Control-panel assembly for household appliances and household appliance provided with such control-panel assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9255355-B2
Application number	US-201113988042-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2011
Priority date	Nov 29, 2010
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

The control-panel assembly ( 1 ) for household appliances and the like, includes: an outer dashboard ( 2 ), and at least one rigid protecting box ( 4 ). The outer dashboard ( 2 ) is provided with at least one protruding appendix ( 7 ) that sticks out of its rear face ( 2 r ) and that has a coupling ridge ( 7 a ) provided with a number of consecutive coupling segments ( 7 b ) that are tilted relative to one another. The protecting box ( 4 ) is provided with a corresponding cap appendix ( 8 ) dimensioned for resting onto the top of the protruding appendix ( 7 ), and which has at least one coupling portion ( 8 a ) which is shaped for stably matching with any one of the consecutive coupling segments ( 7 b ) of the coupling ridge ( 7 a ) of the protruding appendix ( 7 ). This allows a discrete adjustment of the spatial orientation of the protecting box ( 4 ) with respect to the rear face ( 2 r ) of the outer dashboard ( 2 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control-panel assembly for household appliances, which comprises:
a substantially shell-shaped, outer dashboard which is structured for being coupled to a casing of a household appliance;
an internal printed circuit board which is provided with one or more display devices and/or with one or more manually-operated input devices; and
at least one substantially basin-shaped, rigid protecting box, which houses all or part of said internal printed circuit board, and is structured for being firmly fixed to the rear face of the outer dashboard;

wherein, said outer dashboard is provided with at least one protruding appendix that sticks out of the rear face of the outer dashboard and has, on its top, a coupling ridge which is provided with a plurality of consecutive coupling segments that are tilted relative to one another and lay substantially on a same reference laying plane; and in that said protecting box is provided with a corresponding cap appendix which is dimensioned for resting onto the top of said protruding appendix, and which has at least one coupling portion which is shaped for stably matching with any one of the consecutive coupling segments of the coupling ridge of said protruding appendix, so as to allow a discrete adjustment of the spatial orientation of the protecting box with respect to the rear face of the outer dashboard according to the coupling segment abutted.

2. The control-panel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said reference laying plane is locally substantially perpendicular to the rear face of the outer dashboard.

3. The control-panel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said outer dashboard is provided with at least two protruding appendixes that sticks out of the rear face of the outer dashboard, and that said at least two protruding appendixes are arranged on the rear face of the outer dashboard so that the respective coupling ridges are aligned one to another.

4. The control-panel assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more mechanical locking devices structured for selectively rigidly fixing the at least one protecting box to the body of the outer dashboard.

5. The control-panel assembly according to claim 4 , wherein said mechanical locking devices are structured for selectively rigidly fixing the body of the protecting box to the body of the outer dashboard ( 2 ) when the coupling portion of each cap appendix matches with one of the consecutive coupling segments of the coupling ridge of the corresponding protruding appendix.

6. The control-panel assembly according to claim 5 , wherein said mechanical locking devices comprise one or more snap-on locking device and/or anchoring screws or rivets.

7. The control-panel assembly according to claim 4 , wherein said mechanical locking devices comprise one or more snap-on locking device and/or anchoring screws or rivets.

8. The control-panel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each projecting appendix comprises a substantially flat projecting tailpiece or winglet that sticks out of the rear face ( 2 r ) of the outer dashboard and has, on its top, a number of consecutive flat segments or surfaces which lay substantially on the tailpiece reference laying plane, and are tilted relative to one another so as to form, on the top of the protruding tailpiece, a multi-beveled coupling ridge having a profile substantially polygonal in shape.

9. The control-panel assembly according to claim 8 , wherein each projecting tailpiece or winglet is formed by a substantially U-shaped staple element that sticks out of the rear face of the outer dashboard and has, on its raised central section, a number of consecutive rectilinear segments which are tilted relative to one another so as to form an arched portion having a substantially trapezoid-isosceles shaped profile.

10. A control panel assembly according to claim 9 , wherein each cap appendix comprises a substantially cup-shaped element which is aligned to a corresponding protruding appendix, and is dimensioned for being engaged by said protruding appendix up to the bottom, so that the bottom of the cup-shaped element is allowed to directly rest onto the coupling ridge of the protruding appendix.

11. A control panel assembly according to claim 8 , wherein each cap appendix comprises a substantially cup-shaped element which is aligned to a corresponding protruding appendix, and is dimensioned for being engaged by said protruding appendix up to the bottom, so that the bottom of the cup-shaped element is allowed to directly rest onto the coupling ridge of the protruding appendix.

12. The control-panel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each cap appendix comprises a substantially cup-shaped element which is aligned to a corresponding protruding appendix, and is dimensioned for being engaged by said protruding appendix up to the bottom, so that the bottom of the cup-shaped element is allowed to directly rest onto the coupling ridge of the protruding appendix.

13. The control-panel assembly according to claim 12 , wherein the bottom of each cup-shaped element is shaped so as to match/mesh with any one of the consecutive coupling segments of the coupling ridge of the corresponding protruding appendix.

14. The control-panel assembly according to claim 12 , wherein the bottom of each cup-shaped element is shaped so as to copy the shape of part of the substantially polygonal-shaped curved profile of the coupling ridge of the corresponding protruding tailpiece or winglet, so that the bottom wall of the cup-shaped element is allowed to match/mesh with the coupling ridge of the protruding tailpiece or winglet in several different positions.

15. The control-panel assembly according to claim 12 , wherein a pair of said projecting tailpieces or winglets are arranged on the rear face of the outer dashboard, so to be located on opposite sides of a said protecting box, and in that the cup-shaped elements are arranged in overhanging manner along the perimeter of the said protecting box, on opposite sides of the protecting box, so to be aligned, each to a respective protruding tailpiece or winglet facing the side of the protecting box.

16. The control-panel assembly according to claim 12 , wherein said mechanical locking devices comprise a snap-on locking spline which projects into the cup-shaped element and is shaped so to selectively hook on the back of the arched central section of the protruding appendix when the bottom of the cup-shaped element abutment against any one of the flat segments of the central section of the protruding appendix.

17. The control-panel assembly according to claim 12 , wherein said mechanical locking devices comprises a pass-through anchoring screw or rivet which extends in succession across the bottom of the cup-shaped element, and across the coupling segment of the coupling ridge of the protruding appendix directly matching with the bottom wall of the cup-shaped element.

18. A household appliance having an outer casing and a control panel located on said outer casing; said control panel comprising a control-panel assembly according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Bas Alberto
• De Luca Fernando
• De Pellegrin Andrea
• Marcuz Rodolfo
• Morandini Stefano
• Electrolux Home Prod Corp

Inventors

• Bas Alberto
• De Luca Fernando
• De Pellegrin Andrea
• Marcuz Rodolfo
• Morandini Stefano

Classifications

• A47L15/4293

  Arrangements for programme selection, e.g. control panels; Indication of the selected programme, programme progress or other parameters of the programme, e.g. by using display panels · CPC title

• H05K1/00

  Printed circuits · CPC title

• F25D29/005

  Mounting of control devices · CPC title

• H05K5/0247

  Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring · CPC title

• D06F39/005

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic