JP2022074767A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To secure an attaching area for an operation panel large, and to prevent light leakage between adjacent LEDs.SOLUTION: A washing machine includes: an outer case; a top cover provided at an upper part of the outer case; an operation panel attached on a surface of the top cover; and a display unit arranged inside the top cover and for displaying various types of information. The display unit includes: a plurality of light emitting parts; and a light emitting part support member for holding the light emitting part, and for forming a diffusion part which diffuses the light emitted from the light emitting part in accordance with the shape of characters, numbers or diagrams provided at the operation panel. A part of the plurality of light emitting parts is arranged so as to be adjacent to each other. At an inner bottom part of the light emitting part support member, a rib is provided for partitioning the diffusion parts corresponding to the adjacent light emitting parts. At the top cover, an opening part is formed for exposing the diffusion part. The opening on the operation panel side of the diffusion part is narrower than the opening part of the top cover.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a washing machine.

Inside the top cover of the washing machine, a switch for making various settings related to washing and a display unit for displaying various information related to washing are arranged. The display unit includes an LED that is a light emitting unit that serves as a light source for display, and an LED support member that holds the LED and forms a diffuser portion that diffuses the light emitted by the LED. The top cover is formed with an opening for exposing such a diffused portion. An operation panel is attached to the surface of the top cover via an adhesive member such as double-sided tape.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-255838

As the amount of information displayed by the display unit increases, the number of LEDs increases, resulting in a larger diffuser formed in the LED support member, which in turn results in a larger opening in the top cover. The larger the opening of the top cover, the smaller the sticking range of the operation panel on the top cover. If the sticking range of the operation panel, that is, the sticking area of the operation panel becomes small, the operation panel may be peeled off due to shrinkage of the top cover, especially in a low temperature environment.

Further, when a part of a plurality of LEDs is arranged so as to be adjacent to each other, as the number of LEDs increases, the distance between the LEDs becomes shorter, so that light leakage may occur especially between the adjacent LEDs. It gets higher. When light leakage occurs, there is a possibility that the LED that is originally off may appear to be lit.
Therefore, we provide a washing machine that can secure a large area for attaching the operation panel and prevent light leakage between adjacent light emitting units.

The washing machine of the embodiment has an outer box, a top cover provided on the upper part of the outer box, an operation panel attached to the surface of the top cover, and various information arranged inside the top cover. It is equipped with a display unit for displaying. The display unit forms a plurality of light emitting units and a diffusing unit that holds the light emitting unit and diffuses the light emitted by the light emitting unit according to the shape of characters, numbers, or figures provided on the operation panel. It is provided with a light emitting portion support member. A part of the plurality of light emitting units is arranged so as to be adjacent to each other. The inner bottom portion of the light emitting portion support member is provided with a rib for partitioning the diffusion portion corresponding to the adjacent light emitting portion. The top cover is formed with an opening for exposing the diffused portion. The opening of the diffusion portion on the operation panel side is narrower than the opening of the top cover.

A perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the washing machine according to the first embodiment. A perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the top cover with the operation panel removed according to the first embodiment. A perspective view showing a specific configuration example of the operation display unit according to the first embodiment. A plan view showing a specific configuration example of the operation display unit according to the first embodiment. A specific configuration example of the operation display unit according to the first embodiment is shown, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X5-X5 of FIG. A perspective view showing a specific configuration example of the operation display unit according to the second embodiment. A plan view showing a specific configuration example of the operation display unit according to the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, substantially the same configuration is designated by the same reference numeral, and the description thereof will be omitted.
(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

<Overall configuration of washing machine>
As shown in FIG. 1, the washing machine 1 of the present embodiment is a so-called vertical axis type washing machine in which the rotation axis of the washing tub is in the vertical direction. In this specification, the user side with respect to the washing machine 1 is the front side of the washing machine 1, and the side opposite to the front side is the rear side of the washing machine 1. In the present specification, the front-back direction means the front-back direction when the washing machine 1 is installed on the floor surface. Further, in the present specification, the vertical direction of the washing machine 1 with respect to the gravity direction is the vertical direction of the washing machine 1, and the left-right direction when the washing machine 1 is viewed from the user side is the left-right direction of the washing machine 1.

