Cooking appliance with a lighting device
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
LEDs are vulnerable to heat and cannot operate effectively in the hot environment of a closed-type cooking appliance, making it difficult to provide reliable illumination within the cooking chamber.
Innovation Solution
A cooking appliance design featuring a light source with an LED installed outside the cavity, using a light tube and transmissive cover to direct light into the cooking chamber while maintaining the LED at a safe distance from the heat source, and incorporating a cooling system to prevent overheating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a light source is installed inside the cooking chamber to illuminate the food, then the illumination effectiveness is improved, but the light source is exposed to high temperature which reduces its reliability and service life
Solution Approach 1:
A light guide tube serves as an intermediary component that transmits light from the LED (located outside the cooking chamber) into the cooking chamber. The light guide tube has a light incident end that receives light from the LED and a light emitting end that directs light into the cooking chamber, thereby separating the light source from the high-temperature environment while maintaining effective illumination.
Solution Approach 2:
The LED light source is extracted from the cooking chamber and positioned outside of it. By locating the LED outside the high-temperature cooking environment and using a light guide tube to transmit light inward, the patent eliminates the direct exposure of the light source to harmful heat while preserving illumination functionality.
2Illumination intensity
If a light source is installed inside the cooking chamber to provide illumination, then the illumination coverage is improved, but the light source temperature increases which shortens its service life
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide tube acts as a mediator that allows the LED to be positioned outside the cooking chamber while still providing illumination inside. This separation protects the LED from high temperatures that would otherwise shorten its service life, while the light guide tube ensures adequate light coverage within the cooking chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a direct spatial arrangement (light source inside chamber) to a multi-component arrangement (LED outside chamber connected via light guide tube). This dimensional reorganization allows the light source to operate in a cool environment while still providing illumination coverage in the cooking chamber.
3Use of energy by moving object
If an LED is used as the light source to reduce power consumption and increase luminance, then energy efficiency is improved, but the LED becomes vulnerable to heat which reduces its operational reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide tube serves as an intermediary that enables the use of energy-efficient LEDs while protecting them from heat. The LED remains outside the cooking chamber in a low-temperature environment, and the light guide tube transmits the light it generates into the high-temperature cooking chamber, thus preserving both energy efficiency and heat resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The LED is extracted from the high-temperature cooking chamber environment and positioned outside. This extraction eliminates the harmful thermal effects on the LED while maintaining its energy-efficient operation, as the LED only needs to generate light, not withstand cooking temperatures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for effective illumination of the cooking chamber using LEDs, even in high-temperature environments, while protecting the LED from heat damage and extending its service life.
Implementation Method 1
a light tube installed outside the cavity to be connected to the light source, wherein at least a part or portion thereof is provided outside the cavity such that it is exposed to the inside of the cavity via the through hole, wherein the light tube is formed in a rod shape having a length extending in the vertical direction and wherein the light emitted from the LED is received via a light incidence surface facing the LED
Implementation Method 2
a light tube installed outside the cavity to be connected to the light source... wherein the light emitted from the LED is received via a light incidence surface facing the LED and diffuses in an area where the through hole is formed
Implementation Method 3
a transmissive cover installed on the cavity to cover the through hole and transmit the light diffused from the light tube into the cavity
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A lighting device (100) and a cooking appliance including the same lighting device are disclosed herein. The lighting device may include a light source unit (110) installed outside a cavity (35) where a through hole (353) is formed, the light source and including a light emitting diode (LED), a light transfer/illumination tube (120) installed outside the cavity to be connected to the light source unit and receiving light emitted from the LED via a light incidence surface to that diffuses the light in an area where the through hole is formed, a transmissive cover (130) installed on the cavity to cover the through hole to transmit the light diffused in the light transfer/illumination tube toward inside of the cavity, and a supporter (140) installed outside the cavity to support the light source unit such that it is spaced apart from the cavity.