Wine Cellar Internal Lighting Design for Insulation and Aesthetics

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing temperature-regulated enclosures, such as wine cellars, face challenges with bulky lighting devices that protrude outward, compromising aesthetics and insulation, and are difficult to integrate, leading to reduced temperature regulation performance.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating lighting devices inside the enclosure with light guides and LEDs positioned to optimize volume usage, ensuring complete closure for improved insulation and aesthetics, with light guides and LEDs integrated within the enclosure's design to facilitate easier integration and maintain temperature control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If the light source is positioned outside the enclosure with a light guide inside, then the enclosure can be illuminated, but the light source becomes bulky and protrudes from the exterior, compromising aesthetics and increasing volume

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveillumination of enclosure interiorVSAvoidaesthetics of enclosure exterior
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The light source (LED) is extracted from the external position and placed inside the enclosure, removing the bulky external element that compromised aesthetics. The light guide remains inside the enclosure to distribute light, while the light source itself is now hidden within the sealed volume, improving the external appearance without sacrificing illumination functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The lighting system components (light source and light guide) are nested within the enclosure volume. The LED is positioned inside the sealed enclosure space, with the light guide extending from it to illuminate the interior. This nesting eliminates external protrusions while maintaining the lighting function, as both components occupy space within the existing enclosure boundaries.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Illumination intensity

If the light source is positioned outside the enclosure with a light guide inside, then the enclosure can be illuminated, but drilling into the enclosure is necessary to achieve optical coupling, making manufacturing difficult and compromising temperature regulation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveillumination of enclosure interiorVSAvoidintegration complexity of lighting system
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The requirement to drill holes through the enclosure for optical coupling is eliminated by extracting the light source placement from the external position and placing it inside the enclosure. This allows the light guide to be coupled to the light source entirely within the sealed volume, avoiding any penetration of the enclosure walls and simplifying manufacturing while maintaining temperature regulation integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The light guide acts as an intermediary that transfers light from the LED source (positioned inside the enclosure) to the interior spaces requiring illumination. By positioning both the light source and light guide within the enclosure, the system achieves optical coupling without requiring external drilling or penetration points, thereby maintaining the sealed nature of the enclosure and simplifying the manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Illumination intensity

If the light source is positioned outside the enclosure with a light guide inside, then the enclosure can be illuminated, but the insulation between inside and outside is compromised, reducing temperature regulation performance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveillumination of enclosure interiorVSAvoidtemperature regulation performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The light source is extracted from the external position and placed inside the enclosure, eliminating the need for drilling holes through the insulation layer. This maintains the continuous thermal barrier between the interior and exterior of the enclosure, preserving temperature regulation performance while still enabling illumination through the internal light guide system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Both the light source and light guide are nested within the sealed enclosure volume, ensuring that the insulation layer remains intact and continuous. The lighting components occupy space within the existing thermal envelope without creating penetration points or thermal bridges, thereby maintaining optimal temperature regulation while achieving internal illumination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

4Illumination intensity

If a lighting device is integrated into the door of the enclosure, then the enclosure can be illuminated, but the volume of the door and therefore of the enclosure increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveillumination of enclosure interiorVSAvoidvolume of enclosure
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The lighting device is extracted from the door structure and repositioned inside the enclosure. This removes the lighting components from the door volume, allowing the door to maintain its original compact dimensions. The light source and light guide are now contained within the main enclosure volume, which is already dedicated to storage, thereby avoiding any increase in the overall enclosure footprint.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The interior volume of the enclosure serves multiple functions: it stores wine bottles and simultaneously houses the lighting system components (light source and light guide). This multi-functionality allows the lighting system to be integrated without requiring additional external space or increasing the door volume, as the lighting components share the existing storage space.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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 optimizes the size and temperature regulation of the wine cellar by keeping the lighting system internal, enhancing aesthetics and insulation while minimizing the volume occupied by the lighting components, thus maintaining optimal temperature control and storage capacity.

Implementation Method 1

a light guide (27, 28, 29) positioned inside said enclosure (10), said light guide being optically coupled with said lighting device (24, 26)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTotal internal reflection: Total Internal Reflection

Data Source

PatentEP3039359B1Wine cellar with a lighting device
Publication Date: 2019.12.25 EUROCAVE
  • EP3039359B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3039359B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3039359B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The invention relates to a wine cellar forming a temperature-regulated enclosure fitted with at least one lighting device (24, 26) and at least one light guide (27, 28, 29). Each lighting device (24, 26) comprises a light source suitable for emitting a light flow via the at least one light guide (27, 28, 29). The at least one lighting device (24, 26) and the at least one light guide (27, 28, 29) are arranged inside the enclosure.