JP6742361B2 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a washing machine.

In the washing machine, it is considered to be IT (information technology) so that the information of the washing machine can be obtained by an external terminal and the information from the outside can be given to the washing machine. In this case, the washing machine is provided with a communication device capable of wireless communication with a home terminal installed in the home. When a communication device is installed in a washing machine, it may be installed behind a front cover that is detachably attached to the front surface of the main body of the washing machine. According to this, by removing the front cover, there is an advantage that it is possible to easily perform the work for installing the communication device and performing maintenance and inspection of the communication device. In this case, the communication device needs to be electrically connected to the control unit of the main body of the washing machine, but if the communication device and the control unit are separated from each other, the wiring process for connecting them becomes troublesome. ..

Japanese Patent No. 3915897

In view of the above, there is provided a washing machine having a communication device that can be installed, which has good workability such as installation, maintenance, and inspection of the communication device, and can facilitate wiring processing between the communication device and the control unit.

The washing machine of the present embodiment includes a washing machine main body in which a side plate, a top plate, and a part of an outer shell excluding a back plate are formed by a removable cover , and the washing machine main body in a state of being covered from the front by the cover. A control unit provided inside, and a communication device case provided in the control unit, capable of wireless communication with an external device, and detachably accommodating a communication device for acquiring information of a washing machine. The cover is capable of reducing attenuation of radio waves, and the communication device case includes a case body provided in the control unit and a lid that can be opened and closed with respect to the case body. In the state where the case body is provided in the control unit, the lid can be opened and closed to detachably accommodate the communication device in the case body.

1 is a perspective view showing a washing machine according to an embodiment, in which a front cover is removed and a control unit is drawn out. Perspective view from the front with the communication device case attached to the control unit Perspective view from the rear of the communication device case and control unit Perspective view from the lower front of the communication device case and control unit A side view taken along the line X5-X5 in FIG. Exploded perspective view of communication device case and IT adapter (communication device) Front view of the case body with the connector temporarily fixed to the case body Front view of the case body with the IT adapter stored in the case body Vertical side view with the connector temporarily fixed to the case body and the lid closed The figure which shows schematically the electrical relationship of a control device, an IT adapter, and a reed switch.

An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, in FIG. 1, a washing machine 1 of the present embodiment is a drum type washing machine driven by a horizontal axis. An outer box 3 constituting an outer shell of a washing machine main body 2 in this washing machine 1 includes a front frame 4, left and right side plates 5, a top plate 6, a back plate 7, and a base plate 9 having legs 8. , And the front cover 10 are combined to form a substantially rectangular box shape as a whole. Among them, the front frame 4 is in a front-down inclined state, and a door 12 for opening and closing the laundry entrance/exit 11 is provided at a substantially central portion thereof so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction via a hinge portion. The upper part of the front frame 4 extends to the front part of the upper surface of the outer box 3, and the operation panel 13 is provided on the front part of the upper surface. A detergent case 14 is provided on the upper left portion of the front frame 4 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. A lint filter device 15 is mounted on the right side of the top plate 6 so that it can be taken in and out in the vertical direction.

The front cover 10 has a U-shape when viewed from above, is located between the front frame 4 and the base plate 9, and is detachably mounted by fixing screws 16 from the front. In this case, the front frame 4, the base plate 9, and the front cover 10 are made of synthetic resin, and the other left and right side plates 5, the top plate 6, and the back plate 7 are formed of metal plates such as steel plates.

Inside the washing machine body 2 (outer box 3), although not shown, a water tank capable of storing water, a drum capable of accommodating laundry, a motor for rotationally driving this drum, a heat pump mechanism for drying, a water supply valve, A drain valve, various sensors including a water level sensor, and the like are provided. The washing machine 1 can automatically perform washing, dehydration and drying. The water tank and the drum are in the shape of a horizontal shaft having an open front surface, and are arranged in a forwardly inclined state, and each front opening portion communicates with the laundry inlet/outlet port 11. The laundry is stored in the drum through the laundry entrance/exit 11 so that the laundry can be taken in and out.

A control unit 17 is removably disposed in the lower portion of the inside of the washing machine main body 2 by fixing a screw 18 from the front. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the unit case 19 of the control unit 17 includes a unit case body 20 having a rectangular container shape and a unit lid 21 detachably attached to the upper surface side of the unit case body 20. It is configured. The side wall around the unit lid 21 extends to near the bottom of the lower part of the unit case body 20 (see FIG. 5). Inside the unit case 19, a control device 22 (see FIG. 10) mainly including a microcomputer is arranged.

