LIGHT FIXTURE WITH TEXTURED REFLECTOR

• US 20130176722A1
• Filed: 10/02/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lay, James Michael, Pickard, Paul Kenneth, Durkee, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,488,329 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/231
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/04 intended only for mounting on a ceiling or the like overhead structures F21S8/02 takes precedence; details of ceiling bases F21V21/03
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/745 the fins or blades being planar and inclined with respect to the joining surface from which the fins or blades extend
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/75 with fins or blades having different shapes, thicknesses or spacing
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/777 the planes containing the fins or blades having directions perpendicular to the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/09 with a combination of different curvatures
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/24 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/28 characterised by coatings
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/10 comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/13 comprising an assembly of point-like light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A light fixture with a textured reflector surface is disclosed. Embodiments of the present invention provide for a lighting system in which LEDs face, and the majority of light form the LED light source is incident on, a textured surface of a back reflector while producing minimal glare and minimal imaging of the light source. Such a reflector may be referred to as a retro-reflector. The reflector for the light fixture can be made from a relatively inexpensive material such as polycarbonate, which without texturing has a specular or semi-specular surface. This material can be used alone or with a metal substrate to form the reflector. The textured surface can be textured by way of an imprinted pattern or by roughening, and can be extruded. A prismatic texture may be used. The texturing can also be spatially varied.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising:

a reflector to reflect light, wherein the reflector comprises a textured surface including a material that is at least semi-specular when no texture is present; and

an LED light source to emit light, positioned so that at least 70% of the light is incident on the textured surface.

2. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the reflector further comprises a metal substrate.

3. The lighting system of claim 2 wherein the textured surface further comprises an imprinted pattern.

4. The lighting system of claim 3 wherein the material further comprises polycarbonate.

5. The lighting system of claim 4 wherein the imprinted pattern comprises a prismatic pattern.

6. The lighting system of claim 5 wherein the LED light source further comprises at least two groups of LEDs, wherein one group, if illuminated, would emit light having a dominant wavelength from 435 to 490 nm, and another group, if illuminated, would emit light having a dominant wavelength from 600 to 640 nm, one group being packaged with a phosphor, which, when excited, emits light having a dominant wavelength from 540 to 585 nm.

7. The lighting system of claim 6 further comprising at least one lens plate proximate to the LED light source.

8. A reflector configured to receive at least 70% of light from an LED light source, the reflector comprising a surface including a material that is at least semi-specular when no texture is present.

9. The reflector of claim 8 wherein the surface further comprises an imprinted pattern.

10. The reflector of claim 9 further comprising a metal substrate.

11. The reflector of claim 10 wherein the imprinted pattern comprises a prismatic pattern.

12. The reflector of claim 11 wherein the prismatic pattern spatially varies relative to a center of the reflector.

13. The reflector of claim 8 further comprising a roughened surface.

14. The reflector of claim 13 further comprising a metal substrate.

15. The reflector of claim 13 wherein a roughening of the surface spatially varies relative to a center of the reflector.

16. A method of retro-reflecting light into an illumination area, the method comprising:

energizing an LED light source;

directing at least 70% of light from the LED light source to be incident on a textured surface of a reflector, wherein the surface comprises a material that is at least semi-specular when no texture is present and the material with texturing is fixed to a metal substrate; and

reflecting at least a portion of the light incident on the textured surface into the illumination area.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the texturing comprises a roughened surface.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the roughened surface varies relative to at least one of the LED light source and a center of the reflector.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the texturing comprises a prismatic surface.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the prismatic surface varies relative to at least one of the LED light source and a center of the reflector.