JP2008302064A - Lid locking unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lid locking unit securing further safety, simplifying structure and reducing cost. <P>SOLUTION: This lid locking unit 10 for locking the closed state of a lid body includes a motor 14 rotating by a power feed from the outside, a slide part 11 advancing/retreating by the rotation driving force of the motor, engaged with an engagement part of the lid body in the advance and retaining the lid body in the closed state, a position switch 23 for detecting the locking state of the lid body by the advance of the slide part and sending a locking completion signal, and a lid switch 12 actuated by the opening/closing of the lid body and cutting off the power feed to the motor when opening the lid. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lid lock unit that locks a closed state of a lid, and more particularly to a lid lock unit that is suitable for use in a lid locking mechanism that opens and closes a laundry input port of a washing machine.

In a washing machine, especially when a dehydration operation is performed, the laundry dewatering tub rotates at high speed, so if a user accidentally puts his / her hand in the dehydration tub during the dehydration operation, the hand is caught in the laundry. May cause unexpected injury and is extremely dangerous.
As a safety measure, the dehydration operation is not performed when the lid of the laundry input port is open, and if the lid is opened during the dehydration operation, the internal brake mechanism is activated and the laundry is removed. There are washing machines that stop the high-speed rotation of the water tank immediately, but because the structure of the brake mechanism is complicated and increases costs, many simple washing machines that are not equipped with a brake mechanism have become widespread. The current situation is.
Moreover, even if the washing machine is equipped with a brake mechanism, the one that requires a considerable amount of time to stop the rotation of the washing and dewatering tub is also lacking in safety.

  Therefore, a lid locking device is provided to lock the lid in a closed state so that the user cannot easily open the lid when the washing and dewatering tub is operating, such as during washing and dehydration. A washing machine has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

  In the lid locking device of Patent Document 1, an engagement portion such as an opening or a notch is provided on the lid, and an operating body that moves forward and backward toward the engagement portion by the rotational driving force of a torque motor is provided on the outer box side. The operating body is advanced and engaged with the engaging portion in a state in which the lid is closed, so that the lid is locked in the closed state so that the user cannot easily open the lid. When the lock position of the operating body is detected by the switch on the interior, the control circuit recognizes that the lock operation has been completed, and the washing operation and the dehydration operation of the washing machine are started. That is, the lid is locked during the washing operation or the dehydrating operation in which the washing / dehydrating tub is rotating, and the above-described disadvantage does not occur.

However, such a lid locking device has the following problems.
In other words, the lid is normally closed and locked during washing and dehydrating operations, but this locking operation is usually performed by a lid switch provided separately from the lid lock device described above. Since it is executed when the closed state of the lid is recognized, if the detection signal of the lid switch is erroneously recognized or the control circuit malfunctions in the control circuit, the lid is completely closed. Even if the torque motor is not in the state, the torque motor is supplied with power and the lock operation is executed, and the operation may be started after the lock operation is completed.

In this case, the locking of the lid is incomplete, and the user can easily open the lid, or even if the user does not perform the lid opening operation, the lid can be opened by impact or vibration during operation. The body may be opened, and if the dehydration operation in which the laundry dewatering tub rotates at high speed in such an unstable state, safety is greatly impaired.
JP 2005-177044 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. When the lid is opened, the power supply to the motor is cut off by the lid switch so that the locking operation is not performed. An object of the present invention is to provide a lid lock unit that secures and simplifies the lock mechanism and reduces the cost by integrally providing a lid switch.

