Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D27/00—Lighting arrangements
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F21V33/00—Structural combinations of lighting devices with other articles, not otherwise provided for
  • F21V33/0004—Personal or domestic articles
  • F21V33/0044—Household appliances, e.g. washing machines or vacuum cleaners
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F21V7/00—Reflectors for light sources
  • F21V7/0091—Reflectors for light sources using total internal reflection
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
  • F21S10/00—Lighting devices or systems producing a varying lighting effect
  • F21S10/02—Lighting devices or systems producing a varying lighting effect changing colors
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21W—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
  • F21W2131/00—Use or application of lighting devices or systems not provided for in codes F21W2102/00-F21W2121/00
  • F21W2131/30—Lighting for domestic or personal use
  • F21W2131/305—Lighting for domestic or personal use for refrigerators
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
  • F21Y2115/00—Light-generating elements of semiconductor light sources
  • F21Y2115/10—Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Definitions

• Lighting device for a refrigerating storing device and refrigerating storing device comprising such lighting device
• the present invention relates to a lighting device for a refrigerating storing device, such as a refrigerating cabinet, and to a refrigerating storing device comprising such lighting device.
• refrigerating storing devices such as refrigerating cabinets or, more generally, display coolers
• refrigerating storing devices are provided with illumination of their display spaces, the illumination being made by one or more lighting devices placed inside the display space.
• lighting devices comprise one or more lamps for illumination of the display space, wherein such lamps have a rather low efficiency with respect to the provided illumination, i.e. there is a rather large amount of heat generated by such lamps.
• such lamps generate approximately 75 % heat and only 25 % light of the consumed energy.
• the described way of providing a lighting device inside a display space of a refrigerating storing device is an energy inefficient way of providing light inside a refrigerating storing device.
• Embodiments of the present invention include, according to one aspect of the invention, a lighting device for a refrigerating storing device comprising a solid state lighting element which radiates light and a solid rod which is aligned with the solid state lighting element and which receives light radiated from the solid state lighting device to be transmitted through a longitudinal length of the solid
• the solid state lighting element is adapted to be arranged inside the refrigerating storing device, and the solid rod is adapted to be arranged inside the refrigerating storing device, so that the longitudinal length of the solid rod extends along an extension of a storage space of the refrigerating storing device.
• the solid rod comprises reflecting means for directing at least a portion of the light transmitted through the longitudinal length of the solid rod out from the solid rod into the storage space of the refrigerating storing device.
• the reflecting means is adapted for directing the at least one portion of the light out from the solid rod in a substantially perpendicular direction with respect to the longitudinal length of the solid rod. Further, the reflecting means may be adapted for directing the at least one portion of the light out from the solid rod to illuminate only a predetermined portion of the storage space. In this way, light can be directed into areas of the storage space which should be provided with illumination, whereas regions of the storage space which do not require illumination are not illuminated, so that the generated light is efficiently distributed into the areas of the storage space which are to be provided with illumination.
• a refrigerating storing device comprising a display case including a storage space for the storage of goods requiring refrigeration and at least one lighting device attached to the display case, the lighting device comprising a solid state lighting element which radiates light and a solid rod which is aligned with the solid state lighting element and which receives light radiated from the solid state lighting device to be transmitted through a longitudinal length of the solid rod.
• the solid state lighting element and the solid rod are arranged inside the refrigerating storing device, so that a longitudinal length of the solid rod extends along an extension of the storage space.
• the solid rod comprises reflecting means for directing at least a portion of the light transmitted through the longitudinal length of the solid rod out from the solid rod into the storage space.
• Fig.1 shows an embodiment of a refrigerating storing device having the form of a cabinet with a front access door and with two lighting devices according to an embodiment of the invention
• Fig. 2 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of a lighting device accord- ing to the invention
• Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a lighting device according to the invention
• Fig. 4 shows another cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a lighting device according to the invention
• Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the lighting device according to Fig. 4 from another perspective
• Fig. 6 shows top views of the lighting device according to an embodiment of the invention.
• Fig. 7 shows cross-sectional views of the lighting device according to an em- bodiment of the invention.
• the refrigerating storing device 1 comprises a display case 2 having a front access door 6.
• the side walls of the display case 2 as well as the front access door 6 are provided with glass panels, so that the storage space 3 included within the display case 2 and behind the front access door 6 is visible from the outside of the refrigerating storing device 1.
• the display case 2 comprises two front vertical edges 4, 5, wherein at vertical
• edge 5 the front access door 6 is hinged and at vertical edge 4 the front access door 6 may be taken for opening and closing the door.
• the display case 2 of the refrigerating storing device 1 has corner regions 7, 8, the corner region 7 located at the top of the vertical edge 4 and the corner region 8 located at the top of the vertical edge 5 of the display case 2, wherein a lighting element is arranged in the respective corner regions 7, 8 as explained in more detail herein below.
• the lighting element placed in corner regions 7, 8 is in the form of a solid state lighting ele- ment 12 which is part of a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• the lighting device 10 of the present embodiment comprises a solid state lighting element 12 which radiates light intended for illumination of the storage space 3 of the display case 2 of the refrigerating storage device.
• the solid state lighting element 12 is a light emitting diode (LED) placed on a re- spective circuit board or the like for providing energy to the LED and for activating or disabling the LED, respectively.
• LED light emitting diode
• the heat generated inside the storage space 3 of the refrigerating storing device is reduced significantly, thus resulting in a more energy efficient way of illuminating the inside of a refrigerating storing device.
• Providing an illuminated stor- age space may particularly be used for the display of cooling goods in hospitality trade, more specifically behind bars.
• a solid rod 13 is aligned with the LED 12 in such a way that it receives light which is radiated from the LED 12.
