Operation panel and washing machine

Abstract

To provide an operation panel capable of suppressing infiltration of water even when a frame body is intervened on the rear side of a surface panel body, and capable of suppressing the entire thickness, and to provide a washing machine.SOLUTION: A washing machine includes an operation panel which is mounted on a part to be mounted of one of a washing machine body and a lid. The operation panel includes: a surface panel body arranged on a surface, and having an operation part for receiving an operation of a user; a frame body intervened between the surface panel body and the part to be mounted; and a joint layer which comprises an adhesive layer or an adhesion layer, and which has a first joint layer for joining the surface panel body and the frame body and a second joint layer for joining the frame body and the part to be mounted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

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 have been equipped with an operation panel for performing setting operations and various displays. For example, in a fully automatic washing machine, a front panel body having an operation section and a display section is provided on the upper front side of the outer casing, and a circuit board on which electronic components such as LEDs serving as light sources are mounted is disposed on the rear side of the front panel body. In such an operation panel, settings such as washing program settings are performed on the operation section of the front panel body, and the LEDs are turned on as backlights to display predetermined information on the display section of the front panel body.

[0003] An operation panel is composed of multiple components, such as a unit case that houses the circuit board and a surface panel body, and each of these components has a tab or hole for assembling them together or for attaching them to the mounting portion of the outer case. However, if there is a small gap between the assembled parts of the operation panel or the mounting portion of the outer case, water may seep in through the gap on the back side of the surface panel body, causing the interior to become wet. Furthermore, if another component is placed on the back side of the surface panel body, the operation panel will become thicker and more susceptible to water penetration. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-43869 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Therefore, we provide an operation panel and a washing machine that can prevent water from entering even if a frame is placed behind the surface panel body, and can reduce the overall thickness. [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 a mounting portion of either the washing machine main body or the lid, the operation panel being arranged on a surface thereof and including an operation unit for receiving user operations, and a frame interposed between the surface panel body and the mounting portion, Both sides Bonding consisting of an adhesive or glue layer Sheet a first joining member for joining the surface panel body and the frame body; Sheet and a second joining member for joining the frame body and the mounting portion. Sheet And, it is equipped with. [Brief explanation 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; [Figure 2] Exploded perspective view of the operation panel [Figure 3] A perspective view showing an electronic unit [Figure 4] Vertical cross-sectional side view of the operation panel [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a longitudinal front view of the operation panel showing the spring electrodes and the grounding spring conductors; [Figure 6] An enlarged perspective view of a spring electrode [Figure 7] Enlarged perspective view of the cap [Figure 8] Cross-sectional view of the spring electrode and its surroundings, along with the cap [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the state in which the frame body is placed on the mounting surface at the front of the outer box. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a first bonding sheet; [Figure 11]FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a second bonding sheet; [Figure 12] A perspective view of the frame body seen from the rear 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. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a grounding means according to a second embodiment. [Figure 16] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a spring electrode of a partition member according to a third embodiment. [Figure 17] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the spring electrode showing the counterbore 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 INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, a number of embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that substantially the same components in the respective embodiments will be 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 fully automatic washing machine that functions as a washing machine to wash the clothes in the tub and as a clothes dryer to dry the clothes in the tub, and the central axis of the tub is oriented vertically.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, the washing machine 1 includes a substantially rectangular outer casing 2, which houses a water tub 3 via an elastic suspension mechanism 4. The water tub 3 houses a spin tub 5, which is rotatable and accommodates laundry. Both the water tub 3 and the spin tub 5 have a cylindrical body and a bottom, forming a cylindrical shape with a bottom. The inner bottom of the inner spin tub 5 is provided with an agitator 6 for generating a water flow. The body of the spin tub 5 is also formed with a number of spin holes 5a.

[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 illustrations and explanations 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 wash 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] Washing machine motor 7 and clutch mechanism 8 rotate agitator 6 forward and backward to generate an agitated water flow in spin tub 5 during the wash and soak-rinse processes, and spin tub 5 rotates at high speed together with agitator 6 during the spin and spin-rinse processes. Washing machine 1 is equipped with a well-known drying mechanism that includes a heater and fan device, such as a PTC, so that spin tub 5 rotates together with agitator 6 during the drying process as well.

