Control device for kitchen appliance and kitchen appliance comprising the control device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a control device for a kitchen appliance and a kitchen appliance including the control device. The control device includes a knob and button assembly and a PCB control board. The knob and button assembly includes a knob, a knob bracket, a button, and a button bracket. The knob is fixedly connected to the knob bracket. The button is embedded in the button bracket. The button bracket is embedded in the knob bracket so that the knob and the knob bracket can rotate freely relative to the button bracket and the button. The button bracket includes a fixing component. The fixing component is fixedly connected to the PCB control board. The control device according to the present disclosure can make the operation of the knob and the button independent of each other and not affect each other, thereby improving the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of kitchen appliances, and in particular to a control device for a kitchen appliance and a kitchen appliance comprising the control device. Background Art

[0002] With the improvement of people's living standards and living conditions, kitchen appliances have been rapidly applied and developed. Ovens, microwave ovens and air fryers, as important products in kitchen appliances, have greatly facilitated users' cooking work.

[0003] To enable users to control kitchen appliances, kitchen appliance manufacturers have installed various control devices, including knobs and buttons. As kitchen appliances become increasingly versatile, more knobs and buttons are needed to meet these control needs. However, excessive knobs and buttons not only increase the design and production costs of kitchen appliances but also reduce system reliability. Even more disadvantageously, the presence of numerous knobs and buttons requires users to spend more time learning how to use the appliance, resulting in a reduced user experience.

[0004] To address the above issues, kitchen appliances featuring control devices including knob and button assemblies have emerged on the market. These control devices integrate the functions of the knob and button into a single component, allowing users to select items from the displayed menu using the knob and confirm their selections using the button, thereby improving the efficiency of user interaction with the appliance. Despite this, existing control devices still present some issues that require improvement. In particular, when the user rotates the knob during use, the button rotates along with it, creating the illusion that the knob and button assembly function solely as a "knob," preventing the user from intuitively understanding that the knob and button are two independently operable control units. Furthermore, if the button is printed with a pattern, the pattern's position shifts as the knob rotates, affecting the aesthetics of the kitchen appliance.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need to provide a control device for kitchen appliances that can improve user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, the present disclosure provides a control device for a kitchen appliance, which can solve the above technical problems.

[0007] The technical solutions disclosed in this disclosure are as follows:

[0008] A control device for a kitchen appliance includes a knob and button assembly and a control panel. The knob and button assembly includes a knob, a knob bracket, a button, and a button bracket. The knob is fixedly connected to the knob bracket, the button is embedded in the button bracket, and the button bracket is embedded in the knob bracket, so that the knob and knob bracket can rotate freely relative to the button bracket and the button. The button bracket includes a fixing component, and the fixing component is fixedly connected to the PCB control board.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment, the fixing component includes a fixing sheet.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment, the PCB control board includes a button, and the fixing sheet is fixed around the button.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment, the button bracket is provided with a button bracket slot, and the button is provided with a button buckle, and the button buckle is embedded in the button bracket slot.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment, a positioning rib is provided on the button bracket, a positioning rib groove is provided on the edge of the button, and the positioning rib is embedded in the positioning rib groove.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, a knob bracket slot is provided on the knob bracket, a knob buckle is provided on the inner side of the knob, and the knob buckle is fixedly connected to the knob bracket slot.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment, the PCB control board further includes an encoder, and a connecting component is provided at the bottom of the knob bracket, and the connecting component is connected to the encoder.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment, the connecting component includes a connecting buckle, a connecting slot is provided on the encoder, and the connecting buckle is fixedly connected to the connecting slot.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment, central axes of the knob, the knob bracket, the button and the button bracket coincide with each other.

[0017] A kitchen appliance comprises the control device described above.

[0018] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the disclosed control device for kitchen appliances allows the button to maintain its position as the knob rotates. Therefore, when operating the knob, the user can intuitively perceive the button as a component that can be operated independently of the knob, allowing them to quickly master the operation of the control device. By using the disclosed control device, kitchen appliance manufacturers can add patterns or icons to the button surface to enhance the visual effect of the control device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is an exploded view of a knob and button assembly of a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 2 is an exploded view of a PCB control board of a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a button bracket according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 4a is a perspective view of a button according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 4b is a top view of a button according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a knob bracket according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a knob according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an assembled control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Description of reference numerals:

[0028] 1-knob and button assembly; 11-knob bracket; 111a, 111b-knob bracket slots;

[0029] 112a, 112b - connecting parts; 12 - button bracket; 121a, 121b - fixing plates;

[0030] 122a, 122b - button bracket slots; 123a, 123b, 123c - positioning ribs;

[0031] 13 - button; 131a, 131b, 131c - positioning grooves; 132a, 132b - button buckles;

[0032] 133-contact; 134-button upper surface; 14-knob;

[0033] 141a, 141b - knob buckles; 2 - PCB control board; 21 - button; 22 - encoder DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure clearer, exemplary embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description of the exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure and its application or use. The present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure thorough and complete and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps, the composition of the materials, the numerical expressions and the numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments should be interpreted as being merely exemplary and not as limiting.

