CN111336582A

CN111336582A - Control panel

Info

Publication number: CN111336582A
Application number: CN201911273278.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 约瑟夫·佩哈
Original assignee: Vaillant GmbH; Protherm Production sro
Current assignee: Vaillant GmbH; Protherm Production sro
Priority date: 2018-12-19
Filing date: 2019-12-12
Publication date: 2020-06-26
Anticipated expiration: 2039-12-12
Also published as: CN111336582B; SK8647Y1; SK2332018U1

Abstract

The invention provides a control panel which is suitable for heating equipment, can be functionally connected to the equipment in a wired or wireless mode, and can be mechanically detachably fixed on a shell of the equipment. The control panel has a body on which fastening means are arranged, which fastening means comprise at least two fastening elements provided with elastic elements, at least two retaining elements provided with protrusions, a partition, a slot, and at least two lugs provided with openings for suspension. By means of the fastening means provided on the surface of the control panel body, a detachable mechanical fastening connection is made possible.

Description

Control panel

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a control panel, and more particularly to a control panel adapted to be mounted to a heating apparatus, the control panel being fixedly mounted to a casing of the heating apparatus by fastening means integrally provided on a body thereof.

Background

In the prior art, known heating devices are usually equipped with a control panel with display and control elements which can display the state of the device and which can be changed by the user in respect of device parameters.

The heating device generally comprises means for preparing domestic hot water for sanitary use and/or for generating hot water circulating in a heating circuit. The heating circuit is usually connected to a space heater (radiator or floor heating pipe) by means of a suitable valve and transfers the heat of the water to the air in the room through the valve. The water is heated to a preset operating temperature by a heating device such as a fuel burner or an electric heating tube, it is well known to those skilled in the art that other mainstream heat sources (solar collectors or heat pumps, etc.) may also be used. In order to adjust the parameters of the device, such as the desired temperature of the heating hot water output, the desired domestic hot water temperature, the pressure regulation of the heating system, the heating off in summer mode, etc., all this is done by means of control and display elements arranged on the control panel.

The control and display elements are functionally connected to the control assembly and electronic elements of the device by wired or wireless means. In addition to the possibility of setting device parameters, the display element (e.g. a digital display) may also display fault information when a device fails.

The control panel is a part of the heating apparatus, and its appearance may be different according to the type and model of the heating apparatus.

The design goal of the manufacturer is to provide a user-friendly interface for the control of the heating device while simplifying the assembly and disassembly of the control panel as much as possible.

The most common solution consists in that the control panel is fixedly mounted on the apparatus by means of suitable fixing means, so that the front surface of the control panel is exposed in an opening of the front cover of the boiler. This arrangement conforms to the safety standards for the device housing. The control panel is generally fixed to the apparatus by a fastener and a screw forming a hinge, and, if necessary, the control panel may be swung into an external space after removing a front cover of the apparatus. In this position, the maintenance engineer may access the components disposed on the back of the control panel and may perform necessary operations on other components inside the apparatus.

The disadvantage of the hinge mounting is that in the case of after-market personnel maintenance, the control panel needs to be tilted, so that it is not possible to visualize and inspect the display element. Since the display elements on the tilted panel are now pointing downwards, the maintenance personnel cannot see the real-time response of the system through these display elements. Another disadvantage is that the screws and brackets must be unscrewed if the control panel is removed for replacement or removed for servicing other components inside the device.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a control panel suitable for a heating device, which can be functionally connected to the heating device by wire or wirelessly and which can be mechanically and detachably fixed to the housing of the heating device.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a control panel which is suitable for a heating apparatus, can be functionally connected to the apparatus by wire or wirelessly, and can be mechanically detachably fixed to a housing of the apparatus. The control panel has a body on which fastening means are arranged, which fastening means comprise at least two fastening elements provided with elastic elements, at least two retaining elements provided with protrusions, a partition, a slot, and at least two lugs provided with openings for suspension. By means of the fastening means provided on the surface of the control panel body, a detachable mechanical fastening connection is made possible.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the body is injection molded integrally with the fastener, the resilient member, the retaining member, and the projection and lug provided on the surface thereof.

As a further development of the invention, the body is provided with a control and display element which can be operatively connected to the device by wire or wirelessly; the protrusion arranged on the buckling piece can be inserted into the opening on the bottom cover of the equipment shell, so that the reliable connection of the control panel and the shell of the equipment in the vertical direction is ensured; the clapboard is arranged on the buckling piece and can be pressed against the protruding part of the bottom cover, so that the control panel can be prevented from sliding out of the shell; the elastic member provided on the fastener abuts against the side cover of the device case, thereby ensuring that the control panel is reliably held in the fixed position.

As a further development of the invention, the body is provided with control and display elements which can be operatively connected to the device by wire or wirelessly, and the lugs on the body of the control panel can be hinged through their openings to projections arranged on the bottom cover of the device housing. Thus, the control panel has, in addition to the normal tilted position, another service position in which after-market maintenance personnel are allowed to monitor the display device on the control panel while inspecting or operating the internal components of the apparatus.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that: the control panel body is secured to the adjacent cover plate of the heating apparatus housing without relying on any brackets and screws, thereby ensuring assembly and disassembly without the use of additional fasteners or tools.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, it is obvious that the drawings related to the present invention in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 illustrates a control panel in a fixed position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional schematic view of the connection of the control panel and the equipment bottom cover of FIG. 1 with the joint area partially enlarged for detail;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the control panel shown in FIG. 1 in an inclined position;

fig. 4 shows the control panel in a service position.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. These embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention, and structural, methodological, or functional changes made by those skilled in the art according to these embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 1 exemplarily shows a part of an outer casing of an electrically heated boiler, wherein the outer casing comprises side covers 1 and a bottom cover 2. A main body 20 of a control panel is mounted on the housing with control and display elements, functional cabling, and components inside the boiler, not shown.

