JP6396009B2 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a washing machine.

  Generally, home appliances such as washing machines are provided with an operation panel for performing various settings. Conventionally, a mechanical switch such as a tact switch is often used for the operation part of the operation panel. However, when the mechanical switch is used, a plurality of irregularities due to the mechanical switch are generated on the surface of the operation panel, which causes a complicated impression to the user. Therefore, in recent years, it has been considered to use a touch switch for detecting a user's touch operation instead of a mechanical switch for the operation unit of such an operation panel.

  For example, when a touch switch is used for a refrigerator, an operation unit is provided on the surface of the door. A touch switch and a light source are provided inside the door and on the back side of the operation unit. The front plate of the door has a light shielding property as a whole, but the region of the operation unit is configured to have a light transmitting property. And the area | region of an operation part is displayed on the surface of a door by turning on a light source. According to this, since the periphery of the operation unit can be configured as a flat surface, and further, it is possible to produce an effect as if the operation unit is lifted on the door surface, so that the design can be improved.

  On the other hand, in recent washing machines, the design of an operation panel having a smooth curved surface as a whole is being adopted. Therefore, the members constituting the surface portion of the operation panel have a curved shape. Therefore, a gap is likely to occur between the back surface of the member constituting the front surface portion of the operation panel and the member that supports the light source inside the operation panel, and light from the light source leaks from such a gap, or There arises a problem that the contact between the back surface of the member constituting the front surface portion of the operation panel and the electrode film for detecting the user's operation is impaired.

JP 2012-78086 A

  Accordingly, a washing machine is provided that can improve the adhesion between the back surface of the member constituting the surface portion of the operation panel and the member that supports the light source inside the operation panel.

The washing machine according to the present embodiment includes an operation panel for performing various settings. The operation panel includes a housing case, a light source supporting member, possess a surface panel member, the sheet-shaped electrode film for detecting an operation of a user, and the light source supporting member and the surface panel member Have in between . The housing case houses the circuit board on which the light source is mounted. The light source support member supports the light source. The surface panel member constitutes a surface portion of the operation panel. The housing case includes a pressing portion that presses the light source support member against the back surface of the front panel member, and is configured to be fixed to the front panel member with a screw. The pressing portion is a position that presses the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the light source support member at each of the front end portion and the rear end portion of the light source support member, and corresponds to a portion where the housing case is fixed by the screw. And at the front end portion and the rear end portion of the light source support member, the left and right portions are provided separately .

The perspective view which shows the washing machine by one Embodiment Block diagram showing electrical configuration An exploded perspective view of the operation panel Vertical side view of the operation panel Diagram showing the configuration of the operation panel Top view of storage case Vertical side view of the operation panel at different positions Vertical side view of the operation panel at different positions Vertical side view of the operation panel showing the case where the circuit board is potted

  Hereinafter, a washing machine according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. For example, the washing machine 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a drum-type washing and drying machine having a drying function, and includes a washing machine main body 11, a door 12, a control device 20 as a control means shown in FIG. ing. In the washing machine 10, the door 12 side is the front side of the washing machine 10, and the opposite side of the door 12 is the rear side of the washing machine 10.

  The washing machine body 11 constitutes the outer shell of the washing machine 10 and is formed in a rectangular box shape whose front surface is smoothly inclined. Moreover, in the case of this embodiment, the washing machine main body 11 is comprised based on white. An opening 111 is provided in the front central portion of the washing machine body 11. The opening 111 communicates with a rotating tub (not shown) provided inside the washing machine main body 11, and the laundry is put into and out of the rotating tub through the opening 111. The door 12 is provided so that the opening 111 can be opened and closed. The door 12 is opened by operating the door button 13. A water supply port 14 is provided on the upper surface of the washing machine body 11. The water supply port 14 is connected to a faucet serving as a water source by a water supply hose (not shown). And the water from the tap of a water supply is supplied into the water tank which is not shown in the figure provided in the washing machine main body 11 through the water supply hose and the water supply port 14. FIG.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the control device 20 is connected to a motor 21, a drain valve 22, a water supply valve 23, a compressor 24, a blower 25, and the like. Although detailed explanation is omitted, the motor 21 is for rotating a rotating tub (not shown) provided in the washing machine body 11. The drain valve 22 is for draining water in a water tank (not shown) to the outside of the apparatus. The water supply valve 23 opens and closes communication between the water supply port 14 and the inside of a water tank (not shown), and supplies water into the water tank. The compressor 24 constitutes a heat pump unit for a drying function. The blower 25 is for supplying warm air generated by the heat pump unit into a rotating tank (not shown).

