Panel assembly for a home appliance and home appliance therewith
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator door designs face challenges such as the need to completely disassemble the door to change the outer appearance, unstable mounting of light emitting members due to repeated door opening and closing, uneven light emission, exposure of internal components, and hot-spot areas causing aesthetic issues.
Innovation Solution
A panel assembly for a home appliance door, comprising a front plate, a light guide plate spaced apart from the rear of the front plate, a lighting device with a light source and substrate, and a bracket with a receiving space for the lighting device, which supports the light guide plate and aligns the light source with its center line, preventing hot-spot exposure and allowing for color changes without disassembling the door.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If light emitting members are mounted on the door front to enable color changes, then the outer appearance can be varied, but the mounting stability deteriorates due to repeated door opening and closing
Solution Approach 1:
The door front is divided into multiple layers: a door body, a light guide plate, and a front plate. The light emitting members are mounted on the light guide plate which is spaced apart from the door body, isolating the light emitting components from the mechanical stress of door opening/closing while maintaining their function for appearance variation.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide plate is nested within the door assembly but positioned at a distance from the door body, creating a layered structure where the light guide plate carries the light emitting members independently from the door body's mechanical movements.
2Device complexity
If light emitting members are placed at the left and right side ends, then the structure is simplified, but light transmission to the bent side ends is insufficient causing dark areas
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide plate acts as an intermediary that receives light from emitting members at the side ends and distributes it uniformly across the entire front surface. The light guide plate's optical properties enable light to travel from the side mounting positions to the bent side ends, eliminating dark areas while maintaining simple structure.
3Illumination intensity
If the front plate is made transparent to allow light transmission, then light emission is enabled, but internal components are exposed when light emitting members are turned off causing poor appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The front plate has different optical properties in different regions or states: it is transparent when light is emitted to allow light transmission, and becomes opaque or changes appearance when light is turned off to hide internal components. This local quality change enables the front plate to serve dual functions based on the lighting state.
4Ease of repair
If the door is disassembled to service the light emitting members, then maintenance is possible, but reassembly is difficult or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly is segmented into serviceable modules: the light guide plate with light emitting members can be accessed and serviced independently from the door body. This segmentation allows maintenance of light emitting components without requiring complete door disassembly, and simplifies reassembly procedures.
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 enables the door's outer appearance to be changed without disassembling the door, ensures even light emission across the door's surface, prevents hot-spot areas from being exposed, and improves user convenience and aesthetics.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide plate disposed to be spaced apart from a rear face of the front plate, a lighting device including a light source for irradiating light to the light guide plate
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet having a storage chamber therein, and a door for opening and closing the cabinet, the door includes a door body and a panel assembly coupled to a front face of the door body, the panel assembly includes a front plate forming an outer appearance of a front face of the panel assembly, a light guide plate disposed to be spaced apart from a rear face of the front plate, a lighting device including a light source for irradiating light to the light guide plate and a substrate where the light source is disposed, wherein the lighting device is disposed to be spaced apart from one surface of the light guide plate, and a bracket having a receiving space for accommodating the lighting device therein, and the bracket includes a support for supporting the light guide plate or for determining the position of the light source.