Fiber optic light guide for generating illuminated indicia for an electric burner of a heating appliance

• US 10,314,428 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2015
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Millett, Frederick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paik, Sang Y
• Application Number:
  US14/809,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20170027379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 2194431-4682
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/004 with integral electrical heating means drinking cups with integral heating means A47J36/2466
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/00 Parts, details or accessories of cooking-vessels A47J27/00 - A47J33/00 take precedence insofar as these parts, details or accessories are restricted to a particular kind of cooking-vessel provided for in a single one of these groups
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/083 on tops, hot plates
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0006 Coupling light into the fibre in general G02B6/4298
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/001 the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0202 Switches
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0258 For cooking
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/74 Non-metallic plates , e.g. vitroceramic, ceramic or glassceramic hobs, also including power or control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/746 Protection, e.g. overheat cutoff, hot plate indicator
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/1218 with arrangements using lights for heating zone state indication

Abstract

A heating appliance includes a translucent cooktop and a burner in communication with the cooktop. The burner is operable between deactive and active states. The upper surface of the cooktop defines a cooldown state after the burner is moved from the active to the deactive state. A light module includes a light source and is in an illuminated state when the burner is in the active state and when the cooktop is in the cooldown state. A light guide extends from the light module and around a portion of the burner. The light guide is positioned such that the light source directs light through the light guide. The outer surface of the light guide includes a formed surface that directs light upward and through the cooktop, wherein the light guide is visible through the cooktop when the light module is in the illuminated state.

Claims

1. A heating appliance comprising:

a translucent cooktop surface;

an electric burner positioned below and in thermal communication with the translucent cooktop surface, the electric burner being operable between a deactive state and at least one active state, wherein the translucent cooktop surface proximate the electric burner defines a temporary cooldown state after the electric burner is moved from the at least one active state to the deactive state;

a light module including at least one light source, wherein the light module is in an illuminated state when the electric burner is in the at least one active state, and wherein the light module remains in the illuminated state during the temporary cooldown state; and

a fiber optic light guide extending from the light module and extending around a portion of the electric burner, wherein the fiber optic light guide is positioned such that the at least one light source directs light through the fiber optic light guide, and wherein the fiber optic light guide includes a core member having an upper conditioned surface that is positioned along a top portion of the core member for directing and concentrating the light upward and through the translucent cooktop surface, wherein the upper conditioned surface is a prism-shaped formation that extends substantially uniformly and continuously along the top portion, and wherein the light from the at least one light source is directed into a center of the core member and along the upper conditioned surface.

2. The heating appliance of claim 1, wherein the illuminated state of the light module is activated when electrical current is delivered to the electric burner.

3. The heating appliance of claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature sensor in communication with the translucent cooktop surface, wherein the temperature sensor records a surface temperature of the translucent cooktop surface proximate the electric burner, wherein the temporary cooldown state is defined by the surface temperature exceeding a predetermined temperature after flow of electrical current to the electric burner is interrupted.

4. The heating appliance of claim 1, wherein the prism-shaped formation of the upper conditioned surface is an extruded formation defined within the fiber optic light guide.

5. The heating appliance of claim 4, wherein the prism-shaped formation of the upper conditioned surface includes a raised elongated ridge that extends along a portion of the fiber optic light guide, and wherein the fiber optic light guide includes a silicone outer layer that extends around the core member, wherein the silicone outer layer engages the prism-shaped formation of the upper conditioned surface in a surface-to-surface engagement to define an inefficient boundary between the core member and the silicone outer layer that directs the light through the top portion and toward the translucent cooktop surface.

6. The heating appliance of claim 1, wherein the at least one active state of the electric burner includes a plurality of electric power levels, and wherein the illuminated state includes a plurality of lighting intensities that directly correspond to the plurality of electric power levels.

7. The heating appliance of claim 6, wherein the plurality of lighting intensities are generated by a plurality of lighting elements positioned within the light module.

8. The heating appliance of claim 1, wherein the upper conditioned surface of the fiber optic light guide includes a tinted layer such that light visible through the translucent cooktop surface from the fiber optic light guide includes a visible light wavelength corresponding to a substantially white color.

