WO2023199713A1

WO2023199713A1 - Washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2023199713A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/011223
Authority: WO
Inventors: 勇二平澤; 拓海坂本
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2022-04-13
Filing date: 2023-03-22
Publication date: 2023-10-19
Also published as: JP2023156586A; TW202344733A

Abstract

The washing machine in the present disclosure comprises a housing having a washing tub inside, a loading opening for loading clothes into the washing tub, an operation panel unit provided near the loading opening for operating the washing machine, and a wireless module for communicating wirelessly with the outside. The operation panel unit is constituted of an operation panel, an operation board that is provided on the back side of the operation panel and that receives input by being operated via the operation panel, and a protective case that covers the operation board from the back side and that is mounted on the operation panel. The wireless module can be attached to the back surface of the protective case. The wireless module is attached such that a board of the wireless module is disposed substantially parallel to the operation board and an antenna part of the wireless module constituting the board of the wireless module is disposed at a position where the antenna part does not overlap the operation board.

Description

washing machine

The present disclosure relates to a washing machine equipped with a wireless module.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cleaning device having a wireless communication means. This cleaning equipment is equipped with a display controller that includes a wireless communication means for wirelessly communicating with an external communication terminal, a display means for displaying the selection status of a function, numerical values, or characters, and a display controller for controlling the content displayed on the display means. and a process control means for controlling the cleaning process.

Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a washing machine equipped with a wireless module for wireless communication. The main body of this washing machine consists of a metal lower housing and a resin upper housing placed above the lower housing, and the wireless module is located in the internal space of the upper housing. Placed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-105694 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-157004

The present disclosure provides a washing machine equipped with a wireless module that can reduce product height and cost while ensuring communication performance.

The washing machine according to the present disclosure includes a casing having a washing tub therein, an input port for putting clothes into the washing tub, and an operation panel unit provided near the input port for operating the washing machine. , and a wireless module for wirelessly communicating with the outside. The operation panel unit includes an operation panel, an operation board that is provided on the back side of the operation panel and receives input by operating through the operation panel, and a protective case that covers the operation board from the back side and is attached to the operation panel. It consists of A wireless module can be attached to the back of the protective case. The wireless module is attached so that the base plate of the wireless module is disposed substantially parallel to the operation board, and the antenna section of the wireless module constituting the base board of the wireless module is disposed at a position that does not overlap with the operation board.

The washing machine according to the present disclosure can reduce product height and cost while ensuring communication performance.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine in Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the washing machine in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the washing machine in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of B in FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of D in FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded plan view of the operation display section of the washing machine according to the first embodiment, viewed from above. FIG. 9 is an exploded plan view of the operation display section of the washing machine according to the first embodiment, viewed from below.

(Findings, etc. that formed the basis of this disclosure)
At the time the inventors came up with the present disclosure, washing machines equipped with wireless modules had the following problems. First of all, since the wireless module is placed vertically in the internal space such as on the back of the operation panel of the upper case, the height of the washing machine becomes higher, making it difficult to install. The problem was that it got worse. Additionally, the antenna section of the wireless module is hidden behind the board of the operation panel, making it impossible to ensure good communication performance. Furthermore, in order to ensure the waterproofness of the wireless module, it is necessary to cover the wireless module with two resin parts, which poses a cost problem. The inventors discovered the above-mentioned problems, and in order to solve these problems, the subject matter of the present disclosure has been constructed.

Therefore, the present disclosure provides a washing machine that can improve installation and operability, ensure communication performance, and reduce the number of parts, thereby suppressing cost increases when installing a wireless module.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially the same configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid making the following description unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter recited in the claims.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiment 1 will be described below using FIGS. 1 to 9.

