Cooktop and knob assembly thereof
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooktops suffer from uneven light emission around knobs, leading to poor visibility and user recognition issues, as well as aesthetic concerns due to inconsistent brightness.
Innovation Solution
A cooktop and knob assembly design featuring a light diffusing part with varying thickness to ensure uniform light distribution around the knob, utilizing a light source part positioned at the rear and a knob ring to enhance light diffusion and aesthetic appeal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the LED module is disposed at the first end of the light guide path, then the light source is positioned compactly, but the light brightness becomes uneven with the first end being relatively bright and the second end being relatively dark
Solution Approach 1:
The light diffusing part is designed with non-uniform thickness, where the thickness varies along the light guide path. Specifically, the thickness is greater at regions corresponding to the second end of the light guide path and smaller at regions corresponding to the first end. This local variation in thickness compensates for the uneven light distribution, making the overall light emission uniform around the knob.
2Ease of manufacture
If the light source is disposed in an end portion of the leg, then the structure is simplified, but the guide ring shows uneven brightness with the contact portion being relatively bright and the far portion being relatively dark
Solution Approach 1:
The light diffusing part includes a light source corresponding part with varied thickness along the light guide path. The thickness is designed to be greater at portions corresponding to the second end of the light guide path and smaller at portions corresponding to the first end, compensating for the inherent brightness unevenness caused by the light source position and achieving uniform light emission around the knob.
3Illumination intensity
If constant brightness around the knob is required, then uniform light distribution is needed, but conventional light guide designs produce uneven brightness distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The thickness parameter of the light diffusing part is varied along the light guide path to control light diffusion. By changing the thickness parameter from uniform to non-uniform distribution, the light diffusion characteristics are modified to compensate for the uneven light input from the LED module, achieving uniform light emission without complex additional components.
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
The design achieves uniform light emission, improving user convenience and aesthetic quality by ensuring brighter light at the outer edges, while minimizing damage to the light source and facilitating easy assembly and replacement.
Implementation Method 1
a light diffusing part disposed at a rear side of the knob body and configured to diffuse light
Data Source
AI summary
A cooktop includes a knob assembly controls a heating part. The knob assembly includes: a knob body disposed at a front surface of a control panel and rotating around a rotation shaft extended in a front-rear direction, a light diffusing part disposed at a rear side of the knob body and diffusing light, and a light source part disposed at a rear side of the light diffusing part and including one or more light sources. The light diffusing part includes a light source corresponding part disposed at a position corresponding to one of the light sources, and a thickness of the light diffusing part along a first straight line that passes from a center of the light diffusing part through the light source corresponding part is greater than a thickness of the light diffusing part along a straight line that does not pass through the light source corresponding part.