WO2017036866A1

WO2017036866A1 - Household appliance component comprising at least one display means for providing information

Info

Publication number: WO2017036866A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/069919
Authority: WO
Inventors: Maria Carmen Artal Lahoz; Elena Martinez Solanas
Original assignee: BSH Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date: 2015-09-01
Filing date: 2016-08-24
Publication date: 2017-03-09
Also published as: ES2604004A1; ES2604004B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a household appliance component (1) comprising at least one display means (2) for providing information. The display means (2) comprises at least a first surface area (3) with hydrophilic properties and a second surface area (4) with hydrophobic properties, wherein the first and second surface areas (3), (4) define said information. The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a household appliance component (1) with at least one display means (2) for providing information and to a household appliance comprising at least one household appliance component (1).

Description

HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE COMPONENT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE DISPLAY MEANS FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION

The invention relates to a household appliance component comprising at least one display means for providing information. The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a household appliance component with at least one display means for providing information and a household appliance.

Home appliances and their components are usually provided with different display means for providing information to a user. However, the majority of the currently known display means cannot be used under very humid conditions, for example within dishwashers, dryers, washing machines, microwave ovens, and steam ovens.

Therefore, display means have been developed that use fluids in order to provide the desired information to a user. The document FR 2799871 A1 for example discloses a display means comprising a perforated plate, wherein the perforations are arranged in the form of letters. The display means is configured to pump water through said perforations in order to display the information which is defined by the letters. A disadvantage of this display means consists in that a complex and expensive pumping and piping system is necessary in order to display the desired information. Further, the display means cannot be used under high ambient temperatures, for example in ovens.

It is the task of the present invention to provide a household appliance component with an easier and cheaper display means that is capable of using fluids to display information. Another task of the invention consists in providing a method for manufacturing a household appliance component with an easier and cheaper display means that is capable of using fluids to display information. Further it is an object of the current invention to provide a household appliance comprising at least one household appliance component with an easier and cheaper display means that is capable of using fluids to display information.

These tasks are solved, oin accordance with the invention, by a household appliance component, a method for manufacturing a household appliance component with at least one display means for providing information, and a household appliance, according to the respective independent claim. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in respective dependent claims, wherein advantageous developments of the household appliance component are to be regarded as advantageous developments of the method and the household appliance and vice versa.

A first aspect of the invention relates to a household appliance component comprising at least one display means for providing information. According to the invention, the display means of the household appliance component comprises at least a first surface area with hydrophilic properties and a second surface area with hydrophobic properties, wherein the first and second surface areas define said information.

The at least one display means in other words comprises two or more surface areas with different physical properties concerning the attraction or the repelling of polar fluids like water and steam. Thus, information can be displayed via different fluid volumes which gather differently on the first and on the second surface area without disturbing the regular functioning of the corresponding household appliance.

Further, no complex pumping and piping systems are needed so that the display means according to the invention can be manufactured easily and at low costs. Also, no additional energy or wiring is needed for operating the display means so that the display means can be positioned freely on the household appliance component.

The display means can generally be configured such that the hydrophilic surface area has the form of the information to be provided while the hydrophobic surface area frames the hydrophilic surface area. This way, polar fluids gather on the hydrophilic surface area and form a positive image of the information. Vice versa it is possible that the hydrophobic surface area has the form of the information to be provided while the hydrophilic surface area frames the hydrophobic surface area. This way, polar fluids gather around the hydrophobic surface area, thereby forming a negative image of the information. Of course, also hybrid forms of this principle can be implemented.

Thus, different embodiments of the display means are possible depending on whether water or steam should gather in the form of the information, or should delimit the informa- tion. The information to be displayed may generally comprise any graphical object that can be perceived by a user.

The term "hydrophilic" in the context of the present invention generally encompasses hydrophilic and superhydrophilic properties, while the term "hydrophobic" encompasses hydrophobic and superhydrophobic properties. According to the present invention, the term "superhydrophobic" relates to surfaces having water contact angles of at least 120° and preferably of 140° or more. The term "superhydrophilic" within the scope of the present invention is generally understood to relate to surfaces having water contact angles of less than 25° and preferably of 2° or less. Hydrophilic surfaces have water contact angles of 90° or less, while hydrophobic surfaces have water contact angles above 90°.

It may further be provided that the first and/or second surface areas have constant or varying hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties. The display means can only be located in a certain area of the household appliance component. Alternatively, the entire surface of the household appliance component may be provided with the display means.

Still further, the household appliance component may comprise different display means on different surface areas.

