JP6788785B2 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a washing machine that performs washing, rinsing, and dehydration.

Conventionally, in this type of washing machine, various setting buttons such as a button for setting the washing time, the number of rinses, and a dehydration time on the operation display unit, and a button for setting the driving course, and the setting contents and the start of operation are used. A configuration including a display unit for displaying the remaining time has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

FIG. 9 is a plan view of an operation display unit of a conventional washing machine described in Patent Document 1.

In FIG. 9, when the user turns on the power and presses, for example, the wash button 130b, the wash LED 134b lights up and the wash time can be set. When the rinse button 130c is pressed, the rinse LED 134c lights up and the number of rinses can be set. When the dehydration button 130d is pressed, the dehydration LED 134d lights up and the dehydration time can be set. Further, by pressing the washing / drying fully automatic button 130g, which is an automatic operation, the centrifugal force course LED134i or the stirring course LED134h is turned on, and the operation course can be set. Then, when the start button 130e is pressed after various settings, the operation is started.

When the operation starts, the rotating drum (not shown) rotates in small steps to the left and right in order to detect the amount of laundry cloth put into the tub. When the amount of cloth is detected, one of the water level LEDs 134a lights up and the water level corresponding to the amount of cloth is displayed. Therefore, the user applies the amount of detergent suitable for the displayed water level to the detergent case (not shown). throw into. Then, the water supply starts, the remaining time until the end of the operation is displayed on the digital display unit 134e, and the stroke operation proceeds.

JP-A-2002-119788

However, in the conventional configuration, many operation buttons and display LEDs are arranged on the operation display unit, which is complicated and has a problem that it is very difficult for the user to operate.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and to provide a washing machine capable of improving operability and suppressing erroneous detection and malfunction.

In order to solve the conventional problems, a washing machine of the present invention includes a body, is disposed in the upper body, you have a selection of modes and various functions such as operation course row, a display based on the input information The operation display device unit includes an operation display device unit for performing the operation, and the operation display device unit includes a mutual capacitance type electrostatic touch panel display unit having a plurality of transmission side electrodes and reception side electrodes corresponding to a plurality of operation button units, and the touch panel. The touch panel display unit has a detection circuit unit that detects the contact of a finger with the display unit and a printed wiring plate for mounting the circuit of the detection circuit unit, and the touch panel display unit has a substantially rectangular shape and is the transmission side. concentrating the wiring from the electrode to one side of the touch panel display unit Rutotomoni, the wiring from the reception-side electrode is concentrated to the other side of the opposed and one side end of the touch panel display unit, wiring the concentrated allowed The wiring from the transmitting side electrode is connected to the printed wiring board by the transmitting side touch panel connecting cable, and the wiring from the receiving side electrode is connected to the printed wiring board by the receiving side touch panel connecting cable.

As a result, the operability can be improved, and by separating the connection cables in the operation display device unit by function, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection and malfunction.

The washing machine of the present invention has effects such as improved operability, false detection, and suppression of malfunction.

Longitudinal section of the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention A plan view of the touch panel display unit of the operation display unit of the washing machine as viewed from the rear side. Sectional view of the operation display device unit Block circuit diagram of the operation display unit Detailed view of the shape of the input unit using the X and Y electrodes of the touch panel display unit of the operation display device unit. Transparent electrode layout of the touch panel display of the operation display device Layout of the cable for connecting the transparent electrode to the touch panel of the operation display device Transparent electrode of the same operation display device-printed wiring board built-in diagram Top view of the operation display of a conventional washing machine

