U.S. patent application number 12/514220 was filed with the patent office on 2010-08-05 for cooking device and interface unit for the cooking device.
This patent application is currently assigned to LG Electronics Inc.. Invention is credited to Eui-Seog Jeong, Eui-Su Jung.
Application Number | 20100193496 12/514220 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39364725 |
Filed Date | 2010-08-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100193496 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jung; Eui-Su ; et
al. |
August 5, 2010 |
COOKING DEVICE AND INTERFACE UNIT FOR THE COOKING DEVICE
Abstract
In order to stably operate an interface unit by not subjecting
to the influence of heat, firmly stand against outside impact,
improve reliability of products, facilitate an assembly, actively
satisfy consumer taste, and reduce manufacturing costs, an
interface unit for a cooking device comprises: a frame having a
front surface and a rear surface; a substrate supported on the
frame; an LED mounted on the substrate; reflectors placed in the
front of the substrate in order to guide the emitting light of the
LED; a display panel having a plurality of VFDs; a display panel
holder having a buffer unit in order to stably supporting the
display panel; a glass placed in the front of the at least one
reflector; and when the glass contacts the user, a capacitance
recognizing unit receiving an input of the user.
Inventors: |
Jung; Eui-Su; (Changwon
City, KR) ; Jeong; Eui-Seog; (Changwon City,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Assignee: |
LG Electronics Inc.
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
39364725 |
Appl. No.: |
12/514220 |
Filed: |
November 9, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
November 9, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/KR2007/005643 |
371 Date: |
April 7, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
219/209 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24C 7/082 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
219/209 |
International
Class: |
F24C 7/08 20060101
F24C007/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 9, 2006 |
KR |
10-2006-0110316 |
Dec 20, 2006 |
KR |
10-2006-0130691 |
Dec 20, 2006 |
KR |
10-2006-0130694 |
Dec 20, 2006 |
KR |
10-2006-0130695 |
Claims
1. An interface unit for a cooking device, comprising: a frame
having a front surface and a rear surface; a main printed circuit
board placed on the rear surface of the frame; at least one
auxiliary printed circuit board placed on the front surface of the
frame; an LED mounted on at least one of the auxiliary printed
circuit board; a display panel electrically connected to the main
printed circuit board and provided with a plurality of VFDs; at
least one reflector placed in the front of the auxiliary printed
circuit board to guide the emitting light of the LED; a glass
placed in at least one front of the at least one reflector and
contacted to a user; and a capacitance recognizing unit provided on
the rear surface of the glass in order to receive an input of the
user when the glass contacts the user.
2. The interface unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one
of the reflectors is closely contacted to the rear of the glass and
at least some region of the contact surface is interposed with
sealant.
3. The interface unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the reflector
interposed with the sealant is formed with a groove preventing the
overflow of sealant.
4. The interface unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main
printed circuit board is received in the inside of the frame,
thereby not to subjecting to the influence due to heat.
5. The interface unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least
one of the at least one reflectors is coupled with the substrate by
a hook or a screw.
6. The interface unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a
display panel holder in order to safely seat the display panel in
the frame, the display panel holder comprises: a buffer unit to
elastically support the display panel against outside impact; and a
coupling member preventing the separation of the display panel
through the supporting action by the buffer unit.
7. The interface unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the display
panel holder is further formed with other coupling members so that
it is coupled with the main printed circuit board.
8. The interface unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the buffer
unit comprises: a flexible bar formed with a protruding part so
that it is contacted to the display panel; and a cutout hole having
the flexible bar whose circumference part is cutout in order to
give the elasticity to the flexible bar.
9. The interface unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the display
panel holder is provided with the frame in a unit or is coupled
with the frame as a separate thing.
10. The interface unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one
of the at least one reflector is coupled with the corresponding
auxiliary printed circuit substrate by means of a hook.
11. The interface unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least
one reflector is increased in size as it becomes distant from the
LED
12. The interface unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least
one reflector defines a portion transmitting light from the LED and
a portion not transmitting light.
13. The interface unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interval
portion between the display panel and the glass is interposed with
a filter.
14. The interface unit as claimed in claim 13, wherein the filter
is red and at least one of the VFDs light emits green light.
