DE8805154U1 - Control element, especially for a timer - Google Patents

Description

HOEQER, T^B

PATENT ATTORNEYS UHUANÖSTRASSE 14 &ogr; ■ D 7000 STUTTGART 1 - 4 -

G 88 05 154.4 Applicant:

A 48 113 b Schröder-Apparate GmbH &dgr;

k - 189 Co KG

12 September 1988 Fälkenweg 3

7298 Lossbürg 1

Control element

The invention relates to an operating element, in particular for a timer, which can be mounted so as to be rotatable with respect to a fixed plate, in particular a front plate.

The control element according to the invention is intended, in conjunction with associated lighting devices, to serve in particular to display the angular position of a device actuated by the control element.

Operating arrangements with rotatable operating elements are known in a wide variety of designs for technical devices, whereby such operating arrangements often include lighting devices for the direct or indirect illumination of scales or display devices and signal lights for displaying certain switching states. The installation of suitable lighting devices as signal lights or for scale illumination often causes considerable difficulties in such devices if there is very little space available on the front panel of the device, as is the case with timers, for example, which are generally built very compactly and with the smallest possible external dimensions.

Based on the state of the art and the above-mentioned problem, the invention is based on the object of developing a control element of the type specified at the outset in such a way that

A 48 113 b

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12 September 1988

to improve/ that practically no additional space is required for the necessary lighting devices on the front surface of the device, which is usually formed by a fixed plate or a housing wall.

This object is achieved in a generic control element according to the invention in that the control element is designed as an at least partially transparent control element in such a way that light from a light source can be introduced into the control element and that it has a luminous surface that is visible when the control element is mounted as an exit surface for the introduced light*

It is a particular advantage that by using an at least partially transparent control element, light from a light source arranged inside the device can be transmitted through the control element into the plane of the fixed plate, in particular a front plate, so that no additional space is required there for lighting devices. In the simplest case, the visible light surface can therefore take on the function of a signal light, which indicates, for example, whether the device is switched on or not. However, according to the invention, a design is preferred in which the current angular position of the rotatable control element can also be displayed using the light surface. In order to achieve this, the transparent control element can be provided, for example in its area visible from the outside, with an opaque coating in which only a radial opening is provided as a light surface, from which the

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14 April 198Ö

Light emerges and thus indicates the angular position/ especially in relation to a scale on the front plate.

However, it has proven particularly advantageous if the illuminated surface is a screen surface running transversely to the axis of rotation of the operating element, i.e. a front surface running parallel to the axis of rotation, which in this case can be provided with a suitable marking to indicate the angular position.

Furthermore, it has proven to be advantageous if the light source is coupled to an inner face of the control element opposite the luminous surface, since the light source can then be arranged behind the inner end of the rotatable element to save space.

In order to ensure a precise mutual alignment of the inner end face and the light source in this case, according to a first advantageous variant of the invention, it is possible to design the light source in such a way that it surrounds the end of the operating element having the inner end face in a cap-like manner. According to another advantageous variant, however, the light source can also have a pin-shaped part that is inserted into an axial bore in the inner end face of the operating element, whereby in both cases an advantageous centering of the light source with respect to the axis of rotation of the operating element can be achieved.

If necessary, in the embodiment of the invention, it is possible to integrate the light source, for example in the form of a light-emitting diode, directly into an inner part of the control element, for example by casting it in, whereby the energy supply to the light source in the simplest case

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April 14, 1988

via flexible supply lines located in the area of the rotation axis or, in the case of frequently operated control elements where this design could lead to a conductor breakage, via a corresponding slip ring arrangement .

It has also proven advantageous in an embodiment of the invention if at least one of the front surfaces of the operating element is structured in a lens-like manner or as a light-scattering surface in order to bundle the incoming or outgoing light as well as possible or to scatter it evenly over a larger illuminated area, depending on the respective requirements.

Furthermore, it has proven to be advantageous if the light source and/or the control element comprise interacting aperture devices through which the light introduced into the control element can be varied depending on the angle of rotation, whereby according to a first variant the amount of light introduced into the control element can be changed depending on the angle of rotation, while according to a second variant the aperture devices comprise differently colored areas with the help of which the color of the light emerging from the luminous surface can be changed depending on the angle of rotation. The two variants can also be combined with one another so that the brightness and/or the color of the luminous surface signal the current angular position of the rotatable control element.

According to a particularly simple solution according to the invention

allows the angular position of the control element to be in position I

an operating slot provided in the illuminated area J

recognize/ as for example £üif the setting of a |

Potentiometers are provided* F"erneii can 2Ulf display the |

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12 September 1988

A raised or recessed position arrow must be provided on the illuminated surface to indicate the angular position, which is particularly important if the control element can be rotated over an angle of more than 180° - but less than 360°.

Furthermore, in an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a correspondingly shaped, translucent control knob can also be used at the front or outer end of the control element to display the angular position of the same.

