Refrigerator or freezer cabinet with a lighting arrangement

Abstract: At a refrigerator or freezer cabinet a lamp (34) is arranged ahead of and above a horizontal edge (38) of an access opening (16) to a storage space (12) for goods in the cabinet. The lamp (34) illuminates the space (12) through the access opening by means of a reflector (36). The reflector (36) shows a cylindric part (52) with a cross section in the shape of a part of an ellipse, which part (52) with its concave side faces the access opening (16), the lamp having a filament (42) which shines in the shape of a line (44) running parallel to the edge (38) and through one (42) of the focal points of the ellipse. The other focal point (58) of the ellipse is located quite close to and outside the edge (38), so that the light from the filament (42) first is reflected by said part (52) of the reflector (36) and then is refracted through the other focal point (58) on its way into the space (12).

Description: The invention refers to a refrigerator or freezer cabinet with a lamp which by means of a reflector with a cylindric reflection surface illuminates a storage space for goods in the cabinet, which lamp is arranged ahead of and above a horizontal upper edge of a vertical access opening to the space and illuminates the space through the access opening. Such a cabinet is known through US patent No. 2 153 851. Its reflector shows a cross section in the shape of an inverted U. A tubular lamp which is not closer described is located in the reflector, which, judging from Fig. 2 of said patent, seems to throw more light outside the access opening than in through it. Another such cabinet is furthermore known through US patent No. 2 930 885, where a pendent reflector part is folded out to a reflecting position, when a door to the access opening is opened. The reflector part is said to effectively direct light into the cabinet, but any specific means for carrying this out, more than that the reflection surface is arcuate, are not mentioned. The object of the invention is to improve the known cabinet, so that the illumination of the space is substantially improved. This object is reached by the refrigerator according to the invention thereby that the reflector shows a first part with a cross section in the shape of a part of an ellipse, which first part with its concave side faces the access opening, the lamp having a filament shining in the shape of a first line running parallel to the edge and through one of the focal points of the ellipse and the other focal point of the ellipse being located quite close to the edge and outside the space, so that the light from the filament first is reflected by said part of the reflector and then is refracted through the other focal point on its way into the space. It shall be noted that the arrangement of the lamp and the elliptical reflector according to the present invention is known per se through FR patent application publication No. 2 671 391. This arrangement, however, is not adapted for deep-illuminating of a storage space of a cabinet but arranged to illuminate a flat notice-board. Embodiments of different cabinets according to the invention are described below in connexion with the enclosed drawings, in which Fig. 1 in a vertical sectional view shows an upper part of a refrigerator with a lamp arranged ahead of and above a storage space of the cabinet, which lamp by means of a reflector illuminates the space, Fig. 2 shows a sectional view according to the marking II-II in Fig. 1, the lamp being constituted by a halogen lamp with a short, line-shaped filament, Fig. 3 shows an enlargement of the area around the lamp in Fig. 1, Fig. 4 shows an embodiment, where a part of the reflector is turned down, when a door to the space is opened, Fig. 5 in a vertical sectional view shows another embodiment of a refrigerator with drawers arranged under the storage space, a part of the reflector being shaped such that it throws light from the lamp down into one of the drawers, which has been drawn out, Fig. 6 shows an enlargement of the area around the lamp in Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 shows the same sectional view as Fig. 2, the lamp being constituted by a halogen lamp with a relatively long, line-shaped filament. With reference to Fig. 1 numeral 10 designates a refrigerator cabinet, which shows a storage space 12 with horizontal shelves 14 for goods, which are accessible through a vertical access opening 16 of the cabinet. The shelves 14 can be constituted by transparent plates or be grill-shaped. The opening 16 is closable by a door 18, which in conventional way is rotatably journalled around a vertical axis located at one side of the opening. The space 12 shows at its top a heat insulating roof 20, which at its front is terminated by a plane surface 22, against which a sealing of the door 18 is intended to seal. A rectangular, plate-shaped housing 24 is arranged on top of the roof 20 and protrudes with a band-shaped, plane surface 26 out from the surface 22 a distance, which is approximately equal to the thickness of the door 18, so that a fore surface 28 of the housing 24 will be located in substantially the same plane as the outside 30 of the door 18, when the door is closed. In the housing 24 above an opening 32 in the surface 26 a halogen lamp 34 is arranged, which by means of a reflector 36 throws light into the space 12 through the opening 16 past a straight, horizontal edge 38 of the cabinet, which edge 38 is formed between the surface 22 and the underside 40 of the roof 20. The reflector 36 shows a cylindrical reflection surface generated by lines, which are parallel with the edge 38. The lamp 34, see 2, shows a filament 42, which shines in the shape of a straight line along a short distance of an axis 44, which also is parallel with the edge 38. The cylindrical reflexion surface of the reflector 36, see Fig. 3, shows a first, circular-cylindrical part 46, which extends from a place 48 at an inne edge of the opening 32 to a place 50 in the housing 24. The part 46 has its centre in the filament 42. The reflector 36 shows moreover a second, ellipse-cylindrical part 52, which extends from an other place 54 in the housing 24 to a place 56 at an outer edge of the opening 32. The part 52 has one of its focal points in the filament 42 and its other focal point in a line 58, which is parallel with the edge 38 and is located ahead of and close to this edge 38. By this the light through which the filament 42 illuminates the part 46 will be reflected towards the part 52, which in its turn reflects the light through the focal point 58 into the space 12. At the embodiment according to Fig. 3 each one of the angles 60 which the parts 46 and 52 form with the filament 42 is shown to be about 100 degrees. Thus the parts 46 and 52 collect and reflect about 200/360 = 56 % of the light from the filament 42 into the space 12. By extending the part 52 with a folding ellipse-cylindrical part 52A, which in folded-down position also has its focal points in the filament 42 and in the line 58 and which is rotatably journalled around a horizontal axis 61 located at the place 56 and which is folded down from the dashed position A shown in Fig. 4 to the position B when the door 18 is opened. The respective angle 60 is here about 150 degrees, for what reason the parts 46, 52 and 52A will reflect about 300/360 = =83% of the light from the filament 42 into the space 12. At the embodiment of the refrigerator in Fig. 5 drawers 62 for goods are arranged under the space 12. In order to obtain illumination of such a drawer 62 when it is drawn out, a parabola-cylindrical reflector part 64 with its focal point in the filament 42 can be arranged between the circular-cylindrical reflector part 46 and the ellipse-cylindrical reflector part 52, so that the part 64 reflects a beam of parallel light rays 66 down into the drawer 62 past the opening 16. The lamp 34 can also be shaped such, that the filament 42 will extend along a greater part l of the length L of the reflector 36, see Fig. 7. The reflector 36 is provided with gables 68, see also Fig. 2, with lower edges 70 located such relative to the filament 42 and the reflector 36 that the light from the filament and the reflector hits the two vertical limiting edges 72 of the opening 16 on the same height. The lamp 34 does not need to be of halogen type but can also be of usual glow lamp type.

