USER INTERFACE WITH ANNULAR TOUCH SENSOR ARRAY

• US 20110148773A1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Rudolph, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,730,185 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/083 on tops, hot plates
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/96 Touch switches specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2017/9507 with illumination
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96066 Thumbwheel, potentiometer, scrollbar or slider simulation by touch switch

Abstract

Provided is a user interface comprising a substrate having a through-hole, an annular touch sensor array located on the substrate and at least partially surrounding the through-hole, and a display device in alignment the through-hole.

Claims

1. A user interface, comprising:

a substrate having a through-hole;

an annular touch sensor array located on the substrate and at least partially surrounding the through-hole; and

a display device in alignment with the through-hole.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the display device is mounted in the through-hole.

3. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface controls an operation of a cooking appliance, the cooking appliance comprising:

a heating element; and

a cooktop having an upper surface,

wherein a touch control area is provided on the upper surface,

wherein the user interface is mounted beneath the touch control area, and

wherein a power level of the heating element is set in accordance with a rotational input using the annular touch sensor array.

4. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements forming an annular bar graph concentrically within the annular touch sensor array.

5. The user interface of claim 4, wherein based on a rotational input using the annular touch sensor array, a corresponding rotational light display is generated by the annular bar graph.

6. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a numerical display located within the annular touch sensor array.

7. The user interface of claim 6, wherein the display device comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements forming an annular bar graph concentrically within the annular touch sensor array, and wherein the annular bar graph displays information graphically, and the numerical display simultaneously displays the same information numerically.

8. The user interface of claim 6, wherein the numerical display comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements forming a multi-segment display.

9. The user interface of claim 8, wherein based on a rotational input using the annular touch sensor array, a number displayed by the multi-segment display changes.

10. A user interface, comprising:

a substrate;

an annular touch sensor array located on the substrate; and

a numerical display located within the annular touch sensor array.

11. The user interface of claim 10, wherein the numerical display comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements forming a multi-segment display.

12. The user interface of claim 10, wherein the user interface controls an operation of a cooking appliance, the cooking appliance comprising:

a heating element; and

a cooktop having an upper surface,

wherein a touch control area is provided on the upper surface,

wherein the user interface is mounted beneath the touch control area, and

wherein a power level of the heating element is set in accordance with a rotational input using the annular touch sensor array.

13. The user interface of claim 10, wherein the user interface comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements forming an annular bar graph concentrically within the annular touch sensor array, and wherein the numerical display is located within the annular bar graph.

14. The user interface of claim 13, wherein the annular bar graph displays information graphically, and the numerical display simultaneously displays the same information numerically, and

wherein based on a rotational input using the annular touch sensor array, a corresponding rotational light display is generated by the annular bar graph.

15. A user interface, comprising:

a substrate;

an annular touch sensor array located on the substrate; and

a plurality of light-emitting elements forming an annular bar graph, wherein the annular bar graph is located inside of the annular touch sensor array.

16. The user interface of claim 15, wherein the substrate includes a through-hole, and wherein the annular bar graph is located within the through-hole, and the annular touch sensor array surrounds the through-hole.

17. The user interface of claim 15, wherein the user interface controls an operation of a cooking appliance, the cooking appliance comprising:

a heating element; and

a cooktop having an upper surface,

wherein a touch control area is provided on the upper surface,

wherein the user interface is mounted beneath the touch control area, and

wherein a power level of the heating element is set in accordance with a rotational input using the annular touch sensor array.

18. The user interface of claim 17, wherein the user interface device includes a numerical display located within the annular bar graph,

wherein the annular bar graph displays the power level graphically, and the numerical display simultaneously displays the power level numerically, and

wherein based on the rotational input using the annular touch sensor array, a corresponding rotational light display is generated by the annular bar graph.

19. The user interface of claim 18, wherein the numerical display comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements forming a multi-segment display.