LIGHTING DEVICE FOR A VACUUM CLEANER

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a lighting device for a vacuum cleaner for visualizing operating states of the vacuum cleaner, wherein the lighting device has lighting elements, wherein the lighting elements are arranged next to one another in the lighting device in a ring shape or ring segment shape, wherein the lighting device has a reflector element and a light exit element, wherein the reflector element is designed to reflect light emitted by the lighting elements in the direction of the light exit element.

[0002] DE 10 2018 100 904 A1 discloses a vacuum robot with a light ring for visualizing various operating states of the vacuum robot. This light ring is formed by a plurality of LEDs arranged in a ring directly on the top of the housing. The individual LEDs are clearly visible when switched on and off, so they do not produce a harmonious lighting behavior with a homogeneous luminance. The invention therefore addresses the problem of providing a lighting device for a vacuum cleaner that has improved lighting behavior.

[0003] US 2020 138260 A1 also discloses a robot vacuum cleaner with a light ring that visualizes various operating states. The light emitting element of the light ring is designed to emit light only in one direction. The most homogeneous radiation of the light emitted by the light ring in different directions is not guaranteed.

[0004] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a lighting device having the features of patent claim 1 and by a vacuum cleaner having the features of patent claim 10. According to the invention, the reflector element forms receptacles in which the lighting elements are arranged, wherein the receptacles of the reflector element shield the lighting elements from one another.

[0005] Operating states of a vacuum cleaner can be, for example, an error message, a device status, or a sensor reading. Visualizing operating states is intended to inform the user about the current status of the vacuum cleaner in a simple and intuitive way. This state can be an internal device status or an external status resulting from the vacuum cleaner's interaction with its environment.

[0006] The lighting elements of the lighting device are preferably LEDs. However, in alternative embodiments, other lighting elements can also be provided in the lighting device.

[0007] The reflector element of the lighting device is designed to reflect light emitted by the lighting elements. For this purpose, the reflector element forms receptacles, in each of which a lighting element of the lighting device is arranged. The receptacles of the reflector element are designed and arranged in relation to one another in such a way that they shield the individual lighting elements of the lighting device from one another. The receptacles thereby prevent direct mutual illumination of the lighting elements. The receptacles of the reflector element form side walls that separate the individual lighting elements of the lighting device from one another. The receptacles of the reflector element are arranged next to one another in the lighting device in a ring shape or in the shape of ring segments. The lighting device according to the invention enables a homogeneous luminance.

[0008] According to an advantageous embodiment, it is preferred that the light exit element be arranged at a distance from the reflector element and the lighting elements on the lighting device. A distance of at least four millimeters between the lighting elements and the light exit element is particularly advantageous. A distance of at least five millimeters between the sections of the reflector element that reflect the main component of the light emitted by the lighting elements and the light exit element is preferred. The spacing between the light exit element and the lighting elements or the reflector element results in the most homogeneous illumination possible of the light entry surface of the light exit element.

[0009] In a further embodiment, it is preferred that the light exit element be made of a translucent material. The degree of translucency is selected such that the light exit element achieves further homogenization of the luminous behavior of the lighting device without significantly reducing its luminous intensity.

[0010] It is preferred that the light exit element forms a light entry surface and a light exit surface, wherein a distance between the light entry surface and the light exit surface along the entire cross-section is greater in the radial direction than in the axial direction. The light entry surface is the surface onto which the light emitted by the lighting elements strikes the light exit element. The light exit surface is the surface from which the light emitted by the lighting device emerges. The distance between the light entry surfaces is greater in the axial direction than in the axial direction, since more emitted light strikes the light entry surface in the radial direction. To achieve homogeneous luminance across the entire exit surface, greater scattering in the light exit element is therefore required in the radial direction.

[0011] Furthermore, it is preferred that the lighting elements be arranged on a circuit board. The circuit board is the electronic component for supplying power to and controlling the lighting elements. The individual lighting elements of the lighting device are arranged on a common circuit board. This simplifies the assembly process of the lighting device, as all lighting elements, along with the required electronics, can be mounted in the lighting device in a single assembly step.

[0012] Furthermore, it is preferred that the circuit board be designed as an additional reflector element. In an advantageous embodiment, the circuit board is provided with a white print for this purpose. This causes the light emitted by the lighting elements to be reflected back and forth between the circuit board and the cover element several times.

