This application is the U.S. National Stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2015/068573, filed Aug. 12, 2015, which designated the United States and has been published as International Publication No. WO 2016/026754 A1 and which claims the priority of German Patent Application, Serial No. 10 2014 216 389.7, filed Aug. 19, 2014, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d).
The invention relates to an operating device for a domestic appliance with an electronic display field and an operating element, which can be moved in relation to the display field in order to set operating conditions of the domestic appliance. Furthermore the invention relates to a domestic appliance with a corresponding operating device.
Operating devices for domestic appliances, for instance ovens, washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers or suchlike are known in a variety of embodiments. In addition, touch-sensitive operating devices with touch zones are likewise known, such as operating elements in the form of rotating switches, push-button switches and thus operating elements of this type, which have to be moved in relation to a display unit in order to set operating conditions.
A compact design at the same time as a user-friendly operability and an intuitively perceptible presentation of information is difficult or even impossible particularly with operating devices of this type with movable operating elements in combination with electronic display fields as display units. The cited components must be arranged separately and also at a distance from one another. Furthermore, operating elements of this type are known to be very large and bulky and as such on the one hand require significant space. This also applies to their general size as a knob and thus cylinder and also to the degree to which they protrude forwards out of the operating device in order that they can be gripped and rotated.
A generic operating device is known from WO 2012/080156 A1.
The object of the present invention is to create an operating device for a domestic appliance and a domestic appliance with a corresponding operating device in which a front part of an operating element is positioned stably and can still be rotated easily.
This object is achieved by an operating device and a domestic appliance according to the independent claims.
An inventive operating device for a domestic appliance comprises an electronic display field and an operating element, which can be moved in relation to the display field in order to set operating conditions of the domestic appliance. The operating element is embodied with multiple parts and has a sliding ring and an in particular annular front part which rests thereon. An important idea behind the invention is that the front part and the sliding ring are coupled to a guide and by means of the guide the front part can be rotatably guided in relation to the sliding ring. By means of this embodiment, the front part can be secured against falling out and still rotated easily.
The guide preferably has a groove which is open in the radial direction of the front part and comprises at least one engaging element for engaging into the groove. This is a simple coupling to secure the front part and is nevertheless durably functionally reliable and permits a smooth rotation of the front part.
The engaging element is preferably embodied resiliently when viewed in the radial direction of the sliding ring and in the radial direction of the front part. This is particularly advantageous since the coupling and decoupling are thus permitted in a non-destructive manner and furthermore also allow the easy and compensatory relative movement of the front part relative to the sliding ring without excessive friction occurring during rotation and this blocking the rotational movement.
In the state coupled to the groove the engaging element is preferably arranged prestressed in the groove, in particular arranged radially prestressed therein. This particularly aids the play-free guiding and permits a very precise and positionally-accurate rotational movement.
In particular, the groove on the front part is embodied on a radially inner shell side of the front part. The coupling and motion control is improved as a result and on account of the gravitational force when the front part is oriented vertically, the front part also in effect rests on the engaging element, resulting in a bearing or lifting support of the front part.
The sliding ring preferably has a slide plate, which is arranged behind the front part when viewed in the axial direction of the operating element, wherein the sliding ring has a holding web which extends in an axial direction and overlaps with the front part, wherein at least one engaging element which extends radially is embodied on the holding web and extends into the groove in the radial direction. This means that on the one hand the coupling and also the easy, radially and axially wobble-free relative movement of the front part in relation to the sliding ring is achieved in particular.
The sliding ring is preferably arranged with a fixed position on the control panel. In particular, the sliding ring is glued or welded or hot-stamped on the control panel. This means that the relative maneuverability of the front part compared to the sliding ring is aided and achieves the very precise and play-free guiding of the front part and produces a mechanically stable arrangement with a durable secure fit.
The operating element has a front part, which preferably has a top side that is inclined inward. This front part can be moved in relation to the display field. By means of this embodiment in respect of the shaping of the front part on the one hand and the arrangement on the other hand, a very compact operating device is ensured especially in respect of the components of the electronic display field and of the operating element.
The ring form of the front part and in particular of the top side that is inclined inward ensures that it can be touched and actuated by a user's finger in a particularly easy and precise manner. The annular front part can be rotated very precisely by a user.
Provision can also be made for the front part to have a full circle surface, which is inclined inward and thus in effect represents a full funnel.
An electronic display field is understood in particular to mean a display on which information can be displayed dynamically so as to alternate. This may be information comprising letters and/or digits and/or symbols.
