Haptic operating element for a household appliance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household appliances with haptic operating elements and display fields require users to frequently switch attention between the rotary knob and the display, leading to decreased operability.
Innovation Solution
A haptic operating element with a touch-sensitive screen allows users to confirm or activate settings without diverting attention, providing a context-related display for improved operability, featuring a capacitive or pixel-type touchscreen that can be integrated into the appliance or positioned detachably, with data interfaces for wireless communication and energy transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a haptic operating element with separate display field and rotary knob is used, then the appliance provides clear display and tactile feedback, but the user must frequently switch attention between the rotary knob and the display field
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the display field and the haptic operating element into a single integrated unit. The display field is configured as a touch-sensitive screen that can detect touch inputs directly on the display surface, eliminating the need for a separate rotary knob. This merging allows users to interact with the appliance by touching the display directly, maintaining both visual feedback and tactile interaction in one location, thereby reducing attention switching time while preserving ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If the entire display field is configured as a touch-sensitive screen, then the user can interact directly on the display without diverting attention, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display field is designed to serve multiple functions: it displays visual information and simultaneously serves as the haptic operating interface. The touch-sensitive screen detects touch inputs at different locations to trigger different functions, making the display field a universal interface that combines information presentation and user interaction in one component, thereby enabling focused interaction while managing complexity through multi-functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent allows for partial implementation where only specific regions of the display field are configured as touch-sensitive areas. This enables selective activation of touch functionality in critical interaction zones while keeping other display areas as conventional visual output, thereby reducing the overall complexity and cost of touchscreen integration while still providing focused interaction capabilities where most needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances user experience by allowing intuitive and efficient operation with clear, focused context-related interaction, improving child safety and ease of cleaning, while maintaining a uniform and clear display across the appliance's interface.
Implementation Method 1
The touch-sensitive screen can also be referred to as a sensor screen or touchscreen. It can be a capacitive sensing screen for example.
Implementation Method 2
Alternatively or additionally the removable operating element can have at least one coil for transformation-based data transmission as the data interface. The coil also allows energy to be supplied to the removable operating element by induction or transformation.
Data Source
AI summary
A haptic operating element for a household appliance includes a display field which is at least partially configured as a touch-sensitive screen. The household appliance includes at least one haptic operating element and an additional screen fixed relative to the device. The household appliance has, in particular, a control device for operating the display field of the operating element and the screen fixed relative to the device. The haptic operating element can be particularly advantageously used in cooking devices.