[0012] A drain port 9a and a drain channel 9 are provided at the bottom of the water tub 3 for draining water from the spin tub 5, and a drain hose 11 is connected to a drain valve 10 of the drain channel 9. Meanwhile, a roughly ring-shaped tub cover 15 is provided at the top end of the water tub 3, and a lid 15a is provided on the tub cover 15 for opening and closing an opening that communicates with the opening on the top surface of the spin tub 5.

[0013] The upper end of the outer box 2 is made up of a top cover 16 having an operation panel 20 on the front edge. The top cover 16 is a rectangular frame with a roughly circular laundry entrance in the center, and is also shaped like a thin, hollow box. A bifold-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, a water supply mechanism for supplying water to spin tub 5 and the like are provided at the rear of top cover 16. A control device, mainly composed of a microcomputer, that controls the entire system is also provided within operation panel 20. The control device controls the above mechanisms based on signals from the operation section of 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 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 to the rear edge of top cover 16. Also, operation panel 20 may be provided integrally with lid 16a by using the front edge or rear edge of lid 16a as the mounting portion. Hereinafter, the "mounting portion" of operation panel 20 on the front edge of top cover 16 will be referred to as mounting surface 18.

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

[0016] Of these, the front panel body 21 is made of, for example, glass and has the shape of a horizontally long rectangular plate that covers the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16. In this case, the mounting surface 18 is an inclined surface that forms an angle α of, for example, 20 degrees (see FIG. 1) with the horizontal plane, and the front panel body 21 is inclined downward together with the frame body 22 and bonding sheets 31, 32 that are 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 LEDs 28 or the like on the electronic unit 23 side as light sources. Of these, the operation units 24a to 24k indicated by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 2 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the front side of the surface panel body 21. The operation units 24a to 24k are virtually set as capacitance-type touch operation units, and the surface of the surface panel body 21 is used as the touch operation surface. Hereinafter, the operation units 24a to 24k will also be referred to as "touch operation units 24a to 24k." On the back side of the surface panel body 21, spring electrodes 26 (see FIG. 5) described later are arranged at positions corresponding to the touch operation sections 24a to 24k, respectively, and are configured to detect the touch or approach of a user's finger as a change in capacitance.

[0018] The touch operation units 24a to 24k are configured as a group of operation keys that represent contents such as a "start / pause" key (not shown), a "course" selection key, setting keys for "wash", "scrubbing", "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 surface panel body 21 are configured as 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 circular holes 21a, 21b are provided at the right end of the surface panel body 21, through which the pressing operation units 25a, 25b on the electronic unit 23 side (lower side in Fig. 2) are inserted. The pressing operation units 25a, 25b are circular, and their upper surfaces are flush with the surface of the surface panel body 21, and are arranged to close the circular holes 21a, 21b. Push button switch devices 27a, 27b (see Fig. 3) having the pressing operation units 25a, 25b are arranged on the back side of the surface panel body 21, and are configured 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 surface panel body 21 in FIG. 2 does not include any characters or the like that identify the functions of the pressing operation units 25a, 25b and the touch operation units 24a to 24k, i.e., characters that identify whether the operation units are for turning the power on / off, starting / pausing, selecting a course, setting a trip, setting the water flow, setting the water level, or setting a reservation. However, the characters or the like are printed on the back surface of the surface panel body 21 at positions corresponding to the respective operation units 25a, 25b, 24a to 24k, and are therefore 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. Of these, first display area 29a is composed of a plurality of display sections arranged in correspondence with the arrangement of touch operation units 24a to 24e 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," etc., as display sections. Note that Fig. 4 illustrates a plurality (for example, four) of display sections 291 to 294 arranged in correspondence with one touch operation unit 24e in 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., using four-digit numbers. The third display area 29c is configured as an item display section that displays multiple 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 horizontally long, shallow unit case 35, and to have a holder member 37 arranged to cover the top opening of the unit case 35.

