KR101208287B1 - Lighting apparatus for Refrigerator using LED - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lighting device for a refrigerator that can uniformly illuminate the inside of a storage space of a refrigerator by using a light source of a light emitting diode and a light guide shelf, and can secure sufficient illuminance even with a small number of light sources. A light guide shelf having at least one plate-like structure installed horizontally in a space, the scattering pattern being formed on a plate surface; And an LED light source installed at an inner wall of the storage space to form a predetermined inclination angle with the light guiding shelf and emitting light toward the light guiding shelf.

Description

Lighting apparatus for refrigerator using LED

The present invention relates to a lighting device, and more particularly, a refrigerator that can uniformly illuminate the inside of a storage space of a refrigerator by using a light source of a light emitting diode and a light guide shelf, and can secure sufficient illuminance even with a small number of light sources. It relates to a lighting device for.

In general, a lighting device that is turned on / off by a door switch interlocked with opening and closing of a refrigerator door is provided in a storage compartment of a refrigerator. Conventionally, as a light source of a refrigerator lighting device, a bulb-type lamp using a filament such as a fluorescent lamp or an incandescent lamp has been widely used. In the case of the filament lamp has a short life, there is a problem that a lot of heat generated during use to increase the temperature inside the storage compartment. Recently, a lighting device using a light emitting diode (hereinafter, referred to as an LED) lamp having a long life, a low heat generation, and an excellent power consumption efficiency has been proposed to compensate for the shortcomings of a filament bulb. In addition, in order to prevent glare caused by the LED as a point light source, a lighting apparatus of a method of illuminating the inside of the storage compartment via a shelf is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2009-0074973 (quotation).

1 shows a lighting device for a refrigerator according to the prior art, it is a cross-sectional view showing the shelf structure of the lighting device for a refrigerator disclosed in the reference. As shown in the related art, the conventional lighting device for a refrigerator has a light source 5 disposed at both sides of the shelf part 6 to illuminate the inside of the storage compartment 3 by irradiating light into the shelf part 6. . In this structure, most of the light emitted from the LED light emitting portion 5a flows into the shelf interior 12b. The introduced light is emitted to the entire lower surface of the shelf 12d while traveling through the inside of the shelf 12b by total reflection, thereby illuminating the storage compartment 3 space. As such, the lighting apparatus using the LED light source 5 and the shelf 6 of the light guide material may have an effect of uniformly illuminating the inside of the storage compartment 3.

However, light emitted indirectly through a shelf, such as a lighting apparatus according to the prior art, is not dispersed or scattered on the surface of the shelf and thus does not exhibit high efficiency in terms of luminance. In addition, a large number of LEDs must be used to display sufficient brightness in the lighting device of the above technology, in which case there is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, while lighting the inside of the storage space as a whole uniform brightness while at the same time maximizing the dispersion effect of the light reflected by the light guide shelf, for a refrigerator that can improve the lighting efficiency It is an object to provide a lighting device.

Another object of the present invention is the light emitted from the LED light source to maximize the light scattering effect of the light emitted through the light guide shelf, the lighting for the refrigerator that can illuminate the inside of the storage space with a uniform and at a high brightness. To provide a device.

A lighting apparatus for a refrigerator according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a light guide shelf having at least one plate-like structure installed in a horizontal direction in the storage space of the refrigerator, the scattering pattern is formed on the plate surface; And an LED light source installed at an inner wall of the storage space to form a predetermined inclination angle with the light guiding shelf and emitting light toward the light guiding shelf.

Here, the scattering pattern is characterized in that the light from the LED light source is reflected or transmitted with respect to the light guide shelf, while being distributed in a flowable manner in the light guide shelf in the plane direction.

In addition, the position of the LED light source installed on the inner wall of the storage space, at least any one of the door opening edge for opening and closing the storage space between the light guide shelves disposed in parallel to the upper and lower portions, and the corner portion of the storage space. It is characterized by the side.

The light guide shelf may further include a protective layer protecting the scattering pattern.