In other words, the lid lock unit according to claim 1 is a lid lock unit that locks the closed state of the lid body, and the electric power drive device that generates the driving force by power feeding and the forward and backward movement by the driving force of the electric power drive device. A sliding portion that engages with the engaging portion of the lid body at the time of advancement, and detects the lock state of the lid body from the advancement operation of the slide portion, and generates a lock completion signal And a lid switch that operates by opening and closing the lid and shuts off the power supply to the power driving device when the lid is opened.
Here, the power driving device that generates a driving force by feeding power is a motor, a solenoid, or the like.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the lid lock unit according to the first aspect, the position switch is connected in series to a power supply line of the power driving device.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the lid lock unit according to the first or second aspect, the power driving device, the slide unit, the position switch, and the lid switch are integrated. It is characterized by providing.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the lid lock unit according to any one of the first to third aspects, the lid lock unit is used to lock the lid that opens and closes the laundry inlet of the washing machine. Yes.

According to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, the lid switch that operates by opening and closing the lid is provided, and when the lid is opened, the power supply to the power driving device (for example, the motor) is cut off by the lid switch. As a result, even if power is supplied to the power drive device in the open state due to a malfunction of the control unit that controls the locking operation of the lid, the power drive device does not operate. The lock operation is not performed, and the lock completion signal is not sent.
Therefore, in a washing machine equipped with this lid lock unit, a lock completion signal is waited, and the washing operation and dehydration operation are not performed. Therefore, a highly reliable washing machine that ensures the safety of the user is realized. can do.

  In particular, since the lid switch is directly connected to the power supply line of the power drive device as in the invention described in claim 2, the circuit configuration of the lid lock unit is simplified, and the cost can be reduced. The power supply to the power drive device due to such a malfunction of the external control circuit can be cut off more reliably, and further safety can be ensured.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 3, since the lid switch that has been provided separately in the past has been integrated, the number of parts can be reduced and the wiring can be simplified, thereby achieving compactness and cost reduction. Can do.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a lid lock unit according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows the internal structure of the lid lock unit according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 shows the circuit configuration of the lid lock unit, and FIG. 3 shows the top surface of the washing machine on which the lid lock unit of this embodiment is mounted. .

In the washing machine 1 to which the present invention is applied, as shown in FIG. 3, the lid 2 that closes the laundry inlet is divided into a front lid 2a and a rear lid 2b, and the handle 5 is pulled upward. Thus, the hinge mechanism 3 at the center part is bent and the insertion port is opened.
An operation panel 4 having various operation switches and a display unit is disposed on the front surface of the lid 2, and top covers 6 and 6 are disposed on both sides of the lid 2. .

  Then, the lid lock unit 10 of the present embodiment is incorporated inside the right top cover 6 and fixed with screws.

  As will be described later, the lid lock unit 10 includes a lock lever 11a that can be moved back and forth in the left-right direction in FIG. 3, and when the lock lever 11a advances leftward with the lid 2 of the washing machine 1 closed. The lock lever 11a passes through the lock hole 8 (engagement portion) of the plate-like member 7 provided on the back side of the front lid 2a so that the closed state of the lid body 2 is locked.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the lid lock unit 10 of the present embodiment has a sealed casing 13 including a case main body 13a and a case cover 13b that is detachably attached to the case main body 13a. Inside the casing 13, a motor 14 that rotates by power supply from the outside, a slide portion 11 that moves forward and backward by the rotational driving force of the motor 14, and an advance operation of the slide portion 11 are detected to detect the lid 2. A position switch 23 and the like for detecting the locked state are accommodated, and a lid switch 12 (for example, a micro switch) for detecting the open / closed state of the lid 2 is attached to the side portion of the casing 13 with a mounting screw 27. It has been.
The lid switch 12 is opened when the lid 2 is opened, and is closed when the lid 2 is closed.

  The motor 14 is provided with a speed reducer 15, and a disk-shaped rotating plate 17 is attached to the output shaft 16, which is a surface on the front side of the rotating plate 17 and has a rotation center (output shaft 16). A cylindrical drive projection 18 is provided at a position eccentric from the center.

  The slide portion 11 is formed of a substantially square plate-like member, and a rod-like lock lever 11a is integrally formed at the tip portion thereof, and the tip of the lock lever 11a is moved by the advancement operation of the slide portion 11. It protrudes outward from the front end opening 19 of the casing 13. In the slide portion 11, the lock lever 11 a is constantly urged in the advancing direction (direction protruding from the opening 19 of the casing 13) by a compression spring 20 (coil spring 20) that is internally provided in the case.