[0024] 4 and 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, there are mounted a plurality of spring electrodes 26 corresponding to the touch operation units 24a to 24k, a plurality of push button switch devices 27a and 27b (see FIG. 3) corresponding to the depressing operation units 25a and 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. Also mounted on the circuit board 36 are electronic components such as a control IC, resistors, and capacitors (not shown), and the wiring and the electronic components form a circuit.

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

[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 the rear side of the front panel body 21 with no gap between them, via the cap 39, in correspondence with the touch operation unit 24. This allows the spring electrode 26 and the signal processing circuit of the circuit board 36 to function as a capacitance-type 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 covering it, and the configuration around these spring electrodes 26 and cap 39 will be described in detail later.

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

[0028] The holder member 37 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material that has insulating properties and low light transmittance, and as shown in Fig. 3, has a horizontally elongated, approximately rectangular cover shape that covers the top open side of the unit case 35. The holder member 37 is a member that combines a peripheral wall 37c (see Fig. 4) that is continuous with 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 Figure 3, on the upper surface portions 37a and 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 the arrangement shown in the same figure, and in the recess 38 on the right end side, a standing wall 38a is provided that surrounds the push button switch devices 27a and 27b.

[0030] First, the recess 38 on the right end side of the upper surface portion 37b of the holder member 37 protrudes further to the right than the unit case 35, and a hole (not shown) is provided in a position near the front wall of the standing wall 38a. This hole 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 in 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 on the upper surface parts 37a and 37b of the holder member 37 behind the spring electrode 26. Of the group of LED holder parts 41, the four holder parts 41 in Fig. 4 correspond to the four display parts 291 to 294 that indicate, for example, the "high", "medium", "low" and "low" water level setting keys, respectively.

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

[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 arranged. 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, respectively, of front panel body 21 in Fig. 2, and has a different configuration from holder portion 42 for spring conductor 26' for earthing frame body 22. The configuration of the periphery of holder portions 40, 42, including such 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 that can expand and contract in the axial direction that is oriented in the vertical direction in Figure 6, a flat portion 261 that is tightly wound toward the inner circumference at the upper end of the coil body 260, and a straight portion 262 that extends downward from the axis at the lower end. As shown in Fig. 6, flat portion 261 at the upper end of spring electrode 26 forms a substantially flat surface by tightly winding the wire on the inner periphery side of the spiral. Upper portion 263 and lower portion 265 of coil body 260 are end winding portions with no gap g between the windings, forming a spiral compression coil spring with upper portion 263 being "dense," middle portion 264 being "sparse," and lower portion 265 being "dense." Hereinafter, upper portion 263 will also be referred to as "end winding portion 263," and lower portion 265 as "end winding portion 265."

[0036] 6, the axial lengths L1, L2 of the end winding portions 263, 265 of the spring electrode 26 are both larger than the gap g of the middle portion 264 (L1>g, L2>g), and the upper end winding portion 263 is set to be larger than the lower end winding portion 265 (L1>L2). This prevents problems such as the upper portion 263 or lower portion 265 entering the gap g of the middle portion 264 or the spring electrodes 26 becoming entangled when assembling the spring electrode 26. Furthermore, the holder portion 40 can hold the spring electrode 26 in a stable configuration with the upper and lower end winding portions 263, 265, and can obtain a biasing force toward the front panel body 21 by the stable configuration in which the end winding 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 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 components around the spring electrode 26.

[0038] 8, the spring electrode 26 is arranged so as to be housed together with the cap 39 on the inner circumferential side of the cylindrical holder portion 40. In this case, a double partition member, consisting of a peripheral wall 391 of the cap 39 and a peripheral wall 401 of the holder portion 40, exists in a portion W between the 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, insulation is provided by gaps between opening edge portion 22E of frame 22 and the outer peripheral surface of peripheral wall 401 of holder portion 40, between the inner peripheral surface of peripheral wall 401 and the outer peripheral surface of peripheral wall 391 of cap 39, and between the inner peripheral surface of peripheral wall 391 and the outer peripheral surface of end turn portion 263. These gaps, in combination with the configuration of end turn portion 263 and flat portion 261 of 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. As shown in Fig. 7, locking claws 393, 394 are tongue-shaped and flexible, with notches cut out on both sides. The axial dimension of peripheral wall 391 or locking claws 393, 394 of cap 39 is set so as to cover approximately the upper half of spring electrode 26 and to make the gap length in the axial direction relatively long.

