Fitout articles and articles of equipment for kitchens or laboratories with a lighting element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing kitchen and laboratory equipment with glass or glass ceramic substrates face challenges in balancing light transmission for aesthetic and functional purposes, as current solutions either compromise on visibility or require additional color compensation filters, and lack adequate thermal and chemical stability.
Innovation Solution
A fitout article with a glass or glass ceramic substrate having a low coefficient of thermal expansion (0 to 6 ppm/K) and a separating element that allows light transmittance of 0.1% to 12% with specific color coordinates in the CIELAB color space, ensuring visibility while maintaining thermal and chemical stability, and optionally incorporating scattering or diffuser layers for improved light distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If transparent non-coloured glass or glass ceramic is used with high light transmittance, then visibility of lighting elements is improved, but the interior becomes visible which compromises aesthetic appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The glass or glass ceramic is given different optical properties in different regions: the peripheral regions maintain high light transmittance for visibility, while the central region has reduced transmittance (0.1% to 12%) to conceal the interior. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between overall visibility and interior concealment.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves from a uniform optical property approach to a spatially differentiated approach by defining specific transmittance ranges for different functional zones of the glass surface, effectively adding a spatial dimension to the optical property control.
2Illumination intensity
If coloured glass ceramic is used to reduce light transmittance, then interior concealment is improved, but colour distortion of lighting elements occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using coloured glass ceramic that distorts colours, the invention changes the approach by controlling the light transmittance parameter within a specific range (0.1% to 12%) through the glass composition and structure, while maintaining colour neutrality. This allows interior concealment without colour distortion.
3Manufacturing precision
If additional colour compensation filters are mounted to correct colour distortion, then colour accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for additional colour compensation filters by designing the glass or glass ceramic itself to provide the required optical properties. The glass composition and structure are optimized to achieve both interior concealment and colour accuracy without requiring separate filter components.
4Ease of manufacture
If standard glass is used without thermal stability optimization, then manufacturing ease is improved, but thermal stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the thermal parameter of the glass by selecting materials with specific coefficients of thermal expansion (0 to 6 ppm/K), transforming ordinary glass into thermally stable glass or glass ceramic. This maintains manufacturing feasibility while dramatically improving thermal stability for kitchen and laboratory applications.
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 enhanced visibility of lighting elements while concealing the interior, maintaining thermal and chemical stability, and eliminating the need for color compensation filters, thus improving user experience and equipment durability.
Implementation Method 1
a glass or glass ceramic substrate having a coefficient of thermal expansion of 0 to 6 ppm/K in the temperature range between 20° C. and 300° C.
Implementation Method 2
a light transmittance of at least 0.1% and less than 12%
Implementation Method 3
the separating element, in the region of the lighting element has a light transmittance of at least 0.1% and less than 12%
Data Source
AI summary
A fitout article or article of equipment for a kitchen or laboratory is provided. The article has a lighting and separating element. The separating element in a region of the lighting element has light transmittance of at least 0.1% and less than 12%. The lighting element in the interior emits light that passes through the separating element and to the exterior. The separating element has a glass or glass-ceramic substrate having a CTE of 0 to 6 ppm/K and has a colour locus in the CIELAB colour space with the coordinates L* of 20 to 40, a* of −6 to 6 and b* of −6 to 6. D65 standard illuminant light, after passing through the separating element, is within a white region W1 determined in the chromaticity diagram CIExyY−2° by the following coordinates:White region W1xy0.270.210.220.250.320.370.450.450.470.340.360.29.