Claims: Refrigerator or freezer cabinet (10) with a lamp (34) which by means of a reflector (36) with a cylindric reflection surface illuminates a storage space (12) for goods in the cabinet, which lamp is arranged ahead of and above a horizontal upper edge (38) of a vertical access opening (16) to the space and illuminates the space through the access opening, characterized in that the reflector (36) shows a first part (52) with a cross section in the shape of a part of an ellipse, which first part (52) with its concave side faces the access opening (16), the lamp (34) having a filament (42) shining in the shape of a first line (44) running parallel to the edge (38) and through one of the focal points of the ellipse and the other focal point (58) of the ellipse being located quite close to and outside the edge (38), so that the light from the filament (42) first is reflected by said part (52) of the reflector (36) and then is refracted through the other focal point (58) on its way into the space (12). Cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that the reflector (36) shows a second part (46) with a cross section in the shape of a part of a circle, which has its centre in the filament (42), which second part (46) catches light which does not radiate directly from the filament (42) to the first part (52) and reflects this light towards the first part (52). Cabinet according to claim 2, characterized in that the reflector (36) shows a third part (64) with a cross section in the shape of a part of a parabola, which has its focal point in the filament (42), which third part (64) of the reflector is located between the first and second parts of the reflector and adjoins these and reflects light from the filament (42) in the shape of a beam of parallel light rays (66). Cabinet according to claim 3 and provided with at least one drawer (62), which is arranged withdrawable under the space, characterized in that the beam of parallel light rays (66) falls down into the drawer (66), when it is drawn out. Cabinet according to any of claims 1-4, characterized in that said first part of the reflector is divided into one fixed part (52) and one extension part (52A) hanging down from and being rotatably mounted on the fixed part, which extension part is arranged to be turned up by a door (18) of the access opening (16), when the door (18) is closed.

Inventors: FJAESTAD ADAM, OHLSSON JAN THOMAS, FJAESTAD, ADAM, OHLSSON, JAN THOMAS
Applicants: ELECTROLUX AB, AKTIEBOLAGET ELECTROLUX
Application year: 1997
Main classification: F25D27
IPC codes: F21V33, F25D27, F21V7