Patent Description:
In the related technology, household appliances, such as microwave ovens, electric ovens, gas stoves, etc., are provided with rotary knob for users to operate. The rotary knob is used to adjust the functions, time or power of the household appliance. However, the existing rotary knob has relatively simple functions, which are hardly to meet the multi-functional requirements on household appliance, and are inconvenient for users to use. <CIT> discloses an operating device comprising an input element which switches from a first mode to a second mode via actuation of a further input element in an operation type. The input elements are rotary switches, pressing switches, rotary-turning switches or pressing-turning switches. <CIT> discloses a dual-concentric knob, in which an inner knob acts as a solid knob for forces below a threshold and collapses into an outer knob for forces above the threshold. In some examples the inner knob also acts as a push button for forces below the threshold. A hand-operated control is mounted on a hub for axial movement between a first position and a second position relative to the hub, a mechanism axially rigidly couples the control to the hub in the first position unless a force greater than a threshold is applied to the control, and a mechanism rotationally couples the control to the hub in both the first and the second positions. <CIT> discloses an incremental coding type gas stove control device. Fixing box, incremental encoder, gear motor, an inner sleeve ring, a gas switch knob and a control module, a clamping groove is formed in the storage box structure part of the fixed box; the lower end is fixedly mounted on the gas stove table board; the incremental encoder is of a hollow structure. Hollow shaft, the hollow shaft is nested on the outer wall of the gas firepower adjusting rod; a rotor of the gear motor is fixedly connected with the axis of the gas stove firepower adjusting inner rod in an aligned mode. The incremental encoder shell and the gear motor stator are both fixed to the inner wall of the inner lantern ring, the wire groove is formed in the inner wall of the inner lantern ring, the limiting clamp is inserted into a clamping groove of the fixing box, and a knob inner groove is formed in the lower end of the gas switch knob and installed with the upper end of the gear motor rotor in a nested mode.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an operating assembly and household appliance.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an operating assembly for a household appliance. The operating assembly includes a first operating portion and a second operating portion. The first operating portion is at least partially disposed in the second operating portion. The second operating portion is capable of being located at a first position and a second position of the first operating portion, and capable of moving between the first position and the second position. The operating assembly being configured in such a manner that: when determining that the second operating portion is located at the first position, the second operating portion is rotatable relative to the first operating portion to generate a first electric signal; when determining that the second operating portion is located at the second position, the second operating portion is capable of driving the first operating portion to rotate, generating a second electric signal during the rotation of the first operating portion; and the first operating portion is capable of being pressed to generate a third electric signal.

In the operating assembly of the embodiment of the present disclosure, when different operations are performed on the first operating portion and the second operating portion, the operating assembly is able to output a plurality of electric signals, and the functions of the operating assembly can be multiplied by providing two operating portions, to meet the multi-functional requirements of household appliance. The structure is simple and easy to be implemented to improve the user convenience.

The operating assembly further includes a coupling structure, when determining that the second operating portion is located at the second position, the second operating portion is capable of, when being rotated and by means of the coupling structure, driving the first operating portion to rotate.

In some embodiments, the coupling structure includes a fixture block located at either the first operating portion or the second operating portion, and a fixture seat located at an other one of either the first operating portion or the second operating portion.

In some embodiments, the operating assembly further includes a first elastic member, when determining that the second operating portion is located at the second position, the first elastic member abuts between the first operating portion and the second operating portion, and provides the second operating portion with a force to move from the second position to the first position.

According to the invention, the operating assembly includes a first contact member mounted on the first operating portion, and a second contact member mounted on the second operating portion, when determining that the second operating portion is located at the first position, the first contact member is connected to the second contact member; when determining that the second operating portion is located at the first position and is rotated, the first contact member and the second contact member rotate relative to each other to generate the first electric signal; and when determining that the second operating portion is located at the second position, the first contact member is separated from the second contact member.

In some embodiments, the operating assembly includes a base, the first operating portion is movably connected to the base, and the base has an output terminal provided thereon and configured to output an electric signal of the operating assembly to a controller of the household appliance.

In some embodiments, the operating assembly includes a limiting structure disposed on the base. The first operating portion is capable of being located at a third position and a fourth position of the base, and is switchable between the third position and the fourth position; when determining that the first operating portion is located at the third position, the limiting structure is connected to the first operating portion to limit a rotation of the first operating portion; and when determining that the first operating portion is located at the fourth position, the limiting structure is separated from the first operating portion to remove the limitation on the rotation of the first operating portion, allowing the first operating portion to rotate.