  Further, a rectangular cam hole 21 into which the driving projection 18 of the rotating plate 17 is inserted so as to be able to turn is formed on the rear end side of the slide portion 11.

Further, a convex portion 22 is formed on the rear end side portion of the slide portion 11, and a position switch 23 for detecting the convex portion 22 is disposed in the vicinity thereof.
The position switch 23 includes a movable contact piece 23 a with which the convex portion 22 abuts and a fixed contact piece 23 b on the opposite side. The movable contact piece 23 a is moved forward and backward by the slide portion 11, and the convex portion 22 of the slide portion 11. Is pressed, the contacts 24a and 24b of the contact pieces 23a and 23b come into contact with each other, and the position switch 23 is turned on (closed state).

The closed contact of the position switch 23 can be output to the outside as a lock completion signal via a connection terminal d of a terminal plate 28 provided on the casing 13. In addition, the terminal plate 28 is provided with power supply terminals b and c of the motor 14, a connection terminal a of the lid switch 12, and the like.
In FIG. 1A, reference numeral 26 denotes an attachment hole for attaching the lid lock unit 10 to, for example, the washing machine 1 or the like.

  In the lid lock unit 10 configured as described above, when a drive current is supplied to the motor 14 and the output shaft 16 rotates in a predetermined direction (for example, clockwise), the rotating plate 17 provided on the output shaft 16 rotates. In response to this, the drive projection 18 turns in the cam hole 21 of the slide portion 11. In addition, since the slide part 11 is always urged | biased by the coil spring 20 in the advancing direction, the said drive protrusion 18 is the state always contact | abutted to the lower end of the cam hole 21 in Fig.1 (a).

As shown in FIG. 1A, when the motor 14 rotates in a state where the tip of the lock lever 11 a is located at the maximum advanced position (lock position), the slide portion 11 is moved to the coil spring 20 by the turning movement of the drive protrusion 18. The lock lever 11a at the distal end is moved (retracted) downward by being pulled downward (backward) against the urging force.
When the drive protrusion 18 reaches just below, the tip of the lock lever 11a is located at the maximum retracted position (lock release position). When the motor 14 further rotates, the slide portion 11 moves upward by the urging force of the coil spring 20 due to the turning movement of the drive protrusion 18, and the lock lever 11a advances.
Thus, the lock lever 11a performs linear motion, that is, forward / backward movement by the rotational driving force of the motor 14.

  By the way, in this embodiment, as mentioned above, the lid switch 12 for detecting the opening and closing of the lid body 2 is attached to the side portion of the casing 13, and the lid switch 12 is as shown in FIG. The motor 14 is connected in series to the power supply line 25 of the motor 14. Accordingly, the drive current supplied from the outside via the power supply line 25 is supplied to the motor 14 only when the lid switch 12 is closed.

As described above, the lid switch 12 is not directly connected to the power supply line 25 of the motor 14, but a switch element such as an SCR (thyristor) or SSR (solid state relay) is connected to the power supply line 25 in series. It is also possible to configure such that the switch element is driven by the contact output of the lid switch 12 while being connected.

Next, the operation of the washing machine 1 equipped with the lid lock unit 10 of this embodiment will be described.
In the washing machine 1 shown in FIG. 3, the locking operation of the lid lock unit 10 is controlled by, for example, a control unit (not shown) provided on the operation panel 4 of the lid 2. The control unit is equipped with a microcomputer, and controls the locking and unlocking of the lid 2 based on the switch operation of the operation panel 4 and the lock completion signal from the lid lock unit 10.