Some of the light emitted from the light source unit having the above configuration is scattered and dispersed on the surface of the shelf to uniformly illuminate the inside of the storage space. In addition, it is possible to minimize the light transmitted through the shelf or reflected from the surface leak inside the shelf.

In addition, some of the light emitted from the light source unit may be indirectly illuminated through the shelf, and at the same time, some of the light may directly illuminate the storage space to ensure uniform and sufficient brightness.

1 is a front sectional view showing a light source unit and a shelf unit which are main parts of a refrigerator lighting apparatus according to the related art;
2 is a perspective view illustrating a lighting device inside a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a front sectional view showing an embodiment of a shelf unit for the lighting device of Figure 2,
Figure 4 is a front sectional view showing another embodiment of the shelf unit for the lighting device of Figure 2,
5 is a front cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the light source unit arrangement for the lighting apparatus of FIG.
6 is a side cross-sectional view and a planar cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the light source unit arrangement for the lighting device of FIG.
7 is a perspective view showing a lighting device inside the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention;
8 is a perspective view illustrating an arrangement of a shelf unit and a light source unit for the lighting apparatus of FIG. 7;
9 is a plan sectional view showing the lighting apparatus of FIG.

The technical problem achieved by the present invention and the practice of the present invention will be apparent from the preferred embodiments described below. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a perspective view illustrating a lighting device inside a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen in the figure, the refrigerator is coupled to the main body 100, the storage space 200 formed inside the main body 100, rotatable to one side of the main body 100 to open and close the storage space 200 It includes. The main body 100 includes an outer case (110 of FIG. 3) forming an outer frame of the refrigerator and an inner wall (120 of FIG. 3) forming an internal storage space.

In the main body 100, a shelf 300 for partitioning the storage space 200 into a plurality of storage spaces is detachably installed along the protrusions 121 of the inner wall 120. One side of the inner wall 120 is provided with a light source unit 400 for illuminating the interior of the storage space 200. Here, the light source unit 400 blinks in conjunction with opening and closing of the door, and a door switch (not shown) is provided at one side of the main body for this purpose.

In particular, in the present invention, the scattering pattern (320 of FIG. 3) for efficiently transmitting and reflecting the light emitted from the light source unit 400 is formed on the shelf 300, the light source 400 is the shelf ( 300 is installed so that the light is irradiated to the surface.

3 and 4 are front cross-sectional views illustrating the shelf part of the lighting apparatus of FIG. 2, which illustrates scattering patterns formed on the shelf part in detail. As shown in these figures, the shelf 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention is composed of a light guide shelf 310 formed with a light scattering pattern 320 on the outer surface or the inner center. Here, the light guide shelf 310 is made of a plate-like transparent or translucent resin. The shelf 300 is slidably attached to the guide protrusion 121 formed on the inner wall 120 of the storage space.

Looking at the detailed structure of the shelf 300, first, as shown in Figure 3, the scattering pattern 320 is formed on the lower surface of the plate-shaped light guide shelf 310. The scattering pattern 320 refracts the light emitted from the light source unit 400 to transmit the reflection or the light guide shelf 310 on the surface of the light guide shelf 310, while some light flows along the inside of the light guide shelf 310. Distribute the direction of travel as far as possible. That is, a part of light emitted from the light source unit 400 at a predetermined inclination angle is scattered or reflected by the scattering pattern 320 to be emitted to the lower part of the shelf part 300, and a part of light passes through the shelf part 300. Exit to the top. Therefore, the scattering pattern 320 scatters the light passing through or reflected from the shelf 300 so that the inside of the storage space 200 is uniformly illuminated.

In FIG. 3, the scattering pattern 320 is formed on the lower surface of the light guide shelf 310, but may be formed on one surface of the upper and lower surfaces or on both surfaces. In addition, although the scattering pattern 320 shows a prism shape as an example, various shapes such as a cylinder shape or a dot shape may be achieved.

