EP1703011B1 - Household appliance - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a household appliance according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a household machine is off WO 03/071021 A1 known.

Aperture arrangements for household machines in the form of washing machines and dryers are also known from the DE 196 51 821 A1 or the DE 198 12 334 A1 ,

With this type of household machines one differentiates generally between top loaders and front loaders. Front loaders are sold both as single units and as underbody devices. The front loaders have on their front an opening for loading a drum. Furthermore, a generic panel arrangement is provided on the front of such household machines above the loading opening. At the diaphragm arrangement, the display and / or operating means for adjusting machine functions, such as program selection, temperature, spin speed, etc. are provided. Furthermore, the diaphragm arrangement usually has display elements which may consist of simple control lamps or may be formed by digital displays or the like.

Furthermore, at least in washing machines and tumble driers usually a functional container is integrated into the panel arrangement. In washing machines, the functional container is used for filling detergent, softener, etc. and is usually designed like a drawer. For condensate dryers the functional container is designed as a collecting container for the condensation formed during drying of the laundry.

As a rule, the functional container has a front which is adapted to the design of the panel on which the display and control means are provided.

For some years there has been a trend towards a standardization of the technology of household appliances. These differ, depending on the brand and model, essentially only by the appearance, in particular by the number of display and control means or the extended functionality.

Inside, however, these home appliances are largely unified. For example, home appliances of different brands can have the same circuit board inside, for example. Only the shape of the switches is different.

The aperture used in the aperture arrangement extends generally over the entire width of the machine. In the area in which the functional container is inserted, the diaphragm has an integrally formed frame section. The panel is usually made of a high-quality plastic (eg ABS) by injection molding. The printed circuit board on which in addition to the control electronics usually the entire power electronics for operating the household machines is present, is fixed to the back of the panel, usually by snap-in connections (plastic clip connections).

The aim is to produce only one injection molding tool for all models of a brand. The different number of display and control elements is accommodated after the production of the panels by the provision of openings. However, in order to realize the plurality of different display and Bedienmittelzusammenstellungen by means of a single panel, the back is usually provided with a plurality of projections and anchors, where they can be determined depending on the model.

The printed circuit board with the control and power electronics has such a layout that the display and control means are provided directly thereto. In other words, the relative position of the various display and control means is predetermined by the layout of the printed circuit board.

If the display and control means are to be converted to other types, the printed circuit board must be completely re-routed. Furthermore, experience shows that, despite careful planning ahead of time, even after the start of production, there are still changes and the need for further modifications (for example in the form of further models) due to marketing requirements. As a result, the complexity of the circuit board and of course the complexity of the injection molding tool for the aperture is significantly increased. In many cases, additional tools need to be created.

Since the panel extends over the entire width of the household machine and also in the region of the frame portion which surrounds the functional container, must be made relatively stiff, a comparatively large amount of expensive plastic material is needed for the panel.

From the document DE 34 04 256 A is a household appliance with a diaphragm arrangement known, wherein a display and / or control panel is mounted independently of the arranged inside the household appliance control device.

The document DE 91 06 601 U refers to a household appliance with a diaphragm assembly, the display and / or operating means, which are arranged independently of the arranged inside the household machine control.

Further, the document discloses DE 41 39 588 A a household machine with a plurality of mounting groups, wherein the program control device is mounted on the front wall group.

The aforementioned WO 03/071021 Al shows a lid for a household appliance, in which the aperture and the electronics are integrated. It is thereby possible to shift the control panel from the front of the household appliance to the front part of the frame of the lid. This will allow the control panel to be positioned higher, and a user will have to bend down less when operating.

DE 102 00 317 A1 shows an operating and electronic module of a household electrical appliance. The module consists of a control panel with controls and a printed circuit board with control electronics on a back of the control panel. It is envisaged that the circuit board between a front cover and a rear cover is encapsulated, each made of plastic.

