CN104936498A - Dishwasher with visually improved indiDICATION MEANS - Google Patents

Abstract

A dishwasher for washing dishes comprising a front panel (1) for providing information display and operation control in respect of operation of said dishwasher. Said front panel (1) has a screen printed inlay with textual indications (4, 5). Said front panel (1) also comprises a handle with an illuminating means (6) arranged at an inner surface of the handle cavity.

Description

Dishwasher with indicator device for improved visibility

The present invention relates to a dishwasher having an improved front panel for enhanced visibility. More specifically, the present invention relates to a dishwashing machine having a front panel for improved information display and operating controls which, by itself and with the help of a handle, visually indicates the machine's operating state.

Dishwashers typically have a front door that can be opened about an axis close to and parallel to the floor. Such a door allows access to the inner volume of the dishwasher in order to place dishes there and is closable along the upper line where the uppermost part of the door engages with the main body of the machine. The front of the dishwasher further includes a control and information panel in the upper area of the front, directly above the closing line of the door. Such an information panel generally enables the user to set different operating modes as well as to know the operating status in process.

The present invention provides an improved information display and operational control panel having a first set of display means capable of conveying operational status information utilizing LED backlit transparent text material, and a second set of display means capable of conveying both types of information in a sequential manner . These kinds of information include the locked state of the door handle of the machine in non-operating conditions and the operating state of the machine in dishwashing.

The present invention provides an information display and operating control panel for improving the visibility of a dishwasher in a more intuitive manner, as defined in the characterizing part of claim 1.

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher with an information display and operation control panel, the panel can passively and more intuitively display the operating status of the dishwasher.

The present invention proposes a dishwashing machine having a front panel forming the upper part of the front door of the appliance. This panel has the appropriate buttons and knobs, with text indicating them next to them. The front panel includes an inlay extending over the surface of the panel where instructions are screen printed. Traditionally, there is a handle in the center for opening and closing the front door. The handle has first and second lighting means disposed on an inner surface of said handle.

The difference between these two lighting units is that the first lighting unit is located directly behind the handle and directly on the inner surface of the handle, where there is a handle cavity for holding the handle, while the other lighting unit is further away Set above the first lighting device.

These two lighting means as linear strips of LEDs are used to create a noticeable effect in the handle cavity. Said first lighting means provide a more visible lighting which is also visible under daylight and electric lighting. On the other hand, a second lighting device at a further distance provides indirect lighting, visible only in darker places. This effect can be enhanced even further by a slightly transparent handle surface.

The text indications on the front panel inlay according to the invention are not conventionally printed with black markings. In other words, these indicia are invisible and therefore hardly noticeable unless they are backlit by a suitable light source provided in the front panel.

The first and second lighting devices of the present invention respectively provide information according to the open/closed state of the front door and the actual state of the dishwashing process in process. Only when closing the front door is active, the two lighting devices are not powered on simultaneously while the dishwashing process is in progress.

The invention proposes a dishwasher for washing dishes, comprising a front panel with a display and control buttons and knobs for operating the device.

The attached figures are given only for the purpose of illustrating a dishwasher front, the advantages of which are outlined above and will be briefly explained below. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of protection as defined in the claims, nor should they be cited alone in an attempt to interpret the scope defined by said claims without relying on the technical disclosure in the description of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a general perspective view of the front panel of a dishwasher appliance according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows a general perspective view of the front panel of the dishwasher appliance, the front panel being divided into two parts, showing a side section view of the handle according to the invention.

With reference to the figures outlined above, the present invention proposes a dishwasher front panel as defined in claim 1.

The following numbers are assigned to the different parts shown in the figure:

(1) Front panel

(2) Operation control knob

(3) handle

(4) Knob text indication

(5) Text instructions

(6, 106) Lighting device

(7) Bottom edge

The invention proposes a dishwasher for washing dishes, comprising a front panel (1) for providing information display and operational controls regarding the operation of said dishwasher. Said front panel (1) comprises an inlay with at least one textual indication (4, 5) provided as a screen-printed textual indication. Screen printing technique, also known as serigraphy, is widely used in the front panel on polycarbonate inlay and in the inlay mounted on the front panel. Due to the fact that screen printed text material tends to become blurred over time, the present invention proposes a backlit sign such that the text indication (5) is screen printed at a rather low black level and by The lighting device provided behind and adjacent to said at least one text indication (5) is backlit. The screen printing, applied at a fairly low black level, renders the text indication invisible as long as the lighting behind it is not powered. The indication (5) becomes visible when the backlight is on, and this eliminates the problems associated with markings becoming illegible over time.

The front panel (1) also includes a handle (3) with a lighting device (6, 106), and the lighting device (6, 106) is mounted on the handle (3) using the first and second lighting devices way of the inner surface. The first lighting device (6) is in direct contact with the inner surface of the handle (3), while the second lighting device (106) is not directly in contact with the inner surface of the handle (3) touch. This enables a more visible visual effect to be obtained by said first lighting device (6), which is directly attached to the inner surface of said handle (3). On the other hand, the second lighting device (106) is not directly attached to the inner surface, but is provided at the upper part of the handle cavity, that is, at a position lower than the bottom edge (7) of the handle (3). ) are much higher, producing less visible visual effects.

According to the present invention, the first lighting device (6) indicates the state of opening or closing the door of the dishwasher, and the second lighting device (106) indicates the operating state of the dishwasher . Said first lighting means (6) providing a more direct lighting thus has the advantage that it is more easily visible if the room in which the dishwasher appliance is located is lit by electric lighting or daylight. However, an indirect lighting fixture may suffice when the device is in operation, since the room is more likely to be unlit if it is not daytime. In another embodiment of the present invention, the handle (3) can be at least semi-transparent, so that more remarkable effects can be obtained under direct and indirect lighting.

Said first and said second lighting means are provided in the form of linear strips extending parallel to said bottom edge (7) of said handle (3). The first lighting device (6) is not available when the dishwasher is in operation, and the second lighting device (106) is not available when the dishwasher is in operation.

Claims (7)

1. Dishwasher for washing dishes, comprising a front panel (1) for providing information display and operator controls regarding the operation of said dishwasher, said front panel (1) comprising at least one Inlays of text indications (4, 5) provided as screen-printed text indications (4, 5), said front panel (1) further comprising a handle (3), characterized in that said handle (3) comprises a First and second lighting means (6, 106) of the inner surface portion of the handle (3). 2. Dishwasher according to claim 1, wherein the handle (3) is at least partly transparent to light. 3. Dishwasher according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said first and said second lighting means (6, 106) are provided in the form of linear strips, with the edge of said handle (3) extend in parallel. 4. The dishwasher according to claim 3, wherein the first lighting device (6) is in direct contact with the inner surface of the handle (3), and the second lighting device (106) not in direct contact with said inner surface of said handle (3). 5. A dishwasher as recited in claim 1 or 4, wherein said at least one text instruction (5) is screen printed at a relatively low black level and is passed directly behind said inlay and adjacent to said at least A text indication (5) provided by the illumination means is backlit. 6. The dishwasher according to claim 4, wherein the first lighting device (6) indicates the open or closed state of the door of the dishwasher, and the second lighting device (106) indicates The operational status of the dishwasher. 7. Dishwasher according to claim 6, wherein the first lighting device (6) is not available when the dishwasher is in operation, and the second lighting device (106) is in the It is not available when the operating state of the dishwasher mentioned above is completed.