Control method of a water-saving washing machine and washing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11060225-B2
Application number	US-201615755606-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2016
Priority date	Aug 31, 2015
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

A control method of a water-saving washing machine and washing machine, of which a locking hole and a drainage port are formed in a bottom of an inner tub, and a locking mechanism and a drainage control mechanism are arranged at the bottom of an outer tub, comprising: Step I: carrying out a washing/rinsing procedure, a master control board controlling the locking mechanism to couple with the locking hole to lock the inner tub, and the drainage control mechanism blocking off the drainage port, supplying water to the inner tub, starting washing; Step II: carrying out a drainage procedure, the master control board controlling the drainage control mechanism to open the drainage port, water in the inner tub being drained; Step III: carrying out a dewatering procedure, the master control board controlling the locking mechanism to release the inner tub to drive the inner barrel to rotate for dehydration.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control method of a water-saving washing machine of which a locking hole and a drainage port are formed in the bottom of an inner tub, and a locking mechanism and a drainage control mechanism are arranged at the bottom of an outer tub, comprising:
Step I: carrying out a washing/rinsing procedure,
a master control board controlling the locking mechanism to couple with the locking hole to lock the inner tub, and the drainage control mechanism blocking off the drainage port,
supplying water to the inner tub of the washing machine until a set water level or water volume is reached,
starting washing, wherein water is absent between the inner tub and the outer tub;
Step II: carrying out a drainage procedure after the washing/rinsing procedure ends up,
the master control board controlling the drainage control mechanism to open the drainage port, and water in the inner tub being drained through the drainage port;
Step III: carrying out a dewatering procedure after the drainage procedure ends up,
the master control board controlling the locking mechanism to release the inner tub, and to drive the inner tub to rotate for dehydration.

2. The control method of a water-saving washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein,
in the Step I, the master control board sends out an inner tub locking command after receiving a washing/rinsing signal,
the inner tub is driven to rotate to enable the locking hole to be in a position corresponding to a locking rod of the locking mechanism, and the locking rod is controlled to get into the locking hole,
the locking mechanism sends out a locked-in-place signal to the master control board after the locking rod sticks into the locking hole in place.

3. The control method of a water-saving washing machine according to claim 2 , wherein,
after the master control board sends out the inner tub locking command and receives the locked-in-place signal, the master control board sends out a drainage port closing command,
a valve plug of the drainage control mechanism is controlled to protrude to block off the drainage port,
if the master control board does not receive the locked-in-place signal sent from the locking mechanism in set time or set detection times after sending out the inner tub locking command, the master control board controls the locking rod to be subjected to restoring and resends out the inner tub locking command.

4. The control method of a water-saving washing machine according to claim 3 , wherein,
if the master control board does not receive the locked-in-place signal sent from the locking mechanism in the set time or set detection times after resending out the inner tub locking command for set times, the master control board sends out a warning command and performs warning.

5. The control method of a water-saving washing machine according to claim 4 , wherein,
the locking rod is a diameter-variable cylinder,
a position switch is arranged at the locking mechanism corresponding to an outer side of the locking rod,
after the locking rod sticks into the locking hole in place and the locking rod is subjected to restoring, portions with different diameters of the locking rod correspond to a contact of the position switch and trigger the position switch to send out corresponding signals.

6. The control method of a water-saving washing machine according to claim 3 , wherein,
the locking rod is a diameter-variable cylinder,
a position switch is arranged at the locking mechanism corresponding to an outer side of the locking rod,
after the locking rod sticks into the locking hole in place and the locking rod is subjected to restoring, portions with different diameters of the locking rod correspond to a contact of the position switch and trigger the position switch to send out corresponding signals.

7. The control method of a water-saving washing machine according to claim 2 , wherein,
the locking rod is a diameter-variable cylinder,
a position switch is arranged at the locking mechanism corresponding to an outer side of the locking rod,
after the locking rod sticks into the locking hole in place and the locking rod is subjected to restoring, portions with different diameters of the locking rod correspond to a contact of the position switch and trigger the position switch to send out corresponding signals.

8. The control method of a water-saving washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein,
in the step II, after the washing/rinsing procedure ends up, the master control board sends out a drainage valve opening command and controls the valve plug of the drainage control mechanism to be subjected to restoring, and the drainage port is opened to drain.

9. The control method of a water-saving washing machine according to claim 8 , wherein,
the locking rod is a diameter-variable cylinder,
a position switch is arranged at the locking mechanism corresponding to an outer side of the locking rod,
after the locking rod sticks into the locking hole in place and the locking rod is subjected to restoring, portions with different diameters of the locking rod correspond to a contact of the position switch and trigger the position switch to send out corresponding signals.

10. The control method of a water-saving washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein,
in the step III, after the drainage procedure ends up, the master control board sends out an inner tub releasing command and controls the locking rod to restore,
the locking mechanism sends out an unlocked-in-place signal after the locking rod is subjected to restoring, and
the inner tub is controlled to rotate to carry out dehydrating after the master control board receives the unlocked-in-place signal.

11. The control method of a water-saving washing machine according to claim 10 , wherein,
the locking rod is a diameter-variable cylinder,
a position switch is arranged at the locking mechanism corresponding to an outer side of the locking rod,
after the locking rod sticks into the locking hole in place and the locking rod is subjected to restoring, portions with different diameters of the locking rod correspond to a contact of the position switch and trigger the position switch to send out corresponding signals.

12. The control method of a water-saving washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein,
after the locking rod sticks into the locking hole in place, the portion with a small diameter of the locking rod corresponds to the position switch, the contact is released, and the position switch sends out the locked-in-place signal to the master control board;
after the locking rod is subjected to restoring, the portion with a big diameter of the locking rod corresponds to the contact of the position switch, the contact is compressed, and the position switch sends out the unlocked-in-place signal to the master control board;
Or, after the locking rod sticks into the locking hole in place, the portions with a big diameter of the locking rod corresponds to the position switch, the contact is compressed, and the position switch sends out the locked-in-place signal to the master control board;
after the locking rod is subjected to restoring, the portion with a small diameter of the locking rod corresponds to the contact of the position switch, the contact is reset, and the position switch sends out the unlocked-in-place signal to the master control board.

13. The control method of a water-saving washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein, in the step II and the step III, the locking mechanism is controlled to leave the locking hole to release the inner tub while or before the master control board controls the

Assignees

• Qingdao Haier Washing Mach Co

Inventors

• Lv Peishi
• Yang Lin
• Xu Jie
• Fang Dafeng
• Wang Lingchen

Classifications

• D06F33/36 Primary

  of washing · CPC title

• D06F33/42

  of draining · CPC title

• D06F37/302

  Automatic drum positioning · CPC title

• D06F39/081

  Safety arrangements for preventing water damage · CPC title

• D06F23/04 Primary

  and rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis · CPC title