EP 0 943 721 shows a front loadable laundry treatment machine, in the side two substantially L-shaped strips connect the front corner of the bottom part with the upper corner of the rear wall and between the strips in the region of their angled acting as a support for the control panel Traverse is located. So should be made possible with great stability and resilience a variant formation by housing surfaces and / or inclination of the control panel at a very late stage of the manufacturing process.

Against the above background, it is the object of the present invention to provide an improved aperture assembly for a home appliance.

This object is achieved by a household appliance according to claim 1.

In this case, it is possible to use the carrier for other functions, for example, to stabilize the housing of the appliance.

The storage of the circuit board to the carrier allows a further standardization of household appliances by the uniformly provided for different models / brands printed circuit boards are no longer stored on the back of the panel, but on a separately provided therefrom carrier. As a result, the complexity of the tool for producing the diaphragm can be significantly reduced.

The measures according to the invention also achieve a significantly higher flexibility in the design of the user interface. Since the storage of the display and / or operating means can be independent of the layout of the circuit board, a change of the user interface is possible even during a running series. The layout of the PCB can remain unchanged.

Since the display and / or operating means are not provided directly on the circuit board, their arrangement over the surface of the panel is almost arbitrary. Therefore, the circuit board can be uniformly formed even with a large number of variations, for different models of a brand and even for different brands. In this way, despite the individual storage of the display and / or operating means on the panel, the cost can be reduced.

In addition, additional buyer potential results from greater design freedom. For variants and product upgrades, shorter development times can be achieved.

The connection between the display and / or operating means and the circuit board can be done individually via flexible individual leads. Alternatively, it is also possible to produce a cable harness, the various display and / or Operating means linked together. The connection of the cable harness with the circuit board can be done either directly. However, it is generally also conceivable to provide one of the display and / or operating means as a "coupling means" between the printed circuit board and the various display and / or operating means and possibly rigidly fixed to the circuit board.

It is crucial that not all, but still a vast number of display and / or operating means are essentially independent of the layout of the circuit board on the panel storable.

The fact that the carrier is attached to a portion of a front wall of the appliance, the carrier can be fixed to a simple way. On the other hand, he can contribute in this embodiment, in particular to increase the strength or rigidity of the housing of the appliance.

It is particularly advantageous if at least some of the display and / or operating means are individually connected to the circuit board.

This results in a high degree of flexibility, even during final assembly.

According to a further embodiment, the flexible leads of the individually connected display and / or operating means are combined to form a cable harness.

Such a cable harness can be prefabricated, so that the final assembly can be realized inexpensively despite the flexible user interface.

According to a further alternative embodiment, at least some of the display and / or operating means are provided with a bus interface and are connected via a bus to the circuit board.

As a result, the total wiring costs can be reduced. However, the complexity increases per display and / or operating unit due to the necessarily existing bus interfaces.

It is particularly advantageous if the carrier is hung on the front wall portion by means of hooks.

In this way can be dispensed with expensive screw. The assembly is simplified.

It is particularly advantageous when the circuit board is mounted on the carrier so that it faces the back of the panel.

This results in short cabling paths.

It is particularly preferable if the carrier has a holding section for storing the printed circuit board and a container receiving section for receiving a function relevant to the function of the household appliance functional container.

In this embodiment, the carrier also takes over the function of storage of the functional container (for example, a detergent container or a condensate container) in addition to the storage of the circuit board.

As a result, the number of parts of the unified home appliance can be further reduced.

It is particularly preferred if the carrier, which has the holding portion and the container receiving portion, is integrally formed.

This leads to a simple production of the carrier and to a further reduction in the number of parts.

According to a further preferred embodiment, a lid is provided on the container receiving portion, which has a fluid connection for supplying fluid into the functional container.

The lid can therefore be designed for a washing machine, for example, for flushing in water. In a tumble dryer, the lid may be configured to transfer condensed water into the functional container.

In particular, in the function of the flushing of water due to different programs a relatively complex Structure of the lid is required, it makes sense to form this separately from the carrier.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the container receiving portion of the carrier has a frame portion, through which the functional container is inserted from the outside and which is visible from the outside when removed from the functional container on the appliance.