In some embodiments, the operating assembly includes a second elastic member abutting against the base and the first operating portion.

In some embodiments, the operating assembly includes a switch member outputting the third electric signal in response to the first operating portion being pressed.

In some embodiments, the operating assembly includes an encoder connected to the first operating portion, the encoder detects a rotation angle of the first operating portion and output the second electric signal based on the rotation angle.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a household appliance. The household appliance includes the operating assembly as described in any of the above-mentioned embodiments, and a panel. The operating assembly is mounted on the panel.

In the household appliance of the embodiment of the present disclosure, when different operations are performed on the first operating portion and the second operating portion, the operating assembly is able to output a plurality of electric signals, and the functions of the operating assembly can be multiplied by providing two operating portions, to meet the multi-functional requirements of household appliance. The structure is simple and easy to be implemented to improve the user convenience.

In the following description, part of the additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be provided, and part of them will become apparent in view of the following description or may be learned by practice of the present disclosure.

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent and readily understood from the description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the following accompanying figures.

household appliance <NUM>, panel <NUM>, opening <NUM>, operating assembly <NUM>, first operating portion <NUM>, upper portion <NUM>, middle portion <NUM>, lower portion <NUM>, fixture portion <NUM>, second operating portion <NUM>, third portion <NUM>, protruding portion <NUM>, recess <NUM>, coupling structure <NUM>, fixture block <NUM>, fixture seat <NUM>, first elastic member <NUM>, first contact member <NUM>, second contact member <NUM>, base <NUM>, output terminal <NUM>, receiving space <NUM>, limiting structure <NUM>, limiting recess <NUM>, second elastic member <NUM>, switch member <NUM>, body <NUM>, elastic contact member <NUM>, encoder <NUM>, first portion <NUM>, first notch <NUM>, second notch <NUM>, third notch <NUM>.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below in detail, examples of the embodiments are shown in accompanying drawings, and throughout the description, the same or similar reference signs represent the same or similar components or the components having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and merely used to explain the present disclosure, rather than being construed as limitation on the present disclosure.

The following description provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different structures of the disclosure, and in order to simplify the disclosure of the disclosure, the members and dispose of specific examples are described below. They are only examples and are not intended to limit the disclosure. Furthermore, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or reference letters in different examples, such repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or dispose discussed. In addition, the present disclosure provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but the skilled in the art will recognize the application of other processes and/or the use of other materials.

Referring <FIG>, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an operating assembly <NUM> for a household appliance <NUM>. The operating assembly <NUM> includes a first operating portion <NUM> and a second operating portion <NUM>. The first operating portion <NUM> is at least partially disposed in the second operating portion <NUM>, and the second operating portion <NUM> can be located at a first position (<FIG>) and a second position (<FIG>) of the first operating portion <NUM>, and can move back and forth between the first position and the second position. The operating assembly <NUM> is configured in such a manner that, when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the first position, the second operating portion <NUM> is rotatable relative to the first operating portion <NUM> to generate a first electric signal; and when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the second operating portion <NUM> can drive the first operating portion <NUM> to rotate, and a second electric signal is generated during the rotation of the first operating portion <NUM>.

The first operating portion <NUM> can be pressed to generate a third electric signal.

In the operating assembly <NUM> of the embodiment of the present disclosure, when different operations are performed on the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM>, the operating assembly <NUM> can output a plurality of electric signals, and the functions of the operating assembly <NUM> can be multiplied by providing the two operating portions. In this way, the multi-functional requirements of a household appliance <NUM> can be satisfied, and the structure is simple and easy to be implemented to improve the user convenience.

In some embodiments, the household appliance <NUM> includes, but are not limited to, gas stoves, induction cookers, microwave ovens, ovens, washing machines, dishwashers, hoods and other electrical appliances. The operating assembly <NUM> is configured to control the operations of the household appliance <NUM>. For example, in a case that the household appliance <NUM> is a gas stove, the operating assembly <NUM> can be configured to ignite, adjust the fire of the gas stove, and adjust operating parameters of the gas stove, such as configuration value adjustment, cooking program selection, interface movement, etc. For another example, in the case where the household appliance <NUM> is an induction cooker, the operating assembly <NUM> can be configured to adjust a power of the induction cooker and select a working mode of the induction cooker. For yet another example, in the case where the household appliance <NUM> is a washing machine, the operating assembly <NUM> may be configured to adjust working time and working mode of the washing machine. That is, when the household appliance <NUM> has a plurality of different functions, it can be controlled by the operating assembly <NUM>, which has a simple structure and is easy to be implemented to improve the user convenience.

