JPH079971B2 - Control unit module and washing machine using the module - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control unit module, and more particularly to a control unit module attached to a rotating machine used in a wet environment.

(B) Conventional Technology A control board of a control unit module mounted on a rotating machine generally used in a water-humidity environment is subjected to a moisture-proof treatment (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-158693). The reason for this is that if water droplets adhere to the control board, the water droplets can cause a short circuit between the lead terminals of the electronic components mounted on the control board or between the conductor patterns, preventing malfunctions such as malfunctions and failures of the control circuit. This is because

A control circuit including a resistor, a capacitor, a microcomputer, and a heat-generating triac is mounted on the control board described above. When an input signal from the outside is received, the control circuit for the drive motor of the rotating machine or the like is received based on the signal. Controls the operation of external loads.

FIG. 7 to FIG. 10 show the structure in the case where the above-mentioned control unit module is attached to a washing machine used especially in a wet environment, which will be briefly described below.

Reference numeral (119) is a rectangular box-shaped frame member that houses the substrate (118), and is made of synthetic resin. The frame member (11
In 9), (120) ... are boss-like lower receiving portions formed to project from the bottom surface along the lateral side walls (119a) (119b) of the frame member (119), and both ends and the center. A total of 6 locations are provided on the side, and among these, along one lateral direction side wall (119a), ribs (121) ... To the other side wall (119b) are connected. (122) (122) are used to suppress the floating of the substrate (118) from above, and the one side wall (119) in the lateral direction.
It is the upper receiving part formed in a).

Reference numerals (123) and (123) denote elastic locking pieces formed to project from the bottom surface along the other side wall (119b) in the lateral direction of the frame member (119).

(126) ... the frame member (119) to the front panel (160).
It is a screw hole for screwing to the boss (127) provided on the back surface of a).

On the outer bottom surface of the frame member (119), (128) is provided at the longitudinal end of the frame member (119) (the position where the fixing portion (124) is located) and opens inward. A fitting piece (129) protruding from the end of the thin switch (116) is fitted therein. Reference numerals (130) and (130) denote engaging claws provided on both sides of the frame member (119) in the vicinity of the other end in the longitudinal direction, and protrude from both side edges of the thin switch (116) in the vicinity of the other end. The engaging pieces (131) (131) are engaged.

The lower receiving portion (120) ..., the upper receiving portion (122) (12
2), latching pieces (123) (123), fixing parts (124), screw holes (126), fitting recesses (128) and engaging claws (130) (13)
0) are all integrally provided when the frame member (119) is molded.

A coating agent (132) such as a urethane resin, which is a moisture resistant agent, is injected into the frame member (119), and the substrate (118) and electronic components mounted on the substrate (118) are coated with the coating agent (132). Completely covered to prevent problems such as water drops.

The control board (118) thus coated.
Also, the thin switch (116) is unitized, the thin switch (116) is brought close to the operation button (not shown) of the front panel (160a), and the frame member (119) is screwed at a plurality of places. Installed on the rotating machine.

(C) Problems to be Solved by the Invention Generally, a printed circuit board is mainly used as the control board. The printed circuit board on which the circuit for driving and controlling the main parts of the rotating machine is formed is generally designed to be as small as possible in order to minimize the storage space for mounting on the rotating machine. is there. However, in recent years, the number of circuit elements and electronic components mounted on the printed circuit board has increased due to the multi-functionalization of the rotating machine, which has become more sophisticated. There were some restrictions. Therefore, originally, pattern placement was formed on the substrate and components were mounted without being able to consider what should be done in consideration of component placement and pattern wiring.

As a result, it becomes very weak against self-noise, and there is a problem that malfunctions due to noise occur.

Since the size of the board is restricted as described above, there are many cases in which the wiring lines of the wiring pattern for connecting a large number of electronic components and the like become thin and broken, and the control board itself becomes defective.

It is difficult to lead out the lead wires for connecting to the main part of the rotating machine from the specified position on the printed circuit board.For example, many lead wires are led out near the relatively high electronic components mounted on the printed circuit board. There was a problem that the installation work was difficult.

Further, in the conventional control unit module, since electronic components such as a large number of discrete components are soldered and mounted on the control board (printed circuit board), the number of solder connection points becomes extremely large and post-processing after solder connection is performed. There is a problem that the process becomes complicated and the workability is deteriorated.

