Laundry treating apparatus with door and method for fabricating

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing laundry treating apparatuses have a separate configuration of doors and control units, which complicates their appearance and lacks a seamless integration of touch screens, particularly due to misalignment issues between door covers, touch sensors, and display modules.

Innovation Solution

A structured alignment between the door cover and touch sensor, and between the touch sensor and display module, is implemented to create a seamless touch screen interface on the door, ensuring accurate positioning and reliability, with the touch sensor being attached to the rear surface of the door cover and aligned using guide marks for precise assembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a touch sensor and display module are separately fabricated and attached to the door cover, then the touch screen can be implemented on the door, but misalignment occurs between the door cover, touch sensor, and display module

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetouch screen implementationVSAvoidalignment accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Guide marks are formed on the door cover before attaching the touch sensor and display module. These pre-formed guide marks establish reference positions that ensure accurate alignment during the assembly process, preventing misalignment between components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The guide marks act as an intermediary element between the door cover, touch sensor, and display module. By providing a common reference system, the guide marks mediate the alignment relationship between these three components, ensuring they are precisely positioned relative to each other.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If the control unit is integrated into the door with a touch screen, then the appearance is simplified and user interaction is enhanced, but the alignment between components becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveappearance simplicityVSAvoidassembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Guide marks are formed on the door cover in advance before assembly. This preliminary action provides clear alignment references that simplify the assembly process, allowing workers to quickly and accurately position the touch sensor and display module without complex alignment procedures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If guide marks are formed on the door cover for alignment, then accurate positioning is achieved, but the door cover requires additional processing steps

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning accuracyVSAvoidprocessing steps
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The guide marks replace complex mechanical alignment systems. Instead of using elaborate mechanical fixtures or complex positioning mechanisms, simple visual guide marks are formed on the door cover, which can be created through straightforward marking or printing processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP3162945B1Laundry treating apparatus with door and method for fabricating
Publication Date: 2021.04.07 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP3162945B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3162945B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP3162945B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention discloses a laundry treating apparatus (1) including a main body (20) having a laundry introduction opening (20a), and a door (10) capable of opening and closing the laundry introduction opening, wherein the door (10) includes a door cover (140, 2140, 3140, 4140, 5140, 6140, 7140) defining an appearance of the door, and provided with a transparent region (141, 142, 2141, 2142, 3141, 3142, 6142, 7142) and an opaque region (143, 2143, 3143, 4143, 5143, 6143, 7143) surrounding the transparent region, a display module (130) disposed on a rear surface of the door cover and capable of outputting visual information through the transparent region, and a touch sensor (160, 2160, 3160, 4160, 5160, 6160, 7160) attached to a rear surface of the door cover to cover the transparent region and capable of sensing a touch input applied to the transparent region, wherein the touch sensor is provided with an align mark (163, 4163, 5163a, 5163b, 6163, 7163) to allow the touch sensor to be attached to a correct position with respect to the transparent region. In addition, the present invention discloses a method for fabricating the door of the laundry treating apparatus.