Control and washing machine

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a control handle and a washing machine, the control handle comprising: an encoder comprising a code disc, an inner ring and an outer ring, the inner ring being protrusively connected to the code disc, the outer ring being sleeved on the inner ring and being rotatably connected with the inner ring; a knob abutting against the outer periphery of the outer ring and being clamped with the outer ring; and a stator abutting against the inner periphery of the inner ring and being clamped with the inner ring. The stator and the inner ring of the encoder are clamped and fixed as a whole, and the knob and the outer ring of the encoder are clamped and fixed as a whole, so that the knob runs along a fixed track, the gap is cancelled, the problem of knob shaking is reduced, and the use performance of the control handle and the use satisfaction of the user are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of washing machine technology, and particularly relates to a control component and a washing machine. Background Technology

[0002] The control panel of a washing machine integrates multiple components for program selection, which are generally operated by a control unit, a crucial part of the washing machine's automatic control system. Traditionally, the control unit connects the computer board and the knob using a small cylindrical encoder, resulting in a slender overall design. Knob wobbling is typically controlled by the clearance between the knob's column and the control panel. However, a standard computer board installation can lead to encoder misalignment, which in turn causes the knob to wobble. Therefore, reducing knob wobbling is a critical issue that needs to be addressed. Utility Model Content

[0003] This application provides a control element and a washing machine that can reduce the problem of knob wobbling.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a control element, including:

[0005] An encoder includes a code disk, an inner ring, and an outer ring. The inner ring protrudes and is connected to the code disk, and the outer ring is fitted onto the inner ring and is rotatably connected to the inner ring.

[0006] The knob abuts against the outer circumference of the outer ring and engages with the outer ring;

[0007] The stator abuts against the inner circumference of the inner ring and engages with the inner ring.

[0008] Optionally, the stator includes a body and an extension, the extension protruding and connected to the body, the body abutting against the inner circumference of the inner ring and engaging with the inner ring;

[0009] The control unit also includes a control board having a slot, and the extension engages with the slot to fix the encoder and the stator to the control board.

[0010] Optionally, the control unit further includes a computer board, which has a first hole and a second hole, the code disk is inserted into the first hole, and the extension is inserted into the second hole.

[0011] Optionally, the projection of the outer ring onto the code disk is located within the code disk, and the control component further includes a fixing plate connected to the computer board, which clamps the code disk between the fixing plate and the computer board.

[0012] Optionally, the control member has an axial direction, and the extension protrudes from the body along the axial direction;

[0013] The body has a protrusion and the inner ring has a groove, and the protrusion engages with the groove.

[0014] Optionally, the main body is further provided with a threaded hole, and the computer board is provided with a through hole corresponding to the threaded hole;

[0015] The control component also includes a screw that passes through the threaded hole and the through hole and is connected to the control board.

[0016] Optionally, the outer ring is provided with a connecting groove and a limiting groove, the connecting groove and the limiting groove being arranged along the circumferential direction of the outer ring, the connecting groove being used to cooperate with the knob, and the limiting groove being used to position the knob.

[0017] Optionally, the knob includes a buckle and a connecting arm, the buckle and the connecting arm are connected circumferentially, and the thickness of the buckle is less than the thickness of the connecting arm. The buckle protrudes circumferentially from the connecting arm and is engaged with the connecting groove.

[0018] Optionally, the knob includes an inner ring, an outer ring, and a connecting part, the connecting part being connected between the inner ring and the outer ring, the inner ring engaging with the outer ring, and the connecting part having a locking hole;

[0019] The control component also includes a knob cover, which is disposed on the inner ring portion and is snapped together with the card hole.

[0020] The control element also includes a pointer, which is mounted on the connector and protrudes from the knob cover.

[0021] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a washing machine, including the control element as described in any of the preceding claims.

[0022] In the control unit and washing machine of this application embodiment, by snapping the stator and the inner ring of the encoder into one piece, and snapping the knob and the outer ring of the encoder into one piece, the knob runs along a fixed track, eliminating the gap setting, which can reduce the problem of knob shaking, thereby improving the performance of the control unit and the user's satisfaction. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] To gain a more complete understanding of this application and its beneficial effects, the following description will be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals denote the same parts.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the control component provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 2 This is another schematic diagram of the control component provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0027] Figure 3 An exploded structural diagram of a control component provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0028] Figure 4 This is another schematic diagram of the control component provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0029] Figure 5 for Figure 4 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the control component along line AA.

