Lighting installation for household appliances

• US 20040246716A1
• Filed: 04/16/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Schott AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Schott AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Henkel, Werner, Hubert, Stefan
• Application Number:
  US10/826,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20040246716A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/227
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0044 Household appliances, e.g. washing machines or vacuum cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/305 for refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2325/022 Shelves made of glass or ceramic
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/02 by shelves
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 27/00 Lighting arrangements in general F21

Abstract

A lighting installation for household appliances having an interior in which a bracket for receiving support shelves is arranged. The lighting arrangement includes an illuminating device integrated into at least a partial area of the bracket or entirely into the bracket. The illuminating device can include a fluorescent tube or an arrangement of a plurality of light-emitting diodes. Alternatively, at least a partial area of the bracket can be embodied as an optical waveguide, into which the light from a light source not arranged in the interior can be introduced.

Claims

1. A lighting installation for household appliances (10) having an interior in which a bracket (14) for receiving support shelves (16) is arranged, the improvement comprising:

the lighting arrangement having an illuminating device (18) integrated one of entirely into and into at least a partial area (20) of the bracket (14).

2. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 1, wherein the illuminating device (18) includes a fluorescent tube.

3. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 1, wherein the illuminating device (18) includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes.

4. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 3, wherein the light-emitting diodes are arranged in a form of an LED array.

5. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 4, wherein one of the lighting device (18) and a filter device attached to the lighting device (18) is designed in a color, so that emitted light appears in a corresponding color.

6. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 5, wherein at least a partial area (20) of the bracket (14) is embodied as an illumination device.

7. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 6, wherein at least a partial area (20) of the bracket (14) is embodied as an optical waveguide (22) into which light from a light source (24) is introduced.

8. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 7, wherein the light source (24) is arranged outside of the interior (12) of the household appliance (10).

9. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 8, wherein a coupling element (26) is arranged between the light source (24) and the optical waveguide (22) for introducing the light from the illuminating device (18), by which colored light is generated by a filter element arranged on one of the coupling element (26) and the optical wave guide (22).

10. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 9, wherein a portion of the bracket (14) embodied as an optical waveguide (22) is of a colored transparent material.

11. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 10, wherein the bracket (14) has a profiled rail (30) mounted in the interior (12) of the household appliance (10) and extends substantially vertically, a support element (32) for holding the support shelf (16) is one of displaceable along the profiled rail (30) and fixable in place on the profiled rail (30), and the illuminating device (18) is on at least a partial area of the profiled rail.

12. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 1, wherein the profiled rail (30) is arranged on the rear wall (34) of the household appliance (10) opposite a door opening.

13. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 1, wherein one of the lighting device (18) and a filter device attached to the lighting device (18) is designed in a color, so that emitted light appears in a corresponding color.

14. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least a partial area (20) of the bracket (14) is embodied as an illumination device.

15. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least a partial area (20) of the bracket (14) is embodied as an optical waveguide (22) into which light from a light source (24) is introduced.

16. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 15, wherein the light source (24) is arranged outside of the interior (12) of the household appliance (10).

17. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 1, wherein a coupling element (26) is arranged between a light source (24) and an optical waveguide (22) for introducing light from the illuminating device (18), by which colored light is generated by a filter element arranged on one of the coupling element (26) and the optical wave guide (22).

18. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 7, wherein a portion of the bracket (14) embodied as an optical waveguide (22) is of a colored transparent material.

19. The lighting installation in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bracket (14) has a profiled rail (30) mounted in the interior (12) of the household appliance (10) and extends substantially vertically, a support element (32) for holding the support shelf (16) is one of displaceable along the profiled rail (30) and fixable in place on the profiled rail (30), and the illuminating device (18) is on at least a partial area of the profiled rail.