Translucent Oven Pane Lighting via Total Internal Reflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household appliances lack effective and aesthetically pleasing lighting solutions that provide homogeneous illumination and adaptability to different operational states, leading to suboptimal user experience and visibility.
Innovation Solution
A household appliance featuring a translucent pane with a light source arranged at the light entry edge section for total internal reflection, allowing targeted illumination at the light exit edge section, which can be controlled for color and intensity based on the appliance's state, enhancing visibility and user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the pane uses total internal reflection to guide light, then light efficiency is improved, but the complexity of optical design increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pane structure itself serves as the optical guiding mechanism through total internal reflection at its side surfaces. The geometric configuration of the pane edges and surfaces automatically performs light guidance without requiring external optical components, mirrors, or complex optical systems, thereby achieving high light efficiency while minimizing design complexity.
2Illumination intensity
If the light exit edge section is designed for targeted illumination, then the quality impression is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the pane into distinct functional sections: a light entry edge section and a light exit edge section, each optimized for its specific function. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each zone's optical properties and simplifies manufacturing by focusing precision requirements on specific edge sections rather than the entire pane structure.
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 provides improved lighting that creates a high-quality impression, enhances visibility, and intuitively communicates the appliance's state through color-coded lighting, improving user experience and operational clarity.
Implementation Method 1
The side surfaces of the pane serve to guide light from the at least one light entry edge section to the at least one light exit edge section
Implementation Method 2
the pane having at least one free, front-side visible light exit edge section of the pane, which is set up for decoupling the light after its total internal reflection on side surfaces of the pane
Data Source
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AI summary
The household appliance (11), in particular an oven, has a translucent pane (12, 18) arranged on the front and at least one light source (4) for radiating light (L) into at least one light entry edge section (3) of the pane (12, 18). , wherein the pane (12, 18) has at least one free, frontally visible light exit edge section (13, 23, 24, 28, 32-34).