Method for operator guidance, control panel component, production of a control panel component and home appliance comprising a control panel component

• US 9,983,783 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PAS Deutschland GmbH (Baird Financial Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PAS Deutschland GmbH (Baird Financial Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Krause, Olaf
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lau, Johny
• Application Number:
  US14/193,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20150160850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/42 Details
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/12 Washing temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/14 Time settings
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/58 Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/32 characterised by graphical features, e.g. touchscreens
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/086 touch control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/96 Touch switches specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96066 Thumbwheel, potentiometer, scrollbar or slider simulation by touch switch
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

There is presented a method for selective operator guidance for operator inputs, in particular for operator inputs in a home appliance, to a control panel component, in particular for an operating control panel for a home appliance, and to a method for producing a control panel component, in particular for an operating control panel of a home appliance. In one aspect, the control panel component includes a cover layer, a sensor layer which covers a rear side of the cover layer in a flat manner, at least sectionally, and an indicator layer comprising at least one discrete indicator element, wherein the sensor layer is arranged between the cover layer and the at least one discrete indicator element, wherein the sensor layer is configured to detect operator inputs, in particular operator gestures, wherein the sensor layer is arranged to be activated sectionally depending on a desired input mode, and wherein the at least one discrete indicator element is arranged to be actuated for selective operator guidance.

Claims

1. A method for selective operator guidance for operator inputs in a home appliance, comprising the following steps:

providing a control panel component comprising a sensor layer covered by a cover layer, wherein the sensor layer is a film component that is configured to detect different operator inputs based on a desired input mode, and that comprises a two-directional location detecting sensor network, wherein the sensor layer is flexibly configurable during operation of the home appliance corresponding to the desired input mode from an available plurality of input modes, and wherein the sensor network forms a changeable area which is available for the operator inputs, the changeable area capable of changing based on the desired input mode and the corresponding operator input,

providing an indicator layer comprising a plurality of selectively activatable permanently fixed portions of physical discrete indicator elements within the indicator layer, with one of the plurality of the discrete indicator elements activatable based on the desired input mode, wherein selective activation includes illuminating the one of the plurality of discrete indicator elements,

defining a present input mode, comprising;

allocating at least one defined field corresponding to the changeable area to be monitored for operator inputs on the sensor layer depending on the desired input mode and the corresponding selectively activated discrete indicator element, wherein the at least one defined field is a subset of available area formed by the sensor network, and

activating the one of the plurality of discrete indicator element for selective operator input, and

detecting and evaluating operator input in the at least one defined field.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of providing the indictor layer further comprises:

arranging the at least one discrete indicator element of the indicator layer on a side of the sensor layer facing away from the cover layer for identifying the at least one defined field to be evaluated of the sensor layer.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of defining the present input mode further comprises the following:

assigning the at least one defined field to be evaluated for operator inputs to an operating symbol which is optically or haptically perceivable at the cover layer.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

outputting feedback to the operator by selective activation of the at least one discrete indicator element of the indicator layer.

5. A control panel component, comprising:

a cover layer,

a flexibly configurable sensor layer, and

an indicator layer comprising a plurality of selectively activatable permanently fixed portions of physical discrete indicator elements within the indicator layer, wherein selective activation includes illuminating one of the plurality of discrete indicator elements,

wherein the sensor layer at least sectionally covers a rear side of the cover layer,

wherein the sensor layer is arranged between the cover layer and the plurality of portions of discrete indicator elements, with the one of the plurality of discrete indicator elements activatable based on the desired input mode and the corresponding selectively activated discrete indicator element,

wherein the sensor layer is a film component that is configured to detect different operator inputs based on a desired input mode from an available plurality of input modes,

and that comprises a two-directional location detecting sensor network,

wherein the sensor network forms an area which is available for the operator inputs,

wherein the sensor layer is sectionally activatable depending on a desired input mode so as to define at least one field corresponding to a sectionally activatable area to be monitored for operator inputs on the sensor layer depending on the desired input mode, wherein the at least one defined field is a subset of the available area formed by the sensor network, and

wherein the one of the plurality of discrete indicator elements is activatable for selective operator input.

6. The control panel component as claimed in claim 5, wherein the sensor layer is configured to detect operator gestures, involving swiping gestures.

7. The control panel component as claimed in claim 5, wherein the sensor layer is arranged as a capacitive sensor layer.

8. The control panel component as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sensor layer is arranged to detect touches on the cover layer or approximations to the cover layer in the region of the sensor layer.

9. The control panel component as claimed in claim 5, further comprising an interface for a control device, wherein the control device is configured, when being coupled to the interface, to selectively actuate the sensor layer and the one discrete indicator element, thereby defining a plurality of input modes.

10. The control panel component as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control device is configured to define a present input mode, and wherein the control device is further configured to allocate at least one field to be evaluated for operator inputs on the sensor layer under consideration of at least one selected input mode.

11. The control panel component as claimed in claim 5, further comprising at least one indicator element arranged as a discrete selectively activatable symbol or a discrete selectively activatable segment indicator.

12. The control panel component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one indicator element is arranged as a seven-segment indicator.

13. The control panel component as claimed in claim 5, wherein the cover layer and the sensor layer are at least sectionally transparent or translucent.

14. The control panel component as claimed in claim 5, wherein the cover layer is at least sectionally surface-treated, and wherein the cover layer comprises at least one optically or haptically perceivable operating symbol for operator guidance.

15. A home appliance comprising a control panel component as claimed in claim 5.

16. A method for producing a flexibly configurable control panel component for a home appliance, comprising the following steps:

providing a cover layer,

providing a flexibly configurable sensor layer which is sectionally activatable and configured to detect operator inputs based on a desired input mode of an available plurality of input modes, wherein the sensor layer is a film component that is configured to detect operator inputs and that comprises a two-directional location detecting sensor network, and wherein the sensor network forms an area which is available for the operator inputs, a sectionally activatable area capable of changing based on the desired input mode and the corresponding operator input,

providing a plurality of selectively activatable permanently fixed portions of physical discrete indicator elements within the indicator layer, with one of the plurality of discrete indicator elements activatable based on the desired input mode, wherein selective activation includes illuminating the one of the plurality of discrete indicator elements,

joining the cover layer, the sensor layer and the one discrete indicator element, and

allocating at least one field corresponding to the sectionally activatable area to be monitored for operator inputs on the sensor layer depending on a desired input configuration of the control panel component and the corresponding selectively activated discrete indicator element, wherein the at least one field is a subset of available area formed by the sensor network,

wherein the one of the plurality of discrete indicator elements is activatable for selective operator input.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the step of providing a sectionally activatable sensor layer further comprises:

providing a sensor layer extending in a flat areal manner which is configured to detect operator gestures.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising the following steps:

joining the cover layer, the sensor layer and the one discrete indicator element, in such a way that, the sensor layer is arranged between the cover layer and the one discrete indicator element, and

providing an interface for a control device for actuating the one discrete indicator element and for evaluating operator inputs detected at the sensor layer for selective operator guidance.

19. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising the following steps:

processing the cover layer, and

allocating at least one field to be evaluated for operator inputs on the sensor layer depending on a size or arrangement of at least one optically or haptically perceivable operating symbol at the cover layer for operator guidance.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the step of processing the cover layer comprises:

printing or coating the cover layer, thereby generating at least one optically or haptically perceivable operating symbol for operator guidance.