Further, the different electric signals correspond to different functions of the household appliance <NUM>, and they can be specifically designed according to the actual functions of the household appliance <NUM>. As an example, the household appliance <NUM> is a gas stove, and a panel of the gas stove has a display screen disposed thereon for displaying a user interface, with reference to Table <NUM>:.

Initially, the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the first position, the user interface displays a cursor (or focus), and a user can rotate the second operating portion <NUM> to move the cursor to select a corresponding cooking program or a cooking mode on the user interface. When the cursor is located at a program or a mode that the user wants to select, the user can press the first operating portion <NUM> to enter the corresponding program or mode, in which the user can rotate the second operating portion <NUM> to adjust configuration values (such as the heating time duration, power, reservation time, etc.). After adjusting the configuration values, the user can press the first operating portion <NUM> to complete the adjustment of the configuration values. Thereafter, the user can press the second operating portion <NUM> to move the second operating portion <NUM> from the first position to the second position. At this time, the second operating portion <NUM> can drive the first operating portion <NUM> to rotate, the user can continue to press the second operating portion <NUM> to the maximum extent within a pressing stroke thereof, allowing the first operating portion <NUM> to be pressed to perform the ignition operation on the gas stove. Then, the user can rotate the second operating portion <NUM> to drive the first operating portion <NUM> to rotate to ignite and adjust the fire of the gas stove. It can be seen that the adjustment of the configuration values of the gas stove as well as the ignition and fire adjustment of the gas stove can be implemented by the user through rotating the different operating portions of the operating assembly <NUM>, and the structure is simple and easy to be implemented to improve the user convenience.

The different electric signals of the operating assembly <NUM> corresponding to the different functions of a gas stove are described below by means of examples.

Referring to the above Table <NUM>, the first electric signal can be used to control the movements of the user interface and changes of the configuration values of the gas stove. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the first position, the second operating portion <NUM> can be rotated clockwise and counterclockwise, and different first electric signals are output. For example, when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the first position, the clockwise rotation of the second operating portion <NUM> allows the user interface to move to the right or move down, or allows the user interface configuration value to increase (such as increasing the reservation time), increases; and the counterclockwise rotation of the second operating portion <NUM> allows the user interface to move to the left or move upward, or allows the user interface configuration value decreases (such as increasing the appointment time). The specific can be set according to the actual situation, which is not limited herein.

The second electric signal can be used to control a fire of a gas stove. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the second operating portion <NUM> can be rotated to drive the first operating portion <NUM> to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise, and different second electric signals can be output. For example, when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the clockwise rotation of the first operating portion <NUM> can intensify the fire of the gas stove, and the counterclockwise rotation of the first operating portion <NUM> can weaken the fire of the gas stove. Alternatively, when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the counterclockwise rotation of the first operating portion <NUM> can intensify the fire of the gas stove, and the clockwise rotation of the first operating portion <NUM> can weaken the fire of the gas stove. It can be set according to the actual situation and is not limited herein.

The third electric signal can be used to control a user interface execution. For example, after adjusting a configuration value, the first operating portion <NUM> is pressed to generate the third electric signal. In this case, the setting of the configuration values has been completed, and the gas stove can operate under the control based on the setting of the configuration values.

The description above is merely intended to illustrate the working modes of the operating assembly <NUM> in the gas stove by means of examples. In other embodiments, the first electric signal, the second electric signal, and the third electric signal may correspond to other functions of the gas stove, and can be specifically set according to different situations, which is not limited herein. It should be noted that, in the cases that the household appliance <NUM> is an electrical appliance other than the above described one, the functions of the household appliance <NUM> corresponding to the first electric signal, the second electric signal and the third electric signal generated by the operating component <NUM> are also different. The specific correspondence therebetween can be designed according to the actual situation, which is not limited herein.

In view of the above, the operating assembly <NUM> can be adapted to multiple functions of different household appliance <NUM> by means of the settings of the operating assembly <NUM>, and the structure thereof is simple and easy to be implemented. Moreover, the user can conveniently and quickly implement different control effects by simply rotating or pressing the operating assembly <NUM>.

When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the second operating portion <NUM> can drive the first operating portion <NUM> to rotate. In this case, the first operating portion <NUM> can be rotated directly or through the rotation of the second operation <NUM> by the user. That is to say, the user can choose to rotate the second operating portion <NUM> to drive the first operating portion <NUM> to rotate, or can directly rotate the first operating portion <NUM>. The specific rotation can be selected according to different situations, which is not limited herein.