The washing machine 1 includes a washing machine main body 2 and a rectangular plate-shaped lid 3 on the upper part of the washing machine main body 2. The width of the lid 3 in the left-right direction is the same as the width of the washing machine main body 2 in the left-right direction. In addition, in this specification, "the same" includes not only those which are completely the same but also those which are slightly different so that they can be regarded as the same. The washing machine main body 2 includes, for example, a rectangular box-shaped outer box 4 made of a steel plate, and a top cover 5 made of, for example, a synthetic resin.

The top cover 5 is provided on the upper part of the outer box 4. That is, the top cover 5 constitutes the upper part of the washing machine main body 2. Although not shown, a water tank for storing washing water is elastically supported inside the outer box 4 by an elastic suspension mechanism. A washing tub for accommodating laundry is rotatably provided inside the water tub. The rotation axis of the washing tub is a vertical axis extending in the vertical direction of the washing machine main body 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the top cover 5 has a thin hollow box shape in which the lower surface is open and the upper surface is inclined downward toward the front. At the center of the top cover 5, an opening 6 for taking in and out the laundry is provided above the washing tub. Note that FIG. 2 shows the top cover 5 with the operation panel 10 described later removed. The opening 6 opens in an arc shape on the front side and in a rectangular shape on the rear side. The opening 6 has the same shape from the upper surface to the lower surface of the top cover 5, that is, the opening has an arc shape on the front side and a rectangular shape on the rear side, and has a depth in the vertical direction. In this case, since the upper surface of the top cover 5 is inclined downward toward the front, the depth of the opening 6 is deeper on the rear side than on the front side.

The lid 3 that opens and closes the opening 6 is provided on the upper surface of the top cover 5 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction. That is, the base end portion of the lid 3 is provided with a rotation shaft portion 7 extending in the left-right direction. The rotation shaft portion 7 is a support member that rotatably supports the lid 3 with respect to the washing machine main body 2. The rotating shaft portion 7 has a cylindrical shape extending in the left-right direction of the lid 3 at the base end portion of the lid 3.

On the other hand, a recess 8 extending in the left-right direction of the top cover 5 is provided in a portion of the upper portion of the top cover 5 that is behind the opening 6. The recess 8 has a shape recessed in an arc shape in cross section so as to correspond to the shape of the cylindrical rotation shaft portion 7. The width of the recess 8 in the left-right direction is the same as the width of the top cover 5 in the left-right direction, in other words, the width of the washing machine main body 2 in the left-right direction. Therefore, both ends of the recess 8 in the left-right direction are not closed, and the recess 8 is exposed toward the side of the washing machine main body 2. The rotation shaft portion 7 of the lid 3 is housed in the recess 8 on the washing machine main body 2 side. As a result, the lid 3 is rotatably supported on the upper part of the washing machine main body 2.

A lid support portion 9 for supporting the lid 3 with the opening 6 closed is provided on the upper portion of the top cover 5, in other words, the upper portion of the washing machine main body 2. The lid support portion 9 is provided in a planar shape around the opening 6. In this case, the lid support portion 9 is formed so as to surround the periphery of the opening portion 6 except for the front end portion of the opening portion 6. Further, in the upper part of the front part of the top cover 5, in other words, in the upper part of the front part of the washing machine main body 2, various operations related to the operation of the washing machine 1 and the like are input, and various information related to the operation of the washing machine 1 and the like are input. Is provided with an operation panel 10 for displaying.

The operation panel 10 is attached to the upper surface of the top cover 5, that is, the surface surface via an adhesive member such as double-sided tape. The operation panel 10 is provided on the front portion of the lid support portion 9 so as to be continuous with the lid support portion 9. The upper surface of the lid support portion 9 and the upper surface of the operation panel 10 are flush with each other. As a result, the periphery of the opening 6 is surrounded by a continuous flat surface portion having no step, which is composed of the upper surface of the lid support portion 9 and the upper surface of the operation panel 10. In addition, in this specification, "flush" means not only that there is no step between two faces, but also that there is a slight step between the two faces so that it can be considered that there is no step. include.

