Washer Door Bonding Structure for Sealant Control and Touchscreen Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laundry treating apparatuses face challenges in achieving an integrated aesthetic sense, easy installation of circular door covers, preventing sealant leakage, and ensuring moisture protection for electronic components, particularly when a touch screen is integrated into the door.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a door structure with a non-light-transmitting region and light-transmitting regions, a sealant filling groove, and a touch sensor, where the door cover is coupled to the door frame using a mounting guide and sealant filling groove to ensure proper alignment and sealing, and a display module is positioned within the door frame to prevent 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 joint 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.
2Shape
If the adhesive is coated at an inner side of the door frame far away from the edge portion to prevent leakage, then the appearance quality is improved, but the joint strength deteriorates and foreign substances can easily infiltrate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the door frame structure by adding a protrusion that creates a distinct adhesive application zone. This protrusion divides the bonding interface into regions, allowing the adhesive to be applied at the edge (for maximum joint strength and sealing) while the protrusion itself prevents adhesive from leaking to the visible exterior surface.
3Shape
If a circular shaped door cover is used, then the aesthetic sense 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) on the otherwise circular door cover and door frame. These asymmetric elements break the rotational symmetry, providing unique alignment references that guide the installer to the correct position while preserving the overall circular aesthetic appearance.
4Ease of operation
If a touch screen is provided on the door, then the user interface is improved, but moisture infiltration into electronic elements becomes more likely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs the door cover itself as a protective shell that seals the electronic elements (touch screen and other components) mounted on the door frame. The adhesive bonding creates a moisture barrier between the door cover and door frame, and the door cover structure acts as a flexible protective enclosure that prevents moisture infiltration to the electronics while allowing the touch screen to function.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
The present disclosure discloses a laundry treating apparatus (1), comprising a body (20) provided with a laundry inlet (20a); and a door (10) configured to open and close the laundry inlet (20a), wherein the door comprises a door frame (110) having a first opening portion facing the laundry inlet (20a); and a door cover (140) coupled to the door frame (110) to form an appearance of the door, the door cover (140) comprises a non-light-transmitting region (143) and a first light transmitting region (141) corresponding to the first opening portion within the non-light-transmitting region and a sealant filling groove (111d) configured to fill sealant (171) for adhesion to the door cover is formed at a portion overlapping with the non-light-transmitting region (143) on the door frame (111).