Preferably the operating element is fundamentally embodied as a ring. A form as a full cylinder or suchlike is therefore no longer provided. On the one hand this means that material can be saved; in fact the basic operating principle can be designed so that, compared to the prior art, the cylinder of the operating knob to be gripped on the shell side is no longer present here, but instead it is precisely the front panel or top side of this annular front part that is touched by a user and this front part is then rotated. In effect, provision is thus made in principle for another surface to be touched by the user and for the movement of the operating element associated therewith. In this respect the ring form produces a very appropriate form as it provides an operating element which has a relatively large diameter. This may be larger than conventional cylinder-shaped operating knobs. The inventive operating element can then also be brought very accurately into a desired rotational position in order to set the desired operating conditions especially by means of the annular embodiment of the front part and the contact provided with the top side. This is not possible with conventional cylinder-shaped operating elements, because on the one hand the rotatability in this regard when touching merely the front panel of this hollow cylinder is difficult and associated with greater mechanical force and furthermore does not effect free movement and may result in incorrect settings. In this regard the conventional cylinder-shaped operating knobs are designed such that they have a smaller diameter, so that the front panel of such cylinder-shaped operating knobs is also relatively small and on account of the force paths in respect of contact with a finger can then also only be rotated with difficulty or not at all.
The operating element is preferably embodied as a rotary selector. This means that by setting different rotational positions, the associated and desired operating conditions can be selected and/or set.
Setting operating conditions generally involves both selecting functional subunits of a domestic appliance and also setting values of operating parameters of these functional subunits. For instance with an oven, provision can be made, as the functional subunit, to operate the cooking compartment or a cooking zone. Furthermore, a setting of an operating parameter, for instance of the temperature, the cooking zone or the cooking compartment, can be performed accordingly.
The annular front part rests in particular in contact with the sliding ring. The sliding ring is manufactured from a specific material, which aids the maneuverability of the annular front part with as little friction as possible. As a result, a particularly easy and user-friendly rotation of the front part is possible. In respect of the material embodiment of the sliding ring, conventional and known polymer materials can be provided, which have particularly low friction.
Provision is preferably made for the operating element embodied as a ring to have magnets, wherein when the magnets interact with stationary metal elements, in particular an annular metal spider, an associated operating setting of the domestic appliance can be registered as a function of a relative movement of the ring, in particular of the annular front part, in relation to the metal elements. The magnets can preferably be attached on the rear of the front part or embedded therein. The rotational position of this front part in relation to the metal elements, in particular the annular metal spider, can thus be detected on account of this interaction and evaluated by a control unit of the operating device.
Provision is made particularly advantageously for the metal elements to be arranged on the rear of a cover which covers the front of the display field at least in regions.
In respect of the metal spider, which is preferably embodied in one piece, the diameter preferably corresponds essentially to the diameter of the sliding ring and/or of the annular front part.
The metal spider preferably has a thickness of less than 1 mm, preferably 0.7 mm. It is preferably embedded or arranged in a depression on the rear of the cover. The flat embodiment of the operating device is favored as a result. This additionally means that the metal spider is held in a secure fit and is mechanically stable.
Provision is preferably made for the operating element embodied as a ring to be made permeable, at least in regions, to light in the spectral range which is visible to humans. Additional optical information can be presented to a user by means of an embodiment of this type. Aside from identifying the operating element for a user in respect of the general position of the operating element in the operating device, this means that an operating condition can furthermore also be optically displayed individually. Provision can be made for the annular front part to be capable of being entirely backlit or for only ring sections to be correspondingly backlit.
Provision is preferably made for the operating element to be embedded in a plate-shaped cover which is arranged in front of the display field and is particularly permeable to the light of the display field. This cover is therefore multi-functional since on the one hand it functions as a support for the operating element and receives this operating element with minimal installation space. On the other hand it serves as protection for the display field, protecting it from wear or damage. By means of the light-permeable embodiment an arrangement with particularly minimal installation space in respect of the surface area can also be provided here.
Provision is preferably made for the annular front part, in particular at least its outer edge, to project in a raised manner beyond the top side of the cover, in particular by less than 1.5 mm, in particular by less than 1 mm. This is an advantageous embodiment which is especially worth highlighting. The operating element can consequently be gripped and touched in a particularly secure manner especially in conjunction with the funnel-shaped top side of the annular front part or the top side that is inclined obliquely inward and this minimal projection of the outer edge. On the other hand this means that it is possible to prevent the finger from unintentionally passing over too much of the exterior of the cover. This means that on the one hand unwanted dirt on this exterior and an unwanted slipping of the finger from the top side of the annular front part of the operating element can be avoided. By means of this embodiment of the operating element, the motion control is particularly easy and user-friendly.
