Patent Publication Number: US-2022236937-A1

Title: Appliance handle with automatic shutoff of input interface elements

Description:
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/837,363, filed on Apr. 1, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Consumer appliances such as ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators, and the like typically include doors to enclose internal chambers. Such doors typically include some kind of handle or grip to allow the door to be easily operated by the user. In some cases, the handle might include additional functional features, such as lights for illuminating the appliance, displays to show time or operating status, and input mechanisms that can be used to operate or program the appliance. 
     An example of an appliance having a door handle with input and output interfaces is described in U.S. Publication No. 2018/0216830, which is incorporated herein by reference. This publication describes a cooking oven having an LED (light emitting diode) display or indicator on the front side of the door handle. This publication also suggests that the handle can include a touch sensor or a touch dimmer. 
     Another example of an appliance having a door handle with input and output interfaces is described in U.S. Publication No. 2018/0325312, which is incorporated herein by reference. This publication describes a double-sided grill having a handle to open and close the grill elements, and an input/output interface on the handle. 
     Other appliances having input and/or output interfaces in the handle are shown in Chinese Application Nos. CN102327069A and CN202419736U, and WO97/26486, which are all incorporated herein by reference. 
     The inventors have determined that the state of the art of appliance handle interfaces can be improved. 
     SUMMARY 
     In a first exemplary aspect, there is provided a method for operating an appliance having a cabinet, a door connected to the cabinet and movable in an opening direction from a closed position to an open position, and a handle connected to the door. The handle has a first side facing against the opening direction and forming a grasping surface, a second side facing along the opening direction, and an interface region having one or more input interfaces on the second side of the handle. The appliance has one or more shutoff sensors configured to disable at least one of the one or more input interfaces on the interface region when an object is detected adjacent the grasping surface. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, at least one of the one or more shutoff sensors comprises one or more capacitive proximity sensors. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, at least one of the one or more shutoff sensors comprises one or more capacitive touch sensors. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, at least one of the one or more shutoff sensors comprises one or more optical sensors. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, at least one of the one or more shutoff sensors comprises one or more mechanical switches. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more shutoff sensors are configured to disable all of the one or more input interfaces on the interface region when the object is detected adjacent the grasping surface. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the one of the one or more shutoff sensors are configured to disable at least one of the one or more input interfaces on the interface region when the object is detected in contact with the grasping surface. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more shutoff sensors are configured to disable at least one of the one or more input interfaces on the interface region when the object is detected in proximity to the grasping surface. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the handle comprises a housing attached to the door, a cover attached to the housing and comprising at least a portion of the interface region, and a printed circuit board contained by the housing and the cover. The printed circuit board may have a first side facing the cover and a second side facing opposite the cover, and at least one of the one or more input interfaces may be mounted on the first side of the printed circuit board, and at least one of the one or more shutoff sensors may be mounted on the second side of the printed circuit board. The one or more shutoff sensors may be completely enclosed within the housing and cover. The handle may also include a display trim located between the first side of the printed circuit board and the cover, the display trim comprising a plurality of openings, each opening configured to surround one of more input interfaces or output interfaces. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more shutoff sensors are mounted on the handle. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more shutoff sensors are mounted on the door. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more shutoff sensors are configured to disable the at least one of the one or more input interfaces when an object is detected adjacent a predetermined region of the grasping surface. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more shutoff sensors are configured to disable the at least one of the one or more input interfaces when an object is detected adjacent any portion of the grasping surface. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the door is movably mounted to the cabinet by a pivot, and the opening direction comprises an arcuate path centered on a rotation axis of the pivot. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the door is movably mounted to the cabinet by one or more sliders, and the opening direction comprises a linear path parallel to a travel path of the one or more sliders. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the handle is elongated in a longitudinal direction, and is connected to the door at longitudinal ends of the handle. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the handle is formed by a pocket or groove in the door. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the handle is formed by a portion of the door that extends beyond a perimeter of the cabinet. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Examples of various inventions described herein are illustrated in the following drawings, in which like reference numbers refer to like parts. 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an appliance having a shutoff sensor. 
