EP1856951B1 - Household appliance comprising a lighting device and method for controlling the activation thereof - Google Patents

Household appliance comprising a lighting device and method for controlling the activation thereof Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1856951B1
EP1856951B1 EP05798680.4A EP05798680A EP1856951B1 EP 1856951 B1 EP1856951 B1 EP 1856951B1 EP 05798680 A EP05798680 A EP 05798680A EP 1856951 B1 EP1856951 B1 EP 1856951B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
lighting device
supply voltage
filament
value
lamp
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Not-in-force
Application number
EP05798680.4A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1856951A1 (en
Inventor
Valerio Aisa
Paolo Santonicola
Brunetta Vinerba
Valeria Animobono
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Whirlpool EMEA SpA
Original Assignee
Indesit Co SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Indesit Co SpA filed Critical Indesit Co SpA
Priority to EP10180461A priority Critical patent/EP2282613A1/en
Publication of EP1856951A1 publication Critical patent/EP1856951A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1856951B1 publication Critical patent/EP1856951B1/en
Not-in-force legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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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
    • F25D27/005—Lighting arrangements combined with control means
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
    • H05B39/00—Circuit arrangements or apparatus for operating incandescent light sources
    • H05B39/02—Switching on, e.g. with predetermined rate of increase of lighting current

