Capacitive Operating Panel Lamination for Simpler PCB Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household appliances with capacitive control panels face challenges in simplified assembly and easy connection to printed circuit boards, leading to complex manufacturing processes and increased space requirements.
Innovation Solution
A household appliance with a capacitive control panel comprising multiple layers, including a display sheet, touch-sensitive foil with capacitive sensors and electrical conductor tracks, and a structured light guide layer made of polycarbonate, produced by bonding self-adhesive display and touch-sensitive films and subsequent back-injection molding, allowing for flexible and simplified assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional multi-component control panels are assembled separately, then each component can be optimized independently, but the assembly process becomes complex and requires many assembly steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the display element, touch-sensitive sensor, and light guide into a single integrated control panel component. This merging eliminates the need for separate assembly steps for these components, directly reducing assembly complexity while maintaining independent optimization capabilities through the layered structure design.
Solution Approach 2:
The control panel is designed as a multi-functional integrated component that simultaneously provides display, touch sensing, and light guidance functions. This universal design allows a single component to replace multiple separate components, simplifying the overall assembly process while maintaining the specialized functions of each subsystem.
2Ease of operation
If traditional control panels use separate connection components for printed circuit boards, then connection flexibility is improved, but space requirements on the printed circuit board increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control panel integrates the electrical connection interface directly into the panel structure itself, merging the connection function with the display and sensing functions. This eliminates the need for separate connection components, reducing the space required on the printed circuit board while maintaining connection flexibility through the integrated design.
3Measurement precision
If capacitive sensors are implemented with traditional assembly methods, then sensor precision can be optimized, but manufacturing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The capacitive sensor electrodes are pre-formed as conductive patterns on the touch-sensitive film during the film manufacturing process, before the final assembly. This preliminary action ensures sensor precision is maintained while significantly reducing the complexity and time required during the final assembly process, as the sensor structure is already optimized and in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The control panel uses a composite structure where the touch-sensitive film with integrated conductive patterns is combined with the display and light guide layers. This composite material approach allows the capacitive sensor to maintain its precision through specialized film manufacturing while enabling efficient integration into the final assembly, improving overall manufacturing efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution simplifies the assembly of the control panel, reduces the number of assembly steps, and enables efficient evaluation of capacitive sensors for program selection and information representation, while minimizing space requirements on the printed circuit board.
Implementation Method 1
a structured light guide layer (7) consisting of or comprising polycarbonate
Implementation Method 2
an at least partially translucent control panel (2) with at least one capacitive sensor (3, 3') for selecting a program function
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a household device comprising a control device, an at least partially translucent cover 1 and an at least partially translucent operating panel 2 with at least one capacitive sensor 3,3' for a user of the device to select a program function of the household device, the operating panel 2 having a plastic component 4 consisting of a plurality of layers, comprising (a) a display foil 5; (b) a touch-sensitive foil 6 which has the at least one capacitive sensor 3,3' and electric conductor tracks; and (c) a structured light guide layer 7; the plastic component 4 being obtainable by connecting a self-adhesive display foil 5 to the touch-sensitive foil 6 and by subsequently back-moulding the structured light guide layer 7. The invention also relates to a method for producing the household device.