Patent Application
20090021927
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to illuminated refrigerator shelving for illuminating an interior space of a refrigerator.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known to provide an illumination device within an interior space of a refrigerator. Conventional illumination devices for a refrigerator include light fixtures having an incandescent lamp. Such devices are often bulky and transmit unwanted heat to the interior of the refrigerator.
It would be useful to provide an illumination device for a refrigerator that overcomes one or more of the above shortcomings.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, provided is an illumination device for illuminating an interior space of a refrigerator. The illumination device includes a panel and an illuminator for introducing light into the panel along an edge of the panel, wherein a surface of the panel includes a plurality of lines for diverting introduced light to a region that is outside of the panel. The plurality of lines form a grid.
Further provided is an illumination device for illuminating an interior space of a refrigerator, the device including a vertically repositionable shelf located within the interior space. The shelf includes a semilogarithmic grid that is laser engraved into a bottom surface of the shelf. An illuminator is located along a rear wall of the refrigerator and along an edge of the shelf. The illuminator includes a plurality of light emitting diodes for producing light that is introduced into the shelf along said edge of the shelf. Introduced light is diverted outside of the shelf through the semilogarithmic grid.
Provided is an illuminated shelf for illuminating an interior space of a refrigerator. Also provided is the refrigerator having one or more illuminated shelves for illuminating the refrigerator's interior space.
The shelves 2 illuminate the interior of the refrigerator 1. An adequate illumination level, which allows an individual to comfortably use the refrigerator, is provided by one or more shelves 2. In an example embodiment, the adequate illumination level is provided by the combined illumination output of four shelves.
Each shelf 2 includes a transparent or translucent panel 8. For example, the panel 8 can include transparent or white glass. In an example embodiment the panel 8 includes tempered glass or safety glass. In an example embodiment, the panel is 3-8 mm thick.
As best seen in
The illuminator 9 introduces light into the panel 8 along an edge of the panel 8. The panel 8 acts as a light guide for the light introduced into the panel. The panel 8 and illuminator 9 together provide an edge-lit device for illuminating the interior of the refrigerator.
The panel 8 includes a top surface and a bottom surface. A plurality of lines are engraved, for example, laser engraved or etched into one or both of the panel's 8 top and bottom surfaces. The plurality of lines cause a portion of the light that is introduced into the panel 8 via the illuminator 9 to be diverted to a region that is outside of the panel 8. The light that is diverted outside of the panel 8 by the plurality of lines illuminates the interior of the refrigerator 1.
In an example embodiment, the plurality of lines form a light-diverting grid. The light-diverting grid can be configured to provide a generally uniform distribution of light within the refrigerator and may provide a more uniform distribution of light than can be achieved with mere parallel lines. Furthermore, the light-diverting grid can provide a uniform distribution of light at a desired lighting level using very narrow gridlines.
In an example embodiment, only the bottom surface of each shelf's panel 8 includes the light-diverting grid. In an example embodiment, the edges of the panel 8 are covered or coated with a frosting or a reflective material 13, for example, polished aluminum, so that introduced light does not escape out of the edges of the panel 8, but is reflected back into the panel 8.
As best seen in
In an example embodiment, and as shown in
The parallel grid lines 10 may also be uniformly spaced. However, such a configuration results in a region along the panel 8 near the illuminator 9 being more intensely illuminated than a region along the panel 8 further away from the illuminator 9. That is, if the parallel grid lines 10 are uniformly spaced, the illumination intensity from the panel 8 decreases in a direction away from the illuminator 9. The result of providing uniformly spaced parallel grid lines 10 is a more intense illumination of the interior of the refrigerator 1 near the illuminator 9 and a less intense illumination away from the illuminator 9. If the illuminator 9 is located along the rear wall 4 of the refrigerator 1, and the parallel grid lines 10 are uniformly spaced, food items located at the rear of the refrigerator 1 would be more brightly lit than food items located at the front of the refrigerator.