Furthermore, the conventional control unit module has a structure in which the board and most of the electronic components are completely covered with urethane resin in order to protect the connection parts of the electronic components mounted on the control substrate from water and moisture, and the weight of the control unit module is heavy. Become. As a result, in the case where the switch means is integrally formed with the module, even if the module is screwed to the rotating machine, if the module changes with time, the screw fixing force becomes weak due to the weight of the module itself, which causes a problem in the switch operation. Further, there is a problem that the cost becomes high because a large amount of urethane resin is used.

Furthermore, when the conventional control unit module is attached to a rotating machine such as a washing machine, the shape of the control board becomes an elongated shape due to the structure of the washing machine. The substrate is distorted by temperature changes because the difference in the expansion coefficient α of
There is a problem that cracks occur at the solder joint portion of the electronic component mounted on the substrate, and the defect rate is improved.

Finally, in the conventional control unit module, there is a big problem that fire occurs when a heating element such as a triac that drives the motor of the rotating machine is broken due to a short circuit, etc., and the urethane resin and its surrounding parts ignite, resulting in a fire. It was

(D) Means for Solving the Problems The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is a control unit module mounted on a rotating machine that is driven by a motor and is used in a relatively humid environment. Then, a hybrid IC in which at least a minimum circuit for driving and controlling the rotating machine is integrated on an insulating substrate is mounted on the control board of the control unit module, and the control board around the hybrid IC is mounted. It is characterized in that a slit hole is provided in the.

(E) Action As described above, according to the present invention, the hybrid IC in which the minimum circuit for driving and controlling the rotating machine is integrated on the insulating substrate is mounted on the control substrate of the control unit module, and the mounting thereof is performed. By providing the slit holes around the formed substrate, it is possible to suppress the stress due to the strain of the control substrate from being applied to the solder joint portion of the external lead terminal of the hybrid IC.

Further, in the control unit module of the present invention, the control board is not completely covered with the waterproof resin such as urethane as in the conventional case, so that the amount of the waterproof resin used can be reduced by 40 to 60% as compared with the conventional case. As a result, the weight of the unit module is significantly lighter than the conventional one, and the cost is also greatly affected.

Further, since the circuit conventionally mounted on the control board is integrated in the hybrid IC and mounted on the control board, the size of the control board can be significantly reduced.

(F) Embodiment Hereinafter, the control unit module of the present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a control unit module (hereinafter simply referred to as module) (1) of the present invention, and FIG.
It is an II sectional view of the figure. (2) is a frame member, (3) is a control board, (4) is a power transformer, and (5) is a hybrid.
IC, (6) capacitor, (7) electronic buzzer, (8)
Is a connector for connecting an external switch board, (9a) (9b)
Is a hole through which lead wires for power and small signals are led out,
(10) is a slit hole, and (11) and (11a) are water resistant resins.

The frame member (2) is formed of a synthetic resin such as epolyether styrene in the shape of a rectangular box which is substantially the same as or longer than the substrate. On the bottom of the frame member (2), a space (2a) having an elastic force for maintaining a predetermined space with a control board (3) described later is provided, and on the side surface side of the frame member (2). An engaging portion (2b) that engages the substrate (3) is provided in the. Further, a screw portion (2c) necessary for attaching (screw fixing) to the rotating machine is provided at a predetermined position of the frame member (2).

A printed circuit board is used as the control board (3), and a pattern (3
a) is formed, and a hybrid IC (5) in which a relatively large electronic component such as a transformer (4), an electronic buzzer (7), a capacitor (6) and a main circuit are integrated on a substrate (3), A connector (8) is mounted to drive and control the main part of the rotating machine.

As described above, in the field of rotating machines, miniaturized and multifunctional rotating machines have become the mainstream along with the sophistication. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an operating portion of a washing machine, which is a typical example of a water-humidified environment, and (27) is a washing time setting button,
(28) is the rinse number setting button, (29) is the dehydration time setting button,
(20) is a water flow intensity setting button, (21) is a button for selecting whether or not to perform water rinsing, (22) is a standard course or a manual course setting and start button for manually inputting each process time, (2
3) is the setting and start button for the speedy course that performs the whole process in 23 minutes, and (24) is the stop button for temporary stop.
LEDs correspond to the various operation buttons, and they are turned on / off as appropriate according to the operation. Further, (25) is a display part of the water temperature rank detected by the temperature detection device, which indicates high temperature, medium temperature,
LED (26a) (26b) (26c) corresponding to low temperature display
Is lit up. Such a button and a circuit for drive control corresponding to the LED display are formed on the substrate (3), and the circuit configuration tends to become more and more complicated.

