Illuminated ceramic tile and production method

Abstract

The invention relates to a ceramic tile (1) with a glaze (11) which covers at least the visible face (10). A light generated by one or more light sources (6, 14) is visible on the visible face (10), and at least one bore (2) and/or recess (22) passes through the body of the ceramic tile (1). The glaze (11) is designed to guide light and at least partly fills the bore (2) and/or the recess (22) in a sealing manner, and the one or more light sources (6, 14) are arranged on the rear face of the ceramic tile (1) and are connected to the bore (2) and/or the recess (22) so as to guide light.

Claims

1. A ceramic tile comprising: a casting compound covering at least a visible face of the ceramic tile, wherein the casting compound is opaque or transparent, at least one bore and/or slot passing through said ceramic tile, one or more light sources arranged such that light is visible on a visible face of the ceramic tile, wherein the casting compound is a light-conducting glaze, wherein the at least one bore and/or slot is/are filled and sealed, wherein the one or more light sources are arranged on a back face of the ceramic tile opposite to the visible face and are connected to the at least one bore and/or slot to conduct light, wherein the light source is a lighting tile, wherein a recess is defined in the back face of the ceramic tile and the lighting tile is arranged in the recess, and wherein the recess is defined by an elevated peripheral bottom edge, in which one or more side recesses are defined.

2. The ceramic tile according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic tile in a raw state thereof before firing has the at least one bore and/or slot.

3. The ceramic tile according to claim 1, wherein the one or more light sources are spot lighting elements comprising LEDs and/or OLEDs and/or fluorescent elements.

4. The ceramic tile according to claim 1, wherein the one or more light sources comprise lighting strips arranged on the back side in the recess.

5. The ceramic tile according to claim 1, wherein the light-conducting glaze is a densely fired, vitreous layer or a curable plastic composition.

6. A method for producing a ceramic tile, comprising: subjecting an unfired ceramic tile consisting of a blank in a moist and moldable raw condition, containing a clay mixture that is at least earth-moist and also containing other mineral additives, to an extrusion process or a roll-forming process, and providing the unfired ceramic tile with a glaze, and subjecting the glazed unfired ceramic tile to a firing operation, in which the ceramic tile is created as a dense clay piece, wherein at least one bore and/or slot is created in the unfired ceramic tile in the transition between the extrusion and the glazing steps, the at least one bore and/or slot extending from a visible face to a back face of the body of the ceramic tile, thereafter filling and closing the at least one bore and/or slot with a glaze that at least partially conducts light, and arranging one or more light sources on the back face of the ceramic tile and are connected to the at least one bore and/or slot in a light-conducting manner.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the at least one bore and/or slot is defined in the unfired ceramic tile, while it is still soft, by a nail plate or by a knife plate or by punching tools, which create punched-out areas defining the at least one bore and/or slot in the unfired body of the ceramic tile while still soft.

Description

(1) The invention is explained in greater detail below on the basis of several drawings illustrating methods of implementation. Additional features that are essential to the invention and advantages of the invention are derived from the drawings and the description thereof, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows schematically a top view of a ceramic tile in the finished condition;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a section through the ceramic tile according to FIG. 1, illustrating the installation of a lighting tile;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a top view of the back face of the ceramic tile according to FIGS. 1 and 2;

(5) FIG. 4 shows an enlarged section through a light-guiding bore in the ceramic tile according to FIGS. 1 and 3;

(6) FIG. 5 shows schematically the rear view of the ceramic tile according to FIGS. 1 through 3 in a perspective view (simplified in the drawing);

(7) FIG. 6 shows an embodiment that is modified in comparison with FIG. 5.

(8) According to FIGS. 1 to 3, the ceramic tile 1 consists of a ceramic body having a plurality of bores 2, which form light-conducting openings in the range of approx. 0.5 to 5 mm diameter in the embodiment illustrated here. They may be distributed regularly or irregularly over the visible face 10 of the ceramic tile 1 and pass through the entire body of the ceramic tile 1, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

(9) In preferred embodiments, the ceramic tile 1 has a total thickness in the range of approx. 15 to 20 mm, and the peripheral bottom edge 5 has a width in the range of approx. 10 to 20 mm.

