OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE DEVICE FOR A COOKING APPLIANCE

Abstract

An optical waveguide device for guiding light emitted from a light source into an interior space of a household appliance includes an optical waveguide designed to emit light, introduced into the optical waveguide at a first end of the optical waveguide, to a second end of the optical waveguide. The optical waveguide has a cylindrical outer surface between the first end of the optical waveguide and the second end of the optical waveguide. A carrier is can be coupled directly or indirectly to the household appliance and includes an optical waveguide receptacle designed to receive the optical waveguide and to fix the optical waveguide axially and radially, said carrier connected to the optical waveguide by way of the outer surface, with the optical waveguide receptacle contacting the outer surface of the optical waveguide over a periphery of the optical waveguide.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. An optical waveguide device for guiding light emitted from a light source into an interior space of a household appliance, in particular a cooking chamber of a cooking appliance, the optical waveguide device comprising: an optical waveguide designed to emit light, introduced into the optical waveguide at a first end of the optical waveguide, to a second end of the optical waveguide, said optical waveguide having a cylindrical outer surface between the first end of the optical waveguide and the second end of the optical waveguide; and a carrier capable of being directly or indirectly coupled to the household appliance and comprising an optical waveguide receptacle designed to receive the optical waveguide and to fix the optical waveguide axially and radially, said carrier connected to the optical waveguide by way of the outer surface, with the optical waveguide receptacle contacting the outer surface of the optical waveguide over a periphery of the optical waveguide.

15. The optical waveguide device of claim 14, wherein the optical waveguide is a glass optical waveguide.

16. The optical waveguide device of claim 14, wherein the outer surface has a circular cylindrical configuration.

17. The optical waveguide device of claim 14, wherein the optical waveguide receptacle of the carrier is embodied to be rotationally symmetrical.

18. The optical waveguide device of claim 14, wherein the optical waveguide receptacle uniformly contacts the outer surface of the optical waveguide over the periphery of the optical waveguide.

19. The optical waveguide device of claim 14, wherein the optical waveguide receptacle of the carrier is embodied as a clamping lug designed to fix the optical waveguide in the carrier exclusively by a force-fit connection.

20. The optical waveguide device of claim 19, wherein the clamping lug is elastically pretensioned and rests at an acute angle against the outer surface of the optical waveguide.

21. The optical waveguide device of claim 19, wherein the clamping lug comprises a lug edge which is matched to an outer contour of the optical waveguide in terms of its geometry.

22. The optical waveguide device of claim 19, wherein the clamping lug pretensions the optical waveguide against a contact surface.

23. The optical waveguide device of claim 19, wherein the optical waveguide receptacle is embodied as a plurality of said clamping lug designed to uniformly contact the optical waveguide over the periphery of the optical waveguide.

24. The optical waveguide device of claim 14, wherein the optical waveguide receptacle of the carrier and the optical waveguide are connected by a thermal press fit connection so as to fix the optical waveguide in the carrier exclusively by a force-fit connection.

25. The optical waveguide device of claim 14, wherein the optical waveguide receptacle of the carrier is embodied as an adhesive surface so as to fix the optical waveguide in the carrier exclusively by a material-bonded connection.

26. The optical waveguide device of claim 14, wherein the optical waveguide is fixed in the optical waveguide receptacle of the carrier exclusively in a material-bonded manner by In-mold injection molding.

27. The optical waveguide device of claim 14, wherein the outer surface of the optical waveguide is designed increased surface roughness or an increased coefficient of roughness in a contact section of the optical waveguide, compared with a non-contact section of the optical waveguide.

28. The optical waveguide device of claim 14, wherein the carrier is embodied to be rotationally symmetrical, in respect of a central fiber of the optical waveguide receptacle.

29. The optical waveguide device of claim 14, wherein the carrier is embodied in one piece.

30. The optical waveguide device of claim 14, wherein the carrier has an external geometry which faces away from the optical waveguide and is designed to fix the optical waveguide device in a lighting device of the household appliance.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0037] FIG. 1 is a representation of a carrier according to a first embodiment.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a representation of a radial view of a carrier mounted on an optical waveguide according to the first embodiment.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a representation of an axial view of the carrier mounted on the optical waveguide according to the first embodiment.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a representation of a radial view of the carrier mounted on the optical waveguide according to a second embodiment.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a representation of an axial view of the carrier mounted on the optical waveguide according to the second embodiment.