By the way, one of the features of the present invention resides in that the main circuit for driving and controlling the rotating machine is integrated in the hybrid IC and mounted on the control board (3).

The substrate (5 of the hybrid IC (5) used in this embodiment is
For a) and (5b) (hereinafter simply referred to as IC substrate), an aluminum substrate subjected to insulation treatment is used. As the substrate other than the aluminum substrate, for example, a substrate made of ceramics, glass epoxy, or the like can be used, but the aluminum substrate is used in this embodiment because there is a circuit portion having a relatively heat generating property.

The structure of the IC substrates (5a) and (5b) will be briefly described. I c
An insulating resin layer (not shown) such as epoxy or polyimide resin is provided on the substrates (5a) (5b), and a conductive path (5c) of a desired shape formed of copper foil is formed on the upper surface thereof.

On one IC board (5a), a heat-generating circuit element (5d) such as a power supply circuit including a plurality of triac elements and a plurality of rectifying diodes for driving a motor of a rotating machine is mounted, and the other IC board (5b). ) A plurality of circuit elements (5e) constituting a control circuit such as a microcomputer for controlling a motor and a predetermined portion of the rotating machine are mounted on the above. IC board (5
All the circuit elements (5d) (5e) mounted on a) (5b) are mounted on a chip, and a printed resistor, a chip resistor, and a chip resistor are mounted on each substrate (5a) (5b) as required. Elements such as chip capacitors are mounted and formed. Furthermore, both IC boards (5a)
(5b) Multiple external lead terminals (5f) (5f)
g) is derived and soldered to the conductor pattern (3a) of the control board (3).

By the way, both IC boards (5a) (5b) have their respective circuit elements (5a)
d) The resin case material (5x) is arranged so as to face (5e) and is firmly fixed.

In addition to the hybrid IC (5), large electronic components such as a transformer (4) and a capacitor (6) and a connector (8) are mounted on the control board (3), and a conductor pattern (3a) of the board (3) is mounted. Is soldered to. The transformer (4) is for converting a voltage, for example, AC100V is converted to 10V, the capacitor (6) is for rectifying the output voltage of the hybrid IC (5), and the connector (8) is a switch input. It is connected to the substrate.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a plurality of slit holes (10) in the control board (3) on which the hybrid IC (5) is mounted. That is, the slit hole (10) is provided around the hybrid IC (5) so as to surround the hybrid IC (5). Even if the slit hole (10) causes distortion due to stress or the like in the control board (3), the hybrid IC ( 5) The external lead terminals (5x) (5y) absorb the stress due to strain to some extent, and prevent the occurrence of cracks or the like at the solder joint between the external lead terminals (5x) (5y) and the board (3) due to strain. . In the present embodiment, the slit hole (10) is provided in the periphery of the hybrid IC (5) as described above, but in addition, the periphery of the hybrid IC (5) is surrounded by the slit hole (10) so that the substrate (3) is removed. It may be independent. In this case, since the board (3) on which the hybrid IC (5) is mounted is independent of other boards, it is necessary to connect the board (3) with polyimide film resin or the like, but cracks in the solder joint due to distortion of the board (3) occur. Can be almost eliminated.

In addition to the slit hole (10), the control board (3) is provided with a plurality of holes (9a) (9b). Multiple holes (9a)
(9b) is a lead wire for power and small signal (not shown)
The holes (9a) and (9b) for power and small signals are provided so as to be separated from each other by a predetermined interval in a lump. As described above, it is convenient in terms of work to connect the respective lead wires to each other in a lump at a predetermined interval and connect them to each main part of the rotating machine.

In the present invention, since the main circuit is integrated in the hybrid IC (5), the components mounted on the control board (3) are the hybrid IC (5), the transformer (4), the capacitor (6) and the There are several such as the connector (8). Therefore, the conductor pattern (3a) formed on the control substrate (3) may be a minimum wiring pattern, so that the conductor pattern (3a) can be efficiently set. As a result, without increasing the size of the control board (3),
The holes (9a) and (9b) for leading the lead wires can be arbitrarily provided by classifying them into those for power and those for small signals.