9. The heating appliance of claim 1, wherein the electric burner is a resistive heating element.

10. A heating appliance comprising:

an electric burner positioned beneath a translucent cooktop;

a light module in communication with the translucent cooktop proximate the electric burner, the light module including a plurality of lighting elements that selectively direct light through a fiber optic light guide extending at least partially around the electric burner; and

a temperature sensor in communication with the light module, wherein the temperature sensor measures a surface temperature of the translucent cooktop proximate the electric burner, and wherein the plurality of lighting elements generates a plurality of illuminative indicia within the fiber optic light guide that corresponds to the surface temperature of the translucent cooktop, wherein the fiber optic light guide includes a continuous prism-shaped ridge that extends substantially uniformly along an upper surface of the fiber optic light guide, wherein the light is directed substantially through the continuous prism-shaped ridge and is concentrated as a single line of light that is directed toward the translucent cooktop.

11. The heating appliance of claim 10, wherein electrical current delivered to the light module is delivered separately and independently from electrical current delivered to the electric burner.

12. The heating appliance of claim 10, wherein the plurality of lighting elements are positioned to direct light through one of a first and second ends of the fiber optic light guide.

13. The heating appliance of claim 10, wherein the continuous prism-shaped ridge is an extruded portion of the fiber optic light guide that directs light from the plurality of lighting elements.

14. The heating appliance of claim 10, wherein the plurality of lighting elements includes a first light element having a first color and a second light element having a second color, and wherein the plurality of illuminative indicia produced by the plurality of lighting elements includes a plurality of illuminated colors illuminated via a single light guide and through the translucent cooktop, wherein the plurality of illuminated colors corresponds to a plurality of heating conditions of the translucent cooktop.

15. The heating appliance of claim 14, further comprising:

a control in communication with the electric burner and the light module, wherein the control is operable to adjust flow of electrical current to the electric burner to define a plurality of heating conditions of the translucent cooktop, and wherein operation of the control also operates the light module to generate the plurality of illuminated colors from the fiber optic light guide, wherein each of the plurality of illuminated colors corresponds to a corresponding heating condition of the plurality of heating conditions.

16. The heating appliance of claim 10, wherein the electric burner is an inductive heating element.

17. A heating appliance comprising:

an electric burner positioned below a translucent cooktop, wherein the electric burner selectively provides heat to an upper surface of the translucent cooktop to generate a plurality of heating conditions;

a light module having a plurality of light fixtures and at least one fiber optic light guide, wherein each of the plurality of light fixtures is positioned to direct light through one of a first and second ends of the at least one fiber optic light guide to produce a plurality of illuminated indicia visible through the translucent cooktop, wherein the plurality of illuminated indicia includes a plurality of operational indicia, wherein each operational indicia of the plurality of operational indicia corresponds to a respective heating condition of the plurality of heating conditions, and wherein each of the plurality of illuminated indicia is positioned proximate the electric burner; and

a control that operates the electric burner to generate the plurality of heating conditions and the corresponding plurality of operational indicia, wherein the at least one fiber optic light guide includes a core member and an outer covering that have a surface-to-surface engagement that defines an internal boundary therebetween, wherein a top portion of the internal boundary defines an extruded prism-shaped surface that extends uniformly and continuously along the internal boundary, and wherein the extruded prism-shaped surface defines an inefficient portion of the internal boundary that concentrates the light upward to the translucent cooktop.

18. The heating appliance of claim 17, further comprising:

a temperature sensor in communication with a surface of the translucent cooktop and the light module, wherein the temperature sensor determines a surface temperature of the translucent cooktop, wherein the plurality of illuminated indicia includes a plurality of heat indicia, wherein each heat indicia of the plurality of heat indicia corresponds to a respective surface temperature of the translucent cooktop.

19. The heating appliance of claim 17, wherein the at least one fiber optic light guide includes a plurality of fiber optic light guides that extend at least partially around the electric burner, wherein each fiber optic light guide is in communication with at least one dedicated light fixture of the plurality of light fixtures.

20. The heating appliance of claim 19, wherein each core member of the plurality of fiber optic light guides includes a prism-shaped ridge that extends along the entire core member to define the extruded prism-shaped surface that directs light from the plurality of light fixtures through the translucent cooktop to produce the plurality of illuminated indicia.