JPS60158520A - Operation button of washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION The present invention relates to an operating button for a washing machine used in general households.

Conventional configuration and its problems Conventionally, in the operation button of this type of washing machine, electronic components 6, switches 7, etc. that constitute the operation control circuit of the washing machine are arranged, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The printed circuit board 8 is attached with screws 13 to the back side of a synthetic resin operation plate 4 which is fixed to the top plate 3 which is placed on the top of the outer box 2 of the washing machine with screws 5 and the like, and is pushed onto the operation plate 4. An actuating piece 9 that closes the contacts of the switch 7 by pressure operation is integrally formed as a resilient cantilever utilizing the characteristics of a synthetic resin material. A waterproof sheet 10 is attached, and a button shape is printed on the back side of the waterproof sheet at a position corresponding to the actuating piece 9, or a convex shape 14 of 31° is formed on the back side of the waterproof sheet. was giving. However, with this configuration, the force applied to the actuating piece 9 is applied by the user to the tarpaulin 10.
The force used to push the actuating piece 9 is almost equal to that of the switch 9, so if the user applies too much pushing force or accidentally bumps into it, a large pushing force or impact force will be applied directly to the switch 7, damaging it. Since impact force and strong force are also applied to the electronic components 6 and the printed circuit board 8 around the switch 7, these may be destroyed. Also, among the operation buttons of the washing machine,
A frequently used button, i.e. when starting the washing machine,
Buttons used to send signals to the operation control circuit or to turn off electricity when stopping or stopping are often subject to large pushing forces as described above, and the ease of pressing the buttons has also been improved. For this reason, buttons are required to be large in shape and easily noticeable.

However, in the conventional configuration, it is necessary not only to enlarge the printing or convex shape corresponding to the button on the waterproof sheet 10 described above, but also to make the shape of the actuating piece 9 thicker accordingly. ff: Since it is constructed integrally with the operation plate 8 in the shape of a cantilever, the strength is about the same as that of the operation plate 8 with a cutout hole, so the disadvantage is that the size of the operation piece 9 cannot be made very large. Yes, so I couldn't make the buttons bigger.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention solves these conventional problems and improves strength.
Second, to provide an operating button for a washing machine that improves quality when a strong force such as an unexpected impact force is applied to the button, and improves ease of operation by increasing the size of the button. It is.

Structure of the Invention The operating button of the washing machine of the present invention is fixed to a top plate that is crowned above the outer box that houses the washing tub, and there are electronic components and
A printed circuit board with a switch, etc. arranged thereon is attached, an actuation piece that closes the contacts of the switch by pressing operation is integrally formed, and the surface is covered with a waterproof sheet pasted on the actuation piece and its vicinity. The operating plate is disposed on a synthetic resin operation plate for the entire arrangement, and is provided with a convex portion that contacts the operating piece by 5" during normal operation (hereinafter referred to as normal operation) when no pressing operation is performed through the waterproof sheet roller, and , this convex portion rotates through the waterproof sheet to a position where the actuating piece is fully pressed, and immediately after the actuating piece is fully pressed (-), the portion other than the convex portion is rotated through the waterproof sheet. It comes into contact with the operation plate and stops the rotational movement.The configuration of this convex part allows
When the operation button is pressed strongly or when a shocking force is applied, the applied force causes the convex part to press the switch via the actuation piece due to the rotation of the operation button, but the contact of the switch After the button is closed, the part of the operation button other than the convex part comes into contact with the operation plate through the waterproof sheet and stops the rotation of the operation plate, so no further pressing pressure is applied to the switch.
It is absorbed into the operation panel and prevents damage to switches, electronic components, etc. and printed circuit boards. Also, it is the convex part that directly pushes the operating piece, so no matter how large the entire operating button is, there is no need to make the operating piece larger accordingly, and therefore the strength of the operating plate will not be compromised. By increasing the size, the ease of pressing the button can be improved.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS From page 6 onwards, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings. 3 to 6, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the conventional example. 1 is a washing machine, 2 is an outer box with a washing tub inside, 3 is a top plate that is placed above the outer box, 4 is a washing machine.
A synthetic resin operation board is fixed to the front of the top plate with screws 5, and on the back side there is a printed circuit board 8 with electronic components 6 and a switch 7 that closes contacts (not shown) by pressing the screws 13. Fixed by Reference numeral 9 denotes a cantilever actuating piece that is integrally formed on the operating plate 4 and is elastically deflected by pressure; 10 is a waterproof sheet attached and attached to the actuating piece 9 and its vicinity on the surface of the operating plate 40; Reference numeral 11 denotes an operation button, and a convex portion 11ai is integrally formed at a position corresponding to the operation piece through the waterproof sheet 10 on the back side thereof,
The tip thereof is normally in contact with the actuating piece 9 via a waterproof sheet. Reference numeral 11b denotes a substantially U-shaped support portion formed integrally with the operation button 11, and a shaft 41L' formed integrally with the operation plate 4 (< is held between the shaft 4a2 and the operation button 11).
Rotate around the center in the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure. 4b7 ゛ is a hole provided in the mold structure for forming the above-mentioned ll1lII4a, and in order to prevent water from entering the printed circuit board 8 from this hole when water is poured from in front of the operation panel, a gutter 4C is provided to prevent water from entering. The water is guided to a safe direction below the printed circuit board 8. 11C is a rib, which is formed integrally with the operation button 11 together with the rib 11d. Immediately after the section 11a pushes up the actuating piece 9 to some extent through the waterproof sheet 10 and the contact (not shown) of the switch 7 closes, the actuating piece 9 is set at a height such that it comes into contact with the operating plate 4 through the waterproof sheet 10i. There is.

