Washing Machine Rotary Interface to Reduce Control Panel Complexity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry machines have complex and spread-out user interfaces, making it difficult to add new functions, requiring excessive memory and increasing costs, and are not intuitive, leading to user inconvenience and difficulty in adapting to new interfaces.
Innovation Solution
A laundry machine with a simplified user interface where washing courses and options are displayed on a circular screen, with dots representing courses that light up sequentially, and options displayed differently, allowing for easy selection through a manipulation unit and command inputs, reducing the number of input units and text on the control panel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the control panel is provided with multiple input units and display units for various functions, then the user interface provides comprehensive functionality, but the control panel becomes complicated and requires excessive memory, increasing manufacturing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary knob is designed to perform multiple functions: selecting washing courses, adjusting options, and navigating through different menus. Instead of having separate buttons for each function, the single rotary knob handles all selection tasks by rotating to different positions and pressing to confirm, thereby reducing the number of input units while maintaining comprehensive functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The control panel merges multiple input units and display units into a more integrated layout. The course display unit is positioned around the rotary knob, and the option display unit is integrated with the state display unit, creating a more compact and less complex control panel structure that reduces the overall number of components
2Adaptability or versatility
If the control panel is provided with a comprehensive user interface for selecting courses and options, then the functionality is complete, but the user interface is spread out and requires excessive concentration, reducing ease of operation
Solution Approach 1:
The display units are repositioned and merged into a more concentrated layout around the rotary knob. The course display unit is arranged circularly around the knob, and the option display unit is integrated with the state display unit, allowing users to access all functions from a centralized location rather than spreading across the control panel
Solution Approach 2:
The user interface is segmented into functional zones around the rotary knob: the course display unit is positioned at specific angular positions for course selection, while the option display unit is positioned for option adjustment. This segmentation allows users to focus on specific areas for specific tasks, improving ease of operation while maintaining completeness
3Adaptability or versatility
If new washing courses are added to the laundry machine, then the adaptability increases, but the control panel requires more memory and becomes more complex to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary knob and display units are designed with universal functionality that can accommodate any number of washing courses. The course display unit can dynamically display different course options without requiring physical changes to the control panel structure, allowing new courses to be added through software updates rather than hardware modifications
Solution Approach 2:
The control panel uses dynamic display units that can change their content based on the selected course and options. The course display unit can show different courses at different angular positions, and the option display unit can dynamically adjust to show relevant options for each course, allowing the interface to adapt to new courses without increasing physical complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a washer and, particularly, to a washer providing a plurality of washer settings and formed so as to enable the changing of at least one option involved in a specific washer setting when the specific washer setting is selected from the plurality of washer settings, the washer comprising: an operation part formed to be rotatable so as to select the specific washer setting and the at least one option involved in the specific washer setting; a display part formed to selectively display, on the radial inner side of the operation part, input items including at least one of a plurality of washer setting icons, option icons, which are respectively involved in the plurality of washer setting icons, for the at least one option, and a start icon; at least one command input part provided at the radial outer side of the display part and the radial inner side of the operation part, and formed to input the washer setting selected by the operation part, change the at least one option, and input a signal for executing and stopping the selected washer setting; and a control part for controlling the display part such that preset information is displayed on the display part on the basis of the signals from the operation part and the command input part.