Patent Application
20100145483
The present invention relates generally to a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) assembly for an appliance. More particularly, the present invention relates to a HMI assembly that can be integrated into an access door of an appliance, and a door incorporating such a HMI assembly.
A HMI provides the interface between the user and the mechanical, electronic, or electromechanical control of an appliance. A HMI typically includes an arrangement of keys or knobs for the user to activate and deactivate functions of the appliance. Displays or indicators are often part of the HMI to provide feedback to the user as to the operating status of the appliance.
For conventional, built-in and freestanding cooking appliances, there is often a dedicated area where the HMI is typically located. This area is usually referred to as the control panel. The control panel houses the components necessary to serve as the HMI, and possibly other devices associated with the appliance control. The area occupied by the control panel is dedicated for this purpose and as such, takes up space that could otherwise be used for other purposes such as cooking.
For example, in freestanding ranges, the control panel is often located in the backsplash of the ranges, behind the surface heating elements; for slide-in and drop-in ranges, the control panel is usually located at the front of the ranges. For dual-cavity wall ovens, the control panel is normally mounted above the upper oven chamber or cavity, or between the two oven chambers or cavities of the oven.
Thus, there is a need to integrate the control panel into the appliance door so as to liberate space otherwise taken up by the control panel known heretofore, which space could then be used for other purposes, e.g., to increase the overall size of a cooking cavity. In such configuration, the control panel must be able to withstand environmental factors they will be exposed to, such as heat, vibration, moistures and liquids.
One aspect of the present invention relates to an assembly for an appliance. The assembly includes a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) including an input component having a portion accessible to a user, and a display component to indicate information to the user, the display component being operatively connected to the input component. The assembly further includes a liquid barrier covering at least part of the HMI.
Another aspect the present invention relates to a door for an appliance. The door includes an outer panel and an inner panel defining an airway therebetween, the airway being in flow communication with outside of the door; a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) integrated into the outer panel, the HMI enabling operation of the appliance by a user, the HMI having a portion thereof situated within the airway; and a liquid barrier protecting the portion of the HMI.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. Moreover, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described in connection with a double-cavity wall oven. Such description, however, is without limitation or restriction of scope or other applications of the exemplary embodiment. The exemplary embodiment can be used in other types of cooking appliances, such as microwave ovens, freestanding ovens and ranges, built-in single-cavity ovens and ranges, slide-ins, baking drawers, warming drawers.
As best seen in
Integrated into the outer panel 21 is a portion of an input component 31 of a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) 32. The input component 31 includes, without limitation, an arrangement of keys 33 defined or formed on the outer surface of the outer panel 21 through which input is provided by a user to, for example, activate and/or deactivate the oven functions. The HMI 32 further includes a display component such as a display panel 34 to provide feedback to the user.
The display panel 34 can be affixed to the control component 35 by a known fastening means such as adhesive, or it can be made an integral part of the main body of the control component 35. The display panel 34 is operatively connected to the input component 31 via the control component 35. The display panel 34 can include known display technology, including, without limitation, light emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate segments or icons, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), and the like to provide information and feedback to the user about the operational status of the oven 10.
When affixed to the interior face of panel 21, HMI 32 projects into the airway 25. A liquid barrier 41 is provided to protect the electronics, wires and/or connectors of the HMI 32 from liquids such as water that might find egress into the interior of the access door 14. The barrier 41 may be molded about the exposed portion of the HMI 32, or it may be in the form of a cover or sheet or other configuration that fits over or otherwise protects the exposed portion of the HMI 32. Materials of construction of the barrier 41 are those known in the art, e.g., plastics that can tolerate the heat and liquids to which they will be exposed in the access door 14. Preferably, the barrier 41 is formed of a flexible liquid-proof material. In the embodiment shown in
Power to energize the electronic elements of the HMI 32 and the analog and/or digital signals being transmitted to and from the HMI 32 to other operational elements and components of the oven 10 are made possible by using a cable. In one embodiment, electrical conductors extending from the HMI 32 are operatively connected to an interface board 42, which is located on the access door 14, preferably adjacent to the HMI 32 and outside of the window 27. The interface board 42 is operatively connected to the other operational elements of the oven 10 and/or a power source by a ribbon cable 43 that extends into the main body 11 of the oven 10. Similar to the liquid barrier 41 for the HMI 32, another liquid barrier 44 is used to protect the interface board 42 and associated wires and connectors from liquids such as water that might be introduced into the airway 25 through the air inlets 30. The interface board 42 can be affixed to a carrier (not shown) that is moveable along a restricted track to allow for the movement of the ribbon cable 43 as the access door 14 is opened or closed.
Upon assembly of the access door 14 in this fashion and making the other necessary electrical and mechanical connections to the remainder of the oven 10, the HMI 32 is fully integrated into the access door 14 and robust to the environmental factors it is likely to encounter during the life of the oven 10.
Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to an embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