In an advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the first surface area and the second surface area define a figure as for example a symbol, a logo, numbers, letters. A logo in the context of the present invention is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used by enterprises, organizations, or individuals to aid and promote public recognition. Logos can be purely graphic (symbols/icons) and/or can be composed of the name of the organization (wordmark). This allows for a very easy way to present for example the hou- shold appliance brand.

In another advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the display means is configured to provide information depending on one or more parameters selected from environmental humidity, air circulation rate, and temperature. This way, the household appliance component can be optimally adjusted to its respective operation purpose and its assigned kind of household appliance. In a further advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the display means comprises a base element having at least one coating for creating the first surface area and/or the second surface area. This allows for a particularly fast and easy manufacturing of the display means. Depending on the original surface properties of the house- hold appliance component or rather its base element, it may be sufficient to apply only one coating in order to create the display means. If the base element for example has a hydrophilic surface, it may be sufficient to apply only one hydrophobic coating in order to create the second surface area, while the remaining uncoated surface of the base element forms the first surface area. Vice versa it may be sufficient to apply only one hydro- philic coating to certain surface areas if the base element already has hydrophobic surface properties. However, it is also possible to apply two or more coatings in order to create the first and second surface areas. Further, each coating generally may be comprised of one or more layers. The wettability or non-wettability of the coated surface is generally not affected by the material of the underlying substrate or base element.

In yet another advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the at least one coating is selected from hydrophilic, superhydrophilic, hydrophobic, and superhydro- phobic coatings. This allows for a very precise definition of the first and second surface areas and the difference between their respective hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties (water angles). Thus the desired information may be optimally presented.

In yet a further advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the at least one coating comprises one or more of Si0₂, fluoropolymers, titanium dioxide, silanes, organically modified silicates (Ormosils), polysaccharides, alcohols, polyurethanes, and derivatives of said compounds. Some commercially available examples of suitable coating materials are F8815 from Evonik, ECC7000 from 3M, NPGC from Nanopool, NPM from Nanopool, NPP from Nanopool, VP AF and Stainless Steel Defender from Diamond Fusion International, Aluminium Defender from Diamond Fusion International, Plastic Defender from Diamond Fusion International, V-clear Pro EC 10151 from Diamond Fusion International, PM-4801 from 3M, SP1000 from 3M, Lotus Shield, Ultra Ever Dry, NKG1 1 HS from Nanokote, NK GC 05 from Nanokote, Nanonext Nano Chrome & Stainless Steel Sealant made by Nanonext, PCSM from Nano Surfaces Solutions, NP AS 10 from ItN, VP AF 40120 from Nano-x, G-SYS HP 100 and EX SYS from Nanosurface Solutions, Nan- oflex TTM 500, and VP 20 from Nanocare. However, this list is not exhaustive so that other suitable coating materials may be used as well.

In still another advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the household appliance component is configured for a water and/or steam working household appliance, in particular a dishwasher, a dryer, a washing machine, a microwave oven, and/or a steam oven. The household appliance component can for example be configured as a door for a dishwasher, dryer, washing machine, microwave oven, or steam oven so that the information is automatically displayed during the operation of the respective water and/or steam working household appliance by selective gathering of water and/or steam on the first surface area of the display means.

A second aspect of the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a household appliance component with at least one display means for providing information. According to the invention, the household appliance component is provided with at least a first sur- face area with hydrophilic properties and with a second surface area with hydrophobic properties, wherein the first and second surface areas define said information.

The at least one display means in other words is manufactured by creating two or more surface areas with different physical properties concerning the attraction or the repelling of polar fluids like water and steam. Thus, information can be displayed via different fluid volumes which gather differently on the first and on the second surface area without disturbing the regular functioning of the corresponding household appliance. Further, no complex pumping and piping systems are needed so that the display means according to the invention can be manufactured easily and at low costs. Also, no additional energy or wiring is needed for operating the display means so that the display means can be positioned freely on the household appliance component.

Thus, different embodiments of the display means are possible depending on whether water or steam should gather in the form of the information or should delimit the informa- tion. The information to be displayed may generally comprise any graphical object that can be perceived by a user. It may further be provided that the first and/or second surface areas have constant or varying hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties. The display means can only be located in a certain area of the household appliance component. Alternatively, the entire surface of the household appliance component may be provided with the dis- play means. Still further, the household appliance component may comprise different display means on different surface areas. Further features and their advantages can be gathered from the description of the first aspect of the invention.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention it is provided that a base element of the household appliance component is at least in portions coated to create the first surface area and/or the second surface area. This allows for a precise tuning of the mechanical and chemical properties.