Although not shown, the control device 22 is configured by mounting a microcomputer, a power supply circuit, and various electronic components on a printed circuit board, and has a function as control means for controlling the entire washing machine 1. A wiring port 23 is formed in the lower left corner of the unit case 19 as shown in FIG. 4, and a large number of connecting electric wires 24 are passed through the wiring port 23. ing. One end of the connecting wire 24 is connected to the control device 22 in the unit case 19, and the other end is connected to an electric device such as a motor, various sensors, a panel control unit of the operation panel 13, and the like. Wired. The control unit 17 is arranged inside the front part of the washing machine main body 2 in a state of being slightly inclined forward and upward. The front cover 10 is attached so as to cover the control unit 17 from the front.

By the way, in the washing machine 1 of the present embodiment, the communication device case 25 is provided in order to support IT. The communication device case 25 is attached to the front of the unit case 19 of the control unit 17 and to the left near the wiring port 23. The specific mounting structure will be described later. As shown in FIG. 6, the communication device case 25 includes a case body 26 having a rectangular container shape and a lid 28 rotatably attached to the case body 26 via a hinge portion 27. .. The lid 28 opens and closes the opening of the case body 26. Both the case body 26 and the lid 28 are made of synthetic resin.

Among these, in the case body 26, a storage portion 30 that stores an IT adapter 29 that configures a communication device, an electric wire insertion opening 32 through which a connecting electric wire 31 is inserted, and a meandering wiring portion that causes the connecting electric wire 31 to meander. 33 and a magnet housing 34 are provided. One end of the connecting electric wire 31 is arranged inside the case main body 26 through the electric wire insertion opening 32, and a connector 35 for connecting the IT adapter 29 is provided at the tip end portion thereof. The other end of the connecting electric wire 31 is arranged outside the case body 26, and a connector 36 for connecting to the corresponding electric wire of the connecting electric wires 24 is provided at the tip end portion thereof. On the back side of the case body 26, a clamp 37 (see FIG. 3) for holding the connecting electric wire 31 in a retaining state is also provided. There are a plurality of connecting electric wires 31, and the portions other than the end portions are collected and covered with an electrically insulating tube.

The storage section 30 is provided with two positioning projections 38 located diagonally, and a temporary fixing section 39 formed of a recess is provided on the bottom of the lower side. The temporary fixing portion 39 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the front surface side of the connector 35. When the IT adapter 29 is not stored in the storage portion 30, the connector 35 can be temporarily fixed by inserting and fitting the tip end portion of the connector 35 into the temporary fixing portion 39 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9. Has become. When the lid 28 is closed as shown in FIG. 9 with the connector 35 temporarily fixed to the temporary fixing portion 39, the inner surface of the lid 28 contacts the connecting wire 31 connected to the connector 35, and the connector 35 is prevented from coming off. Become so. A guide portion 40 is provided so as to protrude from the lower portion of the storage portion 30. The guide portion 40 has a cylindrical shape and is arranged slightly to the left of the temporary fixing portion 39. The guide portion 40 also serves as a boss portion for screw fixing, as described later.

The meandering wiring portion 33 and the magnet accommodating portion 34 are arranged on the left side of the storage portion 30, and the meandering wiring portion 33 and the magnet accommodating portion 34 are separated from the storage portion 30 by a partition portion 41 on the left and right sides. A gap 42 is formed between the lower end of the partition 41 and the side wall of the lower part of the case body 26, and the connecting electric wire 31 can be arranged in the gap 42. The meandering wiring part 33 is provided with a partition part 43. The middle partition portion 43 extends in parallel with the partition portion 41. A gap 44 is also formed between the end of the middle partition 43 on the magnet accommodating portion 34 side and the side wall 34 a of the magnet accommodating portion 34, and the connecting electric wire 31 can also be arranged in this gap 44. .. With such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 7, the connecting wire 31 arranged in the case body 26 can be wired in the meandering wiring portion 33 in a meandering shape in the vertical direction.

Here, the IT adapter 29 is in the shape of a rectangular flat block as shown in FIG. 6, and has two fitting holes (not shown) that fit into the positioning projections 38, not shown. A connector 45 is formed on the lower side, and the connector 35 is detachably attached to the connector 45. Although not shown, the IT adapter 29 is provided with a communication unit and an antenna for wireless communication with an external device, for example, a home terminal (router) provided in the home.