         FIG. 2  is a partially cut away side view of the appliance of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view of an alternative appliance having a different handle configuration. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of an alternative appliance having a different handle configuration. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded front isometric view of the handle of the appliance of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded rear isometric view of the handle of the appliance of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a partial side view of another embodiment of an appliance door and handle having an alternative shutoff sensor. 
         FIG. 8  is a partial side view of another embodiment of an appliance door and handle having another alternative shutoff sensor. 
         FIG. 9  is a rear side view of another embodiment of an appliance handle having another alternative shutoff sensor. 
         FIG. 10  is a partial side view of another embodiment of an appliance door and handle having another alternative shutoff sensor. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     The inventors have determined that existing appliance handle interfaces can have limitations. For example, when input interfaces are provided across a large area of the handle, it may be difficult to grasp the handle to open the door without accidentally activating one or more inputs. This can lead to improper appliance operation, and user frustration. These problems are exasperated by the use of modern touch inputs, which require only a slight contact to activate an input. Such problems can be mitigated by isolating the input features into a distinct region (e.g., a discrete part of the handle having input buttons), while leaving other portions of the handle available to grasp without concern for accidentally touching the inputs, but this limits the available space for providing inputs. Such problems can also be mitigated by generating an audible signal to indicate when a setting has been changed, but the operator might not notice or pay attention to the audible signal, and might still have difficultly determining which setting was changed. Thus, such solutions have their own associated shortcomings. 
     The inventors have determined that a more favorable solution to addressing accidental inputs during operation of a control handle is to disable one or more of the input interfaces when an operator is using the handle to open the door, and more particularly when a user has positioned their hand in preparation for opening the door by reaching behind and grasping the handle. Examples of such solutions are described in detail below. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate an example of an appliance  100  in the form of an oven (e.g., steam, convection, microwave, etc.). In this case, the appliance  100  is a movable tabletop unit, but it could be configured as a built-in unit. The appliance has a cabinet  102  with a door  104  attached to the cabinet  102  by hinges, sliders, or the like. The door  104  is movable between a closed position (shown), in which it covers an internal chamber  106  (in this case, a cooking chamber), and an open position in which the door  104  opens the chamber  106  for user access. The door  104  may be opaque, or it may include one or more transparent panes  108  to allow viewing inside the chamber  106 . 
     The door  104  includes a handle  110  that is positioned to enable the operator to move the door  104  from the closed position to the open position. In this case, the door  104  is mounted on a horizontal pivot  112  that extends along the bottom of the door  104 , such that pulling on the handle  110  causes the door  104  to move in an opening direction D defined by an arc having its center at the pivot  112 . For doors having pivot mounts, the opening direction D will generally be an arcuate path centered on the axis (usually vertical or horizontal) of the pivot, while doors having sliding mounts will have an opening direction D along a linear path. To facilitate movement in the opening direction D, the handle  110  has a grasping surface  114  that faces against the opening direction D. Some or all of the grasping surface  114  may face directly against the opening direction D, such as by having a planar surface or region that is perpendicular to the opening direction D, but this is not strictly required. 
     The illustrated exemplary handle  110  is attached to the front face  116  of the door  104 , such that the grasping surface  114  is spaced from the front face  116  with a gap  118  formed between the front face  116  and the grasping surface  114 . The gap  118  is dimensioned to allow an operator to fit their fingers behind the handle  110  to contact the grasping surface  110 . In the example of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the handle  110  is connected to the door  104  only at the lateral ends of the handle  110 , such that the grasping surface  114  is not connected to the front face  116  along the span of the handle  110 . Thus, the gap  118  extends along the entire back side of the handle  110  to allow an operator to reach behind the handle  110  from above or below the handle  110 . 