First invention comprises a main body, disposed in the upper body, have a selection of modes and various functions such as operation course rows, and an operation display device unit for displaying based on the input information, the The operation display device unit detects a mutual capacitance type electrostatic touch panel display unit having a plurality of transmission side electrodes and reception side electrodes corresponding to a plurality of operation button units, and a finger contact with the touch panel display unit. It has a circuit unit and a printed wiring board for mounting the circuit of the detection circuit unit. The touch panel display unit has a substantially rectangular shape, and wiring from the transmission side electrode is provided on one side of the touch panel display unit. It is concentrated to the side Rutotomoni, the wiring from the reception-side electrode is concentrated to the other side of the opposed and one side end of the touch panel display unit, transmitting-side wiring from the transmitting electrode wiring that its focused was By configuring the touch panel connection cable to connect the wiring from the receiving side electrode to the printed wiring board with the receiving side touch panel connecting cable, the operation is facilitated and the connection cable in the operation display device unit is established. By separating the above by function, it is possible to prevent false detections and malfunctions that are common in the touch panel method.

A second invention is, in particular, the control means of the first invention, if the signal change occurs in the plurality of operation buttons section, to stop the operation, the display device and the audio device of the operation display device unit By providing a configuration for notifying an abnormality, it is possible to warn the user that the adhesion of a liquid such as water or a detergent solution is removed, so that deterioration of the structural portion can be prevented.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a water tank 32 is elastically supported in a main body 31 so as to be swingable, and a rotary drum 33 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape is arranged in the water tank 32. The rotary drum 33 is rotatably supported by tilting the axial center direction downward from the front side to the back side. A clothing entrance / exit 34 leading to the opening end of the rotating drum 33 is formed on the front side of the water tank 32. An upward inclined surface is formed on the front surface of the front frame body 35 constituting the front surface side of the main body 31, and a door 39 for opening and closing an opening 36 provided on the upward inclined surface is provided. By opening the door 39, laundry can be taken in and out of the rotating drum 33 through the clothing entrance / exit 34.

A large number of through holes 40 leading to the inside of the water tank 32 are formed on the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 33, and the rotary drum 33 is rotationally driven in the forward and reverse directions by a motor 41 attached to the back surface side of the water tank 32. To. Further, a water injection pipe line 42 and a drainage pipe line 43 are connected to the water tank 32 by piping, and water is injected and drained into the water tank 32 under the control of the water supply valve 44 and the drainage valve 45.

An operation display device unit 46 is arranged on the front upper portion of the front frame body 35. The operation display device unit 46 selects a mode such as a driving course and various functions by touching the user with a finger, and displays the display based on the input information. The operation display device unit 46 will be described in detail in FIGS. 2 and 2.

When washing clothes, first, the door 39 is opened, the laundry is put into the rotating drum 33, and the operation is started. When the operation is started, the water supply valve 44 opens, water is supplied into the detergent charging case (not shown), and a predetermined amount of water is supplied into the water tank 32 through the water injection pipe 42 while flowing the detergent in the detergent charging case. Water is injected, and the rotary drum 33 is rotationally driven by the motor 41 to start the washing process. The laundry in the washing process is washed by repeating the stirring operation of lifting and dropping in the rotation direction by the rotation of the rotating drum 33.

Then, after the required washing process, the drain valve 45 is opened, the dirty washing liquid is discharged from the drain pipe line 43, and the washing liquid contained in the laundry is dehydrated by the dehydration operation of rotating the rotating drum 33 at high speed. .. After that, water is injected into the water tank 32 from the water injection pipe 42, and the rinsing process is carried out. Even in the rinsing process, the stirring operation is repeated for the laundry by the rotation of the rotating drum 33. After the rinsing process, the process proceeds to the dehydration process.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the touch panel display unit of the operation display device unit of the washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the rear side, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the operation display device unit, and FIG. 4 is the same operation. The block circuit diagram of the display device unit, FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the shape of the input unit by the X electrode-Y electrode of the touch panel display unit of the operation display device unit, and FIG. 6 is the transparency of the touch panel display unit of the operation display device unit. FIG. 7 is a layout diagram of the electrodes, FIG. 7 is a layout diagram of the transparent electrode of the operation display device unit to the cable for connecting the touch panel, and FIG. 8 is a diagram of the transparent electrode of the operation display device unit to the printed wiring board.