[1-1. composition]
[1-1-1. Overall configuration of washing machine]
1, 2, and 3 are a perspective view, a longitudinal sectional view, and a plan view showing the configuration of washing machine 100 according to the first embodiment. In addition, below, as shown in FIG. 1, the vertical direction in the state in which the washing machine 100 is installed (hereinafter also referred to as "installation state") may be described as an up-down direction. Further, in the installed state, the side where the operation display section 51 is present may be described as the rear side, and the opposite side may be described as the front side. Further, in the installed state, the left-right direction of washing machine 100 when viewed from the front side may be described as the horizontal direction. The same applies to other embodiments.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, a washing machine 100 includes a casing 1 and an upper frame 22 that is attached to the top of the casing 1 and has an opening 21 for throwing clothes in approximately the center. The washing machine 100 also includes an outer lid 17 that is attached to the upper frame 22 and covers the opening 21 in an openable and closable manner, and an outer lid 17 that is provided at the rear upper part of the upper frame 22, that is, near the opening 21. It includes an operation display section 51 for operating and displaying driving setting details and the like. Note that the opening 21 corresponds to an example of the inlet of the present disclosure, and the operation display section 51 corresponds to an example of the operation panel unit of the present disclosure.

A bottomed cylindrical outer tank 3 is elastically suspended in the housing 1 by a suspension 2. Inside the outer tank 3, a bottomed cylindrical inner tank 4 is rotatably supported. Note that the inner tub 4 corresponds to an example of a washing tub of the present disclosure. That is, the washing machine 100 includes a housing 1 having an inner tub 4 therein, and an opening 21 for putting clothes into the inner tub 4. A plurality of dehydration holes 5 are formed on the circumferential surface of the inner tank 4. An annular fluid balancer 6 is attached to the upper part of the inner tank 4. A pulsator 7 is rotatably provided at the inner bottom of the inner tank 4. A stirring protrusion 19 is provided on the upper surface of the pulsator 7 to stir the clothing.

A drain port 23 is formed in the inner bottom of the outer tank 3. The drain port 23 is connected to one end of the drain duct 12. The other end of the drainage duct 12 is connected to one end of a drainage hose 20, and the other end of the drainage hose 20 is located outside the housing 1. A drain valve 13 is provided in the drain duct 12. When the drain valve 13 is opened, the washing water in the outer tub 3 is drained out of the housing 1 via the drain port 23, the drain duct 12, and the drain hose 20.

A motor 10 is fixed to the outer bottom of the outer tank 3. The motor 10 is connected to the pulsator 7 via a washing/drying shaft 8 and a speed reduction mechanism 9. The driving force of the motor 10 is transmitted to the pulsator 7 via the washing and dewatering shaft 8.

The upper frame 22 is made of a molded product of polypropylene resin (PP material). The upper frame 22 is provided with a water supply valve 14 connected to a water supply hose (not shown). The upper frame 22 is provided with a detergent storage container 15 that communicates with the water supply valve 14 via a water supply path (not shown). By opening the water supply valve 14, tap water supplied from the water supply hose is supplied into the outer tank 3 and the inner tank 4 via the water supply route and the detergent storage container 15.

The operation display section 51 is located behind the clothing insertion opening 21 and is provided on the upper frame 22. The configuration of the operation display section 51 will be described later.

The housing 1 is provided with a controller (not shown) that can control the water supply valve 14, motor 10, and drain valve 13 to sequentially control washing, rinsing, and dehydration. The controller is provided with laundry amount detection means (not shown) for detecting the amount of laundry in the inner tub 4 and water level detection means (not shown) for detecting the water level in the inner tub 4. Note that the controller may be a specially designed hardware circuit that realizes these functions, or may be one that realizes the functions by a processor executing a program stored in a memory.

[1-1-2. Configuration of operation display section]
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. In FIG. 4, the upper frame 22 includes an opening 21 into which clothes are put, an outer lid 17 that is attached to the upper frame 22 and covers the opening 21 in an openable and closable manner, and a washing machine 100 that is operated behind the opening 21. and an operation display section 51 for performing the operations.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of B in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of D in FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded plan view showing the configuration of the operation display section 51, viewed from above. FIG. 9 is an exploded plan view showing the configuration of the operation display section 51, viewed from below.

In FIGS. 5 to 9, the operation display section 51 is composed of an operation panel 53, an operation board 54, and a protective case 55. The operation board 54 is provided on the back side of the operation panel 53, and user operations are inputted via the operation panel 53. The protective case 55 covers the operation board 54 from the back side (back side) and is attached to the operation panel 53.

