DISAPPEARING INTERFACE SYSTEM

• US 20090179864A1
• Filed: 02/23/2009
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Hughes, James, McCoy, Robert, Donoho, Maureen, Downing, Frank, Rudolph, John R., Fisher, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 8,223,131 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/170
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/083 on tops, hot plates
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/085 on baking ovens
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/086 touch control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6435 Aspects relating to the user interface of the microwave heating apparatus

Abstract

A disappearing interface system for a device, such as an appliance (e.g., a cooking range) having an interactive user interface, a light-emitting device (e.g., a LED), a microprocessor based LED fader electronic control system that uses a PWM signal to drive an A/D circuit to control the intensity (e.g., fade in/out) of the light-emitting device.

Claims

1. A disappearing interface system including:

interface means for information exchange between a user and the interface system, the interface means including at least one light-emitting diode visible to the user when activated; and

control means, operatively connected to the interface means, for changing intensity of the light emitted from the light-emitting diode in response to a condition at the interface means.

2. A disappearing interface system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control means includes means for changing the intensity of the light emitted from the light-emitting diode to increase the light intensity.

3. A disappearing interface system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control means includes means for changing the intensity of the light emitted from the light-emitting diode to decrease the light intensity.

4. A disappearing interface system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the interface means includes means responsive to a user touch, and the control means includes means for changing the intensity of the light emitted from the light-emitting diode condition at the interface means in response to the user touch at the interface means as the condition at the interface means.

5. A disappearing interface system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the interface means includes means responsive to a user touch, and the control means includes means for time-based determinations and means for changing the intensity of the light emitted from the light-emitting diode condition at the interface means in response to an absence of a user touch at the interface means as the condition at the interface means.

6. A disappearing interface system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the interface system is part of an appliance and the interface means includes means for exchanging information between a user and the interface system concerning the operation of the appliance.

7. A disappearing interface system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the interface system is part of a cooking range as the appliance and the interface means includes means for exchanging information between a user and the interface system concerning the operation of the range.

8. A disappearing interface system of claim 1, wherein the interface means further comprises a plurality of touch pad buttons and an informational display area to display graphics.

9. A disappearing interface system of claim 8, wherein the control means further comprises a digitized exponential curve and a microprocessor based time-stepped algorithm to process data from the digitized exponential curve.

10. A disappearing interface system of claim 9, wherein the microprocessor generates a pulse width modulated output digital signal based on the data processed by the time-stepped algorithm, wherein the frequency of the pulse-width output signal is proportional to the data received from the time-stepped algorithm.

11. A disappearing interface system of claim 10, wherein the control system further comprises a digital to analog circuit to receive the pulse width modulated output signal, wherein the digital to analog circuit provides an output voltage to the at least one light-emitting diode that is proportional to the frequency of the pulse-width modulated output signal.

12. A disappearing interface system of claim 11, wherein the at least one light emitting diode further comprises an LED array, wherein the light intensity of the LED array is proportional to the output voltage of the digital to analog circuit.

13. A disappearing interface system of claim 1, wherein the control means includes a digital to analog converter and a means to provide a variable frequency digital signal as an input to the digital to analog converter.

14. A disappearing interface system including:

interface means for information exchange between a user and the interface system, the interface means including at least one light-emitting device visible to the user when activated; and

control means, operatively connected to the interface means, for changing intensity of the light emitted from the light-emitting diode, and including a variable frequency digital signal provider and a digital to analog voltage provider, the analog voltage being provided to energize the light-emitting device.

15. A disappearing interface system of claim 14, wherein the light-emitting device is a light-emitting diode.

16. A method of controlling light intensity within an interface system, such that the interface may disappear from view, the interface system including interface means for information exchange between a user and the interface system, the interface means including at least one light-emitting diode visible to the user when activated and the interface system including control means, operatively connected to the interface means, for changing intensity of the light emitted from the light-emitting diode, the method including:

providing a condition indication regarding the interface means for use in the control means;

processing the condition indication to provide a changing voltage to the light-emitting diode to change the intensity of the light emitted from the light-emitting diode in response to the condition.