[0030] Figure 6 This is another schematic diagram of the control component provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0031] Figure 7 This is another exploded structural diagram of the control component provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0032] Figure 8 for Figure 6 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the control unit along BB. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0034] To reduce the problem of knob shaking affecting the user experience, this application provides a control component and a washing machine, which will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] For example, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the control component provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 This is another schematic diagram of the control component provided in the embodiments of this application. The control component 100 includes an encoder 110, a knob 120, and a stator 130.

[0036] The encoder 110 is an important component of the control unit 100. Taking the control unit 100 as an example in a washing machine, the encoder 110 can convert the physical movement of the user's hand on the control unit 100 into electrical signals corresponding to the program in the control panel, thereby enabling the user to select a washing machine program. For example, the encoder 110 includes a code disk 111, an inner ring 112, and an outer ring 113. The code disk 111 can be a circular or annular structure; however, due to assembly requirements, the shape of the code disk 111 can be an irregular ring. The code disk 111 is a commonly used displacement sensor that can measure angular displacement. The inner ring 112 can be annular, protruding and connected to the code disk 111. Furthermore, the inner ring 112 is coaxially arranged with the code disk 111, and the area occupied by the inner ring 112 is smaller than the area occupied by the code disk 111. The outer ring 113 is fitted over the inner ring 112. The outer ring 113 can also be annular, and the outer ring 113 and the inner ring 112 are rotatably connected. Displacement is detected by the code disk 111. The end face of the outer ring 113 facing away from the code disk 111 can be flush with the end face of the inner ring 112 facing away from the code disk 111 to facilitate positioning during installation, or the end face of the outer ring 113 facing away from the code disk 111 can be higher than the end face of the inner ring 112 facing away from the code disk 111 to facilitate the placement of other devices.

[0037] The knob 120 is the position that the user can operate. By rotating the knob 120 to a preset position, such as to select the washing machine program, the user can select the program. The knob 120 abuts against the outer circumference of the outer ring 113 and engages with the outer ring 113 to fix the knob 120 and the outer ring 113.

[0038] The stator 130 can be understood as part of the encoder 110. The stator 130 is used to fix the inner ring 112 in the encoder 110. In this embodiment, the stator 130 and the encoder 110 are described as independent devices. The stator 130 abuts against the inner circumference of the inner ring 112 and is snapped into the inner ring 112, so that the stator 130 and the inner ring 112 are fixed into an integral structure.

[0039] In the control component 100 of this application embodiment, by snapping the stator 130 and the inner ring 112 of the encoder 110 into one piece, and snapping the knob 120 and the outer ring 113 of the encoder 110 into one piece, the knob 120 runs along a fixed track, eliminating the gap setting, which can reduce the problem of knob 120 shaking, thereby improving the performance of the control component 100 and the user's satisfaction.

[0040] Please see Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3This is an exploded structural diagram of the control component provided in an embodiment of this application. The outer ring 113 and the knob 120 can be fixed using a snap-fit ​​structure. For example, the outer ring 113 has a connecting groove 1130 and a limiting groove 1132, which are arranged along the circumference of the outer ring 113. The connecting groove 1130 is used to cooperate with the knob 120 to fix the knob 120, and the limiting groove 1132 is used to position the knob 120, or to prevent incorrect assembly of the knob 120, which would cause the knob 120's pointer to point to the wrong program. Multiple connecting grooves 1130 can be used to achieve a stable connection between the knob 120 and the outer ring 113, while only one limiting groove 1132 can be used, which both prevents incorrect assembly and reduces the material used in the outer ring 113, thus saving costs.

[0041] The knob 120 may include a snap-fit ​​121 and a connecting arm 122. The number of snap-fits 121 matches the number of connecting slots 1130, and the snap-fits 121 engage with the connecting slots 1130. The snap-fits 121 and the connecting arm 122 are connected circumferentially, and the thickness of the snap-fits 121 is less than the thickness of the connecting arm 122. The snap-fits 121 protrude circumferentially from the connecting arm 122, thus facilitating the disassembly of the knob 120. In other words, the wall thickness at the snap-fit ​​connection of the knob 120 is made thinner, resulting in a significant structural difference in wall thickness. Disassembly of the thinner area is prone to deformation; removing the snap-fits facilitates after-sales disassembly.