The operation display device unit 46 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The operation display panel 1 of the operation display device unit 46 is covered with a panel sheet 3 made of PET film in which the surface of the transparent resin portion 2 as a base is insert-molded. The panel sheet 3 has a decorative surface that has been colored and printed, and the transparent resin portion 2 and the panel sheet 3 are provided with an opening 4 having a substantially rectangular shape in the central portion.

The opening 4 is a region where there is neither a transparent resin nor a film, and a transparent plate 5 made of transparent glass is attached to the operation display panel 1 via an elastic body 6 on the back surface of the opening 4. The elastic body 6 sandwiches the outer peripheral portion of the transparent plate 5, and is fixed while pressing the elastic body 6 between the peripheral edge of the opening 4 in the transparent resin portion 2 and the transparent plate 5.

A transparent electrode 19 is adhered to the back surface of the transparent plate 5 with a transparent double-sided tape 7 called OCA, and a touch panel display portion 8 is formed by the transparent plate 5 and the transparent electrode 19. Therefore, the touch panel display unit 8 is transparent and has translucency.

Further, a liquid crystal panel 9 is attached to the back surface side of the touch panel display unit 8 by a liquid crystal stand 10, and the transparent electrode 19 and the liquid crystal panel 9 are attached to the liquid crystal stand 10 on the side opposite to the surface on which the liquid crystal panel 9 is mounted. A printed wiring board 11 for controlling the above is attached.

As described above, the transparent plate 5, the transparent double-sided tape 7, the transparent electrode 19, the liquid crystal panel 9, and the printed wiring board 11 are stacked in this order from the top shown in FIG. As a result, from the front side of the operation display panel 1, the patterns and characters displayed on the liquid crystal panel 9 can be visually recognized via the transparent plate 5 forming the touch panel display unit 8, the transparent double-sided tape 7, and the transparent electrode 19. it can. By arranging a surface-shaped lighting device on the back surface side of the liquid crystal panel 9, that is, on the side opposite to the touch panel display unit 8 and irradiating the liquid crystal panel 9, patterns and characters displayed on the liquid crystal panel 9 It is also possible to further enhance the visibility of the.

Electrical components such as a liquid crystal panel 9 and a printed wiring board 11 are arranged on the back surface side of the transparent plate 5, and waterproofing is required. Therefore, as described above, the outer peripheral portion of the substantially rectangular transparent plate 5 is covered with the frame-shaped elastic body 6, and is attached to the back surface of the substantially rectangular opening 4 via the elastic body 6.

Around the upper side 14 and the lower side 15 of the opening 4, the elastic body 6 sandwiches the front surface side, the back surface side, and the end surface side of the transparent plate 5, and the elastic body 6 sandwiching the transparent plate 5 is displayed as an operation. Waterproofness is ensured by pressure contacting between the panel 1 and the liquid crystal stand 10.

Further, around the opening 4, the back surface side and the end surface side of the transparent plate 5 are brought into contact with the elastic body 6, and the elastic body 6 and the transparent plate 5 are brought into contact with the operation display panel 1 and the liquid crystal stand 10. Waterproofness is ensured by pressure welding between the two.

On the back surface of the operation display panel 1, bosses are provided at the four corners of the periphery of the opening 4, and the liquid crystal stand 10 and the back surface cover 16 are fastened with screws 17. The back surface cover 16 is composed of a resin member that covers the printed wiring board 11 from the back surface.

In the screw-fastened state, the elastic body 6 is pressed against the liquid crystal table 10, and the elastic body 6 is in close contact with the transparent plate 5 and the operation display panel 1, so that the waterproof property around the opening 4 is ensured. Therefore, even if the user accidentally spills water or liquid detergent on the opening 4, the water does not adhere to the electrical components such as the liquid crystal panel 9 and the printed wiring board 11 located inside the transparent plate 5. The reliability of parts can be ensured, and failures and malfunctions can be prevented.

