Washing Powder Tray Illumination for Agent Level Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry treatment appliances make it difficult for users to determine when laundry treatment agents are exhausted, hindering intuitive operation and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treatment appliance with a removable shell featuring a light guide system that allows for visual indication of filling levels without electrical contact, using a control device to manage lighting based on program requirements and sensor data, and providing intuitive symbols for easy operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If a removable shell with chambers is used to store laundry treatment agents, then the appliance allows for easy maintenance and agent replacement, but it becomes difficult for users to determine when the agents are exhausted
Solution Approach 1:
A light guide acts as an intermediary element to transmit optical signals from the control device to the shell panel. The light guide couples the lamp on the housing part to the display area on the shell, enabling information transmission without electrical contact across the air gap between shell and housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces electrical contact-based signaling with an optical signaling system. Instead of using electrical connections to transmit information about agent levels, the system uses light transmission through the light guide to provide visual feedback on the shell panel.
2Loss of information
If electrical contacts are used to provide visual displays on the shell, then information can be transmitted accurately, but electrical contact in a water-bearing environment creates safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The air gap between the shell and housing part serves as an intermediary medium that eliminates the need for electrical contact. Optical information is transmitted through this non-conductive gap using the light guide, ensuring electrical safety while maintaining information transmission accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes electrical signal transmission with optical signal transmission. The light guide transmits visual information about agent levels without requiring electrical connections, thereby eliminating electrical safety hazards in the water-bearing environment.
3Ease of repair
If the lamp is arranged on the housing part rather than the shell, then the shell can be completely removed for maintenance, but the light outlet must be precisely aligned with the light inlet
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide is pre-positioned and fixed to the housing part at the designated light inlet location before the shell is installed. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the shell is placed into the housing, the light guide is already correctly aligned to receive light from the lamp and transmit it to the appropriate panel area.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide serves as a fixed intermediary element on the housing part that defines the precise light transmission path. By fixing the light guide to the housing rather than the removable shell, the alignment requirement is built into the permanent structure, allowing the shell to be freely removable while maintaining optical alignment.
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 users to monitor and maintain laundry treatment agent levels effectively, ensuring timely refills and ergonomic operation, even when the shell is partially or fully removed, without risking electrical contact in a water-bearing environment.
Implementation Method 1
with a light guide (19), with a light inlet (17) and a light outlet (20), wherein the light inlet (17) is connected to the light outlet (20) via the light guide (19)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A household appliance (1) that may be designed in particular as a household appliance using water comprises a housing portion (2) into which a tray (6) comprising at least one chamber arranged to receive a laundry treatment agent for a plurality of program runs can be introduced. On the housing portion (2), illumination means (15) are mounted. The tray (6) has a screen (8) on which a light aperture (20) is provided. The light aperture (20) on the screen (8) is associated with a light aperture (17) on the tray (6). The light aperture (18) of the illumination means (15) is disposed on the housing portion (2) in such a way that the light aperture (18) of the illumination means (15) is associated with the light aperture (17) of the tray (6) once the tray has at least substantially been introduced, in particular pushed into the housing portion (2).