Area lighting device using discrete light sources, such as leds

• US 20020163805A1
• Filed: 06/19/2002
• Published: 11/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Allen Hubbell, Philip V. Desantis
• Original Assignee: David Allen Hubbell, Philip V. Desantis
• Inventors: Hubbell, David A., Desantis, Philip V.
• Granted Patent: US 6,705,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/247
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/62 using mixing chambers, e.g. housings with reflective walls
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/088 with lighting device mounted on top of the standard, e.g. for pedestrian zones
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0442 activated by means of a sensor, e.g. motion or photodetectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/00 Planar light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/72 in street lighting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/802 Position or condition responsive switch

Abstract

An area lighting device comprises a plurality of panels arranged into a hollow box having interconnected side walls and open bottom; and at least one of the side wall panels comprising a light emitting panel having a lighted side facing inside the hollow box.

Claims

1. An area lighting device, comprising:

a) plurality of panels arranged into a hollow box having interconnected side walls and open bottom; and

b) at least one of said side wall panels comprising a light emitting panel having a lighted side facing inside said hollow box.

2. An area lighting device as in claim 1, wherein:

a) said light emitting panel is an LED panel.

3. An area lighting device as in claim 1, wherein:

a) said light emitting panel is an electroluminescent panel.

4. An area lighting device as in claim 1, and further comprising:

a) a retro-reflective panel disposed in front of said light emitting panel such that light from said light emitting panel is transmitted and light reflected to said retro-reflective panel is reflected back.

5. An area lighting device as in claim 1, and further comprising:

a) a retro-reflective panel disposed across said open bottom such that light from within said box is transmitted and light from outside is reflected.

6. An area lighting device as in claim 1, wherein:

a) said box is a cube.

7. An area lighting device as in claim 1, wherein:

a) said box is a trapezoid in one cross-section.

8. An area lighting device as in claim 1, and further comprising:

a) a light sensor for measuring the light output from said box;

b) a controller for controlling the power output of a power source connected to said light emitting panel such that deviations from a desired light output is compensated by increasing the power output of said power source.

9. An area lighting device, comprising:

a) plurality of panels arranged into a hollow box having interconnected side walls, open bottom and an enclosing top wall; and

b) first, second and third of said side walls panels comprising different wavelength radiation sources respectively, each having a lighted side facing inside said hollow box.

10. An area lighting device as in claim 9, wherein:

a) said radiation sources include red, green and blue light emitting panels.

11. An area lighting device, comprising:

a) a first plurality of panels arranged into a first hollow box having interconnected side walls and open top and bottom, at least one of said side wall panels comprising a light emitting panel having a lighted side facing inside said first hollow box;

b) a second plurality of panels arranged into a second hollow box having interconnected side walls and open bottom, at least one of said side wall panels comprising a light emitting panel having a lighted side facing inside said second hollow box; and

c) an enclosure connecting said bottom of said second box to said open top of said first box such that light generated within said second box is transmitted to said first box.

12. An area lighting device as in claim 11, wherein:

a) said enclosure includes reflecting inside surfaces.

13. An area lighting device as in claim 11, and further comprising:

a) a retro-reflective panel disposed across said open bottom of said second hollow box such that light from within is transmitted to said enclosure and light from outside is reflected.

14. An area lighting device as in claim 11, and further comprising:

a) a retro-reflective panel disposed across said open bottom of said first hollow box such that light from within is transmitted to the outside and light from outside is reflected back.

15. An area lighting device as in claim 11, wherein:

a) said light emitting panel is an LED panel.

16. An area lighting device as in claim 11, wherein:

a) said light emitting panel is an electroluminescent panel.

17. An area lighting device as in claim 11, and further comprising:

a) a retro-reflective panel disposed in front of said light emitting panel such that light from said light emitting panel is transmitted and light reflected to said retro-reflective panel is reflected back.

19. A street lighting device as in claim 18, wherein:

a) said light emitting panels comprise LED panels.

20. A street lighting device as in claim 18, wherein:

a) said light emitting panels are arranged into a hollow box having interconnected side walls and open bottom; and

b) said light emitting panels each having a lighted side facing inside said hollow box.

21. A street lighting device as in claim 18, and further comprising:

a) said light emitting panels including a power source;

b) a light sensor for monitoring the light output of said light emitting panels; and

c) a controller connected to said light sensor and said power source for controlling the output of said power source to account for changes in the light output.

18. A street lighting device, comprising:

a) a pole;

b) a luminaire disposed at an upper end of said pole; and

c) said luminaire including a plurality of light emitting panels oriented toward the street to provide area lighting.

22. A method for calculating the illumination intensity on a target surface provided by a plurality of light sources disposed in one location above the target surface, each light source providing a cone of light where the axis of the cone has the highest light intensity and the boundary of the cone represents a lesser percentage of the wavelength radiation intensity from the center, comprising:

a) subdividing the target surface into grids;

b) for each grid, calculating the light intensity provided by each light source by taking the cross product of a location vector represented by a line connecting the light source and the grid, and an aiming vector represented by the cone axis;

c) calculating the angle between the location vector and the aiming vector;

d) if the angle is less than one-half the cone angle, calculating the primary lighting intensity at the grid;

e) plotting the total light intensity at each grid.

23. A method as in claim 22, and further comprising:

a) if the angle is greater than one-half the cone angle, but less than the secondary angle, calculating the secondary light intensity at the grid.

24. A method as in claim 23, and further comprising:

a) disposing the light sources at an upper end of a pole;

b) calculating the amount of deflection of the pole at the location of the light sources due to wind;

c) repositioning the light sources by the amount of the deflection;

d) performing steps a)-e) to recalculate the light intensity at each grid from the light sources at the new position.