Washing machine with modular computer board

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10233585-B2
Application number	US-201415113391-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2014
Priority date	Jan 22, 2014
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed is a washing machine with a modular computer board, comprising a control circuit board and function control modules respectively connected to corresponding loads, characterized in that the control circuit board comprises a main control module; the function control modules include at least a motor control module, a water feeding control module, and a water discharge control module; at least one of the function control modules is arranged independently from the control circuit board; and the main control module and the independently arranged function control module are connected to a data bus and a power bus, respectively. A modular construction mode of the computer board control circuit board of the washing machine is achieved by connecting a computer board provided with the main control module to various function control modules respectively via a data bus and a power bus; moreover, the circuit configuration in the washing machine is simplified by mounting the function control modules on or close to corresponding loads.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A modular computer board for a washing machine, comprising a control circuit board and function control modules, and each of the function control modules is connected to corresponding loads, respectively, wherein the control circuit board comprises a main control module, the function control modules comprise a motor control module, a water feeding control module, and a water discharge control module, at least one of the function control modules is arranged independently from the control circuit board, and the main control module and function control modules arranged independently are connected to a data bus and a power bus, respectively;
wherein a load of the main control module comprises a control panel of the washing machine, a load of the water feeding control module comprises a water feeding valve of the washing machine, a load of the motor control module comprises a load motor of the washing machine, and a load of the water discharge control module comprise a water discharge valve of the washing machine;
the data bus sequentially passes through the control panel, the water feeding valve, the load motor and the water discharge valve, the data bus is provided with corresponding ports at the control panel, the water feeding valve, the load motor and the water discharge valve respectively, and each of the corresponding ports of the data bus is connected to a respective one of data bus terminals of the main control module, the water feeding control module, the motor control module and the water discharge control module;
the power bus sequentially passes through the control panel, the water feeding valve, the load motor and the water discharge valve, the power bus is provided with corresponding ports at the control panel, the water feeding valve, the load motor and the water discharge valve respectively, and each of the corresponding ports of the power bus is connected to a respective one of power bus terminals of the main control module, the water feeding control module, the motor control module and the water discharge control module.

2. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the function control modules are arranged independently from the control circuit board, respectively.

3. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 1 , wherein each of the function control modules arranged independently is disposed at any position between a cylinder and a housing of the washing machine.

4. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 1 , wherein each of the function control modules arranged independently are mounted on or close to the corresponding loads.

5. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the function control modules arranged independently and the main control module are connected in series via the data bus, and the function control modules arranged independently and the main control module are connected in series via the power bus.

6. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit board having the main control module provided therein is mounted at the control panel, the main control module is connected to the control panel and is connected to each of the function control modules in series, so as to process and analyze a human-machine communication information reflected by the control panel and feedback information from each of the function control modules and send command signals to each of the function control modules.

7. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the load motor is a series-excited motor, a variable-frequency motor or a DD motor; and the motor control module is disposed in an independent circuit board which is mounted on or close to the load motor,
the water feeding valve is configured for controlling the opening or closing of a water feeding tube of the washing machine, the water feeding control module is disposed in the independent circuit board which is mounted close to the water feeding valve, and
the water discharge valve is configured for controlling on and off of the water discharge tube, the water discharge control module is disposed in an independent circuit board which is mounted close to the water discharge assembly.

8. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the function control modules further include one or two of a door lock control module, a drying control module, an automatic delivery control module and a heating control module.

9. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the door lock control module, the drying control module, the automatic delivery control module and the heating control module is disposed independently from the control circuit board.

10. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 8 , wherein a load of the door lock control module is a door lock for locking a door body of the washing machine, a load of the drying control module is various drying assemblies constituting of a clothes drying system of the washing machine, a load of the automatic delivery control module is an automatic delivery module for controlling the delivery of a detergent from a detergent cartridge, and a load of the heating control module is a heating assembly in a heating system.

11. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 1 , wherein each of the function control modules is provided with a data bus terminal which is connected to the data bus and a power bus terminal which is connected to the power bus.

12. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 2 , wherein all of the function control modules are arranged independently from the control circuit board, respectively.

13. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 9 , wherein the door lock control module, the drying control module, the automatic delivery control module and the heating control module are independently disposed from the control circuit board, respectively.

14. The modular computer board for a washing machine of claim 8 , wherein the door lock control module is a control computer board that is mounted in a door lock of the washing machine for controlling the opening and close state of the door lock of the washing machine, the drying control module is a control computer board that is mounted close to a drying assembly of the washing machine for controlling operation states of the drying assembly of the washing machine, the automatic delivery control module is a control computer board that is mounted close to the automatic delivery module for controlling a mount of delivery of liquid detergents and/or detergent powders and/or softener, and the heating control module is an intelligent control computer board that is mounted close to a heating assembly of the washing machine for controlling the heating state of the heating assembly of the washing machine.

Assignees

• Haier Group Corp
• Qingdao Haier Washing Mach Co

Inventors

• Fu Xiaodong
• Liang Qing
• Liu Tao
• He Yunfeng

Classifications

• D06F37/304

  Arrangements or adaptations of electric motors · CPC title

• D06F39/14

  Doors or covers; Securing means therefor · CPC title

• D06F39/02

  Devices for adding soap or other washing agents · CPC title

• D06F34/28 Primary

  Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress · CPC title

• D06F39/005 Primary

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic