JP2022025266A - washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a washing machine which suppresses failure and malfunction of a control device due to heat or steam generated in the control device.SOLUTION: A washing machine includes: a housing 11; and a control device 50 arranged in a storage part 24b provided in the housing 11, and for executing a series of washing operations such as washing, rinsing and dewatering steps. The control device 50 includes: an electrical substrate 71 where an electrical component 71a for generating heat is disposed; and a metal cover 73 disposed so as to cover the electrical substrate 71. The metal cover 73 has: a swollen part 73b protruding to a space side of the storage part 24b; and an opening part 73a directed upward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a washing machine provided with a control device.

Patent Document 1 discloses an electric device provided with an electronic circuit board device, which has good moisture resistance, efficiently dissipates heat, is resistant to ignition of a power module, and is characterized by effective heat dissipation. This electronic circuit board device is a device in which a power module is mounted on a mounting board, and the mounting board is housed in a circuit case so as to form a space under the mounting board. A heat dissipation plate made of metal is attached to the upper surface of the package, and the heat dissipation plate is exposed from the upper surface of the circuit case.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-252663

The present disclosure provides a washing machine that efficiently releases heat generated in a control device including an electrical substrate, suppresses the intrusion of water vapor, and suppresses failure or malfunction of the control device.

The washing machine in the present disclosure includes a housing and a control device arranged on the housing portion provided in the housing and executing a washing operation. The control device includes an electrical board on which heat-generating electrical components are mounted, and a case arranged so as to cover the electrical board. The case has a bulge that projects toward the space of the housing and an opening that points upward.

The washing machine in the present disclosure can efficiently release the heat generated in the control device including the electrical substrate, suppress the intrusion of water vapor, and suppress the failure or malfunction of the control device.

External perspective view of the washing machine according to the first embodiment External perspective view of the washing machine in the state where the lid of the washing machine is opened according to the first embodiment. Side sectional view of the washing machine according to the first embodiment An exploded perspective view of the control device of the washing machine according to the first embodiment. Cross-sectional view of the main part near the control device of the washing machine in the first embodiment Schematic diagram showing the flow of air warmed by the exhaust heat of the control device of the washing machine and the flow of water vapor in the first embodiment.

(Knowledge, etc. that became the basis of this disclosure)
At the time when the inventors came up with the present disclosure, there was a washing machine having an electrical board as a control device on which electrical components such as a power module that generates heat were mounted. When the power module generates heat, the heated air stays in the case that houses the electrical board, causing the electrical board to become hot, which may cause malfunctions or malfunctions of electronic components such as the power module. It is configured to improve the cooling effect by providing a heat sink and improving the air circulation to dissipate heat. However, the inventors have discovered that water is indispensable for the operation of a washing machine, and the air in the vicinity of the control device has a high humidity, and this moisture causes a failure or malfunction of the control device. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the subject matter of the present disclosure has been constructed.

The present disclosure provides a washing machine that efficiently releases heat generated in a control device including an electrical substrate, suppresses the intrusion of water vapor, and suppresses failure or malfunction of the control device.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or duplicate explanations for substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to prevent the following explanation from becoming unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art.

It should be noted that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. In the present embodiment, a vertical washing machine will be described as an example of the washing machine.

[1-1. Constitution]
[1-1-1. Washing machine configuration]
In FIGS. 1 and 2, the washing machine 10 is provided with a washing tub 15 in which laundry such as clothes is housed inside the housing 11. Further, a top cover 24 is provided on the upper portion as a part of the housing 11. The top cover 24 is formed with a clothes inlet 24a in accordance with the opening of the washing tub 15, and a lid 25 covering the clothes inlet 24a is provided so as to be openable and closable. The operation display unit 60 is arranged behind the lid body 25. The cleaning agent charging case 26 is provided on the top cover 24 so as to be able to be pulled out as a part of the clothes charging port 24a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the washing machine 10 has a water tank 13 inside the housing 11. The water tank 13 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and is vibration-proof supported by the housing 11 by a suspension (not shown). The washing tub 15 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape and is rotatably arranged inside the water tub 13. The washing tub 15 has a large number of water passage holes 16 formed on the side wall thereof, and is also used as a dehydration tub. Further, a fluid balancer 17 is arranged above the washing tub 15. The fluid balancer 17 suppresses abnormal vibration of the water tub 13 caused by the bias of clothes in the washing tub 15.