[0042] To improve the aesthetics of the knob 120, the control component 100 of this embodiment also includes a knob cover. Exemplarily, the knob 120 further includes an inner ring portion 123, an outer ring portion 124, and a connecting portion 125, with the connecting portion 125 connecting the inner ring portion 123 and the outer ring portion 124. The inner ring portion 123 has an annular space, and a buckle 121 and a connecting arm 122 are attached to the inner ring portion 123. For example, the buckle 121 and the connecting arm can be connected to the inner ring portion 123 by adhesive bonding, or they can be integrally formed during manufacturing. The inner ring portion 123 is engaged with the outer ring 113 via the buckle 121.

[0043] Please combine Figure 3 And see Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, Figure 4 This is another structural schematic diagram of the control component provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 5 for Figure 4The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the control component along line AA. The control component 100 also includes a knob cover 128, which covers the inner ring portion 123. The connecting portion 125 has a locking hole, and the knob cover 128 is snapped into place with the locking hole to fix the knob cover 128 onto the knob 120. That is, the top of the knob 120 is fixed using the pressing surface of the knob cover 128, and the knob cover 128 is fixed to the knob 120 by snapping.

[0044] The control element 100 also includes a pointer 129 for indicating the target position when the user rotates the knob 120. For example, the pointer 129 is mounted on the connecting part 125, such as by a snap-fit ​​connection, and the pointer 129 is exposed or embedded in the knob cover 128 so that the user can use the pointer 129 for indication.

[0045] Please continue reading for more details. Figure 3 The stator 130 includes a body 131 and an extension 132. The body 131 may be cylindrical and abuts against the inner circumference of the inner ring 112 and engages with the inner ring 112. For example, the body 131 may be provided with a protrusion 1310, and the inner ring 112 may be provided with a groove 1120. The protrusion 1310 engages with the groove 1120 and can be installed and removed by means of the axial direction Y of the control member 100.

[0046] To reduce the material used in the stator 130 and thus save costs, the body 131 can be hollowed out. For example, the body 131 can be a structure composed of a ring arm and a connecting frame. The extension 132 protrudes and connects to the body 131. For example, if the control member 100 has an axial direction Y, the extension 132 can protrude from the body 131 along the axial direction Y. The extension 132 is used to fix the body 131.

[0047] Please combine Figures 1 to 5 And see Figures 6 to 8 As shown, Figure 6 This is another structural schematic diagram of the control component provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 This is another exploded structural diagram of the control component provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 8 for Figure 6The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the control unit along line BB. Exemplarily, the control unit 100 also includes a control board 140, which can also be understood as an operation panel. It is one of the circuit boards in an electronic device such as a washing machine. The control board 140 can communicate with the main control board of the washing machine, allowing the internal components of the washing machine to operate in an orderly manner according to a program. The control board 140 has slots 141, and extensions 132 are engaged in the slots 141 to fix the encoder 110 and stator 130 to the control board 140. The number of slots 141 corresponds to the number of extensions 132; for example, two opposite extensions 132 can be engaged with two slots 141 respectively to improve connection stability.

[0048] It should be noted that the control board 140 can be located on the side of the encoder 110 and the knob 120 away from the user operation, or it can be located below the encoder 110. Based on this, the shape of the control board 140 can be adapted to the shape of the encoder 110. For example, the control board 140 can have a groove for at least accommodating the encoder 110. The space design is compact, which can save the overall space occupied by the control component 100.

[0049] For example, the control unit 100 also includes a computer board 150, which can be understood as the signal conversion and processing center of the encoder 110, to convert the displacement of the user-operated knob 120 into electrical signals corresponding to the washing machine program, such as the mapping of displacement and pulse width modulation signals. Figure 5 As shown, the computer board 150 has a first hole 151 and a second hole 152. The code disk 111 is inserted into the first hole 151, and the extension 132 passes through and out of the second hole 152 to facilitate connection with the control board 140. There can be multiple first holes 151, which can mate with pin-like structures on the code disk 111 to fix the code disk 111 to the computer board 150. The number of second holes 152 corresponds to the number of extensions 132; for example, there can be two second holes 152 to improve the stability and firmness of the connection.

[0050] Among them, such as Figure 3 and Figure 5 The main body 131 can be provided with a threaded hole 1312, and the computer board 150 is provided with a through hole 153 corresponding to the threaded hole 1312. The control component 100 also includes a screw, which passes through the threaded hole 1312 and the through hole 153 and is connected to the control board 140. This allows for multiple fixation of the encoder 110 and the knob 120, improving stability and reducing the probability of the knob 120 being shaken.