  In particular, the prism-shaped scattering pattern 320 is formed in an asymmetrical structure whose cross section is inclined toward the center of the light guide shelf 310. In addition, the height H and the spacing P of the scattering pattern 320 gradually decrease from the edge of the light guide shelf 310 toward the center portion. The shape of the pattern considers the distance from the light source unit 400, so that the light reflected and transmitted from the light guide shelf 310 is uniform with respect to the entire interior of the storage space 200.

In addition, the prism-shaped scattering pattern 320 has an angle α of the incident surface, an angle β of the vertex angle, an interval P of the prism pattern, and the height of the angle of the vertex due to the radiation angle of the light emitted from the light source unit 400. (H) can be determined. In the lighting apparatus according to the embodiment of Figure 2, the light from the light source unit 400 is arranged to be emitted at a radial angle within 60 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. The shape of the scattering pattern 320 under such conditions is that the angle α of the incident surface is within 60 degrees, the angle angle β of the vertex angle is 90 degrees to 170 degrees, and the pattern spacing P at the edge is 300 μm to 500 It is preferable that the thickness and the vertex height H are formed within 500 nm.

In addition, a protective layer 330 is formed on the top surface of the scattering pattern 320. The protective layer 330 may prevent abrasion of the scattering pattern 320, adhesion of foreign matters, and contamination of the light guide shelf 310. In particular, the protective layer 330 in the present invention is preferably made of a medium having a lower refractive index than the light guide shelf 310 in consideration of the reflectance of light. For example, since the light guide shelf 310 is formed of a medium having a refractive index of about 1.4, the protective layer 330 may be coated with a medium having a refractive index of about 1.15.

Referring to FIG. 4, the scattering pattern 320 is formed at the center of the shelf 300. The shelf 300 according to the embodiment of FIG. 4 may be manufactured by laminating two light guide shelves 310 having the scattering pattern 320 formed thereon. That is, the two light guide shelves 310 having the scattering pattern 320 formed on one surface may be laminated to the surface on which the scattering pattern 320 is formed by UV bonding or the like.

On the other hand, the scattering pattern 320 may vary in size, density, and shape depending on the distance from the light source (400). As an example, the further away from the light source 400 may be formed in a compact size. In addition, when light is emitted in the form of a line light source, it is formed in a direction perpendicular to the path of the light, and when light is emitted radially in the form of a point light source, it is preferable to be formed radially around the light source unit 400.

5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating an arrangement structure of a light source unit according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In the present invention, the light source unit 400 may be configured as a bar-shaped LED lighting lamp in which a plurality of LEDs are arranged, and the light source accommodating part 122 recessed inward is formed on the inner wall 120 to accommodate the light source. The unit 122 is disposed to be detachable.

First, referring to FIG. 5A, the light source unit 400 is disposed in the horizontal direction parallel to the shelf unit 300 on both side inner walls 120 between the upper and lower shelf units 300. At this time, the light source unit 400 is disposed to be inclined at a predetermined angle so that the emitted light is directed toward the shelf unit 300, the light source unit 400 is directed toward the upper or lower shelf 300. By the arrangement structure, a part of the light emitted from the light source unit 400 is reflected by the shelf unit 300 to illuminate the storage space 200, and some of the light passes through the shelf unit 300 to illuminate the storage space 200. do.

In addition, as shown in (b) of FIG. 5, at least two light source units 400 may be disposed on the inner wall 120. At this time, each light source 400 is preferably disposed so that the light emitted toward the upper and lower shelf 300, respectively. In this structure, the illuminance of the storage space 200 may be further improved.

Although not shown, the light source unit 400 may be disposed to be close to the shelf 300. That is, the light source unit 400 is disposed along the upper or lower protrusion 121 of the inner wall 120 into which the shelf 300 is sliding, thereby illuminating the storage space 200 in an oblique direction. In such a structure, most of the light emitted from the light source unit 400 directly illuminates the storage space, and a portion of the light is reflected from the shelf 300 or transmitted through the shelf 300.

