Rotary Selector

• US 20090038921A1
• Filed: 07/29/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Diehl AKO Stiftung & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Diehl AKO Stiftung & Company KG
• Inventors: Rapp, Harald, Kaps, Werner, Brauchle, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 7,987,738 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 200/336
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/08 Controlling members for hand actuation by rotary movement, e.g. hand wheels
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 5/06 for holding members in one or a limited number of definite positions only G05G5/005, G05G5/03, G05G5/05, G05G5/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 19/115 using molded elastic parts only
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/065 using separate operating parts, e.g. a push button surrounded by a rotating knob

Abstract

A rotary selector forms a control element for inputting a setting value to an electronic control system, in particular for a control device of an electronic domestic appliance, such as a washing machine, a dishwasher, or the like. The rotary selector has a rotatably mounted control portion and an adapter non-rotatably connected to the control portion. The adapter has a latching section with side faces arranged uniformly about its periphery. Coaxially with the latching section of the adapter is a stationary spring element formed with elastic legs arranged uniformly about a periphery of the latching section and which extend tangentially relative to the side faces of the latching section. The number of the side faces of the latching section is an integral multiple of the number of the elastic legs of the spring element.

Claims

1. A rotary selector forming a control element for inputting a setting value to an electronic control system, comprising:

a rotatably mounted control portion and an adapter rotationally fixed to said control portion and disposed to assume rotary positions to be detected and transmitted to the electronic control system;

said adapter having a latching section with a given number of side faces formed and arranged uniformly in a circumferential direction;

a stationary spring element coaxially disposed with said latching section of said adapter, said spring element having a given number of elastic legs formed and arranged uniformly in the circumferential direction of said latching section and extending tangentially relative to said side faces of said latching section; and

the given number of said side faces of said latching section being an integral multiple of the given number of said elastic legs of said spring element.

2. The rotary selector according to claim 1, wherein said spring element is made of a plastic material.

3. The rotary selector according to claim 2, wherein said spring element is formed integrally with a housing of the electronic control system.

4. The rotary selector according to claim 1, wherein the given number of said elastic legs of said spring element is three, four, or five.

5. The rotary selector according to claim 1, which comprises a connecting ring formed integrally with said elastic legs and disposed to interconnect said elastic legs of said spring element.

6. The rotary selector according to claim 1, wherein said elastic legs of said spring element are respectively supported at both sides at their two ends.

7. The rotary selector according to claim 1, which comprises a sensor of the electronic control system disposed to detect the rotary positions of said adapter.

8. The rotary selector according to claim 1, wherein a rotation of said adapter can be transmitted to a setting drive of the electronic control system.

9. The rotary selector according to claim 8, wherein said adapter is formed with a gear, and said spring element is provided with a mounting location for a transmission of the setting drive of the electronic control system, wherein the transmission is in engagement with the gear of said adapter.

10. The rotary selector according to claim 1, which comprises a plate insert associated with said control portion of said rotary selector and disposed coaxially with respect to said control portion as an information carrier.

11. The rotary selector according to claim 1, wherein said control portion and said adapter of said rotary selector are shaped as a hollow cylinder, and wherein a push button is disposed in the hollow cylinder of the rotary selector forming a control element for inputting a further setting value to the electronic control system.

12. In a control device of an electronic domestic appliance, the rotary selector according to claim 1.