The control board (3) on which each mounting component such as the hybrid IC (5) is mounted is arranged on the box-shaped frame member (2). When the control board (3) is arranged on the frame member (2), the space (2a) of the frame member (2) provides a space between the board (3) and the frame member (2) at a predetermined interval, and The board (3) is locked by a locking portion (2b) provided on the frame member (2).

By the way, when the substrate (3) is arranged on the frame member (2),
The frame member (2) is filled with a coating resin (11) for a moisture resistant agent such as urethane. This coating resin (1
The amount of the coating resin (11) is set so that 1) is filled only in the space formed by the substrate (3) and the frame member (2). That is, only the conductor pattern (3a) and the solder joint portion (5z) between each mounting component and the conductor pattern (3a) need be protected by the coating resin (11). You just need to fill. In this embodiment, if the coating resin (11) is filled up to the same height as the space (2a) in advance, the conductor pattern (3a) of the substrate (3) and each joint are surely protected by the resin (11). To be done. Further, when it is desired to ensure protection, the amount of the coating resin (11) should be increased a little. In this case, the excess resin flows out from the space between the substrate (3) and the side surface of the frame member (2), but there is no problem.

As mentioned above, the hybrid IC mounted on the substrate (3)
A resin (11a) is selectively provided between (5) and the substrate (3).

The hybrid IC (5) has two IC boards (5
a) (5b), and a plurality of external lead terminals (5x) (5y) are derived from the respective IC boards (5a) (5b). Since the pitch of each external lead terminal (5x) (5y) is very narrow, there is a risk of short-circuiting due to water droplets unless resin coating is applied. In the conventional structure, the control board (3) is completely covered with the coating resin, but in the present invention, only the external lead terminals (5x) (5y) are coated with the resin (11a). The resin (11a) that coats the external lead terminals (5x) (5y) is relatively easy if the mold is placed to flow the resin (11a), or if the coating resin (11a) is set to maintain some viscosity. External lead terminal (5x) (5
The resin (11a) can be coated on y).

Transformer (4) other than hybrid IC (5) mounted on control board (3), capacitor (6), connector (8)
For large parts such as, there is no possibility of short circuit due to water droplets etc. because the distance between lead terminals is large
There is no need to coat a). However, if the resin (11a) is selectively applied to each lead terminal of each component, the water resistance can be further improved. Although the lead terminals of the connector (8) are not shown in the figure, the resin (11
It is better to fill in a).

In this way, the control unit module (1) is completed. The module (1) is screwed and fixed to a predetermined portion of the rotating machine by the screw portion (2c) of the frame member (2).

When this type of module (1) is attached to a rotating machine such as a washing machine, a switch board having various input switches is arranged on the exposed surface side of the module (1) due to the structure of the washing machine.
The switch board and the control board (3) are connected to each other via a connector (8) by a flexible lead wire (not shown).

FIG. 4 shows a switch substrate (30) formed for various input switches, in which conductive connecting portions formed on a flexible film are arranged opposite to each other through an opening of an insulating spacer. Also, (31) is the switch board (3
It is a strip-shaped flexible lead wire that connects 0) and the control board (3).

The number of switches formed on the switch substrate (30) increases as the function becomes higher. For example, if the switches are formed by the number of the input switches shown in FIG. 3, the switch substrate is necessarily long due to the structure of the washing machine. Therefore, if the switch substrate is longer than the control substrate (3) of the module (1), even if the module is screwed into the washing machine, the switch function is surely provided in the area overlapping the substrate (3). However, since the switch substrate is not supported in the non-overlapping region, there arises a problem that the operation cannot be performed while having the switch function.

Therefore, the frame member (2) of the module used in this embodiment is formed longer than the control board (3). That is, the length is set to be substantially the same as that of the switch board (not shown). In FIG. 5, (2x) shows an outer frame of the frame member (2), (2c) is a screwed portion for fixing to the washing machine,
The portion indicated by the dotted line area is a reinforcing portion (2y) for preventing the deformation of the frame member (2). Although not shown in the figure, the reinforcing portion (2y) is formed on the outer surface of the frame member (2), and the switch substrate is arranged on the surface. Further, the control board (3) is arranged in the shaded area, and the above-mentioned moisture resistance treatment is performed.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view when the module of the present invention is attached to a washing machine, (1) is a control unit module of the present invention, (2) is a frame member constituting the module (1),
(3) is a control board, (5) is a hybrid IC, (11) is a coating resin, (160) is an operation part for screwing and fixing the module (1), and (200) is screwing and fixing the module (1). It is a top plate of a washing machine having a frame for accommodating the operation section (160) and forming a clothes inlet of the washing machine. Since each component is the same as that of the conventional example shown in FIG. 7, the same reference numerals are used. Therefore, description of each part is omitted.