• the solid rod 13 is made from a transparent material such as glass or transparent plastic (plexi glass, PMMA (PMMA: Poly- Methyl MethAcrylate, known as plexiglass) and has the form of a longitudinal rod of substantially circular cross-section and having a longitudinal length L extending along a vertical edge 4 and 5, respectively, of the storage space 3.
• the solid rod 13 is aligned with the LED 12 in such a way that light 15 radiated from the LED 12, at least a large part of the light produced by the LED 12, is transmit-
• the solid rod 13 is arranged inside the storage space 3 of the refrigerating storing device in a way that the longitudinal length L of the solid rod 13 extends along the vertical extension of the storage space 3.
• the solid rod may also extend along a horizontal extension, e.g. a horizontal edge, of the storage space or in any other direction with respect to a refrigerating storing device depending on the particular application.
• the involved parts and functionality are similar or equal.
• the LED 12 is particularly arranged inside a first housing 21, made for example from aluminum material, whereas the solid rod 13 is fixed with an end portion thereof in a second housing 22 which may also be made from aluminum material.
• the housing 21 for incorporating the LED 12 has an opening 24 which is designed for the output of the light radiated from the LED 12, wherein the solid rod is aligned with respect to the opening 24 of the housing 21.
• the solid rod 13 may precisely be aligned with respect to the LED 12 so that a large part of the generated light may be received from the solid rod to be transmitted through its longitudinal length L.
• the first housing 21 and the second housing 22 each comprise at least one alignment means which inter- acts with at least one complementary alignment means of the respective other one of the first and second housing 21, 22.
• the housing 21 comprises an edge portion 25 for providing the at least one alignment means
• the second housing 22 comprises at least one recess 26 for receiving the edge portion 25, thus providing the at least one complementary alignment means interacting with the edge portion 25.
• first housing and second housing 21, 22 comprise means, such as a screw or the like, which are adapted for fixing the housings 21, 22 to the storage device 1, as shown particularly with respect to Fig. 2.
• the LED 12 and the solid rod 13 can be arranged in a frame construction 31 of the refri- gerating storage device.
• the frame construction 31 comprises two parallel extending sheet metal strips 32 with an insulation 33 included in between, the sheet metal strips 32 having respective openings for receiving the screws 23 for fixing the housings 21 and 22 to the frame construction 31.
• the frame construction 31 may be of plastic material or any other suit- able material, wherein the sheet metal strips 32 increase the strength of the frame construction.
• the lighting device 10 further comprises a clear protection device which, in the present example, consists of a substantially L-shaped member 34 made from a transparent material such as glass or transparent plastic material.
• the L-shaped member 34 extends along the longitudinal length L of the solid rod 13 in an almost parallel fashion and partially encases the rod 13.
• the display case 2 of the refrigerating storage device 1 as shown in Fig. 1 comprises two lighting devices 10 each arranged along a respective vertical edge 4, 5 of the storage space 3.
• a first lighting device 10 is arranged extending along the left vertical edge 4 and a second lighting device 10 is ar- ranged extending along the right vertical edge 5 of the storage space 3.
• the solid rod 13 of each lighting device 10 is arranged with its longitudinal length L extending along a respective edge 4, 5.
• the LED 12 of the first lighting device 10 is arranged in the left corner region 7 and the LED 12 of the second lighting device 10 is arranged in the right corner region 8 of the refrigerating storing device 1. In this way, the solid rod 13 of each of the lighting devices 10 is arranged in a substantially vertical arrangement inside the display case 2 for illumination of the storage space 3.
• the solid rod 13 comprises reflecting means 14 which are adapted for directing at least a portion of the
• the reflecting means 14 which may comprise or may have the form of reflecting pixels placed on the outer circumferential surface of the solid rod 13, are adap- ted and arranged in such that the received portion of light 15 is directed out from the solid rod 13 in a substantially perpendicular direction with respect to the longitudinal length L of the rod 13.
• the reflecting means 14 in the rod 13 is adapted for directing the received light 15 out from the rod 13 to illuminate only a predetermined portion 16 of the storage space 3.
• the light leaves the solid rod 13 only within a certain area 16 to precisely direct the light for illumination of only a predetermined portion of the storage space as shown.
• the light leaving the solid rod 13 may be directed, for example, to bottles or the like, which are placed inside the storage space, which improves the effect of presentation of the bottles inside the refrigerating storing device 1.
• the reflecting means may be implemented by tape placed on the outer circumferential surface of the solid rod 13.
• reflecting material should be placed on the bottom of the solid rod 13 (at the opposite side of the rod as where the light source is positioned to avoid that light escapes at this area of the rod where there is no need to) so that maximum amount of light will leave the rod only in the shown perpendicu- lar direction with respect to the longitudinal length L of the rod 13.
• the reflecting means 14 are adapted to ensure a substantially uniform light output into the storage space 3.
• the density of the reflecting pixels or labels/tapes may be increased in order to compensate the loss of light along the longitudinal length L of the rod 13 in the re- gions of the rod which are farest from the LED 12.
• the amount of light reflected and directed into the display space may be increased to compensate for any lower amount of light received in the lower regions of the rod.
• the lighting device according to the present invention may be used, in principle, for any kind of refrigerating storing device such as a refrigerating cabinet as shown or a storage container having drawers with glass panels or the like. Furthermore, the invention may be used in storing devices having a chest form with an access area from the top such as used for freezers.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Arrangement Of Elements, Cooling, Sealing, Or The Like Of Lighting Devices (AREA)
• Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=40328277

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2008
  • 2008-01-02 EP EP08700969A patent/EP2242973A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 2008-01-02 WO PCT/EP2008/000012 patent/WO2009083039A1/en not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events