A control knob for an appliance includes a base having an axially-operated switch. An outer control assembly is rotationally and axially operable with respect to the base. An inner display assembly is rotationally fixed with respect to the base and axially fixed with respect to the outer control assembly. The inner display assembly is biased toward an extended state and is axially operable to a selection state that engages the axially operated switch.

A knob assembly for a gas cooktop is provided that includes a receptacle mounted between a valve and a knob. The knob directly mounts to a knob control rod and is configured to mount in a vertical plane perpendicular to a plane defined by a horizontal support surface for a cooking receptacle. The receptacle includes a receptacle abutment wall, a receptacle wall extending from the receptacle abutment wall, and a control rod aperture wall formed through the receptacle abutment wall. The control rod aperture wall is sized and positioned to support insertion of the knob control rod therethrough. The receptacle abutment wall is configured to abut a back of a control panel when the knob assembly is mounted to the control panel. The receptacle wall is sized and positioned within a knob aperture wall formed through the control panel when the knob assembly is mounted to the control panel.

A device including: a rotary actuator; an electronic pixel matrix display comprising a transparent outer layer; wherein the rotary actuator comprises an actuating part and a detector configured to detect rotational position, wherein the actuating part is rotationally mounted by a bearing so that it can rotate about an axis of rotation along a rotation direction, and the rotary actuator is arranged on the transparent layer; and wherein the rotary actuator also comprises a light guide designed to guide light of several pixels of the pixel matrix display from a light inlet surface of the light guide to a light outlet surface of the light guide either in the direction of or into an illumination surface of at least one of the rotary actuator and the actuating part.

A touch-sensitive rotary control device with an illumination function includes a rotary encoder having a conductive outer casing and a rotatable shaft extending from it, the shaft operating as a light guide for a light source located in the rotary encoder, a conductive sleeve mechanically coupled to and surrounding the side of shaft, and electrically coupled to the conductive outer casing of the rotary encoder, so that touch-sensitivity is provided and light is allowed to exit the shaft and such that the device can be provided as a kit of parts or form part of a mixing console.

A remote controller comprises a shifter lever structure, a controller, and a signal emission device. The shifter lever structure comprises a base, a press key movably connected to the base, a shifter lever arranged surrounding the press key and movably connected to the base, and a sensor coupled to the press key and the shifter lever and configured to obtain moving state information about the press key and the shiner lever. A movement mode of the shifter lever is different from a movement mode of the press key. The controller is electrically coupled to the sensor. The signal emission device is electrically coupled to the controller. The controller is configured to receive the moving state information from the sensor and emit a control signal corresponding to the moving state information via the signal emission device.

A load control device may be configured to control multiple characteristics of one or more electrical loads such as the intensity and color of a lighting load. The load control device may switch from controlling one characteristic of the electrical loads to controlling another characteristic of the electrical loads based on the position and/or orientation of one or more components of the load control device. Such a position and/or orientation may be manipulated by moving the one or more components relative to a base portion of the load control device. The load control device may be a wall-mounted device or a battery-powered remote control device.

An operation device according to the present invention includes: a rotation operation unit that is rotatable about a rotation axis and is installed so that an operation site formed on a rotation surface is exposed outside through an opening formed in an operation panel; and a support unit that covers at least part of a separated site of the rotation operation unit located away from the operation site along a rotation axis direction and has a sliding site coming into contact with part of the separated site and slidably supporting rotation of the rotation operation unit. Then, the support unit is configured to form a space part retaining grease applied to the rotation operation unit between the support unit and the separated site located on a side opposite to the operation site of the rotation operation unit with reference to the sliding site.

A cooking appliance and method generate an audible and/or visual indication to a user when a user control for a gas burner is in a position within which an igniter is active and a gas valve is supplying sufficient gas flow to the gas burner to support ignition and thereby assist a user in properly positioning the user control during ignition of the burner.

A cooktop appliance may include a housing, a heating element, a user input, a light display, and a controller. A method of operation may include may include determining a heating event at the heating element and illuminating a variable band along the light display in response determining the heating event. The variable band may include a continuous illuminated region having a predetermined color along the light display. The method may further include decreasing an annular length of the variable band progressively according to a predetermined countdown pattern in response to illuminating the variable band.

A control device for controlling power delivered to an electrical load may illuminate an area around a button of the control device, such as a gap formed between the button and an opening of a faceplate of the control device. The control device may illuminate the gap to provide a nightlight feature, to provide feedback (e.g., a status of the electrical load), and/or to indicate a selected preset. The button may have a cap portion that may be actuated by a user and a diffuser portion that may contact a rear surface of the cap portion and may conduct light emitted by an internal light source to illuminate the gap around the button.