(Operation panel 53)
The operation panel 53 is generally made of a molded product of polypropylene resin (PP material) or ABS resin.

As shown in FIG. 5, an operation display cover 52 with operation display contents printed on a transparent PET (polyethylene terephthalate) sheet is attached to the upper surface of the operation panel 53 with double-sided tape to prevent peeling and make it waterproof. has been done. As shown in FIG. 8, the operation display section cover 52 is provided with an operation section 61 that the user operates with his or her finger, and a display section 62 that displays the remaining time until the completion of driving. The operation unit 61 includes a setting button 61a for setting the water supply level, washing time, number of rinses, etc., a power button 61b, and a start button 61c.

Openings are formed in the operation panel 53 to correspond to the positions of the operation section 61 and the display section 62.

(Operation board 54)
As shown in FIG. 7, the operation board 54 is fixed to the back surface of the operation panel 53 by screwing operation board mounting screws 54b through operation board mounting screw holes 54a provided in the operation board 54. As shown in FIG. 8, an operation switch 63 is provided on the operation board 54 at a position corresponding to the operation section 61 when the operation display section 51 is attached. When the user presses down the operation section 61 of the operation display section cover 52 with a finger, the operation button 53a (see FIG. 9) corresponding to the operation section 61 moves downward, and the corresponding operation switch 63 is pressed down. The operation switch 63 includes a setting switch 63a corresponding to the setting button 61a, a power switch 63b corresponding to the power button 61b, and a start switch 63c corresponding to the start button 61c. Thereby, the user can set a desired driving operation using the operation panel 53.

Furthermore, a 7-segment display 64 is disposed on the operation board 54 at a position corresponding to the display section 62. When the 7-segment display 64 emits light, the light from the 7-segment display 64 passes through the light guide path and is displayed on the display section 62 of the operation display section cover 52. Thereby, the operation panel 53 can display the desired display. In addition, in this embodiment, in addition to the overall control controller provided in the casing 1 that controls the overall operation of the washing machine 100, a controller (not shown) for the operation display section 51 is provided on the operation board. 54. The controller for the operation display unit 51 notifies the overall control controller of the details of the driving operation set by the user's operation on the operation unit 61, and also displays the 7-segment display according to the user's operation. Controls the light emission of 64. Note that the controller for the operation display section 51 may also be a specially designed hardware circuit that realizes the above functions, similar to the controller for overall control, or a processor that executes a program stored in memory. It may also be possible to implement that function. Note that the function of the controller for the operation display section 51 may be realized by a controller for overall control without providing a separate controller for the operation display section 51.

(Protective case 55)
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the protective case 55 covers the operation board 54 from the back side in order to protect the operation board 54. The protective case 55 has a protective case mounting screw hole 55a formed therein. With the protective case 55 attached to the operation panel 53, the protective case 55 is fixed to the operation panel 53 by screwing a protective case attachment screw into the protective case attachment screw hole 55a.

(Wireless module 70)
Washing machine 100 includes a wireless module 70 for wirelessly communicating with the outside. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the wireless module 70 includes a wireless module board 71 and a wireless module connection section 72. The wireless module board 71 includes a microcontroller mounting section 71a to which a microcontroller for controlling signal transmission and reception is mounted, and a wireless module antenna section 71b for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the outside. The wireless module connection section 72 is connected to the operation board 54 and has a structure capable of transmitting a signal to the operation board 54. Note that the wireless module board 71 corresponds to an example of the substrate of the wireless module of the present disclosure, and the wireless module antenna section 71b corresponds to an example of the antenna section of the wireless module of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the back surface of the protective case 55 is configured so that a wireless module 70 can be attached thereto. In this embodiment, a wireless module accommodating portion 55c is provided on the back surface of the protective case 55 in order to attach the wireless module 70. A substantially square outer peripheral rib 55d is formed in the wireless module housing portion 55c so as to surround the wireless module board 71. The outer peripheral rib 55d is provided with a notch 55e, and the wireless module antenna portion 71b is pulled out from the wireless module housing portion 55c through the notch 55e. A wireless module board claw portion 55f is provided inside the outer peripheral rib 55d, and by engaging the wireless module board 71 with the wireless module board claw portion 55f, the wireless module board 71 is fixed from both sides. It can be installed inside. By doing so, the operation board 54 and the wireless module board 71 are arranged substantially parallel to each other. Here, "substantially parallel" does not only mean completely parallel, but also includes things that are intended to be parallel but are slightly deviated from parallel, for example, when manufacturing the washing machine 100. Within the allowable error range, including parallel cases.

