Control method of a control panel of a clothes treating apparatus
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clothes treating apparatus control panels lack effective methods for inputting control commands using bioelectric currents, preventing unintended operation, and providing clear recognition of selected commands through varying brightness levels of light emission units.
Innovation Solution
A control panel with light discharge units and light emission units that utilize a controller to adjust the duty cycle of current supply, allowing for distinct brightness levels and patterns, preventing unintended operation and enhancing user recognition of selected commands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional control panels are used with physical buttons, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the panel cannot prevent unintended operation from bioelectric currents and cannot provide clear visual differentiation of selected commands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical mechanical buttons with a touch-sensitive panel that detects bioelectric currents from human contact. This substitution eliminates the need for mechanical switches while adding the ability to distinguish intentional touch inputs from unintended contact, thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces light emission units as an intermediary between the control input and the display elements. These light emission units provide visual feedback by illuminating specific areas corresponding to selected commands, creating a clear distinction between selected and unselected options without requiring complex mechanical or electronic changes to the button structure itself.
2Loss of information
If conventional control panels are used with physical buttons, then the device complexity is low, but the panel cannot provide clear visual differentiation of selected commands through brightness levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs light emission units that change their illumination state based on command selection. By controlling the brightness and presence of light at different panel locations, the system provides clear visual differentiation between selected and unselected commands, ensuring users can easily recognize their input choices without increasing device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If light emission units are added to provide visual feedback, then command selection recognition is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the light emission units with the existing button or touch-sensing structure, integrating the visual feedback mechanism into the control panel itself rather than adding separate display components. This integration approach improves ease of operation by providing immediate visual confirmation at the point of interaction while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
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
Enables secure operation by preventing unintended control inputs and improves user experience through clear visual differentiation of command selection and preset commands via adjustable brightness levels.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of light emission units (57) located under the light discharge units (43) and emitting light toward the light discharge units (43)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Disclosed are a control panel (CP) provided on an apparatus to control the apparatus, a control method thereof, and a clothes treating apparatus (100) having the control panel (CP). The control method of a control panel (CP) of a clothes treating apparatus (100), which has a panel body (4), a plurality of light discharge units (43), and a plurality of light emission units (57) located under the plurality of light discharge units (43) and emitting light toward the plurality of light discharge units (43), includes inputting a power supply command to the clothes treating apparatus (100) through a power input unit (8), and controlling a target light emission unit (TL) so as to emit light more brightly than background light emission units (57) by dividing a duty cycle of current supplied to each of the plurality of light emission units (57) into a duty cycle of the target light emission unit (TL) and a duty cycle of the background light emission units (57), when power is input.