Control panel for electronic product

Abstract

The control panel for an electronic product according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a panel cover configured to form a part of the exterior of an electronic product; and a display module mounted on the rear surface of the panel cover. The display module includes: a display substrate including a main board and a light-emitting device mounted on the main board; a bracket, the rear surface of which is connected to the display substrate; and a light guide panel coupled to the front surface of the bracket. The light guide panel includes a panel body and a light guide protruding from the front and rear surfaces of the panel body in a direction orthogonal to the panel body. A recessed portion configured to receive the front end portion of the light guide is formed on the rear surface of the panel body on which the front end portion of the light guide is positioned.

Description

Control panels for electronic products

[0001] The present invention relates to a control panel for electronic products including home appliances.

[0002] Various types of electronic products, including home appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines, have a main body or operating part for performing the functions of the product, and a control panel for inputting operating commands to the main body or operating part.

[0003] The above control panel is provided on the front or upper surface of the main body with a separate material and color, which has the disadvantage of giving it a foreign appearance.

[0004] Typically, a control panel is equipped with a display unit to indicate the operating status of the electronic product, and information related to the operation of the electronic product is displayed on the display unit. To this end, a light-emitting unit, such as an LED, is installed at the rear of the display unit, and light emitted from the light-emitting unit penetrates the front of the control panel and is emitted to the outside. In addition, through holes are formed on the front of the control panel for the passage of light, and an opaque film is coated to prevent the through holes from being exposed to the outside.

[0005] In this way, when through holes for light transmission are formed on the front of the control panel and an opaque film is coated to cover the through holes, there is a disadvantage in that the back of the film is exposed to the outside when the space in which the electronic product is installed is bright and the light source is not turned on.

[0006] In addition, there is a disadvantage in that additional work processes such as insert injection or coating are required to attach the film to the control panel.

[0007] Prior art: Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0150125 (December 10, 2021)

[0008] The present invention is proposed to improve the above problems.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a control panel for an electronic product comprises: a panel cover forming a part of an exterior of the electronic product; and a display module mounted on a rear surface of the panel cover, wherein the display module comprises: a display substrate including a main board and a light-emitting element mounted on the main board; a bracket to which the display substrate is coupled on a rear surface; and a light guide panel coupled on a front surface of the bracket, wherein the light guide panel comprises a panel body and a light guide protruding in a direction perpendicular to the panel body from the front and rear surfaces of the panel body, and a recessed portion is formed on a rear surface of the panel body where a front end of the light guide is located to receive a front end of the light guide.

[0010] The above bracket includes a bracket body and a reflector extending in a form that surrounds the light guide from the front or front and rear sides of the bracket body, and is characterized in that a light guide hole that accommodates a portion of the light guide is formed on the inside of the reflector.

[0011] The above light guide includes a forward guide extending from the front of the panel body and a rear guide extending from the rear of the panel body, and the rear guide is characterized in that it is inserted into the light guide hole.

[0012] The light emitting element is accommodated in the light guide hole, and the rear end of the rear guide and the light emitting element are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

[0013] It is characterized in that the distance between the rear end of the rear guide and the light emitting element is set to a range of 0.5 to 1.0 mm so that the light emitted from the light emitting element is internally totally reflected in the rear guide.

[0014] The front end of the above-mentioned omnidirectional guide is characterized in that it contacts the bottom of the above-mentioned recess or is spaced apart from it by a distance of 1.5 mm or less.

[0015] The thickness of the panel cover portion where the above-mentioned depression is formed is characterized in that it is set to 0.2 to 0.4 times the thickness of the panel cover.

[0016] The forward guide and the backward guide are extended to the same length, and each of the forward guide and the backward guide is characterized in that it extends to a length of 20% or more of the total length of the light guide.

[0017] The above forward guide and the above rear guide are characterized in that they have the same diameter.

[0018] The diameter of the above forward guide is characterized by being smaller than the diameter of the above rearward guide.

[0019] The above light guide panel is characterized in that it is made of one of PMMA, PC, and GPPS.

[0020] The above panel cover is a plastic cover in which titanium dioxide is mixed with ABS resin, and the content of the titanium dioxide is characterized by being 3.0 to 3.8% of the total components.

