EP3367870B1

EP3367870B1 - A household appliance with an operation indicator

Info

Publication number: EP3367870B1
Application number: EP16805506.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Karl Anders SAHLÉN; Lena Margareta BENGTSSON; Mats Bengt ÖRJAN LILJA; Jan Magnus ARVIDSSON
Original assignee: Gorenje gospodinjski aparati dd
Current assignee: Gorenje gospodinjski aparati dd
Priority date: 2015-10-27
Filing date: 2016-10-24
Publication date: 2020-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 2036-10-24
Also published as: EP3367870A1; WO2017072642A1; SI25085A

Description

The present invention refers to a household appliance, preferably to a dish washing machine, and more preferably to a built-in dish washing machine comprising a pivotable door having a decorative front panel, said door comprising an operation indicator having at least one light source and at least one receiving optical means that redirects a light beam from said light source to the front of the dish washing machine.
A household appliance, preferably a dish washing machine, and more preferably a built-in dish washing machine comprising a pivotable door having a decorative front panel, said door comprising an operation indicator having at least one light source and at least one receiving optical means that redirects a light beam from said light source to the front of the dish washing machine has been disclosed by EP 1 702 551 A1 and DE 10 2011 075095 . Said known solutions, however, can be used only with the closed door of the dish washing machine and, respectively, with the door of the dish washing machine provided with a fixed decorative front panel which is pivotable together with the door relative to the dish washing machine.
It is the object of the present invention to create a household appliance, preferably a dish washing machine, and more preferably a built-in dish washing machine comprising a pivotable door, which remedies drawbacks of the know solutions.
It is provided for according to the present invention, that an operation indicator comprises a light source fixed inside a door of a household appliance, said light source emitting a light beam to a receiving optical means arranged at the lower edge of a decorative front panel. Said receiving optical means redirects by means of slanted facets a light beam to the front of the decorative front panel visible to the user. The operation indicator according to the invention enables a variable distance between the light source and the receiving optical means, without said variable distance to affect the operation indicator in any way, whereby the connection between the light source and the receiving optical means is provided without any wiring and, respectively, a physical contact.
The operation indicator according to the present invention is particularly suitable for the use with the door of a household appliance equipped with a decorative front panel which when opening the door moves alongside thereof.
The invention is further described in detail on the basis of the non-limiting preferred embodiment, and with a reference to the accompanying drawings, where

Fig. 1: shows a schematic three-dimensional view of a dish washing machine according to the invention,
Fig. 2: shows a dish washing machine of Fig. 1 with partially open door,
Fig. 3: shows a schematic three-dimensional view of an operation indicator,
Fig. 4: shows a schematic three-dimensional exploded view of a light source.