  The control device 20 is connected to input devices such as a temperature sensor 26, a water level sensor 27, a rotation sensor 28, a door switch 29, and an operation panel 30. Although detailed explanation is omitted for each, the temperature sensor 26 detects the temperature in a water tank (not shown). The water level sensor 27 detects the water level in the water tank. The rotation sensor 28 detects a rotation position and a rotation speed of a rotation tank (not shown). The door switch 29 detects opening / closing of the door 12.

  The operation panel 30 performs various settings related to the operation of the washing machine 10 and is provided on the front side of the upper surface of the washing machine body 11 as shown in FIG. 3 and 4, the operation panel 30 includes a decorative panel 31, a circuit board 32, a light source holder 33, a plurality of transparent electrode films 34, a plurality of press contact members 35, and a plurality of light sources 36. Has been. The decorative panel 31 is an example of a surface panel member, and the light source holder 33 is an example of a light source support member.

  On the upper front side of the washing machine main body 11, a housing case 112 that is recessed in a substantially rectangular shape is provided. In the housing case 112, a circuit board 32, a light source holder 33, a plurality of transparent electrode films 34, a plurality of press contact members 35, and a plurality of light sources 36 constituting the operation panel 30 are housed. The decorative panel 31 covers the circuit board 32, the light source holder 33, the plurality of transparent electrode films 34, the plurality of press contact members 35, and the plurality of light sources 36.

  The decoration panel 31 constitutes a surface portion of the operation panel 30. In recent washing machines, the design of an operation panel having a smooth curved surface is being adopted as a whole. Therefore, the operation panel 30 having a smooth curved surface as a whole is also adopted in the washing machine 10 of the present embodiment. Yes. Accordingly, the decorative panel 31 constituting the surface portion of the operation panel 30 has a curved surface shape in which the cross-sectional shape along the front-rear direction is smoothly curved.

  The decorative panel 31 is made of, for example, a resin plate and has a light shielding property as a whole. As shown in FIG. 5, the decoration panel 31 is provided with a plurality of characters and figures as a plurality of operation units and a display unit. Among the plurality of characters and figures, the power on button 311 indicated by “ON”, the power OFF button 312 indicated by “OFF”, and the character portion 313 indicated by “POWER (auto power off)”. Is always visible from the outside.

  On the other hand, characters and figures other than the figure of the power buttons 311 and 312 and the character part 313 of “power supply (auto power off)”, that is, letters provided in the switching display area 40 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The figure has transparency and is configured to be translucent, for example. The characters and figures provided in the switching display area 40 are displayed on the decorative panel 31 when light is irradiated from the back side of the decorative panel 31. In a state where light is not irradiated from the back side of the decorative panel 31, the characters and figures are not displayed on the decorative panel 31.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the circuit board 32 is configured in a horizontally long rectangular shape. In addition, an electronic component 322, a 7-segment display 323, a plurality of light sources 36, and the like are mounted on the circuit board 32. The electronic component 322 is, for example, a microcomputer and constitutes the detection / display circuit 321 shown in FIG. The 7-segment display 323 and the light source 36 are arranged in the switching display area 40 of the decorative panel 31. The light source 36 is, for example, an LED, and is provided corresponding to a character or a figure provided in the switching display area 40 of the decoration panel 31. The 7-segment display 323 and the light source 36 are connected to the control device 20 via the detection / display circuit 321. The 7-segment display 323, the light source 36, and the detection / display circuit 321 function as display means for switching between display and non-display of the display unit.

  The light source holder 33 is made of a light-shielding member such as a resin and has a certain thickness. The upper surface of the light source holder 33 has a curved surface that is smoothly curved in accordance with the curved surface of the decorative panel 31 described above. The light source holder 33 has a plurality of light shielding portions 331 corresponding to the individual light sources 36. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the light-shielding portion 331 has a hole 332 at the bottom of a bowl shape or a rectangular shape. The light source 36 provided on the circuit board 32 is inserted into the light shielding portion 331 through the hole 332. The light emitted from the light source 36 in a certain light shielding part 331 is prevented from leaking out to other light shielding parts 331. In this case, the housing case 112 is configured to be fixed to the decorative panel 31 by the screw 100. A plurality of boss portions 31 a into which the screws 100 are screwed are provided on the back surface of the decorative panel 31.