In addition, the second operating portion <NUM> may has an anti-skid structure provided on an outer peripheral surface thereof and surrounding the surface of the second operating portion <NUM>. By providing the anti-skid structure, a friction coefficient of the surface of the second operating portion <NUM> can be increased, and thus it is convenient for the user to use the second operating portion <NUM> and improves user experience. The anti-skid structure may be anti-skid protrusions, rubber layers, etc. The specific type of the anti-skid structure is not limited herein. It is only needed that the anti-skid structure can increase the friction coefficient of the surface of the second operating portion <NUM>.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, both the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM> are substantially cylindrical. In other embodiments, the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM> may also be in other shapes, which is not limited herein. It is only needed that the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM> can move and rotate relative to each other. The specific shapes of the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM> are not limited herein.

In some embodiments, the second operating portion <NUM> may be made of plastic, which is beneficial to the manufacture and the mass production of the second operating portion <NUM> due to high ductility and easy accessibility of plastic to reduce the cost of the operating assembly <NUM>. It can be understood that the second operating portion <NUM> can be made of a material other than plastic. The specific material of the second operating portion <NUM> may be selected according to different situations. For example, in other embodiments, the second operating portion <NUM> may also be made of metal. The specific material of the second operating portion <NUM> is not limited herein.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first operating portion <NUM> has a protruding portion <NUM> formed thereon, which can be arranged continuously or with intervals along a circumferential direction of the first operating portion <NUM>, and the second operating portion <NUM> has a recess <NUM> defined thereon, the recess <NUM> may be arranged continuously or with intervals along a circumferential direction of the second operating portion <NUM>.

In some embodiments, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first operating portion <NUM> includes an upper portion <NUM>, a middle portion <NUM> and a lower portion <NUM>. The middle portion <NUM> fixedly connects the upper portion <NUM> with the lower portion <NUM> by means of, for example, screws, snaping, interference fit, etc. A first notch <NUM> is defined on a lower peripheral edge of the upper portion <NUM>, and the protruding portion <NUM> is disposed on a top surface of the first notch <NUM>. An inner surface of the second operating portion <NUM> has a first portion <NUM> provided thereon, and the recess <NUM> is defined on an upper surface of the first portion <NUM>. The position of the protruding portion <NUM> corresponds to the position of the recess <NUM>. The protruding portion <NUM> is at least partially located in the recess <NUM>, and can move relative to the recess <NUM>. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the first position, the protruding portion <NUM> is partially located in the recess <NUM> to limit a lateral displacement of the second operating portion <NUM> to improve the rotational stability of the second operating portion <NUM>. It can be understood that, in other embodiments, the protruding portion <NUM> may be disposed on the second operating portion <NUM>, and the recess <NUM> may be defined on the first operating portion <NUM>. The specific arrangements can be designed according to different situations, which is not limited herein. It can be understood that, in other embodiments, the first operating portion <NUM> may also be defined as an integrated structure.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in some embodiments, the operating assembly <NUM> further includes a coupling structure <NUM>. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the second operating portion <NUM> can drive, by means of the coupling structure <NUM>, the first operating portion <NUM> to rotate.

In this way, by providing the coupling structure <NUM>, the user can rotate the first operating portion <NUM> by rotating the second operating portion <NUM>, and the structure is simple and easy to be implemented.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in some embodiments, the coupling structure <NUM> includes a fixture block <NUM> and a fixture seat <NUM>, the fixture block <NUM> is located in one of the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM>, and the fixture seat <NUM> is located in the other one of the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM>.

In this way, when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the fixture block <NUM> is engaged with the fixture seat <NUM> to fix the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM>, the structure is simple and it is easy to be implemented.

In this embodiment, the fixture block <NUM> is located at the second operating portion <NUM>, and the fixture seat <NUM> is located at the first operating portion <NUM>. In some embodiments, an upper edge of the middle portion <NUM> has a second notch <NUM> defined thereon, the second notch <NUM> has a fixture seat <NUM> disposed on a bottom surface thereof, the second operating portion <NUM> has a second portion <NUM> disposed on an inner surface thereof, and the fixture block <NUM> is disposed on a lower surface of the second portion <NUM>. The position of the fixture block <NUM> corresponds to the position of the fixture seat <NUM>. When the second operating portion <NUM> needs to be located at the second position, the user can manually operate the second operating portion <NUM> to provide a downward force to the second operating portion <NUM>, and thus the second operating portion <NUM> can be moved from the first position to the second position under the action of the force. When the second operating portion <NUM> moves to the second position, the fixture block <NUM> and the fixture seat <NUM> are in an engaged state, that is, the locking block <NUM> is snaped in the card seat <NUM>. In this way, when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the user can rotate the second operating portion <NUM> to drive the first operating portion <NUM> to rotate, i.e., allowing the rotation of the first operating portion <NUM>, and the structure is simple and easy to be implemented.