Further details and advantages of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. They show:

Fig. 1 schematic side views of various bebis 4

preferred embodiments of control elements

according to the invention in the assembled state;

Fig. 5 a cross-sectional views of different ^embodiments of an end region of an operating element as well as a front view of the operating element (Fig. 5d) and

Fig. 6 ä schematic representations of three different ^{1S c} variants of aperture devices of an operating element according to the invention.

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In detail, Fig. 1 shows a side view of an operating arrangement with a rotatable operating element 10, which represents the rotatable hub part of a potentiometer, the fixed part 12 of which is mechanically and electrically connected to a circuit board 16 via electrical connections 14. According to the invention, the operating element 10 consists of a transparent material, in particular a suitable transparent plastic, and has an inner end with an inner end face 10a and an outer end with an outer end face 10b, which is visible to an observer from the outside in the area of an opening 20 of a fixed front plate 22. According to the invention, a light-emitting diode 24 is arranged adjacent to the inner end face 10a of the operating element *0, which is mechanically and electrically connected to the circuit board 16 via electrical connections 26.

A portion of the light generated by the light-emitting diode 24 serving as the light source enters the transparent control element 10 at the inner end face 10a, which acts as a light guide, from which practically no light emerges in the radial direction due to the different refractive indices of the transparent material and the atmosphere surrounding the control element 10, so that the entire amount of light fed in leaves the control element 10 at its front end face 10b, which serves as the luminous surface.

If no special provisions are made to produce an angular position indication, the LED 24 simply serves as a signal lamp, which, however, due to the presence of a transparent control element, can be arranged inside the device and does not have to be arranged directly behind the front face 22, where

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there is not enough space to install an additional signal light.

The embodiment according to Fig. 2 differs from that according to Fig. 1 essentially in that the light-emitting diode serving as a light source engages in a cone-shaped hole at the inner end of the control element 10, which ensures that the light source is precisely centered relative to the control element. In addition, a slot 10c is indicated in the front face 10b of the control element 10, which can be used, for example, to insert a screwdriver to adjust the potentiometer 10, 12 and at the same time to display the angular position of the potentiometer. A marking, in particular an arrow-like marking, can be provided at one end of the slot 10c, which enables angular positions to be read over an angle of more than 180°. It has been shown that the position of the slot 10c in the brightly lit front face 10b of the operating element 10 can be easily recognized without special precautions, although additional special measures can be taken to improve the easy recognizability of the position of the slot, such as painting the bottom of the slot 10c with an opaque paint.

In the further embodiment according to Fig. 3, the light source or the light-emitting diode 24 is designed such that it encloses the inner end of the operating element 10 in a cap-like manner, whereby on the one hand the above-mentioned centering effect is achieved, while on the other hand the amount

of the light emitted into the environment, for example

by painting the outer surface of the LED 24 with

t< an opaque shop can be significantly reduced

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which can be important in cases where several illuminated, transparent control elements are located relatively close together, so that unwanted scattered light can reach a neighboring control element and cause the luminous surface of the same to light up*

In the embodiment according to Fig. 4, which otherwise largely corresponds to the embodiments described above, the light-emitting diode 24 is arranged adjacent to a collar of the operating element 10, so that the light is introduced radially into the operating element 10. This enables a shorter overall length of the arrangement.

As Fig. 5 shows, there are different possibilities for the design of the ends or each of the front surfaces of the operating element 10. For example, the ends 10a, 10b of the operating element according to Fig. 5a can be in the form of convex lens surfaces .

f Or, as shown in Fig. 5b, they can be designed in the form of concave lens surfaces in order to bundle or scatter the incoming or outgoing light according to the respective requirements. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 5c - longitudinal section through the control element 10 - and 5d - front view of the control element 10 - it is possible to design one or both front surfaces as structured light scattering surfaces, in particular with a waffle-shaped pattern, whereby this variant has the advantage that an increase in surface area is achieved for the incoming and outgoing light. In addition, using a waffle-shaped front surface results in better internal mirroring.

While in the above-described embodiments according to Fig. 1 to 5 it was assumed that the light entering the control element 10 with respect to

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The amount of light and, if applicable, color of light is independent of the angle of rotation of the operating element, Fig. ₄ 6a to c show, by way of example, various variants of how the light entering the operating element 10, and thus of course also the light emerging from the illuminated surface, can be varied depending on the angle of rotation. In detail, Fig. 6a shows a front view of an operating element 10 which is provided with aperture devices in the form of a characteristically designed opaque coating 1Od. If, in this configuration, the center Z of the light source is offset in the radial direction relative to the axis of rotation of the operating element 10, the amount of light fed into the operating element 10 changes depending on the angle of rotation of the operating element 10 in accordance with the continuously changing width of the translucent region 1Oe remaining outside the coated region 1Od. The area in which the light exits the light source must be limited, if necessary by means of an aperture, to the maximum possible width of the light-transmitting area 1Oe.

