Passive luminescent illuminator

• US 10,591,656 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2016
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Schubert, Martin F., Liu, Eric H. C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fallahkhair, Arman B
• Application Number:
  US15/087,190
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 22/00 Cultivation of specific crops or plants not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 31/02 Special apparatus therefor self-acting watering devices A01G27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 33/00 Cultivation of seaweed or algae
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/04 Electric or magnetic or acoustic treatment of plants for promoting growth
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/045 with electric lighting
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/20 Forcing-frames; Lights , i.e. glass panels covering the forcing-frames
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/661 Chalcogenides
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/883 with zinc or cadmium
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 2/00 Non-electric light sources using luminescence using excitation by radioactivity G21H3/02, H01J65/06, H01J65/08; using excitation by an external electromagnetic field or by external corpuscular radiation H01J65/04; Light sources using electrochemiluminescence
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 11/007 characterised by the means for transmitting light into the interior of a building
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/40 Lighting for industrial, commercial, recreational or military use
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0019 having reflective surfaces only (e.g. louvre systems, systems with multiple planar reflectors)
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0042 for use with direct solar radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0003 the light guides being doped with fluorescent agents
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0008 the light being emitted at the end of the fibre
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/14 Measures for saving energy, e.g. in green houses

Abstract

A passive illuminator includes a luminescent region with a semiconductor material that absorbs first photons having energy greater than or equal to a threshold energy. In response to absorbing the first photons, the semiconductor material emits second photons, through a spontaneous emission process, having less energy than the first photons. A waveguide is optically coupled to the luminescent region to transport the second photons a distance from the luminescent region. An extraction region optically coupled to the waveguide to emit the second photons, and the waveguide is disposed between the extraction region and the luminescent region.

Claims

1. A passive illuminator comprising:

a luminescent region including a first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material, wherein the first semiconductor material absorbs first photons having first energy greater than or equal to a first threshold energy, wherein the second semiconductor material absorbs second photons having second energy greater than or equal to a second threshold energy and different from the first energy of the first photons, wherein, in response to absorbing the first photons, the first semiconductor material emits third photons, through a first spontaneous emission process, having less energy than the first photons, wherein the first semiconductor material is structured to emit a majority of the third photons having third energy corresponding to an absorption maxima of chlorophyll, wherein in response to absorbing the second photons, the second semiconductor material emits fourth photons, through a second spontaneous emission process, having less energy than the second photons, wherein the second semiconductor material is structured to emit a majority of the fourth photons having fourth energy corresponding to the absorption maxima of chlorophyll and wherein at least part of the luminescent region includes a hollow tube and an interior tube, wherein the interior tube is disposed within the hollow tube, and wherein the first semiconductor material is disposed in the hollow tube and the second semiconductor material is disposed in the interior tube;

a waveguide structurally attached and optically coupled to the luminescent region to transport the third and fourth photons a distance from the luminescent region; and

an extraction region structurally and optically coupled to the waveguide to receive the third and fourth photons from the waveguide and to emit the third and fourth photons, wherein the waveguide is disposed between the extraction region and the luminescent region, wherein a surface of the extraction region is textured to promote extraction of the third and fourth photons.

2. The passive illuminator of claim 1, wherein the luminescent region includes a transparent matrix, and wherein the first semiconductor material includes semiconductor particles disposed in the transparent matrix.

3. The passive illuminator of claim 2, wherein the semiconductor particles have a plurality of bandgap energies and emit the third photons with a plurality of wavelengths.

4. The passive illuminator of claim 3, wherein the semiconductor particles include quantum dots.

5. The passive illuminator of claim 2, wherein the waveguide and the extraction region include the transparent matrix.

6. The passive illuminator of claim 2, wherein the transparent matrix includes at least one of glass or polymers.

7. The passive illuminator of claim 2, wherein the quantum dots include at least one of CdSe, CdSeZn, CdSeS, CdTe, or PbS.

8. The passive illuminator of claim 2, wherein the quantum dots include at least one of giant shell-core quantum dots or dot-in-rod quantum dots.

9. The passive illuminator of claim 1, wherein the first photons include sunlight, and wherein the first threshold energy is equal to a bandgap energy of the first semiconductor material.

10. The passive illuminator of claim 1, further comprising a reflective material disposed on a surface of the waveguide, wherein the reflective material is opaque and prevents third and fourth photons from escaping the waveguide.

11. The passive illuminator of claim 1, wherein the luminescent region, the waveguide, and the extraction region are flexible.

12. The passive illuminator of claim 1, wherein the luminescent region is connected to the waveguide, and the waveguide is connected to the extraction region.

13. The passive illuminator of claim 1, wherein the waveguide exhibits total internal reflection.

14. The passive illuminator of claim 1, wherein the surface of the extraction region is textured to include at least one of hemispherical bumps, groves, cuts, or abrasions.

15. The passive illuminator of claim 1, wherein at least part of the luminescent region and the waveguide include the hollow tube.