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a household appliance according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a method for controlling the activation of a lighting device according to the preamble of claim 10.
  • the structure of many household appliances includes at least one inner compartment in which one can place what one wants the household appliance to perform its function on.
  • Such an inner compartment may for example be the cell of a refrigerator or a freezer or a refrigerator-freezer, wherein a user places foodstuffs to be cooled or frozen, or the muffle of an oven, wherein a user places foods to be cooked.
  • refrigerator-freezer designates a household appliance fitted with at least two cells having different temperatures, thereby allowing for at least two different preservation states for the foodstuffs kept inside the household appliance.
  • Said inner compartments of household appliances are often provided with a lighting system which helps the user to lay objects in or take objects from said inner compartment and/or to check the condition of the objects contained in said inner compartment.
  • the lighting system helps the user to position the foodstuffs correctly when loading the household appliance, as well as to easily find those foodstuffs that one wants to take out from the appliance.
  • the lighting system helps the user to monitor the cooking process, thereby preventing the food from burning during the cooking or from being removed from the appliance prematurely.
  • Said lighting system usually comprises, for each compartment to be illuminated, an incandescent lamp comprising a metal filament (typically a filament made of tungsten or a metal alloy including tungsten among its components).
  • a metal filament typically a filament made of tungsten or a metal alloy including tungsten among its components.
  • the current flowing through said metal filament causes the filament to become incandescent, thereby producing the diffusion of visible light in the inner compartment of the household appliance.
  • a constant and predefined current typically the 50Hz or 60Hz mains alternating voltage
  • This method has the drawback of reducing considerably the lamp's life, which turns out to be only a small fraction of the average life obtained under uninterrupted operation, this being due to the fact that, when the lamp is switched on, it passes instantly from the off condition to an on condition in which it provides the entire luminous flux it can generate.
  • Incandescent lamps currently available on the market have different power ratings and are characterized by an average life under uninterrupted operation of approximately 1,000 ⁇ 1,200 hours. This average life falls sharply as the ratio between the number of lamp activations and the lamp on time increases, i.e. it decreases considerably if the lamp, in the course of its life, is subjected to an operating condition involving frequent on/off operations.
  • Such an operating condition typically applies to lamps installed inside household appliances.
  • the lamp of a refrigerator which is usually turned on automatically when the door is opened, is switched on and off several times every day when a user places foodstuffs to be cooled in the refrigerator and/or removes cooled foodstuffs.
  • the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment from rising significantly, it is advantageous to keep the refrigerator door open for a time as short as possible. Consequently, the operating time of the refrigerator lamp, once switched on, is usually very short.
  • Document US5030890 (A ) relates to a two-terminal, alternating current power control device connected in an electrical path between a load and a remote switch.
  • a current switching device provides a low impedance electrical path in response to the application of triggering signals, and provides a high impedance electrical path in the absence of the triggering signals.
  • a control circuit is provided for applying triggering signals to the current switching device as the proper time in the AC cycle, and is responsive to a momentary interruption in the applied AC voltage so as to effect change in the power intensity or timed duration of power delivered to the load.
  • Document JP7183083 relates to extending the life of a lamp without decreasing brightness, by decreasing a current flow through the lamp by control of a switching element immediately after the turn-on period of the lamp in which a large rush current flows is started, and passing a stationary current through the lamp thereafter.
  • Document EP1249922 (A1 ) relates to a method and apparatus for controlling voltage flicker, wherein the resistance across a lamp in an electrical appliance is supplemented when the lamp is energized or re-energized, so as to avoid large in-rush current.
  • Document US3710065 (A ) relates to a microwave oven having a magnetron power supply having in-rush current limiter; the power supply contains a filament transformer for stepping down line AC voltage to the lower voltage level for the magnetron heater, and an oven lamp illuminates the oven cavity.
  • the lamp normally is electrically in series with the primary winding of the filament transformer and current through the filament transformer is thereby limited resulting in minimal heater current to the magnetron heater.
  • Document US5980058 (A ) relates to a modular assembly and method for a refrigerator wherein a molded base plate carries a light bulb, a light switch and electrical connectors.
  • the object of the present invention is to solve the above problems by extending the life of incandescent lamps being subject to frequent on/off operations, said life preferably tending to match the average life under uninterrupted operation. This allows, in fact, to limit or avoid any failures of the lamp during the life of the household appliance wherein the lamp is installed. As a consequence, remarkable advantages related to the comfort and safety of the household appliance are obtained.
