Diehl Ako Stiftung & Co. Kg

Bruno Fuhge

Joachim Lyszus

Ralph Stohr

Andreas Maigler

Thomas Frommelt

Robert J Alvord

Anthony M Dmytriw

Sam Toktaeng

Matthew Schwind

Anthony Dmytriw

An operator control device has a control panel with a user side facing a user and an inner side facing away from the user. The control panel has an operator control element region. A rotary knob is positioned on the user side of the control panel in the region of the operator control element region and can be rotated about a rotational axis. The rotary knob is detachably attached to the control panel and has an encoder block with a code section which is at a distance, changing along the circumferential direction, from a lower end side, facing the control panel, of the rotary knob. An optical sensor is arranged on the inner side of the control panel in the region of the operator control element region and is configured to sense a distance between the optical sensor and the code section of the encoder block by electromagnetic radiation.

Operator control device, in particular for an electronic domestic appliance and electronic domestic appliance

A virtual touch knob assembly is provided that translates sensed movement of a user's fingers around a knob into control signals for operation of an appliance. A knob is provided on a user control panel of an appliance. The knob is fixed, i.e., does not turn or rotate. A system is provided that can sense the user's fingers moving around the fixed knob and translate the sensed input to control signals for setting the operation of the appliance or device.

Virtual touch knob assembly

An operating device, in particular for electronic household appliances, includes a cover plate with an operating portion, a transmitter for emitting electromagnetic radiation, a receiver for registering electromagnetic radiation, and control electronics for evaluating measurement signals produced by the receiver. The operating portion is at least partly elastically deformable and/or movable by an action of force from the direction of a user side of the cover plate and it at least partly reflects the radiation emitted by the transmitter. The receiver is disposed and/or configured in such a way that it facilitates a spatially resolved registration of the radiation reflected by the operating portion in such a way that the control electronics can detect an actuation of the operating portion in a manner dependent on a registration location of the reflected radiation. An electronic household appliance having at least one operating device is also provided.

Operating device comprising a receiver to facilitate a spatially resolved registration of radiation reflected by an operating portion of said operating device

An actuating element for an electronic domestic appliance has an electrically non-conductive carrier which defines at least one preferably substantially cylindrical detection portion. A plurality of electrically conductive measuring electrodes is spaced apart from one another along the detection portion of the carrier. A preferably substantially annular operating element is disposed at a first predefined distance from the measuring electrodes and is movable relative thereto. The operating element additionally has at least one sensor portion which is at least partially electrically conductive and is disposed at a second predefined distance from the measuring electrodes. The second predefined distance is different from the first predefined distance, so that a movement of the sensor portion and therefore of the operating element relative to the configuration of measuring electrodes can be detected.

Actuating element and electronic domestic appliance having at least one actuating element

A storage apparatus for a refrigerator and/or freezer contains a storage element for storing goods, a detection device for detecting whether the storage element is occupied by goods and an illumination device for illuminating the storage element and goods stored on the storage element and/or a storage region for the goods, which storage region is formed by the storage element. A control device is provided for actuating the illumination device depending on the result of the detection process in respect of whether the storage element is occupied by goods. The storage apparatus allows a user of the refrigerator and/or freezer to be made aware, in a simple manner, of goods possibly being stored for an excessively long time.

Storage apparatus, in particular for a refrigerator and/or freezer and method for controlling the refrigerator and/or freezer

An operating device for an electronic household appliance contains a rotary control knob being mounted on a control panel such that a carrier of the rotary control knob can rotate about an axis of rotation relative to the control panel, an angle of rotation detection device for detecting an angle position of the carrier, and a control device that is connected to the angle of rotation detection device and evaluates a measurement signal generated by the angle of rotation detection device. The rotary control knob further contains an operating element that is attached in a non-rotatable manner to the carrier and embodied in an elastically deformable manner and the rotary control knob contains a sensor that is attached in a non-rotatable manner to the carrier and detects any deformation of the operating element. The control device is connected to the sensor and evaluates a measurement signal generated by the sensor.

Operating device and appliance having the device

A touch and/or proximity-sensitive actuation element has an electrically non-conductive housing, which has a fastening portion for the stationary and non-rotational mounting of the actuation element and a substantially cylindrical detection portion, which defines a touch and/or proximity-sensitive detection region of the actuation element, at which a rotary movement of a user around the actuation element can be detected. A plurality of electrically conductive sensor elements are arranged in the housing spaced apart from one another along a lateral surface of the detection portion. A printed circuit board is provided and has a plurality of contact faces, which are each electrically conductively in contact with one of the plurality of sensor elements.

Touch and/or proximity-sensitive actuation element and domestic appliance having an actuation element

An apparatus for opening and/or closing a door of a domestic appliance, such as, for example, an oven, a refrigerator and the like, has a drive apparatus for the automatic opening and/or closing of the door and an actuating device which is operable by a user for activating the drive apparatus in order to open or to close the door.

Growing community of inventors

Achberg, Germany

Bruno Fuhge