To explain the operation in the above configuration, the user presses the operation button 1.
1, the operation button rotates around the shaft 4a, the convex portion 111L presses the actuation piece 9 through the waterproof sheet 10, and the actuation piece 9 closes the contact of the switch 7. moreover,
When pressure is applied, the operation button 11 rotates until the rib 110 contacts the operation plate 4 through the waterproof sheet 10, and the convex portion presses the switch 7 through the waterproof sheet 10 and the actuation piece 9. However, even if the operation button is pressed after the contact, the pressing force is absorbed by the operation plate 4 and not transmitted to the actuating piece 9, and no further pressing pressure is applied to the switch 7, so the switch 7 and electronic components 6 and printed circuit board 8 is released, the operating piece 9 returns to its normal shape due to its elasticity, so the convex portion is pushed back and the operation button 11 is pressed. It rotates in the opposite direction when pressed and returns to its normal position. Furthermore, if you try to rotate the operation button 11 in the opposite direction to the pressing direction due to vibrations during washing or dehydration, the rib 1111 normally contacts the operation plate 4, so it will not rotate. , the operation button 11 is prevented from wobbling due to normal vibrations, etc.

By the way, even if the shape of the operation button is made thicker in order to improve the ease of push button operation, since it is the convex part that presses the actuation piece 9 of the operation plate 4, the actuation piece becomes larger as the shape of the operation button becomes larger. There is no need to increase the size, and the strength of the operation panel 4 is not impaired. Increasing the size of the operation button 11 tends to increase the pressing force applied to the operation button and the impact force of both barges. However, according to the present invention, the disadvantages of the conventional large pressing force and impact force can be eliminated. It is possible to realize a large and safe operation button.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which a spring 12 is interposed between the waterproof sheet 10 and the back side of the operation button 11.
The convex portion 111L is close to the actuating piece 9 via the waterproof sheet 10 (i7. In this case, the convex portion 11
Since a is not in contact with the actuating piece 9 under normal conditions, even if the spring constant of the actuating piece 9 is small, even if the convex part 11a vibrates somewhat due to vibrations during washing or dehydration, the pressing force due to the vibration will be reduced. is applied to the switch 7 via the actuating piece 9, closing and switching its contacts would prevent the problem.

In this case, the spring 12 applies a force to the operation button 11 in the direction opposite to the push pressure operation, and together with the rib 11d, the operation button 11 is maintained in its normal position.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above-mentioned embodiments, the operation button of the washing machine of the present invention rotates due to pressing force, and the convex portion moves onto the printed circuit board 10 barge plate through the actuating piece. Immediately after pressing the switch, a part of the operation button other than the protrusion comes into contact with the operation plate through the waterproof sheet, stopping the rotation, thereby increasing the strength and safety of the switch, etc. against large pressing pressure. Moreover, the operation button can be made larger due to the structure in which the actuating piece is pressed through the operation button, and the strength and safety of the operation plate can be ensured.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine equipped with a conventional operation button, Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the same operation button, Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the invention in which the same operation button is pressed, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the same operation button. The figure is a sectional view of an operation button in a normal state, showing a middle embodiment of the present invention. 1...Washing tub, 2...Outer box, 3...
...Top plate, 4...Operation board, 6...Electronic components, 7...Switch, 8...Printed circuit board, 9... ...Actuation piece, 10...Tap sheet, 11...Operation button, 12...
Names of 111 people with springs in their teens Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 4 JP-A-Sho GO-158520 (5) Figure 6

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) It is fixed to the top plate that is crowned above the outer box in which the washing tub is installed, and a printed circuit board with electronic components and switches etc. is attached to the back side of the top plate, and the contacts of the switch are closed by pressing operation. The actuating piece is integrally formed, and the operating plate is made of synthetic resin and has a waterproof sheet layer covering and pasted on the actuating piece and its vicinity, and the actuating piece is provided with a waterproof sheet layer on the surface. Equipped with a convex part that normally comes into contact with the
In addition, the convex portion rotates to a position where it presses the actuating piece through the waterproof sheet roller, and immediately after the actuating piece presses the switch, the portion other than the convex portion comes into contact with the operation plate through the waterproof sheet roller. An operation button of a washing machine configured to touch and stop the rotational movement. (2) A spring is interposed between the waterproof sheet or the surface of the operation panel and the back side of the operation button, and the actuating piece is provided with a convex portion that normally approaches the waterproof sheet through the waterproof sheet. Washing machine operation buttons as described in section.