Patent Application
20080062673
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the disclosure. In the drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to the specific embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
As shown in
The lamp 410 emits a light and may be any kinds of lamps including LED, EL or variation of them that can emit lights.
The lamp 410 may be provided in plural as many as functions and modes selectable by a user. That is, it is preferable that a light is emitted from a lamp corresponding to each selected function or mode whenever a user rotates the rotary knob 300.
In addition, the lamps 410 may be arranged along a circumferential direction of the rotary knob 300 but they are not limited thereto. The lamps 410 may be arranged linearly.
It is not necessary that the lamp 410 should be operated by the rotary knob 300. For example, the lamps 410 may be operated by selection buttons.
The lamp supporter 400 supports the plurality of the lamps 410 and also it guides the light emitted from the lamp 410 forward by covering the lamp 410.
This embodiment presents that the rotation switch 500 includes an encoder 520 and an encoder shaft 510.
The encoder 520 transmits a pulse number, which is changeable based on a rotation degree of the rotary knob 300 in a right or left direction, to a micom (not shown) via a circuit substrate 600. The encoder shaft 510 helps the encoder 520 to be coupled to the rotary knob 300.
The rotary knob 300 is exposed outside a control panel 100 defining a front of the laundry machine, such that a user can select wished functions by rotating the rotary knob 300.
The deco 200 covers an outer circumferential surface of the rotary knob 300 and a front surface of the deco 200 is projected outside the control panel 100.
It is preferable that light-emitting holes are formed at predetermined portions of the deco 200, corresponding to the lamps 410, respectively.
The light window 700 helps the light emitted from the lamps 410 to be dispersed uniformly, such that the light is emitted through the light-emitting holes 210 outside.
In reference to
The light window 700 may be fabricated in a corresponding shape of the lamp supporter 400 and it may be provided between the deco 200 and the lamp supporter 400. Especially, it is preferable that the light window 700 is coupled to a rear surface of the deco 200.
It is also preferable that the light window 700 is formed of acryl material moldable smoothly with good light transmittance.
The light window 700 may include a light-emitting protrusion 710 formed corresponding to each light-emitting hole 210 of the deco 700 and the light-emitting protrusion 710 may be inserted in the light-emitting hole 210.
Since the lamp 410 is installed in rear of the light-emitting protrusion 710, a light is emitted from the selected single lamp 410 as a user rotating the rotary knob 300 and the light is emitted through the light-emitting protrusion 710.
A light dispersion preventing part 722 and 724 is provide between each neighboring light-emitting protrusion 710 to prevent the light emitted from the selected single lamp 410 from being emitted through the other light-emitting holes except the single corresponding light-emitting hole.
This embodiment presents that a light transmittance preventing member 722 or a light dispersion preventing hole 724 may be provided as the light dispersion preventing part.
In reference to
It is preferable that the light emitted from a single lamp 410 is emitted outside through a single corresponding light-emitting hole 210 formed in front of the single lamp 410 but the light might be emitted through the other light-emitting holes.
Specifically, the light emitted from the single lamp 410 may be incident in an oblique direction with respect to the light window 700 and the light proceeds in the light window 700 to be emitted through the other light-emitting holes. In other words, the light window 700 might be a wave guide.
Thus, the light incident on the light window 700 in the oblique direction should be shut off to allow the light to be incident in a front direction.
For that, it is preferable that a predetermined member having good reflexibility is provided at the rear surface of the light window 700, specifically, between each neighboring light-emitting protrusions 710, and this is what the light transmittance preventing member 722 is employed for.
Next, in reference to
While the light transmittance preventing member 722 shuts off a part of the light incident on the light window 700, the light dispersion preventing hole 724 allows the light to be incident on the light window 700 and prevents the light from being dispersed sideward through the light window 700.
Specifically, the light dispersion preventing hole 724 is formed between each neighboring light-emitting protrusions 710 of the light window 700 and it allows a part of the light emitted from the single lamp 410 to pass through the light dispersion preventing holes 724, such that the light can be reflected or absorbed at a rear surface of the deco 200. As a result, lights may not be dispersed into the other light-emitting holes near the corresponding single light-emitting hole of the single lamp 410 and the light is emitted only through the corresponding light-emitting hole positioned in front of the single lamp 410.
On the other hand, a surface of the light-emitting protrusion 710 is formed relatively rough and when the light emitted from the lamp 410 is incident through a portion of the light-emitting protrusion 710 having the surface roughness, the light is reflected roughly and the light is dispersed uniformly.
As mentioned above, in the control panel assembly for a laundry machine, the light emitted from the single lamp displaying a selected function is prevented from being dispersed nearby. As a result, a user can recognize the selected function more clearly.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2006-0086137 | Sep 2006 | KR | national |