15. A cooking device, comprising: at least two mechanisms selected
from an oven having a cavity, a cook top placed on the upper
portion of the oven and having a heating surface, and a warm drawer
placed on the lower portion of the oven; and an interface unit
controlling the at least two mechanisms selected, the interface
unit comprises: a frame; a main printed circuit board placed on one
surface of the frame and performing a general control action of the
mechanisms provided; at least one auxiliary printed circuit board
placed on the front surface of the frame and provided with a light
emitting device; at least one reflector guiding the emitting light
of the light emitting diode provided on the auxiliary printed
circuit board; and a glass placed in the front of the at least one
reflector and contacted to a user.
16. The cooking device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a
capacitance recognizing unit recognizing the user's input when the
user contacts to the glass.
17. The cooking device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a
display panel provided with a plurality of VFDs in order to display
the operating state of the mechanism provided; and a filter
interposed between the display panel and the glass, wherein at
least one of the plurality of VFDs is green and the filter is
red.
18. The cooking device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a
display unit provided in a region installed with the at least one
reflector among the entire region; and a capacitance recognizing
unit provided on the rear surface of the glass corresponding to at
least the display unit.
19. An interface unit for a cooking device, comprising: a frame
having a front surface and a rear surface; a substrate supported on
the frame; an LED mounted on the substrate; a reflector placed in
the front of the substrate in order to guide the emitting light of
the LED; a display panel having a plurality of VFDs; a display
panel holder having a buffer unit in order to stably supporting the
display panel; a glass placed in the front of the at least one
reflector; and a capacitance recognizing unit receiving an input of
the user, when the glass contacts the user.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This document relates to a cooking device, and in particular
to an interface unit for interfacing between a cooking device and a
user.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] A cooking device is a device cooking foods and is
illustrated as an oven or a hot plate. Other amongs, the oven has
an inner space composed of a high temperature environment generated
by means of resistance heat of electricity or heat generation of
gas and is a device cooking foods by putting foods inside the
space. The electric oven simultaneously heats the outside and
inside of cooking material. Since the electrice oven is faster in
cooking speed, higher in thermal efficiency, and higher in safety
due to the use of electricity, as compared to a gas cooking device,
its use shows a tendency to increase.
[0003] In a general cooking device, in order to variously interface
between the cooking device and the user, various information such
as cooking kinds, current temperature, cooking time, etc. set by
the user required for cooking foods is displayed on a front panel
of the cooking device. The contents or kinds of the information is
determined by setting the interface unit of the cooking device.
And, the interface unit is mounted with components capable of
controlling each part of the cooking device.
[0004] The interface unit is provided with a printed circuit board
(PCB) on which various circuits are formed and a frame on which the
printed circuit board is installed. Since the printed circuit board
is constituted by circuit elements with characteristics vulnerable
to heat, the heat from the cooking device in a high temperature
state directly or indirectly has an effect on the printed circuit
board so that the failure in the cooking device is caused.
Recently, the interface unit is constituted to be protruded upward
from one side of the cooking device. However, the constitution of
the interface unit so as not to directly or indirectly have the
heat from the cooking device on the interface unit leads to new
problem.
[0005] Also, the interface unit is provided with a plurality of
light emitting devices so that the user can conveniently see the
operating state of the cooking device by the control of the light
emitting state of the light emitting device. And, as one
constituting of the interface unit, it is an important function for
the user to operate the cooking device.
[0006] Intergrating such various functions with a single interface
unit shows a tendency to increase. Providing the integrated
interface unit increases the user's convenience, but a need of a
new technology using a certain manner is raised to constitute the
interface unit along with the change in such environments.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide a
cooking device and an interface unit for the cooking device capable
of stably operating the interface unit by not subjecting to the
influence of heat from the cooking device, firmly standing against
outside impact by stably connecting each component, improving
reliability of products, facilitating an assembly, actively
satisfying consumer taste, and reducing manufacturing costs.
Technical Solution
[0008] In order to accomplish the objects, there is provided a
cooking device according to the present invention comprising: at
least two mechanisms selected from an oven having a cavity, a cook
top placed on the upper portion of the oven and having a heating
surface, and a warm drawer placed on the lower portion of the oven;
and an interface unit controlling the at least two mechanisms
selected, the interface unit comprises: a frame; a main printed
circuit board placed on one surface of the frame and performing a
general control action of the mechanisms provided; at least one
auxiliary printed circuit board placed on the front surface of the
frame and provided with a light emitting device; at least one
reflector guiding the emitting light of the light emitting diode
provided on the auxiliary printed circuit board; and a glass placed
in the front of the at least one reflector and contacted to a
user.
