Cooking Appliance Door Lighting Through Gap Reflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooking appliances with illumination devices suffer from light distortion and aesthetic issues due to light transmission through the door glass, leading to unclear illumination and compromised design aesthetics.
Innovation Solution
A light-emitting device is integrated into the cooking appliance, where light is emitted through a gap between the door edge and the body front face, using a reflective portion to direct light away from the door and a light-diffusing member to ensure clear and uniform illumination, while a cooling unit maintains the light-emitting member's temperature, preventing exposure and enhancing aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If light is transmitted through the door glass to emit light outside the door, then the illumination device can provide visual effect and increase user satisfaction, but the color and illumination of the light are distorted due to the glass
Solution Approach 1:
The light-emitting device is extracted from the traditional position behind the door glass and relocated to the gap between the door edge and body front face. This extraction eliminates the interfering glass medium from the light transmission path, allowing light to be emitted directly without color distortion while maintaining the visual effect function.
Solution Approach 2:
A reflective portion is introduced as an intermediary element to redirect light from the light-emitting member through the gap. This mediator enables the light to reach the external environment without passing through the door glass, thus preserving light color accuracy while achieving illumination.
2Illumination intensity
If the light-emitting unit is located on the rear face of the door and emits light toward the door front face, then the illumination can be provided, but the light-emitting unit is exposed through the outer face which deteriorates aesthetics
Solution Approach 1:
The light-emitting member is extracted from the exposed position on the door front face and relocated to a hidden position within the gap between the door edge and body. This extraction conceals the light-emitting unit from external view, preserving aesthetics while maintaining illumination function through the gap.
Solution Approach 2:
The light emission location is shifted from the two-dimensional door front face to the three-dimensional gap space between door and body. This dimensional change allows the light-emitting member to remain hidden while still providing external illumination through the gap opening.
3Illumination intensity
If the illumination unit faces the cooking chamber, then it can provide illumination, but the illumination unit is exposed to high temperature which may cause failure and reduce durability
Solution Approach 1:
The light-emitting member is extracted from the high-temperature cooking chamber environment and relocated to the cooler gap region between the door edge and body. This extraction removes the harmful thermal exposure while preserving the illumination function that faces toward the cooking chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The gap between door and body serves as a thermal intermediary zone, separating the light-emitting member from the high-temperature cooking chamber. This intermediary space provides thermal protection while allowing the illumination to function effectively.
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
The solution provides clear, distortion-free light emission through the gap, enhancing user satisfaction and appliance aesthetics by preventing unnecessary light diffusion and maintaining the light-emitting member's functionality and appearance.
Implementation Method 1
a reflective portion that extends from the front portion of the body, that is configured to receive light from the light-emitting member through the gap, and that is configured to direct light in a direction away from the door
Data Source
AI summary
A light-emitting device is provided for a cooking appliance that includes a body that defines a cooking chamber having an opening, and a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the opening of the cooking chamber. The light-emitting device includes a light-emitting member that is located on at least one of the door or the body, that faces a gap defined between an edge portion of the door and a front portion of the body, and that is configured to emit light of a predetermined color in response to operation of the cooking chamber, and a reflective portion that extends from the front portion of the body, that is configured to receive light from the light-emitting member through the gap, and that is configured to direct light in a direction away from the door.