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

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a refrigerator and / or freezer with lighting means for exterior and / or interior lighting of the device.
• Cooling and / or freezers are known from the prior art, which have an interior lighting in the form of a light bulb, which is switched on by suitable switching means when opening the door and switched off when closing the door.
• lighting means generally illuminate only a portion of the device interior and that wide areas of the device may not be illuminated or hardly illuminated.
• Another disadvantage of such conventional lighting means is that their life is often very limited.
• the present invention has the object of developing a refrigerator and / or freezer of the type mentioned in such a way that the lighting means are designed so that with these a uniform and reliable illumination or illumination is possible. This object is achieved by a refrigerator and / or freezer with the features of claim 1.
• the illumination means are designed such that by means of the illumination means light according to the principle of luminescence, in particular according to the principle of electroluminescence is emitted.
• Luminescence is the property of certain substances to emit absorbed energy in whole or in part.
• this term also includes the so-called electroluminescence, i. the luminescence excitation by a suitable action of electricity, in particular by the action of an electric field.
• the illumination means may contain fluorescent substances. It is also conceivable that the illumination means contain luminescent pigments and / or luminophores and / or phosphorus and / or phosphorus compounds.
• the illumination means can comprise electroluminescent-active phosphorus and / or one or more electroluminescence-active phosphorus compounds.
• the electroluminescent system has a multilayer structure whose core layer may consist of a gel-like lighting material which is surrounded by two electrodes. If a voltage, in particular an alternating voltage, is applied to this voltage, this leads to the fact that the phosphor or the phosphorus compounds are excited to oscillate, with the result that light emissions occur.
• the phosphorus compounds may be, for example, inorganic and / or organic phosphorus compounds. A mixture of inorganic and organic phosphorus compounds can also be used.
• the phosphorus and / or the phosphorus compounds may be in the crystalline state.
• phosphor luminescent crystals are present, which emit light emissions with appropriate excitation.
• the illumination means can be designed as a flat, strip-shaped or else as a point-like structure. They can extend two-dimensionally or even three-dimensionally and follow, for example, the surface contour of an inner container or another part of the device. It is conceivable, for example, the inner container of the refrigerator and / or freezer, for example, the rear wall or the cooling air channel delimiting vertical partition surface to be provided with such a lighting means, which has the advantage that the device interior is evenly illuminated from behind. Of course, this does not only apply to the rear wall, but also to the side walls, ceiling, floor, partition plates, doors, door racks etc. of the device. In principle, each part of the device can be provided with the illumination means according to the invention.
• one or more, preferably two, electrodes are provided, which are arranged relative to the electroluminescence-active medium, which may be, for example, phosphorus and / or phosphorus compounds, such that the electroluminescence-active medium during operation of the electrode ( n) is excited to electroluminescence.
• the electrodes are supplied with an alternating voltage.
• two or more than two electrodes are provided which extend to either side of the layer in which the electroluminescent active medium is located.
• the at least one electrode may form an integral part of one or more fixed or movable equipment parts. It is conceivable, for example, that the electrode forms an integral part of a bottom or a portion of the inner container or the outer wall of the device.
• At least one of the electrodes on the outer sides of one or more protective layers directly or indirectly adjoin.
• These protective layers can also form an integral part of one or more fixed or movable device parts.
• the illumination means or the protective layers are applied to one or more fixed or movable device parts, such as on the inner container, on a vertical partition plate, on a horizontal partition plate for the separation of two compartments, such as for the separation of a Cold storage compartment, etc. of the device.
• the device has at least one wall, preferably an inner container, the inner door, a bottom, a plate or the outer wall, and that at least one of the electrodes and the electroluminescence, in particular the phosphor and / or or the region containing one or more phosphorus compounds are arranged on different sides of the wall. It is conceivable, for example, to coat one side of the wall with the electroluminescent active medium, such as phosphorus or the phosphorus compound and to arrange the electrode on the other side of this wall. It is also possible to integrate the electrode in the wall.
• the luminescence-active medium in particular the phosphorus and / or the one or more phosphorus compounds directly on one or more fixed or removable parts of the device, for example on the inner container, the inner door, a door compartment, a floor, a plate, a drawer or the outer wall is applied. This can be the case for example in the form of a coating or layer. It is conceivable to arrange the electroluminescence-active medium in a suitable matrix.
• the substrate for the luminescence-active, in particular for the electroluminescence-active medium is formed by a part of the device itself.
• the inner container, a plate, the inner door, a door rack and the like may be completely or partially coated by phosphor or a phosphorus compound.
• the illumination means comprise at least one electrode and that means are provided for transmitting energy to the electrode, which are designed such that the energy is transmitted wirelessly to the electrode.
• energy can be transmitted, for example by induction coil.
• the illumination means can be arranged largely independently of the energy source and that, for example, can be dispensed with a cable guide or any puncture of the inner container or other part for laying the cable.
• the invention also covers the case that the power supply takes place by means of one or more cables.
• the illumination means comprise at least one layer in which the electroluminescence-active medium, for example the phosphor and / or the phosphorus compound is present, electrodes which directly or indirectly adjoin the layer on both sides, and one or two protective layers, which directly or indirectly adjoin the electrodes.
• said layer and / or one of the protective layers and / or one of the electrodes can be directly or indirectly connected to one or more fixed or removable parts of the device, for example the inner container, the inner door, a door compartment, a floor, a plate, a drawer or the outer wall of the device in conjunction or form part of these parts or the entire parts.
• a bottom or a plate is completely formed by the lighting means, in which case protective layers are made of plastic or glass, for example.
• protective layers are made of plastic or glass, for example.
• removable parts of the device may be provided with a lighting means. It is possible that contacts or a non-contact power supply are provided, which are in the inserted state of the part in question or act.