[0009] In order to accomplish the objects, there is provided an
interface unit for a cooking device according to another aspect of
the present invention comprising: a frame having a front surface
and a rear surface; a main printed circuit board placed on the rear
surface of the frame; at least one auxiliary printed circuit board
placed on the front surface of the frame; an LED mounted on at
least one of the auxiliary printed circuit board; a display panel
electrically connected to the main printed circuit board and
provided with a plurality of VFDs; at least one reflector placed in
the front of the auxiliary printed circuit board to guide the
emitting light of the LED; a glass placed in at least one front of
the at least one reflector and contacted to a user; and when the
glass contacts the user, a capacitance recognizing unit provided on
the rear surface of the glass in order to receive an input of the
user.
[0010] In order to accomplish the objects, there is provided an
interface unit for a cooking device according to yet another aspect
of the present invention comprising: a frame having a front surface
and a rear surface; a substrate supported on the frame; an LED
mounted on the substrate; reflectors placed in the front of the
substrate in order to guide the emitting light of the LED; a
display panel having a plurality of VFDs; a display panel holder
having a buffer unit in order to stably supporting the display
panel; a glass placed in the front of the at least one reflector;
and when the glass contacts the user, a capacitance recognizing
unit receiving an input of the user.
Advantageous Effects
[0011] With an interface unit of a cooking device according to the
present invention, the present invention can stably operate the
interface unit by not subjecting to the influence of heat from the
cooking device itself, firmly stand against outside impact, improve
reliability of products, facilitate an assembly, and actively
satisfies consumer taste, and reduce manufacturing costs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking device according
to the present embodiment;
[0013] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an interface unit
of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a shape that a first LED
printed circuit board and a first reflector according to the
present embodiment are connected.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a view showing a shape that a first reflector
according to the present embodiment is assembled on a glass;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a shape that a center of
a first reflector conforms to a a center of a display panel;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a display panel holder
according to the present embodiment;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a view showing a shape that a display panel is
assembled in a display panel holder;
[0019] FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of a reflector according
to the present embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 9 is a front view of a display panel according to the
present embodiment;
[0021] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of
FIGS. 1; and
[0022] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of
FIG. 1 according to another embodiment.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0023] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention
will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0024] Referring to FIG. 1, a cooking device 10 of the present
invention comprises a cavity 1 on which a cooking material is
placed, a door 3 opening and closing the front of the cavity 1, a
cook top 2 installed on the upper side of the cavity 1; an
interface unit 20 protruded upward from the rear portion of the
cook top 2 to allow a user to see the operating state of the
cooking device or control the operation of the cooking device.
[0025] The cooking device 10 comprises the cavity 1 formed on the
lower side of the cook top 2 to cook foods by means of thermal
radiation and thermal convection and a warm drawer 5 performing a
simple cooking function or a storage function. The front surface of
the warm drawer 5 is formed with a door knob 7 for opening and
closing the warm drawer 5.
[0026] The exterior portion of the interface unit 20 for
controlling the operation of the cooking device is installed with a
glass to build an image as a premium product and the interface unit
is rigid to remove the inconvenience of use. Also, in order to
perfectly build the touch sense of the glass, the rear surface of
the glass is formed with a conductive ITO(indium tin oxide) layer
110. When a user touches the glass, the glass may in a touch glass
scheme according to a capacitance scheme having any control circuit
capable of recognizing location information touched may be used. A
scheme recognizing the touch signal of the user using the
capacitance is referred to as a capacitance recognizing unit. With
such a constitution, a user can easily operate a coding device as
the intention of operation only by touching his/her fingers to a
certain position on the glass.
[0027] FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of an interface
unit of FIG. 1.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 2, the front surface of the interface unit
20 is a glass, first and second reflectors 38, 30, first and second
LED printed circuit boards 27, 28, a frame 24, and a main printed
circuit board 26 in order.
[0029] The glass 22 can control the operating state of the cooking
device by touching it with user's fingers. Also, the front surface
or the rear surface of the glass 22 may be coated with display
units 21, 23 capable of confirming the operating state of the
cooking device. The display unit is constituted by a first display
unit 23 displaying the state of the cook top and a second display
unit 21 displaying the operating state for an oven. Also, the
display units 21, 23 allows a user to confirm the operating state
with a naked eye and to derive a predetermined operation by
touching a particular region of the corresponding display unit.
