Window assembly for electric home appliance and control panel assembly usingg the same

Abstract

A window assembly for an electric home appliance and a control panel assembly using the same are provided. The window assembly includes a plurality of windows for covering a plurality of display elements, respectively; and a unifying member for joining the windows, the unifying member having at least one flexible portion. The unifying member has a plurality of window couplers, each window coupler ganging together a predetermined group of the plurality of windows, and the at least one flexible portion is formed by at least one group joining member for flexibly joining the plurality of window couplers. The plurality of windows is made up of at least two window groups, each window group having at least one window, adjacent window groups of the at least two window groups being separated by a predetermined distance. The at least one flexible portion has a predetermined length, the predetermined length being greater than the predetermined distance, to compensate for dimensional discrepancies in a control panel assembly resulting from normal manufacturing processes. The control panel assembly includes a panel having a plurality of through holes formed in an exterior surface; and a substrate, disposed behind the panel, having a plurality of display elements. The window assembly is disposed between the panel and the substrate, and the plurality of windows of the window assembly are respectively inserted into the plurality of through holes.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 10-2004-0009706, filed on Feb. 13, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to an electric home appliance, and more particularly, to a window assembly for an electric home appliance and a control panel assembly using the same, in which the window assembly is made up of a plurality of transparent windows, to be inserted into a corresponding plurality of through holes formed in a panel of the control panel assembly, and a flexible portion to facilitate the insertion during an assembly step. [0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art [0005] Contemporary washing machines are typically provided with display means comprising a plurality of light-emitting diodes mounted on a substrate of a control panel assembly to be respectively positioned behind a co...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide a window assembly for an electric home appliance, which enables a compensation of dimensional discrepancies in a control panel assembly resulting from normal manufacturing processes.

[0017] Another object of the present invention is to provide a window assembly for an electric home appliance, which enhances assembly efficiency of a control panel assembly.

[0018] Another object of the present invention is to provide a window assembly for an electric home appliance, which resolves a product deficiency caused by dimensional discrepancies resulting from normal manufacturing processes.

[0020] Another object of the present invention is to provide a window assembly for an electric home appliance, which enables a manufacturing operation to increase an error tolerance.

Problems solved by technology

As a result, however, the window groups themselves become prefabricated assembly components that contribute to the part count of a manufactured washing machine, and each window group requires a separate assembly step, thereby inhibiting the assembly efficiency, complicating the assembly process, and burdening assembly component storage and tracking requirements for the control panel assembly.

In practice, however, prefabrication of the windows 40 as a unified body impedes rather than simplifies assembly, due to dimensional discrepancies resulting from normal manufacturing processes.

That is, minute variations in size, shape, and position occur when forming an injection molding of the unified body forming the plurality of windows 40, and an inherent degree of error occurs when locating the through holes 26 in the panel 20, which may create a misalignment of the unified body with respect to the panel, may cause an improper assembly of the windows to the panel, or may even render impossible the insertion of the windows into the through holes.

Moreover, in a mass-production manufacturing process, the error tolerances of predetermined dimensions should be maximized for a more streamlined production, which exacerbates the aforementioned assembly problems of the unified body.

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