• the illumination means in or on the vertical rear or partition wall of the device and / or at least one of the side walls of the interior and / or the interior ceiling and / or the interior floor and / or a floor and / or a Plate and / or a drawer and / or the inner door and / or a door racks are arranged and / or that the aforementioned parts of the device consist partially or completely of the lighting means.
• the illumination means are at least partially encapsulated in plastic.
• the illumination means have at least one protective layer made of a light-transmitting material, which consists for example of glass or has the glass.
• one or more contacts are arranged in a standardized position on the device. Such a standardized contacting concept allows the installation of different lighting means.
• the device has at least one transparent plate, in particular a glass plate, and that the illumination means are arranged such that the plate is illuminated from above and / or from below and / or from the side.
• the illumination means may be in the form of a lettering or may be arranged such that they illuminate or backlit a lettering.
• the illumination means as display illumination or as illumination of operating elements of the device.
• the illumination means are arranged behind a transparent pane, preferably behind a glass or plastic pane.
• the pane may be structured and / or colored and / or printed and / or surface-coated.
• the illumination means are arranged as a peripheral frame on or in the inner container and / or on or in the inner door and / or in the outer region of the device.
• the illumination means in the form of a strip, for example in the form of one or more "light columns" on one or both side walls of the interior.
• the illumination means may be connected to an AC voltage source. It is preferably provided that the luminosity and / or the color of the emitted light of the illumination means is variable.
• the device may contain a plurality of the illumination means according to the invention and for the user and / or the factory to set which of the illumination means are active or which are activated when the door is opened.
• the lighting means are switched on only when the door or flap of the device is open, for which purpose a corresponding switching element can be arranged.
• the illumination means are flexibly deformable. It is thus, for example, a "luminescent film", which can be suitably adapted to different contours of the device interior or to the outer skin of the device.
• the refrigerator and / or freezer according to this embodiment of the invention has an inner container, on its rear partition, d. H. on the vertical partition plate, a lighting means is applied in the form of a luminous film.
• the luminous film is designed as a luminous capacitor and consists of a core layer of a gel-like lighting material in which phosphorus and / or inorganic and / or organic phosphorus compounds are arranged. Conceivable is the use of organic and / or inorganic phosphorus or phosphorus compounds. These can be printed on a foil, for example.
• this "luminescent layer” On either side of this "luminescent layer” are electrodes, one of which is made of a silver resin and the other of indium tin oxide, a conductive and transparent metal. If alternating voltage is applied to the electrodes, the phosphor luminescent crystals or the phosphor pigments are excited to glow.
• the two electrodes are provided on both sides facing away from the luminescent layer with protective layers, which may be, for example, glass or plastic plates or other support, which may also be formed by the device itself.
• the luminous foil has a thickness in the range of 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm and is connected via flexible tracks or wires to a power supply.
• the voltage is in the range between 20 V and 250 V, the frequency between 50 H and 5 KH.
• a sine or square wave voltage comes into question.
• the luminous film according to the invention gives light in the wavelength range 420 nm and about 620 nm. It can be used up to an operating temperature between - 40 ° C and + 85 ° C.
• the present invention is not limited to the arrangement of the luminous film in the region of the vertical partition plate or the rear wall of the device interior. It is also conceivable to illuminate the side walls of the interior, the outer walls of the device, a horizontal partition plate, a bottom of a glass plate or a floor, a door rack, areas of the inner door, etc.
• existing components such as trays, separator plates, etc.
• existing equipment assemblies may be utilized to provide a refrigerator and / or freezer of the present invention.
• the lighting means must be applied or applied only to existing components.
• the invention also includes that one or more components of the illumination means form integral parts of the device.
• the inner container, drawers, floors, plates, door racks, the inner door and the like are formed by the lighting means itself.
• the said parts of the device comprise the substrate on which the electrode and the phosphorus or the phosphorus compounds are arranged.
• the lighting means which may be in the form of a flexible film, for example, can be encapsulated with plastic, resulting in the advantages that there is protection against damage, that the plastic is easy to clean, that a long life is guaranteed and that also an effective protection against moisture.
• the film or the lighting means can also be protected with a glass plate or by other means.
• the glass plate can be used at the same time as a light distributor, for example, it is illuminated from one side.
• the illumination means according to the invention need not necessarily form an integral part of the parts of the device, but can be applied to these or connected to these, there is the advantage that standardized parts can be used and yet by different geometries, installation positions , Installation geometries, etc. of the lighting means different and Teltension variants can be formed with the same housing or other equipment parts.
• the amount or the cost of the lighting can be easily adjusted by the size of the lighting means or the luminescent film.
• Special lighting effects can be obtained by arranging the illumination means or the illumination foil behind acrylic / Plexiglas or normal glass.
• acrylic / Plexiglas or normal glass For example, it is conceivable to structure the glass, to dye, to print or even to coat the surfaces.
• the illumination means can be glued to the inner container or other parts of the device, for example, or fastened in some other way. It is also conceivable to enclose the lighting means in a frame and then to arrange this on the device.
• the device in the form of the illumination means itself.
• the illumination means in the form of a bottom of the device, which may be fixed there or which may also be extendible.
• the use of the illumination means according to the present invention is of course not limited to the interior of the device. Of course, a corresponding outdoor lighting of the device is conceivable. This can affect the entire exterior of the device or even only certain parts, logos, logos etc.

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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)
• Freezers Or Refrigerated Showcases (AREA)
• Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)
• Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=39670451

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (4)

• 2007
  • 2007-06-19 DE DE202007008556U patent/DE202007008556U1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2008
  • 2008-03-10 EP EP20080004397 patent/EP1970657A2/fr not_active Withdrawn

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