The IT adapter 29 is stored by connecting the connector 35 of the connecting electric wire 31 to the connector 45 and fitting the fitting holes on the rear surface side to the corresponding positioning protrusions 38 with the connector 35 facing downward. It can be stored in the unit 30. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the elastic engaging claws 46 provided integrally with the partition 41 engage the surface of the IT adapter 29 to prevent the IT adapter 29 from coming off in the thickness direction. be able to. An inclined surface is formed at the tip of the elastic engagement claw 46, and when the IT adapter 29 is stored in the storage section 30, the back surface of the IT adapter 29 abuts the inclined surface of the elastic engagement claw 46, so that the elastic engagement The mating claw 46 is retracted from the storage portion 30 to facilitate the storage of the IT adapter 29.

An engaging piece 48 having an engaging hole 48a is integrally provided on the outer side surface on the left side of the case body 26. Elastic engagement claws 49 (see FIG. 6) that engage with the engagement holes 48a in the closed state are integrally provided on the side portions of the lid 28. A permanent magnet 50 (also see FIG. 6) is attached to the inner surface of the lid 28 at a portion corresponding to the magnet housing portion 34 in the closed state. A reed switch 51 is provided on the back surface side of the magnet housing portion 34. When the lid 28 is closed with respect to the case main body 26, the permanent magnet 50 is accommodated in the magnet accommodating portion 34 in a state of being inserted therein, and accordingly, the permanent magnet 50 comes into a state of being close to the reed switch 51. The reed switch 51 is turned on (closed). The reed switch 51 functions as an opening/closing detection means for the lid 28 and also as an interlock switch for the communication device case 25.

The lid 28 is provided with a recessed escape portion 52 (see FIG. 2) in order to avoid interference with the elastic engagement claw 46 in a state of being closed with respect to the case body 26. The escape portion 52 projects to the outer surface side of the lid 28. Further, the lid 28 is provided with a screw attachment portion 53 at a position corresponding to the guide portion 40, and the screw 54 inserted through the screw attachment portion 53 is screwed into the hole of the guide portion 40, so that the lid 28 is removed. It can be fixed in the closed state.

Next, the mounting structure of the communication device case 25 to the unit case 19 of the control unit 17 will be described. Two hooking pieces 55 are provided on a lower portion of the communication device case 25 on the back side of the case body 26. Each of the hooking pieces 55 protrudes rearward and has a tip end facing upward to form an L shape. An attachment portion 56 having a screw insertion hole 56a is provided on the upper portion on the back side of the case body 26. On the other hand, in the upper portion of the unit case 19 on the front surface side of the unit lid 21, a cylindrical boss portion 57 extending upward is integrally provided.

When the communication device case 25 is attached to the unit case 19, the control unit 17 is attached to the washing machine main body 2 or the control unit 17 is removed from the washing machine main body 2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, with the communication device case 25 positioned in front of the unit case 19, the two hooking pieces 55 on the back side of the communication device case 25 are attached to the unit cover. 21 is hooked on the lower end portion of the side wall 21a on the front side of 21 and the screw 58 inserted into the screw insertion hole 56a of the mounting portion 56 is attached to the upper surface of the boss portion 57 while the mounting portion 56 is attached to the upper surface of the boss portion 57. The communication device case 25 can be fixedly attached to the front surface of the unit case 19 by screwing into the hole (see FIG. 5).

With the communication device case 25 attached to the unit case 19 as described above, the control unit 17 is inserted into the washing machine main body 2 from the front side and is fixed with the screw 18 so that the inside of the washing machine main body 2 is fixed. Attach to. At this time, the unit case 19 of the control unit 17 is attached in a state in which the front portion is slightly inclined upward so that the front portion is slightly higher than the rear portion (see FIGS. 5 and 9). In this state, as shown in FIG. 9, in the communication device case 25 attached to the front part of the unit case 19, the inner surface 60 of the side wall 26a on the lower side of the case body 26 descends so that the tip side becomes lower. It is inclined. Further, the inner surface 61 of the side wall 28a on the lower side of the lid 28 is also inclined so that the tip end side becomes lower. Therefore, even if water intrudes into the communication device case 25 from the outside or is condensed inside to form water droplets, the water is slanted on the inner surface 60 and the inner surface 61 as shown by the arrows in FIG. Since it becomes easier to flow along, the drainage performance can be improved.

Next, a case where the IT adapter 29 is attached to the communication device case 25 will be described. In this case, it can be performed with the control unit 17 having the communication device case 25 attached to the washing machine body 2 or with the control unit 17 taken out of the washing machine body 2. Specifically, in both cases, as shown in FIG. 6, first, with the lid 28 of the communication device case 25 open, the connection electric wire 31 provided in the communication device case 25 is pulled out, and the case main body is opened. On the outside of 26, the connector 35 is connected to the connector 45 of the IT adapter 29.

