CN101725011A - Washing machine and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A washing machine with a low-noise washing program and its control method, the washing machine includes an outer tub containing washing water, a drum accommodated in the outer tub for holding laundry, and a drainage device for discharging the washing water, The control method includes the step of performing the dehydration operation at a low rotational speed, and before performing the dehydration operation step, further includes the step of detecting the water level in the outer bucket and controlling the drainage device according to the detection result. This control method not only effectively reduces the high-frequency noise generated by the washing machine during the dehydration operation, but also effectively prevents the drainage device from being emptied, thereby avoiding the huge noise generated when the drainage device is emptied. noise.

Description

Washing machine and control method thereof

technical field

The invention relates to a washing machine and a control method thereof, in particular to a low-noise washing machine and a control method thereof.

Background technique

As we all know, whether it is a pulsator washing machine or a drum washing machine or a washer-dryer, some noise will inevitably be generated during the washing process, such as: low-frequency electromagnetic noise, noise generated by the drain pump, high-frequency noise generated by the drive motor, and cabinet Noise generated by body and balance system vibrations, etc. These noises are inherently noisy in the surrounding environment, for example, during the day, due to the presence of other noise sources such as vehicles, people will basically ignore the noise produced by the washing machine, and will not cause trouble. However, when the external environment is relatively quiet, for example, at night, there are relatively fewer vehicles running on the road, and these noises will cause considerable trouble to people. Therefore, if the user wants to use the washing machine at night due to working hours or his own living habits or other reasons, the noise generated by the washing machine during the washing process, especially during the dehydration and draining process, and the prompt sound of the buzzer device after washing will have a great impact on the user himself. and the surrounding neighbors will cause great disturbance.

Therefore, how to reduce the noise of the washing machine has become the focus of consumers and even manufacturers. For this problem, different manufacturers have adopted different solutions. Some manufacturers reduce vibration and noise by adding counterweights; some manufacturers use direct-drive motors with less noise to reduce the noise generated by the drive motor itself; materials to reduce noise leakage; some manufacturers reduce the sounding components and reduce noise by reducing the rotation speed of the drum during dehydration or replacing the drain pump with a drain valve.

In addition, some manufacturers also reduce the noise generated by the washing machine during the washing process by changing the control method of the washing machine. The method loosens the entangled clothes during the washing process by repeatedly performing the loosening procedure, thereby effectively avoiding the generation of eccentric loads, and further reducing the noise generated during the dehydration of the washed clothes. However, according to this control method, it is necessary to frequently change the rotational speed of the driving motor during the dehydration process to loosen the clothes as much as possible, so as to ensure the dehydration rate. On the one hand, frequent changes in the rotational speed will increase the load on the driving motor, and on the other hand, it will It will require the mechanical strength of the drive motor to increase, and the frequent changes of the speed will still produce loud and small noises, which will still cause some troubles to the user. And Samsung's invention patent application CN200610087783.7 also discloses a washing machine and its control method for the night washing function. According to the control method disclosed in the patent application, after the user selects this function, the washing and rinsing operations The subsequent dehydration operations are all performed at a speed lower than the specified speed to perform quiet washing with low noise, while compensating for rinsing performance by increasing the number of rinsing times and controlling the duration of dehydration. In addition, according to the control method, the washing machine does not drain wash water and remains in a rinsing state in the final rinsing operation to prevent noise due to the final dehydration operation and to prevent wrinkles from being generated on laundry. This method virtually eliminates the final dehydration completely, while the intermediate dehydration is also reduced to a very low speed (less than 100RPM). Such a low dehydration speed obviously cannot guarantee the maximum discharge of the detergent remaining in the clothes during the washing process. It is also difficult to guarantee a qualified rinsing effect even if additional rinsing is added. Moreover, the state of non-draining and dehydration after the end of the program is actually soaking the clothes in water all the time, which will obviously cause damage to some delicate or easy-to-fading fabrics, such as deformation or fading.

Therefore, the existing solutions, whether changing the mechanical structure itself or changing the control method of the washing machine, are not ideal for suppressing the noise generated by the washing machine during the washing process.