In the example embodiment of
In an example embodiment, the grid is a semilogarithmic grid or a substantially semilogarithmic grid. That is, the perpendicular grid lines 11 are spaced generally uniformly, while the parallel grid lines 10 are spaced logarithmically or substantially logarithmically.
Details of the illuminator 9 can be seen in
In an example embodiment, the illuminator 9 produces white light for illuminating the interior of the refrigerator 1. In an example embodiment, the illuminator 9 includes more than 20 LEDs. In an example embodiment, the illuminator 9 includes 20 or fewer LEDs. For example, the illuminator 9 can include exactly 20 LEDs, exactly 18 LEDs, or fewer than 18 LEDs.
In an example embodiment, the illuminator 9 is attached to an edge of a shelf 2 and is vertically repositionable with the shelf 2. In an example embodiment, the illuminator 9 is attached to an interior wall of the refrigerator 1, for example, a rear wall 4, and the shelf 2 can be operatively engaged with and disengaged from the illuminator.
If the illuminator 9 is attached to an interior wall of the refrigerator 1 and, therefore, is not vertically repositionable with a shelf 2, the illuminator 9 can be hardwired to a source of electrical power. For example, the illuminator 9 can be hardwired to a source of 6 VDC or 12 VDC, depending on the requirements of the LEDs. If the illuminator 9 is attached to an edge of a shelf 2 and is vertically repositionable with the shelf 2, then a connector could be provided on the illuminator, shelf or bracket 6 to detachably connect the illuminator 9 to a source of electrical power. For example, a connector could be provided on the illuminator 9 for connecting to a corresponding connector located on a wall of the refrigerator 1, such as a rear wall 4. Alternatively, a connector could be provided on a shelf bracket 6 for connecting to a corresponding connector located on or near a vertical rail 7. Repositioning the shelf 2 and attached illuminator 9 would cause the illuminator to be sequentially unplugged from and plugged back into its source of electrical power.
In an example embodiment, an energized electrical bus is provided on least one of the vertical rails 7. A corresponding bracket 6 on the shelf 2 includes an outwardly biased electrode, for example, a spring-biased electrode, for engaging the electrical bus. Repositioning the shelf 2 and attached illuminator 9 causes the outwardly biased electrode to be sequentially disconnected from and reconnected to the electrical bus. The electrical bus, through the outwardly biased electrode on the bracket 6, provides electrical power to the illuminator 9. In an example embodiment, the electrode is a captive, spring-biased metallic ball. In an example embodiment, each vertical rail 7 includes at least one of an energized bus and a ground or neutral bus for connection to corresponding electrodes in the shelf brackets 6.
As can be seen in
In an example embodiment, electrical power is supplied to the illuminator 9 through electromagnetic induction. A primary coil, for example, a high frequency primary coil, which lacks a transformer core, is mounted vertically along the rear wall 4 of the refrigerator. The shelves 2 can be vertically repositioned along the length of the primary coil. Each shelf 2 includes a small, magnetic core and a secondary coil, for example, a high frequency secondary coil. As the shelf 2 is vertically repositioned along the vertical rails 7, or from ledge-to-ledge 5, the shelf 2 is also repositioned along the primary coil. Electrical power is supplied to the illuminator 9 on the shelf 2 via electrical induction from the primary coil to the secondary coil through the small, magnetic core on the shelf 2.
The edge-lit panel described herein could be provided as a side panel within the refrigerator 1 and not as a part of a shelf 2. For example, the edge-lit panel could be mounted along a rear wall 4 of the refrigerator, extending parallel to the rear wall 4, rather than in a shelf 2, which extends substantially perpendicular to the rear wall 4. Multiple edge-lit panels could be provided within the refrigerator, such as along two side walls 3 and the rear wall 4.
It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this disclosure. The invention is therefore not limited to particular details of this disclosure except to the extent that the following claims are necessarily so limited.