[0021] According to the control panel for an electronic product according to an embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration, the boundary of the display portion constituting the control panel does not appear on the front of the control panel, so there is no sense of incongruity, and the front of the control panel is neatly finished, so there is an advantage of improving the appearance.

[0022] In addition, since no through-holes for light transmission are formed in the control panel, the process of attaching an opaque film is not required, which simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces manufacturing costs.

[0023] In addition, when the control panel is not powered, i.e. the light source is off, only the characters printed on the front of the control panel are exposed to the outside, and the part through which light passes is not exposed to the outside, which has the advantage.

[0024] Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a control panel for an electronic product according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the control panel.

[0026] Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the panel cover.

[0027] Figure 4 is a front perspective view of a display module constituting a control panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the display module.

[0029] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the control panel taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4 with the display module attached to the back surface of the panel cover.

[0030] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the control panel taken along 7-7 of Figure 4.

[0031] Hereinafter, a control panel for an electronic product according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0032] It is to be noted that the electronic products equipped with the control panel described below include all types of electronic products equipped with a control unit and display unit on the front of the product, including home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a control panel for an electronic product according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the control panel.

[0034] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a control panel (10) for an electronic product according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a panel cover (11) forming the front exterior of the electronic product, and a display module (20) mounted on the back surface of the panel cover (11).

[0035] In detail, the above panel cover (11) is made of a plastic injection molded material, and the thickness of the part through which light passes is molded thinner than the thickness of other parts.

[0036] Conventionally, a mounting hole for mounting the display module (20) is formed in the panel cover (11), and when the display module (20) is inserted into the mounting hole, the front surface of the display module (20) is exposed to the outside. In addition, when a touch screen liquid crystal is provided in the display module (20), the front surface of the display module (20) is made of black, so that the front surface of the display module is exposed to stand out from the front surface of the panel cover (11), resulting in a sense of incongruity in appearance.

[0037] However, in the case of the present invention, there is a difference in that only characters indicating various functions are displayed on the front of the panel cover (11), and a mounting hole for mounting the display module (20) is not formed.

[0038] Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the panel cover.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 3, a display module mounting portion (112) on which the display module (20) is mounted is formed on the back surface of the panel cover (11), and a plurality of recessed portions (111) in the shape of dots are formed on the display module mounting portion (112). The front end of a light guide (212: see FIG. 4) to be described later is received in the plurality of recessed portions (111). That is, each of the plurality of recessed portions (111) can be defined as a cylindrical groove having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the light guide (212).

[0040] A light source including an LED element is placed on the rear side of the light guide (212), so that light emitted from the light source passes through the light guide (212) and is irradiated onto the recessed portion (111). In addition, a portion of the light irradiated onto the recessed portion (111) passes through the panel cover (11) and is recognized by the user's eyes.

[0041] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a display module constituting a control panel according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the display module.

[0042] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a display module (20) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a bracket (22), a light guide panel (21) coupled to the front of the bracket (22), and a display substrate (23) coupled to the back of the bracket (22).

[0043] In detail, the above light guide panel (21) is used to minimize diffuse reflection of light irradiated from a light source by utilizing the principle of total internal reflection.

[0044] For this purpose, the above light guide panel (21) includes a transparent plastic panel made of PMMA, PC, or GPPS.

[0045] In addition, the light guide panel (21) includes a panel body (211) and a plurality of light guides (212) provided on the panel body (211), and the light guides (212) can be defined as cylindrical protrusions extending in a direction perpendicular to the panel body (211).

[0046] The above bracket (22) includes a bracket body (221) and a plurality of reflectors (222) protruding from the front of the bracket body (221).

[0047] The reflector (222) may be formed in a sleeve shape that surrounds at least a portion of the light guide (212), so that a light guide hole (223) may be defined therein. For example, the reflector (222) may be formed as a cylindrical sleeve that protrudes from the front surface of the bracket body (221), and the length of the sleeve may be designed to be smaller than the length of the light guide (212) that protrudes from the front surface of the panel body (211). That is, the front surface of the light guide (212) may be designed to protrude further from the front surface of the reflector (222).

[0048] The reflector (222) may be designed to protrude a predetermined length backward from the rear surface of the bracket body (221) and contact the front surface of the display substrate (23). Since the rear end of the reflector (222) protrudes from the bracket body (221), the contact area between the rear surface of the bracket body (221) and the front surface of the display substrate (23) is minimized, thereby minimizing the problem of component damage due to friction.