Inside the top cover 5, specifically, inside the place where the operation panel 10 of the top cover 5 is attached, a plurality of switches 11 for inputting various operations by the user and various information for the user. An operation display unit 13 including a plurality of LEDs 12 serving as a light source for displaying the above is arranged. In FIG. 2, only a part of the plurality of switches and the plurality of LEDs are designated with reference numerals. In this case, the operation display unit 13 functions as a display unit that displays various types of information. Further, in this case, the LED 12 functions as a light emitting unit.

<Specific configuration of operation display unit>
A specific configuration example of the operation display unit 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the top cover 5 as viewed from the front surface side, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the top cover 5 as viewed from the front surface side. Further, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X5-X5 of FIG. In the following description, when it is necessary to distinguish a plurality of LEDs 12, an alphabet is added at the end to distinguish them, and when it is not necessary to distinguish them, the alphabets are omitted and collectively referred to.

The operation display unit 13 includes an LED support member 22 that holds each LED 12. In this case, the LED support member 22 functions as a light emitting portion support member. The LED support member 22 forms a diffusing portion 21 that diffuses the light emitted by each LED 12 according to the shape of letters, numbers, or figures provided on the operation panel 10. In this case, some of the plurality of LEDs 12 are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other. Specifically, the LEDs 12a to 12d are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other, and the LEDs 12e to 12h are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other.

In this case, as the LED 12, a so-called cannonball type having a lead 23 is adopted. The LED 12 is mounted in a floating form on the circuit board 25 housed in the board case 24 by the lead 23. The LED support member 22 is made of a member having a light-shielding property, such as resin. The LED support member 22 includes a plurality of diffusers 21 corresponding to each of the plurality of LEDs 12. The diffusion portion 21 has a bowl shape having a taper that shrinks downward, and an opening 21a is formed at the bottom of the bowl shape. The LED 12 provided on the circuit board 25 is inserted into the diffuser 21 through the opening 21a.

The top cover 5 is formed with an opening 5a for exposing each of the plurality of diffusion portions 21. With such a configuration, the light emitted by the LED 12 is prevented from leaking by the diffuser 21, and the upper opening 21b of the diffuser 21, that is, the opening 21b on the operation panel 10 side and the opening 5a of the top cover 5 are used. It is guided toward the upper operation panel 10 through. In this case, the opening 21b on the operation panel 10 side of the diffusion portion 21 is narrower than the opening 5a of the top cover 5.

A plurality of ribs 26 to 31 for partitioning the diffusion portion 21 corresponding to the adjacent LEDs 12 are provided on the inner bottom portion of the LED support member 22. That is, the rib 26 partitions the diffusion portions 21 corresponding to the LEDs 12a and 12b, the rib 27 partitions the diffusion portions 21 corresponding to the LEDs 12b and 12c, and the rib 28 partitions the diffusion portions 21 corresponding to the LEDs 12c and 12d. The diffusion portions 21 corresponding to each are partitioned from each other.

Further, the rib 29 partitions the diffusion portions 21 corresponding to the LEDs 12e and 12f, respectively, the rib 30 partitions the diffusion portions 21 corresponding to the LEDs 12f and 12g, respectively, and the rib 31 partitions the diffusion portions 21 corresponding to the LEDs 12g and 12h. The diffusion portions 21 corresponding to each are partitioned from each other. In this case, the ribs 26 to 31 are integrally configured with the LED support member 22, and are not removable. The height dimension of the ribs 26 to 31 is set so that the upper surface of the ribs 26 to 31 and the surface of the top cover 5 are flush with each other.

According to the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
In the operation display unit 13 of the present embodiment, a part of the LEDs 12 is arranged so as to be adjacent to each other. In this case, ribs 26 to 31 for partitioning the diffuser 21 corresponding to each of the adjacent LEDs 12 are provided on the inner bottom portion of the LED support member 22 that holds the LED 12 and forms the diffuser 21.

That is, in the present embodiment, the ribs 26 to 31 can block light between adjacent LEDs 12 so that light does not leak, and the top cover 5 can block other parts. .. According to such a configuration, even when the amount of information displayed by the operation display unit 13 increases, a large sticking area of the operation panel 10 is secured and light leakage between adjacent LEDs 12 is prevented. be able to.

