Patent Grant
11879643
The present disclosure relates generally to appliances for use in home and/or commercial applications. More specifically, the disclosure relates to appliances having a movable panel configured to facilitate access to one or more features disposed behind the panel.
Many appliances are often designed to include one or more panels that may be removed in order to enable access to controls and/or components disposed behind the panel. Such components may include, but are not limited to one or more water tanks or reservoirs. Frequently, these panels require complex manipulation by a user and/or removal of many fasteners to enable access to said controls and/or components. Such involved processes are often cumbersome and time consuming.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an appliance having a movable panel that does not require complex manipulation or removal of fasteners by a user, wherein the panel may facilitate access to one or more components, such as a water tank or reservoir, disposed behind the panel.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a movable panel assembly includes a panel, a cam mechanism coupled to the panel, and a stationary motor operably coupled to the cam mechanism, such that the stationary motor causes operation of the cam mechanism. The cam mechanism includes a rack mounted to a slidable rail, a plate rotatably coupled to the slidable rail, a first cam follower, and a second cam follower. The rack is configured to engage with a gear driven by the motor and the plate includes a curved first groove disposed therethrough. The first cam follower is configured such that a first end of the first cam follower is rotatably coupled to the plate on a first side of the plate, and a second end of the first cam follower is coupled to the panel. The second cam follower is configured such that a first end of the second cam follower is coupled to the plate on a second side of the cam plate, and a second end of the second cam follower is coupled to the panel. The second cam follower also includes a first pin and a second pin, wherein the first and second pins are configured to respectively translate within first and second channels of a cam plate, the cam plate being coupled to a chassis of an appliance. Operation of the cam mechanism causes the panel to move relative to the chassis.
In various embodiments, the panel is a control panel having one or more adjustable controls and a display disposed thereon. In some embodiments, the panel is configured to move from a first position to a second position responsive to operation of the cam mechanism by the stationary motor. In other embodiments, the panel is disposed adjacent the chassis in the first position. In various embodiments, when the panel is in the second position, the panel is disposed a horizontal distance from the chassis and an upper edge of the panel is at a same height as an upper edge of an adjacent appliance functional unit. In some embodiments, the panel includes one or more plates disposed on an inner surface of the panel, wherein the plates are operably coupled to one or more eccentric cams, and wherein the one or more eccentric cams are configured to adjust the one or plates to consequently adjust a rotational orientation of the panel relative to the cam mechanism.
In various embodiments, the stationary motor is configured to vary at least one of a speed of operation or an applied torque based on a position of at least one of the first pin or second pin within the respective first channel or second channel. In various embodiments, the stationary motor is configured to vary at least one of a speed of operation or an applied torque based on a friction or torque threshold. In some embodiments, the stationary motor is configured to vary at least one of a speed of operation or an applied torque based on a position of the panel relative to the chassis. In other embodiments, the movable panel assembly further includes a spring coupled to the plate, wherein the spring is rotatably coupled to a third pin disposed within the curved channel and rotatably coupled to the first end of the first cam follower. In various embodiments, the second channel of the cam plate includes a first linear portion, a second linear portion, and an inclined portion disposed therebetween. In some embodiments, the second linear portion is disposed at a height greater than a height of the first linear portion. In other embodiments, each of the first and second linear portions of the second channel are substantially parallel to the first channel. In some embodiments, the inclined portion includes a detent, wherein the detent is configured to stop translation of the second pin within the second channel.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an appliance includes a functional unit, a component housing unit disposed above the functional unit, and a movable panel assembly coupled to the component housing unit. The movable panel assembly includes a rack mounted to a slidable rail, a plate rotatably coupled to the slidable rail, a first cam follower, and a second cam follower. The rack is configured to engage with a gear driven by the motor. The plate includes a curved first groove disposed therethrough. The first cam follower includes a first end of the first cam follower that is rotatably coupled to the plate on a first side of the plate, and a second end of the first cam follower that is coupled to the panel. The second cam follower includes a first end of that is coupled to the plate on a second side of the plate, and a second end of the second cam follower that is coupled to the panel. The second cam follower also includes a first pin and second pin, wherein the first and second pins are configured to respectively translate within first and second channels of a cam plate, and wherein the cam plate is coupled to a chassis of the appliance. Operation of the cam mechanism causes the panel to move relative to the chassis.
In various embodiments, the functional unit is a steam oven. In some embodiments, the component housing unit includes one or more water reservoirs disposed therein. In other embodiments, the panel is configured to move from a first position to a second position responsive to operation of the cam mechanism by the stationary motor. In various embodiments, when the panel is in the first position, the panel is disposed adjacent the chassis and in the second position, the panel is disposed a horizontal distance from the chassis and an upper edge of the panel is at a same height as an upper edge of the functional unit. In some embodiments, the component housing unit is configured to receive one or more water reservoirs, and wherein the upper edge of the panel is configured to guide placement of the one or more water reservoirs when the panel is in the second position.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the following drawings and the detailed description.
A clear conception of the advantages and features constituting the present disclosure, and of the construction and operation of typical mechanisms provided with the present disclosure, will become more readily apparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate the same elements in the several views, and in which:
The foregoing and other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only several embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated and made part of this disclosure.
Referring to
As shown, the movable panel assembly 100 includes a panel 105, which has an upper edge 110 and a lower edge 115. In various embodiments, the upper edge 110 may be an uppermost edge of the panel 105 and the lower edge 115 may be a lowermost edge of the panel 105. In various embodiments, the panel 105 may be a control panel having a display and/or one or more controls for operating the appliance 10. The movable panel assembly 110 may be configured such that the lower edge 115 of the panel 105 is disposed adjacent an upper edge 35 of the functional unit 15 when the assembly 100 is in a closed configuration. In various embodiments, the upper edge 35 of the functional unit 15 may be an uppermost edge of the functional unit 15. When the movable panel assembly 100 is in an open configuration, the upper edge 110 of the panel 105 may be disposed at the same or a substantially similar height as the upper edge 35 of the functional unit 15, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated, each of the linkage portions 135 includes links 160 and 165, which may be configured to act as cam followers within the cam mechanism 130 of the movable panel assembly 100. Inclusion of both links 160 and 165 enable maintain a vertical orientation of the panel 105 as the movable panel assembly transitions between open and closed configurations. As shown, link 160, which is disposed closest to the cam plate 185 and adjacent a first side of the angled plate 215, is coupled to the vertical portion 219 of the angled plate 215 at a joint via pin 233 at a first end 229. The link 160 is further configured for coupling to the panel 105 via fastener 170 at a second end 231. As shown, link 165 is disposed adjacent a second side of the angled plate 215 opposite the first side and the link 160. The link 165 is coupled to the angled plate 215 at a first end 232 via the joint 227. The link is further configured for coupling to the panel 105 via fastener 180 at a second end 234. As illustrated, the link 165 includes an elevated portion 235, which includes a horizontal section of the link disposed between the first end 232 and the second end 234. As shown, the elevated portion 235 has a height higher than a height of each end 232 and 234 such that the link 165 does not contact the bottom edge 157 of the component housing unit 30 during translation.
In various embodiments, the links 160 and/or 165 may include one or more bumpers or guards disposed thereon to prevent abrasive contact with the upper edge 35 of the functional unit 15, the handle 40, and/or the bottom edge 157 of the component housing unit 30.
As previously described, the link 160 is coupled to the angled plate 215 via the pin 233. Accordingly, as the angled plate 215 is translated with the sliding portion 213 (responsive to actuation by the motor 140 and rotation of the gear 205), the pin 233 is displaced within the channel 237. As the pin 233 is displaced within the channel 237, the pin 250 is similarly displaced within the channel 240. Thus, as the sliding portion 213 translates responsive to actuation by the motor 140, the link 160 is translated relative to the component housing unit 30.