  Thus, when one of the plurality of light sources 36 emits light, the characters or figures of the decorative panel 31 corresponding to the emitted light source 36 appear on the surface in the switching display area 40 of the decorative panel 31. Is displayed. The light source 36 is configured to be able to adjust the luminance in a plurality of stages, for example, three or more stages. Therefore, the characters or figures displayed in the switching display area 40 of the decoration panel 31 can be changed to a plurality of levels of three or more levels. In the present embodiment, the light source holder 33 includes two unit light source holders 33A and 33B. Each of these unit light source holders 33A and 33B has a horizontally long shape as a whole. The light source holder 33 including the unit light source holders 33A and 33B also has a horizontally long shape as a whole.

  The transparent electrode film 34 is configured by a sheet-like member having translucency. The transparent electrode film 34 has a plurality of detection units 341 as detection electrodes for detecting a change in capacitance. The transparent electrode film 34 is connected to the detection / display circuit 321 of the circuit board 32. That is, each detection unit 341 of the transparent electrode film 34 is connected to the control device 20 via the detection / display circuit 321. In the present embodiment, the transparent electrode film 34 is provided between the light source holder 33 and the decorative panel 31 in a state of riding on the upper part of the light source holder 33. The transparent electrode film 34 may be affixed to the back surface of the decorative panel 31.

  The detection / display circuit 321 detects a change in capacitance between the detection unit 341 of the transparent electrode film 34 and the user's finger, for example, and thereby detects a user's touch operation. That is, the detection unit 341 of the transparent electrode film 34 functions as a touch switch that detects a user's touch operation on the decorative panel 31. The transparent electrode film 34 and the detection / display circuit 321 function as an operation detection unit that detects a touch operation on the operation unit of the operation panel 30. The detection / display circuit 321 is provided at three locations on the circuit board 32 corresponding to the detection units 341 of the three transparent electrode films 34, and outputs the detection results by the detection unit 341 to the control device 20. The detection / display circuit 321 is provided on the back side of the circuit board 32 so as to be close to a connector (not shown) position with the circuit board 32 so that the connection distance to the transparent electrode film 34 is the shortest to prevent noise. ing.

  The pressure contact member 35 is made of, for example, a transparent resin material having elasticity. The pressure contact member 35 is provided between the light source holder 33 and the transparent electrode film 34. Although only a part of the right side of the pressure contact member 35 is shown in FIG. 3, the pressure contact member 35 is appropriately provided at a position corresponding to the entire area between the transparent electrode film 34 and the light source holder 33. Is pressed against the back side of the decorative panel 31.

  As described above, in the operation panel 30 according to the present embodiment, the decorative panel 31 has a smoothly curved surface shape, and the upper surface of the light source holder 33 is also smoothly curved correspondingly. It has a curved shape. Therefore, considering the prevention of leakage of light emitted from the light source 36 and the contact (adhesiveness) between the back surface of the decorative panel 31 and the transparent electrode film 34, the upper surface of the light source holder 33 is surely attached to the back surface of the decorative panel 31. It is preferable to closely contact or abut. Therefore, the operation panel 30 according to the present embodiment has the following unique configuration in order to improve the adhesion between the upper surface of the light source holder 33 and the rear surface of the decorative panel 31.

