CONTROL UNIT FOR AN APPLIANCE

• US 20100085207A1
• Filed: 10/03/2008
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: LEUNG, Tony
• Granted Patent: US 8,157,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/082 on ranges, e.g. control panels, illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting

Abstract

A control unit including a keypad having a plurality control indicators, a light producing device configured to illuminate the control indicators, and a light blocking device disposed between the control indicators and the light producing device and configured to selectively restrict or transmit light from the light producing device to the control indicators.

Claims

1. A control unit comprising:

a keypad having a plurality of control indicators;

a light producing device configured to illuminate the control indicators; and

a light blocking device disposed between the control indicators and the light producing device and configured to selectively restrict or transmit light from the light producing device to the control indicators.

2. The control unit of claim 1, wherein the light blocking device comprises a liquid crystal display grid.

3. The control unit of claim 2, wherein the display grid comprises a plurality of grid sections, each grid section of the display grid corresponding to a respective one of the control indicators.

4. The control unit of claim 1, wherein the light producing device comprises a light guide and a light source, where the light source is configured to direct light into the light guide for illuminating the control indicators.

5. The control unit of claim 4, wherein the light source comprises one or more light emitting diodes.

6. The control unit of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a prompting keypad system.

7. The control unit of claim 6, wherein the prompting keypad system comprises a processor configured to cause the light blocking device to restrict or transmit light to one or more control indicators depending on a previously selected control indicator related to the one or more control indicators.

8. A control unit for an appliance, comprising:

a keypad having control indicators forming keys of the keypad;

a light guide disposed adjacent the keys and being configured to direct light from a light source to the keys for illuminating the keys; and

a liquid crystal display grid disposed between the keypad and the light guide, the liquid crystal display grid being configured to selectively restrict light from being transmitted from the light guide to one or more keys.

9. The control unit of claim 8, wherein the liquid crystal display grid comprises independently actuable grid sections configured to restrict the light from being transmitted from the light guide to respective keys.

10. The control unit of claim 8, wherein the light source comprises at least one light emitting diode configured to continuously supply light to the light guide for illuminating the keys when the keypad is in an active state.

11. The control unit of claim 8, wherein the light source is disposed relative to the light guide such that light is transmitted into the light guide through an edge that is substantially perpendicular to a backlight section of the light guide.

12. The control unit of claim 8, further comprising a processor configured to cause the liquid crystal display grid to selectively restrict or transmit light to one or more keys depending on a previously selected key related to the one or more keys.

13. A method for illuminating keys of a control unit, comprising:

illuminating the keys of a keypad through a light guide; and

selectively restricting or transmitting light from the light guide to one or more keys through individually actuable grid sections of a light shutter disposed between the light guide and the keys.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising supplying the light guide with light from at least one light emitting diode.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the light is transmitted into the light guide through an edge that is substantially perpendicular to a backlight section of the light guide.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the individually actuable grid sections are individually actuable grid sections of a liquid crystal display light shutter.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the individually actuable grid sections are controlled to selectively restrict or transmit light to the one or more keys depending on a previously selected key related to the one or more keys.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the previously selected key is illuminated a different color than the one or more keys.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein when light is restricted to a respective key, a color of the non-illuminated key is substantially the same color as a surface of the keypad.