LED illumination for cold storage compartments

• US 20030072147A1
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: McColloch, Larry, Saalsberg, Ans, Pashley, Michael D., Marshall, Thomas M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,726,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/92
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0482 Details common to both closed and open types
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 2200/10 of light guides of the optical fibres type
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 2200/15 the light being emitted along at least a portion of the outer surface of the guide
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/40 with provision for controlling spectral properties, e.g. colour, or intensity
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/305 for refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 27/00 Lighting arrangements in general F21
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0001 specially adapted for lighting devices or systems lighting or signalling on vehicles using light guides B60Q1/00; lighting devices for vehicle dashboards B60Q3/10; lighting devices for vehicle interior using light guides B60Q3/62; lighting devices mounted on the vehicle rear part using light guides F21S43/235; measuring arrangements having light conducting pointers G01D13/265; illumination of liquid crystal displays G02F1/1336; illuminated signs G09F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0028 Light guide, e.g. taper

Abstract

A storage compartment is equipped with a light emitting diode (LED) light source for illuminating contents inside the compartment. The LED light source includes a LED light engine outside the compartment and a light guide inside the compartment. The light guide is optically coupled to be LED light engine to bring light from the LED light engine into the compartment for providing illumination inside the compartment. The LED light engine may include red, green, and blue LEDs that contribute to the illumination inside the compartment. Respective outputs of the red, green, and blue LEDs may be separately controllable to allow a variably controlled color point of illumination inside the compartment. Total output of the LED light engine may be controllable to vary intensity of illumination inside the compartment.

Claims

1. A storage compartment equipped with a light emitting diode (LED) light source for illuminating contents inside the compartment,

the LED light source comprising a LED light engine outside the compartment and a light guide inside the compartment, the light guide being optically coupled to be LED light engine for bringing light illumination from the LED light engine into the compartment via the light guide.

2. The storage compartment of claim 1, in which output of the LED light engine is controllable to vary intensity of the illumination inside the compartment.

3. The storage compartment of claim 1, the LED light engine including a plurality of different colors of LEDs that contribute to the illumination inside the compartment.

4. The storage compartment of claim 3, the plurality of different colors including first, second, and third colors.

5. The storage compartment of claim 4, wherein the first, second, and third colors are red, green, and blue, respectively.

6. The storage compartment of claim 4, in which respective outputs of the first, second, and third color LEDs are separately controllable to allow a variably controlled color point of the illumination inside the compartment.

7. The storage compartment of claim 6, in which total output of the first, second, and third color LEDs is controllable to vary intensity of the illumination inside the compartment.

8. The storage compartment of claim 4, in which total output of the first, second, and third color LEDs is controllable to vary intensity of the illumination inside the compartment.

9. A method for illuminating frozen foods in a freezer cabinets, comprising:

providing a freezer cabinet with an externally mounted LED light engine,

providing the freezer cabinet with a light guide extending inside the cabinet,

optically coupling the LED light engine to the light guide, and

operating the LED light engine such that light is passed via the light guide into the interior of the cabinet to provide interior cabinet illumination at a first steady light level.

10. The method of claim 9, including varying output of the LED light engine to provide interior cabinet illumination at a second steady light level different from the first light level.

11. The method of claim 9, including providing the LED light engine with a plurality of different colors of LEDs that contribute to the illumination inside the compartment.

12. The method of claim 11, the plurality of different colors including first, second, and third colors.

13. The method of claim 12, with the first, second, and third colors are red, green, and blue, respectively.

14. The method of claim 12, including varying respective outputs of the first, second, and third color LEDs to control color point of the illumination inside the compartment.

15. The method of claim 14, including providing at least one feedback sensor in at least one of the light engine and the cabinet, and controlling the color point of the illumination based on a signal received from the at least one feedback sensor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the feedback sensor senses color of contents of the cabinet and the color point of the illumination is changed automatically depending on the color of the contents of the cabinet.

17. The method of claim 14, including providing a user interface, and controlling the color point of the illumination based on a signal received from the user interface.

18. The method of claim 14, including varying total output of the first, second, and third color LEDs to vary total intensity of the illumination inside the compartment.

19. The method of claim 12, including varying total output of the first, second, and third color LEDs to vary total intensity of the illumination inside the compartment.