Patent Application
20090090611
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capacitive touch switch to be used on control panels of domestic appliance such as cooking ovens, cooking hobs, microwave ovens or the like. The invention particularly refers to a capacitive touch switch comprising a control board and capacitive detecting means provided on a surface of the control board.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the term “switch” we mean every kind of touch sensors which usually replace the traditional buttons in modern flush user interfaces.
Visual feedback activation of a touch switch control is simply provided by a light source, for example a light emitted diode (LED). Usually several touch switches are arranged, together with control board thereof, in a control panel.
To avoid optical interference between adjacent touch switches, light flux shall be conveyed from a light source to the related touch sensitive switch surfaces.
Opaque walls or light guide means are normally provided for this object. The use of opaque walls increases physical dimensions and renders the mounting quite complex.
Light guides can be used as mechanical support for the electrodes. Electrodes can also be made of transparent conductive material (such as indium tin oxide), located between the light guide and the lower surface of the transparent cover under which the touch switch is placed, with an increase of the overall cost of the control panel.
On top of the above illumination problems, there is the need of assuring a good mechanical connection between the touch switch and the transparent cover (usually a glass or plastic plate) under which the switch is placed. Up to now, for assuring such mechanical contact springs or conductive rubber elements have been used, which increase the overall cost and complexity of the single touch switch. Moreover technical solutions are known (for instance from US-A-2006/0243575) in which a support member, carrying electronic components, is separated from the transparent cover by a series of opaque septum-like partitions for creating physically delimited illumination channels. Even if such solution does not require light guides (light emitting diodes are placed on the support member directly), nevertheless it is quite bulky and of complex manufacturing.
It is an aspect of the present invention to propose a different structural arrangement of a touch switch with a somehow embedded light guide, in order to allow a reduction of physical dimensions of the switch, the use of normal metal electrodes, easy mounting process, and improvement on versatility for different symbols as painted objects.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a touch switch that has an improved sensibility.
A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a touch switch that can give a direct feedback to the user when a command has been duly received.
A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a touch switch that is substantially invisible by the user, its presence being detected only when the user's finger touches an enabling switch.
These and further aspects are obtained thanks to the features listed in the appended claims.
The capacitive touch switch according to the present invention is adapted to be used in association with a glass ceramic surface used in cooking appliances. Due to its limited thickness, the touch switch according to the invention does not increase the overall thickness of glass ceramic cooking hobs. Moreover, it is adapted to be used on glass door for cooking ovens and/or microwave ovens where the user interface is integrated in the door itself (and not on a “fixed” user interface usually above the door, as in traditional ovens). This allows the designer to get a very clean and modern design, where the “buttons” are substantially invisible up to when the user decides to switch on the appliance.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will be clearer from the following description given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
With reference to
Between light guide 5 and the transparent cover 3 there is a non-conductive layer of transparent paint 4.
A single side printed circuit board (PCB) 7 is attached to the lower side of planar light guide 5 by a no-conductive adhesive layer 6. In this embodiment the PCB is single side, and a capacitive electrode 8 is shown on the lower surface of the PCB. A visual feedback to the user, when his finger 1 touches the sensitive area 2, is given by switching on a led 9 (i.e. when the control board detects valid touch activation). A buzzer (not shown) can generate an acoustic feedback. The led 9 is mechanically and optically coupled to the light guide 5 on an L-shaped edge 5a thereof. Light generated by led 9 is conveyed inside the light guide (indicated by arrows in
Cuts on light guide or different light conductivity avoids the possibility of light interference between adjacent touch switches. It is worth noting that the planar light guide 5 works also as adjunctive dielectric substrate.
When the function related to the touch switch is OFF, the paint 4 impressed on the non-conductive layer does not result visible to the user through the transparent touch sensitive area.
When the function related to the touch switch is ON, the paint 4 impressed on the non-conductive layer is lighted up by light diffused inside the light guide 5. In this condition, the paint 4 results visible to the user through the transparent touch sensitive area. This is advantageous when the control panel is a unique monochromatic surface when the domestic appliance is switched off. The user interface and the display will light up when the user switches on the appliance or starts using it.
Another possibility with a touch switch according to the present invention is to have a different degree of illumination for each touch switch depending on the actual status thereof. For instance, it is possible to light up certain touch switches with a low level of illumination, while some of them may be lighted up at an higher level of illumination in order to indicate to the user which are the switches which can be actually used. An higher level of illumination can be used also for giving the user an immediate feedback when he touches a switch.
A third embodiment is shown in
In the embodiment of
According to this further embodiment of the present invention it is possible to obtain, in a very easy way, a differentiation of the user interface in designing a new product family of domestic appliances.
Core of this embodiment is to use a general PCB layout and by populating or not populating a number of 0 ohm resistors (jumpers) so that the board can be configured to obtain different key layouts.
The general board is a matrix of smaller pads, and larger pads are accomplished by connecting two, or more, smaller pads. This is shown for instance in
According to the features described above, with the touch switches according to the invention it is possible to obtain a physical reduction of the dimensions for the backside of the touch switch. Moreover the sensibility of the sensor, since the light guide works also as adjunctive dielectric substrate, is increased. The mounting process is simpler. There is an improvement on versatility for different symbols as painted objects. The use of transparent electrode (for example ITO) is not necessary. No particular arrangement (for example springs, rubber, etc. . . . ) is needed to achieve electrical and mechanical contacts. There is a sharp cost reduction of the overall solution (mechanics, optics and electronics).
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07118015.2 | Oct 2007 | EP | regional |
