Laundry treatment device with adjustable transparency of a door insert and method of operating the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry treatment appliances face challenges in displaying complex information on small touchscreens, which can complicate operation and reduce user safety, and there is a need for an improved display device that allows for larger and more user-friendly information display.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treatment appliance with a door insert made of transparent material that has electrochromic properties, allowing its transparency to change based on temperature or electrical properties, serving as a display device for information about the appliance's operation or treatment program, and equipped with a light sensor to adjust transparency according to ambient light conditions, along with an external touchscreen control unit for data exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a small touchscreen is used for operating the household appliance, then the appliance can be operated quickly via an app, but the clear display of complex content on small touchscreens is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the display device with the door insert, merging the function of information display with the structural component of the door. This allows the door insert to serve dual purposes: as a physical barrier and as a large-area display surface for complex operating information, thereby resolving the contradiction between quick operation and clear content display.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional small touchscreen interface to a larger display area by utilizing the door insert surface. This dimensional expansion provides sufficient space for displaying complex content while maintaining quick access through the integrated control unit, thus resolving the information display limitation of small screens.
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 a larger, user-friendly display of information, enhances operational safety by allowing immediate recognition of malfunctions, and provides design flexibility, ensuring clear content display even in low-light conditions.
Implementation Method 1
the first layer, the transparency of which can be changed by changing a temperature and/or an electrical property of the first layer
Implementation Method 2
the transparency of which can be changed by changing a temperature and/or an electrical property of the first layer
Implementation Method 3
the laundry treatment appliance contains a light sensor which can detect the light intensity L U in an area surrounding the laundry treatment appliance
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a laundry treatment appliance 1 with a housing 2, a treatment chamber 3 for items of laundry to be treated, a control unit 4, a door unit 5 for opening and closing the treatment chamber 3, the door unit 5 having a door insert 6 that closes off the treatment chamber 3 and has a transparent Material 7 contains, wherein the door insert 6 has a first layer 8, the light transmission of which can be changed by changing a temperature and/or an electrical property of the first layer 8, and wherein the door insert 6 is designed such that if a Operating program is in a transparent state. The invention also relates to a method for operating this laundry treatment appliance.