The pulsator 18 is rotatably arranged at the central bottom of the washing tub 15. The rotating shaft 14 is arranged so as to penetrate the bottom surface of the washing tub 15. A pulsator 18 is attached to the upper end of the rotating shaft 14, and a transmission mechanism 19 is attached to the lower end.

A reduction gear (not shown), a clutch (not shown), and a brake (not shown) are built in the transmission mechanism 19. The motor 20 is attached to the bottom of the water tank 13 and is bridged with the transmission mechanism 19 by a belt 23. The rotational driving force of the motor 20 is transmitted in the order of the motor side pulley 21, the belt 23, and the mechanical side pulley 22 of the transmission mechanism 19, to rotate the rotary shaft 14. The rotating shaft 14 is hollow and has a biaxial structure, and the washing tub 15, the pulsator 18, or only the pulsator 18 can be rotated by the operation of the transmission mechanism 19.

A heater (not shown) is attached to the bottom of the water tank 13 and raises the temperature of the water stored in the water tank 13.

[1-1-2. Control unit configuration]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a concave accommodating portion 24b is formed at the rear portion of the top cover 24. The accommodating portion 24b accommodates the control device 50 disposed on the accommodating portion cover 51. The control device 50 in the present embodiment is mainly composed of an operation display unit 60 arranged on the upper side and a control unit 70 arranged on the lower side of the operation display unit 60. The operation display unit 60 transmits the washing course or the like input by the user to the control unit 70, and displays the washing operation status. The control unit 70 controls an electrical unit such as a motor 20 to execute a series of washing operations including a washing step, a rinsing step, and a dehydration step.

Next, the detailed configuration of the operation display unit 60 will be described. The operation display unit 60 is mainly composed of an operation panel 61 formed on the accommodating unit cover 51, an operation dial 62, and an operation board 63. An operation button 61a is arranged on the operation panel 61. The operation board 63 arranged below the operation panel 61 converts the force transmitted by the operation button 61a or the operation dial 62 into an electric signal and transmits it to the control unit 70.

Next, the detailed configuration of the control unit 70 will be described. The control unit 70 mainly includes an electrical board 71, an insulating noncombustible material sheet (not shown), and a case 72 arranged so as to cover the electrical board 71. The case 72 is composed of a substrate case 72a and a metal cover 73.

The board case 72a holds the operation board 63 on the upper surface and the electrical board 71 on the lower surface. The substrate case 72a is made of a flame-retardant resin, and an insulating noncombustible material sheet is provided between the substrate case 72a and the electrical substrate 71. On the lower surface of the electrical board 71, a lead wire that receives a signal from the operation board 63 and an electrical component 71a (see FIG. 5) such as a connector and a power module are mounted. Further, a urethane resin potting agent (not shown) is filled so as to cover almost the entire electrical substrate 71. As a result, it is possible to prevent the electrical substrate 71 from failing due to water.

As shown in FIG. 5, the metal cover 73 is provided so as to cover the lower part of the electrical board 71 held by the board case 72a. The metal cover 73 has a plurality of bulging portions 73b on the surface facing the electrical substrate 71, which protrudes toward the space side of the accommodating portion 24b by drawing processing and has an opening 73a formed so as to open upward. At the root of each bulging portion 73b, an R shape of about R1 is provided in order to prevent the lead wire arranged in the electrical substrate 71 from coming into contact with each opening 73a and being damaged.

A gap c is provided between the rear portion of the accommodating portion cover 51 and the rear portion of the top cover 24 so that air can flow between the accommodating portion 24b and the outside. Further, the space of the accommodating portion 24b communicates with the space of the water tank 13.

[1-2. motion]
The operation and operation of the washing machine 10 configured as described above will be described below.

