Heating zone with an illumination device for a cooking hob

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11224100-B2
Application number	US-201917276892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2019
Priority date	Sep 21, 2018
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

An illumination device for a heating zone of a cooking hob. The illumination device comprises a light source element and a reflecting element. Further, the illumination device comprises an insulating layer horizontally arranged within the heating zone. Said insulating layer includes a light channel formed as a cut-out. The illumination device comprises a reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer covering at least the light channel. The light source element and the reflecting element are arranged such that a light beam from said light source element is redirected by the reflecting element into the light channel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heating zone for a cooking hob, wherein:
the heating zone comprises an illumination device,
the illumination device comprises a light source element,
the illumination device comprises a reflecting element,
the illumination device comprises a reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer,
the illumination device comprises an insulating layer horizontally arranged within the heating zone,
said insulating layer includes a light channel formed as a cut-out,
the reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer covers at least the light channel, and
the light source element and the reflecting element are arranged such that a light beam from said light source element is redirected by the reflecting element into the light channel.

2. The heating zone according to claim 1 , wherein the light channel is elongated.

3. The heating zone according to claim 1 , wherein the reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer is made of mica.

4. The heating zone according to claim 1 , wherein the reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer is arranged above the insulating layer.

5. The heating zone according to claim 1 , wherein the insulating layer is made of glass fibre.

6. The heating zone according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination device comprises a further reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer arranged beneath the insulating layer and arranged above the heating zone, wherein said further reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer forms a bottom of the light channel.

7. The heating zone according to claim 6 , wherein the reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer and the further reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer are coloured or painted white.

8. The heating zone according to claim 6 , wherein the reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer and the further reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer have a thickness less than 1 mm.

9. The heating zone according to claim 1 , wherein said reflecting element is a beam splitter that includes a plurality of mirror elements.

10. The heating zone according to claim 1 , wherein the light source element and the reflecting element are arranged in a centre of the heating zone, while a plurality of said light channels extend radially.

11. The heating zone according to claim 1 , wherein the reflecting element is a prism.

12. The heating zone according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination device comprises a support device for supporting the light source element and the reflecting element.

13. The heating zone according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination device comprises at least one a light mask arranged above the reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer.

14. The heating zone according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination device comprises a plurality of said light source elements.

15. An induction cooking hob comprising the heating zone according to claim 1 .

16. The heating zone according to claim 6 , wherein the further reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer is made of mica.

17. The heating zone according to claim 8 , wherein the reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer and the further reflecting, diffusing and/or refracting layer have a thickness between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm.

18. The heating zone according to claim 9 , wherein the beam splitter is made of plastics, glass, borosilicate or metal.

19. The heating zone according to claim 10 , comprising a plurality of said reflecting elements arrangeable or arranged opposite to the light channels.

20. The heating zone according to claim 11 , wherein said prism includes a concave surface section.

21. The heating zone according to claim 14 , wherein said light source elements are separated by light screen elements.

Assignees

• Electrolux Appliances AB

Inventors

• Negretti Peter
• Papp Gabriel
• Holzinger Jochen

Classifications

• H05B6/1218 Primary

  with arrangements using lights for heating zone state indication · CPC title

• H05B6/062 Primary

  for cooking plates or the like · CPC title

• H05B2213/03

  Heating plates made out of a matrix of heating elements that can define heating areas adapted to cookware randomly placed on the heating plate · CPC title