JPH0363836B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an operation panel device suitable for, for example, a microwave oven.

[Prior art]

2. Description of the Related Art A large number of various operation buttons and knobs are arranged on an operation panel of a microwave oven or the like. When a large number of operation buttons and operation knobs are arranged in this way, not only does the aesthetic appearance deteriorate, but it also increases the likelihood of erroneous operation. Therefore, conventional microwave ovens have been proposed in which a large number of operation buttons are covered with a door panel so that the operation buttons are not visible from the outside. however,
Conventional door panels only cover some operation buttons with a small protrusion length, and cannot cover, for example, a volume knob that protrudes largely from the front of the main body of a microwave oven. If you try to cover up the volume knob, etc. with a door panel, the setting position of the door panel will protrude significantly forward from the front of the microwave oven, which will not only look unsightly but also be extremely inconvenient to use. A problem arises. Therefore, conventionally, volume knobs and the like are exposed from the front of the microwave oven body, but this not only impairs the beauty and operability of the microwave oven, but also causes problems due to the protruding parts of the volume knob, etc. This reduces the cleaning efficiency of the microwave oven.
The problem is that it tends to be unsanitary.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional problems.The present invention has been made in such a way that the volume knob, etc., which should protrude largely from the front of the main body of a microwave oven, etc., is covered by the door panel, and the setting position of the door panel is changed from the conventional one. The object of the present invention is to provide an operation panel device having a structure similar to that of the present invention, and improved in appearance, operability, and cleanability.

[Structure of the invention]

The operation panel device according to the present invention includes a lock lever that can release the locked state of the door panel in conjunction with the opening operation of a door opening operation button, and a lock lever that operates in conjunction with the lock lever and can protrude from the front wall by the unlocking operation of the lock lever. In conjunction with the energized and retractable volume knob and the protruding movement of the volume knob,
It is equipped with a door panel that can be opened and closed from the closed state covering the volume knob, and when the door panel is in the closed state, the volume knob is covered by the door panel, and when the door opening operation button is operated to open the volume knob, the volume knob is extended. It is characterized in that the door panels are configured so that the opening operations are performed at the same time.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a display section 2 of an operation panel is formed on the front of the microwave oven main body 1, and a large number of various operation buttons are arranged on a part of the operation panel. A timer volume knob 3 is provided as one of the knob operation parts, and various operation buttons including this volume knob 3 are configured to be covered from the outside by a door panel 4 having a single-opening structure. There is. A door opening operation button 5 is provided below the front door panel 4 on the front surface of the microwave oven main body 1 .

The operating portion of the door opening operation button 5 is brought into contact with one end 7a of a lock lever 7 which is pivoted to a fulcrum 6 as shown in FIG. This lock lever 7 has a locking protrusion 7 on the other end.
b, and is urged in the locking direction by a locking spring 8. On the other hand, the door panel 4, which has a single-opening structure, is provided so as to be openable and closable using a pair of upper and lower support parts 4a and 4b as fulcrums, as shown in FIG. A notch 4c is formed in the door, and when the door is closed, the locking protrusion 7b of the lock lever 7 engages with the notch 4c of the door panel 4 to form a locked state. 5, the lock lever 7 is rotated in an arc around the fulcrum 6, and the locking protrusion 7b is released from the notch 4c. A driven lever 9 having a gear portion 9a on its outer periphery is integrally provided on the lower support portion 4b of the door panel 4 as shown in FIG. The door panel 4 is configured to open and close at the same time.

On the other hand, the volume knob 3 provided on the front surface of the microwave oven main body 1 is provided so as to be freely protrusive and retractable from the main body front wall 1a, as shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b.
The volume knob 3 is always urged in the protruding direction by the lock lever 7, and when the door is locked, the volume knob 3 is held in a recessed state in the front wall 1a of the main body by a linking member (not shown) that works in conjunction with the lock lever 7. ing. Further, the volume 11 installed inside the microwave oven body 1 has its operating shaft 11a inserted inside the inner protruding wall 3a of the volume knob 3, and the operating shaft 11 of the volume 11
1a and the inner protruding wall 3a are configured to be rotatable together via a volume slide 12. Further, the inner protruding wall 3a of the volume knob 3 is connected to a passive part 14a of an open lever 14 which is pivotally mounted by a pivot 13 as shown in FIG. The lever 14 is configured to rotate in an arc around the pivot 13. The open lever 14 has a gear portion 14b on its outer periphery, and is configured to mesh with the outer periphery gear portion 9a of the driven lever 9.

