Laundry treating apparatus and method of fabricating a laundry treating apparatus door

• US 9,970,143 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2016
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cheon, Kangwoon, Yong, Seungji, Kwon, Yongwoo, Choi, Jaehoon, Son, Junyoung, Kim, Hongchul
• Primary Examiner(s): Okebato, Sahlu
• Application Number:
  US15/338,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20170121880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/20 Operation modes, e.g. delicate laundry washing programs, service modes or refreshment cycles
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/32 Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/20 Parameters relating to constructional components, e.g. door sensors
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/32 characterised by graphical features, e.g. touchscreens
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/266 Gaskets mounted between tub and casing around the loading opening
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/02 Devices for adding soap or other washing agents
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/14 Doors or covers; Securing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/10 using selector switches
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23023 Control knobs, levers integrated into display, display parameters near knobs
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23058 Knob, pedal selects ranges, functions and controls in each range as function of position
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23099 Switches on panel, connected to serial port
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2633 Washing, laundry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus includes a main body having a laundry introduction opening, and a door capable of opening or closing the laundry introduction opening, wherein the door includes a door cover defining an appearance of the door, and provided with a transparent region and an opaque region surrounding the transparent region, a display module disposed on a rear surface of the door cover and capable of outputting visual information through the transparent region, and a touch sensor attached to a rear surface of the door cover and capable of sensing a touch input applied to the transparent region, wherein the touch sensor is provided with an align mark, and the opaque region is provided with a guide mark guiding an attachment position of the touch sensor using the align mark.

Claims

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:

a main body having a laundry introduction opening; and

a door capable of opening or closing the laundry introduction opening, wherein the door comprises;

a door cover defining an appearance of the door, and having a transparent region, and an opaque region surrounding the transparent region;

a display module provided on a rear surface of the door cover, and capable of outputting visual information through the transparent region; and

a touch sensor attached to a rear surface of the door cover to cover the transparent region, and capable of sensing a touch input applied to the transparent region, wherein the touch sensor is provided with an align mark, and the opaque region around the transparent region is provided with a guide mark capable of guiding an attachment position of the touch sensor using the align mark,

wherein the guide mark comprises;

a transparent portion formed within the opaque region; and

an opaque portion formed within the transparent portion in a manner of being distinguished from the opaque region,

wherein the align mark is arranged within the opaque portion in an overlapping manner in a state where a front surface of the touch sensor has been attached to the rear surface of the door cover,

wherein an opaque shielding member is attached to a rear surface of the touch sensor to cover the transparent portion,

wherein the opaque portion and the shielding member exposed to outside through the front surface of the door cover have the same color tone as the opaque region, and

wherein the align mark has a different color tone from the opaque portion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guide mark is provided on at least three points around the transparent region, in a spaced manner.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the align mark is formed at a corner portion of the touch sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor includes:

a base portion made of a transparent material;

a touch pattern portion patterned into a preset pattern on the base portion to sense a touch input applied to the door cover; and

a mark portion formed on the base portion to form the align mark.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the mark portion is made of the same material as the touch pattern portion, but is electrically separated from the touch pattern portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the touch sensor further includes a signal transfer portion electrically connected to the touch pattern portion to form a signal transfer path, and wherein the mark portion is made of the same material as the signal transfer portion.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the door cover includes:

a cover body made of a transparent material; and

a shielding layer that covers a rear surface of the cover body and forms the opaque region.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the shielding layer is not provided on the transparent region.

9. A laundry treating apparatus, comprising:

a main body having a laundry introduction opening; and

a door capable of opening or closing the laundry introduction opening,

wherein the door comprises;

a door cover defining an appearance of the door, and having a transparent region and an opaque region surrounding the transparent region;

a display module provided on a rear surface of the door cover, and capable of outputting visual information through the transparent region; and

a touch sensor attached to a rear surface of the door cover to cover the transparent region, and capable of sensing a touch input applied to the transparent region,

wherein the touch sensor is provided with an align mark, and the opaque region around the transparent region is provided with a guide mark capable of guiding an attachment position of the touch sensor using the align mark,

wherein the guide mark comprises a transparent portion formed within the opaque region,

wherein the align mark is arranged within the transparent portion in an overlapping manner in a state where a front surface of the touch sensor has been attached to the rear surface of the door cover,

wherein an opaque shielding member is attached to a rear surface of the touch sensor to cover the transparent portion, and

wherein the align mark and the shielding member exposed to outside through the front surface of the door cover have the same color tone as the opaque region.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the guide mark is provided on at least three points around the transparent region, in a spaced manner.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the align mark is formed at a corner portion of the touch sensor.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the touch sensor includes:

a base portion made of a transparent material;

a touch pattern portion patterned into a preset pattern on the base portion to sense a touch input applied to the door cover, and

a mark portion formed on the base portion to form the align mark.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the mark portion is made of the same material as the touch pattern portion, but is electrically separated from the touch pattern portion.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the touch sensor further includes a signal transfer portion electrically connected to the touch pattern portion to form a signal transfer path, and

wherein the mark portion is made of the same material as the signal transfer portion.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the door cover includes:

a cover body made of a transparent material; and

a shielding layer that covers a rear surface of the cover body and forms the opaque region.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the shielding layer is not provided on the transparent region.