HK1030642B - Assembly for a control console for household appliances with a cabinet-shaped casing - Google Patents

Description

Console assembly for a household appliance with a cabinet housing

The invention relates to a combination of a control panel of an electric household appliance with a cabinet housing, in particular a washing machine and a drying machine, with at least two types of control panels with different arrangements of manual control elements from right to left and a support plate arranged behind the control panels for mounting at least one switching device which can be operated by the manual control elements.

Such a worktop is proposed in german patent DE3542503a 1. Within the console, a plurality of manual operating elements in the form of rotary switches and keys are arranged. With which the input of different programs for programmed household appliances, such as fully automatic washing machines, can be performed. Such a control panel has a support plate behind the control panel visible from the outside, on which support plate the corresponding switching devices of the manual control elements and the display elements are mounted.

In the manufacturer's program, if different series of one type of household appliance, for example a washing machine, are provided with operating panels having a distinctly different appearance, the various types of operating panels already available require correspondingly different support plates for the switching device and the display element.

The aim of the invention is to minimize the number of corresponding console assemblies of at least two types of consoles of different family of household appliances, in order to achieve a rationalization effect by standardizing a large number of components.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in that the assembly with at least two types of operating panel is provided with only one type of support plate and in that the individual manual operating elements are arranged at least approximately mirror-symmetrically to each other in the two types of operating panel.

By means of the solution according to the invention, it is possible to provide only one type of support plate for two different types of operating panel, which support plate is arranged in a position behind one type of operating panel and in a position behind the other type of operating panel, for example rotated by 180 ° (rotational symmetry). In this way, different sequences of the individual manual operating elements arranged on the operating panel can be obtained for both types of operating panels.

In an assembly with a rotary operating element arranged eccentrically in the operating plate, it is particularly advantageous to solve the above-mentioned problems if the rotary operating element is arranged in the right center of one type of operating plate and in the left center of the other type of operating plate. The most obvious difference between the two types of manual operating elements in terms of appearance is that a light-displaying manual operating element is arranged in another clearly visible position to show the difference from the other type of operating panel.

Other changes in the shape of the appearance are preferably achieved by means of a further solution according to the invention, in which further switching devices are arranged on the support plate, the manually operable elements (keys, rotary switches) of which are arranged in the right-to-left sequence in one type of operating plate and in the same sequence, for example from left to right, in another type after rotation of the mounted support plate.

The invention will be described in connection with an embodiment of two differently appearing consoles as shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an operation panel of a washing machine family of a manufacturing facility;

FIG. 2 front side of another series of operating panels of washing machines of the same manufacturing plant;

as can be seen from fig. 1, the operating panel comprises, on its front side from right to left, a rotary switch 1, three optical display elements 2, 3, 4 arranged one above the other, a further rotary switch 5, three keys 6, 7, 8 arranged side by side and provided with optical display elements 9, 10, 11, and a pushbutton switch 12 for switching on the power supply.

The same sequence of manually operable elements is arranged from left to right in the operating panel shown in fig. 2. In addition, each of the two operating panels has a handle panel 13 of a detergent drawer arranged behind.

In fig. 1, the rear side of the operating panel of version 1 shows a rear-arranged support plate 14 in dashed lines. Behind the manual operating elements 1, 5 to 8 and 12 of the operating panel, corresponding switches and display devices are mounted on the stripping plate 14. In fig. 2, the back of the operating panel of version 2 is mounted in the same way with the only difference that the back panel 14 of fig. 2 is mounted exactly 180 ° rotated with respect to fig. 1 (rotational symmetry). Thus, although the display elements 2 to 4 are in reverse order when viewed from above, this is desirable. But if the original sequence is maintained or the sequence is completely rearranged, the display elements-and, if necessary, also the manually operated elements (e.g. keys) -are reinstalled by software adaptation.