[0049] Meanwhile, the reflector (222) may also have a structure in which, in addition to a single cylindrical sleeve shape, semi-cylindrical sleeves extend symmetrically from a position facing each other, as shown. The reflector (222) wraps at least a portion of the light guide (212), and guides light that is not totally reflected but refracted to the outside while passing through the light guide (212) to be reflected toward the panel cover (211).

[0050] The above display substrate (23) includes a main board (231) and a plurality of light-emitting elements (232) mounted on the front surface of the main board (231), and the light-emitting elements (232) may include LED elements.

[0051] The above light guide (212) is positioned in front of the light emitting element (232), so that most of the light emitted from the light emitting element (232) is internally totally reflected in the light guide (212) and irradiated to the rear surface of the panel cover (211).

[0052] FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the control panel cut along line 6-6 of FIG. 4 with the display module coupled to the back surface of the panel cover, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the control panel cut along line 7-7 of FIG. 4.

[0053] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a recessed portion (111) is formed on the back surface of the panel cover (11), and the front end of the light guide (212) is received in the recessed portion (111).

[0054] In detail, the panel cover (11) is a plastic panel containing titanium dioxide (TiO2) in ABS resin as a raw material in order to realize white light passing through the panel cover (11) and to increase the shielding property to prevent light from leaking sideways. Titanium dioxide has a high refractive index among white pigments and has precise particle size and dispersibility, so it is a substance with excellent hiding power and chemically and physically stable. Since the panel cover (11) contains about 3.0 to 4.0% of the total components of titanium dioxide, the clarity of light passing through the recessed portion (111) and forming on the front surface of the panel cover (11) can be increased.

[0055] Here, the portion of the panel cover (11) where the recessed portion (111) is formed can be defined as a hidden part, and the thickness of the hidden part can be designed to be 0.2 to 0.4 times the thickness of the panel cover (11). As an example, when the thickness of the panel cover (11) is 2.5 mm, the thickness of the hidden part can be designed to be 0.5 to 1.0 mm. In other words, the depth of the recessed portion (111) can be designed to be 1.5 to 2.0 mm when the thickness of the panel cover (11) is 2.5 mm. That is, the depth of the recessed portion (111) can be 0.6 to 0.8 times the thickness of the panel cover (11).

[0056] By forming the covering portion in front of the light guide (212), light emitted from the light emitting element (232) can pass through the panel cover (11) and be recognized by the user's eyes.

[0057] The recessed portion (111) is formed to a size capable of accommodating the front end of the light guide (212), and the front end of the light guide (212) can be in contact with or spaced apart from the bottom of the recessed portion (111).

[0058] In detail, the light guide (212) may include a forward guide (2121) extending forward from the front of the panel body (211) by a predetermined length, and a rearward guide (2122) extending backward from the rear of the panel body (211) by a predetermined length. In addition, the forward guide (2121) and the rearward guide (2122) are coaxial.

[0059] The distance (D1) between the front end of the above-mentioned omnidirectional guide (2121) and the bottom of the above-mentioned recessed portion (111) can be set to 0 to 1.5 mm.

[0060] The panel body (211) of the above light guide panel (21) is mounted on the front of the bracket body (221), and the rear guide (2122) is surrounded by the reflector (222). That is, the rear guide (2122) is inserted into the light guide hole (223) formed on the inside of the reflector (222).

[0061] In addition, the rear end of the reflector (222) is mounted on the front of the main board (231). When the display substrate (23) is pressed against the rear surface of the bracket (22), the light-emitting element (232) is accommodated in the light guide hole (223). That is, the rear guide (2122) of the light guide (212) is positioned directly in front of the light-emitting element (232).

[0062] At this time, the rear end of the rear guide (2122) is spaced apart from the light emitting element (232), thereby preventing the light emitting element (232) from being damaged by interference with the light guide (212).

[0063] In addition, when the light emitted from the light emitting element (232) is irradiated onto the light guide (212), it is internally totally reflected and propagates toward the front end of the light guide (212). Specifically, the refractive index of PMMA, which is the material of the light guide panel (21), is 1.49, and the critical angle at which internal total reflection occurs in air is about 42 degrees. Therefore, when the light emitting element (232) is an LED element, in order to ensure that all light irradiated onto the light guide (212) from an LED element having a light distribution angle of 120 degrees is internally totally reflected, the separation distance (D2) needs to be set to an appropriate value.

[0064] When the above light guide panel (21) is made of PMMA material, the separation distance (D2) can be set within an appropriate range depending on the diameter of the rear guide (2122). For example, the separation distance (D2) between the rear end of the light guide (212) and the light emitting element (232) can be set to a value within a range of 0.5 to 1.0 mm.

[0065] Meanwhile, the rear end diameter (D3) and the front end diameter (D4) of the optical guide (212) may be set to the same value, but are not limited thereto. As another example, the front end diameter (D4) may be designed to be smaller than the rear end diameter (D3).

[0066] In addition, when the front end diameter (D4) of the light guide (212) is designed to be smaller than the rear end diameter (D3), the forward guide (2121) may extend in a cylindrical shape with the same diameter (D4) from the front of the panel body (211), or may extend in a tapered manner so that the diameter becomes smaller as it goes toward the front end. In addition, the rear guide (2122) may extend in a cylindrical shape with the same diameter (D3) from the rear of the panel body (211), or may extend in a tapered manner so that the diameter becomes smaller as it goes toward the rear end.

[0067] In addition, the length (D6) of the forward guide (2121) and the length (D5) of the rear guide (2122) may be set to be the same, and for example, each of them may be designed to be 20% or more of the total length of the light guide (212). Here, the total length of the light guide (212) means the length from the front end to the rear end of the light guide (212).

[0068] As another example, the forward guide (2121) may be extended longer than the rear guide (2122).

Claims

1. A panel cover forming part of the exterior of an electronic product; and Includes a display module mounted on the back surface of the above panel cover, The above display module, A display substrate including a main board and a light-emitting element mounted on the main board; A bracket to which the display substrate is coupled on the back surface; and Including a light guide panel coupled to the front of the above bracket, The above light guide panel, Panel body and, It includes an optical guide that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the panel body from the front and rear of the panel body, A control panel for an electronic product, characterized in that a dot-shaped recessed portion for accommodating the front end of the light guide is formed on the back surface of the panel body where the front end of the light guide is located.

2. In paragraph 1, The above brackets are, Bracket body and, It includes a reflector that extends in a form that wraps around the light guide from the front or front and rear of the bracket body, A control panel for an electronic product, characterized in that a light guide hole for accommodating a portion of the light guide is formed on the inside of the reflector.

3. In paragraph 2, The above light guide, An omnidirectional guide extending from the front of the above panel body, Includes a rear guide extending from the rear of the above panel body, A control panel for an electronic product, characterized in that the rear guide is inserted into the optical guide hole.

4. In paragraph 3, The above light emitting element is accommodated in the light guide hole, A control panel for an electronic product, characterized in that the rear end of the rear guide and the light-emitting element are spaced apart by a predetermined distance.

5. In paragraph 4, A control panel for an electronic product, characterized in that the distance between the rear end of the rear guide and the light emitting element is set to a range of 0.5 to 1.0 mm so that light emitted from the light emitting element is internally totally reflected in the rear guide.

6. In paragraph 3, A control panel for an electronic product, characterized in that the front end of the above-mentioned omnidirectional guide contacts the bottom of the above-mentioned recess or is spaced apart from it by a distance of 1.5 mm or less.

7. In paragraph 3, A control panel for an electronic product, characterized in that the thickness of the panel cover portion in which the above-mentioned depression is formed is set to 0.2 to 0.4 times the thickness of the panel cover.

8. In paragraph 3, The above forward guide and the above rear guide are extended to the same length, Each of the above forward guide and the above backward guide, A control panel for an electronic product, characterized in that it extends to a length of at least 20% of the total length of the above light guide.

9. In paragraph 8, A control panel for an electronic product, characterized in that the forward guide and the rear guide have the same diameter.

10. In paragraph 8, A control panel for an electronic product, characterized in that the diameter of the forward guide is smaller than the diameter of the rear guide.

11. In paragraph 1, A control panel for an electronic product, characterized in that the above light guide panel is made of any one of PMMA, PC, and GPPS.

12. In paragraph 1, The above panel cover is a plastic cover made of titanium dioxide mixed with ABS resin, A control panel for electronic products, characterized in that the content of the above titanium dioxide is 3.0 to 3.8% of the total components.

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