As a result, the carrier over the prior art takes over the task of guiding the functional container into the container receiving portion. A frame section used for this purpose is therefore no longer required on the panel itself.

This results in cost advantages, since the carrier can be made of a less expensive material than the diaphragm.

Since the frame section is usually covered anyway by a front of the functional container, which has a similar surface or surface quality as the diaphragm, the value impression is not thereby reduced.

It is therefore of particular advantage if the diaphragm is arranged laterally adjacent to the frame section.

In this embodiment, the diaphragm may be formed without a frame portion. This results in a lower material cost. Furthermore, the aperture can due to the lower strength requirements and the smaller total area be formed overall with a thinner material thickness.

In contrast to prior art screens, the bezel according to this embodiment no longer extends over the entire width of the household machine.

According to an overall further preferred embodiment, the diaphragm is fixed to the carrier.

This gives the wearer yet another function. Furthermore, the aperture on the carrier can be set comparatively easily, for example by a latching connection.

It is particularly advantageous, however, if the panel is fixed by means of a fastening element on the carrier, which is attached to the panel laterally in the region of the frame portion of the carrier.

Consequently, the fastener is not visible in the front view of the appliance. Only with removed functional container can be accessed on the fastener to remove the panel.

According to a further overall preferred embodiment, the carrier in the region of the mounting of the printed circuit board has an opening for the passage of a cable strand.

According to a further overall preferred embodiment, a controller, in particular a water level controller of the household machine is fixed to the carrier.

Overall, it is thus achieved that the carrier becomes the "central" attachment element for all essential functional components of the domestic appliance, apart from those whose position can not be due to function in the upper range of the domestic appliance (such as the pump, the drive motor, etc.).

According to a further preferred embodiment, the carrier is made of plastic, in particular as a one-piece component.

Preferably, the carrier is made by injection molding from a relatively inexpensive, stable plastic (e.g., PP). Since the carrier is located inside the appliance, its surface finish is of secondary importance.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the panel is box-shaped with a front and a circumferential rim portion.

As a result of this design, which is simple in comparison with the prior art, the panel can be formed cost-effectively and with a low material thickness. The openings for the storage of the various display and / or operating means can be prepared after the molding, for example by punching, by water jet cutting or the like.

It is understood that the features mentioned above and those yet to be explained not only in the combination given, but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische/schematische Ansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Haushaltsmaschine;

Fig. 2

eine Querschnittsansicht durch eine erfindungsgemäße Haushaltsmaschine im Bereich der Blendenanordnung;

Fig. 3

eine perspektivische/schematische Explosionsdarstellung einer erfindungsgemäßen Blendenanordnung; und

Fig. 4

eine Schnittansicht entlang der Linie IV-V in Fig. 3.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and are explained in more detail in the following description. Show it:

Fig. 1

a perspective / schematic view of a household appliance according to the invention;

Fig. 2

a cross-sectional view through a household appliance according to the invention in the region of the diaphragm arrangement;

Fig. 3

a perspective / schematic exploded view of a diaphragm arrangement according to the invention; and

Fig. 4

a sectional view taken along the line IV-V in Fig. 3 ,

In Fig. 1 a household appliance according to the invention is generally designated 10.

The household machine 10 is designed as a washing machine in front loader design. The household machine 10 has a front wall 12 and two side walls 14, 15, and a lid 16. When the lid 16 is removed, the household machine 10 can also be used as a substructure machine.

At the front of the household machine 10, an aperture arrangement 20 according to the invention is provided above the front wall. The panel assembly 20 extends over the entire width of the household machine 10 and is between the lid sixteenth and the front wall 12 is arranged. The diaphragm assembly 20 has a shutter 21 which is disposed adjacent to the side wall 14. At the aperture 21, a plurality of display and control means 22 is mounted. The display and control means 22 include a program knob 24, two speed selector buttons 26, option button 28 and a plurality of display LEDs.

