Home Appliance Front Panel Coating for Hidden LED Through-Holes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing exterior members for home appliances lack the ability to create fine through-holes for displaying information while maintaining strength and preventing contamination, and current manufacturing methods are inefficient and prone to damage.
Innovation Solution
The exterior member features a front panel with etched through-holes that have a larger rear cross-sectional area than the front, filled with a light-transmitting material, and a colored coating layer to shield the holes when not in use, using a stainless steel plate with a resin coating to ensure strength and prevent contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If fine through-holes are created in the exterior member for displaying information, then the display functionality and aesthetic appeal are improved, but the structural strength and resistance to contamination are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The exterior member is divided into multiple functional layers: a front panel with through-holes for display, a hole-filling member that fills the through-holes with light-transmitting material, and a coating layer for protection. This segmentation allows each layer to specialize in one function while collectively solving the contradiction between display functionality and structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The exterior member uses composite material structure combining the front panel material with the hole-filling member material and coating layer material. This composite structure enables the through-holes to maintain structural integrity while allowing light transmission for display purposes and preventing contamination.
2Loss of information
If fine through-holes are created in the exterior member for displaying information, then the display functionality is improved, but the resistance to contamination by foreign substances worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The hole-filling member is installed in advance to fill the through-holes before the exterior member is put into service. This preliminary action prevents foreign substances from entering the through-holes during normal operation, while still allowing light to pass through the light-transmitting material for display functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The hole-filling member acts as an intermediary between the through-holes and the external environment. It allows light to pass through for display purposes while blocking foreign substances from entering the interior space, thus resolving the contradiction between display functionality and contamination resistance.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional manufacturing methods are used to create through-holes, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the precision and risk of damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical drilling methods with laser processing to create the through-holes in the front panel. This substitution provides superior precision and control over hole dimensions and positions while reducing the risk of mechanical damage to the exterior member, while still maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
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 allows for the creation of fine, light-transmitting through-holes that enhance the aesthetic appeal and operational visibility of home appliance displays while maintaining structural integrity and preventing foreign substances from entering the display area.
Implementation Method 1
a front surface groove that is defined by an etching process through the front surface coating layer
Implementation Method 2
coating a rear surface of the displaying part with a material that is configured to transmit light
Implementation Method 3
a front surface coating layer that is located on a front surface of the front panel and that is configured to shield the plurality of first through-holes
Data Source
AI summary
An exterior member for a home appliance includes a front panel that defines an exterior of the home appliance, that is configured to cover a display assembly that includes a plurality of LEDs, and that includes a displaying part that defines a plurality of first through-holes at positions corresponding to the plurality of LEDs, the displaying part being configured to display operating information of the home appliance by transmitting light from the plurality of LEDs through at least a portion of the plurality of first through-holes. The exterior member further includes a front surface coating layer that is located on a front surface of the front panel and that is configured to shield the plurality of first through-holes. The exterior member further includes a hole-filling member that is configured to fill the plurality of first through-holes by coating a rear surface of the displaying part with a material.