In another advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the base element is spray-coated and/or dip-coated and/or inkjet coated. Coatings generated by spray- coating exhibit excellent mechanical and chemical properties and are easy to apply to all commonly used base materials and shapes. Spray-coating further allows for low production costs. Dip-coating allows for fast and easy coating of household appliance components with complex 3D geometry. Inkjet coating allows for a fast and easy recreation of complex digital images by propelling droplets of ink onto the surface of the household appliance component. Different inks may be used simultaneously in order to create hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas at the same time, thereby reducing the production time. In a further advantageous development of the invention the method comprises at least the steps masking the information, coating the base element at least in the area of the masked information and removing the masking to create the first and second surface areas. In other words it is provided that the household appliance component is firstly masked to prevent coating of the respective area(s). In a second step, one or more coat- ing layers are applied over the masked and adjacent areas. The coating provides complementary hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties than the masked surface. Thus, by removing of the masking, the at least two different surface areas are generated. In yet another advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the coating is cured before removing the masking. By this, damaging of the coating can be avoided.

In yet a further advantageous development of the invention the method comprises at least the steps of applying a coating onto the base element at least in the area of the informa- tion to be provided and removing one or more parts of the coating to create the first and second surface areas. In other words, the selected coating is applied firstly onto the combined areas of the first and second surface areas and afterwards removed in the first or in the second surface area.

A third aspect of the invention relates to a household appliance comprising at least one household appliance component according to the first aspect of the invention and/or at least one household appliance component, which is manufactured by a method according to the second aspect of the invention. The resulting features and their advantages can be gathered from the description of the first and the second aspect of the invention.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention it is envisaged that the household appliance is configured as a dishwasher, a dryer, a washing machine, a microwave oven, and/or a steam oven. In that the household appliance is configured as a water and/or steam working household appliance, the at least one display means can be used in a peculiarly simple way to display the information by specific gathering of water and/or steam, which is availably anyway, on the first hydrophilic surface area(s).

Further features of the invention derive from the claims as well as based on the following embodiments. The features and feature combinations mentioned above in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned below in the embodiments are usable not only in the respectively specified combination, but also in other combinations without departing from the scope of the invention. There are thus also variations of the invention possible that are not explicitly shown and described in the embodiments but can be formulated through different combinations of separated features from the described embodiments. Also variations and combinations of features are possible that do not contain all the features of an originally formulated independent claim.

In the following, embodiments of the invention are shown in more detail by reference to schematic figures in the attached drawing. This shows in:

Fig. 1 a perspective view of a household appliance component with a display means for providing information;

Fig. 2 a frontal view of a household appliance with a display means for providing information;

Fig. 3 an enlarged view of a door of the household appliance of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 an enlarged view of the door during the operation of the household appliance shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 a perspective view of the household appliance component with a display means for providing information according to a further embodiment;

Fig. 6 an enlarged view of the household appliance component of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 a frontal view of the household appliance according to a further embodiment;

Fig. 8 a frontal view of the household appliance of Fig. 7 at the beginning of its operation;

Fig. 9 a frontal view of the household appliance of Fig. 7 during its operation;

Fig. 10 a frontal view of the household appliance of Fig. 7 at the end of its operation;

and

Fig. 1 1 an enlarged view of the household appliance component shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a household appliance component 1 with a display means 2 for providing information. The display means 2 comprises first surface areas 3 with hydrophilic properties. The first surface areas 3 are surrounded by a second surface area 4 with hydrophobic properties. Together, the first and second surface areas 3, 4, define said information, wherein the information shown in Fig. 1 is the logo "SIEMENS". Because of the different hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, water gathers on the first surface areas 3 and forms the logo or lettering. The display means 2 can thus be seen as a kind of "water brand logo" applied onto the household appliance component 1 , which is originally made from stainless steel (initially hydrophilic). The display means 2 was manufactured by masking the "SIEMENS" letters and applying a superhydrophobic coating over the hydrophilic surface 3 of the household appliance component 1. After removal of the mask, the original hydrophilic surface area 3 is exposed again and attracts water significantly stronger than the remaining hydrophobic surface area 4. This principle can be applied to all kinds of water or steam working household appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines and steam ovens. Table 1 shows different combinations of first and second surface areas 3, 4 for defining a logo depending on the initial surface properties of the household appliance component 1.