[0051] The shape of the computer board 150 can be adapted to the shape of the encoder 110. For example, the computer board 150 can be disc-shaped to fit the shape of the encoder 110 and save space occupied by the control unit 100.

[0052] It should be noted that if the code disk 111 is only inserted into the first hole 151 using a pin-like structure, the knob 120 is also prone to wobbling because it has to support the entire code disk 111, the inner ring 112, the outer ring 113, and the knob 120. To further reduce the wobbling problem of the knob 120, such as... Figure 7 The control component 100 in this embodiment further includes a fixing plate 160, which is connected to the computer board 150 and clamps the code disk 111 between the fixing plate 160 and the computer board 150. It is understood that the outer ring 113 and the code disk 111 can be coaxially arranged, and the projection of the outer ring 113 onto the code disk 111 is located within the code disk 111. Therefore, a portion of the code disk 111 can be used to place the fixing plate 160. The fixing plate 160 can be a three-dimensional structure, that is, a fixing piece plus a connecting branch protruding from the fixing piece. The fixing piece is attached to the code disk 111, and the connecting branch is inserted into the computer board 150, so that the fixing piece firmly fixes the code disk 111 onto the computer board 150, thereby improving the reliability of fixing the encoder 110.

[0053] During assembly, the inner ring 112 of the encoder 110 can be tightly connected to the stator 130. Then, the stator 130, together with the encoder 110 and the computer board 150, is fixed in the groove of the control board 140 using the extension 132 at the bottom of the stator 130 and screws. Then, the knob 120 is wrapped around the outer ring 113 of the encoder 110 by a large circular rib and is then precisely and firmly fixed to the encoder 110 using clips and grooves. In this way, the knob 120 is precisely and reliably fixed to the control board 140, and the overall structure has high strength, which can reduce the shaking of the knob 120 and improve the user experience.

[0054] This application also provides a washing machine, which includes the above-mentioned control component. The specific structure of the control component is as described in the above embodiments. Since this washing machine adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0055] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0056] In the description of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features.

[0057] The control components and washing machine provided in the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this application. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope based on the ideas of this application. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

Claims

1. A control element, characterized in that, include: An encoder includes a code disk, an inner ring, and an outer ring. The inner ring protrudes and is connected to the code disk, and the outer ring is fitted onto the inner ring and is rotatably connected to the inner ring. The knob abuts against the outer circumference of the outer ring and engages with the outer ring; The stator abuts against the inner circumference of the inner ring and engages with the inner ring.

2. The control element according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stator includes a body and an extension, the extension protruding and connected to the body, the body abutting against the inner circumference of the inner ring and engaging with the inner ring; The control unit also includes a control board having a slot, and the extension engages with the slot to fix the encoder and the stator to the control board.

3. The control element according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control unit also includes a computer board, which has a first hole and a second hole. The code disk is inserted into the first hole, and the extension is inserted into the second hole.

4. The control element according to claim 3, characterized in that, The projection of the outer ring onto the code disk is located within the code disk. The control component also includes a fixing plate, which is connected to the computer board and clamps the code disk between the fixing plate and the computer board.

5. The control element according to claim 3, characterized in that, The control element has an axial direction, and the extension protrudes from the body along the axial direction; The body has a protrusion and the inner ring has a groove, and the protrusion engages with the groove.

6. The control element according to claim 5, characterized in that, The main body is also provided with a threaded hole, and the computer board is provided with a through hole corresponding to the threaded hole; The control component also includes a screw that passes through the threaded hole and the through hole and is connected to the control board.

7. The control element according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer ring is provided with a connecting groove and a limiting groove. The connecting groove and the limiting groove are arranged along the circumferential direction of the outer ring. The connecting groove is used to cooperate with the knob, and the limiting groove is used to position the knob.

8. The control element according to claim 7, characterized in that, The knob includes a buckle and a connecting arm, which are connected circumferentially. The thickness of the buckle is less than the thickness of the connecting arm. The buckle protrudes circumferentially from the connecting arm and engages with the connecting groove.

9. The control element according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The knob includes an inner ring, an outer ring, and a connecting part. The connecting part is connected between the inner ring and the outer ring. The inner ring is engaged with the outer ring. The connecting part is provided with a locking hole. The control component also includes a knob cover, which is disposed on the inner ring portion and is snapped together with the card hole. The control element also includes a pointer, which is mounted on the connector and protrudes from the knob cover.

10. A washing machine, characterized in that, Includes the control element as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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