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US 7,705,257 B2Granted
Touch switch for electrical appliances and electrical appliance provided with such switch
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsEttore Arione, Giuseppe Arena, Roberto Lazzarotto, Giorgio Braghini
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A touch switch for an electrical appliance having a capacitive flat electrode, a light source, a transparent cover and a printed circuit board connected to the electrode is disclosed. The light source is mounted on a face of the printed circuit board opposite the transparent cover and the printed circuit board presents a cut-out for allowing light transmission from the light source towards the transparent cover.
Claims12
A capacitive touch switch for an appliance comprising:
- a non-conductive transparent cover;
- a printed circuit board below the non-conductive transparent cover, said printed circuit board including a cut-out portion;
- a touch electrode mounted on the printed circuit board adjacent the cut-out portion;
- a light source mounted below the printed circuit board at a position offset from the cut-out portion;
- and
- a light guide extending below the printed circuit board, wherein the light guide directs light emitted by the light source through the cut-out portion of the printed circuit board towards the non-conductive transparent cover.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.