In various embodiments, the channel 240 may include one or more features disposed at the position 275 to prevent further translation of the pin 250 therein. In various embodiments, the protruding portion 239 within the cam plate 185 may be configured to include one or more contours to complement one or more portions of the channel 240. As shown in
In various embodiments, the motor 140 may be configured to operate with one or more varying ramp rates and/or speeds such that the speed at which the panel 105 is displaced relative to the component housing unit 30 may vary as the movable panel assembly 100 progresses from the closed configuration to the open configuration. Varying ramp rates and/or the speed of the motor 140 as it displaces the panel 105 reduces overall operating time and facilitates smooth motion of the panel 105 and of components coupled thereto, thereby enhancing aesthetic appeal of the movable panel assembly 100. In addition, varying the ramp rate and/or speed of the motor 140 enables both lowering torque to reduce pinch risk (i.e., by reducing torque) to a user and allows dynamic torque increase to overcome static friction within the movable panel assembly 100.
In various embodiments, the movable panel assembly 100 may be operably coupled to a controller, which may be configured to control the motor 140 and operate the assembly 100 to progress from a closed configuration to an open configuration and vice versa. In various embodiments, the controller may be configured to control the speed, acceleration, and/or applied torque of the motor 140. In various embodiments, the controller may be configured to control the speed and/or acceleration/deceleration ramp rate of the motor 140. The controller may be a non-transitory computer readable medium or processor, having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the controller to carry out the operations called for by the instructions. In various embodiments, the controller may be included within the appliance 10. In other embodiments, the controller may be remotely located relative to the appliance 10. In various embodiments, the ramp rate and/or speed of the motor 140 may be determined by the controller. In various embodiments, the controller, and thus the motor 140, may receive input from a user via the panel 105 (e.g., via controls 120 and/or display 125).
Notwithstanding the embodiments described above in
It is also to be understood that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the systems and methods as shown in the representative embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter disclosed.
Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. Any means-plus-function clause is intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the preferred and other illustrative embodiments without departing from scope of the present disclosure or from the scope of the appended claims.
Furthermore, functions and procedures described above may be performed by specialized equipment designed to perform the particular functions and procedures. The functions may also be performed by general-use equipment that executes commands related to the functions and procedures, or each function and procedure may be performed by a different piece of equipment with one piece of equipment serving as control or with a separate control device.
The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable components.
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Similarly, unless otherwise specified, the phrase “based on” should not be construed in a limiting manner and thus should be understood as “based at least in part on.” Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.” Further, unless otherwise noted, the use of the words “approximate,” “about,” “around,” “substantially,” etc., mean plus or minus ten percent
Moreover, although the figures show a specific order of method operations, the order of the operations may differ from what is depicted. Also, two or more operations may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence. Such variation will depend on the software and hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. All such variations are within the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, software implementations could be accomplished with standard programming techniques with rule based logic and other logic to accomplish the various connection operations, processing operations, comparison operations, and decision operations.
The operations described in this specification can be implemented as operations performed by a data processing apparatus on data stored on one or more computer-readable storage devices or received from other sources. The term “data processing apparatus” or “computing device” encompasses all kinds of apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, a system on a chip, or multiple ones, or combinations, of the foregoing. The apparatus can include special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). The apparatus can also include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, a cross-platform runtime environment, a virtual machine, or a combination of one or more of them. The apparatus and execution environment can realize various different computing model infrastructures, such as web services, distributed computing and grid computing infrastructures.
A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, script, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative or procedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub-programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.
The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform actions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).
Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer can be embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game console, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or a portable storage device (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive), to name just a few. Devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.
To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and an I/O device, e.g., a mouse or a touch sensitive screen, by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. In addition, a computer can interact with a user by sending documents to and receiving documents from a device that is used by the user; for example, by sending web pages to a web browser on a user's client device in response to requests received from the web browser.
Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component, e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, e.g., an application server, or that includes a front-end component, e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described in this specification, or any combination of one or more such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), an inter-network (e.g., the Internet), and peer-to-peer networks (e.g., ad hoc peer-to-peer networks).
The computing system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. In some embodiments, a server transmits data (e.g., an HTJVIL page) to a client device (e.g., for purposes of displaying data to and receiving user input from a user interacting with the client device). Data generated at the client device (e.g., a result of the user interaction) can be received from the client device at the server.
While this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any inventions or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or variation of a sub-combination.
Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.
Thus, particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described. In some cases, the actions recited herein can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.
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