Due to the wireless module accommodating portion 55c, the microcontroller mounting portion 71a of the wireless module board 71 overlaps the operation board 54, and the wireless module antenna portion 71b is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the operation board 54. More specifically, the wireless module antenna section 71b is arranged to protrude laterally from the operation board 54 when viewed from the top surface of the operation board 54.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 8, the wireless module accommodating portion 55c is provided on the opposite side from the right side where the power switch 63b and the start switch 63c are provided, that is, on the left side. Thereby, the wireless module 70 does not overlap the power switch 63b and the start switch 63c, and the wireless module accommodating portion 55c can have a simple configuration.

The wireless module accommodating portion 55c is provided with a waterproof cover 80 that is attached to the outer circumferential rib 55d by being fitted into the outer circumferential rib 55d with the waterproof cover claw portion 80a. That is, the wireless module 70 is covered with a waterproof cover 80 that can be attached to the back surface of the protective case 55. The waterproof cover outer circumferential rib 80b, which is the outer circumferential rib of the waterproof cover 80, is formed in a concave shape, and the concave portion enters the outer circumferential rib 55d, thereby maintaining waterproof performance. In this embodiment, the wireless module accommodating portion 55c to which the wireless module 70 can be attached is provided, but a known means for attaching the wireless module 70 may be used instead of the wireless module accommodating portion 55c. It's okay to be hit. Similarly, other known means may be used to attach the waterproof cover 80 instead of fitting it into the outer circumferential rib 55d.

[1-2. Effects, etc.]
As described above, in this embodiment, washing machine 100 includes casing 1 having inner tub 4 therein, and opening 21 for putting clothes into inner tub 4. Further, washing machine 100 is provided near opening 21 and includes an operation display section 51 for operating washing machine 100, and a wireless module 70 for performing wireless communication with the outside. The operation display unit 51 includes an operation panel 53, an operation board 54 that is provided on the back side of the operation panel 53 and receives input by operating through the operation panel 53, and an operation panel that covers the operation board 54 from the back side. 53 and a protective case 55 attached to the protective case 53. A wireless module 70 can be attached to the back surface of the protective case 55. The wireless module 70 is attached so that the wireless module board 71 is arranged substantially parallel to the operation board 54, and the wireless module antenna section 71b constituting the wireless module board 71 is arranged in a position that does not overlap the operation board 54. .

Thereby, the washing machine 100 can also use the protective case 55 to which the wireless module 70 is attached on the back side as a cover for waterproofing the wireless module 70. Therefore, whereas conventionally two parts were required to waterproof the wireless module 70, the washing machine 100 only requires the addition of one part (waterproof cover 80). Therefore, since the washing machine 100 can reduce the number of parts in the height direction, the height of the operation panel 53 and the washing machine 100 itself can be reduced compared to the conventional configuration in which the wireless module 70 is arranged vertically. It is also possible to reduce the cost when installing the wireless module 70. Further, in the washing machine 100, the wireless module antenna section 71b is arranged at a position that does not overlap the operation board 54, and is not hidden behind the operation board 54 from the front of the product, so that communication performance can be ensured. In this manner, the washing machine 100 can reduce the product height of the operation display section 51 and the washing machine 100, thereby improving installation and operability, reducing costs, and ensuring communication performance. That is, washing machine 100 can reduce product height and cost while ensuring communication performance.