The diaphragm assembly 20 further includes a functional container 32 in the form of a detergent drawer. The functional container 32 is disposed between the opposite side wall 15 and the panel 21 and is by means of a handle 34 in the household machine 10 into and out of this pushed out.

The panel 21 extends in the household appliance 10 according to the invention only between the side wall 14 and the functional container 32. The display and control means 22 mounted thereon can be fixed independently of the layout of a printed circuit board 10 mounted inside the domestic appliance.

Fig. 2 FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the household appliance 10 according to the invention in the region of the panel arrangement 20 in a schematic view.

Within the household machine 10, a carrier 40 is mounted directly behind the panel 21. The carrier 40 extends between the two side walls 14, 15 and has a holding portion 44 and a container receiving portion 42.

The holding portion 44 is disposed immediately behind the diaphragm 21 and aligned approximately parallel to this.

The container receiving portion 42 is disposed adjacent to the side wall 15 and is configured to receive a container body 46 of a functional container 32. At the front of the functional container 32, a container front 48 is provided, which can be latched for example on the container body 46.

The container front 48 is usually formed from the same material as the diaphragm 21 and forms together with this a continuous user interface.

The diaphragm 21 has an aperture front 50 aligned with the container front 48, whose rear side 51 is directed into the interior of the household appliance 10. A largely circumferential rim portion 52 extends from the front panel 50 to the rear, so that the diaphragm 21 has a total of a simple, about box-like or tray-like shape.

The diaphragm 21 is fixed to the carrier 40 by means of the rim section 52. Adjacent to the side wall 14, the fixing is effected by a latching connection 54. Alternatively, the ring portion 52 engages behind the carrier 40 in this area, without achieving a latching function.

On the opposite side, adjacent to the functional container 32, the diaphragm 21 is fixed by means of a screw 56 to the carrier 40. The screw 56 includes a screw 57 which passes through the rim portion 52 and the carrier 40 from the side. Thus, the screw 56 is when the functional container 32 in the Container receiving portion 42 is inserted, not visible from the outside.

On the support 40, a circuit board 60 is further defined, which includes the control electronics and preferably also the power electronics of the household appliance 10.

The circuit board 60 is fixed to the carrier 40 so as to oppose the back 51 of the panel 21.

The display and control means 22 each have elements which are accessible from the front of the aperture 21. Furthermore, the display and control means each base body, which lie behind the aperture 21. These basic bodies may contain, for example, basic functions of the respective display and control means (such as potentiometers, LEDs, etc.). It is understood, however, that the basic body only have the basic functions required for the respective display and operating means 22. The actual intelligence, which controls the respective display and control means 22, however, is anchored in the control electronics of the printed circuit board 60.

Therefore, the display and operating means 22 are connected to the circuit board 60.

For reasons of a clearer presentation, the display and control means 22 of Fig. 2 only connected via a flexible line 62 to the circuit board 60. In general, however, this is a cable harness that branches to the individual display and control means 22. This is in Fig. 2 also shown in simplified form, by Ver-connection lines 70 between the individual display and control means 22.

Alternatively, it is also possible to connect individual display and control means 22 directly to the circuit board 60, as shown by dashed lines at 70a.

Due to the concept of providing the display and control means 22 separately from the printed circuit board 60, the display and control means can be arranged and distributed almost arbitrarily on the base of the aperture 21. This results in a higher degree of freedom with regard to the user interface design.

Furthermore, this makes it possible to produce a wider variety of user interfaces, although the underlying control and power electronics (and other parts) of the home appliance 10 may be identical for different models and also different brands.

It is understood that the individual display and control means 22 can also be connected to the circuit board 60, for example by means of a bus connection.

In the carrier 40, an opening 66 is provided through which a cable harness 64 is guided. The wire harness 64 departs from the circuit board 60 and branches to the various components of the household appliance, such as pump, drum drive motor, sensors, etc.

On the carrier 40, more precisely on a rear side of the carrier 40, a water level controller 68 is further defined. This is also connected to the cable harness 64. Furthermore, 40 further control and functional elements can be defined on the carrier, for example a drum lighting or a holder with a door lock.

Since the display and control means 22 can be arranged variably, the printed circuit board 60 can be designed to be substantially identical for the different types of washing machines. The range of functions, which differs from type to type, can be implemented, for example, by switching means on the printed circuit board 60 (DIP switches) or by software solutions in microcontrollers which are provided on the printed circuit board 60.

In Fig. 2 It is further shown how the carrier 40 can be fastened in a simple manner to the housing of the household appliance 10. In Fig. 2 In section, a portion 74 of the front wall 12 is shown. The front wall portion 74 is opposite to in FIG Fig. 1 shown front wall just set back, which can be done in a simple manner by bending the front panel.

However, the front wall portion 74 extends approximately parallel to the front wall 12. At the back of the carrier 40 two or more hooks 72 are integrally formed. The hooks 72 are suspended in unspecified openings or on an upper edge of the front wall portion 74. Consequently, the carrier 40 can be fixed to the housing of the household machine 10 without the need for expensive screw connections. The assembly is significantly simplified.

In Fig. 3 an exploded view of another panel arrangement 20 according to the invention is shown.

In the Fig. 3 shown aperture assembly 20 corresponds in its general structure and its general operation of the diaphragm assembly 20 of Fig. 2 , The same elements are therefore designated by the same reference numerals.

In the following, only differences or those aspects of the diaphragm arrangement 20 which are described in FIG Fig. 2 are not shown.

So is in Fig. 3 it can be seen that the container receiving portion 42 has on its front side a frame portion 80 through which the functional container 32 (in FIG Fig. 3 not shown) is insertable.

The frame portion 80 can be seen from the outside with the functional container 32 removed from the machine. Therefore, the frame portion 80 is preferably formed particularly smooth surface and, if necessary, still reworked to provide a better surface.

In general, however, the carrier 40 is made of a low-cost plastic such as PP, in one piece in a plastic injection molding process or the like.

In contrast, the bezel 21 (and the container front 48) is made of a high quality plastic such as ABS to provide a high quality user interface.

In Fig. 3 It can also be seen that the container receiving portion 42 is preferably open towards the top.

On the container receiving portion 42, a lid 82 is placed, which is made separately from the carrier 40.

The lid 82 may be formed as a flushing unit and equipped for this purpose with a fluid port 84 for supplying water.

Since the introduced into the functional container 32 detergent (in the case of a washing machine) must be flushed by water in the wash water, the lid 82 is adapted to flush through the fluid port 84 in the upwardly open functional container 32 water. It is understood that in this case, if necessary, several chambers of the functional container must be rinsed. However, this is basically known in the prior art and will not be described in detail here.

In the event that the household appliance 10 is a tumble dryer, condensation water can be supplied via the fluid connection 84, which is then introduced into the closed functional container 32 in order to collect the condensed water.

In Fig. 3 It can also be seen that a forwardly projecting strut of the carrier 40 is provided with a hole 86 for receiving the screw 57. In a corresponding manner, a corresponding hole 87 is provided on the rim section 52 of the diaphragm 21.

The printed circuit board 60 is provided with a plurality of locking lugs 90 which engage in corresponding latching receptacles 88 of the carrier 40.

Thus, the assembly can be realized both on the circuit board 60 and the aperture 21 on the carrier 40 in a simple and thus cost-saving manner. Also, the lid 82 is preferably clipped by means not described detent lugs on the container receiving portion 42. The carrier 40 may be further attached to the sidewalls 14, 15 (not shown) or may be secured to another housing strut. Furthermore, the carrier 40 can also assume a stiffening function for the housing of the household appliance 10.

In Fig. 4 Furthermore, a sectional view along a plane perpendicular to the front side of the carrier 40 is shown in schematic form. It can be seen that two hooks 72 arranged one above the other are formed on the rear side of the carrier 40 in the region of the frame section 80. Corresponding hooks 72 are provided on the opposite side adjacent to the side wall 14.

The front wall portion 74 is in Fig. 4 also shown. It can be seen that the carrier 40 is suspended in the front wall section 74. Consequently, can be dispensed with a costly screw assembly.

Overall, with the household appliance according to the invention or the panel arrangement according to the invention, the highest flexibility in the design of the user interface, even during the series.

It can be a common platform in the form of the carrier and the circuit board realize, from low-end to high-end devices.

Furthermore, a large number of variants can be created.

This results in the shortest delivery times, by variant formation in the final assembly.

Function modules can be used to reduce costs.

Due to the higher variability of the arrangement of the display and control means results in a greater latitude for the design. Also, new technologies can be easily integrated.

In general, a larger range of functions is shifted from the aperture 21 to the carrier 40 compared to conventional devices. As a result, the panel itself can be made simpler and thus cheaper. The aperture can be made in a tool with a largely continuous front panel. The openings for receiving the various display and control means can be subsequently introduced (for example by punching, by water jet cutting, or the like).

Thus, the aperture 21 basically takes only control and display functions. All other functional areas are shifted to the carrier.

The operating and display means 22 can be realized in any technology, for example as standard buttons or touch-control buttons. The display means may be light-emitting diodes, 7-segment displays, LCD modules, organic LED displays or the like.

In general, the leads 60, 70 from the display and control means 22 to the printed circuit board 60 include only signal lines.

However, it is also possible to provide a separate power line (as shown at 70a) to incorporate into the knob 24 an on / off function.

The aperture 21 can be made with a reduced wall thickness. As a result of the reduced area compared with the prior art, the overall costs for the diaphragm 21 are significantly lower.

Claims (10)

1. Household appliance (10), with a panel arrangement (20) comprising a panel (21) which is attachable to the household appliance (10) and visible from the outside, display and/or user control means (22) that are arranged at the panel (21) and a printed circuit board (60) comprising control electronics, and optionally power electronics, to be arranged on the inside of the household appliance (10), wherein the display and/or user control means (22) are connected to the printed circuit board (60), wherein at least some of the display and/or user control means (22) are arranged at the panel (21) in a manner substantially independent from the layout of the printed circuit board (60) and which are connected to the printed circuit board (60) by at least one flexible conductor (62), and wherein the printed circuit board (60) is arranged at a support which is separate from the panel (21) wherein the support (40) extends over the full width of the household appliance (10),
   characterized in that
   the support (40) is arranged on the inside of the household appliance (10) and is arranged at a section (74) of a front wall (12) of the household appliance (10) and that the printed circuit board (60) is arranged between the panel (21) and the support (40).
2. Household appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that at least some of the display and/or user control means are each separately connected to the printed circuit board.
3. Household appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that the flexible conductors (70) of the individually connected display and/or user control means are combined into a cable arrangement (62).
4. Household appliance according to any preceding claim, characterized in that at least some of the display and/or user control means comprise a bus interface and are connected to the printed circuit board by a bus.
5. Household appliance according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the support (40) is arranged at the section (74) of the front wall by hooks (72).
6. Household appliance (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the support (40) has a holding section (44) to arrange the printed circuit board (60) and a container receiving section (42) for receiving a functional container (32) which is relevant for the function of the household appliance (10).
7. Household appliance according to claim 6, characterized in that the support (40) is embodied integrally with the holding section (44) and the container receiving section (42).
8. Household appliance according to claim 7, characterized in that the container receiving section (42) comprises a lid (82) which comprises a fluid connector (84) for feeding a fluid into the functional container (32).
9. Household appliance according to any of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the container receiving section (42) has a frame section (80), wherein the functional container (42) is capable of being inserted through the frame section from the outside and wherein the frame section is visible on the household appliance from the outside if the functional container is removed.
10. Household appliance according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the support (40) is made of plastic, and preferably made integrally.

Images