     Other embodiments may use different handle configurations. For example,  FIG. 3  schematically shows a top view of an appliance  100  having a door  104  with a handle  110  formed by a groove or pocket  300  in the side of the door  104 . The pocket  300  has a grasping surface  114  facing the opening direction D. In this case, the opening direction is an arcuate path about a vertical pivot  112 , such that the door  104  opens to the side, rather downward as in  FIGS. 1 and 2 .  FIG. 4  shows a cut away schematic side view of an appliance  100  having a door  104  mounted to a lower portion of the chamber  106 . The lower portion of the chamber  106  and the door are mounted to the cabinet  102  by sliders  400 . This provides a linear opening direction D. A handle  110  is provided as a vertical extension from the door  110 , with the grasping surface  114  on the back side of the extension and facing the opening direction D. In any event, the handle  110  has a first side facing against the opening direction to provide a grasping surface  114 . Other alternatives and variations will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure. 
     Referring back to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the handle  110  includes an interface region  120  having one or more input interfaces. The interface region  120  is located on a second side of the handle that faces along the opening direction D. Thus, the interface region  120  is generally opposite the grasping surface  114 . An input interface can include any type of mechanism by which the operator can input commands to the appliance  100 . Such devices include switches, buttons, dials, sliders, capacitive touch switches or panels, resistive touch switches or panels, optical switches, and the like. The interface region  120  also may include output interfaces, such as LED lights, liquid crystal displays, and other indicators to express the operating settings and conditions of the appliance  100 . The interface region  120  also may include other features, such as lights that are configured to illuminate the surroundings or provide decorative accents. 
     The interface region  120  is located where it can be accessed by the operator in order to use the appliance  100 . To this end, the interface region  120  may be located to face along the opening direction D, so that it is directed directly away from the cabinet  102  (such as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), or at some angle away from the cabinet  102 . At least some of the input interfaces may be located on the interface region  120  at locations where the operator&#39;s hand can potentially reach when the operator is grasping the handle  110  to open or close the door  104 . For example one or more input interfaces may be located on a front side of the handle  110  opposite to the grasping surface  114 . However, this leads to the potential problem of accidentally activating one or more input interfaces when the operator grasps the handle  110 . To help reduce the likelihood of such accidental contact, one or more shutoff sensors  122  are positioned in a region that the operator&#39;s hand will occupy during opening or closing of the door  104 , and configured to disable one or more of the input interfaces when a hand is detected. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate details of an exemplary handle  110 , including exemplary input and output interfaces and shutoff sensors  122  that may be integrated into the handle  110 . In this case, the handle  110  comprises a housing  500 , a printed circuit board (PCB)  502 , a display trim  504  and a display cover  506 . The housing  500  is has a mounting post  508  at each end for connecting the handle  110  to the door  104 . When so connected, the back side of the handle  110  faces towards the door  104  and provides a grasping surface  114  for pulling the door  104  open, while the interface region  120  faces towards the operator. 
     The PCB  502  is mounted to the housing  500  and covered by the display trim  506  and the display cover  506 . The display trim  506  may comprise one or more parts that are configured to help isolate the different input and output interfaces from each other, such as by providing an opaque bezel surrounding each illuminated display to prevent light from one display being visible at the other display. The display cover  506  seals the assembly to prevent direct contact with the PCB  502 , and may comprise one or more transparent or semi-transparent regions to allow viewing of the input and output interfaces. The display cover  506  and/or display trim  504  may be marked with symbols or words to identify the different input and output interfaces. The display cover  506  also may include features to facilitate operation of the input interfaces, such as openings to allow access to toggle switches or dial controls. The display cover  506  also may be configured to permit the use of proximity or touch controls, such as by being formed of a thin plastic, glass or metal material. 
     In the shown example, the interface region  120  comprises a number of input interfaces  510  located along the length of the handle  110 . Similarly, a variety of output interfaces  512  also may be provided along the length of the interface region  120 . For example, one or more of the input interfaces  510  might include an underlying LED light to indicate when the operation associated with the input interface  510  is active. The input interfaces  510  and output interfaces  512  are configured to operate and monitor the appliance  100 , such as by being wired to a computer processor unit (CPU) that is programmed to receive controls and issue commands to the operating parts of the appliance  100  (e.g., heaters, fans, pumps, etc.) to effectuate operation thereof. The details of such electrical connections and controls are not relevant to the present disclosure, and will be readily understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, such details are not described herein. 