In some embodiments, the operating assembly <NUM> includes a first elastic member <NUM>. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the first elastic member16 abuts between the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM>, and the first elastic member16 is configured to provide the second operating portion <NUM> with a force to move from the second position to the first position.

In this way, when the coupling structure <NUM> is separated, the first elastic member <NUM> can automatically drive the second operating portion <NUM> to move from the second position to the first position, thus the structure is simple and easy to be implemented.

In this embodiment, the second operating portion <NUM> has a third portion <NUM> protruding from an inner surface thereof, and the first elastic member <NUM> is connected to a bottom surface of the second notch <NUM>. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the first position, an upper end of the first elastic member <NUM> can abut against the third portion <NUM> or be separated from the third portion <NUM>. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the upper end of the first elastic member <NUM> abuts against a lower surface of the third portion <NUM>, and a lower end of the first elastic member <NUM> abuts against a bottom surface of the second notch <NUM> to provide the second operating portion <NUM> with an upward force. The first elastic member <NUM> may be a spring, a torsion spring, an elastic sheet or other elastic members. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first elastic member <NUM> is a spring. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the first elastic member <NUM> is in a compressed state. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the first position, the first elastic member <NUM> is in an elongated state compared to the compressed state.

It should be pointed out that, when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, a relative rotation between the second operating portion <NUM> and the first operating portion <NUM> is restricted by the coupling structure <NUM>. In this case, the second operating portion <NUM> is freely movable in a direction from the second position towards the first position. That is to say, when the user manually operates the second operating portion <NUM> to provide a downward force to the second operating portion <NUM>, the second operating portion <NUM> can be moved from the first position to the second position, and in this situation, the fixture seat <NUM> and the fixture block <NUM> are in the engaged state. At this time, if the user continuously provides the downward force to the second operating portion <NUM> and then rotates the second operating portion <NUM>, the first operation can be rotated. In addition, the above-mentioned downward force provided by the user to the second operating portion <NUM> is greater than the above-mentioned upward force provided by the first elastic member <NUM> to the second operating portion <NUM>, such that the second operating portion <NUM> can move from the first position to the second position.

When the second operating portion <NUM> needs to return to the first position from the second position, the user only needs to withdraw the above-mentioned downward force provided to the second operating portion <NUM> to remove the above-mentioned downward force acting on the second operating portion <NUM>. Since the above-mentioned upward force provided by the first elastic member <NUM> to the second operating portion <NUM> always exists, when the user withdraws the above-mentioned downward force provided to the second operating portion <NUM>, the upward force provided by the first elastic member <NUM> to the second operating portion <NUM> can drive the second operating portion <NUM> to automatically move from the second position to the first position. Thus, without requiring the user's manual operation, the user can move the operating portion <NUM> from the second position to the first position merely by withdrawing the above-mentioned downward force provided to the second operating portion <NUM>. In this way, the structure is simple and easy to be implemented, improving the user experience.

In such an embodiment, the coupling structure <NUM> only has a function of restricting a relative rotation between the second operating portion <NUM> and the first operating portion <NUM>, but cannot restrict a movement of the second operating portion <NUM> in the direction from the second position towards the first position.

In other embodiments, when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the relative rotation between the second operating portion <NUM> and the first operating portion <NUM> is restricted by the coupling structure <NUM>, and the movement of the second operating portion <NUM> in the direction from the second position towards the first position is also restricted by the coupling structure <NUM>. That is, in such an embodiment, when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the coupling structure <NUM> is fixedly connected to the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM>. In this case, the second operating portion <NUM> cannot rotate or move relative to the first operating portion <NUM>. In this way, on the one hand, it is convenient for the user to operate, and the second operating portion <NUM> is prevented from being moved from the second position to the first position by mistake under the force of the first elastic member <NUM>. On the other hand, the user is not required to constantly apply a downward force on the second operating portion <NUM> to keep the second operating portion <NUM> in the second position to save effort.

For example, the user can manually operate the second operating portion <NUM> to provide an upward force to the second operating portion <NUM>. Under the action of the force, the second operating portion <NUM> can move from the second position to the first position, and the fixture block <NUM> can be separated from the fixture seat <NUM>, so that the second operating portion <NUM> can be moved from the second position to the first position. In such an embodiment, the fixture seat <NUM> may has a fitting recess defined therein, and when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the fixture block <NUM> is embedded in the fitting recess to realize the engaging between the fixture block <NUM> and the fixture seat <NUM>.

