Home appliance with display panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12230227-B2
Application number	US-202318370128-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2023
Priority date	Nov 22, 2022
Publication date	Feb 18, 2025
Grant date	Feb 18, 2025

Abstract

A home appliance including a main body; and a door to open and close the main body; and an electrophoretic display (EPD) panel on the door and including a plate to cover a portion of the door and to allow light to pass through, a first electrode configured to allow light pass through and a second electrode between the plate and the door, and an electrophoretic layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, and including a color cell in which first charged particles having a first color, and second charged particles having a second color are accommodated, the first charged particles and the second charged particles being flowable within the color cell, the second charged particles have a different charge than the first charged particles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A home appliance, comprising:
a main body; and
a door configured to open and close the main body, the door including:
a door body, and
an electrophoretic display (EPD) panel disposed on a front side of the door body, the EPD panel including:
a plate configured to cover at least a portion of the front side of the door body and to allow light to pass through,
a first electrode between the plate and the door body and configured to allow light to pass through,
a second electrode between the first electrode and the door body so as to face the first electrode,
an electrophoretic layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, and including a color cell in which first charged particles having a first color and second charged particles having a second color different from the first color are accommodated, the first charged particles and the second charged particles being flowable within the color cell, the second charged particles having a different charge than the first charged particles, and
a protective plate attached to a rear surface of the second electrode and including a material different from a material of the plate, and

a coupling portion coupling the protective plate to the front side of the door body, the coupling portion extending between the protective plate and the front side of the door body so as to contact a portion of the protective plate that is less than an entirety of the protective plate,
wherein the material included in the protective plate has a higher rigidity than the second electrode and the electrophoretic layer so as to distribute a load transmitted from the coupling portion to the electrophoretic layer, and
wherein the plate, the first electrode, the electrophoretic layer, the second electrode, and the protective plate are stacked in a stacking direction, and the coupling portion is coupled to a rear surface of the protective plate in the stacking direction.

2. The home appliance of claim 1 , wherein
the coupling portion is tapered in a direction of the protective plate.

3. The home appliance of claim 2 , wherein
the door body includes a base facing the protective plate, and
the coupling portion protrudes from the base.

4. The home appliance of claim 1 , wherein
the protective plate includes a metal material having high rigidity.

5. The home appliance of claim 1 , wherein
the EPD panel includes a sealing member disposed along an edge of the EPD panel and configured to cover at least a portion of the edge of the EPD panel.

6. The home appliance of claim 5 , wherein
the sealing member is configured to cover outer edges of each of the first electrode, the second electrode, and the electrophoretic layer.

7. The home appliance of claim 5 , wherein
the plate includes a stepped portion extending outwardly from an edge of each of the first electrode, the second electrode, and the electrophoretic layer, and
the sealing member is disposed behind the stepped portion.

8. The home appliance of claim 7 , wherein
the sealing member is configured to entirely cover a rear side of the stepped portion.

9. The home appliance of claim 7 , wherein
the stepped portion extends further in an outward direction than an outer edge of the protective plate, and
the sealing member is configured to cover the outer edge of the protective plate.

10. The home appliance of claim 1 , further comprising
a power supply configured to apply a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode; and
a processor configured to control an operation of the power supply,
wherein the processor is configured to:
control the power supply to apply a first voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode so that the first charged particles flow toward the first electrode based on receiving an electrical signal corresponding to a first color mode, and
control the power supply to apply a second voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode so that the second charged particles flow toward the first electrode based on receiving an electrical signal corresponding to a second color mode different from the first color mode.

11. The home appliance of claim 10 , wherein
the processor is configured to:
control the power supply to apply the voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode for a predetermined time based on the electrical signal corresponding to the first color mode or the second color mode being received, and
control the power supply to stop applying the voltage after the predetermined time has elapsed.

12. The home appliance of claim 11 , wherein
the processor is configured to, after a reference time has elapsed after controlling the power supply to stop applying the voltage, control the power supply to apply the voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode for the predetermined time.

13. The home appliance of claim 1 , wherein
the color cell includes a plurality of color cells,
the electrophoretic layer includes a light transmitting portion applied to the first electrode and configured so that light is passable through the light transmitting portion, and
the plurality of color cells is disposed within the light transmitting portion.

14. The home appliance of claim 13 , wherein
the light transmitting portion includes a plastic material cured by heat.

15. The home appliance of claim 1 , wherein
the second electrode includes a light-blocking material.

16. A home appliance, comprising:
a body;
an electrophoretic display (EPD) panel disposed on a surface of the body, the EDP panel including:
a plate configured to cover at least a portion of the surface of the body,
a first electrode between the plate and the body,
a second electrode between the first electrode and the body so as to face the first electrode,
an electrophoretic layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, and including a color cell including:
first charged particles inside the color cell and having a first color, and
second charged particles inside the color cell and having a second color different from the first color, and

a protective plate attached to a rear surface of the second electrode and including a material different from a material of the plate, and

a coupling portion coupling the protective plate to the surface of the body, the coupling portion extending between the protective plate and the surface of the body so as to contact a portion of the protective plate that is less than an entirety of the protective plate,
wherein the material included in the protective plate has a higher rigidity than the second electrode and the electrophoretic layer so as to distribute a load transmitted from the coupling portion to the electrophoretic layer,
wherein the plate, the first electrode, the electrophoretic layer, the second electrode, and the protective plate are stacked in a stacking direction, and the coupling portion is coupled to a rear surface of the protective plate in the stacking direction, and
the EPD panel is configured so that:
light is passable through the plate and the first electrode,
the first charged particles and the second charged particles are flowable within the color cell,
the second charged particles have a different charge than the first charged particles, and
a color presented by the EPD panel is changeable based on a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Minkyung
• Koh Youngdeog
• Kim Kwangjoo
• Kim Choongkeon
• Lee Kyunghwan

Classifications

• G09G2330/021

  Power management, e.g. power saving · CPC title

• G09G2320/0666

  for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature · CPC title

• G09G2330/028

  Generation of voltages supplied to electrode drivers in a matrix display other than LCD · CPC title

• G09G2300/0426

  Layout of electrodes and connections · CPC title

• G02F1/1676

  Electrodes · CPC title