Refrigerator Spotlight Layout for Crisper Drawer Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Household refrigeration devices often poorly illuminate the lower areas, such as bowls or drawers, resulting in inadequate lighting for stored goods, particularly fresh food like vegetables that are prone to rapid aging.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration device with a lamp positioned to create a high-contrast light cone that highlights the center area of the bottom tray, ensuring that refrigerated goods are prominently visible, while the side areas remain less illuminated, and incorporating a transparent tray cover and adjustable air flow for humidity control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a ceiling light is used to illuminate the front area of shelves and tray, then uniform illumination of the front area is achieved, but no local area is highlighted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using a spot fixture that provides focused illumination on specific areas (front center of the tray) rather than uniform lighting. The spot fixture creates a concentrated beam of light that highlights particular products or areas within the tray, allowing different zones to have different illumination characteristics - the center area receives intense focused light while peripheral areas receive less illumination.
2Loss of information
If a spot fixture is used to highlight the center area of the tray, then local area visibility is improved, but uniform illumination of the front area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The spot fixture is strategically positioned and oriented to illuminate the front center area of the tray where fresh food products are typically placed. This creates a visual hierarchy that guides the user's attention to the most important area, while still providing sufficient ambient light for the rest of the tray through the fixture's light distribution characteristics.
3Ease of operation
If the tray protrudes into the free space in the pushed-in position, then accessibility is improved, but lighting coverage becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The spot fixture is pre-positioned and oriented to illuminate the front center area of the tray when it is in the pushed-in position. This preliminary positioning ensures that the lighting is optimized for the tray's retracted state, highlighting products before the user needs to access them. The fixture's beam angle and orientation are specifically designed to cover the tray's position when it protrudes into the free space.
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 effectively showcases fresh food items by providing clear visibility and maintaining optimal humidity levels, thereby extending the freshness of stored goods.
Implementation Method 1
A spot fixture is used for emitting light within a cone of light
Implementation Method 2
The tray cover is advantageously transparent
Data Source
Figure 1~8
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a refrigeration appliance (10, 40, 50, 60), having a body (11), which has a cooling chamber (16), which can be closed at a door opening (13) by means of a door (12) attached to the body (11), having a light, having storage shelves (17) in the cooling chamber (16), which are spaced apart from the door opening (13) by a spacing, there being a clear space (33) between door opening (13) and storage shelves (17), and having a drawer (18) which is arranged underneath the storage shelves (17), which projects into the clear space (33) when pushed in and which has side walls (59) and a front edge (49). In that refrigeration appliance (10, 40, 50, 60) the light is a spotlight (31, 41, 51, 61) for emitting light within a cone of light (42, 52, 62), wherein the center of the front edge (49) of the drawer (18) is located within the cone of light (42, 52, 62), and the side walls (59) of the drawer (18) are located outside the cone of light (42, 52, 62).