Then, with the connector 35 on the lower side (the guide portion 40 side), the fitting hole on the back surface side of the IT adapter 29 is fitted into the corresponding positioning convex portion 38, and the elastic engaging claw 46 is attached to the IT adapter 29. It is stored in the storage portion 30 by engaging with the surface of. In a state where the IT adapter 29 is housed in the housing portion 30, the IT adapter 29 is positioned in the lateral direction (plane direction) by fitting the fitting hole into the positioning protrusion 38, and at the same time, the elastic engagement claw 46 is provided. By engaging with the surface of the IT adapter 29, the IT adapter 29 is prevented from coming off in the thickness direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the connecting electric wire 31 is wired in a meandering shape along the meandering wiring portion 33 in the case body 26. At this time, the portion of the connecting electric wire 31 near the connector 35 is arranged below the guide portion 40 so that it passes below the connector 35. With such a configuration, even if water is attached to the connecting electric wire 31, it is possible to prevent the water from traveling along the connecting electric wire 31 and entering the connector 35 side.

After that, the lid 28 is closed, and the elastic engagement claw 49 is engaged with the engagement hole 48a of the engagement piece 48, whereby the closed state of the lid 28 is maintained. In this closed state, the permanent magnet 50 on the lid 28 side is inserted into the magnet accommodating portion 34 of the case main body 26 and comes close to the reed switch 51, and accordingly, the reed switch 51 is turned on. Then, the screw 54 inserted into the screw mounting portion 53 of the lid 28 is screwed into the hole of the guide portion 40 which also serves as the boss portion, thereby fixing the lid 28 in the closed state. As described above, the attachment of the IT adapter 29 to the communication device case 25 is completed.

FIG. 10 schematically shows the electrical relationship among the control device 22, the IT adapter 29, and the reed switch 51. In FIG. 10, both ends of the reed switch 51 are connected to the control device 22. Of the connection electric wires 31 connected to the IT adapter 29 via the connector 35, two signal wires 31a are connected to the control device 22, and a power supply wire 31b connected to the positive terminal of the DC power supply is connected to the relay switch 62a. The power supply line 31c, which is connected to the control device 22 via the negative terminal of the DC power supply, is grounded. The relay switch 62a and the relay coil 62b forming the relay 62 have one end connected to the control device 22 and the other end grounded.

In this configuration, when the connector 35 of the connecting electric wire 31 is connected to the IT adapter 29 and the lid 28 is closed while the IT adapter 29 is housed in the housing portion 30 of the communication device case 25, the reed switch is opened. 51 is turned on. When the ON signal from the reed switch 51 is input, the control device 22 energizes the relay coil 62b to turn on the relay switch 62a. Based on this, power is supplied to the IT adapter 29 through the connector 35. Further, when the lid 28 of the communication device case 25 is opened in this state, the reed switch 51 is switched to the off state as the permanent magnet 50 is separated from the reed switch 51. Then, the control device 22 turns off the relay coil 62b and turns off the relay switch 62a. Based on this, the power supply to the IT adapter 29 is stopped.

According to the above-described embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained.
First, a washing machine body 2 having a removable front cover 10, a control unit 17 provided inside the washing machine body 2 in a state of being covered from the front by the front cover 10, and an external device provided in the control unit 17. In this case, the communication device case 25 in which the IT adapter 29 capable of wireless communication with the home terminal is detachably accommodated is provided. According to this, it is possible to install the IT adapter 29 to the communication device case 25 or to remove the IT adapter 29 by removing the front cover 10 which can be easily attached and detached without moving the washing machine body 2 which is a heavy load. 29 can be maintained and inspected, and those operations can be performed easily. Moreover, since the communication device case 25 is attached to the control unit 17, the communication device case 25 and the control unit 17 are close to each other, and the connecting line electrically connecting them may be short. For this reason, it is possible to easily perform the wiring process of the connection line between the communication device case 25 and the control unit 17, and to make it difficult for noise to enter the connection line. Since the communication device case 25 is attached near the wiring port 23 in the control unit 17, the wiring process can be further facilitated.

The communication device case 25 includes a case body 26 attached to the control unit 17 and a lid 28 that can be opened and closed with respect to the case body 26. The IT adapter 29 is detachably housed in the case body 26 by opening and closing 28. According to this, the IT adapter 29 can be attached/detached to/from the case main body 26 with the communication device case 25 attached to the control unit 17, so that the work of attaching/detaching the IT adapter 29, maintenance, and inspection is further facilitated. It can be done easily.