[0041] 8, the holder portion 40 has a generally cylindrical shape with a bottom, and its 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 comes into contact with 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 end 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 in the peripheral wall 401 of the holder part 40, extending from the underside of the upper surface 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 barbs of the locking claws 393, 394 reach the notches 403, 404, they 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, which serve as locked portions, are engaged with the notches 403, 404, which serve as locking portions, thereby restricting the cap 39 from coming off the holder portion 40 and ultimately the unit case 35. Furthermore, 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 created 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, FIG. 5 shows the above-mentioned "spring electrodes 26 and holder portions 40" as three "spring electrodes 26i, 26j, 26k and holder portions 40i, 40j, 40k" corresponding to the touch operation portions 24i, 24j, 24k on the right side of the front panel body 21. In contrast, the spring conductor 26' and holder portion 42 shown in the figure differ from the spring electrodes 26i to 26k and 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. Furthermore, 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 portion 43 (see FIG. 12 described later) of the opening edge 22E of the frame body 22. In this case, the contact portion 43 of the opening edge 22E protrudes into the holder part 42 so as to contact only a part (the left part in FIG. 5) of the flat portion 261 of the spring conductor 26'.

[0046] The spring conductor 26' is fixed by soldering its straight portion 262 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 22E of the frame 22. As a result, while housed in the holder portion 42, the spring conductor 26' is maintained in an electrically connected state between the contact portion 43 of the opening edge 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 entirely coated with a plated coating 22a, and is used as a decorative member that improves the design or texture of the operation panel 20. The frame 22, bonding sheets 31 and 32 disposed on both the upper and lower surfaces thereof, and the mounting surface 18 of the frame 22 on the top cover 16 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[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, top cover 16 is made of, for example, polypropylene, a PP resin material, and has, at its front, a mounting surface 18 in the shape of a horizontally long rectangular plate that matches the outer shape of frame 22. As shown in Fig. 14, mounting surface 18 of top cover 16 is provided with a plurality of openings 47a, 47b and round holes 47c, etc., that penetrate through the thickness of the plate.

[0050] The opening 47a on the left side of the mounting surface 18 is formed to match the outer shapes of the spring holder portions 40a-40e and the LED holder portion 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 portions 40f-40k, 42 and the LED holder portion 41 on the right side of the electronic unit 23, and the round hole 47c at the right end of the mounting surface 18 is formed to match the outer shape of the pressing operation portion 25b. This allows the spring holder portions 40a-40k, 42, the LED holder portion 41, the pressing operation portions 25a, 25b, etc. of the electronic unit 23 to be attached 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 that is positioned in a portion corresponding to the outer periphery of the frame body 22 and extends 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 positioned on the mounting surface 18 in line 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 not shown in detail, the engaging portions 49 are formed as engaging recesses that are concave on the mounting surface 18, and engaging claws that engage with convex engaged portions 53 (see FIG. 12) on the frame body 22, which will be described later, are provided inside the engaging portions 49.

[0053] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 12, the frame body 22 has a side wall 51 that forms the frame of the front panel body 21 integrally around its main surface portion 50, and is formed into a horizontally long rectangular frame shape as a whole. The side walls 51 extend over substantially the entire periphery of the main surface portion 50 (excluding the thin portion C1 described below), and extend upward to surround the surface panel body 21 and the bonding sheet 31, and also extend 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 surface panel body 21 and the bonding sheet 31 with the upper portions of the side walls 51, and surrounds the sides of the bonding sheet 32 with the lower portions of the side walls 51, and the lower ends of the side walls 51 fit into the groove portions 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 thickness direction of the plate.

