Touch sensor assembly and door including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016186985-A1
Application number	US-201514977623-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 21, 2015
Priority date	Dec 24, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A household appliance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a front panel forming an exterior, a display window formed with a plurality of through holes having minute or fine sizes formed at the front panel, and the plurality of through holes are filled with a coating liquid including an anti-foaming agent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A household appliance comprising:
a front panel forming an exterior of the household appliance and formed of a metal material; a display window area which includes a plurality of through holes to display information; a display assembly provided at a rear of the front panel corresponding to the display window area and includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) which emit light toward the plurality of through holes; and a coating layer to fill the plurality of through holes, the coating layer having an anti-foaming agent and provided on a rear surface the front panel corresponding to the display window area.

2 . The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the display window area includes eighty eight segments form formed by a group of the plurality of through holes.

3 . The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the display window area includes at least one of a text, a drawing, or a symbol formed by a group of the plurality of through holes.

4 . The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein a part of a coating liquid forming the coating layer fills the plurality of through holes to fill the plurality of through holes.

5 . The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the anti-foaming agent is included in an entire coating liquid forming the hole filling coating layer at 0.5 to 1.5 wt %.

6 . The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the hole filling coating layer is in a range of 35 to 55 μm.

7 . The household appliance of claim 1 , further comprising an anti-fingerprint coating layer provided onto a front surface of the front panel.

8 . The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the coating layer has a prescribed transparency such that a brightness of light transmitted through the plurality of through holes is at least 40 nit.

9 . The household appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a first black layer printed on a surface of the coating layer except the plurality of through holes.

10 . The household appliance of claim 9 , further comprising a display cover pressed against the printing layer.

11 . The household appliance of claim 10 , wherein the display cover includes:
a through hole formed at a position corresponding to the plurality of through holes, through which light emitted toward the plurality of through holes passes; and a second black layer which is printed on a front surface of the display cover.

12 . The household appliance of claim 10 , further comprising:
a touch sensor assembly mounted on the display cover; and a display frame which slides and is inserted into a rear surface of the display cover in a state in which the display assembly is mounted.

13 . The household appliance of claim 1 , a diameter of a front end of each of the plurality of first through holes is less than a diameter of a rear end thereof.

14 . A household appliance comprising:
a metallic front panel forming an exterior of the household appliance; a display window area having a plurality of through holes formed on the front panel to display information through the plurality of through holes; a display assembly provided at a rear of the front panel corresponding to the display window area and includes a plurality of LEDs which emit light toward the plurality of through holes; and a coating layer which is screen printed on a rear surface of the front panel corresponding to the display window area and includes an anti-foaming agent, an acryl polyol, and a curing agent.

15 . The household appliance of claim 14 , wherein:
the anti-foaming agent is included in a coating liquid forming the coating layer at 0.5 to 1.5 wt %; the acryl polyol is included in the coating liquid at 33 wt %; and the curing agent is included in the coating liquid at 1 wt %.

16 . The household appliance of claim 15 , wherein coating layer further includes a silicon acryl polyol included in the coating liquid at 33 wt %.

17 . The household appliance of claim 16 , wherein coating layer further includes a leveling agent and an attachment enhancement agent.

18 . The household appliance of claim 14 , wherein the display window area includes a window having eighty eight segments form formed by a group of the plurality of through holes.

19 . The household appliance of claim 14 , wherein the display window area includes an area to display one of a text, a drawing, or a symbol formed by a group of the plurality of through holes.

20 . The household appliance of claim 14 , wherein a thickness of the coating layer is in a range of 35 to 55 μm.

21 . The household appliance of claim 14 , further comprising an anti-fingerprint coating layer attached onto a front surface of the front panel.

22 . The household appliance of claim 14 , wherein the coating layer has prescribed transparency such that light transmitted through the plurality of through holes has a brightness of at least equal to 40 nit.

23 . The household appliance of claim 14 , further comprising a first black coating layer provided over the coating layer except the plurality of through holes.

24 . The household appliance of claim 23 , further comprising a display cover in contact against the first black coating layer.

25 . The household appliance of claim 24 , wherein the display cover includes:
a through hole formed at a position corresponding to the plurality of through holes, through which light emitted toward the plurality of through holes passes; and a second black coating layer which is printed on a front surface of the display cover, wherein the display assembly is positioned at a through hole of the display cover.

26 . A method of manufacturing a household appliance, comprising:
forming on an exterior panel of a household appliance a plurality of through holes to form a display window area; screen printing an urethane coating liquid which includes an anti-foaming agent on a rear surface of the exterior panel to form a coating layer filling the plurality of through holes; contouring the exterior panel to a prescribed shape base on a shape of the household appliance; and mounting a display cover on the rear surface of the contoured exterior panel at a location corresponding to the display window area.

27 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising forming a first black colored layer on a surface of the coating layer except the plurality of through holes.

28 . The method of claim 27 , further comprising forming a second black colored layer on a front surface of the display cover, wherein when the display cover is mounted on a rear surface of the front panel, the second black colored layer is in contact with the first black colored layer.

29 . The method of claim 28 , further comprising:
mounting a display assembly on a display frame; and coupling the display frame to a rear surface of the display cover.

30 . The method of claim 26 , wherein the display window area includes at least one of a text, a drawing, or a symbol formed by a group of the plurality of through holes.

31 . The method of claim 26 , wherein the anti-foaming agent is included in the urethane coating liquid at 0.5 to 1.5 wt %.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Minchel
• Park Jinseung

Classifications

• H05B33/02

  Details · CPC title

• F25D29/005

  Mounting of control devices · CPC title

• F25D2400/361

  Interactive visual displays · CPC title

• F25D23/00

  General constructional features (F25D21/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25D23/028

  Details · CPC title