Operation panel and washing machine

Abstract

To provide an operation panel which is free from the risk of electric shock even when a frame body having electric conductivity is used as a peripheral portion of a surface panel body, and to provide a washing machine.SOLUTION: An operation panel in a washing machine includes: a surface panel body arranged on a surface, and having a touch operation surface which is touch-operated by a finger of a user; a circuit board arranged on the rear side of the surface panel body, and having an electrode for detecting the change of capacitance by the touch operation; a frame body intervened between the surface panel body and the circuit board at a part to be mounted of a washing machine body or a lid, and having an opening communicating with the surface panel body side and the circuit board side; and a partition wall member which is for insulating a member around the electrode and the electrode, and which is provided so as to separate at least an opening edge part of the frame body and the electrode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an operation panel and a washing machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electrical appliances such as household washing machines are provided with an operation panel for performing setting operations and various displays. For example, in a fully automatic washing machine, a surface panel body having an operation section and a display section is provided on the front side of the upper surface of an outer box, and a circuit board is disposed on the rear side of the surface panel body. The circuit board is provided with a circuit board on which electronic components such as electrodes for detecting touch operations on the operation section and LEDs serving as light sources for the display section are mounted. In such an operation panel, setting operations for courses related to washing operations, etc. are performed on the operation section of the surface panel body, and the LEDs are turned on as backlights to perform predetermined displays on the display section of the surface panel body.

[0003] Incidentally, plating or the like may be applied to the peripheral portion or mounting portion of the operation panel in order to improve its decorativeness or texture. In this regard, the circuit board is incorporated as an electronic unit housed in a unit case and covered with potting resin, but the peripheral portion of the operation panel generally does not use conductive materials such as plating, taking into consideration the usage environment of the washing machine (water used in washing, generation of condensation, etc.) so that leakage current from electrodes on the circuit board does not flow to the outside. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP2015-43869A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Therefore, an operation panel and a washing machine are provided that do not pose a risk of electric shock even if a conductive frame is used as the peripheral portion of the surface panel body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The washing machine of this embodiment includes a washing machine main body having a laundry entrance / exit, a lid provided on the washing machine main body for opening and closing the laundry entrance, and an operation panel attached to the washing machine main body or the lid. The operation panel includes a surface panel body having a touch operation surface that is arranged on a surface and touched by a user's finger, a circuit board arranged on the back side of the surface panel body and having an electrode for detecting a change in capacitance due to the touch operation, a frame body interposed between the surface panel body and the circuit board at a mounting portion of the washing machine main body or the lid and having an opening communicating with the surface panel body side and the circuit board side, and a partition member for insulating the electrode from a member around the electrode, the partition member being arranged so as to separate at least an opening edge portion of the frame body from the electrode. The frame is interposed between the front panel body and the mounting portion, and has an outer shape that allows at least a part of the outer periphery of the frame to be seen on the outer periphery of the front panel body, and a conductive coating layer is formed on the part including the outer periphery, or the frame is made of a conductive material. . [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a partially cutaway view of a washing machine according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] Exploded perspective view of the operation panel [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electronic unit; [Figure 4] Vertical cross-sectional side view of the operation panel [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view of an operation panel showing spring electrodes and ground spring conductors; [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a spring electrode. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a cap; [Figure 8] Cross-sectional view of the spring electrode and its surroundings shown with the cap [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a state in which a frame body is placed on a mounting surface at the front of an outer box. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a first bonding sheet; [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a second bonding sheet; [Figure 12] A perspective view of the frame from the back side [Figure 13] Cross-section of the frame [Figure 14] Plan view of the front of the outer box before the frame is attached [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a grounding means according to a second embodiment. [Figure 16] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a spring electrode of a partition member according to a third embodiment; [Figure 17] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a countersunk portion in the vicinity of a spring electrode in the fourth embodiment; [Figure 18] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a spring electrode of a partition member according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a number of embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiments, substantially the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. First Embodiment The washing machine 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called vertical axis type fully automatic washing machine that has the function of both a washing machine that washes the clothes in the tub and a clothes dryer that dries the clothes in the tub, and the central axis of the tub is oriented vertically.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, in the washing machine 1 main body, a water tub 3 for receiving water during spin-drying and the like is provided via an elastic suspension mechanism 4 in an outer casing 2 having a substantially rectangular box shape. A spin-drying tub 5 for accommodating laundry is rotatably provided in the water tub 3. Both the water tub 3 and the spin-drying tub 5 have a cylindrical body and a bottom, and are cylindrical with a bottom. Of these, an agitator 6 for generating a water flow is provided in the inner bottom of the spin-drying tub 5, which is the inner tub. In addition, a number of spin-drying holes 5a are formed in the body of the spin-drying tub 5.

[0010] The outer bottom of the water tub 3 is provided with an inverter-driven outer rotor washing machine motor 7 and a clutch mechanism 8 that transmits the rotational drive force of the washing machine motor 7 to the spin tub 5 and the agitator 6. Although detailed illustration and description are omitted, the clutch mechanism 8 is configured to switch between transmitting the rotational drive force of the washing machine motor 7 only to the agitator 6 during the washing operation and transmitting the rotational drive force of the washing machine motor 7 to both the spin tub 5 and the agitator 6 during the spin operation by moving the clutch up and down.

[0011] By the washing machine motor 7 and clutch mechanism 8, during the washing and soak-rinse processes, the agitator 6 rotates forward and backward to generate an agitated water flow in the spin tub 5, and during the spin-dry and spin-rinse processes, the spin tub 5 rotates at high speed together with the agitator 6. The washing machine 1 is equipped with a well-known drying mechanism having a heater and fan device, for example, made of PTC, so that the spin tub 5 rotates together with the agitator 6 even during the drying process.

[0012] A drain port 9a and a drainage channel 9 for draining water from the dehydration tank 5 are provided at the bottom of the water tank 3, and a drain hose 11 is connected to a drain valve 10 of the drainage channel 9. Meanwhile, a substantially ring-shaped bucket cover 15 is provided at the upper end of the water tank 3, and the bucket cover 15 is provided with a lid 15a for opening and closing an opening that communicates with the upper opening of the dehydration tank 5.

[0013] The upper end of the outer box 2 is composed of a top cover 16 having an operation panel 20 on the front edge. The top cover 16 is in the shape of a rectangular frame with a substantially circular laundry entrance in the center, and is in the shape of a thin hollow box. A bi-fold type lid 16a for opening and closing the laundry entrance is provided on the upper surface of the top cover 16.

[0014] Although not shown in the figure, a water supply mechanism for supplying water to the spin tub 5 and the like are provided at the rear of the top cover 16. A control device, which is mainly composed of a microcomputer and controls the entire system, is provided within the operation panel 20. The control device controls the above mechanisms based on signals from the operation section of the operation panel 20 and signals from various sensors, automatically executing the washing and drying processes such as washing, rinsing, spin-drying, and drying, and also controls the display on the display section of the operation panel 20. The mounting portion of operation panel 20 on washing machine 1 body, i.e., the mounting portion on the outer surface of outer box 2, is not limited to the front edge of top cover 16 and can be changed as appropriate, such as the rear edge of top cover 16. Also, operation panel 20 may be provided integrally with lid 16a, with the front edge or rear edge of lid 16a being the mounting portion. Hereinafter, the "mounting portion" of operation panel 20 on the front edge of top cover 16 is referred to as mounting surface 18.

[0015] Next, the configuration of the operation panel 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and subsequent drawings. Fig. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the front edge of the top cover 16 as the mounting surface 18, the front panel body 21 and the frame body 22 arranged on the upper surface side, and their joining sheets 31, 32, and the electronic unit 23 arranged from the lower surface side. The perspective view of Fig. 3 shows the electronic unit 23 alone, and the cross-sectional views of Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 show schematic views of the internal structure of the operation panel 20 portion.

[0016] Of these, the front panel body 21 is made of, for example, glass, and has a horizontally long rectangular plate shape that covers the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16. In this case, the mounting surface 18 is an inclined surface with an angle α with the horizontal plane set to, for example, 20 degrees (see FIG. 1), and the front panel body 21 is provided in a state in which it is inclined downward toward the front together with the frame body 22 and the bonding sheets 31, 32 interposed between the mounting surface 18 and the front panel body 21. Note that the mounting surface 18 may not be inclined, or the angle α may be set to a value other than 20 degrees.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the front panel body 21 is provided with operation sections 24a to 24k, 25a, and 25b that are operated by the user's fingers, and display areas 29a to 29c that use the LED 28 or the like on the electronic unit 23 side as a light source. Of these, the operation units 24a to 24k indicated by two-dot chain lines in Fig. 2 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the front side of the front panel body 21. The operation units 24a to 24k are virtually set as capacitive touch operation units, and the front surface of the front panel body 21 is taken as the touch operation surface. Hereinafter, the operation units 24a to 24k are also referred to as "touch operation units 24a to 24k." On the rear side of the front panel body 21, spring electrodes 26 (see FIG. 5), which will be described later, are provided at positions corresponding to the touch operation sections 24a to 24k, respectively, and are configured to detect, as a change in capacitance, the touch or approach of a user's finger as a touch operation.

[0018] The touch operation units 24a to 24k are configured as a group of operation keys representing contents such as a "start / pause" key (not shown), a "course" selection key, setting keys for "washing", "rinsing", "spinning", and "drying", a "water flow" setting key, a "water level" setting key, and a "reservation" setting key.

[0019] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 2, the operation units 25a, 25b arranged at the right end of the front panel body 21 are configured with pressing operation units 25a, 25b in a manner different from the touch operation units 24a to 24k. That is, a pair of left and right round holes 21a, 21b into which the pressing operation units 25a, 25b on the electronic unit 23 side (lower side in Fig. 2) are inserted are provided at the right end of the front panel body 21. The pressing operation units 25a, 25b are circular, and their upper surfaces are flush with the surface of the front panel body 21, and are arranged to close the round holes 21a, 21b. On the back side of the front panel body 21, push button switch devices 27a, 27b (see Fig. 3) having the pressing operation units 25a, 25b are arranged to detect pressing operations by the user.

[0020] The pressing operation portions 25a and 25b are configured as operation keys for turning the power on and off, representing, for example, a "power on" key and a "power off" key (not shown). For ease of explanation, the front panel body 21 in FIG. 2 omits items identifying the contents of the pressing operation sections 25a, 25b and the touch operation sections 24a to 24k, i.e., letters and the like identifying that they are for turning the power on / off, starting / pausing, selecting a course, setting a journey, setting the water flow, setting the water level, or setting a reservation; however, the letters and the like are printed on the back surface of the front panel body 21 at positions corresponding to each of the operation sections 25a, 25b, 24a to 24k, making them visible.

[0021] The display areas 29a to 29c in the front panel body 21 shown in FIG. 2 include a first display area 29a, a second display area 29b, and a third display area 29c that are arranged to correspond to the light sources. Among these, the first display area 29a is composed of a plurality of display sections arranged in correspondence with the arrangement of the touch operation units 24a to 24e so as to specify, for example, the above-mentioned water flow setting keys "strong", "standard", and "weak" and the water level setting keys "high", "medium", "low", and "low" as display sections. Note that Fig. 4 illustrates a plurality of (for example, four) display sections 291 to 294 arranged in correspondence with one touch operation unit 24e in the first display area 29a.

[0022] 2 is configured as a seven-segment numeric display section that displays, for example, a set time, remaining time, etc., in four-digit numbers. The third display area 29c is configured as an item display section that displays a plurality of items or characters, such as "reservation," "rinse 1," "rinse 2," and "rinse 3," in an identifiable manner.

[0023] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the electronic unit 23 is configured to house a circuit board 36 in a long, shallow unit case 35, and to have a holder member 37 arranged to cover the upper opening of the unit case 35.

[0024] The circuit board 36 shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 is a horizontally long rectangular board having wiring (not shown) formed on a base material made of an electrically insulating material. On the circuit board 36, a plurality of spring electrodes 26 corresponding to the touch operation units 24a to 24k, a plurality of push button switch devices 27a, 27b (see Fig. 3) corresponding to the pressing operation units 25a, 25b, and a plurality of LEDs 28 corresponding to each display unit 29 such as display units 291 to 294 in the display areas 29a to 29c are mounted. Also, on the circuit board 36, electronic components such as a control IC, a resistor element, and a capacitor (not shown) are mounted, and the wiring and the electronic components form a circuit.

[0025] Among these, the spring electrode 26 is a plurality of capacitance detection electrodes corresponding to the touch operation units 24a to 24k, respectively. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the "spring electrode 26" is a general term for the "spring electrodes 26a to 26k" corresponding to the touch operation units 24a to 24k, respectively, and in FIG. 5, it represents the spring electrodes 26i, 26j, and 26k corresponding to the three right-side touch operation units 24i, 24j, and 24k among the touch operation units 24a to 24k. In addition, the touch operation units 24a to 24k are also referred to as "touch operation units 24" without being distinguished from one another, for simplicity of explanation.

[0026] 4 and 5, the lower end of the spring electrode 26 is fixed to the circuit board 36 by soldering. The upper end of the spring electrode 26 is disposed so as to contact with the rear side of the front panel body 21 via the cap 39, corresponding to the touch operation unit 24, without any gap. As a result, the spring electrode 26 and the signal processing circuit of the circuit board 36 function as a capacitive touch detection means for detecting a touch operation on the touch operation unit 24. In addition, the spring electrode 26 in this embodiment is made of a compression coil spring and is held on the circuit board 36 with a cap 39 shown in Figure 7 placed over it. The structure around the spring electrode 26 and cap 39 will be described in detail later.