Table 1 : Different surface area configurations for providing a logo

Initital wettability of Logo Surface outside of Result

the surface Logo area

Hydrophilic or super- Uncoated Hydrophobic or Water or steam stickhydrophilic superhydrophobic ing in the logo, rest of the surface free of water or steam

Hydrophilic or super- Hydrophilic or super- Hydrophobic or Water or steam stickhydrophilic hydrophilic superhydrophobic ing in the logo, rest of the surface free of water or steam

Hydrophilic or super- Hydrophobic or Uncoated Logo free of water or hydrophilic superhydrophobic steam, rest of the surface with a film of water or steam Hydrophilic or super- Hydrophobic or Hydrophilic or super- Logo free of water or hydrophilic superhydrophobic hydrophilic steam, rest of the surface with a film of water or steam

Hydrophobic or Uncoated Hydrophilic or super- Logo free of water or superhydrophobic hydrophilic steam, rest of the surface with a film of water or steam

Hydrophobic or Hydrophobic or Hydrophilic or super- Logo free of water or superhydrophobic superhydrophobic hydrophilic steam, rest of the surface with a film of water or steam

Hydrophobic or Hydrophilic or super- Uncoated Water or steam sticksuperhydrophobic hydrophilic ing in the logo, rest of the surface free of water or steam

Hydrophobic or Hydrophilic or super- Hydrophobic or Water or steam sticksuperhydrophobic hydrophilic superhydrophobic ing in the logo, rest of the surface free of water or steam

Fig. 2 shows a frontal view of a household appliance 5 with a display means 2 for providing information. Fig. 2 will be discussed in synopsis with Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, wherein Fig. 3 shows an enlarged view of a household appliance component 1 , which is configured as a door of the household appliance 5, while Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of the door 1 during the operation of the household appliance 5. The household appliance 5, which is configured as a washing machine, is provided with the door 1 comprising a display means 2 in form of a "BOSCH" logo on its inner surface. The display means 2 is manufactured by applying a hydrophobic coating only over the BOSCH logo while masking the rest of the surface of the door 1 . As can be seen in Fig. 4, water drops gather during the operation of the washing machine 5 on the hydrophilic surface area 3 while the hydrophobic surface area 4 in the form of the logo is at least almost entirely free of water, thereby presenting the "negative" logo. Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the household appliance component 1 with a display means 2 for providing a "BOSCH" logo, while Fig. 6 shows an enlarged view of the household appliance component 1 of Fig. 5. The household appliance component 1 is configured as a door for a dishwasher 5. The display means 2 is manufactured on the inner wall of the door 1 by masking the "BOSCH" logo and applying a hydrophobic coating over the entire inner surface of the door 1. After removal of the masking, water sticks onto the hydrophilic surface area 3 and disperses on the hydrophobic surface area 4.

Fig. 7 shows a frontal view of the household appliance 5 according to a further embodi- ment. The household appliance 5 is configured as a steam oven and comprises a household appliance component 1 , which is configured as a door of the steam oven 5 and comprises a display means 2 to display a "BOSCH" logo on a window of the door 1.

The display means 2 comprises a first hydrophilic surface area 3, which is constituted by the uncoated glass surface of the door window. Further, the display means 2 comprises a second superhydrophobic surface area 4 in the form of the logo. As can be gathered from Fig. 7, the display means 2 is invisible as long as the steam oven 5 is deactivated or as long as a humidity level within the oven 5 is below a predetermined threshold. Fig. 8 shows a frontal view of the steam oven 5 at the beginning of its operation. The humidity level within the steam oven 5 is still below the predetermined threshold so that water drops begin to form on the inside of the door 1 while the display means 2 is still deactivated or invisible. Fig. 9 shows a frontal view of the household appliance of Fig. 7 during its operation. As can be seen from Fig. 9, the logo appears after approximately 2 minutes of steam cooking i.e. after the humidity level within the steam oven 5 exceeds the predetermined threshold level. Fig. 10 and Fig. 1 1 show further frontal views of the household appliance 5 at the end of its operation.

