White light emitting device and method

• US 20050127381A1
• Filed: 12/01/2004
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensor Electronic Technology Incorporated (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sensor Electronic Technology Incorporated (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Vitta, Pranciskus, Shur, Michael, Gaska, Remigijus, Zukauskas, Arturas
• Granted Patent: US 7,095,056 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/88
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/00 Light sources using semiconductor devices as light-generating elements, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] or lasers
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0753 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/50 Wavelength conversion elements
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/22 using optical feedback

Abstract

A white light emitting device and method that generate light by combining light produced by a white light source with light produced by at least one supplemental light emitting diode (LED). The supplemental light can be used to adjust one or more properties of the generated light. Adjustments can be made to the generated light based on feedback.

Claims

1. A device for generating light, the device comprising:

a phosphor-conversion white light emitting diode (LED); and

a first supplemental LED, wherein the light generated by the device comprises a combination of the light produced by the white LED and the first supplemental LED.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second supplemental LED, wherein the generated light further comprises the light produced by the second supplemental LED.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the first supplemental LED produces light having a first chromatic wavelength;

and wherein the second supplemental LED produces light having a second chromatic wavelength that is different from the first chromatic wavelength.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the first chromatic wavelength comprises approximately 506 nanometers and the second chromatic wavelength comprises approximately 641 nanometers.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the light produced by the white LED comprises a color temperature of approximately 6725 K.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising an adjustment system for adjusting at least one property of the generated light.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the at least one property comprises at least one of:

a color temperature, an efficiency, a luminous flux, and a color rendering.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the adjustment system includes a computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for automatically adjusting the at least one property of the generated light.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a driver system for providing a driving current to at least one of:

the white LED and the first supplemental LED.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a feedback system for obtaining feedback on at least one of:

a color temperature, a luminous flux, and a color rendering for the generated light.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising adjusting at least one property of the generated light.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the adjusting step includes altering a driving current of at least one of:

the phosphor-conversion LED and the first supplemental LED.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising obtaining feedback based on the generated light.

11. A method of generating light, the method comprising:

producing white light using a phosphor-conversion light emitting diode (LED);

producing a first supplemental light using a first supplemental LED, wherein the first supplemental light has a first chromatic wavelength; and

combining the white light and the first supplemental light.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising producing a second supplemental light using a second supplemental LED, wherein the second supplemental light has a second chromatic wavelength that is different from the first chromatic wavelength, wherein the combining step further combines the second supplemental light.

16. A device for generating light, the device comprising:

a white light source;

a first supplemental light emitting diode (LED) that produces cyan light; and

a second supplemental LED that produces red light, wherein the light emitted from the device comprises a combination of the light produced by the white light source, the first supplemental LED, and the second supplemental LED.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the white light source comprises at least one of:

a phosphor-conversion LED, an incandescent light bulb, a gas discharge tube, and a fluorescent tube.

18. The device of claim 16, further comprising a driver system for altering a driving current of at least one of:

the white light source, the first supplemental LED, and the second supplemental LED.

19. The device of claim 16, further comprising a feedback system for obtaining feedback on at least one of:

a color temperature, a luminous flux, and a color rendering index for the generated light.

20. The device of claim 16, further comprising an adjustment system for adjusting at least one property of the generated light.