[0027] 3, push button switch devices 27a, 27b shown on the right side are provided in a recess 38 at the right end of a holder member 37, and terminals of the switch devices 27a, 27b are connected to and mounted on a circuit board 36. The push button switch devices 27a, 27b detect a pressing operation at the corresponding pressing operation portions 25a, 25b on the front panel body 21 side. The LED 28 is a bullet-shaped LED with a lead 28b extending from the base end of a light-emitting portion 28a, as shown in Fig. 4. The LED 28 is mounted with the light-emitting portion 28a facing the display portion 29, and the light-emitting portion 28a is mounted on the circuit board 36 via the lead 28b in a state in which the light-emitting portion 28a is raised above the circuit board 36. The circuit board 36 is covered with a potting resin (not shown) except for the light-emitting portion 28a, thereby improving moisture resistance and insulation.

[0028] The holder member 37 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material having insulating properties and low light transmittance, and has a horizontally long, substantially rectangular cover shape that covers the upper opening side of the unit case 35, as shown in Fig. 3. The holder member 37 is a member that combines a peripheral wall 37c (see Fig. 4) that continues to the peripheral wall of the unit case 35, an upper surface portion 37a (see Fig. 3) that covers the left half, and an upper surface portion 37b that covers the right half, and is provided with a plurality of locking portions 37d for locking the holder member 37 in a positioned state on the front surface side of the circuit board 36. The peripheral wall 37c and the upper surface portions 37a and 37b of the holder member 37 are integrally combined as members on the unit case 35 side by the locking portions 37d.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, on the upper surface portions 37a, 37b of the holder member 37, a plurality of spring holder portions 40 corresponding to the groups of spring electrodes 26 and a plurality of LED holder portions 41 corresponding to the groups of LEDs 28 are formed in an arrangement as shown in the figure, and in the recess 38 on the right end side, a vertical wall 38a is provided which surrounds the push button switch devices 27a, 27b.

[0030] First, the recess 38 on the right end side of the upper surface portion 37b of the holder member 37 protrudes to the right of the unit case 35, and a hole portion (not shown) is provided at a position near the front wall of the standing wall 38a. This hole portion and the standing wall 38a are configured to allow water to flow down outside the unit case 35 even if water seeps into the recess 38 from the round holes 21a, 21b of the pressing operation portions 25a, 25b of the front panel body 21 (see arrow A in FIG. 3).

[0031] The LED holder parts 41 are formed as a group of holder parts 41 arranged in the left-right and front-rear directions behind the spring electrode 26 on the upper surface parts 37a, 37b of the holder member 37. Of the group of LED holder parts 41, the four holder parts 41 in Fig. 4 correspond to the four display parts 291-294 indicating, for example, the "high", "medium", "low" and "low" water level setting keys, respectively.

[0032] The LED holder portion 41 has a rectangular tubular shape elongated in the horizontal direction when viewed from above as shown in Fig. 3, and also has a tapered or funnel shape that narrows downward (see Fig. 4). As a result, the LED holder portion 41 has a function as an LED holder that surrounds the light emitting portion 28a of the LED 28 with its narrowed portion, and also a function as a light guide that guides the light of the LED 28 toward the front panel body 21, i.e., toward the individual display portions 291-294, without leaking light from the LEDs 28.

[0033] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the spring holder portion 40 includes holder portions 40a to 40e arranged on the left upper surface portion 37a of the holder member 37 and holder portions 40f to 40k arranged on the right upper surface portion 37b, and in this embodiment, a spring holder portion 42 of the earthing means is also provided. That is, "spring holder portion 40" refers to holder portions 40a to 40k for spring electrodes 26 corresponding to touch operation portions 24a to 24k of front panel body 21 in Fig. 2, respectively, and has a different configuration from holder portion 42 for spring conductor 26' for earthing frame body 22. The configuration of holder portions 40, 42 including spring electrode 26, spring conductor 26', and cap 39 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 6 to 8.

[0034] 6 is an enlarged perspective view of spring electrode 26, Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view seen from the back side of cap 39, and Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of holder part 40 shown together with spring electrode 26. In this embodiment, since spring electrode 26 and spring conductor 26' use compression coil springs of the same form, the following description will focus on spring electrode 26.

[0035] The spring electrode 26 is made of metal wire and is a biasing member having a coil body 260 which is expandable and contractible in the axial direction oriented in the vertical direction in FIG. 6, a flat portion 261 tightly wound around the inner circumference at its upper end, and a straight portion 262 which extends downward from the axis at the lower end. Flat portion 261 at the upper end of spring electrode 26 forms a substantially flat surface by tightly winding the inner circumference side of the spiral shape as shown in Fig. 6. Upper portion 263 and lower portion 265 of coil body 260 are end winding portions in which no gap g is formed between the windings, and the upper portion 263 is a "dense" helical compression coil spring, while middle portion 264 is a "sparse" helical compression coil spring, and lower portion 265 is a "dense" helical compression coil spring. Hereinafter, upper portion 263 is also referred to as "end winding portion 263" and lower portion 265 is also referred to as "end winding portion 265".

[0036] As shown in Fig. 6, the axial lengths L1, L2 of the end turn portions 263, 265 of the spring electrode 26 are both set to be larger than the gap g of the middle portion 264 (L1>g, L2>g), and the upper end turn portion 263 is set to be larger than the lower end turn portion 265 (L1>L2). This prevents the upper portion 263 or the lower portion 265 from entering the gap g of the middle portion 264 or the spring electrodes 26 from becoming entangled when the spring electrode 26 is assembled. In addition, the holder portion 40 can hold the spring electrode 26 in a stable form of the upper and lower end turn portions 263, 265, and can obtain a biasing force toward the front panel body 21 side at the stable form portion in which the end turn portion 263 and the flat portion 261 form a cylindrical shape with a bottom.

[0037] 7 and 8 is made of, for example, an insulating synthetic resin material, and integrally includes a peripheral wall 391 and an end face 392 that cover the end turn portion 263 and flat portion 261 of the above-mentioned spring electrode 26. The cap 39 is disposed so as to cover the spring electrode 26 from the end turn portion 263 side, thereby insulating the spring electrode 26 from the members around the spring electrode 26.

[0038] 8, the spring electrode 26 is disposed so as to be housed together with the cap 39 on the inner circumferential side of the cylindrical holder portion 40. At this time, a double partition member, consisting of a peripheral wall 391 of the cap 39 and a peripheral wall 401 of the holder portion 40, is present in a portion W between an outer circumferential surface of the end turn portion 263 of the spring electrode 26 and the opening edge portion 22E of the frame body 22 (or the opening edge portion 18E of the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16).

[0039] In this case, the gaps provide insulation between the opening edge 22E of the frame 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 401 of the holder part 40, between the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 401 and the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 391 of the cap 39, and between the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 391 and the outer peripheral surface of the end turn part 263. These gaps, in combination with the configuration of the end turn part 263 and the flat part 261 of the spring electrode 26, make it possible to form concentric gaps.