[0030] Micro current is generated by the touch of the glass 22 and
is transferred to the main printed board substrate 26. The main
printed board substrate 26 controls the operation of the cooking
device.
[0031] The main printed circuit board 26 is received in the inside
of the frame 24 and the first and second LED printed circuit board
27, 28 is safely seated on the front surface of the frame 24. The
main printed circuit board 26 and the second LED printed circuit
board 28 are fixed to the frame 24 by means of a bolt and/or a
hooker, etc.
[0032] The printed circuit board is referred to as a circuit board
that electrically connects and fixes electronic components. The
printed circuit board is a circuit board that can densely mount
several kinds of many components on a panel made of reinforced
glass fiber or plastic and densely fixes a circuit connecting
between the respective components on a surface of a panel.
[0033] The first and second LED printed circuit boards 27, 28 are a
lamp light emitted on the printed circuit board, that is, a circuit
board electrically connecting the LED elements. The first and
second LED printed circuit boards 27, 28 light emits a particular
region of the first and second display units 21, 23 of the glass 22
according to an instruction of the main printed circuit board 26 so
that the user can easily grasp the operating state of the current
cooking state. The LED light emitting body is very small devices
that are directly mounted on the surface of the first and second
LED printed circuit board 28. They can be placed by applying a
surface mount device (SMD) technology.
[0034] The frame 24 is a plate with a predetermined height. The
inside of rear surface of the frame is formed with a predetermined
space. The main printed circuit board 26 is received in the inside
of the frame 24 and the first and second LED printed circuit boards
27, 28 are safely seated on the upper portion of the frame.
[0035] The main printed circuit board 26 has a plurality of
electronic components with characteristics vulnerable to heat over
the first and second LED printed circuit boards 27, 28. Therefore,
the inside of rear surface of the frame 24 receives the main
printed circuit board 26 so that the heat transferred from the
cavity in the cooking device to the main printed circuit board 26
can be shielded. Of course, since the heat transferred from the
cook top 2 can be shielded by means of the frame 24, heat
resistance is more improved.
[0036] Separately from the main printed circuit board 26, the
display panel 25 is electrically connected by an electrical lead
wire. The operation signal of the cooking device is transferred
from the main printed circuit board 26 to the display panel 25 and
the display panel 25 displays the current operating state of the
cooking device.
[0037] In the present embodiment, the display panel 25 preferably
uses a VFD panel having a characteristic of high resistance to
heat. This is because the high heat from the cooking device is
generated. The VFD panel is a self light emitting device light
emitted by controlling electrons always emitted from a filament
serving as a CRT electron gun at a grid electrode and an anode
electrode and impacting them on a phosphor on the anode. The VFD
has an advantage that it can obtain light with various colors and
at the same time, can be used in the high temperature environment.
Therefore, the VFD panel can be preferably applied to the cooking
device.
[0038] The display panel 25 is supported on a display panel holder
40. The main printed circuit board 26 can be coupled with the
display panel holder by the hooker. The display panel holder 40 may
be integrated with the frame or may be mounted with the frame as a
separate thing.
[0039] The front surfaces of the first and second LED printed
circuit board 27, 28 are provided with the first and second
reflectors 38, 30 connected to the LED printed circuit board 28 to
collect the LED light. The reflector uniformly distributes the
illumination of a character and a pattern and has a function
reflecting the LED light to be able to thickly indicate the
character. Of course, the reflector may perform a function not to
illuminate the LED light to other neighboring regions and perform a
function defining the illuminating region and size of the LED light
by controlling its size.
[0040] The first and second reflectors 38, 30 are connected with
the first and second LED printed circuit boards 27, 28 by means of
the hooker so that the assembly of the first and second reflectors
38, 30 are facilitated. In detail, the first LED printed circuit
board 27 further comprises a light emitting body (see 101 of FIG.
5) for emitting light in order to display the current state of the
cook top 2 in a light emitting state. It goes without saying that
the light emitting body 101 is arranged in the first display unit
23.
[0041] The second reflector 30 is formed with a light collecting
hole 34 with a circular hole shape to light-collect the LED light.
The second reflector 30 is coupled with the second LED printed
circuit board 28 for displaying the current cooking state of the
cooking device in the light emitting state by means of the
hooker.