The height dimension of the ribs 26 to 31 is set so that the upper surface of the ribs 26 to 31 and the surface of the top cover 5 are flush with each other. By doing so, it is possible to reliably prevent light leakage between adjacent LEDs 12. Further, the opening 21b on the operation panel 10 side of the diffusion portion 21 is narrower than the opening 5a of the top cover 5. By doing so, the light of the LED 12 can be diffused more efficiently than when the opening 21b is wider than the opening 5a, and as a result, various information regarding the operation of the washing machine 1 by the operation panel 10 and the like can be obtained. It is possible to improve the visibility of the display of.

In this case, the ribs 26 to 31 are integrally configured with the LED support member 22 made of resin or the like. According to such a configuration, the ribs 26 to 31 can be easily configured. Further, if the ribs 26 to 31 are formed separately from the LED support member 22, light leakage may occur when the ribs 26 to 31 are displaced due to vibration or the like. If the ribs 26 to 31 are integrally configured with the LED support member 22 as described above, the possibility of light leakage due to such misalignment can be suppressed to a low level.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
In the present embodiment, the specific configuration of the operation display unit 13 has been changed with respect to the first embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the LED support member 41 of the present embodiment forms a diffusion portion 21 similar to the LED support member 22 of the first embodiment. In this case, the LED support member 41 functions as a light emitting portion support member.

A plurality of ribs 42 to 47 for partitioning the diffusion portion 21 corresponding to the adjacent LEDs 12 are provided on the inner bottom portion of the LED support member 41. The ribs 42 to 47 partition the diffusion portion 21 corresponding to the adjacent LEDs 12 as in the ribs 26 to 31 of the first embodiment. However, the width dimension of the ribs 42 to 47 is set to be larger than the width dimension of the opening 5a of the top cover 5.

The same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained by the configuration of the present embodiment described above. Further, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. That is, in the configuration of the first embodiment, the width dimension of the ribs 26 to 31 is set to the same dimension as the width dimension of the opening 5a of the top cover 5, but in such a configuration, light is emitted by the predetermined LED 12. The generated light may wrap around from the gap between the top cover 5 and the ribs 26 to 31 to the diffuser portion 21 corresponding to the other LED 12 adjacent to the predetermined LED 12. On the other hand, according to the configuration in which the ribs 42 to 47 having a width dimension larger than that of the opening 5a are provided as in the present embodiment, the above-mentioned light wraparound is suppressed, and as a result, between the adjacent LEDs 12. It is possible to more reliably prevent light leakage in.

(Other embodiments)
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and can be arbitrarily modified, combined, or extended without departing from the gist thereof.
The numerical values and the like shown in the above embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto.
The present invention is not limited to the vertical axis type washing machine 1, and can be applied to all washing machines such as a drum type washing machine.
The light emitting unit is not limited to the LED 12, and various light sources such as a light bulb can be adopted.

Although a plurality of embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

In the drawing, 1 is a washing machine, 4 is an outer box, 5 is a top cover, 5a ... opening, 10 is an operation panel, 12 ... LED, 13 is an operation display unit, 21 ... diffuser, 21b ... opening, 22, 41. ... LED support members, 26 to 31, 42 to 47 ... Ribs.

Claims (3)

An outer box, a top cover provided on the upper part of the outer box, an operation panel attached to the surface of the top cover, and a display unit arranged inside the top cover and displaying various information. It ’s a washing machine equipped with
The display unit forms a plurality of light emitting units and a diffusing unit that holds the light emitting unit and diffuses the light emitted by the light emitting unit according to the shape of characters, numbers, or figures provided on the operation panel. With a light emitting part support member,
A part of the plurality of light emitting units is arranged so as to be adjacent to each other.
A rib for partitioning the diffusion portion corresponding to the adjacent light emitting portion is provided on the inner bottom portion of the light emitting portion support member.
The top cover is formed with an opening for exposing the diffused portion.
A washing machine in which the opening of the diffusion portion on the operation panel side is narrower than the opening of the top cover. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the width dimension of the rib is set to a dimension larger than the width dimension of the opening of the top cover. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the height dimension of the rib is set so that the upper surface of the rib and the surface of the top cover are flush with each other.

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