     As noted above, the appliance  100  also includes one or more shutoff sensors  122  that are configured to disable one or more of the input interfaces  510  when a user&#39;s hand is detect in proximity with or in contact with the grasping surface  114 . The capacitive proximity sensors operate by detecting a change in capacitance between two locations, and more specifically by responding to the change in the dielectric constant within the electromagnetic field between the two locations that is caused by displacing air with the operator&#39;s hand. Such devices are known in the art, and available from various sources, such as Allied Electronics &amp; Automation of Fort Worth, Tex. 
     The shutoff sensors  122  are wired to the electrical control system (e.g., PCB  502  and CPU) to disable operation of one or more of the input interfaces when an operator&#39;s hand is detected adjacent to the grasping surface  114 . For example, the CPU can be programmed to (a) monitor the shutoff sensors  122  to detect the capacitance value at each shutoff sensor  122 , (b) detect a change in capacitance at one or more shutoff sensors  122 , (c) determine whether the detected change in capacitance is above a predetermined threshold value, and (d) issue a logical command to disable all input interfaces  510  until the detected change in capacitance drops below the threshold value. The system may be programmed such that activation (i.e., detecting a hand or other object) of a single shutoff sensor  122  disables all of the input interfaces  510 , or only a subset of the input interfaces  510 . The control system also may be configured to identify the particular shutoff sensor  122  or shutoff sensors  122  that are experiencing the threshold change in capacitance, and only disable input interfaces  510  associated with those shutoff sensors  122 . Thus, for example, if an operator grasps one end of the handle  110 , only the input interfaces  510  at the grasped end of the handle  110  are disabled. 
     In the example of  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the shutoff sensors  122  comprise three capacitive proximity sensors, which are distributed along the length of the handle at a spacing selected to detect the proximity of an operator&#39;s hand at any location that is adjacent to the grasping surface  114  and behind one or more of the input interfaces  510 . Other embodiments may use different numbers and locations of shutoff sensors  122 . For example, if the input interfaces  510  are all located at one end of the handle  110 , then the shutoff sensors  122  may be located only at that end of the handle  110  to avoid having shutoff sensor  122  that are not necessary to avoid accidental activation of the input interfaces  510 . In other cases, the shutoff sensors  122  may be configured to only disable one or more of the input interfaces  510  when the operator&#39;s hand is detected at predetermined locations along the handle  110 , such as at locations where incidental contact with the input interfaces  510  is more likely to occur (e.g., directly behind the input interfaces  510 ). Other alternatives and variations will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure. 
     Other embodiments may use different types of shutoff sensor  122 , or may be programmed to operate according to different control logic. For example, a typical capacitive proximity sensor can be operated as a capacitive touch sensor, by monitoring the sensor to detect an additional change in capacitance caused by physical contact with the sensor or its surroundings (i.e., more than mere proximity). Thus, the shutoff sensors  122  may be configured as contact sensors or as a hybrid of proximity sensors and contact sensors (e.g., disable some inputs upon detecting proximity, and disable other inputs upon detecting contact). In any case, the shutoff sensors  122  are configured to detect when an operator&#39;s hand (or potentially other objects) is adjacent to (near or touching) the grasping surface  114 . 
     The control logic of the system also may vary depending on the type of sensor and individual preferences. For example, a capacitive proximity or touch sensor package may be configured with internal control logic that is calibrated to output a simple logical signal (i.e., “on” or “off”) upon internally detecting a threshold change in capacitance. Thus, the capacitive proximity or touch sensor may be integrated into the appliance&#39;s control system as a simple on/off logical switch, without having to perform capacitive value detection remotely from the switch. In such a case, steps (a) through (c) of the exemplary control logic described above could be replaced by a single step of monitoring for a change in status of the shutoff sensor  122  between “off” (nothing detected) and “on” (an object detected in the region of interest). Other alternatives and variations will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure. 