[0042] Meanwhile, the side surface of the frame 24 is formed with
the supporting part 35 of the cooking device so that the frame 24
can be coupled with the cooking device. A screw hole 37 is formed
within the supporting part 35. Also, the frame supporting part 71
formed with a screw hole 73 is formed within the upper protruding
part 70 for supporting the interface unit 20 to be coupled with the
supporting part 35 of the frame 24. The supporting part 35 and the
frame supporting part 71 correspond to each other and are coupled
by means of the screw (S).
[0043] Hereinafter, the detailed constitution and assembly method
of each component as described above will be described.
[0044] First, the constitution of the first reflector will be
described in detail.
[0045] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a shape that a first LED
printed circuit board and a first reflector according to the
present embodiment are connected.
[0046] Referring to FIG. 3, a first reflector 38 is attached to a
first LED printed circuit board 27. The first reflector 38 can be
coupled on the first LED printed circuit board 27 by means of a
hook 105. The first reflector 38 transmits light only into a
portion aligned with the first display unit 23 as aflat board of
resin material and illuminates it outside and reflects light in
other portions,
[0047] Also, the first reflector 38 is formed with a sealing unit
103 capable of receiving a sealant in order to seal the glass. The
sealing unit 103 is formed with a plurality of grooves 104 capable
of preventing the overflow of the sealant when contacting the
glass.
[0048] Also, the first reflector 38 may comprises an adhesive tape
so that the first reflector 38 is temporarily fixed on the glass.
The adhesive tape 42 can selectively be performed to conform the
center of the first reflector 38 to the center of the glass 22 so
that the first reflector 38 can be assembled before it is sealed by
being completely adhered to the glass.
[0049] FIG. 4 shows a view of a shape that a first reflector
according to the present embodiment is assembled on a glass;
[0050] Referring to FIG. 4, the first reflector 38 and the first
LED printed circuit board 27 are coupled by means of the hook to
form one assembly. Of course, it can further be coupled by a screw
in order to achieve a tight coupling. In order to closely attach
the first reflector 38 of the coupled assembly to the glass 22 by
means of the sealant in liquid-phase, a zig 50 is contacted to one
side end of the glass 22 to assembly the assembly of the reflector
and the printed circuit board at a correct position.
[0051] The corner of the first reflector 38 contacts the corner
portion with `` shape of the zig 50 so that the center of the first
display unit 23 of the glass 22 conforms to the center of the light
emitting body 40 on the first LED printed circuit board 27.
[0052] The first reflector 38 is first attached to the glass 22 by
means of the adhesive tape 22 so that it can confirm whether the
center of the first reflector 38 conforms to the center of the
glass 22. And, the first reflector 38 is completely attached to the
glass 22 by depressing the rear surface of the sealing unit 34
receiving the sealant. Thereafter, they are sealed.
[0053] With such a constitution, the alignment of the first
reflector 38 and the first display unit 23 can be perfect and both
thereof can not be separated in a fixed state
[0054] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a shape that a center of a
first reflector conforms to a a center of a display panel.
[0055] Referring to FIG. 5, it can be appreciated that the center
of the first reflector conforms to the center of the display panel
by attaching the first reflector 38 to the first display unit 23 of
the display panel 22.
[0056] Even when the buttons of the touch screen 22 are densely
arranged, the first display unit 23, the center of the first
display unit 23 of the display panel 22 conforms to the center of
the first reflector 38, making it possible to assure the reliablity
of the assembly. This can be made that the alignment state of the
board and the reflector can perfectly be made by means of the hook,
etc. The assembly in which both are coupled can be perfectly made
at a correct position of the rear surface of the glass by means of
the tape and the sealing member.
[0057] Hereinafter, an assembly method of each component adjacent
to the first reflector will be described with reference to FIGS. 2
to 5.
[0058] First, the main printed circuit board 26 is received in the
frame 24. And, the second LED printed circuit board 28 is connected
to the one side of front portion of the frame 24.
[0059] And, the first LED printed circuit board 27 is coupled with
the first reflector 38 light collecting the LED light by means of
the hook, etc. so that they is constituted by one assembly. The
first reflector 38 is closely attached to the glass 22 so that the
center of the light emitting body 101 corresponding to the first
reflector 38 of the assembly conforms to the center of the firs
display unit 23. Thereafter, they are sealed.
