GB2085568A

GB2085568A - Cooker Panel

Info

Publication number: GB2085568A
Application number: GB8128843A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Bosch Siemens Hausgerate GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 1980-10-17
Filing date: 1981-09-24
Publication date: 1982-04-28
Also published as: IT8123127V0; SE447039B; DE3039296C2; CH652584A5; SE8105856L; FR2492602A1; GB2085568B; DE3039296A1; IT8124345A0; IT1139495B

Abstract

An electrical household appliance, such as an electric cooker, comprises an indicating and operating panel (3) and a single light source (30) by which indicating and/or operating elements of the panel can be illuminated through a single light conductor (17, 18). The light conductor is optically connected at an end face thereof to the light source (30), extends along the indicating and operating panel (3) and is optically connected to the indicating and/or operating elements. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Panel Light in a Household Appliance The present invention relates toan electric household appliance and has particular reference to panel lighting in such an appliance.

In a known electrical appliance, for example an electrical cooker (DE-GM 17 53 265), a switch panel with several switches is provided, with which optical indicating elements are individually associated. For illumination of the indicating elements there is provided a single light source which is optically connected with the indicating elements through rod-shaped light conductors individually associated with the indicating elements.

There is, however, a need for an electric household appliance with improved constructional and assembly features with respect to the installation of illumination equipment.

According to the present invention there is provided an electric household appliance comprising a control panel provided with indicating means and operating means, a single light source, and a single light conductor extending at least in part along the panel and optically connected to the light source and to at least one of the indicating means and operating means for illumination thereof by light from the light source.

Through the use of a single light conductor for all indicating and/or operating means there is provided significant simplification of construction and assembly, especially with regard to the space needed at the rear side of the control panel for the accommodation of illumination equipment. The light conductor is preferably constructed in the form of a plate or a strip, for example of transparent acrylic resin or other plastics material, such as Plexiglass (Trade Mark), or similar light conductor material, which can extend across the entire control panel so that as many illumination points as desired, distributed over the panel, can be associated with the light conductor.This provides a very flat mode of construction of the control panel inclusive of the illumination equipment, so that the space provided behind the panel for the accommodation of switching and regulating devices is not unduly reduced by the illumination equipment. A particular advantage in respect of assembly is that it is no longer necessary to provide numerous individual light conductors, as only a single light conductor, common to all illumination points, needs to be connected to the light source. The light source can be accommodated in a region within the appliance which is not needed for, for example, the arrangement of the switching and regulating devices.

Preferably, the light conductor is constructed to be substantially L-shaped and extends along a side wall of the appliance as far as the rearward part of the appliance, this region being suitable in most cases for accommodation of the light source and, if desired, a light box.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:~ Fig. 1 is a partly broken away front elevation of the upper part of an electric cooker according to a first embodiment of the present invention, showing an indicating and operating panel of the cooker, Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line Il-Il of Fig.

1, Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a light conductor in a cooker according to a second embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a light conductor in a cooker according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, in Fig. 1 there is shown part of an electric cooker 1 which is constructed as a built-in appliance below a continuous work plate 2. Designated generally by 3 is an indicating and operating control panel which is placed in the uppermost region of the front side of the cooker and has a series of indicating and operating elements, such as rotatable switch toggles or rotary toggles 4, only one of which is illustrated, indicating elements 5 associated with the individual toggles 4, press keys 6 of a cooker switch 7 and an indicating element 8 for indication of the operating state of a baking oven (not shown) of the cooker 1. As clarified by reference to the sectional view of Fig.

2, the toggles 4 are connected, secure against rotation, with transparent indicating discs 9 with indicating symbols applied at the circumference thereof, the symbols being in the form of numbers 1 to 9. Each operating element, in the form of a toggle 4, is individually associated with a cooker plate of a cooker hob on the workplate 2, altogether four such cooker plates being provided.

