Washer Door Cover Alignment and Sealing for Touchscreen Integration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current laundry treating apparatuses face challenges in integrating a control unit with a touch screen on the door, resulting in a low-level user interface and aesthetic issues, along with difficulties in coupling door covers due to mechanical fastening structures, which can lead to sealant leakage and moisture infiltration into electronic components.
Innovation Solution
A door structure with a non-light-transmitting region and light-transmitting regions on the door cover, where the touch sensor is adhered to the rear surface, and a mounting guide system to facilitate accurate alignment and sealing, preventing sealant leakage and moisture infiltration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a mechanical fastening structure (bracket, hook) is used to couple the door cover to the door frame, then the coupling strength is improved, but it becomes difficult to use with glass material door covers and circular shaped doors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical fastening structure (brackets, hooks) with an adhesive bonding system. The adhesive is applied to the inner side of the door frame and bonds the door cover to the door frame through chemical adhesion rather than mechanical interlocking, enabling compatibility with glass materials and circular shapes that cannot accommodate mechanical fasteners.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If adhesive is coated at an inner side of the door frame far away from the edge portion to prevent leakage, then appearance quality is improved, but joint strength deteriorates and foreign substances can easily infiltrate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a groove structure that creates a third dimension (depth) at the adhesive application area. The groove allows the adhesive to be positioned at the edge portion for maximum bonding strength while containing the adhesive within the groove to prevent leakage onto the exterior surface, thus resolving the contradiction between edge-proximity bonding and leakage prevention.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If a circular shaped door cover is used, then aesthetic quality is improved, but it causes difficulties in taking a correct installation position for the door frame
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces asymmetric positioning features (protrusions and corresponding recesses or markers) on the otherwise circular door cover and door frame. These asymmetric elements break the rotational symmetry, providing unique orientation references that guide correct installation positioning while maintaining the overall circular aesthetic appearance.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If the control unit is placed on the door with a touch screen, then integrated aesthetic sense is improved, but moisture infiltration into electronic elements becomes more likely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a waterproof seal (flexible barrier) that creates a moisture-proof enclosure around the electronic elements on the door. This seal acts as a protective film or shell that prevents moisture infiltration while allowing the control unit and touch screen to be integrated into the door structure for aesthetic purposes.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
The present disclosure discloses a laundry treating apparatus including a body provided with a laundry inlet; and a door configured to open and close the laundry inlet, wherein the door includes a door frame having a first opening portion facing the laundry inlet and a second opening portion corresponding to a display module mounted at an inside in a state that the door is closed; and a door cover coupled to the door frame to form an appearance of the door, the door cover includes a non-light-transmitting region, and a first light transmitting region corresponding to the first opening portion and a second light transmitting region corresponding to the second opening portion within the non-light-transmitting region, and a mounting guide for an alignment between the first opening portion and the first light transmitting region and an alignment between the second opening portion and the second light transmitting region is provided on at least one of the door frame and door cover during mutual coupling.