A household appliance 1, preferably a dish washing machine, and more preferably a built-in dish washing machine 1 to be integrated below a working top 2 comprises a load opening 3 that can be closed by a door 4. Said door 4 is pivotable at the upper edge of a base 5 of the dish washing machine 1 resulting in the door 4 to swing about the horizontal axes at the distance from the floor where the machine 1 is located. A control interface 7 is arranged at the upper edge 6 of the door 4 facing the working top 2, said control interface 7 is located under the working top 2 when the door 4 is closed and, thus, hidden to the user. The door 4 of the dish washing machine 1 is provided on the outside thereof, i.e. the side averted from the dish washing machine, with a decorative front panel 8. Said decorative front panel 8 is longer than a door 4 and extends in vertical direction approximately from said upper edge 6 of the door 4 to approximately the area of the lower edge of the base 5 of the dish washing machine 1 and, respectively, to the area of the floor where the machine 1 is located. In this particular case said decorative front panel 8 substantially projects over the lower edge of the door 4 and almost entirely hides the base of the dish washing machine 1 and, respectively, a plinth 9 of a kitchen. As a result, when opening the door 4 the decorative front panel 8 would be hindered by said plinth 9 and/or said base 5 of the dish washing machine 1. For the door 4 of the dish washing machine 1 equipped with said decorative front panel 8 to be open interference-free, the decorative front panel 8 must slide, when opening the door 4, in longitudinal direction of the door 4 and in the direction away from the floor and, respectively, beyond the upper edge 6 of the door 4 (arrow II in Fig. 2) so that the front panel 8 does not come in contact either with the base 5 nor with the plinth 9.
In order for the operating status of the dish washing machine 1, such as in operation, malfunction, end of programme and similar, would also be visible to the user with the closed door 4 of the dish washing machine 1 and, respectively, with the control interface 7 hidden under the working top 2, the door 4 is provided at the lower end thereof, i.e. at the end facing the base 5 of the dish washing machine 1, with a light source 10. Said light source 10 may comprise a body 11 inserted from the side of the lower edge 12 of the door 4 into the inside of the door and fixed in an appropriate space in the lower edge 12 by means of a snap-in device or screw means or similar, for example. Said body 11 is formed at the side aligned with the lower edge 12 of the door 4 with an aperture 13 to exit light from a light emitting means 14 arranged in the body 11, said exit aperture 13 being optionally provided with at least one additional optical means 15, such as a focusing lens for instance. Preferably, the body 11 is made of material impermeable to light emitted by the light emitting means 14, of black plastic for instance. Said light emitting means 14 may be selected as a light emitting diode (LED), an optical fibre, a laser and similar, which, depending on the operation status of the dish washing machine 1, emits either constantly or with interruptions light of the same or variable wave length. On the other hand, however, said light source 10 may be selected in the form of a LED diode arranged directly at said lower edge 12 of the door 4, thus, making said body and said additional optical means superfluous.
In order for the light from the light source 10 and, respectively, from the light emitting means 14 to be redirected to the front side of the decorative front panel 8 visible to the user a receiving optical means 17 is associated with said panel 8 at the lower edge 16 thereof, which in the direction towards the floor substantially projects beyond the lower edge of the door 4, and longitudinally spaced from the light source 10. In essence, said longitudinal spacing of the receiving optical means 17 from the light source 10 is subjected to the change in length since during opening the door 4 the decorative front panel 8 comprising the optical means 17 moves in longitudinal direction of the door 4 comprising the light source 10. Said optical means 17 selected in the present embodiment as a Fresnel lens, optionally as an optical prism or similar, comprises a receiving section 18 that receives a directed light beam A from the light source 10, and a sending section 19 associated with the receiving section 18 redirecting said light beam A in the direction away from the dish washing machine 1. At the side facing the door 4 said receiving section 18 projects over said lower edge 16 of the decorative front panel 8 so that in essence it lies centre-lined with the light source and, respectively, with said light exiting aperture 13 in the body 11. At the side averted from the door 4 said sending section 19 is aligned with the decorative front panel 8. Said optical means 17 redirects by means of the repeating pattern of the inclined facets said light from the light source 10 in the manner that it declines in angle from the direction where it is originated. Said angle is usually selected as a right angle, however, there is no obstacle for the angle to be selected in an arbitrary size. At the lower edge 16 of the decorative front panel 8 said optical means 17 is fixed in a manner that it lies in the centre line of the light beam A coming from the light source 10. In addition, the receiving section 18 of the optical means 17 is formed with such dimensions that in spite of the light dissipation the entire light beam A arriving from the light source 17 through the additional optical means 15 always hits the surface of the receiving section 18 facing the light source 10. Said fixation of the receiving optical means 17 to the lower edge 16 of the decorative front panel 8 may be provided by screw means or any other similar means. The optical means 17 is fixed to the lower edge 16 of the decorative front panel 8 either during production of the dish washing machine or at the time of installation thereof. In addition, the optical means 17 comprises at the side averted from the light source 10 a light non-permeable layer which prevents the light to be projected to the floor. Said light non-permeable layer may be a layer of die, an adhesive tape or similar.
Said contactless arrangement of the light source 10 and the receiving optical means 17 with the dish washing machine according to the invention is suitable for a dish washing machine with the door equipped with a decorative front panel. In particular, said contactless arrangement of the light source 10 and the receiving optical means 17 is suitable for the dish washing machine of the type comprising door with a decorative front panel that is movable with respect to said door, since no physical connection is provided between the light source 10 in the door 4 and the receiving optical means 17 on the decorative front panel 8 that would hinder movement of the front panel 8 with respect to the door 4. As a result, the operation indicator according to the invention is visible to the user also with partially open door 4 of the dish washing machine 1 i.e. during drying time when the door 4 open either manually or automatically at the end of the washing cycle. The light beam A from the light source 10 may have a single wave length, or it may have various wave lengths depending on the programme executed in the dish washing machine and, respectively, on the operating status of the dish washing machine. Said light beam A may additionally be continuous or blinking.

Claims

A household appliance, preferably a dish washing machine, and more preferably a built-in dish washing machine comprising a pivotable door (4) having a decorative front panel (8), said door comprising an operation indicator having at least one light source (10) and at least one receiving optical means (17) that redirects a light beam (A) from said light source (10) to the front of the dish washing machine, wherein the connection between the light source (10) and the receiving optical means (17) is formed as a contactless connection, characterised in that the decorative front panel (8) is movable in the longitudinal direction of the door, and in that the receiving optical means (17) is arranged at a lower edge of the decorative front panel (8) and spaced in longitudinal direction of the door from the light source (10), so as to redirect by means of inclined facets the light beam (A) to the front side of the movable decorative front panel (8) visible to user.
A household appliance according to claim 1, characterised in that the distance between the light source (10) and the receiving optical means (17) is variable.
A household appliance according to claim 1 and 2, characterised in that said light source (10) comprises a body (11) inserted inside the door (4), said body (11) formed with an aperture (13) for exiting light from a light emitting means (14) arranged in the body (11).
A household appliance according to claim 3, characterised in that said exit aperture (13) comprises at least one additional optical means (15), such as a focusing lens.
A household appliance according to claims 3 to 4, characterised in that said light emitting means (14) is selected as a light emitting diode (LED), an optical fibre, a laser or similar, which depending on operation of the dish washing machine (1) emits, either constantly or with interruptions light of the same or variable wave length.
A household appliance according to claim 1, characterised in that said light source (10) is selected as a LED diode.
A household appliance according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said optical means (17) is selected as a Fresnel lens, optical prism or similar.
A household appliance according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that a washing cycle is followed by a drying cycle when the door (4) is at least partially open.