[0040] 7 and 8, cap 39 is provided with a pair of locking claws 393, 394, for example, spaced 180 degrees apart, located on the lower end side of peripheral wall 391. Locking claws 393, 394 are tongue-shaped and flexible, with both sides cut out as shown in Fig. 7. The axial dimension of peripheral wall 391 or locking claws 393, 394 of cap 39 is set so as to cover substantially the upper half of spring electrode 26 and to make the gap length in the same direction relatively long.

[0041] 8, the holder portion 40 has a generally cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a peripheral wall 401 is provided so as to penetrate the upper surface portions 37a, 37b of the holder member 37. The upper end of the peripheral wall 401 of the holder portion 40 is an open surface, and an end surface 392 of the cap 39 contacts the rear surface of the front panel body 21. A bottom wall 402 having an insertion hole 400 is provided at the lower end of the peripheral wall 401 of the holder portion 40. The bottom wall 402 of the holder portion 40 holds the seat turn portion 265 of the spring electrode 26, and the straight portion 262 of the spring electrode 26 is inserted into the insertion hole 400. The holder portion 40 may be formed to have a substantially cylindrical shape by omitting the bottom wall 402. In this way, when the bottom wall 402 is not provided, the lower end side of the peripheral wall 401 may be formed to extend to a position close to the circuit board 36.

[0042] 8, rectangular notches 403, 404 are provided at 180-degree intervals on the peripheral wall 401 of the holder part 40 from the underside of the upper surface part 37a of the holder member 37 to the bottom wall 402. The cap 39 is attached to the holder part 40 by inserting the tips of the locking claws 393, 394 of the cap 39 from the upper end side of the peripheral wall 401 with the spring electrode 26 housed in the holder part 40. At this time, the cap 39 is inserted while bending slightly inward as the locking claws 393, 394 abut against the inner periphery of the peripheral wall 401, and when the return of the locking claws 393, 394 reaches the notches 403, 404, the locking claws 393, 394 fit into the notches 403, 404 due to their flexibility and are locked.

[0043] As a result, the cap 39 is biased in the holder portion 40 by the biasing force of the spring electrode 26 so as to be movable toward the front panel body 21, and the locking claws 393, 394 serving as locked portions are locked into the notches 403, 404 serving as locking portions, thereby restricting the cap 39 from coming off the holder portion 40 and ultimately the unit case 35. Also, the straight portion 262 of the spring electrode 26 is fixed to the circuit board 36 by soldering as described above, and the spring electrode 26 is held by its own biasing force so that no gap is generated on the side of the end face 392 of the cap 39 between the circuit board 36 and the front panel body 21.

[0044] Here, in FIG. 5, the above-mentioned “spring electrodes 26 and holder portions 40” are illustrated as three each of “spring electrodes 26i, 26j, 26k and holder portions 40i, 40j, 40k” corresponding to the right-side touch operation portions 24i, 24j, 24k of the front panel body 21. In contrast, the spring conductor 26' and the holder portion 42 shown in the figure differ from the spring electrodes 26i to 26k and the holder portions 40i to 40k in the following points.

[0045] That is, the holder portions 42 of the spring conductor 26' are arranged in a horizontal row, similar to the holder portions 40i to 40e of the spring electrodes 26i to 26e, but do not house the caps 39 therein. Further, a step 42a is formed in the peripheral wall 421 of the holder part 42 by cutting out the upper left end thereof (see Figs. 3 and 5). The step 42a of the holder part 42 is stepped down from the frame body 22 so that the spring conductor 26' contacts a contact part 43 (see Fig. 12 described later) of the opening edge part 22E of the frame body 22. In this case, the contact part 43 of the opening edge part 22E protrudes into the holder part 42 so as to contact only a part (the left part in Fig. 5) of the flat part 261 of the spring conductor 26'.

[0046] The spring conductor 26' has its straight portion 262 soldered and fixed to the earth pattern (earth portion indicated by reference numeral 45 in FIG. 5) of the circuit board 36. The left portion of the flat portion 261 of the spring conductor 26' faces the contact portion 43 of the opening edge portion 22E of the frame 22. As a result, while housed within the holder portion 42, the spring conductor 26' is held in an electrically connected state between the contact portion 43 of the opening edge portion 22E and the earth portion 45 of the circuit board 36 by its own biasing force. Therefore, the spring conductor 26' is maintained in contact with the contact portion 43, and earth continuity is ensured through the spring conductor 26'. In this case, the peripheral wall 421 of the holder portion 42 is cylindrical without the notches 403, 404, and serves as a partition member for insulating the spring conductor 26' from other electronic components such as the immediately adjacent spring electrode 26j.

[0047] 2 is used as a decorative member that improves the design or texture of the operation panel 20 by being entirely coated with a plating film 22a. The frame 22, bonding sheets 31 and 32 disposed on both upper and lower surfaces thereof, and the mounting surface 18 of the frame 22 in the top cover 16 will be described with reference to Figs. 9 to 14.

[0048] 10 and 11 are plan views of the bonding sheets 31 and 32, and Figs. 12 and 13 are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view seen from the back side of the frame body 22. Fig. 9 shows the frame body 22 bonded to the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16, and Fig. 14 is a plan view of the mounting surface 18 before the frame body 22 is attached.

[0049] That is, the top cover 16 is made of, for example, polypropylene, which is a PP resin material, and at its front portion is formed a mounting surface 18 in the shape of a horizontally long rectangular plate that matches the outer shape of the frame 22. As shown in Fig. 14, a plurality of openings 47a, 47b and round holes 47c are provided at the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16 so as to penetrate therethrough in the plate thickness direction.

[0050] The opening 47a on the left side of the mounting surface 18 is formed to match the outer shapes of the spring holder parts 40a-40e and the LED holder part 41 that protrude upward on the left side of the electronic unit 23 (see Figs. 2, 3, and 14). Similarly, the opening 47b on the right side of the mounting surface 18 is formed to match the outer shapes of the spring holder parts 40f-40k, 42 ​​and the LED holder part 41 on the right side of the electronic unit 23, and the round hole 47c on the right end of the mounting surface 18 is formed to match the outer shape of the pressing operation part 25b. This allows the spring holder parts 40a-40k, 42, the LED holder part 41, the pressing operation parts 25a, 25b, etc. of the electronic unit 23 to be assembled to the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16 from the back side by passing them through the openings 47a, 47b and the round hole 47c (see Fig. 2).

[0051] 2 and 14, the mounting surface 18 is provided with a groove 48 located in a portion corresponding to the outer periphery of the frame body 22 and extending in a direction along the outer periphery. The groove 48 is formed across the front edge and the left and right edges of the mounting surface 18, that is, on the outer edge portion excluding the rear edge. A side wall 51 of the frame body 22, which will be described later, is disposed on the mounting surface 18 in alignment with the groove 48, so that the gap between the mounting surface 18 and the frame body 22 is not visible from the front side (see FIG. 4).

