Touch sensor assembly and refrigerator door with touch sensor assembly and method for manufacturing the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch sensor assemblies for home appliances, such as refrigerator doors, face challenges in accurately detecting user interactions due to the need for reliable displacement detection and stable sensor mounting, especially when integrated into exterior members made of materials like steel or glass, which require innovative solutions for effective signal generation and robust mechanical support.
Innovation Solution
A touch sensor assembly featuring a sensor PCB mounted on an elastic member, a sensor housing with a touch booster, and an adhesion member for secure attachment, which includes a spirally cut common part and protrusions to enhance displacement detection and stability, allowing for accurate user input recognition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sensor PCB is mounted directly on the exterior member, then the structure is simple, but the sensor stability and detection accuracy are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
An elastic member is introduced as an intermediary between the sensor PCB and the exterior member. This elastic member provides stable mounting and pressing force to ensure sensor reliability, while its flexible nature accommodates the complexity requirement by adapting to the exterior member's surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor PCB is nested within a sensor housing that is attached to the exterior member. This nested structure provides stable mounting and protection for the sensor, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity by organizing components in a compact, integrated manner.
2Measurement precision
If the exterior member is made of rigid materials like steel or glass, then the appearance is improved, but the displacement detection accuracy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
A touch booster is introduced as an intermediary between the exterior member and the sensor. This touch booster amplifies the displacement signals from the rigid exterior member, enabling accurate detection while maintaining the aesthetic and structural benefits of rigid materials like steel or glass.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch booster changes the displacement parameter by amplifying small movements of the rigid exterior member into larger sensor-detectable signals. This parameter transformation allows the system to maintain both rigidity for appearance and sensitivity for detection accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If the sensor PCB is pressed firmly against the exterior member, then the detection accuracy is improved, but the risk of damage to the sensor or exterior member increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic member provides beforehand cushioning between the sensor PCB and the exterior member. It maintains sufficient pressing force for accurate detection while absorbing excessive force, thereby preventing damage to the sensor or exterior member through its energy-absorbing elastic properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member dynamically adjusts the pressing force parameter based on the interaction between the sensor and exterior member. This parameter modulation ensures optimal detection accuracy while preventing damage by reducing excessive pressing forces.
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 provides enhanced detection accuracy and stability of user interactions by ensuring the sensor PCB is securely pressed against the exterior member, improving the reliability of touch-based operations in home appliances.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member disposed on a first surface that is opposite the second surface on which the sensor is mounted, the elastic member being configured to press the sensor PCB to thereby stabilize the sensor PCB relative to the exterior member
Implementation Method 2
a touch booster disposed between the sensor and the exterior member and configured to transmit a front/rear displacement of the exterior member to the sensor
Implementation Method 3
The touch sensor assembly may include a capacitive sensor and a resistance cell type sensor. The sensors may detect a touch of the user and convert it into a signal for operating the home appliance.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a touch sensor assembly that is maintained in a state in which the touch sensor is closely attached to an exterior member to accurately detect displacement when touch manipulation is performed to improve a recognition rate, a refrigerator door including a touch sensor assembly that is capable of preventing a sensor control part from being damaged by static electricity and having an improved front outer appearance, and a method for manufacturing the refrigerator door.