[0055] In other words, the openings 52a, 52b and the round holes 52c, 52d, and 52e of the frame 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 22 protrudes slightly inward from the opening edge 18E of the mounting surface 18, and the portion of the edge 22E that protrudes into the holder part 42 serves as the 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 painted coating by a painting process. The coating layer may be formed over at least 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 on the rear surface side facing the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16, the engaged portions 53 corresponding to the plurality of engaging portions 49 on the mounting surface 18. The engaged portions 53 protrude from the rear surface of the frame body 22 and are square-shaped in the side view shown in Fig. 13. The engaged portions 53 are formed so that the length of their protrusion from the rear 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 in 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] Furthermore, 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 frame body 22 and the mounting surface 18 of the top cover 16. On the other hand, the bonding sheet 31 in FIG. 10 is a first bonding layer that bonds the surface panel body 21 and the frame body 22. These bonding sheets 31 and 32 are each made of, for example, adhesive double-sided tape on both surfaces, and both surfaces serve as 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 in size and shape to the main surface portion 50 (or the front panel body 21) of the frame body 22, and each has a horizontally elongated frame shape that extends seamlessly along the outer periphery of the main surface portion 50. That is, in this embodiment, the term "frame body" refers to an entity that has at least one opening and forms a frame shape as a whole, and may include not only the frame body 22 but also frame-shaped entities such as the bonding sheets 31 and 32 and the mounting surface 18. Furthermore, the term "opening" refers to an opening or hole in the frame body that connects the front panel body 21 side and the circuit board 36 side, and may include a round hole or the like.

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

[0062] 10, the bonding sheet 32 in Fig. 11 has a plurality of notches 55 provided to pass through convex portions such as the engaged portions 53 on the rear surface of the frame body 22, and a notch C2 provided to correspond to the thin portion 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 portion 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 after the operation panel 20 is assembled, that is, when the frame body 22 is joined with the joining sheet 32 and the surface panel body 21 is joined onto the frame body 22 with the joining sheet 31, allowing a tool or the like to be inserted. 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 easily visible as a gap from the rear in the positional relationship with the groove 48 on the mounting surface 18 (see FIGS. 9 and 14), or in a relationship not surrounded by the side wall 51 of the frame body 22.

[0065] Further, 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 set to be weaker than the peeling forces F1 to F3 on the surface panel body 21 and the frame body 22, and "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 different strength relationship from the above.

[0067] As described above, the operation panel 20 of the present embodiment includes a frame body 22 interposed between the mounting portion (hereinafter referred to as "mounting surface 18") of the washing machine 1 main body and the surface panel body 21, and bonding sheets 31 and 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, which are bonding layers composed of an adhesive layer or an adhesive layer. As a result, even if a frame body 22 is provided between the surface panel body 21 and the mounting surface 18 in the operation panel 20, the joining sheets 31, 32 make the waterproof structure unnecessary and also reduce the overall thickness.

[0068] 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 of the joining sheet around the entire periphery makes it more difficult for water to penetrate. The bonding sheets 31 and 21 are bonded by the respective bonding layers so that the peel force F1 between them and the surface panel body 21 is different from the peel force F4 between them and the mounting surface 18, or the bonding sheets 32 and 21 are bonded by the respective bonding layers so that the peel force F1 when peeling the surface panel body 21 from the frame body 22 is different from the peel force F4 when peeling the surface panel body 21 together with the frame body 22 from the mounting surface 18.

[0069] According to this, for example, when components of operation panel 20 are removed or replaced from washing machine 1 main body on the production line or by a serviceman, if peel force F1 is set relatively weak, only surface panel body 21 can be easily peeled off, and if peel force F4 is set relatively weak, surface 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 that are discarded among the parts of operation panel 20 that are to be removed or replaced.

[0070] The mounting surface 18 on the washing machine 1 body is made of a material that is easier to peel off from the bonding sheets 31, 32 than the material used for the surface 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, and other materials such as ABS, which have excellent water resistance and chemical resistance, may be used. Also, as described above, even if the front edge of the lid 16a is used as the mounting portion and is made of a material that is easy to peel off from the bonding sheets 31 and 32, the same effect as above can be achieved.