Contents of the invention

In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine and a control method thereof, through which the noise generated by the washing machine during the washing process can be effectively reduced.

In order to achieve the above object, according to a control method of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, the washing machine includes an outer tub containing washing water, a drum accommodated in the outer tub for holding laundry, and the washing water is discharged The drainage device, the control method includes the step of performing a dehydration operation at a lower rotational speed, and before performing the step of the dehydration operation, the control method also includes detecting the water level in the outer tub and controlling the water level according to the detection result The steps of the drain. This control method not only effectively reduces the high-frequency noise generated by the washing machine during the dehydration operation, but also effectively prevents the drainage device from being emptied, thereby avoiding the huge noise generated when the drainage device is emptied. noise.

As a preferred implementation manner of the present invention, when it is detected that the water level in the outer barrel reaches a set reference value, preferably when the set reference value is zero, the drainage device is closed. By closing the drainage device, the noise generated by the washing machine during the drainage process is greatly reduced.

As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control method further includes extending the duration of the step of performing the dehydration operation, so as to ensure a normal dehydration rate, that is, to ensure that the moisture content of the clothes is maintained at a normal level after the dehydration operation is completed . Preferably, according to the control method, only the duration of the last dehydration operation performed in the program is extended, so as to shorten the program as much as possible while ensuring that the moisture content of the clothes is maintained at a normal level after the low-noise washing program ends operation hours.

As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control method further includes the step of executing a fluffing routine for fluffing the washed clothes after the dehydration operation executed in the routine is completed. Preferably, the rotation speed in the fluffing program is not more than 60 RPM, and the forward and reverse directions are rotated alternately, so as to effectively prevent the clothes from being wrinkled due to standing in the drum for a long time.

As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the washing machine further includes a buzzer device for prompting the running status of the washing machine, and the control method further includes the step of turning off the buzzer device, so as to prevent the The beeping sound disturbs the user, further reducing the noise source of the washing machine.

A washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an outer tub containing washing water, a drum accommodated in the outer tub for holding laundry, a drainage device for draining the washing water, and a user-input instruction to select and execute the corresponding washing machine. The control system of the washing program and the storage unit storing different washing programs, the storage unit stores the low-noise washing program executed according to the above-mentioned control method. Therefore, when the washing machine user uses the washing machine to wash clothes in some specific environments (such as at night or in a specific environment requiring low noise), he can choose the corresponding low-noise washing program, so as to control the noise generated by the washing machine during operation. In the relatively low range, the noise generated by the washing machine is avoided to cause unnecessary disturbance to the user.

As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the low-noise washing program is a separate washing program or a functional option that can be combined with other washing program options, so that users can choose corresponding washing programs according to their different needs.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a washing machine according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of the dehydration operation before the rinsing procedure of the control method of the washing machine according to the specific embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a dehydration operation after a rinsing procedure of a control method of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a schematic structural diagram of a washing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Taking a drum washing machine as an example, the washing machine 1 includes an outer tub 2 and a drum 4 that is arranged inside the outer tub 2 and can rotate at a high speed driven by a driving motor 3, and the outer tub 2 and the drum 4 form a washing tub assembly And it is arranged inside the casing 7 of the drum washing machine through the suspension springs 5 arranged above the outer tub 2 and the support device 6 arranged below the outer tub 2 respectively. The front end of the washing bucket assembly and the box body 7 is provided with a clothes inlet 8 for users to put in and take out laundry, and an operation panel for the user to operate the washing machine is arranged above the clothes inlet. There are different washing program options for users to choose, and the washing programs are stored in a storage unit, including low-noise washing programs. The low-noise washing programs can be separate washing programs, that is, compared with other washing programs of the washing machine The program independently selected by the user can also be a functional option that can be combined with other washing programs, so that the user can choose a corresponding combination of corresponding washing programs according to different washing needs. The control system of the washing machine selects and executes the corresponding washing program in the storage unit according to the instruction input by the user.

The method for controlling the low-noise washing program of the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 .

Fig. 2 schematically shows the control method of the low-noise washing program of the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention and the control method of the dehydration operation before executing the rinsing program. As shown in this figure, the user places the laundry to be washed through the laundry inlet drum, and then select the corresponding washing program to start the washing machine. First, the washing machine operates according to the normal washing procedure, that is, water is fed through the water supply device 9 arranged above the outer tub 2 and then washed. The drainage device 11 connected to the drainage port 10 is discharged. According to different washing procedures selected by the user, sometimes the washing machine needs to be heated during the water intake and washing process, so as to improve the washing effect. After washing, the washing machine controls the drainage device 11 to drain until the water inside the washing machine is discharged, and then enters the dehydration operation process. Before entering the dehydration operation process, the system will judge whether the user has selected the low-noise washing program, that is, confirm whether the low-noise washing program is activated. If the low-noise washing program is activated, it enters the low-noise washing program, and the system controls to reduce the maximum speed of the drive motor during the dehydration operation, so that the maximum speed of the drum is correspondingly slowed down. Therefore, by controlling the maximum speed of the drive motor, that is It can effectively control the high-frequency noise generated by the driving motor and the drum during high-speed operation, so that the noise can be controlled in a relatively low range, and the noise can effectively avoid the interference caused by the noise to the surrounding environment. If the user does not select the low-noise washing program, that is, the system judges that the low-noise washing program is not activated, then a normal dehydration operation is performed. That is, the system controls the drainage device to continue to drain water, and at the same time maintains the drive motor to drive the drum to rotate at a normal speed to perform the dehydration operation. After the dehydration operation lasts for a certain period of time, the system controls to start water intake, and then enters the rinsing program. Through the rinsing program, the detergent (such as washing powder, etc.) remaining on the clothes during the washing process can be effectively rinsed away, so as to prevent the washed clothes from being polluted again by the detergent. The rinsing program can be controlled by time or the number of rinsing times, so that the rinsing program lasts for a certain period of time or performs a certain number of rinsing programs before entering the next program; it can also be controlled by other methods, such as setting a detection device to detect the content of detergent in clothes or washing water To achieve the effect of controlling the rinsing of clothes.

Fig. 3 schematically shows the control method of the dehydration operation after the rinsing program is executed according to the control method of the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, after the rinsing program ends, the system controls the drainage device to drain until the washing water inside the washing machine is discharged, the system enters the dehydration operation process again. Before entering the dehydration operation process, the system will judge whether the user has selected the low-noise washing program, that is, confirm whether the low-noise washing program is activated. If the low-noise washing program is activated, it enters the low-noise washing program, and the system controls to reduce the maximum speed of the drive motor during the dehydration operation, so that the maximum speed of the drum is correspondingly slowed down. Therefore, by controlling the maximum speed of the drive motor, that is It can effectively control the high-frequency noise generated by the driving motor and the drum during high-speed operation, so that the noise can be controlled in a relatively low range, and the noise can effectively avoid the interference caused by the noise to the surrounding environment. Since the maximum rotational speed of the drive motor and the drum is lower than the maximum rotational speed in the normal program when performing the low-noise washing program, the duration of the dehydration operation process in the low-noise washing program will be extended appropriately, so as to ensure that the clothes are dehydrated after performing the dehydration operation. The moisture content in the spinner is about the same as that of clothes in normal spinning procedures. Of course, the duration of each dehydration operation process can be extended, and the duration of the last dehydration operation process can be extended only to shorten the running time of the entire washing procedure. After the dehydration operation is performed for a certain period of time, the system detects the water level inside the outer tub of the washing machine through the detection device, and then controls the drainage device 11 according to the detected water level, that is, when the water level is at a certain set reference value, or is lower than the set When the reference value is detected, for example, when the water level inside the outer tub is detected to be zero, the system closes the drainage device 11. Of course, it can also be judged by detecting the water level of the water outlet, so as to effectively avoid the occurrence of emptying of the drainage device. Phenomenon. Because once the drains enter the air, when the air and water are mixed, the drains will empty, resulting in considerable noise. Specifically, a detection device can be installed near the drain 10 of the outer tub 2, and the output of the detection device indicates that there is no water nearby, and then the drain 11 is closed. According to the control method of the embodiment of the present invention, the system can close the drainage device in time through the water level detection, thereby avoiding the noise generated by the drainage device due to the phenomenon of emptying, thus further reducing the noise generated by the washing machine when performing the low-noise washing program. noise.

In addition, in order to prevent the washed clothes from standing in the washing machine for a long time to cause wrinkles, after the dehydration operation is completed, the system will drive the drum by driving the motor to perform a fluffing procedure at a lower speed. Preferably, the fluffing The speed of the program does not exceed 60RPM, and the positive and negative rotations are alternately performed at the same time. For example, the speed of the fluffing program is controlled to 56RPM, first rotate clockwise for 8 seconds, then pause for 12 seconds; then reverse the direction, that is, rotate counterclockwise for 6 seconds , and then pause for 12 seconds to loosen the laundry in the washer as much as possible. After the fluffing program ends, the entire washing program is completed, and the system gives a signal of the end of the washing program through the display device, and the user can judge whether the washing program is completed through the displayed signal, and then take out the clothes for drying or drying. , in order to avoid the beeping sound of the buzzer device from disturbing the user, the system will turn off the beeping sound of the beeping device, that is, adjust the volume of the beeping sound of the beeping device to zero. The way of the device gives a reminder of the end of the washing program. If the user does not select the low-noise washing program, that is, the system judges that the low-noise washing program is not activated, then a normal dehydration operation is performed. That is, the system controls the drainage device to continue to drain water, and at the same time maintains the drive motor to drive the drum to rotate at a normal speed to perform the dehydration operation. After the dehydration operation process is over, the entire washing process is completed, and the system will give a prompt sound of the end of the washing process through the buzzer device, and the user can take out the clothes for drying or drying.

Of course, the above-mentioned embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention can also have many other embodiments. Equivalent changes should still be included in the scope claimed by the claims of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. the control method of the low noise washing procedure of a washing machine, described washing machine comprise the splendid attire washings outer bucket, be contained in the cylinder that is used for the splendid attire washing clothes in the described outer bucket, and the drainage arrangement that washings are discharged, described control method comprises to carry out the step of dehydrating operations than the slow-speed of revolution, it is characterized in that: before the step of carrying out described dehydrating operations, also comprise the step that described outer inner bucket water position is detected and controlled described drainage arrangement according to testing result.

2. control method according to claim 1 is characterized in that: when detect described outside inner bucket water position when arrive setting reference value, close described drainage arrangement.

3. control method according to claim 2 is characterized in that: described setting reference value is zero.

4. according to one of them described control method of claim 1 to 3, it is characterized in that: also comprise the duration that prolongs the step of carrying out described dehydrating operations.

5. control method according to claim 4 is characterized in that: the duration that only prolongs last one dehydrating operations performed in this program.

6. according to one of them described control method of claim 1 to 3, it is characterized in that: also be included in and finish the step that dehydrating operations performed in this program is carried out the program of shaking up that washing clothes is shaken up afterwards.

7. control method according to claim 6 is characterized in that: the rotating speed of carrying out in the described program of shaking up is no more than 60RPM, and alternately rotation of both forward and reverse directions.

8. according to one of them described control method of claim 1 to 3, described washing machine comprises that also it is characterized in that: described control method also comprises the step of closing described boom unit in order to the boom unit of prompting washing machine running state.

9. washing machine, comprise the splendid attire washings outer bucket, be contained in the cylinder that is used for the splendid attire washing clothes in the described outer bucket, drainage arrangement with the washings discharge, and carry out the control system and the memory cell that stores different washing procedures of corresponding washing procedure according to the Instruction Selection of user input, it is characterized in that: store the low noise washing procedure performed in the described memory cell according to one of them described control method of above claim.

10. washing machine according to claim 9 is characterized in that: described low noise washing procedure be independent washing procedure or can with the function choosing-item of other washing procedure options combinations.

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