Touch Cooker Display Backlighting for Clear Operability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heating cookers with touch operation parts suffer from user confusion due to unlit but still recognizable display characters when the operation display parts are inoperable, leading to potential misuse.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a backlight system that ensures operation display parts are entirely unlit and inoperable when not in use, with display characters only visible and functional when the touch operation part is active, and implementing a display switch to differentiate operable and inoperable states, preventing accidental inputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the backlight is turned off to save energy, then energy consumption is reduced, but the display characters remain recognizable causing user confusion about operability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color/brightness changes by controlling the backlight to be completely off when operation display parts are inoperable. This creates a clear visual distinction where recognizable display characters combined with backlight off state indicates inoperability, while backlight on state indicates operability. This resolves the contradiction by using brightness state as an additional information layer beyond just character visibility.
2Loss of information
If display characters are kept visible to provide information, then information availability is improved, but user confusion occurs when the touch operation part is inoperable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the display system into two independent controllable elements: the display characters and the backlight. This segmentation allows the system to provide information through characters while simultaneously indicating operability status through the backlight state. When inoperable, characters remain visible for information but backlight is off to indicate non-operability, preventing user confusion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the backlight's on/off state as a visual indicator of operability. When the backlight is off, users understand that although characters are visible, the touch operation part is not currently operable. This additional visual dimension resolves the ambiguity that would otherwise exist from character visibility alone.
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
Enhances user safety and usability by clearly indicating the operational status of the touch operation part, preventing erroneous operations and ensuring the user can only interact with functional display switches, thus making the heating cooker more user-friendly and safe.
Implementation Method 1
a backlight for emitting light through the top panel so as to display the display characters in lighting
Data Source
AI summary
A heating cooker includes a top panel for placing a load thereon and touch operation parts for allowing the user to operate the heating of the heater to heat the load. The operation display parts of the touch operation parts each include display characters disposed under the top panel and a backlight which emits light through the top panel so as to display the display characters in lighting. When not displayed, the operation display parts including the display characters are entirely unlit and made inoperable. This provides a user-friendly heating cooker.