The main body 20 of the control panel is substantially in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped having a front surface, an upper surface, a bottom surface and two side surfaces, the surface positions shown in fig. 1 being understood as the surfaces of the boiler in front view with the control panel installed. Control and display elements on the front surface may be connected by wire or wirelessly to components within the device and may be operable by a user to control the device.

The main body 20 of the control panel is fixedly mounted on the bottom cover 2 of the device case by means of the clasps 6 integrated thereon. The catch 6 is provided with a projection 7, which projection 7 is inserted into an opening 8 arranged in the bottom cover 2 of the boiler casing when assembled.

Fig. 2 is a schematic side sectional view of the control panel in the mounting position, in which the joint (DETAIL a) where the retainer 6 is connected to the bottom cover 2 is shown partially enlarged.

The partition 10 is shown in a partially enlarged view supported by the protrusion 3 extending from the bottom cover 2.

The partition 10 ensures that the main body 20 of the control panel does not slip out after the protrusion 7 is in the fixed position. When assembled, the main body 20 of the control panel is first mounted to the protrusion 3 through the slot 11 disposed on the holder 6 and then rotated upward from the inclined position until the protrusion 7 is inserted into the opening 8, thereby fixing the control panel in the operating position, at which time the elastic member 5 disposed on the fastening member 4 at the side of the main body 20 abuts against a corresponding surface (not shown) on the side cover 1 of the electric cooker housing.

Fig. 3 shows the control panel body 20 in an inclined position with the clasp 6 mounted on the tab 3 of the bottom cover through the slot 11. From this tilted position, the control panel can thus be mounted in or removed from the operating position.

From the tilted position of the control panel shown in fig. 3, the control panel can also be fixed in a service position as shown in fig. 4.

In the service position in fig. 4, the control panel body 20 is suspended by means of its engagement of the opening in the lug 9 with the projection 3, the control panel body 20 being operatively connected to the components of the electric boiler by means of wires, such as cables (not shown) or wirelessly. The control panel is in such a position that it is convenient for after-sales maintenance personnel to monitor the display element and adjust parameters by means of the control element, and at the same time, to detect or operate components located inside the electric boiler.

The main body 20 of the control panel is integrally injection-molded with the fastening member 4, the elastic member 5, the retaining member 6, and the protrusion 7 and the lug 9.

The control panel main body 20 is provided with control and display elements, and electrical connectors for connecting with cables and electronic components. The tight connection between the control panel and the outer casing of the electric boiler is ensured by the cooperation between the fastening elements 4 and the surface of the side covers 1 of the outer casing, and the cooperation between the retaining elements 6 and the projections 7 thereof and the projections 3 and the openings 8 on the bottom cover of the outer casing.

The number of the fastening member 4 and the retaining member 6, and the projection 7 and the lug 9 are not limited to the examples described in the above embodiments, and it should be understood that the number of these components may be changed accordingly depending on different models of the control panel.

The solution of using a control panel with an integrated fastening means without the use of other fasteners and tools is applicable to any device with a detachably arranged control panel.

The advantage of this solution is a quick assembly during production and a quick disassembly during maintenance, and is also not economically negligible compared to other solutions requiring additional fasteners.

The technical solution optimizes the mounting of the control panel to the heating device housing, thus enabling a fast assembly in production and monitoring of the display information on the control panel during maintenance while detecting and operating other components inside the heating device.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative embodiments, and that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. Any reference sign in a claim should not be construed as limiting the claim concerned.

Furthermore, it should be understood that although the present description refers to embodiments, not every embodiment may contain only a single embodiment, and such description is for clarity only, and those skilled in the art should integrate the description, and the embodiments may be combined as appropriate to form other embodiments understood by those skilled in the art.

List of reference numerals:

1-side cover

2-bottom cover

3-projection

4-fastener

5-elastic member

6-clasping piece

7-projection

8-opening of pores

9-ear

10-baffle

11-slot

20-main body

Claims

1. A control panel is suitable for heating equipment, can be functionally connected to the equipment in a wired or wireless mode, and can be detachably fixed on a shell of the equipment mechanically; the method is characterized in that: the control panel has a body (20) on which fastening means are arranged, said fastening means comprising at least two fastening elements (4) provided with elastic elements (5), at least two clasps (6) provided with protrusions (7), a partition (10), a slot (11), and at least two lugs (9) provided with openings for suspension.

2. The control panel of claim 1, wherein: the main body (20) is integrally injection-molded with the fastener (4), the elastic piece (5), the buckling piece (6), the protrusion (7) and the lug (9).

3. The control panel of claim 1, wherein: the body (20) is provided with control and display elements operatively connectable to the device by wire or wirelessly; the bulge (7) arranged on the buckling piece (6) can be inserted into an opening (8) on the bottom cover (2) of the equipment shell; the partition (10) is arranged on the retainer (6) and can be pressed against the projection (3) of the bottom cover (2); the elastic piece (5) arranged on the fastening piece (4) is abutted against the side cover (1) of the equipment shell.

4. The control panel of claim 1, wherein: the body (20) is provided with control and display elements operatively connectable to the device by wire or wirelessly, and the lugs (9) can be hinged to projections (3) arranged on a bottom cover (2) of the device housing.