[0071] A gap G is provided between the mounting surface 18 and the frame body 22, positioned on the outer periphery thereof, by cutting out a portion 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.

[0072] The frame body 22 has an engaged portion 53 at a position opposite the mounting surface 18, and the mounting surface 18 has an engaging portion 49 that can engage 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.

[0073] This allows the frame body 22 to be fixed so as not to slip off the mounting surface 18 not only by the adhesive force or bonding force of the joining 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 joining sheet 32, it is possible to join the two 18 and 22 with the joining sheet 32 while positioning them with the engaging portion 49.

[0074] At least one of the four outer peripheral sides of the frame body 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.

[0075] The mounting surface 18 is provided with a groove 48 that is positioned in a portion that corresponds to the outer periphery of the frame body 22 and extends 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 mounting surface 18 so that it is not visible. Furthermore, by configuring the side wall 51 of the frame body 22 to fit into the groove 48, a waterproof structure can be achieved.

[0076] The operation panel 20 of this embodiment also includes a frame body 22 that is interposed between the surface panel body 21 and the circuit board 36 on the mounting surface 18 and has openings that connect to the surface 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, one end of which is electrically connected by contact with the contact portion 43 and the other end of which is electrically connected to an earth portion 45 of the circuit board 36.

[0077] According to this, even if the frame body 22 is conductive due to the plated coating 22a, the frame body 22 can be grounded by the spring conductor 26' as the grounding means, and a relatively simple configuration can be achieved using the grounding portion 45 of the circuit board 36. The opening of the frame body 22 is not limited to the openings 52a and 52b and the round holes 52c to 52e illustrated in Fig. 12, but may be at least one opening that communicates with 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. If the mounting surface 18 is conductive, the edge of the opening 47b of the mounting surface 18 (see Fig. 14) may serve as the contact portion and be connected to the grounding means. The same effect as above can be achieved even if, for example, the front edge of the lid 16a is the conductive mounted portion and is connected to the grounding means as the contact portion.

[0078] The earthing means is configured to include a biasing member that is conductive and has a biasing force, such as a spring conductor 26', and the biasing force maintains an electrical connection between the contact portion 43 and the earth portion 45. This allows one end of the biasing member such as the spring conductor 26' to be held without using a fixing means, making it possible to maintain good contact with the contact portion 43. In addition, the earthing means can be made as short as possible, which allows for miniaturization and reduction in assembly costs.

[0079] The biasing member is arranged so that a portion of one end thereof contacts contact portion 43. This allows the biasing member to be arranged to be shifted within a range that allows contact with contact portion 43, as shown in Fig. 5, since it is sufficient to have a portion of one end of the biasing member such as spring conductor 26' in contact with contact portion 43, and this increases the degree of freedom in designing the arrangement of the biasing member and the shape of contact portion 43.

[0080] A holder portion 42 is provided around the outer periphery of the earthing means as a partition member for insulating the earthing means from components such as the spring electrode 26 around the earthing means. With this, even if, for example, the spring conductor 26' serving as the earthing means and an electronic component such as the spring electrode 26 are disposed close to each other, the peripheral wall 421 of the holder portion 42 can prevent contact with the electronic component, etc., thereby eliminating the effects caused by such contact or current leakage and ensuring operational reliability.

[0081] 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 surface panel body 21, and a conductive coating layer (e.g., a plated coating 22a) is formed over at least the outer periphery and the portion of 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 environment such as the washing machine 1, the risk of electric shock can be eliminated by the earthing means.

[0082] In addition, the operation panel 20 of this embodiment includes a frame body 22 interposed between the surface panel body 21 and the circuit board 36 on the mounting surface 18, and a partition member for insulating the electrode from the components surrounding the electrode, the partition member being arranged to separate at least the opening edge portion 22E of the frame body 22 from the electrode.

[0083] With this, even if the frame body 22 is conductive, the spring electrodes 26 serving as electrodes 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 electrodes 26 can be suppressed, and electric shock can be prevented even if the frame body 22 is touched.

[0084] 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 formed at the end on the front panel body 21 side, thereby preventing insufficient insulation.