In such an embodiment, the coupling structure <NUM> has both the function of restricting the relative rotation of the second operating portion <NUM> and the first operating portion <NUM>, and the function of restricting the movement of the second operating portion <NUM> in the direction from the second position towards the first position. For example, the fixture block <NUM> and the fixture seat <NUM> are in a state of interference fit when they are engaged with each other.

In other embodiments, the coupling structure <NUM> may also be composed of other structural components. For example, in an example, the coupling structure <NUM> may include a first magnetic member and a second magnetic member, the first magnetic member is located at one of the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM>, and the second magnetic member is located at the other one of the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM>. The first magnetic member and the second magnetic member are configured to be magnetic when energized. In such an embodiment, when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member may be energized to allow the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member to have opposite magnetism, and thus the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member can attract each other to form a stable connection between the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member. When the second operating portion <NUM> needs to be moved from the second position to the first position, the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member can be energized to allow the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member to have the same magnetism, and thus the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member can repel each other to separate the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member.

The description above is only to illustrate the working mode of the coupling structure <NUM> by means of examples. In different embodiments, the specific structure type of the coupling structure <NUM> can be determined according to different situations, which is not limited herein. It is only required that the coupling structure <NUM> can limit the relative rotation between the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM>, and/or can connect or separate the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM>. It is not limited herein.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in some embodiments, the operating assembly includes a first contact member <NUM> mounted on the first operating portion <NUM>, and a second contact member <NUM> mounted on the second operating portion <NUM>.

When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the first position, the first contact member <NUM> is connected to the second contact member <NUM>. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the first position and is rotated, the first contact member <NUM> and the second contact member <NUM> rotate relative to each other to generate the first electric signal.

When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the first contact member <NUM> is separated from the second contact member <NUM>.

In this way, different electric signals can be generated when the second operating portion <NUM> is rotated.

In this embodiment, when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the first position, the first contact member <NUM> and the second contact member <NUM> are in contact, and at this time, the second operating portion <NUM> can rotate relative to the first operating portion <NUM>, allowing the first contact member <NUM> and the second contact member <NUM> to rotate relative to each other, so as to generate the first electric signal. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the first contact member <NUM> is separated from the second contact member <NUM>, and when the second operating portion <NUM> is rotated, the rotation of the second operating portion <NUM> can generate different electric signals due to the separation of the first contact member <NUM> and the second contact member <NUM>. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position, the second operating portion <NUM> can drive the first operating portion <NUM> to rotate. Therefore, the second operating portion <NUM>, when being rotated, can drive the first operating portion <NUM> to rotate. In this way, different electric signals can be generated when the second operating portion <NUM> is rotated.

In this embodiment, the first contact member <NUM> is disposed on a lower surface of the upper portion <NUM>, the second contact member <NUM> is disposed on an upper surface of the third portion <NUM>, the position of the first contact member <NUM> corresponds to the position of the second contact member <NUM>. Both the first contact member <NUM> and the second contact member <NUM> can be made of conductive material. The first contact member <NUM> includes two spaced contacts, i.e., a first contact and a second contact, the second contact member <NUM> corresponds to the two contacts. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the first position, the second operating portion <NUM> is rotated. In this case, the second operating portion <NUM> can rotate relative to the first operating portion <NUM>. Since the second contact member <NUM> is in contact with the two contacts at this time, the second contact portion <NUM> is fixed on the second operating portion <NUM>, and the two contacts are fixed on the first operating portion <NUM>, the second contact member <NUM> and the two contacts can move relative to each other when the second operating portion <NUM> is rotated. Due to the relative movement between the second contact member <NUM> and the two contacts, the positions of the second contact member <NUM> and the two contacts also changes, and in this case, a resistance between the second contact member <NUM> and the two contacts also changes to convert the electric signals.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in some embodiments, the operating assembly <NUM> includes a base <NUM>. The first operating portion <NUM> is movably connected to the base <NUM>. The base <NUM> has an output terminal <NUM> provided thereon and configured to output an electric signal of the operating assembly <NUM> to a controller of the household appliance <NUM>.

In this way, it is convenient to connect the operating assembly <NUM> to the controller of the household appliance <NUM>, allowing the operating assembly <NUM> to output different signals to the controller. The controller, in response to the received different signals, can control the household appliance <NUM> to performs different operations.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the output terminal <NUM> can be connected to the controller through a wire. The connection through the wire stabilizes the transmission of signal, which is beneficial to the transmission of signal. In other embodiments, the output terminal <NUM> can also be connected to a wireless transmission module, to wirelessly transmit signals to the controller. The wireless transmission module can be wirelessly connected by means of wireless connection such as Bluetooth connection and infrared connection, which can be specifically designed according to different situations and is not limited herein.