As in the present embodiment, the wireless module 70 of the washing machine 100 is attached such that the wireless module antenna section 71b protrudes from the operation board 54 in the lateral direction of the washing machine 100 in the installed state. Good too.

As a result, the wireless module antenna section 71b is not hidden behind the operation board 54 from the front of the product, so communication performance can be ensured. Therefore, washing machine 100 can ensure communication performance.

As in this embodiment, the wireless module 70 of the washing machine 100 may be covered with a waterproof cover 80 that can be attached to the back surface of the protective case 55.

Thereby, the protective case 55 of the operation panel 53 also serves as a waterproof cover for the wireless module board 71, and the rear part is covered with the waterproof cover 80, so that the washing machine 100 can reduce the number of parts. Therefore, the washing machine 100 can suppress the cost of adding parts for mounting the wireless module 70.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, Embodiment 1 has been described as an example of the technology in the present disclosure. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can also be applied to embodiments in which changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. are made.

Therefore, other embodiments will be illustrated below.

In Embodiment 1, a vertical washing machine was described as an example of the washing machine of the present disclosure. The washing machine of the present disclosure may be any washing machine as long as it can wash cloth with water. Therefore, the washing machine of the present disclosure is not limited to a top-loading washing machine. The washing machine of the present disclosure may be a drum type washing machine or a two-tub type washing machine.

In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which the operation display section 51 as an example of the operation panel unit of the present disclosure is provided at the rear upper part of the upper frame 22. However, the operation panel unit of the present disclosure only needs to be provided near the input port for inputting clothes. For example, the operation display section 51 may be provided at the front upper part of the upper frame 22. Further, when the washing machine of the present disclosure is a drum-type washing machine, it may be provided above the input port, for example.

The present disclosure is applicable to various home and commercial washing machines equipped with a wireless module. Specifically, the present disclosure is applicable to, for example, a vertical washing machine, a drum washing machine, a two-tub washing machine, and the like.

1 Housing 2 Suspension 3 Outer tank 4 Inner tank (washing tub)
5 Dehydration hole 6 Fluid balancer 7 Pulsator 8 Washing/dehydration shaft 9 Speed reduction mechanism 10 Motor 12 Drain duct 13 Drain valve 14 Water supply valve 15 Detergent container 17 Outer lid 19 Stirring protrusion 20 Drain hose 21 Opening (inlet)
22 Upper frame 23 Drain port 51 Operation display section (operation panel unit)
52 Operation display section cover 53 Operation panel 53a Operation button 54 Operation board 54a Operation board mounting screw hole 54b Operation board mounting screw 55 Protective case 55a Protective case mounting screw hole 55c Wireless module housing part 55d Outer circumference rib 55e Notch part 55f Wireless module board Claw section 61 Operation section 61a Setting button 61b Power button 61c Start button 62 Display section 63 Operation switch 63a Setting switch 63b Power switch 63c Start switch 64 7 segment display 70 Wireless module 71 Wireless module board (substrate)
71a Microcontroller mounting part 71b Wireless module antenna part (antenna part)
72 Wireless module connection part 80 Waterproof cover 80a Waterproof cover claw part 80b Waterproof cover outer circumferential rib 100 Washing machine

Claims

A casing having a washing tub inside;
an input port for inputting clothes into the washing tub;
an operation panel unit provided near the input port for operating the washing machine;
Equipped with a wireless module for wireless communication with the outside,
The operation panel unit includes an operation panel, an operation board that is provided on the back side of the operation panel and receives input by operating through the operation panel, and an operation board that covers the operation board from the back side and connects to the operation panel. Consists of a protective case to be attached,
The wireless module can be attached to the back side of the protective case,
The wireless module is arranged such that the substrate of the wireless module is arranged substantially parallel to the operation board, and the antenna section of the wireless module constituting the substrate of the wireless module is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the operation board. The module is installed,
washing machine.
The wireless module is attached such that the antenna section of the wireless module is disposed to protrude from the operation board in a lateral direction of the washing machine in an installed state.
A washing machine according to claim 1.
The wireless module is covered with a waterproof cover that can be attached to the back side of the protective case.
A washing machine according to claim 1 or 2.