[0035] The terms "first", "second" and similar terms used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different parts. The terms "include" or "comprises" and similar terms mean that the elements before the term include the elements listed after the term, and do not exclude the possibility of also including other elements. The terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0036] In the present disclosure, when a specific device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, an intervening device may or may not be present between the specific device and the first device or the second device. When a specific device is described as being connected to another device, the specific device may be directly connected to the other device without an intervening device, or may be not directly connected to the other device but with an intervening device.

[0037] All terms (including technical or scientific terms) used in this disclosure have the same meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs, unless otherwise specifically defined. It should also be understood that terms defined in, for example, commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or highly formal sense, unless explicitly defined as such herein.

[0038] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0039] Figure 1 FIG is an exploded view of the knob and button assembly of the control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1As shown, the knob and button assembly 1 includes a knob bracket 11, a button bracket 12, a button 13, and a knob 14. When the knob and button assembly 1 is assembled, the knob 14 can be fixedly connected to the knob bracket 11, so that rotating the knob 14 can drive the knob bracket 11 to rotate. The button 13 is embedded in the button bracket 12, and the button bracket 12 is embedded in the knob bracket 11, so that the knob 14 and the knob bracket 11 can rotate freely relative to the button bracket 12 and the button 14. According to this embodiment, the button bracket 12 includes a fixing component for fixedly connecting to the PCB control board 2 of the control device, so that when the knob 14 rotates, the button 13 does not rotate with the knob 14. According to a preferred embodiment, the central axes of the knob bracket 11, button bracket 12, button 13, and knob 14 of the knob and button assembly 1 are aligned. In other words, the knob bracket 11, button bracket 12, button 13, and knob 14 are coaxially arranged.

[0040] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the PCB control board 2 of the control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 As shown, the PCB control board 2 includes a button 21 and an encoder 22. The button 21 can be located in the central area of ​​the encoder 22. The button 13 in the knob and button assembly 1 includes a contact 133. When the user presses the button 13, the contact 133 touches the button 21, thereby triggering a corresponding control action (for example, confirming the selection of an option in a menu). The knob bracket 12 is connected to the encoder 22, so that when the knob 13 rotates, the encoder 22 rotates with the knob 13, so that the encoder 22 converts the mechanical rotation of the knob 13 into an electrical signal. The control device according to this embodiment can make the operations of the knob 14 and the button 13 in the knob and button assembly 1 independent of each other and not affect each other, thereby improving the user experience.

[0041] The following will be combined Figures 3 to 6 The structures and assembly relationship of the knob bracket 11 , the button bracket 12 , the button 13 and the knob 14 in the knob and button assembly 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure are described in detail.

[0042] Figure 3 A perspective view of a button holder 12 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 4a and Figure 4b 1 and 2 show a perspective view and a top view of the button 13 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 and Figure 4a 、 Figure 4bAs shown, the button bracket 12 has positioning ribs 123a, 123b, and 123c at its upper end, while the button 13 has positioning rib grooves 131a, 131b, and 131c corresponding to the positioning ribs 123a, 123b, and 123c. The button bracket 12 has button bracket retaining grooves 122a and 122b on its sidewalls, while the button 13 has button clips 132a and 132b corresponding to the button bracket retaining grooves 122a and 122b on its sidewalls. During assembly, the positioning ribs 123a, 123b, and 123c fit into the positioning rib grooves 131a, 131b, and 131c, preventing the button 13 from rotating relative to the button bracket 12. At the same time, the button clips 132a and 132b are embedded in the button bracket slots 122a and 122b, so that the button 13 cannot be detached from the button bracket 12, but can only move along the axial direction of the button within the length range of the button bracket slots 122a and 122b. A contact 133 is provided at the bottom end of the button 13. When the user presses the upper surface 134 of the button 13, the movement of the button 13 along its axial direction can cause the contact to touch the button 21 on the PCB control board, thereby triggering the corresponding control operation. The knob and button assembly 1 may also include an elastic component such as a spring, so that when the user no longer presses the button 13, the button 13 can move along the axis and return to its initial position before being pressed.

