Man-machine interface
AssigneeScientific Generics Limited
InventorsMark A. Howard, Richard A. Doyle, Alice Richard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A man-machine interface is provided for a domestic appliance in which remotely sensed buttons, slider bars, marker pucks and a knob are used. The sensing coils for remotely sensing the positions of the buttons, slider bars, marker pucks and the knob are formed on a printed circuit board which is located behind a sealed surface such that there is no risk of contaminants accessing the printed circuit board.
Claims61
A domestic appliance having a man-machine interface for controlling the operation thereof, the man-machine interface comprising:
- first and second relatively moveable members;
- wherein said second member comprises means for generating a signal;
- wherein said first member comprises means for sensing the signal generated by said second member and for outputting a signal which varies dependent upon the relative position of said first and second members;
- means for controlling the appliance dependent upon the sensed relative position of said first and second members;
- wherein the first member is located within a housing of the appliance and the second member is provided external to said housing and being moveable by a user relative to said housing;
- and
- wherein said second member comprises a resonator.
A domestic appliance having a man-machine interface for controlling the operation thereof, the man-machine interface comprising:
- first and second relatively moveable members;
- wherein said second member comprises a signal generator operable to generate a signal;
- and
- wherein said first member comprises a sensor operable to sense the signal generated by said second member and to output a signal which varies in dependence upon the relative position of said first and second members;
- a controller operable to control the appliance in dependence upon the sensed relative position of said first and second members
- wherein the first member is located with a housing of the appliance and the second member is provided external to said housing and being movable by a user relative to said housing;
- and
- wherein said second member comprises a resonator.
A man-machine interface for controlling the operation of an appliance, the man-machine interface comprising first and second relatively moveable members;
- wherein said second member comprises means for generating a signal;
- wherein said first member comprises mean for sensing the signal generated by said second member and for outputting a signal which varies dependent upon the relative position of said first and second members;
- means for controlling the appliance dependent upon the sense relative position of said first and second members;
- and
- wherein said second member comprises a resonator.
An appliance having a man-machine interface for controlling the operation thereof, the man-machine interface comprising:
- a first member located within a housing of the appliance and a second member which is movable relative to the first member by a user, wherein the second member comprises a passive resonator and the first member comprises:
- i) an energizer operable to energize said resonator, said energizer comprising an excitation winding and a current supplier operable to apply an excitation current to the excitation coil to cause the resonator to resonate;
- and ii) a sensor operable to sense the signal generated by the resonator and to output a signal which varies dependent upon the relative position of the first and second members, said sensor comprising at least one sensor winding for sensing the electromagnetic field generated by said resonator;
- and
- a controller operable to control the appliance dependent upon the sensed relative position of said first and second members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.