Further, since the transparent plate 5 is attached to the back surface of the opening 4 via the elastic body 6, it is possible to alleviate the impact applied from the outside and prevent the glass from being damaged by the impact. An impact force is applied to the transparent plate 5 when, for example, the user drops something, or when the product falls from the loaded state or falls during the distribution in which the product is delivered to the user's house in the packaged state. At that time, by arranging the elastic body 6 on the outer circumference of the transparent plate 5, the impact is mitigated, and damage can be prevented even if an impact is applied from the outside.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the printed wiring board 11 inputs and outputs a signal to the touch panel display unit 8 to determine whether or not a person has touched any of the operation button units 25, and the control means 12 determines. An electrostatic touch detection circuit unit 13 for transmitting a signal is mounted. Further, the control means 12 controls the motor 41 and the like, and controls each process such as washing, rinsing, and dehydration.

Further, the printed wiring board 11 is provided with a voice device 18. When the touch panel display unit 8 is operated, the voice device 18 generates a sound according to the operation. The voice device 18 has a function of changing a tone color, a pitch, a volume, and the like, and when operating the touch panel display unit 8, the sound generated is changed according to the operation. The voice device 18 may generate sounds constituting the melody, and when the touch panel display unit 8 is operated, the generated melody may be changed according to the operation.

The transparent electrode 19 is formed by depositing a highly conductive indium tin oxide film called ITO on the surface and etching it. The transparent electrode 19 has an X electrode 20 as a transmitting side and a Y electrode 21 as a receiving side in a comb-like shape, and a plurality of X electrodes 20 are formed as many as the number of operation button portions 25.

The X electrode 20 and the Y electrode 21 are electrically connected to the electrostatic touch detection circuit unit 13 by the transmitting side touch panel connection cable 22 and the receiving side touch panel connection cable 23, respectively, and the electrostatic touch detection circuit unit 13 , Is electrically connected to the control means 12 via a conductor formed on the printed wiring board 11.

The change in capacitance is determined by the dielectric constant of the substance that the finger touches, and the larger the dielectric constant, the larger the change in capacitance and the higher the sensitivity can be set. In addition, high sensitivity means that the position pressed by the finger can be recognized accurately and quickly, and false detection such as a state where the finger touches the adhesion of water droplets or false detection due to the influence of external noise is unlikely to occur. Say that. For example, the dielectric constant of glass is about 9, ABS resin and PET resin are about 3, and the change in capacitance is inversely proportional to the thickness. Therefore, when the material of the part touched by a finger is a glass plate, ABS resin Even if it is three times as thick as PET resin or PET resin, the sensitivity can be the same.

In the present embodiment, the transparent electrode is used as a glass base material, but the same effect can be obtained by using a resin sheet such as PET. Further, although the X electrode and the Y electrode are formed on one surface of the transparent electrode in order to reduce the cost, it is equivalent to forming the X electrode 20 on one surface of the transparent electrode and the Y electrode 21 on the other surface. Performance can be obtained.

Next, the detection mechanism at the time of touch operation will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

A very small capacitance component (about 2 to 3 PF) exists between the X electrode 20 and the Y electrode 21 formed on the transparent electrode 19, and the X electrode 20 is transmitted from the electrostatic touch detection circuit unit 13. The voltage is constantly applied repeatedly at a predetermined cycle.

The Y electrode 21 always outputs the voltage applied from the X electrode 20 and passing through the capacitance component, and returns a voltage signal to the electrostatic touch detection circuit unit 13, so that the capacitance always present in the touch panel display unit 8 is present. Monitor the voltage changes of the components.

