Household appliance with user interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household appliances face challenges in providing user interfaces that can display large amounts of control information without spatial interference, accommodate non-planar and curved surfaces, and are adaptable to different aesthetic designs, while also allowing for easy loading of products.
Innovation Solution
A user interface utilizing a video projector mounted on the appliance to visualize control information on the outer surface, allowing for large and flexible display areas on non-planar surfaces, and incorporating command input sensors to detect hand movements for inputting commands, enabling easy adaptation to various designs and surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a liquid crystal display (TFT) or OLED is used to display control information, then the display can be integrated into the housing surface, but the housing surface must be flat and extended which conflicts with curved surfaces and innovative design
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a projector to create a virtual copy of the user interface on the housing surface instead of using a physical display device. This allows the interface to be displayed on any surface shape without requiring the surface to be flat or extended, resolving the conflict between display integration and design versatility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical display system (TFT or OLED panels requiring flat surfaces) with an optical projection system. This substitution eliminates the need for physical display hardware and allows the interface to adapt to curved and irregular surfaces, maintaining design flexibility while preserving information display functionality
2Loss of information
If a large display area is provided to show extensive control information, then more information can be visualized, but it creates spatial interference with other components and reduces loading space
Solution Approach 1:
The projector creates a virtual display on the housing surface that does not occupy physical space within the appliance. This allows extensive control information to be visualized without reducing the internal volume available for product loading, as the display exists only as light projected onto the exterior surface
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the display function from the internal three-dimensional space to the external two-dimensional surface of the housing. By projecting the interface onto the outer surface, the system provides a large display area without consuming any internal loading space, effectively utilizing a different spatial dimension
3Ease of manufacture
If the user interface is designed for a specific appliance project, then it can be optimized for that design, but it becomes difficult to transfer to other appliances with different exterior designs
Solution Approach 1:
The projector-based interface system serves multiple functions: it can be mounted on different appliance types, adapted to various surface geometries, and reconfigured for different interface layouts. This universal platform replaces appliance-specific display designs, enabling the same core system to serve multiple product lines while maintaining optimization capabilities for each application
Solution Approach 2:
The projected interface is dynamically adaptable to different mounting surfaces and appliance designs. The system can adjust its projection parameters and interface layout based on the specific appliance it is installed on, providing optimized user experience for each application while using the same underlying technology platform
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 solution provides a spatially efficient and adaptable user interface that can visualize extensive control information on non-planar surfaces, supports innovative designs, and facilitates product loading without additional space, while being easily transferable between different appliance designs.
Implementation Method 1
the display means comprise at least one video projector mounted onto the household appliance at its outer wall and configured to visualize, by means of a light projecting process onto a display area of the outer surface of the housing
Implementation Method 2
The command input sensor is a capacitive touch sensor and the electronic control system is configured to interpret positioning and movement of a hand in front of and/or touching the display area
Data Source
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AI summary
A household appliance (1) comprises a housing (2) with an outer wall (3) forming an outer surface (4), a treatment seat (5) formed in the, or on the housing (2) and adapted to receive or support domestic products in a treatment position (6), a treatment device (7) arranged inside the housing (2), a treatment detector (8) configured to detect a value of a treatment parameter, an electronic control system (10) in signal connection with the treatment device (7) and with the treatment detector (8) and configured to command the treatment device (7) in dependency of a treatment program and in dependency of the value detected by the treatment detector (8), a user interface (11) in signal connection with the electronic control system (10), wherein the user interface (11) comprises at least one video projector (14) mounted onto the household appliance (1) at the outer wall (3) and configured to visualize treatment program parameters, by means of a process of light projecting onto a display area (15) of the outer surface (4) of the housing (2) and at least one command input sensor (16) adapted to detect a movement of the user's hand at the display area (15) and to generate a corresponding hand movement signal, wherein the electronic control system (10) processes the hand movement signal and generates a user command signal, sets the treatment program parameters in dependency of the user command signal generated, and commands the visualization by means of the video projector (14) in dependency of the user command signal generated.