[0052] 14, the mounting surface 18 is provided with engaging portions 49 at multiple locations from the left end to the right end thereof. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the engaging portions 49 are formed as engaging recesses having a concave shape on the mounting surface 18, and engaging claws are provided within the engaging portions 49 for engaging with engaged portions 53 (see FIG. 12) having a convex shape on the frame body 22 described later.

[0053] As shown in Figs. 2 and 12, the frame body 22 has a side wall 51 which is integral with the main surface portion 50 and serves as the frame portion of the front panel body 21, and is formed into a horizontally long rectangular frame shape as a whole. The side wall 51 extends over substantially the entire periphery of the main surface portion 50 (excluding a thin portion C1 described later) and stands upward to surround the front panel body 21 and the bonding sheet 31, and stands downward to surround the bonding sheet 32 ​​from above (see FIGS. 4 and 13). In other words, the frame body 22 surrounds the sides of the front panel body 21 and the bonding sheet 31 with the upper part of the side wall 51, surrounds the side of the bonding sheet 32 ​​with the lower part of the side wall 51, and the lower end of the side wall 51 fits into the groove portion 48.

[0054] As shown in Figures 9, 12, and 14, openings 52a, 52b and round holes 52c, 52d, 52e, etc., which are connected to openings 47a, 47b and round hole 47c, etc., of the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16, are provided in the main surface portion 50 of the frame body 22 so as to penetrate in the plate thickness direction.

[0055] In other words, the openings 52a, 52b and the round holes 52c, 52d, 52e of the frame body 22 are in a positional relationship corresponding to the openings 47a, 47b and the round hole 47c of the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16. However, as shown in Fig. 9, the edge 22E of the opening 52b of the frame body 22 protrudes slightly inward from the opening edge 18E of the mounting surface 18, and the portion of it protruding into the holder part 42 serves as a contact part 43 (see Figs. 5 and 12).

[0056] The frame 22 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material, and the plated coating 22a is a metal coating layer formed on the entire surface of the frame 22 by a plating process such as electroless plating, and has electrical conductivity. The coating layer is not limited to plating, and may be formed as a coating by a painting process. The coating layer may be formed at least over the side wall 51 and the contact portion 43 of the frame 22, or the frame 22 itself may be made of an electrically conductive material without forming a coating layer.

[0057] 12 and 14, the frame body 22 is provided with a plurality of engaged portions 53 corresponding to the plurality of engaging portions 49 of the mounting surface 18 on a portion of the back surface side facing the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16. The engaged portions 53 protrude from the back surface of the frame body 22 and are in a square shape in the side view shown in Fig. 13. The engaged portions 53 are formed so that the protruding length from the back surface of the frame body 22 is greater than the thickness of the bonding sheet 32. As a result, by inserting the engaged portions 53 of the frame body 22 into the corresponding engaging portions 49 of the mounting surface 18, the engaging claws within the engaging portions 49 engage with the "L"-shaped portions, and the back surface of the frame body 22 is joined and fixed to the mounting surface 18 by the joining sheet 32.

[0058] Further, a rectangular thin-walled portion C1 is provided at the rear left corner (rear right corner in FIG. 12) on the rear surface of the frame 22. The thin-walled portion C1 is flat and thinner than other portions of the frame 22, and is formed by cutting out a portion of the side wall 51.

[0059] 11 is a second bonding layer that bonds the above-mentioned frame body 22 to the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16. On the other hand, the bonding sheet 31 in FIG. Both surfaces of the bonding sheets 31 and 32 are made of, for example, adhesive double-sided tape, and both surfaces are adhesive layers. Note that the bonding sheets 31 and 32 are not limited to double-sided tape, and each bonding layer may be formed of an adhesive layer or the like.

[0060] 2 and 10 to 12, the bonding sheets 31 and 32 correspond to the dimensions and shape of the main surface portion 50 (or the front panel body 21) of the frame body 22, and each has a horizontally long frame shape extending seamlessly along the outer periphery of the main surface portion 50. That is, in this embodiment, the "frame body" refers to an object having at least one opening and forming a frame shape as a whole, and may include not only the frame body 22 but also frame-shaped objects such as the bonding sheets 31 and 32 and the mounting surface 18. Also, the "opening" refers to an opening or hole in the frame body that leads to the front panel body 21 side and the circuit board 36 side, and may include a round hole, etc.

[0061] 10 and 12, the joining sheet 31 has openings 31a, 31b and a round hole 31c formed therein, which correspond to the openings 52a, 52b and the round holes 52c, 52d, 52e, etc., of the frame body 22. Also, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the joining sheet 32 ​​has openings 32a, 32b and a round hole 32c, etc., which correspond to the openings 52a, 52b and the round holes 52c, 52d, 52e, etc., of the frame body 22.

[0062] However, unlike the bonding sheet 31 in Fig. 10, the bonding sheet 32 ​​in Fig. 11 has a plurality of notches 55 provided to pass protruding parts such as the engaged part 53 on the rear surface of the frame body 22, and a notch C2 provided to correspond to the thin part C1 of the frame body 22 (see Fig. 12). The notch C2 is a rectangular cutout portion at the left rear corner on the outer periphery of the bonding sheet 32, and forms a gap G between the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16 and the thin part C1 of the frame body 22 (see Figs. 2 and 9).

[0063] Gap G forms a gap between the mounting surface 18 and the frame body 22 into which a tool or the like can be inserted when the operation panel 20 is in an assembled state, that is, when the frame body 22 is joined to the mounting surface 18 by the joining sheet 32 ​​and the surface panel body 21 is joined to the frame body 22 by the joining sheet 31. Therefore, when replacing parts of the operation panel 20, the surface panel body 21 together with the frame body 22 can be easily peeled off from the mounting surface 18 by inserting a tool or the like into gap G.

[0064] The notch C2 that forms the gap G does not become the cut in the bonding sheet 32 (see Fig. 11), and is not connected to the openings 32a, 32b, the round holes 32c, the notch 55, etc. Further, the gap G is not surrounded by the groove portion 48 on the mounting surface 18 (see Figs. 9 and 14), or by the side wall 51 of the frame body 22, and is easily visible as a gap from the rear.

[0065] Also, since the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16 is formed of the above-described PP resin material, the peeling force is weaker than that of the glass material of the surface panel body 21 or the plating film 22a of the frame body 22, and it is easy to peel off. Specifically, let the peeling force between the bonding sheet 31 and the surface panel body 21 be F1, the peeling force between the bonding sheet 31 and the frame body 22 be F2, the peeling force between the bonding sheet 32 and the frame body 22 be F3, and the peeling force between the bonding sheet 32 and the mounting surface 18 be F4. In this case, for example, at least the peeling force F4 on the mounting surface 18 is weaker than the peeling forces F1 to F3 on the surface panel body 21 and the frame body 22, and is set so that "F4 < F1 < F2 (= F3)".