     In the example of  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the shutoff sensors  122  are conveniently packaged into the handle  110  by attaching them to the reverse side of the PCB  502 . Thus, when provided as capacitive proximity sensors, the shutoff sensors  122  can be contained within the handle housing  500  without any external exposure, and thereby be protected from the environment. In other examples, such as when a resistive touch sensor or a capacitive touch sensor is used, the shutoff sensors  122  may include electrical contacts that are located on the grasping surface  114  to be directly contacted by the operator&#39;s hand. In either event, the handle  110  can be packaged with the PCB  502  being enclosed between the housing  500  and the cover  506 , with the input interfaces  510  and output interfaces  512  being mounted to face away from the outward-facing side of the PCB  502 , and the shutoff sensors  122  being mounted to face away from the inward-facing side of the PCB  502 . This provides a convenient and cost-effective arrangement of the parts. 
     The shutoff sensors  122  also may be supplemented by conventional door switches  124 , such as shown in  FIG. 2 , that detect whether the door  104  is closed. For example, the control system may have another logical control circuit that disables one or more of the input interfaces  510  when the door switch  124  indicates that the door  104  is open. This would help prevent accidental activation of input interfaces  510  when the handle  110  is pushed to close the door  104 . The door switch  124  may comprise a microswitch, capacitive contact sensor, or any other suitable proximity or contact sensor. 
       FIGS. 7 through 10  illustrate exemplary alternative configurations of shutoff sensors  122 . 
     In  FIG. 7 , the shutoff sensor  122  comprises a capacitive proximity sensor that is located in the front face of the door  104 , to face towards the grasping surface  114  of the handle  110 . In this case, one or more input interfaces  510  may be provided on the handle  110  generally opposite to the grasping surface  114 . 
     In  FIG. 8 , the shutoff sensor  122  comprises an optical switch having a light transmitter/receiver  800  and a retroreflector  802 . The transmitter/receiver  800  generates a light beam that strikes the retroreflector  802  and returns to the transmitter/receiver  800 . The operator&#39;s hand interrupts the light beam when it is placed behind the handle  110 , and the shutoff sensor  122  is configured to disable one or more input interfaces  510  upon detecting the absence of the reflected light beam. 
     The embodiment of  FIG. 9  is similar to that of  FIG. 8 , but in this case, the shutoff sensor  122  is configured as an optical transmitter  900  located at one lateral end of the handle  110 , and an optical receiver  902  located at the other lateral end of the handle  110 . The transmitter  900  and receiver  902  may be mounted, for example, inside the mounting posts  508  of the handle  110 . Here again, the shutoff sensor  122  is configured to disable one or more input interfaces  510  (not visible in  FIG. 9 ) when the light beam is interrupted by an operator&#39;s hand. It will be readily appreciated that the embodiment of  FIG. 9  may be modified by using a single optical transmitter/receiver at one end of the handle  110 , and a reflector at the other end of the handle  110 , and similarly the embodiment of  FIG. 8  may be modified by using separate emitters and receivers instead of a single transmitter/receiver and a reflector. 
       FIG. 10  is an example of a shutoff sensor  122  in the form of a mechanical contact sensor. Here, the grasping surface  114  is mounted to the handle  110  on a movable base, such as a pivot  1000  or a sliding mount, and the shutoff sensor  122  comprises a microswitch  1002  or other position-sensitive switch that is configured to detect when the grasping surface  114  is moved to pull the door  104  open. 
     Other embodiments may have other configurations. For example, the capacitive proximity sensors of  FIGS. 5 and 6  may be replaced by pressure sensors, resistive touch sensors, or the like. In each case, the handle  110  has one or more associated shutoff sensors  122  that are configured to temporarily disable one or more input interfaces  510  (and optionally output interfaces  512 ) located on the handle  110 , when the operator places his or her hand into contact or proximity with the handle&#39;s grasping surface  114 . 
     The present disclosure describes a number of inventive features and/or combinations of features that may be used alone or in combination with each other or in combination with other technologies. The embodiments described herein are all exemplary, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. It will also be appreciated that the inventions described herein can be modified and adapted in various ways, and all such modifications and adaptations are intended to be included in the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims.