Full automatic washing machine

• US 5,469,719 A
• Filed: 03/28/1994
• Issued: 11/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagata, Yuji, Matsumoto, Satoru, Imai, Tooru, Okazaki, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Coe, Philip R.
• Application Number:
  US08/219,794
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 68/12.02, 68/12.04, 68/12.12, 68/12.19, 68/23.5
• US Class Current: 68/12.04
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/10 Spin speed
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/14 Time settings
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/20 Operation modes, e.g. delicate laundry washing programs, service modes or refreshment cycles
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/04 Quantity, e.g. weight or variation of weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/48 Drum speed
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/38 of rinsing
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/08 Control circuits or arrangements thereof

Abstract

A full automatic washing machine includes an outer tub, a rotatable tub rotatably mounted in the outer tub, an agitator rotatably mounted in the rotatable tub and an electric motor for driving the rotatable tub and the agitator. The volume of clothes accommodated in the rotatable tub is detected. A control circuit controls either a stored-water rinse mode in which the clothes are rinsed with water being stored in the rotatable tub or a rinse-with-dehydration mode in which the clothes are rinsed and dehydrated with the water supplied into the rotatable tub. The stored-water rinse mode is selected when the detected volume of clothes is large. The rinse-with-dehydration mode is selected when the detected volume is small.

Claims

1. A full automatic washing machine comprising an outer tub, a rotatable tub rotatably mounted in the outer tub, an agitator rotatably mounted in the rotatable tub and an electric motor for driving the rotatable tub and the agitator, the full automatic washing machine further comprising:

a) clothes volume detecting means for detecting volume of clothes accommodated in the rotatable tub;

b) rinse control means for controlling either a stored-water rinse mode wherein the clothes are rinsed with water being stored in the rotatable tub or a rinse-with-dehydration mode wherein the clothes are rinsed and dehydrated with the water supplied into the rotatable tub; and

c) operation mode selecting means for selecting the stored-water rinse mode when the volume of clothes detected by the clothes volume detecting means is large or the rinse-with-dehydration mode when the volume of clothes detected by the clothes volume detecting means is small.

4. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising repeat times setting means for setting the number of times of repeat of a rinse-with-dehydration operation on the basis of the results of detection of the clothes volume detecting means when the rinse-with-dehydration mode is selected by the operation mode selecting means.

6. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising supplied water amount setting means for setting an amount of water supplied for a rinse-with-dehydration operation on the basis of the results of detection of the clothes volume detecting means when the rinse-with-dehydration mode is selected by the operation mode selecting means.

8. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the rinse control means controls the water supply in a rinse-with-dehydration operation so that the water is supplied into the rotatable tub while a rotational speed of the rotatable tub is in a low dehydration speed range.

9. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the rinse control means controls a rotational speed of the rotatable tub in a rinse-with-dehydration operation so that the rotational speed of the rotatable tub is successively increased from a low speed to a high speed.

10. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising rotational speed setting means for setting a rotational speed of the rotatable tub at the time of the water supply during a rinse-with-dehydration operation on the basis of the results of detection of the clothes volume detecting means when the rinse-with-dehydration mode is selected by the operation mode selecting means.

12. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising water-supply flow rate detecting means for detecting a flow rate of water supplied into the rotatable tub per unit period and water-supply control means setting a time period of a water supplying operation during a rinse-with-dehydration operation in accordance with the results of detection of the water-supply flow rate detecting means.

13. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising water-supply flow rate detecting means for detecting a flow rate of water supplied into the rotatable tub per unit period and water-supply control means selecting either a pattern of a continuous water-supply mode or a pattern of an intermittent water-supply mode wherein the water-supply mode is changed, in a rinse-with-dehydration operation in accordance with the results of detection of the water-supply flow rate detecting means.

14. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising cloth quality determining means for determining cloth quality of the clothes accommodated in the rotatable tub and repeat times setting means for setting the number of times of repeat of a rinse-with-dehydration operation on the basis of the results of determination of the cloth quality determining means.

15. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising cloth quality determining means for determining cloth quality of the clothes accommodated in the rotatable tub and supplied water amount setting means for setting an amount of water supplied for a rinse-with-dehydration operation on the basis of the results of determination of the cloth quality determining means.

16. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising cloth quality determining means for determining cloth quality of the clothes accommodated in the rotatable tub and rotational speed setting means for setting a rotational speed of the rotatable tub at the time Of a dehydrating operation during a rinse-with-dehydration operation on the basis of the results of determination of the cloth quality determining means.

2. A full automatic washing machine comprising an outer tub, a rotatable tub rotatably mounted in the outer tub, an agitator rotatably mounted in the rotatable tub and an electric motor for driving the rotatable tub and the agitator, the full automatic washing machine further comprising:

a) soiling degree detecting means for detecting a degree of soiling of the clothes accommodated in the rotatable tub;

b) rinse control means for controlling either a stored-water rinse mode wherein the clothes are rinsed with water being stored in the rotatable tub or a rinse-with-dehydration mode wherein the clothes are rinsed and dehydrated with the water being supplied into the rotatable tub; and

c) operation mode selecting means for selecting the stored-water rinse mode when the degree of soiling of the clothes detected by the soiling degree detecting means is large or the rinse-with-dehydration mode when the degree of soiling of the clothes detected by the clothes volume detecting means is small.

5. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising repeat times setting means for setting the number of times of repeat of a rinse-with-dehydration operation on the basis of the results of detection of the soiling degree detecting means when the rinse-with-dehydration mode is selected by the operation mode selecting means.

7. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising supplied water amount setting means for setting an amount of water supplied for a rinse-with-dehydration operation on the basis of the results of detection of the soiling degree detecting means when the rinse-with-dehydration mode is selected by the operation mode selecting means.

11. A full automatic washing machine according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising rotational speed setting means for setting a rotational speed of the rotatable tub at the time of the water supply during a rinse-with-dehydration operation on the basis of the results of detection of the soiling degree detecting means when the rinse-with-dehydration mode is selected by the operation mode selecting means.

3. A full automatic washing machine comprising an outer tub, a rotatable tub rotatably mounted in the outer tub, an agitator rotatably mounted in the rotatable tub and an electric motor for driving the rotatable tub and the agitator, the full automatic washing machine further comprising:

a) clothes volume detecting means for detecting volume of clothes accommodated in the rotatable tub;

b) soiling degree detecting means for detecting a degree of soiling of the clothes accommodated in the rotatable tub;

c) rinse control means for controlling either a stored-water rinse mode wherein the clothes are rinsed with water being stored in the rotatable tub or a rinse-with-dehydration mode wherein the clothes are rinsed and dehydrated with the water supplied into the rotatable tub; and

d) operation mode selecting means for selecting either the stored-water rinse mode or the rinse-with-dehydration mode on the basis of results of detection of the clothes volume detecting means and the soiling degree detecting means.

17. A full automatic washing machine, comprising:

an outer tub;

a rotatable tub rotatably mounted in the outer tub;

an agitator rotatably mounted in the rotatable tub;

an electric motor for driving the rotatable tub and the agitator;

rinse control means for controlling either a stored-water rinse mode wherein clothes accommodated in the rotatable tub are rinsed with water being stored in the rotatable tub or a rinse-with-dehydration mode wherein the clothes are rinsed and dehydrated with the water being supplied into the rotatable tub; and

operation mode selecting means for automatically selecting either the stored-water rinse mode or the rinse-with-dehydration mode on the basis of data on the status of the clothes, which data is obtained during execution of a wash step and includes a volume, a degree of soiling or a cloth quality of the clothes.