In this embodiment, electric signals generated by the operations of the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM> can be output by the output terminal <NUM>. For example, the two contacts of the first contact member <NUM> may be connected to the output terminal <NUM> through the wires inside the first operating portion <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in some embodiments, the operating assembly <NUM> includes a limiting structure <NUM> disposed on the base <NUM>, the first operating portion <NUM> can be located at a third position (<FIG>) and a fourth position of the base <NUM> (<FIG>), and the first operating portion <NUM> is switchable between the third position and the fourth position. When the first operating portion <NUM> is located at the third position, the limiting structure <NUM> is connected to the first operating portion <NUM> to limit a rotation of the first operating portion <NUM>. When the first operating portion <NUM> is located at the fourth position, the limiting structure <NUM> is separated from the first operating portion <NUM> to remove the limitation on the rotation of the first operating portion <NUM>, allowing the first operating portion <NUM> to rotate.

In this way, by providing the limiting structure <NUM>, the first operating portion <NUM> located at different positions of the base <NUM> can be rotated or restricted to rotate to implement different functions.

In the present embodiment, the limiting structure <NUM> may have a limiting recess <NUM> defined in the middle thereof, the lower portion <NUM> of the first operating portion <NUM> has a fixture portion <NUM> defined on an outer peripheral surface thereof, the base <NUM> has a receiving space <NUM> defined therein, the lower portion <NUM> is partially located in the receiving space <NUM>, and the limiting structure <NUM> is disposed on an inner surface of the receiving space <NUM>. When the first operating portion <NUM> is located at the third position of the base <NUM> (see <FIG>), the fixture portion <NUM> is located in the limiting recess <NUM> (see <FIG>), and thus the first operating portion <NUM> is restricted from rotating. When the first operating portion <NUM> is located at the fourth position of the base <NUM> (see <FIG>), the fixture portion <NUM> is separated from the limiting recess <NUM>. Therefore, the rotation restriction of the first operating portion <NUM> is removed, and the first operating portion <NUM> can be rotated (see <FIG>).

In other embodiments, the limiting structure <NUM> may be other structures. The specific type of the limiting structure <NUM> can be determined specifically according to different situations. It is only required that the limiting structure <NUM> can limit the rotation of the first operating portion <NUM>. The specific type of the limiting structure <NUM> is not limited herein.

In the present embodiment, when the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the first position of the first operating portion <NUM>, the first operating portion <NUM> is located at the third position of the base <NUM>, so that the second operating portion <NUM> can rotate relative to the first operating portion <NUM>, and the first operating portion <NUM> is restricted from rotating. When the second operating portion <NUM> is located at the second position of the first operating portion <NUM>, the first operating portion <NUM> is pressed (the first operating portion <NUM> can be pressed directly or by pressing the second operating portion <NUM>) to move from the third position to the fourth position, and at this time, the rotation restriction of the first operating portion <NUM> is removed, and the first operating portion <NUM> can rotate.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in some embodiments, the operating assembly <NUM> further includes a second elastic member <NUM> abutting against the base <NUM> and the first operating portion <NUM>.

In this way, the first elastic member <NUM> can automatically drive the first operating portion <NUM> to move from a position of a pressed state to a position of an initial state (the position at which the first operating portion <NUM> is not pressed), and the structure is simple and easy to be implemented.

In this embodiment, a lower end of the second elastic member <NUM> abuts against a bottom surface of the receiving space <NUM>, a lower peripheral edge of the lower portion has a third notch <NUM> defined therein, and the lower end of the second elastic member <NUM> abuts against a top surface of the notch <NUM>. The second elastic member <NUM> is a spring, a torsion spring, an elastic sheet, or other elastic members. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second elastic member <NUM> is a spring. When the first operating portion <NUM> is located at the position of the pressed state, the second elastic member <NUM> is in a compressed state. When the first operating portion <NUM> is located at the position of the initial state, the second elastic member <NUM> is in an elongated state compared to the compressed state.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in some embodiments, the operating assembly <NUM> further includes a switch member <NUM> configured to output the third electric signal when the first operating portion <NUM> is pressed.

In this way, the electric signal can be output by pressing the first operating portion <NUM>, the structure is simple, and the cost is low.

In some embodiments, the switch member <NUM> includes a body <NUM>, and an elastic contact member <NUM> disposed on the body <NUM>. The elastic contact member <NUM> can move relative to the body <NUM> under the action of an external force, and the elastic contact member <NUM> can restore to an initial state when the external force is removed. In the example as illustrated in <FIG>, the elastic contact <NUM> is in the initial state. In the example as illustrated in <FIG>, when the first operating portion <NUM> is pressed, the elastic contact member <NUM> is pressed by the lower portion <NUM> of the first operating portion <NUM> to move relative to the body <NUM>, and the electric signals are output. In this way, the electric signals can be output by pressing the first operating portion <NUM>, the structure is simple, and the cost is low. In an example, a micro switch may be employed to serve as the switch member <NUM>. In some embodiments, the body <NUM> can be connected to the output terminal <NUM> via a wire, to output a corresponding electric signal.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in some embodiments, the operating assembly <NUM> further includes an encoder <NUM>. The encoder <NUM> is connected to the first operating portion <NUM>, and the encoder <NUM> is configured to detect a rotation angle of the first operating portion <NUM> and output the second electric signal based on the rotation angle.

In this way, the encoder <NUM> can output different second electric signals based on different rotation angles of the first operating portion <NUM> to conveniently and quickly control the household appliance <NUM> to implement different functions, improving the user experience.

In some embodiments, the encoder <NUM> is mounted on a bottom surface of the lower portion <NUM>. With different rotation angle of the first operating portion <NUM>, the second electric signal of the output is also different, and thus the household appliance <NUM> can implement different functions based on different second electric signals.

Referring to <FIG>, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a household appliance <NUM>, which includes the operating assembly <NUM> according any one of the above embodiments, and a panel <NUM>. The operating assembly <NUM> is mounted on the panel <NUM>.

In the household appliance <NUM> of the embodiments of the present disclosure, when different operations are performed on the first operating portion <NUM> and the second operating portion <NUM>, the operating assembly <NUM> can output different electric signals, the functions of the knobs can be multiplied by providing the two operating portions to satisfy the multi-functionalization of the household appliance <NUM>, and the structure is simple and easy to be implementedd the user convenience.

Further, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the base <NUM> is located at a lower side of the panel <NUM>, the panel <NUM> has an opening <NUM> defined thereon, and the first operating portion <NUM> passes through the opening <NUM> and is connected to the base <NUM>. The base <NUM> may be fixed inside a housing of the household appliance <NUM>.

In the illustrated embodiment, the panel <NUM> has two operating assemblies <NUM>. In other embodiments, the number of the operating assembly <NUM> may be one, three, or more than three. The specific number of operation components <NUM> may be determined according to actual needs, and is not specifically limited herein.

In the specification, reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiments", "example", "specific examples", or "some examples", etc. indicate that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the described embodiment(s) or example(s) is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

Claim 1:
An operating assembly (<NUM>) for a household appliance (<NUM>), the operating assembly (<NUM>) comprising:
a first operating portion (<NUM>);
a second operating portion (<NUM>), wherein the first operating portion (<NUM>) is at least partially disposed in the second operating portion (<NUM>), and wherein the second operating portion (<NUM>) is capable of being located at a first position and
a second position of the first operating portion (<NUM>), and capable of moving between the first position and the second position;
and a coupling structure (<NUM>),
the operating assembly (<NUM>) being configured in such a manner that:
when determining that the second operating portion (<NUM>) is located at the first position, the second operating portion (<NUM>) is rotatable relative to the first operating portion (<NUM>) to generate a first electric signal;
when determining that the second operating portion (<NUM>) is located at the second position, the second operating portion (<NUM>) is capable of, when being rotated and by means of the coupling structure (<NUM>), driving the first operating
portion (<NUM>) to rotate, generating a second electric signal during the rotation of the first operating portion (<NUM>); and
the first operating portion (<NUM>) is capable of being pressed to generate a third electric signal
characterized in that
the operating assembly (<NUM>) further comprises a first contact member (<NUM>) mounted on the first operating portion (<NUM>), and a second contact member (<NUM>) mounted on the second operating portion (<NUM>), wherein
when determining that the second operating portion (<NUM>) is located at the first position, the first contact member (<NUM>) is connected to the second contact member (<NUM>);
when determining that the second operating portion (<NUM>) is located at the first position and rotates, the first contact member (<NUM>) and the second contact member (<NUM>) rotate relative to each other to generate the first electric signal;
when determining that the second operating portion (<NUM>) is located at the second position, the first contact member (<NUM>) is separated from the second contact member (<NUM>).