Circular Washer Door Touch Display Assembly for Moisture Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current laundry treating apparatuses face challenges in integrating a touch screen on the door, including aesthetic issues, alignment difficulties with circular shapes, and moisture leakage affecting electronic components, leading to reliability concerns and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A door structure with a circular shape featuring a non-light-transmitting region and light-transmitting regions, where the touch sensor is integrated with the door cover and display module, using a sealant filling groove to secure the door cover to the frame, and a display sealing member to prevent moisture ingress, allowing for a cost-effective and reliable touch screen interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a mechanical fastening structure (bracket, hook) is used to couple the door cover to the door frame, then the joint strength is improved, but it becomes difficult to use with glass material door covers and achieve high-quality appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical fastening system (brackets, hooks) with a chemical bonding system (adhesive). This allows glass door covers to be coupled to the door frame without mechanical structures that would compromise appearance or be incompatible with glass materials, while still achieving sufficient joint strength through properly positioned adhesive application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (adhesive) between the door frame and door cover to achieve coupling. This intermediary enables the connection of glass materials that cannot be mechanically fastened, while the positioning structures (protrusions, recesses) ensure the adhesive is applied at optimal locations for both strength and appearance.
2Shape
If adhesive is coated at an inner side of the door frame far from the edge to prevent leakage, then appearance quality is improved, but joint strength deteriorates and foreign substance infiltration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates positioning structures (protrusions and recesses) that are formed in advance during manufacturing. These pre-formed structures guide the adhesive to specific locations that optimize both appearance (preventing leakage) and joint strength (maintaining edge proximity), eliminating the need to choose between the two conflicting requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies adhesive at specific localized positions determined by the positioning structures rather than uniformly across the surface. This allows different regions to serve different functions: areas near edges provide strength and sealing, while controlled positioning prevents leakage in visible areas, achieving both appearance quality and joint strength simultaneously.
3Shape
If a circular-shaped door cover is used for aesthetic purposes, then appearance quality is improved, but alignment of the correct installation position becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces asymmetric positioning structures (protrusions and recesses) on the otherwise circular door cover and frame. These asymmetric features break the rotational symmetry, providing unique alignment references that enable precise installation positioning while maintaining the overall circular aesthetic appearance of the door cover.
4Reliability
If the door cover is sealed to prevent moisture ingress to electronic elements, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning structures (protrusions and recesses) serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide mechanical alignment, guide adhesive application for strong bonding, prevent adhesive leakage for appearance quality, and create sealing paths to prevent moisture ingress. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate sealing components, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving reliable moisture protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treating apparatus includes a body provided with a laundry inlet; and a door configured to open and close the laundry inlet, wherein the door includes a door frame; a door cover mounted at one side of the door frame, and provided with a light transmitting region; a mounting frame mounted at the other side of the door frame; a display mounted on the mounting frame to display visual information through the light transmitting region of the door cover; and a display gasket disposed between the door frame and the mounting frame, and formed to surround the display.