LINEAR ILLUMINATION DEVICES

• US 20120069595A1
• Filed: 09/22/2011
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LEDVANCE LLC (MLS Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TerraLUX Incorporated
• Inventors: CATALANO, ANTHONY
• Granted Patent: US 8,702,292 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/555
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/61 using light guides
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/002 with provision for interchangeability, i.e. component parts being especially adapted to be replaced by another part with the same or a different function F21V17/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 2200/00 Use of light guides, e.g. fibre optic devices, in lighting devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/00 Elongate light sources, e.g. fluorescent tubes
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/30 curved
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/33 annular
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0001 specially adapted for lighting devices or systems lighting or signalling on vehicles using light guides B60Q1/00; lighting devices for vehicle dashboards B60Q3/10; lighting devices for vehicle interior using light guides B60Q3/62; lighting devices mounted on the vehicle rear part using light guides F21S43/235; measuring arrangements having light conducting pointers G01D13/265; illumination of liquid crystal displays G02F1/1336; illuminated signs G09F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0021 for housing at least a part of the light source, e.g. by forming holes or recesses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/003 Lens or lenticular sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0041 provided in the bulk of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0073 Light emitting diode [LED]

Abstract

In various embodiments, LED-based illumination devices include an inlet region for receiving the LED light that is complementary in shape to the lens of the LED.

Claims

1. An illumination device comprising:

an illumination module comprising at least one light-emitting diode (LED) having a lens;

disposed in contact with the illumination module, a light guide having (i) an inlet region for receiving light from the at least one LED, (ii) a collimation region for collimating the received light, and (iii) an emission region for emitting the collimated light to an ambient,

wherein a shape of the inlet region is nonplanar and substantially complementary to a shape of the LED lens, such that substantially all light emitted through the LED lens strikes the inlet region at an angle perpendicular to a surface of the inlet region.

2. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the light guide is configured to mate with the illumination module so as to define a gap between the surface of the inlet region and the LED lens.

3. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the shape of the inlet region is parabolic.

4. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the shape of the inlet region is hemispherical.

5. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein a shape of the collimation region is parabolic.

6. The illumination device of claim 5, wherein an axis of the parabola is inclined with respect to a long axis of the light guide, thereby increasing an amount of the collimated light propagating from the collimation region that strikes a first surface in the emission region without intervening reflection, the first surface being at least one of reflective or light-scattering.

7. The illumination device of claim 5, wherein (i) the at least one LED comprises a single lens and a plurality of LED dies emitting light therethrough, and (ii) the parabolic shape of the collimation region comprises a superposition of one parabolic section for each of the plurality of LED dies.

8. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the emission region comprises, to facilitate emission of the collimated light, at least one of a plurality of surface discontinuities or a plurality of scattering agents.

9. The illumination device of claim 8, wherein a density of the at least one of a plurality of surface discontinuities or a plurality of scattering agents increases as a function of distance away from the at least one LED.

10. The illumination device of claim 8, wherein the emission region comprises a plurality of surface discontinuities opposite an emission surface from which the light is emitted, at least one of the surface discontinuities having a shape of a hemisphere, a paraboloid, or an elongated groove.

11. The illumination device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of surface discontinuities is disposed along a portion of a perimeter of the emission region to thereby define a width of an extent of the light emitted from the emission region.

12. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the emission region is substantially parabolic, thereby directing the emitted light toward an emission surface substantially perpendicular to an axis of the parabola.

13. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the emission region is substantially trapezoidal, and the emitted light is emitted through a first parallel side of the trapezoidal shape longer than a second parallel side of the trapezoidal shape.

14. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the light emitted from the emission region substantially replicates an emission pattern of a fluorescent light bulb having dimensions approximately equal to those of the illumination device.

15. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the illumination module is configured to be modularly attachable to a plurality of light guides, each light guide having at least one of a different size or shape from the others.

16. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the illumination module comprises at least one of a heat sink for conducting heat from the at least one LED or driver circuitry for supplying electrical current to the at least one LED.

17. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the illumination module is disposed at a first end of the light guide, and further comprising a second illumination module disposed at a second end of the light guide opposite the first end, the second illumination module comprising at least one LED.

18. A method of illumination, the method comprising:

emitting light through a lens of a light-emitting diode (LED);

coupling substantially all of the light into a light guide through an inlet region having a nonplanar shape complementary to a shape of the LED lens, such that substantially all light emitted through the LED lens strikes the inlet region at an angle perpendicular to a surface of the inlet region;

collimating at least a portion of the coupled light; and

emitting at least a portion of the collimated light through the light guide into an ambient.