Electronic device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing showcase refrigerators with transparent display panels struggle to dynamically adjust lighting to enhance visibility of internal contents without causing glare or distracting from advertisements, especially when users approach or interact with the device.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a controller that selectively adjusts the brightness of light sources within and outside an observation window based on user proximity, allowing for adaptive lighting to prioritize content visibility while maintaining an effective advertisement display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If light sources are activated to illuminate internal contents, then visibility of internal objects is improved, but glare and distraction from advertisements occur
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system dynamically adjusts its operation based on user proximity. When a user approaches within a predetermined distance, the controller activates the light sources to illuminate internal contents. When the user moves away, the light sources are turned off to eliminate glare and distraction from advertisements. This dynamic switching resolves the contradiction by adapting illumination intensity to actual viewing conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a sensor to detect user proximity and provides feedback to the controller, which then adjusts light source activation accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures that lighting is provided only when needed (improving visibility) while avoiding glare when users are not present, thus resolving the technical contradiction between illumination intensity and harmful glare effects.
2Ease of operation
If light sources are activated for visibility, then internal content observation is enhanced, but advertisement display effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between two operational states based on user proximity detection. In the first state (user nearby), light sources are activated to enhance internal content observation. In the second state (user away), light sources are deactivated to maintain advertisement display effectiveness. This dynamic state switching ensures that advertisement information is not lost to glare while still enabling easy internal content observation when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting system operates periodically based on user presence rather than continuously. The controller alternates between activating and deactivating light sources according to periodic user interaction patterns. This periodic action ensures advertisements remain visible during non-observation periods while providing enhanced internal content observation during interaction periods, resolving the contradiction between observation ease and advertisement effectiveness.
3Illumination intensity
If multiple light sources are used throughout the door, then overall illumination is improved, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system is segmented into multiple independent light sources distributed at different locations (corners and sides) of the door. Each light source can be independently controlled by the controller. This segmentation allows the system to achieve overall illumination by activating multiple sources while maintaining simple control logic through centralized control of individual elements, resolving the contradiction between illumination intensity and control complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller serves multiple functions: it detects user proximity, determines the appropriate operational state, and controls multiple light sources simultaneously. This multi-functional controller simplifies the overall system by consolidating control logic into a single component that manages all light sources, thereby achieving overall illumination without proportionally increasing control complexity.
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 ensures improved visibility of internal contents without glare, enhancing user experience by dynamically adjusting light sources based on user interaction, thereby optimizing the display of both internal objects and advertisements.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide plate located between the display panel and an external area of the main body and that transmits light from a light source
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
An electronic device including a main body; a door attached to the main body; an observation window provided in at least a partial area of the door, the observation window including a display panel; at least one internal light source located within the observation window; at least one external light source located at an area outside of the observation window; and a controller configured to operate a first state to turn on the at least one internal light source such that an image displayed on the display panel is viewable from an outside of the electronic device, and operate a second state to turn on the at least one external light source such that an inside of the electronic device is viewable from the outside of the electronic device.