Fiber optic light guide for generating illuminated indicia for an electric burner of a heating appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11224307-B2
Application number	US-201916388241-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2019
Priority date	Jul 27, 2015
Publication date	Jan 18, 2022
Grant date	Jan 18, 2022

Abstract

A heating appliance includes a translucent cooktop and a burner in communication with the cooktop. The burner is operable between deactive and active states. The upper surface of the cooktop defines a cooldown state after the burner is moved from the active to the deactive state. A light module includes a light source and is in an illuminated state when the burner is in the active state and when the cooktop is in the cooldown state. A light guide extends from the light module and around a portion of the burner. The light guide is positioned such that the light source directs light through the light guide. The outer surface of the light guide includes a formed surface that directs light upward and through the cooktop, wherein the light guide is visible through the cooktop when the light module is in the illuminated state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heating appliance comprising:
a translucent cooktop surface;
an electric burner positioned below and in thermal communication with the translucent cooktop surface, the electric burner being operable between a deactive state and an active state, wherein the translucent cooktop surface proximate the electric burner defines a cooldown state after the electric burner is moved from the active state to the deactive state;
a light module including a light source, wherein the light module is in an illuminated state when the electric burner is in the active state, and wherein the light module remains in the illuminated state during the cooldown state; and
a fiber optic light guide extending from the light module and extending around a perimeter of the electric burner, wherein the fiber optic light guide is positioned such that the light source directs light through the fiber optic light guide, and wherein the fiber optic light guide includes a core member having an upper conditioned surface that is positioned along a top portion of the core member and adjacent to the translucent cooktop surface for directing a concentrated light pattern upward and through the translucent cooktop surface, wherein the upper conditioned surface includes an uninterrupted prism formation that extends substantially uniformly and continuously along the top portion, and wherein the light from the light source is directed into a center of the core member and along the upper conditioned surface.

2. The heating appliance of claim 1 , wherein the illuminated state of the light module is activated when a temperature of the translucent cooktop surface proximate the electric burner exceeds a predetermined temperature.

3. The heating appliance of claim 1 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor in communication with the translucent cooktop surface, wherein the temperature sensor records a surface temperature of the translucent cooktop surface proximate the electric burner, wherein the cooldown state is defined by the surface temperature exceeding a predetermined temperature after flow of electrical current to the electric burner is interrupted.

4. The heating appliance of claim 1 , wherein the uninterrupted prism formation of the upper conditioned surface is an extruded formation defined within the fiber optic light guide.

5. The heating appliance of claim 4 , wherein the uninterrupted prism formation of the upper conditioned surface includes at least one raised elongated ridge that extends along a portion of the fiber optic light guide.

6. The heating appliance of claim 5 , wherein the fiber optic light guide includes a silicone outer layer that extends around the core member.

7. The heating appliance of claim 6 , wherein the silicone outer layer engages the uninterrupted prism formation of the upper conditioned surface in a surface-to-surface engagement to define an inefficient boundary between the core member and the silicone outer layer that directs the light through the top portion and toward the translucent cooktop surface.

8. The heating appliance of claim 1 , wherein the upper conditioned surface of the fiber optic light guide includes a tinted layer such that light visible through the translucent cooktop surface from the fiber optic light guide includes a visible light wavelength corresponding to a substantially white color.

9. The heating appliance of claim 1 , wherein the electric burner is a resistive heating element.

10. A heating appliance comprising:
an electric burner positioned beneath a translucent cooktop;
a light module in communication with the translucent cooktop proximate the electric burner, the light module including a lighting element that selectively directs light through a fiber optic light guide extending around the electric burner; and
a temperature sensor in communication with the light module, wherein the temperature sensor measures a surface temperature of the translucent cooktop proximate the electric burner, and wherein the lighting element generates a plurality of illuminative indicia within the fiber optic light guide that corresponds to the surface temperature of the translucent cooktop, wherein the fiber optic light guide includes at least one continuous prism-shaped ridge that extends substantially uniformly and uninterrupted along an upper surface of the fiber optic light guide and adjacent to the translucent cooktop, wherein the light is directed substantially through the at least one continuous prism-shaped ridge and is concentrated as at least one elongated line of light that is directed toward the translucent cooktop.

11. The heating appliance of claim 10 , wherein electrical current delivered to the light module is delivered separately and independently from electrical current delivered to the electric burner.

12. The heating appliance of claim 10 , wherein the lighting element is positioned to direct light through one of a first end and a second end of the fiber optic light guide.

13. The heating appliance of claim 10 , wherein the at least one continuous prism-shaped ridge is an extruded portion of the fiber optic light guide that directs light from the lighting element.

14. The heating appliance of claim 10 , wherein the lighting element includes a plurality of lighting elements that includes a first light element having a first color and a second light element having a second color.

15. The heating appliance of claim 14 , further comprising:
a control in communication with the electric burner and the light module, wherein the control is operable to adjust flow of electrical current to the electric burner to define a plurality of heating conditions of the translucent cooktop, and wherein operation of the control also operates the light module to generate a plurality of illuminated colors from the fiber optic light guide, wherein each of the plurality of illuminated colors corresponds to a corresponding heating condition of the plurality of heating conditions.

16. The heating appliance of claim 10 , wherein the electric burner is a resistive heating element.

17. A heating appliance comprising:
an electric burner positioned below a translucent cooktop, wherein the electric burner selectively provides heat to generate a plurality of heating conditions of the translucent cooktop; and
a light module having a light fixture and at least one fiber optic light guide, wherein the light fixture is positioned to direct light through one of a first end and a second end of the at least one fiber optic light guide to produce a plurality of illuminated indicia visible through the translucent cooktop, wherein the plurality of illuminated indicia includes a plurality of operational indicia, wherein each operational indicia of the plurality of operational indicia corresponds to a respective heating condition of the plurality of heating conditions; and
wherein the at least one fiber optic light guide includes a core member and an outer covering that have a surface-to-surface engagement that defines an internal boundary therebetween, wherein a top portion of the internal boundary defines an uninterrupted extruded prism-shaped surface that extends uniformly and continuously along the internal boundary, and wherein the uninterrupted extruded prism-shaped surface defines an inefficient portion of the internal boundary that concentrates the light upward from the inefficient portion to the translucent cooktop.

18. The heating appliance of claim 17 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor in communication with a surface of the translucent cooktop a

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Millett Frederick A

Classifications

• F24C7/083 Primary

  on tops, hot plates · CPC title

• H05B1/0258

  For cooking · CPC title

• H05B6/1218

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

• H05B3/746

  Protection, e.g. overheat cutoff, hot plate indicator · CPC title

• G02B6/001

  the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre · CPC title