values, it is possible to determine whether the washing condition is appropriate or inappropriate. Therefore, when it is determined that the product is unsuitable, it is possible to notify the user or automatically perform rewashing, thereby solving the previous drawbacks.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the control system of the washing machine according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart for determining the condition of washing, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams showing changes in the detection level of the turbidity detector. It is. 1... Washing tub, 2... Drain pipe, 4... Turbidity detector,
12...Level determination section, 13...Storage section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A turbidity detector located in the drain pipe of the washing tub that optically detects the turbidity of the liquid, and the detected value by the turbidity detector is stored in a storage unit, and the values are calculated and compared to determine the washing condition. and a level determination unit that determines the
It sequentially detects and stores the turbidity of the liquid at the start and end of washing, detects the minimum turbidity of the liquid during drainage, and calculates the difference between the detected values at the start and end of washing, and at the end of washing. A method for determining the condition of washing in a washing machine, comprising calculating the difference between a detected value of 1 and a minimum detected value during draining, and determining the condition of washing based on the difference.