In the above configuration, when the door panel 4 provided on the front surface of the microwave oven main body 1 is closed as shown in FIG. 4, the volume knob 3 is recessed into the main body front wall 1a as shown in FIG. 1a. It is in. When the door opening operation button 5 provided below the door panel 4 is pressed from this state, the lock lever 7 moves around the fulcrum 6 against the stored force of the lock spring 8 as shown in the second figure. Rotate in an arc counterclockwise. At this time, the locking protrusion 7b of the locking lever 7 comes off the notch 4c of the door panel 4, and the locked state is released. At the same time, the counterclockwise movement of the lock lever 7 releases the restriction on the position of the volume knob 3 by the connecting member (not shown), so that the volume knob 3 is moved against the front wall of the main body by the biasing force of the volume spring 10. 1a
The flange 3b of the volume knob 3 protrudes forward from the inner protrusion 1 of the main body front wall 1a as shown in FIG.
The protruding operation is performed to a position regulated by b. As the volume knob 3 protrudes, the open lever 14 rotates in an arc clockwise about the pivot 13, so that the open lever 14 and the gear parts 14b and 9a are engaged with each other. The lever 9 follows the open lever 14 and pivots counterclockwise. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower support portion 4b of the door panel 4, which is provided integrally with the driven lever 9, is integrally interlocked to open the door panel 4 by a predetermined angle. Become. In this manner, when the door opening operation button 5 on the front surface of the microwave oven main body 1 is pressed, the door panel 4 is opened simultaneously with the protrusion of the volume knob 3, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 5. From this state, for example, when the volume knob 3 is turned to make adjustments, the timer is set via the volume knob 11. In addition,
Of course, the volume knob 3 described above is not limited to being used for a timer.

Next, when retracting the volume knob 3 from the main body front wall 1a and closing the door panel 4, the door panel 4 may be closed by hand. Due to the closing operation of the door panel 4, the driven lever 9 and the open lever 14 are interlocked, and the volume knob 3 simultaneously returns to its original regulating position against the accumulated force of the volume spring 10. Further, as the door panel 4 closes, the notch 4c formed in the door panel 4 returns to its original lock position, so the lock lever 7 moves clockwise again due to the biasing force of the lock spring 8, and the lock lever 7 returns to its lock position. The projection 7b engages with the notch 4c, and the door is locked.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the operation panel device according to the present invention has the following features:
A lock lever that can release the locked state of the door panel in conjunction with the push operation of a door opening operation button, and a retractable volume knob that operates in conjunction with the lock lever and is urged to protrude from the front wall by the release operation of the lock lever. and a door panel that can be opened and closed from a closed state covering the volume knob in conjunction with the protruding operation of the volume knob. Therefore, when the door panel is closed, the volume knob etc. are covered by the door panel and cannot be seen from the outside, making it possible to realize a completely flat operation panel, which not only has an excellent aesthetic appearance but also is easy to clean. This has the advantage of improving hygiene and making it easier to maintain hygiene. In addition, when the door opening operation button is operated, the door panel is opened at the same time as the volume knob is protruded, so the operability of the volume knob is maintained and the volume knob is retracted when the door panel is closed. Therefore, there is no problem in covering the volume knob with the door panel.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1a is a sectional view of the main part of the door panel in the closed state, showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 1b is a sectional view of the main part of the same door panel in the open state, and Fig. 2 is a mechanism explanatory diagram showing the door panel in the locked state. , Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the interlocking mechanism of the door panel, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the door panel applied to a microwave oven in a closed state, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the microwave oven's door panel in an open state, and Fig. 6 is a door panel FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of the operation panel display section in an open state. 1 is the microwave oven body, 1a is the front wall of the main body, 3 is the volume knob, 4 is the door panel, 4b is the lower support part, 4c is the notch, 5 is the operation button for opening the door, 7
7b is a locking lever, 8 is a locking spring, 9 is a driven lever, 9a is a gear portion, 10 is a volume spring, 14 is an open lever, 14a is a passive portion, and 14b is a gear portion.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A lock lever that can release the locked state of the door panel in conjunction with the opening operation of the door opening operation button, and a retractable volume that operates in conjunction with the lock lever and is biased so that it can protrude from the front wall by the release operation of the lock lever. An operation panel device comprising a knob and a door panel that can be opened and closed by opening the volume knob from a closed state in conjunction with the protruding operation of the volume knob.