[0060] In the sealing step, they are temporarily fixed by means of
the adhesive tape attached to the one side of the first reflector
38 to confirm whether the centers thereof are conformed. At this
time, in order to conform the centers thereof, they are assembled
by contacting the zig 10 to the one side of the glass 22.
[0061] Also, in the sealing step, the sealing is completed by
depressing the rear surface of the sealing unit 103 receiving the
sealant on the first reflector 38. When the rear surface of the
sealing unit 103 is depressed, the sealant within the sealing unit
103 is introduced into a plurality of grooves 104 formed in the
sealing unit 103 due to the pressure, making it possible to prevent
the pollution of the rear surface of the first display unit 23 due
to the sealant.
[0062] Thereafter, the glass 22 to which the first reflector 23 is
attached is coupled on the frame, thereby completing the
assembly.
[0063] Hereinafter, the display panel holder 40 will be described
in detail.
[0064] The display panel 25 is supported to the display panel
holder 40. And, the display panel holder 40 is coupled with the
main printed circuit board received in the frame 24 by means of the
hooker. The display panel holder 40 is formed with the buffer unit
(see 45 of FIG. 6) capable of elastically supporting the display
panel 25. The buffer unit is used for safely supporting the VFD
vulnerable to impact.
[0065] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a display panel holder
according to the present embodiment.
[0066] Referring to FIG. 6, the display panel holder 40 has an
outer appearance capable of safely seating the display panel 25.
The display panel holder 40 comprises a supporting part 42
contacted and supported to and on the rear surface of the display
panel 25, a first coupling member 48 formed on a longitudinal end
of the supportion part 4, and a buffer unit 45 formed on the
supporting part 42 to elastically support the display panel.
[0067] The display panel holder 40 is positioned in the space of
lower portion of the frame 24, making it possible to safely seat
the display panel 25.
[0068] The supporting part 42 can be formed with an opening in a
plate shape at a pre-determined interval. The opening can emit heat
generated from the display panel 25.
[0069] The first coupling member 48 prevents the flow of the
display panel 25 when the display panel 25 completely contacts the
surface of the supporting part 42. The first coupling member is
preferably formed in a hooker shape.
[0070] The buffer unit 45 is formed to be integrated with the
supporting part 42. The buffer unit 45 is preferably formed to
elastically support the display panel 25.
[0071] The buffer unit 45 comprises a flexible bar 47 in which the
protruding part contacting the display panel 25 is formed and a
cutout hole 46 having a cutout circumference in which the flexible
bar 47 is formed.
[0072] Also, the display panel holder 40 further comprises a guide
44 extendedly formed from the supporting part 42 to guide the upper
portion of the display panel 25 when the display panel 25 is
assembled. The upper portion of the guide 44 is inclinedly formed,
making it possible to safely assembly the display panel 42 in the
display panel holder 40.
[0073] The rear portion of the display panel holder 40 is formed
with the second coupling member 40. The second coupling member 49
is preferably the hooker and is coupled with the main printed
circuit board 26.
[0074] FIG. 7 shows a view of a shape that a display panel is
assembled in a display panel holder.
[0075] Referring to FIG. 7, the display panel 25 electrically
connected to the main printed circuit board 26 by means of the
electrical wire is assembled in the display panel holder 40. Due to
the flexible characteristics of the electrical lead, the display
panel 25 is easily varied so that it can be received in the display
panel holder 40.
[0076] When the display panel 25 is assembled in the display panel
holder 40, the guide 44 in an inclined shape guides the display
panel 25 so that it can safely and easily be assembled. If the
display panel 25 is completely received in the display panel holder
40, the first coupling member 48 fixes the display panel 25 so that
the display panel 25 is not bounded forward.
[0077] A process of assembling and using the display panel 25 in
the display panel holder 40 as described above will be
described.
[0078] First, the main printed circuit board 26 is received in the
inside of the frame 24 and the LED printed circuit board 28 is
mounted to the front of the frame.
[0079] And, the display panel 25 electrically connecting to the
main printed circuit board 26 by means of the electrical lead is
coupled with the display panel holder 40. At this time, the guide
44 inclinedly formed in the display panel holder 40 guides the
display panel 25 so that the display panel 25 is safely
coupled.
[0080] Meanwhile, the buffer unit 45 is formed on the supporting
part 42 of the display panel holder 40 to elastically support the
display panel 25. The buffer unit can safely support the display
panel 25 despite the outside impact or the vibration.
