Control mechanism for an electrical appliance and evaluation method for the control mechanism
US8742647B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 29, 2009 |
| Grant date | Jun 3, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 5, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K2217/96066
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A control mechanism for an electrical appliance comprises a deformable or elastic control panel, for example, embodied as a frame of an electric cooking hob. Several piezo sensor elements are arranged under the control panel. The piezo sensor elements are arranged on the rear side of a printed circuit board, the opposite front side of said printed circuit board being arranged or fastened to the underside of the control panel in a planar manner. By determining the difference of the signals of the sensor elements arranged next to each other, it is possible to accomplish an extremely good and safe evaluation of a location where a finger is placed with light pressure on the control panel.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.