Laundry treatment device having a control panel assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of laundry treatment devices with complex control panel assemblies is time-consuming and costly, and the exposed metal crosspieces can cause user injuries due to sharp edges, while also complicating production and warehousing.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treatment device design featuring a seamless front wall with a control panel assembly where the dashboard and drawer seat cover the crosspiece, reducing the number of components and simplifying alignment, and using plastic for the dashboard to cover the metal crosspiece edges, providing a safer and aesthetically appealing solution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the control panel assembly uses multiple separate pieces for coupling to the front wall, then the assembly can be manufactured with standard metal components, but the assembly time increases and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate components (control panel, mounting plate, and coupling elements) into a single integrated control panel assembly. This merging eliminates the need for separate assembly steps involving multiple pieces, thereby reducing assembly time while maintaining manufacturability through modular design of the integrated unit.
2Ease of manufacture
If the control panel assembly uses multiple separate pieces, then the components can be independently manufactured, but the number of spare parts increases and assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the control panel and mounting plate into a single assembled unit, reducing the total number of components from multiple separate pieces to two main integrated components. This merging simplifies the device structure while maintaining the benefit of independent manufacturing of the integrated units themselves.
3Strength
If the crosspiece is made of metal and remains exposed, then the structural integrity is maintained, but sharp edges can cause injury to users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dashboard as an intermediary element that covers the exposed metal crosspiece. The dashboard acts as a mediator between the user and the sharp edges of the metal crosspiece, maintaining the structural integrity of the metal components while eliminating the harmful sharp edges from user contact areas.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the dashboard covers the crosspiece, then user safety is improved by eliminating sharp edges, but the number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the dashboard with the control panel assembly into a single integrated unit. This merging approach allows the dashboard to cover the metal crosspiece for safety purposes while not increasing the total number of components, as the dashboard becomes an integral part of the control panel assembly rather than a separate component.
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treatment device (100) includes a casing (2) housing a laundry treatment chamber (12) and including a front wall (4) defining an outward-facing continuous-wall front surface (4a), the front wall (4) having a laundry opening (3a) to load and/or unload said laundry treatment chamber (12), a panel aperture (15) and a drawer aperture (60). The panel aperture (15) and the drawer aperture (60) are separated one from the other by a crosspiece (66). The crosspiece has an outward-facing crosspiece front surface (66a). A control panel assembly (1) is provided for controlling operation of the laundry treatment device (100). The control panel assembly (1) includes an outer dashboard (11) which is structured to be coupled to the front wall (4) at the panel aperture (15) and to be operated by a user. A drawer (63) is provided as well as a drawer seat (61) to house the drawer (63). The drawer seat is fixed or fixable to the front wall (4) at the drawer aperture (60) so that the drawer (63) is coupled in a retractable manner to the front wall (4). Outer dashboard (11) and/or the drawer seat (61) includes a cover surface (101a) located externally to the casing (2) in front of the crosspiece front surface (66a), so as to cover the latter when the laundry treatment device (100) is in an assembled configuration.