[0013] In an alternative embodiment, it is preferred that the lighting device comprises a housing, with the circuit board arranged in a groove on the top side of the housing. This allows for precise positioning of the circuit board relative to the housing of the lighting device. This eliminates a potential source of error during assembly of the lighting device from the outset.

[0014] Furthermore, it is preferred that the lighting device has a cover element, wherein the cover element is arranged on an upper side of the lighting device, wherein the cover element forms the reflector element. The reflector element is annular or ring-segment-shaped and has indentations along the outer circumference for receiving lighting elements. The reflector element is integrated into the cover element of the lighting device in such a way that the reflector element encloses the lighting elements both laterally and from above. The indentations in the reflector element are only open in the direction of the light exit element. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the reflector element forms 12 indentations which are arranged next to one another in a ring. The integration of the reflector element with the cover element simplifies the structure of the lighting device and thereby reduces its assembly effort.

[0015] It is preferred that the lighting device has between 8 and 24 lighting elements, particularly preferably between 12 and 16 lighting elements. A comparatively high number of lighting elements enables a uniform luminance of the lighting device along its entire circumference.

[0016] A vacuum cleaner with a lighting device according to the invention can be either a manually operated vacuum cleaner such as a floor or stick vacuum cleaner or an autonomously operating vacuum cleaner such as a vacuum or vacuum-mopping robot.

[0017] An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. They show: Figure 1: Perspective view of a vacuum robot with a lighting device; Figure 2: Sectional view of the lighting device; Figure 3: Sectional view of a section of the lighting device; Figure 4: Sectional view of a segment of the lighting device; Figure 5: Illustration of the lighting behavior of the lighting device

[0018] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a vacuum robot 12 with a lighting device 10 according to the invention. The vacuum robot 12 has a housing 36 with a D-shaped basic form, which forms a front side 38 with a straight housing edge and a rear side 40 with a rounded housing edge. On the front side 38 of the vacuum robot 12, a sensor tower 42 for a lidar sensor (not shown in Figure 1) for localizing and navigating the vacuum robot 12. The sensor tower 42 protrudes from the housing 36 of the vacuum robot 12 to increase the detection range of the lidar sensor. A ring-shaped illumination device 10 for visualizing the operating states of the vacuum robot 12 is arranged on the top of the sensor tower 42. The vacuum robot 12 can use this illumination device 10 to communicate error states such as "stuck" or "no dust container inserted" to the user. However, the illumination device 10 can also be used to indicate a change in direction of travel or to display distance information to detected objects. Furthermore, a user can be informed about current processes such as charging or cleaning via the illumination device 10. In addition to the application examples listed for the illumination device 10, various other uses are conceivable.

[0019] Figure 2 shows a sectional view of the lighting device 10. The lighting device 10 is arranged on the upper side 32 of the sensor tower 42 of the vacuum robot 12. For this purpose, the housing 28 of the sensor tower 42 forms an annular groove 30 on the upper side 32. The circuit board 26 with the lighting elements 14 inserted thereon is placed in this groove 30. The lighting elements 14 are arranged approximately centrally on the circuit board 26. The light exit element 18 is arranged on the peripheral edge of the sensor tower 42 and is fixed in a form-fitting manner by the housing 28 of the sensor tower 42 and the cover element 34 placed from above onto the sensor tower 42. The cover element 34 forms the reflector element 16 on the underside, which faces the circuit board 26 in the assembled state. As shown in the sectional view of Figure 2As shown, the reflector element 16 encloses the lighting elements 14 on their inner side, which faces the vertical axis of the sensor tower 42. Light emitted by the lighting elements 14 in the direction of the vertical axis of the sensor tower 42 is reflected by the reflector element 16 in the direction of the light exit element 18.

[0020] Figure 3shows a sectional view of a quarter segment of the lighting device 10 with a reflector element 16, which forms three receptacles 20 for lighting elements 14 in this segment piece. The receptacles 20 for the lighting elements 14 are arranged next to one another along a common radius in a ring segment shape. The receptacles 20 form indentations 48 in which the lighting elements 14 are arranged. The indentations 48 are designed such that they completely accommodate the lighting elements 14. As a result, the lighting elements are arranged completely within the indentations 48. The lighting elements 14 of the lighting device 10 are completely separated from one another by the side walls 44 of the indentations 48. There is a gap between the side walls 44 of the indentations 48 and the light exit element 18, but this gap is designed such that only previously reflected light can pass through it.Direct mutual illumination of the lighting elements 14 is prevented by the side walls of the recesses. The recesses 48 of the reflector element 16 are open toward the light exit element 18, so that the reflector element 16 reflects the light emitted by the lighting elements 14 toward the light exit element 18. The light exit element 18 is arranged on the lighting device 10 at a distance from the lighting elements 14 and the reflector element 16. The distance between the lighting elements 14 and the light exit element 18 prevents the formation of so-called hotspots on the light exit surface of the light exit element 18.

