Whirlpool Corporation

Melissa J Burchill

Neomar Giacomini

Robert B Womack

Craig C Lear

Cesario Zimmermann

Joao Eduardo Santana Borges

Sanghayan Y Gajbhiye

Jess E Mutschler

Phabio Junckes Setubal

A user interface assembly for a household appliance is designed and adapted to provide good lighting execution maintaining a directly coupled touch field unit. The user interface includes a decorative overlay, a structural light box, and a printed circuit board with an integrated touch field unit and plurality of top-fire LED. The printed circuit board is mounted to a mounting frame extending from the inner surface of the structural light box without the use of adhesive. The structural light box is box includes a conical light aperture and dimensioned to maximize thickness to improve lighting diffusion, but keeping the overall thickness of the structural light box within the maximum range acceptable for optimal functionality and sensitivity of the touch field unit through direct coupling.

User interface for a household appliance

The presently described technology relates to an appliance control panel system having a control panel interface comprising at least one capacitive touch key, and a circuit board assembly comprising at least one input receiver pad. The control panel interface and the circuit board assembly are not in direct contact with each other. The input receiver pad can be comprised of a conductive material. Certain embodiments also provide a control panel having at least one conductive extender. The extender can be situated between the control panel interface and the circuit board assembly. The capacitive touch key is in electrical connection with the input receiver pad. An method for controlling an appliance with a control panel is also disclosed.

Touch screen coupling having tactile response capability

The presently described technology relates to an appliance control panel having multi-function keys. The multi-function keys have multiple regions. A control panel operation module is provided for regulating the control panel system between multiple operation input modes. When the control panel system is in one operation input mode, activation of the first key region executes a first appliance function, and activation of the second key region executes a second appliance function. When the control panel system is in another operation input mode, activation the first key region and activation of said second key region execute the same appliance function. A method for operating an appliance control panel system having multi-function keys is also disclosed.

Capacitive touch multi-function keys

Growing community of inventors

Benton Harbor, MI, United States of America

Melissa J Burchill