The communication device case 25 is provided with a connector 35 that can be connected to the IT adapter 29, and the communication device case 25 is provided with a temporary fixing portion 39 for temporarily fixing the connector 35. While the IT adapter 29 is not housed in the communication device case 25, the connector 35 is fitted into the temporary fixing portion 39 to be temporarily fixed, and the lid 28 is closed. In this state, when the washing machine 1 is operated and vibration is generated in the washing machine main body 2 during the washing operation or the dehydration operation, the connector 35 can be prevented from rattling in the communication device case 25 and rattling due to the vibration. It can prevent the generation of sound and damage. Further, since the connector 35 can be prevented from rattling in the communication device case 25, it is possible to prevent the connection electric wire 31 connected to the connector 35 from being damaged or broken. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the connector 35 from coming off the temporary fixing portion 39 by hitting the inner surface of the lid 28 with the connecting electric wire 31 connected to the connector 35 (see FIG. 9).

The communication device case 25 is provided with a connection electric wire 31 to which a connector 35 connectable to the IT adapter 29 is connected. Inside the communication device case 25, the connection electric wire 31 is meandered to be wired. The wiring portion 33 is provided. According to this, when the connector 35 is connected to the IT adapter 29, the connecting electric wire 31 has a sufficient length for pulling it out of the communication device case 25. It can be easily performed outside the case 25. After the connection, by connecting the connecting electric wire 31 to the meandering wiring portion 33 in a meandering manner, it is possible to improve the storage form even when the connecting electric wire 31 is long. Even if it is pulled from, the pulling force can be hardly transmitted to the connecting portion of the connector 35.

The control unit 17 can be taken out from the washing machine main body 2 with the communication device case 25 attached to the unit cover 21 of the control unit 17, and the unit cover 21 of the control unit 17 and the communication device case 25 cover. Each of the 28 can be independently opened and closed. According to this, in the state where the communication device case 25 is still attached to the unit lid 21 of the control unit 17, it is possible to perform work such as inspection of the communication device case 25 and the unit case 19 and maintainability. Can be improved.

Since the front cover 10 that covers the communication device case 25 from the front is made of synthetic resin, when radio communication is performed between the IT adapter 29 housed in the communication device case 25 and a home terminal in the home, radio waves are transmitted. Attenuation can be minimized.
Since the communication device case 25 is provided with the clamp 37 that holds the connection electric wire 31 in the retaining state, it is possible to prevent the connection electric wire 31 from accidentally coming off the communication device case 25.

(Other embodiments)
Although the communication device case 25 is attached to the unit lid 21 side of the unit case 19 in the control unit 17, it may be attached to the unit case body 20 side depending on the configuration of the unit case 19.

In the communication device case 25, the permanent magnet 50 and the Hall element may be used as the means for detecting the opening/closing of the lid 28, instead of the permanent magnet 50 and the reed switch 51. Further, it is also possible to use a tact switch which is turned on by pressing the operating element.

As described above, according to the washing machine of the present embodiment, by removing the front cover, which is easily removable, from the main body of the washing machine, the communication device is installed in the communication device case or the communication device is maintained. , Can be inspected, and those tasks can be performed easily. Moreover, since the communication device case is provided in the control unit, the communication device case and the control unit are close to each other, and the connecting line for electrically connecting them may be short. For this reason, it is possible to easily perform the wiring process of the connection line between the communication device case and the control unit, and it is possible to make it difficult for noise to enter the connection line.

While some embodiments of the present invention have been described, 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 forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and the gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the scope equivalent thereto.

In the drawings, 1 is a washing machine, 2 is a washing machine body, 3 is an outer box, 10 is a front cover, 17 is a control unit, 19 is a unit case, 20 is a unit case body, 21 is a unit lid, 22 is a control device, 23 is a wiring port, 25 is a communication device case, 26 is a case body, 27 is a lid, 29 is an IT adapter (communication device), 31 is a connecting electric wire, 33 is a meandering wiring part, 35 is a connector, 37 is a clamp, Reference numeral 39 is a temporary fixing portion, 40 is a guide portion, 50 is a permanent magnet, 51 is a reed switch, and 60 and 61 are inner surfaces.

Claims (1)

A washing machine body in which a part of the outer shell except the side plate, the top plate, and the back plate is constituted by the removable cover,
A control unit provided inside the washing machine body in a state of being covered from the front by the cover;
A communication device case, which is provided in the control unit, is capable of wireless communication with an external device, and detachably accommodates a communication device for acquiring information of a washing machine,
The cover is capable of reducing the attenuation of radio waves,
The communication device case includes a case body provided in the control unit and a lid that can be opened and closed with respect to the case body. When the case body is provided in the control unit, the lid is opened and closed. Then, the communication device can be detachably stored in the case body.

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