The sequence of the switches and the display device arranged on the support plate or the sequence of the manual operating elements arranged on the operating plate is of no significance in principle for the invention. Likewise, the number and mutual distance of the different models of manually operated elements is not meaningful. However, in contrast to the exemplary embodiment shown, it is also possible, for example, to arrange one of the rotary switches 1 or 5 exactly in the center of rotation of the support plate or in a corresponding area of the actuating plate, so that this actuating element is always arranged in the center precisely in both versions. On the other hand, however, additional different outer shapes can also be formed in such a way that in one case the support plate is arranged particularly far to the right behind the operating plate and in the other case it is arranged particularly far to the left. It is decisive for the object of the invention that the two types of control panel should have sufficiently distinct shapes of appearance.

Within the scope of the invention, the arrangement of the operating elements and/or display elements can also be varied in such a way that, although the microswitches of the operating keys mounted on the carrier plate are present in a correspondingly opposite position on the other type of operating plate after rotation of the carrier plate, these operating keys are accommodated in an easily distinguishable position of the operating plate and the microswitches can also be connected via an operating bridge (not shown) situated behind the operating plate. Thus, the mirror symmetry is only related to the order in which the manually operated elements are arranged. However, an at least approximately mirror-symmetrical configuration can also be maintained if the support plate is mounted rotatably about an angle other than 180 °, for example about an angle of 90 °. Of course, in this case, its original lateral dimension must not be greater than the new height dimension.

Furthermore, as fig. 2 shows, for example, likewise only approximately mirror-symmetrical, it is also possible to provide a different arrangement in that the leds associated with a specific key, for example leds 9 to 11 in fig. 1, are not located below the changed operating key after the rotation of the carrier plate, but rather are arranged above the corresponding key either by an assembly of the carrier plate or by a carrier plate which is initially provided with two groups of leds in a remaining manner at correspondingly offset positions. In the latter assembly of the carrier plate, i.e. as far as possible, the assembly of two groups of leds is more economical than different assembly solutions. In this case, in principle, although too many leds are switched on (at least two if only one led is emitting light), it is not harmful for the light of the leds to be reflected into the dark behind the operating panel.

However, it is also possible to modify the keys 6 to 8 in such a way that, as shown in fig. 2, light conductors 15 to 17 are inserted, the light entry surfaces of which are shifted in the direction of the light-emitting diodes arranged as far as possible next to the keys on the carrier plate 14.

Claims (5)

1. Assembly of worktops for household appliances with cabinet-type housing, in particular washing machines and dryers, with at least two types of worktops with different arrangements of manually operable elements from right to left and a carrier plate arranged behind the worktops for mounting at least one switching device operable with these manually operable elements, characterized in that one of the at least two assemblies comprises a carrier plate (14) with manually operable elements (1, 5 to 8, 12) and one type of worktop (type 1); at least a second assembly comprises the same support plate (14) and a second type of operating plate (type 2) in which the manual operating elements (1, 5-8, 12) are arranged at least approximately mirror-symmetrically compared to the first operating plate, wherein the support plate (14) is arranged so as to be rotationally offset from the first assembly about a central axis of rotation.

2. An assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the assembly is provided with a rotary operating element arranged eccentrically in the operating plate, in one operating plate version (version 1) the manual rotary operating element (1) being arranged centrally to the right and in the other operating plate version (version 2) centrally to the left.

3. A combination according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that further switching means are arranged on the support plate (14), the manual operating elements (keys 6 to 8 and 12, rotary switch 5) of which are arranged in one type of operating plate in the order from right to left in one mounting position of the support plate (14) (fig. 1), and in the other type after rotation (rotational mirror symmetry) of the mounted support plate (14, see fig. 2) in the same order from left to right.

4. A combination according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least two groups of display elements (9 to 11) are mounted on the support plate (14) in such a way that in each of the two rotational positions of the support plate (14) a group of display elements (9 to 11) is arranged above the corresponding manual operating element (6 to 8).

5. A combination according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the manual operating elements (6 to 8 in fig. 2) are provided with coaxial light conductors (15 to 17) whose light entry faces are directed in front of the carrier plate (14) toward the light-emitting elements mounted on the carrier plate.