According to the present invention, the hybrid IC in which the minimum circuit for driving and controlling the rotating machine is integrated on the insulating substrate is mounted on the control board of the control unit module, and the periphery of the mounted board is mounted. By providing the slit hole in the, it is possible to suppress the stress due to the strain of the control substrate from being applied to the solder joint portion of the external lead terminal of the hybrid IC.

Further, in the control unit module of the present invention, the control board is not completely covered with the waterproof resin such as urethane as in the conventional case, so that the amount of the waterproof resin used can be reduced by 40 to 60% as compared with the conventional case. As a result, the weight of the unit module is significantly lighter than the conventional one, and the cost is also greatly affected.

In addition, the circuit conventionally mounted on the control board is hybrid.
Since it is integrated in the IC and mounted on the control board, the size of the control board can be significantly reduced.

(G) Effect of the Invention As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the coating resin amount of the moisture-proofing agent can be significantly reduced. As a result, the weight of the control unit module itself can be made lighter than before, and the switch substrate can be firmly fixed when the module is mounted on the rotating machine (washing machine), so that the looseness of the screwed portion due to the weight of the module can be prevented. There is an advantage that the switch operation can be stably performed regardless of the change over time.

Further, in the present invention, the resin is selectively coated on the external lead terminals of the hybrid IC, so that the coating resin can be significantly reduced as described above, and the cost effect is great.

Further, according to the present invention, since the main circuit is integrated in the hybrid IC, the number of components mounted on the control board can be significantly reduced. As a result, the size of the control board can be reduced, and the width of the conductor pattern formed on the control board can be made uniform to a certain extent and the defect due to the disconnection of the conductor pattern as in the conventional case can be extremely suppressed.

Further, in the present invention, as described above, the main circuit is a hybrid IC.
It is possible to provide a lead wire lead-out hole at any position on the control board by integrating the lead wire into the control board, and to lead out each of the power and small-signal lead wires at a predetermined distance from each other. Workability when connecting wires is improved.

Further, in the present invention, since the slit hole is provided in the control board around the hybrid IC mounted, even if the control board is distorted, the stress due to the distortion is directly applied to the joint portion of the external lead terminal of the hybrid IC. Since cracks are not added to the solder joints of the external lead terminals, reliability can be improved.

Further, in the present invention, since the main circuit is integrated in the hybrid IC having the metal substrate, the noise resistance and the heat dissipation are excellent, and the reliability of the control unit module is improved.

Further, according to the present invention, as described above, the hybrid IC having the metal substrate is mounted on the module, so that the heat generated when the hybrid IC radiates heat has an effect of drying the surrounding moisture.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a plan view showing a control unit module of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line I--I of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a display portion of a general rotating machine, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a switch substrate, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a frame member when the module of the present invention is used in a washing machine, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an operating portion of the module of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an operating portion of a conventional washing machine, FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a conventional module, and FIG. 9A is a side view of FIG.
FIG. 9B is a sectional view of FIG. 9A, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view of FIG. 9A. (1) is a control unit module, (2) is a frame member,
(3) control board, (4) transformer, (5) hybrid IC, (6) capacitor, (7) electronic buzzer,
(8) is a connector, (9a) and (9b) are lead wire lead-out holes,
(10) is a slit hole, and (11) and (11a) are coating resins.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A control unit module mounted on a rotating machine which is driven by a motor and used in a relatively wet environment, wherein a control board of the control unit module is at least a minimum unit for driving and controlling the rotating machine. A control unit module, wherein a hybrid IC in which a limited number of circuits are integrated on an insulating substrate is mounted, and a slit hole is provided in the control substrate around the hybrid IC mounted. 2. The control unit module according to claim 1, wherein the control unit module is arranged so as to cover a recess provided in the frame of the rotating machine. 3. The control unit module according to claim 1, wherein the hybrid IC is composed of two insulating metal substrates, and a plurality of circuit elements constituting the circuit are mounted on opposite main surfaces thereof. . 4. The control unit module according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of circuit elements integrated on the hybrid IC use chip parts. 5. The washing machine according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the control unit module is used in a washing machine.