Different coatings can be used to provide the hydrophobic or superhydrophobic properties such as for example S1O2, Fluoropolymers, Titanium Dioxide, Silanes and all their derivatives. Some specific examples are: F8815 from Evonik, ECC7000 from 3M, NPGC from Nanopool, NPM from Nanopool, NPP from Nanopool, VP AF and Stainless Steel Defender from Diamond Fusion International, Aluminium Defender from Diamond Fusion International, Plastic Defender from Diamond Fusion International, V-clear Pro EC 10151 from Diamond Fusion International, PM-4801 from 3M, SP1000 from 3M, Lotus Shield, Ultra Ever Dry, NK G1 1 HS from Nanokote, NK GC 05 from Nanokote, Nanonext Nano Chrome & Stainless Steel Sealant made by Nanonext, PCSM from Nano Surfaces Solutions, NP AS 10 from ItN, VP AF 40120 from Nano-x, G-SYS HP 100 and EX SYS from Nanosurface Solutions, Nanoflex TTM 500 and VP 20 from Nanocare. Other coatings from other companies could be used as well. Different coatings can be used to ensure the hydrophilic or superhydrophilic properties such as for example S1O2, Titanium Dioxide, Silanes, Polyssacharides, Alcohols, Polyurethanes and all their derivatives. Some specific examples are Hydak B-23 KX2/t-070 from Biocoat Interaction, HydroPhil™ from Lotus Leaf Coatings, Fotoactiva 23 1 K and 2K from Nanopinturas, x-tec HP 4015 from Nano-X, Hydrophilic B from Coating 2 go, X-Clean EC 10151 from Nano-X, Kronos 7454 and 7403 from Zeus Quimica.

The application of the hydrophilic and/or hydrophobic surface areas 3, 4 can be done by spraying or dip-coating according to the following steps:

1. Sticking of the brand logo mask to the surface;

2. Application of the coating following the instructions of the coating manufacturer (viscosity, pressure, pH, temperature, immersion time...);

3. Curing of the coating following the instructions of the coating manufacturer (time, temperature etc.); and

4. Removal of the brand logo mask Alternatives to masking would be the application of the selected coating over the surface and elimination of the coating by laser in the area of the logo or in all surface areas except in the area of the logo. It is also possible to apply a selected coating in the logo area or in all surface areas except the logo area by an inkjet printing device. Important advantages of the display means 2 are a new aesthetic, an innovative way to show a brand logo, and the easy application on different surfaces and household appliances.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that while the present invention has been dis- closed above with reference to preferred embodiments, various modifications, changes and additions can be made to the foregoing invention, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The parameter values used in the claims and the description for defining process and measurement conditions for the characterization of specific properties of the invention are also encompassed within the scope of deviations, for example due to measurement errors, system errors, weighing errors, DIN tolerances and the like.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

household appliance component

display means

first surface area (hydrophilic)

second surface area (hydrophobic)

household appliance

Claims

A household appliance component (1 ) comprising at least one display means (2) for providing information, characterized in that the display means (2) comprises at least a first surface area (3) with hydrophilic properties and a second surface area (4) with hydrophobic properties, wherein the first and second surface areas (3, 4) define said information.

The household appliance component (1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the first surface area (3) and the second surface area (4) define a figure as a symbol, a logo, numbers and/or letters.

The household appliance component (1 ) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display means (2) is configured to provide information depending on one or more parameters selected from environmental humidity, air circulation rate, and temperature.

The household appliance component (1 ) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the display means (2) comprises a base element having at least one coating for creating the first surface area (3) and/or the second surface area (4).

The household appliance component (1 ) according to claim 4, wherein the at least one coating is selected from hydrophilic, superhydrophilic, hydrophobic, and superhydrophobic coatings.

The household appliance component (1 ) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the at least one coating comprises one or more of Si0₂, fluoropolymers, titanium dioxide, silanes, organically modified silicates (Ormosils), polysacharides, alcohols, poly- urethanes, and derivatives of said compounds. The household appliance component according (1 ) to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is configured for a water and/or steam working household appliance (5), in particular a dishwasher, a dryer, a washing machine, a microwave oven, and/or a steam oven.

A method for manufacturing a household appliance component (1 ) with at least one display means (2) for providing information, characterized in that the household appliance component (1 ) is provided with at least a first surface area (3) with hydrophilic properties and with a second surface area (4) with hydrophobic properties, wherein the first and second surface areas (3, 4) define said information.

The method according to claim 8, wherein a base element of the household appliance component (1 ) is at least in portions coated to create the first surface area (3) and/or the second surface area (4).

The method according to claim 9, wherein the base element is spray-coated and/or dip-coated and/or inkjet coated.

The method according to claim 9 or 10, comprising the steps

masking the information;

coating the base element at least in the area of the masked information; and removing the masking to create the first and second surface areas (3, 4).

The method according to claim 1 1 , wherein the coating is cured before removing the masking.

The method according to claim 9 or 10, comprising the steps

applying a coating onto the base element at least in the area of the information to be provided; and

removing one or more parts of the coating to create the first and second surface areas (3, 4). A household appliance (5) comprising at least one household appliance component (1 ) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and/or at least one household appliance component (1 ), which is manufactured by a method according to any one of claims 8 to 13.

The household appliance (5) according to claim 14, which is configured as a dishwasher, a dryer, a washing machine, a microwave oven, and/or a steam oven.