  • the general idea at the basis of the present invention is to regulate the supply voltage typically supplied to the lighting device during its on/off operation.
  • Fig. 1 shows a refrigerator-freezer 1 having two cells 2; the upper cell 2A is used for fresh food, whereas the lower cell 2B is used for frozen food. In the cell 2A there are two differently sized shelves and one drawer.
  • the refrigerator-freezer 1 is fitted with a lighting device for illuminating the cell 2A;
  • Fig. 1 shows the bulb of an incandescent lamp 3 used as a lighting device.
  • the two cells 2 are closed by means of two doors 20; in particular, the door 20A closes the cell 2A, whereas the door 20B closes the cell 2B.
  • Fig. 1 is clearly very schematic and merely exemplificative; many elements usually included in a refrigerator-freezer are not shown in Fig. 1 for simplicity's sake; the illustration however shows a triggering device 6 used for switching on the lamp 3 mechanically.
  • a triggering device 6 used for switching on the lamp 3 mechanically.
  • the household appliance comprises at least one inner compartment, at least one lighting device for illuminating said inner compartment, and a control device for operating said lighting device.
  • Said household appliance is typically a refrigeration apparatus such as a refrigerator, a freezer or a refrigerator-freezer, or a cooking apparatus such as a cooking oven.
  • control device is adapted to apply a supply voltage being variable in time to the lighting device, so as to extend the life of the lighting device.
  • a control is most important during the period in which the lamp is switched from the off condition to the on condition.
  • the lighting device is an incandescent lamp preferably comprising a filament, in particular being made of tungsten or a tungsten alloy; it is exactly in this case that the problem of extending the life of the lighting device is particularly felt.
  • a control device is shown in Fig. 2 ; in this illustration, the control device is connected on one side to an incandescent lamp 3 fitted with a filament 4 and on the other side to an alternating voltage source VAC, typically the public supply mains.
  • VAC alternating voltage source
  • the control device of Fig. 2 may be connected to a triggering device for switching on the lighting device, e.g. the device 6 shown in Fig. 1 .
  • the triggering device for switching on the lighting device may be provided in many different ways and may be either manual or automatic. If the household appliance is a refrigerator or a freezer or a refrigerator-freezer, the triggering device could be the push-button normally used for activating the lamp when the door is opened, whereas if the household appliance is a cooking oven, the triggering device could be the knob or push-button located in the appliance control panel, through which the user can activate or deactivate the lamp.
  • the control device of Fig. 2 comprises a power supply circuit 7, a power actuator, in particular a triac 11, being able to operate the lighting device 3, a mains voltage coupling impedance 12 and a microcontroller 8 supplied by the power supply circuit 7; the microcontroller 8 comprising in turn a CPU 9, a memory 10 and an interface peripheral 13; the memory 10 in the example of Fig. 2 includes at least a non-volatile portion (EPROM, EEPROM or Flash) and at least a ROM or EPROM portion for programmes and a RAM portion for data.
  • the mains voltage coupling impedance 12 has the purpose of limiting the current applied to the microcontroller 8 and allows to generate the zero crossing signal of the mains voltage. This signal is used as a synchronism signal for operating the triac 11, which regulates the voltage level applied to the lighting device by using the phase partialization technique (according to the known process called "phase control").
  • a control device of the electronic type being preferably programmable, allows to obtain better results in terms of extension of the life of the lamp, thanks to its control accuracy.
  • the emission of a luminous flux by the incandescent lamp 3 is achieved by heating up, through the application of electric current, the metal filament 4, which is thus brought to a high temperature at which incandescence occurs.
  • the metal filament 4 comprises tungsten.
  • the resistivity of tungsten depends on temperature in a directly proportional way: at room temperature (the temperature of the filament when no current flows through it), the resistivity of tungsten is approximately 5 ⁇ 10 -8 ⁇ m, whereas at a temperature of 2000°C (the approximate temperature of the filament when current flows through it in steady state), the resistivity of tungsten increases to approximately 65 ⁇ 10 -8 ⁇ m.
  • the method being the subject of the present invention aimed at extending the life of an incandescent lamp, is based on lessening of the above-mentioned power absorption peak occurring during the initial transient following the activation of the lamp. Even better results are obtained if the absorption peak is completely eliminated, rather than only attenuated: in this case, in fact, the life of an incandescent lamp will tend to match the average life of the same lamp under uninterrupted operation.
  • the method according to the present invention finds a typical application in lighting devices for household appliances, and is particularly advantageous in refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers, wherein the lamp is usually switched on and off (number of times the refrigerator door is opened and closed) several dozens of times a day and the lamp on time is typically less than one minute.
  • the method according to the present invention is useful for controlling the activation of a lighting device, in particular an incandescent lamp comprising a filament; according to this method, a supply voltage being variable in time, preferably gradually, is applied to the lighting device so as to extend the life of said lighting device; the objective is to prevent or at least reduce current peaks in the lamp filament.