(10) The height of the bottom edge 5 over the bottom recess 4, which is recessed deeper, may be in the range of approx. 4 mm.

(11) In FIGS. 1 to 3, it is provided that the ceramic tile 1 is finished and at least the visible face 10 and also at least the peripheral edge sides 3 are covered with a vitreous glaze 11.

(12) However, it is also possible to provide that the bottom recess 4 and the bottom edge 5 are covered with the vitreous glaze 11 and fired.

(13) To produce an illuminated ceramic tile, it is therefore provided that, according to FIG. 2, a flat lighting tile 6 is introduced into the recess 4 in the bottom recess in the direction of arrow 7 and is secured there with fastening means that are not shown in detail. Such fastening means may be clamping means, but they may also be adhesive means and clamping means.

(14) The area of the lighting tile 6 should be selected so that it does not protrude beyond the width 8 of the peripheral bottom edge 5 but instead can be fitted so that it is flush in the bottom recess 4.

(15) FIG. 3 shows that the peripheral bottom edge 5 may also have recesses 9 at the side. The power supply for the lighting elements of the lighting tile 6 can be passed through these recesses 9. It is likewise possible to arrange the lighting elements themselves in the area of these recesses, so that they then illuminate the lighting tile 6 from the edge side and thus create a continuous flat lighting impression of the lighting tile 6.

(16) FIG. 3 shows that the bores 2 illustrated here as an example can extend into the bottom side 12 of the ceramic tile 1, so that the bores 2 pass through the body of the ceramic tile 1.

(17) FIG. 4 shows schematically the finished fired ceramic tile 1, where it can be seen that the glaze 11 has run into the bore 2 in the ceramic tile 1, so that it fills the hole after the firing operation and the bore 2 is filled and sealed completely.

(18) This ensures that, when the ceramic tile is used, its properties are maintained, i.e., a highly abrasion resistant surface with a high resistance to breaking and a high hardness, as would be expected of unlighted ceramic tiles 1.

(19) FIG. 4 also shows that, instead of the lighting tile 6, discrete lighting elements 14 can now also be arranged in such a way that they are flush and opposite one another at each bore 2. The discrete lighting elements may also generate a colored light.

(20) Light generated in this way is emitted in the direction of arrow 15 into the bore 2 and is also distributed in the direction of arrow 16 on the bottom side of the ceramic tile 1 and may propagate in these directions of arrows 15, 16 in the lighting tile 6.

(21) FIG. 5 shows, in highly schematic form, the arrangement when individual lighting elements 14 are arranged so that they are distributed in the manner of lighting strips 17 in the bottom recess 4 in the ceramic tile 1. The recesses 9 arranged on the edge side pass through each.

(22) They may also be arranged crosswise, so that the recesses 9 arranged opposite one another may also have an additional lighting strip 17 passing through them.

(23) It is likewise possible to have a power cable 18 passing through the recesses 9 in order to electrically connect the ceramic tiles 1 situated side by side to one another by means of suitable cables.

(24) In modification of the embodiments shown previously, FIG. 6 shows that, instead of the bores 2, recesses 22 of any shape may also be arranged in the body of ceramic tile 1.

(25) In the embodiment shown here, these recesses 22 are designed in the form of slots.

(26) The rays of light 13 generated by the lighting sources in this way (see FIG. 4) are also readily discernible from the visible face 10 and may even extend through the glaze 11, so that they conduct light, and the glaze 11, thanks to its vitreous structure, may also be used as a light conductor, so that an extensive light impression is obtained on the visible face 10 of the ceramic tile 1.

LEGEND TO DRAWINGS

(27) 1 Ceramic tile 2 Bore 3 Edge side 4 Bottom recess 5 Bottom edge 6 Lighting tile 7 Direction of arrow 8 Width (of 5) 9 Recess (in 5) 10 Visible face 11 Glaze 12 Bottom side 13 Light beam 14 Lighting element 15 Direction of arrow 16 Direction of arrow 17 Lighting strip 18 Power cable 19 20 21 22 Recess