Finally it should be mentioned in this context that the design of the operating device or the depth of its installation space is also particularly minimized by this embedding of the front part and this minimal projection of only the outer edge of this annular front part.
The operating element embodied as a ring is preferably arranged in a groove, which opens forward in an axial direction, in the front panel of the cover. This means that in particular the annular front part and the sliding ring are arranged in this front groove. This also means that its positioning can also be made easier in mechanical terms and guided particularly effectively especially in respect of the relative rotational movement.
Provision is preferably made for a groove to be embodied on the exterior or front panel of this cover, into which groove the sliding ring and the annular front part are countersunk. A groove in which the metal spider is positioned is preferably embodied congruently on the rear of this cover. In particular, in a first embodiment provision can be made for material of the cover also to be arranged between the two grooves and thus also between the metal spider and the sliding ring.
In an alternative embodiment provision can be made for the cover to have an entirely continuous recess. The cited components of the operating element can then be introduced into this hole recess and a rear cover, for instance a plate or a plastic part, can be provided which seals the construction from the rear. Provision can likewise be made for a further corresponding glass part then to be introduced into this hole and fastened, with the cited components of the operating element then being arranged therein.
Aside from the multi-part embodiment of the operating element already cited, provision can however also be made for a single-piece or single-part embodiment.
Provision can also be made here for a possibility of backlighting, already mentioned above, wherein correspondingly thinner rings or ring sections, points or segments could then be optically displayed in the ring. This means that indications of a setting of an operation or the sequence of a program of the device can be given. This could also be displayed inside or outside of the ring or digitally in the display field, or shown optically.
Provision is preferably made for the cover to be a glass plate. This has in particular a thickness of less than 10 mm, in particular less than 8 mm, preferably between 6 mm and 4 mm. On the one hand this thickness achieves the adequate mechanical stability for the embedding of the components of the operating element; on the other hand such a thin embodiment still firstly permits a good permeability of the optical signals of the display field and minimizes the installation depth of the cover.
Provision is preferably made for the top side of the annular front part of the operating element to be made of metal. A metal layer can be applied here for instance. Provision can however also be made for the front part to be made entirely of metal. In one embodiment with a metallic top side, a high-quality impression is imparted on the one hand and minimal wear is ensured on the other hand.
Provision is preferably made for the movable operating element to be arranged at least in regions within the surface area of the electronic display field. The free maneuverability of the operating element on the one hand and the nevertheless multiple and digital or dynamically alternating display of information on the electronic display field very closely adjacent to the operating element can be achieved as a result.
Provision is preferably made for the information to be displayed to be changeable on at least one field area of the display field as a function of the movement of the operating element. Therefore in this context different menu interfaces can be shown on the electronic display field. The menu interfaces can be accessed and selected as a function of the rotational position of the operating element. Provision can also be made for the menu interfaces displayed in principle then to be displayed with further menu contents when chosen by means of a specific rotational position of the operating element. Provision is preferably made for a menu interface to be displayed to be displayable or displayed on the display field about the operating element.
Furthermore the invention relates to a domestic appliance with an inventive operating device or an advantageous embodiment thereof. The domestic appliance is embodied in particular for the preparation of food or to care for laundry items or to clean dishes. Exemplary domestic appliances in this context may be an oven, a washing machine, a tumble dryer, a dishwasher, a refrigerator, a chest freezer or suchlike.
Further features of the invention will emerge from the claims, the figures and the description of the figures. The features and combinations of features cited above in the description and also the features and combinations of features shown only in the figures and/or the features and combinations of features cited only in the description of the figures may be used not only in the combination indicated in each case but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the invention.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below on the basis of the schematic drawings, in which:
In the figures, identical or functionally similar elements are provided with the same reference characters.
The operating device 10 furthermore comprises an operating element 13 which is a rotary selector in the exemplary embodiment. As can be seen from the representation in
As can be seen in the exemplary embodiment according to
Provision can also be made for the control 16a and/or 16b to be arranged within the surface area 12a with the boundary 12 of the display field 11.
