Patent ID: 7794107

Claim:
A device comprising: a sensor comprising a plurality of switching states, wherein the sensor is a proximity switch; a plurality of different coloured lighting devices for the optical transmission of information regarding the sensor, each lighting device having at least one lighting element; a sensor casing including a transparent casing part for receiving the lighting elements, wherein the at least one lighting element of each lighting device is configured to emit light through facing sides of the transparent casing part; and at least one optical interface subdividing the transparent casing part into segments in which the lighting elements are received, wherein each segment is associated with at least one of the lighting elements, wherein the segments subdivide the transparent casing part in an azimuth direction around an axis of the transparent casing part, and wherein the at least one optical interface avoids optical crosstalk when a plurality of the lighting elements are simultaneously active; wherein each of the plurality of switching states of the sensor corresponds to a unique combination of zero or more of the plurality of lighting devices having an active at least one lighting element; and wherein the transparent casing part is constructed for terminal fitting in a casing of the device and light emitted by the lighting devices is visible to a user from every azimuth direction in a polar angle range between approximately 20° and approximately 180°.