[0042] FIG. 6 is a representation of a modified embodiment of the carrier in a top view.

[0043] FIG. 7 is a representation of a modified embodiment of the carrier in a view from below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0044] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below on the basis of the associated figures.

First Exemplary Embodiment

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a side view of an inventive optical waveguide device 2 according to a first embodiment. The optical waveguide device 2 has an optical waveguide 4 and a carrier 6. The carrier 6 bears the optical waveguide 4 on one hand and is coupled or can be coupled to a household appliance (not shown) on the other, in order to be able to fix the optical waveguide 4 directly or indirectly on or in the household appliance by way of the carrier 6.

[0046] FIG. 2 only shows the carrier 6, which is embodied as a clamping disk/serrated ring. The carrier or the clamping disk 6 is preferably embodied in a ring-shaped/circle-shaped manner and has a ring or a ring-shaped support 8, which is provided and embodied to fix the optical waveguide device 2 to a lighting device of the household appliance. The clamping disk 6 is provided toward the ring center with an optical waveguide receptacle, wherein the optical waveguide receptacle is embodied as clamping lugs/disk lugs 10 arranged peripherally on the ring interior of the clamping disk 6 with clearances 12 arranged therebetween, said clearances being connected (in one piece) with an inner periphery of the ring-shaped support 8. The clamping lugs 10 are distributed uniformly over the inner periphery of the clamping disk 6 and connected elastically with the ring-shaped support 8. The clamping lugs 10 extend from the inner periphery of the clamping disk 6 in the direction of a point of orientation lying on a central axis of the clamping disk 6. The central axis runs through the projected center point of the clamping disk 6. Furthermore, the central axis is oriented/arranged perpendicular to the round clamping disk 6. The clamping lugs 10 are preferably arranged at an angle to the clamping disk 6. In other words, the projected center point of the clamping disk 6 and the point of orientation are at a distance from one another.

[0047] The optical waveguide 4 is produced in a rod shape and made from glass. It has a constant cross-section across its axial extent or it is (circular)-cylindrical. The optical waveguide 4 can guide light in the axial direction. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the clamping lugs 10 of the clamping disk 6 rest with a lug edge 14 facing away from the ring-shaped support 8 against the optical waveguide 4. In other words, the lug edge 14 is oriented toward the projected center point of the clamping disk 6. The internal diameter of the clamping lugs 10 or the diameter of the lug edges 14 is smaller than the diameter of the optical waveguide 4, as a result of which the clamping lugs 10 rest in an elastically pretensioned manner at an acute angle on an outer surface of the optical waveguide 4. The outer surface of the optical waveguide 4 is preferably provided in a clamping section 16 with an increased surface roughness compared to at another point. A pretension force and a coefficient of friction between the lug edge 14 and the outer surface in the clamping section 16 of the optical waveguide 4 provide for a force-fit connection between the optical waveguide 4 and the clamping disk 6. This force-fit connection ensures that the clamping disk 6 and the optical waveguide 4 are fixed against one another in the axial and radial direction. The optical waveguide 4 is provided with a mounting fiber 22 at a first end/at a first end surface 18 and at a second end/at a second end surface 20.

[0048] FIG. 3 shows an axial view of the inventive optical waveguide device 2 of the first embodiment. The clamping lugs 10 rest with the lug edges 14 oriented toward the center of the preferably round clamping disk 6 against the optical waveguide 4. The lug edge 14 preferably has a roundness, which corresponds to the roundness of the outer surface of the optical waveguide 4, so that the lug edge 14 rests completely against the outer surface of the optical waveguide. The individual clamping lugs 10 are distanced from one another in the peripheral direction by means of the clearances 12. The ring-shaped support 8 of the clamping disk 6 is provided on the side of the clamping disk 6 facing radially away from the optical waveguide 4. In an assembled state, the ring-shaped support 8 is preferably oriented parallel to the first end surface 18 and the second end surface 20 or in a plane at a right angle to the axis of the optical waveguide 4.