First, the basic operation of the washing operation will be described. The user puts the laundry into the washing tub 15 with the lid 25 open, and puts the detergent and the softener into a predetermined place. Then, the lid 25 is closed, and an instruction regarding the washing operation is input via the operation display unit 60. As a result, the control unit 70 starts the washing operation and performs the washing process.

In the washing step, the control unit 70 energizes the heater while opening the water supply valve (not shown) and supplying water to the water tank 13 to a predetermined water level. When the washing water containing the detergent rises to a predetermined temperature, the motor 20 is driven. At this time, the driving force of the motor 20 is transmitted to the pulsator 18 via the rotating shaft 14, and the laundry is agitated by the rotation of the pulsator 18. After the stirring operation is performed for a predetermined time, the control unit 70 opens a drain valve (not shown) to drain the dirty washing liquid.

Subsequently, the dehydration operation of rotating the washing tub 15 at high speed is started. When the dehydration operation is started, the control unit 70 switches the clutch of the transmission mechanism 19 to the dehydration side. Then, the rotational driving force of the motor 20 is transmitted to the washing tub 15 and the pulsator 18 via the rotating shaft 14, and the washing tub 15 and the pulsator 18 are rotated. As a result, the washing liquid is separated from the laundry by centrifugal force and dehydrated. When the dehydration operation is completed, the washing process is completed.

When the rinsing step is started after the washing step, the drain valve is closed and the water supply valve is opened, and tap water is supplied into the washing tub 15. Also in the rinsing step, the water in the washing tub 15 is drained after the stirring operation is performed by rotating the pulsator 18. Subsequently, the dehydration step is started. Also in the dehydration step, the dehydration operation of rotating the washing tub 15 and the pulsator 18 at high speed is performed, and the water content of the clothes is removed. When the dehydration process is completed, the entire process is completed and the washing operation is completed.

Next, the operation of the control unit 70 during the washing operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 schematically shows the flow of air (solid line arrow A) and the flow of water vapor (broken line arrow B) warmed by the exhaust heat of the control unit 70 of the washing machine in the present embodiment.

The control unit 70 drives the motor 20 by passing a current through the electrical component 71a on the electrical board 71 to the motor 20. Since a large current is required to drive the motor 20, a large current is also passed through the electrical component 71a, and Joule heat is generated in the electrical component 71a. Since the heat moves to the lower temperature side, the generated heat heats the air in the metal cover 73. The heated air passes through the opening 73a of the metal cover 73 and flows out to the accommodating portion 24b as shown by the practical arrow A, and further, the gap c provided between the accommodating portion cover 51 and the top cover 24 is formed. It is discharged to the outside of the housing 11 via the housing 11.

Further, it is desirable that the metal cover 73 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity such as metal. As a result, a heat dissipation effect can be expected through the cover having high thermal conductivity, so that the cooling efficiency of the electrical component 71a can be improved.

In this way, the heat generated by the control device 50 is efficiently released, and the electrical component 71a is cooled, so that the heated air stays in the metal cover 73, resulting in failure or malfunction of the control device 50. Is suppressed.

Further, water vapor is generated from the water in the water tank 13 whose temperature has been raised by the heater. The generated water vapor becomes an updraft as shown by the broken line arrow B, and flows into the accommodating portion 24b through which the space communicates. The water vapor that has flowed into the accommodating portion 24b comes into contact with the metal cover 73, but since the opening 73a of the metal cover 73 is located upward and is directed upward, it is prevented from directly flowing into the control unit 70. Can be done. At the same time, the updraft containing water vapor attracts the air inside the metal cover 73 and is discharged to the outside of the housing 11 through the gap c provided between the accommodating portion cover 51 and the top cover 24. , Contributes to heat dissipation of the electrical component 71a. Therefore, the cooling efficiency of the control device 50 can be improved.

Further, since the metal cover 73 is heated, dew condensation of water vapor basically does not occur on the surface thereof. However, even if water vapor condenses on the surface of the metal cover 73, the dew water flows down along the bulging portion 73b, so that the control device 50 is prevented from malfunctioning or malfunctioning due to the dew water.