[0066] Note that depending on the materials used for the mounting surface 18, the surface panel body 21, and the frame body 22, respectively, and the compatibility with the bonding sheets 31 and 32, a surface that adheres weakly and a surface that adheres strongly are provided. However, the adhesive force (peeling force) of the bonding sheets 31 and 32 themselves may be made different to provide a surface that adheres weakly and a surface that adheres strongly. Also, the peeling forces F1 to F4 may be set to have a strength relationship different from the above.

[0067] As described above, the operation panel 20 of the present embodiment includes a frame body 22 interposed between the surface panel body 21 and the circuit board 36 on the mounting portion (hereinafter referred to as the mounting surface 18) of the washing machine 1 main body, and a partition member for insulating the member around the electrode and the electrode, and is provided so as to separate at least the opening edge portion 22E of the frame body 22 and the electrode.

[0068] With this, even if the frame body 22 is conductive, the spring electrode 26 serving as an electrode can be insulated by the cap 39 serving as a partition member and the peripheral wall 401 of the holder part 40. Therefore, even when the influence of condensation on the operation panel 20 is taken into consideration, leakage from the spring electrode 26 can be suppressed, and electric shock can be prevented even if the frame body 22 is touched. Of course, the same effect can be achieved even if, for example, the front edge part of the lid 16a is used as the attachment part as described above.

[0069] The partition member is composed of a cap 39 that covers the outer periphery of the electrode from the side of the front panel body 21. This cap 39 can cover the outer periphery of the electrode so that no gaps are generated at the end on the front panel body 21 side, and can prevent insufficient insulation.

[0070] The partition member has a shape of a cap integrally having a peripheral wall 391 located around the outer periphery of the electrode and an end face 392 on the surface panel body 21 side, and is disposed so that the end face 392 of the cap 39 is in contact with the surface panel body 21. With this, an electrode such as the spring electrode 26 can be disposed approximately perpendicular to the surface panel body 21 by being surrounded by the cap 39, and therefore stable touch detection is possible due to the surface contact between the surface panel body 21 and the end face 392 of the cap 39.

[0071] The electrode is configured to include a biasing member that is conductive and has a biasing force, and is held between the circuit board 36 and the surface panel body 21 by the biasing force so that no gaps are created on the surface panel body 21 side.As a result, for example, even if a spring electrode 26 is used as the biasing member and this is not fixed to the surface panel body 21 side, it can be held without gaps on the surface panel body 21 side, allowing stable touch detection and improving operational reliability.

[0072] The partition member has an engaged portion, and the engaged portion is engaged with an engaged portion provided on a member on the unit case 35 side, thereby preventing the partition member from coming off the unit case 35. As a result, as illustrated in Fig. 8 and other figures, the cap 39 can be integrally assembled into the unit case 35 by engaging the engaging claws 393, 394 of the cap 39 as the engaged portion with the notches 403, 404 of the holder part 40 as the engaging portion. This prevents the cap 39 from falling off even during assembly, and allows the partition member to be positioned so as not to come off.

[0073] In this way, the cap 39 has an engaged portion on its peripheral wall 391 and is urged by the urging force of the spring electrode 26 to be movable toward the front panel body 21, and is restricted from coming off the unit case 35 by the engaged portion being engaged with an engaging portion provided on a member on the unit case 35 side. Therefore, the cap 39 can be urged and held so that no gap is always generated between the front panel body 21 and the spring electrode 26. This allows the cap 39 to achieve a desired contact state with the front panel body 21 and maintain its insulating function as a partition member.

[0074] In addition, the operation panel 20 of this embodiment is provided with a frame body 22 that is interposed between the front panel body 21 and the circuit board 36 on the mounting surface 18 and has openings connecting to the front panel body 21 side and the circuit board 36 side, and an earthing means for earthing the frame body 22 as a contact portion 43, the earthing means having one end electrically connected by contact with the contact portion 43 and the other end electrically connected to an earth portion 45 of the circuit board 36.

[0075] According to this, for example, even if the frame body 22 is conductive due to the plating coating 22a, the frame body 22 can be grounded by the spring conductor 26' as an earthing means, and a relatively simple configuration can be achieved by utilizing the earth portion 45 of the circuit board 36. The opening of the frame body 22 is not limited to the openings 52a, 52b and the round holes 52c-52e illustrated in Fig. 12, but may be at least one opening leading to the front panel body 21 and the circuit board 36. The contact portion is not limited to the contact portion 43 of the frame body 22 illustrated in Fig. 5 etc., but when the mounting surface 18 is conductive, the edge portion of the opening 47b of the mounting surface 18 (see Fig. 14) may be used as a contact portion and connected to the earth means.

[0076] The earthing means includes a biasing member having electrical conductivity and biasing force, such as a spring conductor 26', and the contact portion 43 and the earth portion 45 are maintained in an electrically connected state by the biasing force. According to this, one end of the biasing member such as the spring conductor 26' can be held without using a fixing means, and it becomes possible to maintain a good contact state with the contact portion 43. In addition, the earthing means can be made as short as possible, and it is possible to reduce the assembly cost while achieving miniaturization.

[0077] The biasing member is disposed so that a portion of one end side thereof contacts contact portion 43. With this, as illustrated in Fig. 5, it is sufficient to bring a portion of one end side of the biasing member such as spring conductor 26' into contact with contact portion 43, so that the biasing member can be disposed so as to be shifted within a range where it can contact contact portion 43, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in designing the arrangement of the biasing member and the shape of contact portion 43.

[0078] Around the outer periphery of the earthing means, a holder portion 42 is provided as a partition member for insulating the earthing means from members such as the spring electrode 26 around the earthing means. With this, even if, for example, the spring conductor 26' as the earthing means and electronic components such as the spring electrode 26 are disposed close to each other, contact with the electronic components can be suppressed by the peripheral wall 421 of the holder portion 42, and effects due to such contact or leakage can be eliminated, ensuring operational reliability.

[0079] The frame body 22 has an outer shape that allows at least a portion of the outer periphery of the frame body 22 to be seen on the outer periphery side of the front panel body 21, and a conductive coating layer (e.g., a plated coating 22a) is formed over at least the outer periphery and the contact portion 43 that comes into contact with the earthing means, or is formed from a conductive material and is in contact with the earthing means. According to this, the frame body 22 can be used as a decorative member by providing a coating layer or by forming it from a conductive material, and even when considering the effects of condensation on the operation panel 20 in a humid usage environment such as the washing machine 1, the risk of electric shock can be eliminated by the earthing means.