  That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, in the operation panel 30, the housing case 112 includes a plurality of pressing portions 113 for pressing the light source holder 33 against the back surface of the decorative panel 31. Of these pressing portions 113, the pressing portion 113a is provided at a position where the substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the front end portion of the unit light source holder 33A is pressed. The pressing portion 113b is provided at a position where the substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the rear end portion of the unit light source holder 33B is pressed. A plurality of screw fixing portions 114 through which screws 100 for fixing the storage case 112 to the decorative panel 31 are inserted are provided around the storage case 112. These screw fixing portions 114 protrude outward from the peripheral portion of the housing case 112. The plurality of pressing portions 113a to 113d are provided at positions corresponding to the screw fixing portions 114, respectively.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in a state where the storage case 112 is fixed to the decorative panel 31 with the screw 100, each pressing portion 113 of the storage case 112 attaches the light source holder 33 to the decorative panel 31 according to the tightening force by the screw 100. It comes to press against the back. Thereby, the adhesiveness of the upper surface of the light source holder 33 and the back surface of the decoration panel 31 improves, and the light emitted from the light source 36 leaks from the gap between the upper surface of the light source holder 33 and the back surface of the decoration panel 31. Or generation | occurrence | production of the malfunction that a clearance gap generate | occur | produces between the back surface of the decoration panel 31 and the transparent electrode film 34, and a contact property is impaired can be prevented.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of claw portions 33 a are provided at the end of the light source holder 33. The light source holder 33 is fixed between the housing case 112 and the decorative panel 31 in a state where the claw portions 33 a are hooked around the housing case 112.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of support legs 33 b that protrude toward the circuit board 32 are provided at the bottom of the end of the light source holder 33. The light source holder 33 is fixed between the housing case 112 and the decorative panel 31 in a state where the support leg portion 33 b is in contact with the upper surface of the circuit board 32.

  By the way, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, in the circuit board 32 provided in this type of washing machine 10, the object is to prevent condensation or dust from directly adhering to the circuit board 32. The circuit board 32 is potted and covered with a resin material. However, such potting P has a certain degree of elasticity and may be deformed when subjected to an external force. Therefore, in the configuration in which the potting P having such elasticity is interposed between the circuit board 32 and the light source holder 33, the arrangement position of the light source holder 33 is not stable, and the upper surface of the light source holder 33 and the rear surface of the decorative panel 31 There is a concern that the adhesion of the resin is impaired.

  Further, since the light source holder 33 that holds the light source 36 is made of resin, the light source holder 33 itself may be deformed, for example, by warping. This can also be a factor that impairs the adhesion between the upper surface of the light source holder 33 and the rear surface of the decorative panel 31.

  However, according to the operation panel 30 according to the present embodiment, the upper surface of the light source holder 33 and the rear surface of the decorative panel 31 can be reliably brought into close contact by the pressing action of the plurality of pressing portions 113. Therefore, even when the circuit board 32 is potted with an elastic resin material or when the light source holder 33 is made of a resin material, the upper surface of the light source holder 33 and the rear surface of the decorative panel 31 Adhesion can be improved, leakage of light emitted from the light source 36 can be prevented, or contact (adhesion) between the back surface of the decorative panel 31 and the transparent electrode film 34 can be improved.

  The washing machine according to the present embodiment includes an operation panel for performing various settings. This operation panel has a storage case, a light source support member, and a surface panel member. The housing case houses the circuit board on which the light source is mounted. The light source support member supports the light source. The surface panel member constitutes a surface portion of the operation panel. And a storage case is provided with the pressing part which presses a light source support member against the back surface of a surface panel member. According to this configuration, it is possible to improve the adhesion between the back surface of the front panel member constituting the front surface portion of the operation panel and the light source support member that supports the light source inside the operation panel.

  This embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  In the drawing, 10 is a washing machine, 30 is an operation panel, 31 is a decorative panel (surface panel member), 32 is a circuit board, 33 is a light source holder (light source support member), 34 is an electrode film, 35 is a pressure contact member, 36 is A light source, 100 is a screw, 112 is a storage case, and 113 is a pressing portion.

Claims (3)

A washing machine having an operation panel for performing various settings,
The operation panel is
A housing case for housing a circuit board on which a light source is mounted;
A light source support member for supporting the light source;
A surface panel member constituting a surface portion of the operation panel;
Have
A sheet-like electrode film for detecting a user operation is provided between the light source support member and the surface panel member,
The storage case includes a pressing portion that presses the light source support member against the back surface of the front panel member, and is configured to be fixed to the front panel member with a screw.
The pressing portion is a position that presses the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the light source support member at each of the front end portion and the rear end portion of the light source support member, and corresponds to a portion where the housing case is fixed by the screw. The washing machine is provided at a position where the light source is supported and is divided into left and right portions at the front end portion and the rear end portion of the light source support member . The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the circuit board is potted with an elastic resin material. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein a pressure contact member that presses the electrode film against the back surface of the front panel member is provided between the light source support member and the electrode film.

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