First, when the user closes the lid 2 and performs a switch operation for starting operation, this switch operation signal is detected by the control unit, and a drive current is supplied to the lid lock unit 10 via the feeder line 25. The
At this time, if the lid 2 is securely closed, the lid switch 12 is in a closed state, and a drive current is supplied to the motor 14 through the lid switch 12. When power is supplied to the motor 14, the leading end of the lock lever 11a moves from the maximum retracted position toward the maximum advanced position by the advance operation of the slide portion 11 described above. Passes through the lock hole 8 of the plate-like member 7 provided in the lid 2 and the closed state of the lid 2 is securely locked.

  At this time, the convex part 22 which moves by the advance operation of the slide part 11 is detected by the position switch 23, and the contact signal (lock completion signal) is sent to the control part. On the other hand, if the lid switch 12 is in the open state, the power supply to the motor 14 is cut off, the motor 14 remains in the stopped state, and the lock lever 11a is not locked.

When a lock completion signal from the lid lock unit 10 is detected in the control unit, the power supply to the motor 14 is stopped, whereby the rotation of the motor 14 is stopped and the lock lever 11a is fixed at the maximum advanced position. At the same time, a laundry dewatering tub (not shown) of the washing machine 1 is rotated (high-speed rotation during the dehydration operation).
When the operation is completed, the control unit stops the rotation of the washing and dewatering tub, starts feeding the motor 14, and retracts the slide unit 11 until it detects that the position switch 23 is turned off, so that the maximum retracted position of the lock lever 11a is reached. Then, the lid 2 is unlocked.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the lid switch 12 that operates by opening and closing the lid body 2 is provided, and when the lid body 2 is opened, the power supply of the motor 14 is cut off by the open contact of the lid switch 12. Therefore, even if power is supplied to the motor 14 in the open state due to a malfunction of the control unit that controls the locking operation of the lid 2, the motor 14 does not rotate, and thus the rotational driving force is used. No locking action is performed.

  As a result, the lock completion signal is not sent, the lock completion signal is waited, and the washing / dehydrating tub is stopped because the operation is not shifted to the washing operation or the dehydration operation. Even if the user can open the lid 2 easily in an incomplete state, there is no danger at all, and a highly reliable washing machine 1 that ensures the safety of the user can be realized. it can.

  In particular, in this embodiment, since the lid switch 12 is directly connected to the power supply line 25 of the motor 14, the circuit configuration of the lid lock unit 10 can be simplified, the cost can be reduced, and the control unit as described above. Therefore, the power supply to the motor 14 due to the malfunction can be more reliably cut off, and further safety can be ensured.

  In addition, since the lid switch 12 that has been conventionally provided separately is integrally provided in the lid lock unit 10, the number of parts can be reduced, wiring and the like can be simplified, and compactness and cost reduction can be achieved. it can.

The internal structure of the lid lock unit shown as one Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is a top perspective view, (b) is a side perspective view. The figure which shows the circuit structure of a lid | cover lock unit. (A) is a top view of a washing machine on which the lid lock unit of the present invention is mounted, and (b) is an enlarged view of a main part of a lid lock unit mounting portion.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Washing machine 2 Lid body 8 Engagement part (lock hole)
10 Lid Lock Unit 11 Slide Part 12 Lid Switch 14 Power Drive Device (Motor)
23 Position switch 25 Feed line

Claims (4)

A lid lock unit for locking the closed state of the lid,
A power driving device that generates a driving force by power supply; and
A sliding portion that moves forward and backward by the driving force of the power-driven device, engages with the engaging portion of the lid body at the time of advancement, and locks the closed state of the lid body;
A position switch that detects the lock state of the lid body from the advancing operation of the slide portion and generates a lock completion signal;
A lid lock unit, comprising: a lid switch that operates by opening and closing the lid and shuts off power supply to the power driving device when the lid is opened. The lid lock unit according to claim 1, wherein the position switch is connected in series to a power supply line of the power driving device. 3. The lid lock unit according to claim 1, wherein the power driving device, the slide portion, the position switch, and the lid switch are integrally provided. 4. The lid lock unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lid lock unit is used to lock a lid that opens and closes a laundry input port of a washing machine.

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