  • This implementation is particularly suited to electronic control devices of the digital type; besides, it allows to obtain any desired degree of accuracy.
  • three parameters must be set: the duration of phase ii), the first preset voltage value, and the second preset voltage value; these three parameters are not strictly correlated to one another.
  • phase ii) lasts from a minimum of 50 mS to a maximum of 1,000 mS, the first value is preferably comprised between 0 Volt and 50 Volt, and the second value is preferably comprised between 180 Volt and 230 Volt.
  • an incandescent lamp comprising a metal filament is be activated in soft mode, i.e. by applying across the filament a sequence of increasing supply voltage values. Said sequence starts from a minimum value representing a pedestal voltage value.
  • the metal filament is pre-heated in soft mode, the current flowing through the filament being similar to the current flowing through the same in steady state (at approximately 2000°C), i.e. much lower than that flowing through a cold filament (which has a very low electric resistance) if the entire supply voltage is applied immediately.
  • a soft activation mode also offers the additional advantage of a remarkable aesthetic improvement compared to the traditional activation method.
  • the method according to this example provides for applying to the incandescent lamp a variable supply voltage V instead of a constant supply voltage V * .
  • Said numerical coefficient K can advantageously have a value of 4 for a tungsten filament.
  • the power W 0 absorbed by the lamp during its activation not to be greater than W * , it must be V 0 2 ⁇ V *2 ⁇ (R 0 /R * ), i.e. V 0 ⁇ V * /K.
  • the filament temperature T increases by Joule effect due to the current flowing through it, the filament resistance increases as well and a sequence of voltages V gradually increasing up to V * is then applied across the filament.
  • the application mode of said sequence of voltages V is such that the electric power W absorbed by the lamp is never greater than the rated power W * of the incandescent lamp for the whole duration of the transient represented by the warm-up period of the metal filament.
  • the above voltage values are to be understood as active values, i.e. RMS values, which are regulated by means of a power actuator; with reference to Fig. 2 , said regulation takes place through the triac 11, which is controlled by the microcontroller 8.
  • the triac 11 is activated by the microcontroller 8 with a delay time t relative to the zero crossing of the mains voltage, said time t having to be set as a function of the voltage value V to be supplied to the incandescent lamp 3.
  • the voltage value V depends on the temperature T of the filament 4, and therefore the time t must be gradually decreased in order to create a sequence of gradually increasing wave fractions until the steady state is achieved.
  • the same method described above can still be used, with the only difference that the first activation of the triac occurs after a delay time t relative to the zero crossing of the mains voltage being shorter than to.
  • the graduality with which the lighting device, in particular the incandescent lamp, starting from the activation at voltage V 0 , reaches the steady state (corresponding to the voltage V * ) depends on the number N of transitions P 1 -P 2 -...-P i -...-P N illustrated in Fig. 3 .
  • the higher said number N the more gradual and progressive the activation of the lighting device, in particular an incandescent lamp.
  • a table corresponding to at least one profile for the gradual activation of the lighting device can be stored in the non-volatile portion of the memory 10 of the microcontroller 8.
  • Said table comprises at least one numerical sequence consisting of the delay times t relative to the zero crossing of the mains voltage at which the progressive activation of the power actuator, in particular the triac 11, takes place during the gradual activation process of the lighting device.
  • a first peculiarity of the control device could be its suitability for applying to the lighting device a supply voltage having a first preset value when the lighting device is switched on, typically caused by the triggering device.
  • a second peculiarity of the control device could be its suitability for applying to the lighting device a supply voltage gradually increasing to a second preset value after said device has been switched on.
  • Such an activation profile can be very easily and effectively stored in non-volatile memory means of the control device; if said control device comprises a microcontroller, said activation profile can advantageously be stored in table format in a portion of the internal non-volatile memory of the microcontroller.
  • the control device in the quite typical case wherein the lighting device is supplied by alternating voltage, the control device must be adapted to apply to the lighting device a supply voltage having a variable active value; if the control device is an electronic and digital one, the supply voltage variation can advantageously be accomplished through switching techniques.
  • the present invention focuses on the behaviour of the lighting device, in particular a filament-type incandescent lamp, when it is switched on and/or off.
  • the control device is adapted to apply a variable supply voltage to the lighting device only when the lighting device is switched on and/or off.
  • the household appliance according to the present invention has the advantage of ensuring, by means of the method described above and substantially defined in the annexed claims, an average life of its lighting device, in particular an incandescent lamp comprising a metal filament, being comparable to the average life of the other components of the household appliance. Furthermore, it also offers the advantage of being much more suited to usages requiring frequent on/off switchings of its lighting device, compared to the household appliances according to the prior art. A few explanatory and non-limiting examples of such usages are listed below:

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Circuit Arrangement For Electric Light Sources In General (AREA)
EP05798680.4A 2005-03-09 2005-11-03 Household appliance comprising a lighting device and method for controlling the activation thereof Not-in-force EP1856951B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP10180461A EP2282613A1 (en) 2005-03-09 2005-11-03 Cooking apparatus comprising a lighting device and method for controlling the activation thereof

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITTO20050148 ITTO20050148A1 (it) 2005-03-09 2005-03-09 Elettrodomestico comprendente un dispositivo di illuminazione e metodo di controllo della sua accensione
PCT/IB2005/003275 WO2006095217A1 (en) 2005-03-09 2005-11-03 Household appliance comprising a lighting device and method for controlling the activation thereof

Related Child Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP10180461A Division-Into EP2282613A1 (en) 2005-03-09 2005-11-03 Cooking apparatus comprising a lighting device and method for controlling the activation thereof

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1856951A1 EP1856951A1 (en) 2007-11-21
EP1856951B1 true EP1856951B1 (en) 2017-01-11

Family

ID=35613886

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP10180461A Withdrawn EP2282613A1 (en) 2005-03-09 2005-11-03 Cooking apparatus comprising a lighting device and method for controlling the activation thereof
EP05798680.4A Not-in-force EP1856951B1 (en) 2005-03-09 2005-11-03 Household appliance comprising a lighting device and method for controlling the activation thereof

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP10180461A Withdrawn EP2282613A1 (en) 2005-03-09 2005-11-03 Cooking apparatus comprising a lighting device and method for controlling the activation thereof

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (2) EP2282613A1 (zh)
CN (1) CN101124854B (zh)
EA (1) EA010991B1 (zh)
IT (1) ITTO20050148A1 (zh)
WO (1) WO2006095217A1 (zh)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ITTO20060767A1 (it) 2006-10-24 2008-04-25 Indesit Co Spa Apparecchio di refrigerazione
BRPI0804440A2 (pt) * 2008-10-20 2010-07-13 Whirlpool Sa sistema e método de iluminação inteligente
ITTO20100744A1 (it) 2010-09-10 2012-03-11 Indesit Co Spa Elettrodomestico multifunzione
JP6567108B2 (ja) * 2018-02-28 2019-08-28 三菱電機株式会社 冷蔵庫

Family Cites Families (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3710065A (en) * 1971-12-06 1973-01-09 Litton Systems Inc Magnetron power supply having in-rush current limiter
US3898516A (en) * 1973-05-29 1975-08-05 Henry H Nakasone Lighting control system for incandescent lamps
US4152607A (en) * 1977-02-14 1979-05-01 Nakasone Henry H Soft switch with rapid recovery circuit
US4474688A (en) 1981-05-18 1984-10-02 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Immobilization of actinides by electropolymerization
US5030890A (en) * 1988-05-25 1991-07-09 Johnson Samuel A Two terminal incandescent lamp controller
DE4231060A1 (de) * 1992-09-17 1994-03-24 Abb Patent Gmbh Verfahren zum elektronischen Dimmen und Dimmer zur Durchführung des Verfahrens
JPH07183083A (ja) * 1993-12-24 1995-07-21 Sharp Corp 調理機器用ランプ制御回路
IT1266851B1 (it) 1994-06-08 1997-01-21 Merloni Elettrodomestici Spa Metodo per il controllo di un apparato frigorifero, ed apparato implementante tale metodo.
DE29722905U1 (de) * 1997-12-29 1998-02-19 Wittmann Gerhard Lampen-Steuerschaltung
IT1320621B1 (it) 2000-09-05 2003-12-10 Wrap Spa Metodo, sistema ed apparati per la trasmissione di dati su reteelettrica
EP1249922A1 (en) * 2001-04-11 2002-10-16 Quadlux, Inc. Method and apparatus for controlling voltage flicker
ITTO20030252A1 (it) 2003-04-01 2004-10-02 Wrap Spa Metodo e sistema per il collaudo automatico di

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EA200701513A1 (ru) 2007-12-28
EP1856951A1 (en) 2007-11-21
CN101124854A (zh) 2008-02-13
CN101124854B (zh) 2012-03-28
EA010991B1 (ru) 2008-12-30
EP2282613A1 (en) 2011-02-09
WO2006095217A1 (en) 2006-09-14
ITTO20050148A1 (it) 2006-09-10

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