[1-3. Effect, etc.]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the washing machine 10 is arranged in the housing 11 and the accommodating portion 24b provided in the housing 11 to execute a series of washing operations such as washing, rinsing and dehydration steps. The control device 50 is provided. The control device 50 includes an electrical board 71 on which a heat-generating electrical component 71a is mounted, and a metal cover 73 (case 72) arranged so as to cover the electrical board 71. The metal cover 73 has a bulging portion 73b projecting toward the space side of the accommodating portion 24b and an opening portion 73a directed upward.

As a result, the washing machine 10 efficiently releases the heat generated in the control device 50 including the electrical board 71 including the electrical component 71a that generates heat, suppresses the intrusion of water vapor, and causes the control device 50 to malfunction or malfunction. Suppress.

Further, in the present embodiment, the metal cover 73 included in the case 72 of the control device 50 of the washing machine 10 is formed of metal.

As a result, a heat dissipation effect can be expected through the metal cover 73 having high thermal conductivity, so that the cooling efficiency of the control device 50 can be improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the washing machine 10 includes a water tank 13 in which the washing water is stored in the housing 11, and the space of the storage portion 24b communicates with the space of the water tank 13.

As a result, when an updraft is generated from the water tank 13, the updraft attracts the air in the metal cover 73, and the housing 11 passes through the gap c provided between the accommodating portion cover 51 and the top cover 24. By being discharged to the outside of the above, it contributes to heat dissipation of the electrical component 71a. Therefore, the cooling efficiency of the control device 50 can be improved.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, the first embodiment has been described as an example of the technique disclosed in the present application. However, the technique in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. have been made.

Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

In the first embodiment, a vertical washing machine has been described as an example of the washing machine. The washing machine may be one that can wash the cloth with water. Therefore, the washing machine is not limited to the vertical type washing machine, and may be a drum type washing machine or a two-tank type washing machine.

In the first embodiment, as an example of the control device, the control device 50 including the operation display unit 60 and the control unit 70 has been described. The control device 50 may include an electrical board 71 on which the electrical components 71a are arranged, and a cover arranged so as to cover the surface of the electrical board 71 on which the electrical components 71a are disposed. Therefore, the control device 50 does not have to include the operation display unit 60, and the control unit 70 and the operation display unit 60 may be arranged at different positions. Therefore, the control device 50 does not necessarily have to be provided in the upper part of the housing 11, but may be provided in the back surface or the lower part of the housing 11.

In the first embodiment, the metal cover 73 has been described as an example of the case 72 arranged so as to cover the electrical substrate 71. The material of the case 72 is not limited to metal. That is, a cover made of a resin, a ceramic material, or the like may be used. However, by forming it from metal, it is possible to improve thermal conductivity, fire resistance and durability as compared with those made of resin.

The present disclosure is applicable to washing machines equipped with a control device. Specifically, the present disclosure is applicable to vertical washing machines, drum-type washing machines, and the like.

10 Washing machine 11 Housing 13 Water tank 14 Rotating shaft 15 Washing tank 16 Water flow hole 17 Fluid balancer 18 Pulser 19 Transmission mechanism 20 Motor 21 Motor side pulley 22 Mechanical side pulley 23 Belt 24 Top cover (housing)
24a Clothes input port 24b Storage part 25 Lid body 26 Cleaning agent charging case 50 Control device 51 Storage part cover 60 Operation display unit 61 Operation panel 62 Operation dial 63 Operation board 70 Control unit 71 Electrical board 71a Electrical parts 72 Case 72a Board case ( Case)
73 Metal cover (case)
73a opening 73b bulge

Claims (3)

With the housing
A control device, which is arranged in the accommodating portion provided in the housing and executes a washing operation, is provided.
The control device includes an electrical board on which heat-generating electrical components are mounted and a case arranged so as to cover the electrical board.
The case has a bulge that projects toward the space of the containment portion and an upwardly directed opening.
washing machine. The case is made of metal,
The washing machine according to claim 1. A water tank for storing washing water is provided in the housing.
The space of the accommodating portion communicates with the space of the aquarium.
The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2.

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