[0043] The bottom of the button bracket 12 is equipped with fixing plates 121a and 121b, which serve as fixing components. When assembled with the PCB control board 2, the fixing plates 121a and 121b can be fixed to the PCB control board 2, preventing the button bracket 12 and button 13 from rotating relative to the PCB control board 2. Therefore, when the knob 14 rotates relative to the PCB control board 2, the knob bracket 11 remains stationary relative to the PCB control board 2 and does not rotate simultaneously with the knob 14. According to a preferred embodiment, the fixing plates 121a and 121b can be clamped around the button 21, eliminating the need for dedicated components on the PCB board to mate with the fixing plates 121a and 121b. In this embodiment, the fixing components consist of two fixing plates 121a and 121b. It should be understood that the two fixing plates 121a and 121b are merely non-limiting examples of fixing components. Those skilled in the art may employ other forms and quantities of fixing components as needed to achieve securement between the button bracket 12 and the PCB control board.

[0044] Figure 5 and Figure 6 1 and 2 show the three-dimensional views of the knob bracket 11 and the knob 14 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 As shown, the side walls of the knob bracket 11 are provided with knob bracket slots 111a and 111b. During assembly, Figure 6The knob clips 141a and 141b on the inner wall of the knob 4 shown in the figure fit into the knob bracket slots 111a and 111b, securing the knob 14 to the knob bracket 11. The bottom of the knob bracket 11 is provided with connecting clips 112a and 112b, which are used to securely connect to the connecting slots provided on the encoder 22. When the user rotates the knob 14, the knob bracket 11 drives the encoder 22 to rotate, which in turn converts the mechanical rotation of the knob 13 into an electrical signal to perform the corresponding control operation (for example, navigating through menu options).

[0045] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the control device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure after assembly. Figure 7 In the figure, the assembled control device is connected to the PCB control board through the fixing plates 121a and 121b on the button bracket 12 and the connecting buckles 112a and 112b on the knob bracket 11, so that when the user rotates the knob 14, the button 13 does not rotate with the knob 14. Figure 7 The control device in the embodiment can be installed in a kitchen appliance and used to perform control operations on the kitchen appliance. For example, a user can rotate knob 14 to select an option from a menu displayed on the display screen of the kitchen appliance and then confirm the selection by pressing button 13. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the kitchen appliance can be, for example, an air fryer. The user can select a cooking mode for the air fryer (e.g., fried chicken, French fries, etc.) using knob 14 and then confirm the cooking mode by pressing button 13, so that the air fryer can cook the ingredients according to the user-selected cooking mode.

[0046] Thus far, various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail. To avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art have not been described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solutions disclosed herein.

[0047] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail through examples, those skilled in the art will understand that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the above embodiments may be modified or some technical features may be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A control device for a kitchen appliance, comprising a knob and button assembly (1) and a PCB control board (2), wherein the knob and button assembly (1) comprises a knob (14), a knob bracket (11), a button (13) and a button bracket (12), and is characterized in that: The knob (14) is fixedly connected to the knob bracket (11), the button (13) is embedded in the button bracket (12), and the button bracket (12) is embedded in the knob bracket (11), so that the knob (14) and the knob bracket (11) can rotate freely relative to the button bracket (12) and the button (13), and the button bracket (12) includes a fixing component, and the fixing component is fixedly connected to the PCB control board (2). The fixing component includes a fixing plate (121a, 121b), The PCB control board comprises a button (21), and the fixing plates (121a, 121b) are fixed around the button (21). The button (13) includes a contact (133), and when the button (13) is pressed, the contact (133) touches the key (21).

2. The control device for kitchen appliances according to claim 1, characterized in that: The button bracket (12) is provided with a button bracket slot (122a, 122b), the button (13) is provided with a button buckle (132a, 132b), and the button buckle (132a, 132b) is embedded in the button bracket slot (122a, 122b).

3. The control device for kitchen appliances according to claim 2, characterized in that: Positioning ribs (123a, 123b, 123c) are provided on the button bracket (12), positioning rib grooves (131a, 131b, 131c) are provided on the edge of the button (13), and the positioning ribs (123a, 123b, 123c) are embedded in the positioning rib grooves (131a, 131b, 131c).

4. The control device for kitchen appliances according to claim 3, characterized in that: The knob bracket (11) is provided with a knob bracket slot (111a, 111b), the inner side of the knob (14) is provided with a knob buckle (141a, 141b), and the knob buckle (141a, 141b) is fixedly connected to the knob bracket slot (111a, 111b).

5. The control device for kitchen appliances according to claim 4, characterized in that: The PCB control board (2) further comprises an encoder (22), and a connecting component is provided at the bottom of the knob bracket (11), and the connecting component is connected to the encoder (22).

6. The control device for kitchen appliances according to claim 5, characterized in that: The connecting component comprises a connecting buckle (112a, 112b), a connecting slot is provided on the encoder (22), and the connecting buckle (112a, 112b) is fixedly connected to the connecting slot.

7. The control device for a kitchen appliance according to claim 6, characterized in that The central axes of the knob (14), the knob bracket (11), the button (13) and the button bracket (12) coincide with each other.

8. A kitchen appliance, characterized in that: It comprises a control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images