16. A method of passive illumination, comprising:

exposing a luminescent concentrator to first photons and second photons, wherein the luminescent concentrator includes a first semiconductor material that absorbs the first photons and a second semiconductor material that absorbs the second photons, wherein the first photons have first energy different from second energy of the second photons, and wherein at least part of the luminescent concentrator includes a hollow tube, wherein the luminescent concentrator includes the hollow tube and an interior tube, wherein the interior tube is disposed within the hollow tube, and wherein the first semiconductor material is disposed in the hollow tube and the second semiconductor material is disposed in the interior tube;

emitting third photons from the first semiconductor material and fourth photons from the second semiconductor material, wherein the third photons and fourth photons have less energy than the first photons and second photons, respectively, and wherein the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material are structured to emit a majority of the third photons and the fourth photons having third energy and fourth energy, respectively, corresponding to an absorption maxima of chlorophyll;

transporting the third and fourth photons a distance through a waveguide optically and structurally coupled to the luminescent concentrator; and

extracting the third and fourth photons from the waveguide through a textured surface of an extraction region, wherein the extraction region is structurally and optically coupled to the waveguide and the textured surface of the extraction region is textured to facilitate emission of the third and fourth photons from the waveguide.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the luminescent concentrator, the waveguide, and the extraction region include a continuous transparent matrix to transport the third and fourth photons.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the continuous transparent matrix is flexible.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein transporting the third and fourth photons includes transporting the third and fourth photons through a plurality of waveguides including the waveguide, and wherein extracting the third and fourth photons includes extracting the third and fourth photons in a plurality of extraction regions including the extraction region.

20. A method of plant farming comprising:

floating, using a floatation device, a passive illuminator in water such that at least a portion of luminescent region of the passive illuminator is above a surface of the water, wherein the floatation device is coupled to a waveguide portion of the passive illuminator;

collecting first photons and second photons with a luminescent concentrator, wherein the luminescent concentrator includes a first semiconductor material that absorbs the first photons and a second semiconductor material that absorbs the second photons, and wherein at least part of the luminescent concentrator includes a hollow tube and an interior tube, wherein the interior tube is disposed within the hollow tube, and wherein the first semiconductor material is disposed in the hollow tube and the second semiconductor material is disposed in the interior tube;

emitting third photons from the first semiconductor material through a first spontaneous emission process and emitting fourth photons from the second semiconductor material through a second spontaneous emission process, wherein the third and fourth photons have less energy than the first and second photons, respectively, and wherein the first and second semiconductor materials are structured to emit a majority of the third and fourth photons having energy corresponding to absorption maxima of chlorophyll;

transporting the third and fourth photons a distance through a waveguide structurally and optically coupled to the luminescent concentrator, wherein transporting the second photons the distance through the waveguide includes transporting the second photons into a depth of water where sunlight does not reach when a top surface of the water is exposed to the sunlight; and

extracting the third and fourth photons from the waveguide through a textured surface of an extraction region, wherein the extraction region is structurally and optically coupled to the waveguide and the textured surface of the extraction region is textured to facilitate emission of the second photons from the waveguide, wherein plants are disposed proximate to the extraction region to absorb the second photons.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the plants are disposed underwater.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein extracting the third and fourth photons in the extraction region includes extracting the third and fourth photons in a plurality of extraction regions including the extraction region.

23. A passive illuminator comprising:

a luminescent region including a first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material, wherein the first semiconductor material absorbs first photons having first energy greater than or equal to a first threshold energy, wherein the second semiconductor material absorbs second photons having second energy greater than or equal to a second threshold energy, wherein, in response to absorbing the first photons, the first semiconductor material emits third photons, through a first spontaneous emission process, having less energy than the first photons, wherein, in response to absorbing the second photons, the second semiconductor material emits fourth photons, through a second spontaneous emission process, having less energy than the second photons, wherein the first semiconductor material is structured to emit a majority of the third photons having third energy corresponding to an absorption maxima of chlorophyll, wherein the second semiconductor material is structured to emit a majority of the fourth photons having fourth energy corresponding to the absorption maxima of chlorophyll, and wherein at least part of the luminescent region includes a hollow tube and an interior tube, wherein the interior tube is disposed within the hollow tube, and wherein the first semiconductor material is disposed in the hollow tube and the second semiconductor material is disposed in the interior tube;

a waveguide structurally and optically coupled to the luminescent region to transport the third and fourth photons a distance from the luminescent region;

an extraction region structurally and optically coupled to the waveguide to receive the third and fourth photons from the waveguide and to emit the third and fourth photons, wherein the waveguide is disposed between the extraction region and the luminescent region, wherein a surface of the extraction region is textured to facilitate emission of the third and fourth photons from the waveguide; and

a floatation device coupled to the waveguide having a buoyancy sufficient to maintain at least a portion of luminescent region above water when the passive illuminator is disposed in the water.

24. The passive illuminator of claim 23, wherein the passive illuminator is disposed in the water, and the waveguide extends into the water to transport the third and fourth photons into a depth of the water where sunlight does not reach.