[0085] The partition member has a cap shape that integrally has 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 the end face 392 of the cap 39 is arranged to be in contact with the surface panel body 21. With this, an electrode such as a spring electrode 26 can be arranged approximately perpendicular to the surface panel body 21 by being surrounded by the cap 39, and 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.

[0086] 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 36 and the surface panel body 21 together so that no gaps form on the surface panel body 21 side.As a result, for example, if a spring electrode 26 is used as the biasing member, it can be held without gaps on the surface panel body 21 side even without being fixed to the surface panel body 21 side, allowing for stable touch detection and improving operational reliability.

[0087] The partition member has a locking portion that is locked to a locking portion provided on a member on the unit case 35 side, thereby preventing the partition member from coming off the unit case 35. As illustrated in Fig. 8 and other figures, locking claws 393, 394 of cap 39, which serves as the locking portion, are locked to notches 403, 404 of holder portion 40, which serves as the locking portion, thereby allowing cap 39 to be integrally assembled with unit case 35. This prevents cap 39 from falling off even during assembly, and allows the partition member to be positioned so as not to come off.

[0088] In this way, the cap 39 has an engaging 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 the engaging portion is engaged with an engaging portion provided on a member on the unit case 35 side, thereby preventing the cap 39 from coming off the unit case 35. Therefore, the cap 39 can be urged and held so that no gap is always created between the front panel body 21 and the spring electrode 26. This allows the cap 39 to achieve the desired contact state with the front panel body 21 and maintain its insulating function as a partition member.

[0089] <Other embodiments> 15 to 18 show second to fifth embodiments of the present invention. Below, we will describe the points that are substantially different from the previously described embodiments.

[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 serving as an elastic material. The surface contact member 60 is formed in the shape of a disk or rectangular plate 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] 15, for the sake of convenience of explanation, 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 grounding 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 grounds 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, ensures a better contact state and more reliable grounding.

[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 portion 61 is formed with 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. Furthermore, the spring electrode 26 is not covered with the cap 39, and the holder portion 61 does not have the notches 403, 404 (see Fig. 8) for the cap 39. As a result, the flat portion 261 of the spring electrode 26 comes into direct contact with the rear surface of the front panel body 21, and the spring electrode 26 is insulated by the holder portion 61 and the gap around it.

[0094] In this way, 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. This makes it 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 counterbore 63 on the rear surface of the 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' extends upward to correspond to a counterbore portion 63 on the rear surface of the front panel body 21. The countersunk portion 63 is a flat depression on the back surface of the front panel body 21 that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the peripheral wall 601' of the holder portion 62, and reduces the thickness of the front panel body 21. The countersunk surface of the countersunk portion 63 is arranged so that the upper end of the peripheral wall 601' of the holder portion 62 abuts against it, and so is the flat portion 261 of the spring electrode 26. Note that the front panel body 21 can be formed relatively easily by using, for example, an acrylic resin or other material instead of the glass material.

[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 recessed 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 and obtain higher detection sensitivity. Also, for example, the spring electrode 26 can be held stably within the countersunk portion 63 even if it is not fixed to the front panel body 21.

[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, for example, by a cylindrical peripheral wall 651 that accommodates the upper portion 263 of the spring electrode 26, and the lower end of the peripheral wall 651 extends so as to reach the mounting surface 18. Therefore, like the above-described embodiments, the holder portion 65 functions as a partition member and 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 way, 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 leaving any gaps, preventing 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 side, allowing the electrodes to be aligned.

[0099] The above-described embodiments can be applied not only to a so-called horizontal-axis drum washing machine (not shown), but also to various electrical appliances having an operation panel provided on a mounting portion of the electrical appliance body. Also, the embodiments can be combined and implemented. 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 inside 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' shown in FIG. 6, but may be constructed using other biasing or elastic members having a biasing force or elastic force, such as the conductive rubber.