[0080] In addition, the operation panel 20 of this embodiment is equipped with a frame body 22 interposed between the mounting surface 18 and the surface panel body 21, and a bonding layer consisting of an adhesive layer or a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and is equipped with bonding sheets 31, 32 as a first bonding layer for bonding the surface panel body 21 and the frame body 22, and a second bonding layer for bonding the frame body 22 and the mounting surface 18. As a result, even if a frame body 22 is provided between the front panel body 21 and the mounting surface 18 in the operation panel 20, the bonding sheets 31, 32 make the waterproof structure unnecessary and allow the overall structure to be as thin as possible.

[0081] At least one of the joining sheets 31, 32 extends seamlessly along the outer periphery of the surface panel body 21 or the frame body 22, and the joining around the entire periphery of the joining sheet makes it more resistant to water penetration. The bonding sheet 31 and the surface panel body 21 are bonded by respective bonding layers so that the peel force F1 between them and the peel force F4 between them and the mounting surface 18 are different, or the bonding sheet 32 ​​and the surface panel body 21 are bonded by respective bonding layers so that the peel force F1 when the surface panel body 21 is peeled off from the frame body 22 is different from the peel force F4 when the surface panel body 21 together with the frame body 22 is peeled off from the mounting surface 18.

[0082] According to this, for example, when components of operation panel 20 are removed or replaced from washing machine 1 body on the manufacturing line or by a serviceman, if peeling force F1 is set relatively weak, only front panel body 21 can be easily peeled off, and if peeling force F4 is set relatively weak, front panel body 21 together with frame body 22 can be easily peeled off from mounting surface 18. In either case, it is possible to minimize the number of parts to be discarded among the parts to be removed or replaced in operation panel 20.

[0083] The mounting surface 18 on the washing machine 1 body is constructed using a material that is easier to peel off from the bonding sheets 31, 32 than the materials used for the front panel body 21 and the frame body 22, thereby achieving the same effects as those described above, such as minimizing the number of discarded parts. The material of the mounting surface 18 is not limited to PP resin, but may be other materials such as ABS, which has excellent water resistance and chemical resistance. Although not shown in the figures, the same effect can of course be achieved even if, instead of the mounting surface 18, the front edge of the lid 16a is used as the mounting portion and is constructed using a material that is easily peeled off from the bonding sheets 31, 32.

[0084] A gap G is provided between the mounting surface 18 and the frame body 22, located on the outer periphery thereof, by cutting out a part of the outer periphery of the bonding sheet 32. This allows the frame body 22 to be easily removed from the mounting surface 18 by inserting a tool or the like into the gap G from the outer periphery.

[0085] The frame body 22 has an engaged portion 53 at a portion facing the mounting surface 18, and the mounting surface 18 has an engaging portion 49 that is capable of engaging with the engaged portion 53 of the frame body 22, and the frame body 22 is fixed by the engagement between the engaged portion 53 and the engaging portion 49 and the bonding sheet 32.

[0086] According to this, the frame body 22 can be fixed so as not to shift from the mounting surface 18 not only by the adhesive force or bonding force of the bonding sheet 32 ​​but also by the holding force due to the engagement between the engaged portion 53 and the engaging portion 49. Note that, as in this embodiment, by making the engaged portion 53 protrude larger than the thickness of the bonding sheet 32, it is possible to bond the two 18 and 22 with the bonding sheet 32 ​​while positioning them with the engaging portion 49.

[0087] At least one of the four outer periphery sides of the frame 22 is provided with a side wall 51 erected so as to surround the side of the bonding sheet 31 or the side of the bonding sheet 32. This allows the bonding sheet 31 or the bonding sheet 32 ​​to be hidden by the side wall 51, preventing the appearance from being impaired.

[0088] The mounting surface 18 is provided with a groove 48 located in a portion corresponding to the outer periphery of the frame body 22 and extending in a direction along the outer periphery. For example, by forming the groove 48 to match the side wall 51 of the frame body 22, the frame body 22 can enclose the gap between the mounting surface 18 and the groove 48 so that it is not visible. Also, by configuring the side wall 51 of the frame body 22 to fit into the groove 48, a waterproof structure can be achieved.

[0089] <Other embodiments> 15 to 18 show second to fifth embodiments of the present invention. The following will describe the points that are substantially different from the embodiments already described.

[0090] FIG. 15 shows a spring conductor 26' and a surface contact member 60 as the grounding means in the second embodiment. The surface contact member 60 is made of, for example, conductive rubber, and is disposed between the spring conductor 26' and the contact portion 43 of the frame 22. The conductive rubber is, for example, a conductive rubber obtained by adding conductive metal powder, such as iron powder, to a rubber material as an elastic material. The surface contact member 60 is formed in a disk or rectangular plate shape that is slightly larger than the flat portion 261 of the spring conductor 26'. The flat portion 261 of the spring conductor 26' biases the surface contact member 60 toward the contact portion 43 of the frame 22, and makes surface contact with the flat portion 261 and the contact portion 43, respectively, like a gasket.

[0091] For ease of explanation, in Fig. 15, contact portion 43 of frame body 22 is shown in a cross section different from that in Fig. 5, and mounting surface 18 is not shown, but the shape of contact portion 43 (opening edge portion 22E) of frame body 22 or the shape of opening edge portion 18E of mounting surface 18 (see Fig. 9) can be changed as appropriate. Also, in Fig. 15, holder portion 42 which serves as a partition member for spring conductor 26' and surface contact member 60 is omitted, but as shown in Fig. 5, holder portion 42 which houses spring conductor 26' and surface contact member 60 may be provided.

[0092] As described above, the earthing means of the second embodiment includes a surface contact member 60 that is disposed between the spring conductor 26' as a biasing member and the contact portion 43 and is in surface contact with the contact portion 43, and earths the contact portion 43 through the surface contact member 43 and the spring conductor 26'. This allows the spring conductor 26' to contact the contact portion 43 via the surface contact member 60, which, combined with the thickness of the surface contact member 60, provides a better contact state and allows the contact to be more reliably earthed.

[0093] FIG. 16 shows a holder portion 61 as a partition member of the third embodiment, and the holder portion 61 of the third embodiment differs from the holder 40 of the first embodiment in the following points. That is, the holder part 61 is formed of a cylindrical peripheral wall 601, and is provided so as to abut against the rear surface of the front panel body 21 shown in Fig. 16. Moreover, the spring electrode 26 is not covered with a cap 39, and the holder part 61 does not have cutouts 403, 404 (see Fig. 8) for the cap 39. As a result, the flat part 261 of the spring electrode 26 comes into direct contact with the rear surface of the front panel body 21, and is insulated from the holder part 61 by the gap around it.

[0094] In this manner, the holder portion 61 of the third embodiment is provided as a partition member positioned around the outer periphery of the electrode, and the electrode is provided so as to contact the rear surface of the front panel body 21 like the spring electrode 26. With this, it is possible to obtain high detection sensitivity by direct contact between the electrode and the front panel body 21 while ensuring insulation of the electrode by the partition member.