In a perspective representation in
The operating element 13 furthermore comprises a sliding ring 19, which is arranged below or behind the front part 17 in the direction of a longitudinal axis A of the operating element 13. It is likewise embodied in one piece and manufactured from a particularly low-friction material. The front part 17 can be rotated in relation to the sliding ring 19. The sliding ring 19 has a fixed position and is thus arranged in a fixed manner on the control panel 9, in particular glued or non-detachably fastened thereto in a non-destructive manner by ultrasonic welding or hot stamping.
The sliding ring 19 and the front part 17 are held in an annular groove 22 embodied in an exterior 21 of the cover 15, wherein the sliding ring 19 with a slide plate 19a (
The rotational position in relation to a fixed metal spider 23 is registered by means of magnets which can also be arranged in multiples on, and equidistantly in the peripheral direction of, the front part 17. In accordance with the representation in
Provision is preferably made for an annular groove, in which the metal spider 23 is arranged, likewise to be embodied on a rear 24 of the cover 15. The concept of the metal spider comprises the ring form with the spider-type or spike-type elevations and/or radial extensions.
Material of the cover 15 and thus glass material is provided for the metal spider 23 between the groove 22 and the groove 26 (
The thickness D of the cover 15, which in particular represents a rectangular glass plate, is 4 mm in the exemplary embodiment.
Provision can also be made for the front part 17 and the sliding ring 19 to be embodied, at least in regions, to be permeable to light in the spectral range which is visible to humans. This means that at least ring sections of the front part 17 and of the sliding ring 19 can be backlit.
The rotational position of the sliding ring 19 and of the front part 17 in relation to the metal spider 23 can be detected by means of a control unit (not shown) and thus the specific rotational position and thus the relative position in relation to the cover 15 and thus also in relation to the display field 11 can be registered and the associated operating condition setting can be identified and executed.
The representation in
The subregion of the exterior 21 enclosed by the annular operating element 13 is preferably also embodied as the display region of the display field 11.
As already mentioned briefly above, the front part 17 can be rotated in relation to the sliding ring 19. In accordance with the representation in
The guide 28 comprises an open groove 29, viewed in the radial direction of the operating element 13 and thus also in the radial direction of the front part 17, which opens inward in this radial direction. This means that the groove 29 is thus oriented such that it is closed in the axial direction and thus in the direction of the axis A (
Furthermore, the guide 28 also comprises at least one further engaging element 30. The engaging element 30 may be an element embodied partially about the axis A in the peripheral direction; it may however also be a completely revolving engaging element.
The engaging element 30 is embodied integrally on the sliding ring 19. To this end, aside from a slide plate 19a the sliding ring 19 comprises a holding web 19b arranged thereon, on which this engaging element 30 is in turn then molded. In the exemplary embodiment, the engaging element 30 extends further outward in the radial direction of the operating element 13, compared to the holding web 19b, so that in this respect it can engage in the open groove 29 facing this or extends therein.
The engaging element 30 is preferably embodied resiliently and can thus be elastically deformed especially in the radial direction. Provision is made in particular for the engaging element 30 to be arranged in, and prestressed in the state coupled to, the groove 29, in particular arranged prestressed radially therein.
As can be seen from the representation in
The operating element 13 is guided in the control panel 9 and is centered and held there in a virtually play-free manner. This relates in particular to the front part 17. A material pairing which is suitable for easy motion control is preferably embodied between the slide plate 19a and the front part 17, in particular a rear element 17a of the front part 17 which rests directly on the slide plate 19a.
Furthermore this means that breakthroughs in the slide plate 19a can also be configured to generate the engaging element or elements 30, without negatively affecting safety requirements, for instance the accessibility of live parts.
A form closure is preferably embodied between the engaging element 30 and the groove 29 and a form closure is furthermore also realized between the sliding surface 19c and the rear element 17a. The degree of the form closure in the radial direction is preferably embodied such that a freedom from play is achieved and on the other hand operation of the ring by the user is easily permitted. The degree of the form closure in the axial direction is embodied in particular such that pull-off forces are large enough to ensure that the front part 17 is held securely on the device 1 even with relative movements of the control panel 9 or during transportation and are small enough to be able to remove the front part 17 for cleaning purposes for instance.
Provision can also be made for the groove 29 to be embodied on the sliding ring 19 and for an engaging element 30 then positioned facing radially inwards to be embodied in particular on the shell side 27 so that compared to the representation in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2014 216 389 | Aug 2014 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2015/068573 | 8/12/2015 | WO | 00 |
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WO2016/026754 | 2/25/2016 | WO | A |
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