[0081] Hereinafter, the component adjacent to the second reflector
will be described.
[0082] FIG. 8 shows a rear perspective view of a reflector
according to the present embodiment.
[0083] Referring to FIG. 8, the area of a portion contacting the
second LED printed circuit board 28 is increased as a light
collecting hole 34 proceeds to the upper portion of the second
reflector 30 so that the second reflector 30 can collect the LED
light emitted from the second LED printed circuit board 28.
[0084] The light collecting hole 34 of the second reflector 30 and
the number of the LED on the second LED printed circuit board 28
may be differently formed according to the cooking state and the
cooking time of the oven to be displayed on the second display unit
23.
[0085] The rear surface of the second reflector 30 is provided with
the hooker 36 so that it is easily coupled with the second LED
printed circuit board. Also, the second reflector 30 also comprises
a warm drawer LED light collecting hole capable of collecting the
warm drawer LED light of the second LED printed circuit board
28.
[0086] The center of warm drawer LED light collecting hole 32
conforms to the center of the warm drawer display unit of the
second display unit 23. The center of the light collecting hole 34
conforms to all the centers of the LEDs of the second LED printed
circuit board 28, thereby obtaining the uniform illumination on the
display unit. Also, the light collecting hole 34 may have a
circular shape or a quadrangular shape as an example, but have
other shapes. This may be easily varied according to the
characteristics of the displayed information and the consumer
taste.
[0087] Hereinafter, the light emitting action of the display panel
will be described.
[0088] First, in the present embodiment, before the light emitted
from the vacuum fluorescent display (hereinafter, referred to as
VFD) in the display panel is emitted outside, the light passes
through a predetermined filter so that the intensity of the
transmitted light is varied per a wavelength. For example, when a
red filter is installed, original green light passes through the
red filter and is then recognized as white and degrades its
brightness, while even when original red light passes through the
red filter, it is recognized as red and does not degrade its
brightness.
[0089] Thereby, while the light emitted from the vacuum fluorescent
display passes through the filter, brightness and color are varied
so that the user's eye recognizes the controlled state by means of
the precision control apparatus. When the light recognized by the
user's eye is varied, the degree of rousing the circumference
recognized by the user can be varied according to the importance of
signal indicating the emitted light.
[0090] FIG. 9 shows a front view of a display panel according to
the present embodiment.
[0091] Referring to FIG. 9, the display panel according to the
present embodiment is provided with a plurality of display units.
In detail, the display panel comprises a time display unit 51
displaying the cooking time and the current time, etc, an operation
display unit 52 displaying the operating state of the hot plate 2,
a power supply display unit 53 displaying the operating state of
the inside of the cavity 1, a state display unit 54 displaying an
important signal such as malfunction, warning, or the like that
must be transferred to the user, a user instruction unit 55
displaying any instruction contents to the user. Of course, the
display units are illustrated by way of example and various display
units may be provided according to the use state and situation of
the cooking device. For example, a main power supply display unit
displaying whether the main power supply is connected to the
cooking device may be further provided.
[0092] Meanwhile, the plurality of display units can form a group
according to the vacuum fluorescent display providing the display
unit. For example, the display unit can be divided into the first
region 61 comprising the time display unit 51, a second region 62
comprising the operation display unit 52, the power supply display
unit 53, and the state display unit 54, and a third region
comprising the user instruction unit 55.
[0093] Each region 61, 62, 63 is divided according to the color of
light emitted from the vacuum fluorescent display when each display
unit is operated. For example, when the filter may be red, the
first region 61 green, the second region 62 is red, and the third
regions 63 orange.
[0094] With the arrangement of colors light emitted, the first
region 61, which is originally light emitted into green, passes
through the red filter and is then recognized as white by the user
and at the same time, its brightness is suddenly reduced to about
1/10. The reason is because a wavelength band of other light is
filtered except for red while the green light passes through the
red filter to significantly attenuate the high intensity green with
the wavelength band of 570 to 500 nm so that it has uniform
intensity in the entire wavelength band of visible ray.
[0095] The second region 62, which is originally light emitted into
red, passes through the red filter and is then recognized as red by
the user as it is and its brightness maintains original brightness
as it is. This is because the red filter transmits red light as it
is.