[0095] FIG. 17 shows a countersunk portion 63 on the rear surface of a front panel body 21 of the fourth embodiment. The holder portion 62 of the fourth embodiment differs from the holder 61 of the third embodiment in that a peripheral wall 601' is extended upward to correspond to a countersunk portion 63 on the rear surface of the front panel body 21. The countersunk portion 63 is a flat depression slightly larger than the outer diameter of the peripheral wall 601' of the holder portion 62 on the rear surface of the front panel body 21, which reduces the thickness of the front panel body 21. The countersunk surface of the countersunk portion 63 is disposed so that the upper end of the peripheral wall 601' of the holder portion 62 abuts against it, and also abuts against the flat portion 261 of the spring electrode 26. Note that the front panel body 21 can be formed relatively easily by using a material such as acrylic resin instead of the glass material, for example.

[0096] In this way, the back surface of the front panel body 21 of the fourth embodiment is provided with a countersunk portion 63 that is a recess in a portion corresponding to the spring electrode 26, which is an electrode. This makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the front panel body 21 at the countersunk portion 63, thereby obtaining higher detection sensitivity. Also, for example, even if the spring electrode 26 is not fixed to the front panel body 21, it can be held in a stably state within the countersunk portion 63.

[0097] FIG. 18 shows a holder portion 65 as a partition member of the fifth embodiment. The holder portion 65 is molded integrally with the front panel body 21 made of the acrylic resin. The holder portion 65 is formed of, for example, a cylindrical peripheral wall 651 in which the upper portion 263 of the spring electrode 26 is accommodated, and the lower end of the peripheral wall 651 extends so as to reach the mounting surface 18. Therefore, like the above-mentioned embodiments, the holder portion 65 has a function as a partition member and a function as a holder portion for the spring electrode 26, and can also have a positioning function with respect to the frame body 22 or the mounting surface 18 when the front panel body 21 is assembled.

[0098] In this manner, the holder portion 65 is provided as a partition member on the back surface of the front panel body 21 in the fifth embodiment. This allows the partition member to be provided to the front panel body 21 without creating gaps, making it possible to prevent insufficient insulation. The partition member of the front panel body 21 surrounds the electrodes at positions corresponding to the touch operation unit 24 on the front surface side, making it possible to align the positions of the electrodes.

[0099] The above-described embodiments can be applied to not only a so-called horizontal-axis drum washing machine (not shown), but also various electrical appliances having an operation panel provided on a mounting portion of the electrical appliance body. Also, the embodiments can be combined and practiced. For example, the holder section 61 of the third embodiment shown in Fig. 16 may be integrally formed on the rear surface of the front panel body 21. Also, the spring electrode 26 may be covered with a cap 39 and disposed in the holder section 65 of the fifth embodiment shown in Fig. 18. The electrodes and earthing means are not limited to the spring electrodes 26 and spring conductors 26' in FIG. 6, but may be configured using other biasing members or elastic members having a biasing force or elastic force, such as the conductive rubber.

[0100] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] In the drawings, 1 is a washing machine, 2 is an outer box, 16a is a lid, 18 is a mounting surface (mounting portion), 20 is an operation panel, 21 is a surface panel body, 22 is a frame body, 22a is a plating coating (coating layer), 26 is a spring electrode (electrode), 26' is a spring conductor (earthing means, biasing member), 31 is a bonding sheet (first bonding layer), 32 is a bonding sheet (second bonding layer), 36 is a circuit board (substrate Reference numeral 39 denotes a cap (partition member), 391 and 392 denote a peripheral wall and an end face, 393 and 394 denote locking claws (locked portions), 40, 61, 62 and 65 denote holder portions (partition members), 403 and 404 denote cutout portions (locking portions), 43 denote a contact portion, 48 denote a groove portion, 49 denote an engaging portion, 51 denote a side wall, 53 denote an engaged portion, 60 denote a surface contact member, 63 denote a seat cut portion and G denotes a gap.

Claims

1. A washing machine body having a laundry inlet and outlet; A cover provided on the washing machine body for opening and closing the laundry entrance; An operation panel attached to the washing machine body or the lid, The operation panel includes: a surface panel body having a touch operation surface arranged on a surface thereof and touched and operated by a user's finger; a circuit board disposed on a rear side of the front panel body and having an electrode for detecting a change in capacitance caused by the touch operation; a frame body that is interposed between the front panel body and the circuit board at the mounting portion of the washing machine body or the lid and has an opening that communicates with the front panel body side and the circuit board side; a partition member for insulating the electrode from a member around the electrode, the partition member being provided so as to separate at least an opening edge portion of the frame from the electrode; the frame body is interposed between the front panel body and the mounting portion and has an outer shape that allows at least a part of an outer periphery of the frame body to be seen on the outer periphery side of the front panel body, A washing machine in which a conductive coating layer is formed on a portion including the outer circumferential portion, or which is made of a conductive material.

2. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the partition member is provided at a position around an outer periphery of the electrode, and the electrode is provided so as to contact a rear surface of the front panel body.

3. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the partition member is in the form of a cap that covers an outer periphery of the electrode from the side of the front panel body.

4. 4. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the partition member is in the form of a cap having a peripheral wall located around the outer periphery of the electrode and an end face on the side of the surface panel body, the end face of the cap being disposed so as to come into contact with the surface panel body.

5. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the electrode is configured to include a biasing member that is conductive and has a biasing force, and the biasing force holds the circuit board and the surface panel body together so that no gap is created on the surface panel body side.

6. a unit case for accommodating the circuit board; The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the partition member has an engaging portion, and the engaging portion is engaged with an engaging portion provided on a member on the unit case side to prevent the partition member from coming off the unit case.

7. a unit case for accommodating the circuit board; The electrode on the circuit board is configured to include a biasing member that is conductive and has a biasing force, The washing machine according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the partition member has an engaging portion on its peripheral wall, and is biased by the biasing force of the electrode so as to be movable toward the front panel body, and the engaging portion is engaged with a locking portion provided on a member on the unit case side, thereby preventing the partition member from coming off the unit case.

8. 8. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein a countersunk portion is provided on the rear surface of the front panel body in a portion corresponding to the electrode.

9. 9. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the partition member is provided on a rear surface of the front panel body.

10. An operation panel provided on a mounting portion of an electrical device body, a surface panel body having a touch operation surface arranged on a surface thereof and touched and operated by a user's finger; a circuit board disposed on a rear side of the front panel body and having an electrode for detecting a change in capacitance caused by the touch operation; a frame body that is interposed between the front panel body and the circuit board at the mounting portion of the electrical device body and has an opening that communicates with the front panel body side and the circuit board side; a partition member for insulating the electrode from a member around the electrode, the partition member being provided so as to separate at least an opening edge portion of the frame from the electrode; the frame body is interposed between the front panel body and the mounting portion and has an outer shape that allows at least a part of an outer periphery of the frame body to be seen on the outer periphery side of the front panel body, An operation panel in which a conductive coating layer is formed on a portion including the outer periphery, or which is made of a conductive material.

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