Touch sensor assembly and refrigerator door including same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch sensor assemblies for household appliances, such as refrigerators, face challenges in accurately sensing touch movements and maintaining recognition rates due to inadequate support structures and susceptibility to static electricity during manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A touch sensor assembly with a sensor housing and elastic member that presses the sensor PCB against the exterior member, supported by a sensor support portion, enhancing sensitivity and preventing inclination, along with a sensor controller separated from the touch sensor assembly to prevent static electricity damage, and a display assembly with a light source and display window for improved recognition and structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the touch sensor assembly is mounted without adequate support structure, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of touch movement decreases
Solution Approach 1:
A sensor support portion is introduced as an intermediary component between the sensor PCB and the exterior member. This support structure provides adequate backing for the touch sensor assembly, enabling accurate detection of touch movements while maintaining a relatively simple overall device configuration.
2Measurement precision
If the sensor PCB is not pressed against the exterior member, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of touch operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
An elastic member is configured to automatically press the sensor PCB against the exterior member without requiring additional active control mechanisms. The elastic member's inherent elasticity provides continuous contact force, ensuring accurate touch operation recognition while keeping the device structure simple and self-regulating.
3Reliability
If the touch sensor assembly is integrated with the controller, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability decreases due to static electricity damage
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional modules: the touch sensor assembly and the controller are physically separated. This segmentation protects the sensitive controller from static electricity damage that may occur during manufacturing or operation, while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design.
4Measurement precision
If force is distributed across the entire touch sensor surface, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of push operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor support portion is designed to concentrate the pushing force locally at the center of the touch sensor rather than distributing it across the entire surface. This localized force concentration enhances the precision of push operation detection, while the support structure itself remains relatively simple in configuration.
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 improves touch recognition accuracy and sensitivity by concentrating force on the center of the touch sensor, preventing inclination, and reducing static electricity damage, while also enhancing the structural and aesthetic appeal of the appliance's front side.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member which is disposed at the rear of the sensor PCB and presses the sensor PCB toward a rear surface of the external member
Data Source
AI summary
A touch sensor assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a sensor housing disposed at a rear surface of an external member on which a touch operation unit on which a user touches is marked, a sensor PCB accommodated in the sensor housing, and an elastic member which is disposed at a rear side of the sensor PCB and presses the sensor PCB toward a rear surface of the external member, wherein the elastic member is mounted in an elastic member accommodation portion formed at a bottom surface of the sensor housing.