[0096] When the third region 63, which is originally light emitted
into orange passes through the red filter, the orange with the
wavelength band of 610 to 590 nm is attenuated to some degree and
is recognized as thin red by the user and its brightness is reduced
to a half.
[0097] Thereby, the red light emitted from the second region 62
maintains brightness as it is and at the same time, the user can
simply and easily observe the corresponding signal by the
attraction of red itself. Therefore, the second region 62 is
preferably provided with the display unit providing the power
supply or the warning display, which is the most important
information of the cooking device. And, the first region 61
preferably displays the information such as the c attuenation is
great in an important order. Also, the color of white can be
implemented in the particular case so that it can replace the
expensive white VFD with a short lifetime
[0098] Preferably, the second region and the filter are red by
considering that the information to be transferred to the user is
the most important.
[0099] The display device is constituted based on the attraction of
color, the brightness relation of the display unit, the kind of the
display unit, and the importance of the user recognition.
[0100] FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I'
of FIG. 1.
[0101] The display panel 25 according to the present embodiment
comprises the glass formed at the outermost, the vacuum fluorescent
display 73 provided inside thereof and light emitting other light
per the region of the display unit, a light filter 72 interposed
between the glass 22 and the vacuum fluorescent display 73 to
control the color and the brightness.
[0102] Since the VFD 73 is a member standing high heat generated
from the cooking device as described above, it is a component
properly usable in the cooking device, wherein it is already
described that each vacuum fluorescent display tube light emits
various colors and light according to the fluorescent materials
introduced into the inside thereof.
[0103] In this state, the light emitted from the vacuum fluorescent
display tube of the second region 62 is preferably the same color
as the light transmitting the light filter 72, and more preferably
the light emitted from the second region 62 is red in order to
raise the attraction of the user vision. And, the light emitted
from the first region 61 is preferably light with the wavelength
band that has the great difference in the wavelength band from the
light emitted from the second region 62, and more preferably in
order to improve the user satisfaction and to build an image as a
premium product, it is better that the light is green to implement
the white light after it passes through the light filter 72. The
light emitted from the third region 63 is approximate to the
wavelength and light emitted from the second region 62 so that it
is better that the attenuation degree is smaller over the first
region 62.
[0104] In conclusion, the light filter 72 is a red filter, the
first region 61 is a green VFD, the second region 62 is a red VFD,
and the third region 63 is an orange VFD.
[0105] FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I'
of FIG. 1 according to another embodiment. In another portion,
another embodiment is the same as the original embodiment and has
the difference only in an aspect where the filter is installed. In
detail, the filter according to the present embodiment is a print
filter 74 printed on the rear surface of the glass 22. With the
print filter 74, it can more conveniently provide the filter.
[0106] The present invention is not limited to the preferred
embodiments and may include other embodiments belonging to the
scope of the present invention. Hereinafter, other embodiments
covered by the same scope of the present invention will be
described by way of example.
[0107] As another form of the filters 72, 74, the filter provided
to the front of the front shield 71 is not included in the present
invention, but is also included in the scope of the present
invention,. However, for the convenience of the stability and
installation of the filter, the filter is more preferably provided
in the inside of the glass 22 as described above.
[0108] Also, in the embodiment as described above, three regions
are divided according to the light emitted from the VFD provided to
the display module, wherein each region is provided with the
particular number of display units. However, this is only an
example, but it can be expected that the display region of more
colors is provided and each region is provided with another number
of display units. This also belongs to the scope of the present
invention.
[0109] Also, it is already described that the glass senses the
touch of the user's fingers, etc., by stacking the sensors in the
touch scheme on the rear surface of the glass. However, the present
invention is not limited to the conventional glass using ceramic as
a material and may use any materials, for example, resin having the
characteristics of transmitting light to some degree. Furthermore,
for any components not associated with the touch scheme even in the
sensor in the touch scheme, these components may easily be provided
by any embodiments not requiring to apply the touch sensors.
[0110] In addition, the scope of the present invention can be
easily implemented by the proper combination of the constitutions
proposed by the embodiment of the present invention and the
combination of any new components easily considered.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0111] The present invention is applied to the cooking device so
that it can stably operate the interface unit, firmly stand against
outside impact, improve reliability of products, facilitates an
assembly, actively satisfy consumer taste, and reduce manufacturing
costs. Also, even when the present invention is applied to any
interface unit, it can obtain the effects as described above.
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