The indicating symbols 1 to 9 characterise the different switching steps or output steps for the associated cooker plate. Also arranged at the disc circumference is an indicating symbol in the form of the number 0, which denotes the switched-off setting of the associated cooker plate. Each rotary toggle 4 is rotatably mounted by a shank 10 in a rotary bearing 11 and is operatively connected with a switching and regulating device 12 for the cooker plates. In the illustrated embodiment, the four operating elements at the left in Figs. 1 and 2 are associated with the four cooker plates of the cooker hob, while the remaining operating elements are associated with the baking oven.

The front side of the control panel 3 is formed by a transparent cover hood 13, which in Fig. 1 has been cut off for the sake of clarity and which possesses appropriate passages 14 for the shanks 10 of the rotary toggles 4. In the region between the hood 13 and a mask 15, the indicating discs 9, which are bowl-shaped, are arranged on the shanks 10 or on the rotary bearings 1 1 of the shanks. Immediately following the mask 1 5 is a section 1 6, parallel to the front side of the cooker, of an L-shaped light conductor 17 of, for example, Plexiglas (Trade Mark). The other section 18, arranged perpendicularly thereto, of the light conductor 17 extends immediately alongside and parallel to a side wall 19 of the cooker 1.Finally, the panel 3 is closed off towards the rearward side by a metal cover plate 20, which has appropriate openings for the passage of the switch shafts of the operating elements.

The light conductor 17 is constructed in the manner of a strip, i.e. it consists of a flat material in the manner of a plate. As indicated at one point in Fig. 1, recesses 21, into which bending lobes 22 of the mask 15 engage, are provided along the oppositely longitudinal edges of the light conductor 17 to locate the conductor in position.

Immediately above the operating elements, the mask 15 has square cut-outs 23 and further cutouts 24 each in the form of a section of a circular ring arranged below a respective one of the cutouts 23. The remaining surface of the mask 15 is impermeable to light, as indicated by longitudinal hatching in Fig. 1. At the level of each cut-out 23, punctiform.or annular light reflecting, for example white, indicating symbols 5 are printed on the rear side of the conductor 17. Four such symbols are provided for each cut-out 23 to indicate the position of the associated cooker plate, the position being signified by a solid one of the symbols.The cut-outs 24 are arranged at the level of the circumference of the indicating discs 9, so that each indicating symbol of each disc can be aligned with the associated cut-out 24 and thereby illuminated in the different switch positions of the operating element. In the switched-off position, each cut-out 24 is covered over by a dark coloured disc sector 26 of the associated indication disc 9. The symbol in this disc sector is, however of such a nature that it is still visible even with the cooker or the illumination equipment switched off.

As shown in Fig. 1 , the section 16 of the light conductor 17, which in the illustrated embodiment is displaced upwardly in level relative to the section 18, extends over the region of the cut-outs 24, wherein reflective surfaces similar to the printed indicating elements 5 are provided on the rear side of the light conductor at the level of the cut-outs 24. The free end of the section 1 8 of the light conductor 1 7 opens into a light box 27, which is arranged towards the rear side of the cooker 1 in the region of the side wall 19 thereof. The light box 27 includes a removable box.part 28, on which a lampholder 29 for an incandescent lamp 30 is mounted by a detent or snap connection.The light box 27 has a part 31, which is narrowed in the manner of a funnel and into the free end 32 of which enters the free end of the light conductor 17, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Arranged, for example printed on, at the convex corner region of the light conductor 1 7 is a reflective coating 32, which ensures that the light rays emanating from the light source 30 are transmitted, without undue loss, from the section 18 to the section 16.

In operation of the electric cooker 1, the light source 30 is switched on, so that light conducted in the light conductor 17 is reflected at the reflective surfaces at the level of the cut-outs 24 and at the indicating elements 5 or indicating symbols and is projected through the cut-outs in the mask 15 in direction towards the front side of the cooker. The same applies for those indicating and operating elements which are associated with the baking oven.

Illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 are light conductors 17' and 17", respectively, which can be used in place of the afore-described light conductor 17. In the embodiment according to Fig. 3, the light conductor 17' is also Lshaped and has a section 18' leading to the light box 27 as well as a section 16', which extends substantially perpendicularly thereto and parallel to and alongside the indicating and operating control panel. To enhance light reception, the section 18' is substantially wide than the section 16' on which the indicating symbols and the like are printed. In addition, the section 18' at the end entering directly into the light box 27 has a section 18", which consists of a material of high temperature resistance and which can be connected with the remaining part of the light conductor 16', for example by glueing, welding or moulding in place. It is thereby ensured that the light conductor properties, especially the shape of the light conductor, are not impaired by the relatively high temperatures in the light box.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 4, the end face 35 at the free end of the light conductor 17", as well as the lower boundary surface 36 of the narrower section of the conductor, are provided with a light-reflecting coating, which is indicated in Fig. 4 by dots. In this manner, the highest possible light yield, i.e. a full utilisation of the light radiated in, is achieved.

Claims

1. An electric household appliance comprising a control panel provided with indicating means and operating means, a single light source, and a single light conductor extending at least in part along the panel and optically connected to the light source and to at least one of the indicating means and operating means for illumination thereof by light from the light source.

2. An appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least said part of the conductor comprises a strip- or plate-shaped member.

3. An appliance as claimed in either claim 1 or claims 2, further comprising a masking element arranged between the light conductor and the panel to cover the conductor and provided with openings in the region of said means to be illuminated, the conductor being provided at a side thereof remote from the masking element with light-reflecting means arranged to reflect light through the openings.

4. An appliance as claimed in claim 3, the lightreflecting means comprising at least one reflective surface.

5. An appliance as claimed in either claim 3 or claim 4, the light-reflecting means comprising a light-reflective surface in shape of a symbol.

6. An appliance as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, the light-reflecting means being printed on the conductor.

7. An appliance as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6, the operating means comprising at least one rotary control element provided with an at least partly transparent disc carrying indicating symbols in an annular region thereof, the rotary control element being operable to selectively position the indicating symbols in the region of an associated one of the openings of the masking element to enable illumination of any such positioned symbol by light reflected through said one opening.

8. An appliance as claimed in claim 7, wherein a sector of the disc is arranged to be light impermeable to denote an inoperative setting of the control element.

9. An appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control panel comprises an at least predominantly transparent panel member at a front side thereof, the operating means being arranged on the panel member.

10. An appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the light conductor is substantially L-shaped and comprises a first arm extending parallel to the control panel and a conjoined second arm extending along a side wall of the appliance, the second arm being optically connected at its free end to the light source.

1 An appliance as claimed in claim 10, wherein the conductor is provided with a reflective coating in the region of the outside of the or at least one bend in the conductor.

12. An appliance as claimed in claim 1 1, wherein the reflective coating is provided on a convex surface of the conductor at a corner region defining the junction of the two arms.

13. An appliance as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12, comprising a light box which is associated with the light source and which is provided with an opening for light transmission to the free end of the second arm of the conductor.

14. An appliance as claimed in claim 13, wherein the opening of the light box is provided at a funnel-shaped end portion of the box.

15. An appliance as claimed in either claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the light box is provided with integral carrier means releasably carrying a lamp holder.

1 6. An appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the light conductor is located relative to the control panel by bent lugs engaging the conductor.

1 7. An appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the conductor comprises a first portion extending along the control panel and provided with indicating symbols, and a second portion which is optically connected to the light source and which is wider than the first portion.

1 8. An appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the light conductor is provided with a reflective coating over at least one lateral boundary surface thereof.

19. An appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein the light conductor is provided with a reflective coating over the lowermost surface thereof and at an end surface thereof remote from the light source.

20. An appliance as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the light conductor and light box are mounted on a common mounting member and are removable as a unit from the rest of the appliance.

21. An appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the light conductor comprises a portion having a high temperature resistance in a region of the conductor optically connected to the light source.

22. An appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the appliance being an electric cooker, a laundry washing machine or a dishwasher.

23. An electric household appliance substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

24. An electric household appliance substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.

25. An electric household appliance substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.