When a person touches the transparent plate 5, the transparent plate 5, the transparent double-sided tape 7, and the transparent electrode 19 are electrically connected from the human finger, and the capacitance component of the person (generally about 100 to 150 PF). As a result, the voltage of the capacitance component existing in the touch panel display unit 8 detected by the electrostatic touch detection circuit unit 13 changes significantly. The electrostatic touch detection circuit unit 13 confirms that the touch operation is performed by this change, and transmits the confirmation signal to the control means 12. A threshold value for determining the touch operation is set in the electrostatic touch detection circuit unit 13, and the presence or absence of the touch operation is determined depending on whether or not the input level of the touch signal exceeds the threshold value.

Therefore, the X electrode 20 and the Y electrode 21 need to have a specific distance only at the portion actually detected as the input switch, and the X electrode 20 is generally scanned and output as the transmitting side electrode and is constant. The electrostatic touch detection circuit unit 13 switches the output port at intervals, and the port that does not output is electrically connected to the GND.

The wiring from the X electrode 20 is concentrated on the upper side in the drawings of FIGS. 6 and 7, connected to one end of the transmission side touch panel connection cable 22, and the wiring from the Y electrode 21 is concentrated on the lower side on the receiving side. By connecting to one end of the touch panel connection cable 23, the transparent electrode 19 and the connection cable are connected, and the other end of the transmission side touch panel connection cable 22 and the reception side touch panel connection cable 23 is connected to the printed wiring board 11. ing. As a result, it is prevented from being detected when a finger touches a part other than the part to be detected as an input switch, and is prevented from malfunctioning when a liquid such as water adheres to it.

In this way, by separately wiring and connecting the wiring from the X electrode 20 and the wiring from the Y electrode 21, it is easy to connect the wiring of the X electrode 20 and the wiring of the Y electrode 21 at a distance. Therefore, the shape of the touch panel display unit can be minimized, and the touch panel type operation display unit can be made strong against malfunctions without configuring complicated malfunction countermeasures on the circuit or program.

In the unlikely event that water or detergent liquid adheres to a large area on the touch panel display unit 8 and an erroneous detection is made, signals are input from the plurality of operation button units 25 to the electrostatic touch detection circuit unit 13 for control. The means 12 recognizes the information, determines that the malfunction is due to the adhesion of a liquid such as water, and stops the operation. Further, the display device 24 and the voice device 18 notify the abnormality and alert the user.

As described above, the washing machine according to the present invention has a touch panel system that can be operated by touching the operation display unit with a finger to improve operability, and the connection cable in the control device is separated by function. Since it is possible to prevent false detections and malfunctions that are common in the touch panel method, it can be applied to various electric devices other than washing machines having a touch panel type operation display unit.

8 Touch panel display 11 Printed wiring board 12 Control means 13 Electrostatic touch detection circuit 18 Audio device 20 X electrode (transmission side electrode)
21 Y electrode (reception side electrode)
22 Transmission side touch panel connection cable 23 Receiving side touch panel connection cable 24 Display device 25 Operation button section 31 Main unit 32 Water tank 33 Rotating drum 41 Motor 46 Operation display device section

Claims (2)

A body, is disposed in the upper body, have a selection of modes and various functions such as operation course rows, and an operation display device unit for displaying based on the input information,
The operation display device unit detects a mutual capacitance type electrostatic touch panel display unit having a plurality of transmission side electrodes and reception side electrodes corresponding to a plurality of operation button units, and a finger contact with the touch panel display unit. It has a detection circuit unit and a printed wiring board for mounting the circuit of the detection circuit unit.
The touch panel display unit has a substantially rectangular shape, Rutotomoni concentrate the wiring from the transmitting electrode to the one side of the touch panel display unit, and the one side end of the wiring from the reception-side electrode and the touch panel display unit the phases were facing concentrate to the other side, the wiring from the transmission side electrode of the concentrated allowed wiring on the transmission side panel connection cable, the wiring from the reception-side electrode at the receiving side panel connection cable, the printed A washing machine that connects to a wiring board. Wherein when the signal change occurs in the plurality of operation buttons section, to stop the operation, the washing machine according to claim 1 for notifying an abnormality in the operation display device of the display device and the audio device ..

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