[0021] Figure 4shows a sectional view of a segment of the lighting device 10 with a reflector element 16, which forms a receptacle 20 for a lighting element 14 in this segment piece. The recess 48 is delimited by two side walls 44. The recess 48 has a depth 46 of 3.7 millimeters and is thus significantly larger than the arranged lighting element 14. The recess 48 extends over an angle 50 of 30 degrees, so that the lighting device 10 has a total of 12 recesses 48 with lighting elements 14. The side walls 44 of the reflector element 16 have a rounded shape to ensure uniform reflection behavior of the reflector element 16.

[0022] Figure 5shows the result of a simulation of the luminous behavior of the lighting device 10 according to the invention. The upper left image shows the beam path of the emitted light from three adjacent lighting elements 14. Below this illustration, a diagram is shown that shows the humanly perceptible brightness profile of the lighting device 10 in the illustrated segment. It can be seen that the reflector element 16 and the light exit element 18 produce a very homogeneous luminance along the entire segment of the lighting device 10.

[0023] The upper right picture of Figure 5shows the result of a simulation of the lighting behavior of the lighting device 10 with only one activated lighting element 14. Only the centrally arranged lighting element 14 emits light rays, while the two outer lighting elements 14 are deactivated. Below this illustration, a diagram is shown that illustrates the humanly perceptible brightness profile of the lighting device 10 in this segment. It can be seen that, due to the design and arrangement of the reflector element 16 and the light exit element 18, the luminance decreases evenly from the illuminated receptacle 20 of the lighting device 10 to the adjacent non-illuminated receptacles 20. List of reference symbols

[0024] 10Lighting device 12Vacuum cleaner / robot vacuum cleaner 14Lighting element 16Reflector element 18Light emission element 20Receptacle 22Light entry surface 24Light exit surface 26Printed circuit board 28Housing 30Bead 32Top 34Cover element 36Housing of robot vacuum cleaner 38Front of robot vacuum cleaner 40Rear of robot vacuum cleaner 42Sensor tower 44Side walls 46Deep recess 48Recess 50Angle recess

Claims

1. Lighting device (10) for a vacuum cleaner (12) for visualizing operating states of the vacuum cleaner, the lighting device comprising lighting elements (14), the lighting elements being arranged next to one another in the lighting device in a ringshaped or ring segment-shaped manner, the lighting device comprising a reflector element (16) and a light exit element (18), the reflector element being designed to reflect light emitted by the lighting elements in the direction of the light exit element, the reflector element forming receptacles (20), the lighting elements being arranged in the receptacles, the receptacles of the reflector element shielding the lighting elements from one another, characterised in that the light exit element (18) forms a light entry surface (22) and a light exit surface (24), a distance between the light entry surface and the light exit surface along the entire cross section being larger in the radial direction than in the axial direction.

2. Lighting device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the light exit element (18) is arranged at a distance from the reflector element (16) and the lighting elements (14) on the lighting device.

3. Lighting device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the reflector element (16) has a distance of at least 1.5 millimetres from the light exit element (18).

4. Lighting device (10) according to claim 3, characterised in that the light exit element (18) is made of a translucent material.

5. Lighting device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the lighting elements (14) are arranged on a circuit board (26).

6. Lighting device (10) according to claim 5, characterised in that the circuit board (26) is designed as an additional reflector element.

7. Lighting device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the lighting device comprises a housing (28), the circuit board (26) being arranged in a bead (30) on an upper side (32) of the housing (28).

8. Lighting device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the lighting device comprises a cover element (34), the cover element being arranged on an upper side of the lighting device, the cover element forming the reflector element (16).

9. Lighting device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the lighting device comprises between 8 and 24 lighting elements (14), particularly preferably between 12 and 16 lighting elements.

10. Vacuum cleaner (12), in particular vacuum robot, having a lighting device (10) according to claim 1.