6, the light source unit 400 may be disposed in a vertical direction with respect to a horizontal direction that is an arrangement direction of the shelf unit 300. In this case, the light source unit 400 is disposed to face rearward from the front of the storage space 200. That is, the light source unit 400 is installed near the opening of the storage space 200 adjacent to the door.

 In this structure, as shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 6, the light traveling at an inclined angle upward or downward with respect to the horizontal direction is reflected or transmitted through the upper and lower shelf portions 300 to uniform the inside. Lights. On the other hand, the light emitted in the horizontal direction from both sides of the storage space 200 illuminates all the interior space. 6, light is emitted from the front to the rear of the storage space 200, so that the light from the light source unit 400 is not directly exposed to the user, thereby preventing eye fatigue or discomfort caused by the light. can do.

7 is a perspective view illustrating a lighting device inside a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an arrangement of a shelf unit and a light source unit, and FIG. 9 is a plan view. The lighting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which the light emitted from the light source unit is converted into a surface light source by total reflection and then emitted to the upper and lower parts of the shelf part.

To this end, the light source unit 400 is installed at both rear edges of the inner wall 120 forming the storage space 200, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. At this time, the light source unit 400 is composed of a plurality of LED light source (400a, 400b) LED lamps arranged in a bar-shaped case. In addition, the light source unit 400 is disposed so that the individual LED light source 400a is located on the light incident surface 320 of the shelf 300 at the corner of the inner wall 120. To this end, as shown in FIG. 9, the rectangular flat plate-shaped shelf 300 has a round shape in which LED light sources 400a may be positioned at both corners of the rear side corresponding to the position of the light source 400. The light incident surface 340 is formed. A light collecting pattern 341 is formed on the light incident surface 340 so that the light emitted from the LED light source 400a can be efficiently collected and incident. The light collecting pattern 341 may have various shapes such as a cylinder shape and a dot shape, and may be a prism shape pattern as shown in one example.

On the other hand, the light source unit 400 may further include an individual LED light source (400b) located between the upper and lower shelves 300. By this structure, the light emitted from the LED light source 400a positioned on the light incident surface 320 of the shelf 300 is indirectly illuminated inside the storage space through the shelf 300 to uniformly illuminate the entire storage space. In addition, the light emitted from the LED light source 400b positioned between the shelf parts 300 directly illuminates the inside of the storage space, thereby contributing to the improvement of luminance.

Although not shown, in the lighting apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 7 to 9, the scattering pattern 320 is formed on the upper and lower surfaces or the inner center of the shelf part 300 as in the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4. Is formed. In addition, although the light source unit 400 exemplifies a configuration in which a plurality of LED light sources are arranged in a bar-shaped case, a configuration in which a plurality of individual LED light sources are directly installed on an inner wall is also possible.

As described above, the lighting device for the refrigerator of the present invention is reflected by the light emitted from the light source unit on the shelf portion where the scattering pattern is formed, or is converted to the surface light source by the shelf unit, thereby uniformly illuminating the entire inside of the storage space.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the present invention, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom.

100: body 110: outer case
120: internal wall 121: protrusion
200: storage space 300: shelf
310: light guide shelf 320: scattering pattern
330: protective layer 340: light incident surface
400: light source 400a, 400b: LED light source

Claims (4)

A light guide shelf having at least one plate-like structure installed in a storage space of the refrigerator in a horizontal direction, slidably attached to a guide protrusion formed on an inner wall of the storage space, and having a scattering pattern formed on a plate surface of the plate-shaped structure; And
And an LED light source disposed to be detachable from the light source accommodating part recessed inside the inner wall of the storage space to form a predetermined inclination angle with the light guide shelf, and emitting light toward the light guide shelf.
The light guide shelf further comprises a protective layer for protecting the scattering pattern. The method of claim 1,
The scattering pattern is,
And reflecting or transmitting the light from the LED light source with respect to the light guide shelf, while distributing the light from the LED light source along the direction of the plate in the light guide shelf.
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