Touch-Sensitive Rotary Control for Hob Zone Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hob operating devices with a single movable operating element often lack user-friendliness, especially when setting multiple functions, and require complex operations for selecting and confirming settings.
Innovation Solution
A touch-sensitive control element with location-specific touch recognition allows for intuitive selection and confirmation of functional sub-units on a hob, using a control panel that can be touched and rotated to set operating parameters, providing a simple and secure operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single movable operating element is used for all hob settings, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to complex selection and confirmation processes
Solution Approach 1:
The control element is segmented into multiple touch-sensitive zones, each corresponding to different functional sub-units of the hob. This allows a single physical element to provide multiple control functions through location-specific touches, resolving the contradiction by maintaining device simplicity while enhancing operational ease through intelligent segmentation of the control interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The single control element is designed with multi-functionality, serving as both a selection mechanism (through location-specific touches) and a confirmation mechanism (through touch release or rotation). This universal design allows one element to perform multiple operations that would traditionally require separate controls, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If location-specific touch recognition is implemented, then the ease of operation improves through intuitive selection, but the device complexity increases due to touch-sensitive control panel requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The touch-sensitive control panel is merged with the existing control element structure, integrating the sensing capability directly into the operating element. This combination eliminates the need for separate touch-sensitive surfaces while providing location-specific recognition, thereby improving ease of operation without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control element automatically recognizes the location of the touch and determines the selected functional sub-unit without requiring additional user actions or complex processing. The element serves itself by translating touch position into functional selection, improving intuitiveness while minimizing the added complexity through self-determining behavior.
3Productivity
If automatic confirmation through touch release or rotation is implemented, then the productivity improves through quicker setting, but the reliability may deteriorate due to potential misinterpretation of user intent
Solution Approach 1:
The control element incorporates dynamic behavior through rotational movement capability, allowing the system to differentiate between selection (touch location) and confirmation (rotation action). This dynamic interaction provides clear, unambiguous user intent recognition, improving reliability while maintaining quick setting speed through natural, intuitive gestures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides immediate feedback when a functional sub-unit is selected, allowing the user to verify the selection before confirmation. This feedback mechanism ensures that misinterpretation of user intent is minimized, as users can see and confirm the selected function before the automatic confirmation occurs, thereby maintaining high reliability while enabling quick operation.
Data Source
Figure 1~2e
Figure 3a~3d
AI summary
The method involves movably arranging a control element (11) on a positioning region (10) of an operating device (9) for setting operation condition of a cooking plate (1). A sensitive operation panel (14) is formed on top surface (13) of the control element. The control element is operated by touching the sensitive operation panel for selecting cook zones (4-8) on a cooking hob plate (2). The selection of the cook zone is automatically acknowledged by releasing the sensitive operation panel or by rotating the control element. An independent claim is included for cooking hob.