GB2240171A

GB2240171A - Appliance with decorative fire effect

Info

Publication number: GB2240171A
Application number: GB9001104A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerry Beverley Wanstall; Phillip Coats
Original assignee: BRUNO ELECTRICAL Ltd
Current assignee: BRUNO ELECTRICAL Ltd
Priority date: 1990-01-18
Filing date: 1990-01-18
Publication date: 1991-07-24
Anticipated expiration: 2010-01-18
Also published as: GB9001104D0; GB2240171B

Abstract

In a room-heating appliance (or it could be purely decorative, without a heat source) simulated flames emanating from simulated fuel are formed by vibrating flexible coloured strips 7 by a current of air from a fan 8. The straps are disposed laterally of a generally central area and are illuminated by lamps 9 in a way that throws an image of them onto a translucent panel or panels 6 placed above the simulated fuel 5, the panel or panels being inclined to the viewing direction. The panel or panels may overlie the simulated fuel as well. <IMAGE>

Description

APPLIANCE WITH DECORATIVE FIRE EFFECT This invention relates to room heaters which, although not using solid fuel, incorporate an arrangement for simulating the appearance of a solid fuel fire, complete with decorative focal effect that simulates flames. The invention is also applicable to appliances which provide this without necessarily providing heat as well.

In a gas-fired heater there is no great problem in simulating a solid fuel fire as the imitation fuel, illuminated from below or behind, can be accompanied by real flickering flames; the same is true of an oil heater. However in the case of an electric heater, whether radiant, convector or fan-assisted, or in an appliance which has no source of heat at all the simulation of flames is much more difficult and a lot of work has been put in over the years to solve this problem.

The most widely used method has been to employ a lamp throwing an image onto a screen, e.g. a ground-glass screen or onto a corrugated or dimpled reflector, and to induce a flicker effect by means of a multi-bladed rotor or spinner mounted above the lamp and rotated by the upward flow of warm air induced by the lamp; it is also known to drive the spinner positively by means of an electric motor. The effect of the spinner is to interrupt the light from the lamp but the realism is limited by the very regularity of this interruption.

To avoid this regularity it has been proposed to enclose the lamp in a rotating cylindrical screen having a random opaque pattern on its otherwise transparent surface.

A better approach has been to use thin flexible strips of coloured fabric or plastics, vibrated in a random fashion by a flow of air from a fan and these strips are mounted above or behind the imitation coal, or an image of them is thrown onto a screen placed in a region above the imitation coal. The strips may be illuminated by specially provided lamps. Such arrangements are described in British Patent Specifications Nos. 978 364, 1 088 577 and 1 366 791 (and its Patent of Addition 1 407 926).

The invention is concerned with a further development on these lines, aimed at a still greater improvement in the simulation of flickering flames above the imitation solid fuel.

According to the invention we provide the vibrating flexible coloured strips or ribbons, actuated by a current of air from a fan, laterally of the general central area of the heater, and illuminate them to throw an image onto a translucent panel or panels which is or are placed above the imitation fuel and is or are inclined to direction from which the heater is secured. Thus the user sees the fuel through the or each panel, or at least through the lower part of it, and sees the apparent flames reflected from the upper part of it. The illusion obtained is significantly more realistic than that of the attempts made up to now, because the flames appear to emanate from the fuel bed and move in random fashion.

Preferably the strips are mounted in a space provided above the front opening of the heater, concealed by the upper part of the fire surround, and stretch from front to rear, being supported at both ends. A single reflecting panel is mounted immediately above the imitation fuel with its front edge lowermost; its inclination, upwards and to the rear, will depend on the proportions of the heater but in a typical case it will be at 350 to the horizontal.

Instead of a single translucent panel we may use multiple panels, e.g. two or three, so as to produce multiple images to enhance the effect still further.

The panels are preferably transparent sheets of glass, although other materials could be used.

The lamps for illuminating the strips are placed one at each side of the opening, concealed behind the sides of the surround, and they may or may not be provided with spinners to enhance further the flickering effect.

In an alternative arrangement the strips are arranged at the sides of the opening, and the lamps above and below. The image is then reflected by a pair of inclined glass panels mounted with their planes vertical and meeting in a Vee on a vertical line at the middle of the front of the opening.

Although the invention is of interest primarily in electric heaters, because of the impossibility of providing real flames, it is also perfectly possible to apply it to heaters using another source of heat, e.g.

gas or oil, or even remotely-heated hot air and, as mentioned earlier, it could be used in appliances having no source of heat at all.

An example of an electric heater embodying the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1, 2 and 3 are respectively a diagrammatic front elevation, transverse section and horizontal section of the heater.

A casing 1 of sheet metal has a front opening 2.

In the lower part of this opening is a grille of bars 3 to simulate the bars of a grate. Below this region there is an electric heating arrangement (not shown), for example a fan beater, or there could be radiant electric bars below the grille.

Visible behind the grille and above it is the imitation coal (or wood) 5, illuminated internally by lamps (not shown) to provide a red glow.

A transparent glass screen or panel 6 (or two or more superimposed) extends upwards and rearwards from the grille 3 at an angle of about 350 to the horizontal, and the imitation fuel is visible through it, or at least through the lower part of it, depending on the position of the viewer. Thus the viewer sees the fuel through each panel and the apparent flames are superimposed on it.

Mounted in the casing 1 in the space above the opening 2 is an array of eight or ten flexible coloured reflecting ribbons or strips 7 stretching from front to rear and secured at both ends. They are set in motion by a fan 8 and illuminated by light thrown from lamps 9 concealed behind the side portions of the front surround of the casing, so that an image of the vibrating strips is reflected to the viewer by the inclined glass panel 6, giving the illusion of flickering flames above the coal.

There may be spinners 10 above the lamps but these are not essential. Also in the example shown there is a transparent glass panel 11 closing the opening 2 but again this is not essential.

Claims

1. A room heating or decorative appliance incorporating an arrangement for simulating the appearance of a solid fuel and flames emanating from that simulated fuel, the simulated flames being derived from vibrating flexible coloured strips or ribbons actuated by a current of air, distinguished by the feature that the coloured strips are disposed laterally of the general central area of the heater and are illuminated in such a manner as to throw an image of them onto a translucent panel or panels which is or are placed above the simulated fuel and is or are inclined to the direction from which the appliance is viewed.

2. An appliance according to claim 1 in which the or each panel overlies the simulated fuel so that a viewer sees the simulated fuel through a lower region of the panel or panels and the image of the simulated flames through an upper region of the panel or panels.

3. An appliance according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which there is a central front opening through which a viewer sees the simulated fuel and flames, and the flexible strips are concealed in a space above this opening.

4. An appliance according to claim 3 in which the strips extend parallel to one another in a direction from front to rear of the appliance.

5. An appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the or each translucent panel is disposed in a position upwardly inclined from front to rear.

6. An appliance according to claim 5 in which the or each translucent panel is at an angle of substantially 350 to the horizontal.

7. An appliance according to claim 5 or claim 6 in which there are at least two of the said translucent panels superimposed to produce multiple images.

8. An appliance according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which there is a central front opening through which a viewer sees the simulated fuel and flames, and the flexible strips are concealed in spaces at each side of the opening.

9. An appliance according to claim 8 in which the image of the strips is formed by a pair of the said translucent panels having their planes vertical and meeting on a vertical line in the middle of the opening.

10. A room heating or decorative appliance substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.