[0100] Although several 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 embodied 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 within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined 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 plated 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 plate), 39 is a cap (partition member), 391 and 392 are peripheral walls and end faces, 393 and 394 are locking claws (locked portions), 40, 61, 62, and 65 are holder portions (partition members), 403 and 404 are cutout portions (locking portions), 43 is a contact portion, 48 is a groove portion, 49 is an engaging portion, 51 is a side wall, 53 is an engaged portion, 60 is a surface contact member, 63 is a seat cut portion, and G is a gap.

Claims

1. a washing machine body having a laundry inlet and outlet; a lid provided on the washing machine body for opening and closing the laundry entrance; an operation panel attached to a mounting portion of either the washing machine body or the lid, The operation panel includes: a surface panel body disposed on a surface thereof and having an operation unit for receiving user operations; a frame body interposed between the front panel body and the mounting portion, the frame body having an outer shape that allows at least a part of the outer periphery of the frame body to be seen on the outer periphery side of the front panel body; A washing machine comprising a bonding sheet having adhesive layers on both sides, the bonding sheet being a first bonding sheet for bonding the surface panel body and the frame body, and a second bonding sheet for bonding the frame body and the mounting portion.

2. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second joining sheets extends seamlessly along the outer periphery of the surface panel body or the frame body.

3. 3. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first joining sheet and the surface panel body are joined by the joining sheet so that a peel force between the first joining sheet and the surface panel body and a peel force between the second joining sheet and the mounting portion are different, or the surface panel body is joined by the joining sheet so that a peel force when peeling the surface panel body from the frame body and a peel force when peeling the surface panel body together with the frame body from the mounting portion are different.

4. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mounting portion of the washing machine body or the lid is made of a material that is easier to peel off from the bonding sheet than a material used for the surface panel body or the frame body.

5. a washing machine body having a laundry inlet and outlet; a lid provided on the washing machine body for opening and closing the laundry entrance; an operation panel attached to a mounting portion of either the washing machine body or the lid, The operation panel includes: a surface panel body disposed on a surface thereof and having an operation unit for receiving user operations; a frame body interposed between the surface panel body and the mounting portion; a first bonding layer made of an adhesive layer or a bonding layer for bonding the surface panel body and the frame body, and a second bonding layer for bonding the frame body and the mounting portion; The second bonding layer has a cutout portion formed by cutting out a portion of the outer periphery of the second bonding layer, which forms a gap between the mounting portion and the frame body.

6. The frame body is provided with an engaged portion at a position facing the attached portion, The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the mounting portion is provided with an engaging portion that can engage with the engaging portion of the frame body, and the frame body is fixed by the engagement between the engaging portion and the engaging portion and the second joining sheet.

7. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 6, wherein at least one of the four outer peripheral sides of the frame body is provided with a side wall erected so as to surround the side of the first bonding sheet or the side of the second bonding sheet.

8. At least one of the four outer peripheral sides of the frame body is provided with a side wall erected so as to surround at least the side of the second bonding sheet, 7. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion is provided with a groove portion that is positioned in a portion corresponding to the outer periphery of the frame body, extends in a direction along the outer periphery, and is formed to fit the side wall of the frame body, and the side wall of the frame body is fitted into the groove portion.

9. An operation panel to be attached to a mounting portion of an electrical device body, a surface panel body disposed on a surface thereof and having an operation unit for receiving user operations; a frame body interposed between the front panel body and the mounting portion, the frame body having an outer shape that allows at least a part of the outer periphery of the frame body to be seen on the outer periphery side of the front panel body; An operation panel comprising a bonding sheet having adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive layers on both sides, the bonding sheet being a first bonding sheet for bonding the surface panel body and the frame body, and a second bonding sheet for bonding the frame body and the mounting portion.

10. An operation panel to be attached to a mounting portion of an electrical device body, a surface panel body disposed on a surface thereof and having an operation unit for receiving user operations; a frame body interposed between the surface panel body and the mounting portion; a bonding layer made of an adhesive layer or a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, the bonding layer including a first bonding layer for bonding the surface panel body and the frame body, and a second bonding layer for bonding the frame body and the mounting portion; The second bonding layer has a cutout portion formed by cutting out a portion of the outer periphery of the second bonding layer, forming a gap between the mounting portion and the frame body.

Images