The situation is similar to the embodiment according to Fig. 6a in the embodiment according to Fig. 6b, where the light entry surface 1Of is defined by a specially shaped projection on the front surface of the transparent control element 10*

In the embodiment according to Fig. 6c, the front surface of the operating element 10 facing the light source is divided into four 90° sectors 1, 2, 3, 4, which can be colored differently with transparent color layers, for example red, green, yellow and blue, so that the color of the

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*The light emerging from the front face or the luminous surface indicates the sector which is directly opposite the light source and thus provides an indication of the angular position. It is understood that even in the embodiment according to Fig. 6c the limited area of the light emerging from the light source must be offset radially relative to the axis of rotation D of the control element.

From the above description it is clear that according to the invention, by using a rotatable transparent control element with a single light source arranged inside a device, both the function of a signal light and, if necessary simultaneously, the function of a rotation angle indicator can be realized. It goes without saying that numerous other embodiments are possible in addition to the examples explained. This applies in particular to the design of the luminous surface, but also to the design of the aperture device, for which only three embodiments were explained in Fig. 6. For example, it is possible to color the light entry surface 1Of differently in sections in the embodiment according to Fig. 6b, so that not only the brightness of the opposite luminous surface, but also the color of the light emerging from it gives an indication of the angular position of the control element. Furthermore, the invention is in no way limited to using a transparent, rotatable control element for potentiometers, as was explained using the exemplary embodiments." Rather, the invention can be used for all rotatable control elements of a technical device, for example to display the angular position of a rotary valve or the position of a rotatable locking element. _ 14 _

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Finally, it should be pointed out that the invention can be implemented specifically in connection with commercially available potentiometers in which the rotating part with the potentiometer tap is designed as a hub element with a prepared central opening into which an operating element is inserted for the respective device, since in this case no changes to the potentiometer itself are required, but only a suitably designed transparent operating element must be used. In addition, the variants according to Fig. 1 to 3 in particular offer an advantageous possibility for complying with the VDE regulations, which stipulate that current-carrying conductors should be at a distance of 8 mm from the housing - in this case from the front panel. This requirement can be easily met if the light emerging from the light source 24 is guided via the transparent operating element 10 into the area of the opening in the fixed plate 22.

Claims (1)

HOEGER ₁ STE-LLREGHIT- ¹ A-PARTNER &rgr;&Kgr;'&tgr;&egr;"&ngr;&tgr;*&Aacgr;"&ngr;w'ältV"' UHLANDSTRASSE 14-c-D 7000 STUTTGART 1 G 88 05 154.4 Applicant: A 48 113 b Schröder-Apparate GmbH & Co KG k - 189 Falkenweg 3 12 September 1988 7298 Lossburg 1 Expectations .^Control element, in particular for a timer, which can be mounted so as to be rotatable with respect to a fixed plate, in particular a front plate, characterized in that it is designed as an at least partially transparent control element (10) such that light from a light source (24) can be introduced into the control element (10) and that it has a luminous surface (10b) visible when the control element (10) is mounted as an exit surface for the introduced light. 2. Control element according to claim 1, characterized in that the luminous surface (10b) is an outer end surface extending transversely to the axis of rotation (D) of the control element (10). 3. Control element according to claim 2, characterized in that it has an inner end face (10a) opposite the luminous surface (10b), which is surrounded in a cap-like manner by a light source (24). 4. Control element according to claim 2, characterized in that it has an inner end face (10a) opposite the luminous surface (10b), in which an axial bore is provided into which a pin-shaped part of a light source (24) is inserted. - 2 _i n ti ttt*
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I · * 1 * * 1 « « t A 48 113 b k - 189 - 2 - 12 September 1938 5. Control element according to claim 2, characterized in that it has an inner end face (10a) opposite the luminous surface (10b) and that at least one of the end faces (10a, 10b) is lens-shaped. 6. Control element according to claim 2, characterized in that it has an inner end face (10a) opposite the luminous surface (10b) and that at least one of the end faces (10a, 10b) is structured as a light scattering surface. 7. Control element according to claim 1, characterized in that the control element itself and/or the associated light source (24) comprise aperture devices (1 to 4, 10e, 10f) by means of which the light introduced into the control element can be varied depending on the angle of rotation. 8. Control element according to claim 7, characterized in that the diaphragm devices (10e, 10f) are designed such that the amount of light introduced into the control element (10) can be changed depending on the angle of rotation. 9. Control element according to one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the luminous surface (10b) is provided with a diagonally extending slot (10c). 10. Control element according to one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the luminous surface (10b) is provided with a raised position arrow running in the radial direction. * * I t · 4 ti «« it ti ti <· > i t t » till t «««»It I i«i » i <( < r » Si et«?! 14 1 t it ti It H A 48 113 b k - 189 - 3 - 12, September 1988 * Control element according to one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the luminous surface (1Öb) is provided with a position arrow running in the radial direction/recessed* 12* Control element according to claim 1/ characterized in that it is provided with a transparent control knob designed as a position arrow» 13. Control element according to claim 7, characterized in that the aperture devices comprise differently colored areas (1 to 4)> with the aid of which the color of the light emerging from the luminous surface (10b) can be changed depending on the angle of rotation.