Illumination – With fluid distributer
Patent
1999-06-10
2000-10-03
O'Shea, Sandra
Illumination
With fluid distributer
362109, 362551, 362552, 362583, 239 18, 239 20, F21V 3300
Patent
active
061262900
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a water draining fixture for plumbing applications with which light is fed into a water jet emanating from an outlet opening of a fitting head, with a water conduit guiding the water to the outlet opening and with a light guide which guides the light, separated from the water conduit, from a light source located outside of the water draining fixture up to the outlet and out of at least one light outlet opening.
A water draining fixture of this kind is e.g. known in the art through DE 31 35 861 C2.
In the following, the designation "light" refers both to visible light as well as to infra-red light (IR) and ultra-violet light (UV).
WO 95/29300 describes a water draining fixture with which light is fed into water jets exiting from outlet openings. Towards this end, light in the fixture head is fed via a transparent window into the water flowing through the fixture head so that light can also exit out of the outlet opening for the water. However, the major portion of the light fed into the water can not exit via the outlet openings. This substantially reduces the intensity of the exiting light. In addition, the amount of light fed is reduced by calcium deposits on the transparent window to thereby cause a reduction in the intensity of the exiting light. Special windows are required for feeding-in IR or UV light. Since an interrupted water jet can not guide light, the water jet of the conventional drain fixture can only be brightened by the light guided within it until it is interrupted by the formation of drops. Towards this end, additional light sources are provided for on the fixture head which surround the exiting water jet in a ring-shaped fashion to increase luminosity of continuous water jets. This leads to annoying glare effects.
In the conventional water draining fixture known from DE 31 35 861 C2, light exiting out of optical fibers, a plurality of which are disposed in a ring-shaped fashion about the periphery of the water outlet opening, is fed into a water jet exiting from a central water outlet opening of a fixture head. Since the light in the fixture head is not guided through the water rather through the optical fibers, and is first input after the water exits, the light intensity is not reduced and only minimal calcification problems can occur. The light exits via the individual light guides substantially parallel to the water jet so that the water jet is surrounded in a ring-shaped fashion by individual light beams. Since it is not shielded, the exiting light can lead to the observation of glare by the user. The light does not therefore serve for illuminating the exiting water jet, rather for illuminating the space below the water draining fixture. For this reason, the water jet, surrounded by the light, is rather dark.
In contrast thereto, it is the underlying purpose of the present invention to further improve a water draining fixture of the above mentioned kind in such a fashion that light can be introduced into an exiting water jet with high intensity and with as little glare as possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This purpose is achieved in accordance with the invention in that a plurality of water outlet openings surround at least one centrally disposed light outlet opening in a ring-shaped fashion (at the outside) and are connected to the water conduit via an annular space surrounding the light guide (at the outer side thereof) in the vicinity of the fixture head.
The water draining fixture in accordance with the invention therefore has the substantial advantage that centrally exiting light is shielded towards the outside by the water jets surrounding the light in a ring-shaped fashion to at least reduce glare effects. The central light outlet facilitates feeding out the light via suitable outlet optics into non-interrupted as well interrupted water jets, towards which end e.g. a light distributor such as a reflector can deflect the light into appropriate directions. The light outlet opening can be covered by a transparent scattering
REFERENCES:
patent: 4616298 (1986-10-01), Bolson
patent: 5207499 (1993-05-01), Vajda et al.
patent: 6021960 (2000-02-01), Kehat
Negron Ismael
O'shea Sandra
Vincent Paul
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