The present disclosure relates to household appliances and, more particularly, to washer, dryer and combination washer/dryer machines with a movable human mechanical interface.
In household appliances, such as washers, dryers and combination washer/dryers, they include a cabinet that receives the operable elements as well as a console. The console includes various types of controls for operation of the particular appliance. Generally, the consoles include an interface that provides the user with information and functioning of the appliance. Ordinarily, these interfaces are fixed to the console. The interface may be fixed at an angle with respect to the front surface of the console at the angle of the front face. Here, the front face is angled perpendicular to the ground or slightly angled with respect to the ground. This fixing or positioning of the interface is utilizable for viewing by a specific group of users. Thus, it does not cover all viewing of percentages of users.
Generally, a tall user is required to bend or kneel down in order to see the particular interface. Handicap people in wheelchairs may not be able to view the particular interface. Thus, a substantial percentage of users are unable to readily view the interface associated with the appliance console. Thus, it is desirable to provide a household appliance where the interfaces can be viewed by all users.
Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a mechanical human interface that is viewable by substantially all perspective users. The present disclosure provides an interface that is movable between positions to enable users of all heights to readily view and ascertain the information on the interface.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
Accordingly to a first aspect of the disclosure, a household appliance comprises a cabinet with operable elements of the appliance within the cabinet. A control console is associated with and generally positioned on a front panel or on a top of the appliance. A human mechanical interface for supplying information to the user is associated with the control console. The interface moves with respect to the control console to provide a desired viewing zone for a user. The interface further comprises a bezel for holding the interface. The bezel is rotatable with respect to the console. A rotary damper is coupled with bezel to rotate the bezel. Activation of the rotary damper enables the bezel to rotate to one or more viewing zones. The bezel includes a pivot hinge defining an axis. The hinge is coupled with the rotary damper to enable rotation. The bezel is pushed to rotate away from or into the console to a position providing one of the desired viewing zones. An additional push on the bezel retracts the bezel to its original position with respect to the console. A ribbon cable is coupled between the interface and the controls of the appliance to enable positioning of the interface during its rotation into the viewing zones. The interface is angled with respect to a surface of the console at an angle of from about 0° to 45°. Also, the interface is positioned at an angle of about 0° to 30° with respect to an axis or plane of the viewer, which is substantially horizontal. The viewing zones compensate for various heights of the users.
Accordingly to a second embodiment of the disclosure, a human mechanical interface for a household appliance comprises an interface supplying information to a user. The interface may be coupled with a control console. The interface moves with respect to the control console to provide a desired viewing zone for the user. The interface further comprises a bezel for holding the interface. The bezel is rotatable with respect to the console. A rotary damper is coupled with bezel to rotate the bezel. Activation of the rotary damper enables the bezel to rotate to one or more viewing zones. The bezel includes a pivot hinge defining an axis. The hinge is coupled with the rotary damper to enable the rotation. The bezel is pushed to rotate away from or into the console to a position providing one of the desired viewing zones. An additional push on the bezel retracts the bezel to its original position with respect to the console. A ribbon cable is coupled between the interface and the controls of the appliance to enable positioning of the interface during its rotation into the viewing zones. The interface is angled with respect to a surface of the console at an angle of from about 0° to 45°. Also, the interface is positioned at an angle of about 0° to 30° with respect to an axis or plane of the viewer, which is substantially horizontal. The viewing zones compensate for various heights of the users.
According to a third aspect of the disclosure, a console for a household appliance comprises a housing defining a console. The housing includes a front face. An interface supplying information to a user may be coupled with a control console. The interface moves with respect to the control console to provide a desired viewing zone for the user. The interface further comprises a bezel for holding the interface. The bezel is rotatable with respect to the console. A rotary damper is coupled with bezel to rotate the bezel. Activation of the rotary damper enables the bezel to rotate to one or more viewing zones. The bezel includes a pivot hinge defining an axis. The hinge is coupled with the rotary damper to enable the rotation. The bezel is pushed to rotate away from or into the console to a position providing one of the desired viewing zones. An additional push on the bezel retracts the bezel to its original position with respect to the console. A ribbon cable is coupled between the interface and the controls of the appliance to enable positioning of the interface during its rotation into the viewing zones. The interface is angled with respect to a surface of the console at an angle of from about 0° to 45°. Also, the interface is positioned at an angle of about 0° to 30° with respect to an axis or plane of the viewer, which is substantially horizontal. The viewing zones compensate for various heights of the users.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Turning to the figures, a household appliance is illustrated and designated with the reference numeral 10. The appliance includes a cabinet 12 with a console 14. The cabinet 12 includes a door 16 enabling access inside the cabinet to the working operable elements of the household appliance 10. The console 14 is illustrated as being on top of the cabinet 12. However, the console could be on a front face of the cabinet 12 as illustrated in phantom. The console 14 may include one or more interfaces 20. The interfaces 20 are human mechanical interfaces and provide the user with information on the appliance. The interface may provide information relating to functioning, using or operation of the appliance.
The interface 20 is movable from a first position, substantially flush with the front face 18 of the console 14, to at least one second position angled with respect to the console 14 as shown in
The human mechanical interface 20 includes a screen or interface 22 and a bezel 24 for receiving the screen 22. The bezel 24 includes hinge pins 26 that couple the bezel 24 with at least one rotary damper 28. The bezel 24 generally has an overall rectangular design to receive the rectangular screen 22. However, any shape or design could be utilized for the disclosure. The bezel 24 includes lateral legs 30 as well as longitudinal legs 32. The longitudinal legs 32 that includes the pivot pins 26 is opened at the top to enable the interface 22 to slide into the bezel 24. Additionally, that leg could be missing and a U-shape bezel 24 could receive the interface 22 within the channel 34 defined by the legs 30, 32.
The rotary dampers 28 are positioned onto the console 12. The rotary dampers 28 provide for the movement or pivoting rotation of the mechanical interface 20. Thus, when a user presses on the interface 20, the interface rotates away from the console 14 to a position providing one of the desired viewing zones. An additional push on the interface 20 retracts the interface 22 and bezel 24 into the console 14. Thus, this provides various viewing zones to compensate for different heights of users.
Preferably, the interface 20, in its flush position with the console 14, can easily be read by an individual that would be sitting in a wheelchair or the like. Thus, the user would not need to move in order to view the interface 20. Additionally, when the interface is oriented upward, it can be viewed by taller individuals. Additionally, the rotary dampers 28 may enable the interface 22 to move inward into the console 14. This enables an angle pointing downward with respect to the front face 18 of the console 14 so that, if the interface 20 would be part of a stacked combination, a shorter user could readily ascertain the information on the interface 20.
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The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.