Second Exemplary Embodiment

[0049] FIG. 4 shows a side view of an inventive optical waveguide device 32 according to a second embodiment. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in the carrier, i.e. the optical waveguide 4 of the second embodiment being identical to the optical waveguide 4 of the first embodiment, which is why the description of the optical waveguide 4 is not repeated.

[0050] With the second embodiment, the carrier is embodied as a sleeve carrier 36. The sleeve carrier 36 contains a sleeve 37 and a flange 38, which is arranged centrally on the sleeve 37. The sleeve 37 is preferably provided and embodied to establish a force-fit connection between the sleeve carrier 36 and the optical waveguide 4. This force-fit connection between the sleeve carrier 36 and the optical waveguide 4 is achieved by means of a thermal press fit. In this regard, in an unmounted state the internal diameter of the sleeve 37 is smaller than the external diameter of the optical waveguide 4. The force-fit connection ensures that the sleeve carrier 36 and the optical waveguide 4 are fixed in an axial and radial direction against one another. The flange 38 is provided on the side of the sleeve carrier 36 facing radially away from the optical waveguide 4. The diameter of the flange 38 is preferably larger than the diameter of the sleeve 37. Moreover, the axial extent of the sleeve 37 is preferably larger than the axial extent of the flange 38. The flange 38 is preferably oriented parallel to the first end surface 18 and the second end surface 20. The sleeve carrier 36 is manufactured from metal, for instance.

[0051] FIG. 5 shows an axial view of the inventive optical waveguide device 32 of the second embodiment. An inner sleeve surface 40 of the sleeve carrier 36 rests against the outer surface of the optical waveguide 4. In other words, the inner sleeve surface 40 of the sleeve carrier 36 makes contact with the optical waveguide 4 over the entire axial length of the sleeve 37. The sleeve carrier 36 is embodied in one piece, but can also be embodied in multiple parts.

Modified Exemplary Embodiments

[0052] According to a modified embodiment, the sleeve carrier 36 and the optical waveguide 4 can be connected by means of an adhesive connection. In this regard, an adhesive is applied to the inner sleeve surface 40 of the sleeve 37 and the sleeve 37 is then slid onto the optical waveguide 4. In an unmounted state the internal diameter of the sleeve 37 is larger than the external diameter of the optical waveguide. After curing the adhesive, the sleeve carrier 36 and the optical waveguide 4 are connected in a material-bonded manner. The material-bonded connection ensures that the sleeve carrier 36 and the optical waveguide 4 are fixed against one another in an axial and radial direction. For instance, the sleeve carrier 36 is manufactured from metal, a ceramic or a plastic.

[0053] According to a further modified embodiment, the sleeve carrier 36 and the optical waveguide 4 can be connected by means of an In-mold connection (assembly injection molding method). In this regard, the optical waveguide 4 is placed into an injection molding tool and the sleeve carrier 36 is molded in an injection molding method around the optical waveguide 4 in the injection molding tool. Here the optical waveguide 4 and the sleeve carrier 36 are connected to one another in a material-bonded manner. The material-bonded connection ensures that the sleeve carrier 36 and the optical waveguide 4 are fixed against one another in an axial and radial direction.

[0054] FIG. 6 shows a modified embodiment of the carrier 6 from FIG. 2 in a top view and FIG. 7 shows the modified embodiment in a bottom view. Contrary to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the support 8 has an elliptical shape. Two screw holes 42 are embodied in the support 8, with which the carrier 6 can be fixed to the lighting device of the household appliance, for instance. Alternatively, the carrier 6 can also be screwed directly onto a household appliance wall. An outer edge 44 which extends away from the support 8 perpendicular to a planar extent of the support 8 is embodied on an outer periphery of the support 8.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0055] 2 Optical waveguide device (first embodiment) [0056] 4 Optical waveguide [0057] 6 Carrier [0058] 8 Ring-shaped support [0059] 10 Clamping lug/disk lug [0060] 12 Clearance [0061] 14 Lug edge [0062] 16 Clamping section [0063] 18 First end surface [0064] 20 Second end surface [0065] 22 Mounting fiber [0066] 32 Optical waveguide device (second embodiment) [0067] 36 Sleeve carrier [0068] 37 Sleeve [0069] 38 Flange [0070] 40 Inner sleeve surface [0071] 42 Screw hole [0072] 44 Outer edge