OPTICS FOR ILLUMINATION DEVICES

• US 20140268871A1
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Morgan Innovation Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Morgan Solar Inc.
• Inventors: MORGAN, John Paul, SINCLAIR, Michael, MORRIS, Nigel, DUFOUR, Pascal
• Granted Patent: US 9,442,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/607
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/12 Light guides
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/30 with lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0028 refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0042 for use with direct solar radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/005 provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed on the light output side of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/054 Optical elements directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0543 comprising light concentrating means of the refractive type, e.g. lenses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/40 Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

Optics are provided for use in illumination devices the optics having a light guide, a redirecting layer including a plurality of lenses, and a plurality of reflector elements. Light from a light source enters the light guide and is guided therein until it escapes into a reflector element, which reflects at least some of the light received by the reflector element toward a corresponding lens for emission from the illumination device.

Claims

1. An optic for use with a light source in an illumination device, the optic comprising:

a light guide made of light transmissive material, the light guide comprising

a first surface;

a second surface opposite the first surface;

a light coupling area for receiving light from the light source; and

a peripheral edge;

a redirecting layer made of light transmissive material, the redirecting layer comprising a plurality of lenses in optical communication with the light guide for emitting light, the redirecting layer being optically attached to the first surface of the light guide; and

a plurality of reflector elements optically connected to the second surface of the light guide, each reflector element being associated with a lens of the redirecting layer for ejecting light entering the reflector element from the light guide toward the associated lens.

2. The optic of claim 1 where the light guide is made from a material selected from the group of glass, polycarbonate, injection molded poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), injection molded polymethyl methacrylimide (PMMI), cyclo olefin polymers (COP), cyclo olefin copolymers (COC), and silicone.

3. The optic of claim 1 where the first surface is a planar surface.

4. The optic of claim 1 where the plurality of lenses of the redirecting layer is plano-convex lenses that are adjacent to one another.

5. The optic of claim 1 where the redirecting layer is integrated or over molded with the first surface of the light guide.

6. The optic of claim 1 where the reflector elements further comprise an inter-step portion to receive light from the light guide and wherein the reflector elements comprise flat, parabolic analytical or free-form reflective surfaces.

7. The optic of claim 6 wherein the reflector elements further comprise a first portion to reflect light towards the associated lens of the redirecting layer and a second portion, to reflect light from the interstep portion to the first portion.

8. The optic of claim 1 wherein the reflector elements are made of light transmissive materials, of lower refractive index than the material of the light guide.

9. The optic of claim 1 wherein light is totally internally reflected by the first surface of the light guide and a step portion of the second surface of the light guide.

10. The optic of claim 1 wherein the first surface of the light guide is sloped relative to the light emitting surface of the redirecting layer and the redirecting layer is wedged-shape in cross-section so that the combined thickness of the redirecting layer and light guide is substantially constant.

11. The optic of claim 1 further comprising an optical coupling layer between the redirecting layer and the light guide, wherein the optical coupling layer is made from a head-deformable, optically transmissive material and the redirecting layer and the light guide are fused together into a monolithic optic.

12. The optic of claim 7 further comprising a low refractive index film between a reflector element and the light guide whereby light entering the reflective element via the interstep portion and reflected by the second portion of the reflective surface of the reflector element undergoes total internal reflection at the interface of the low refractive index film and the reflector element.

13. The optic of claim 7 wherein the second portion of the reflector element comprises a protrusion extending from a substantially flat portion whereby light from the light guide passes through an optical aperature formed by the protrusion and the reflector element.

14. The optic of claim 1 wherein the redirecting layer comprises a plurality of concavo-convex lenses;

and the second surface of the optic is stepped.

15. The optic of claim 14 wherein the reflector elements comprise a plurality of primary reflector elements interspersed between a plurality of secondary reflector elements, the secondary reflector elements totally internally reflect light into the light guide and the primary reflector elements reflect substantially collimated light to the concave portions of the associated lenses of the redirecting layer.

16. An illumination device comprising

an optic of claim 1;

a light source coupled to the light coupling area of the optic.

17. The illumination device of claim 16 wherein the illumination has a circulate symmetry about a central axis passing through the light source for the optic.

18. The illumination device of claim 16 wherein the illumination device is planar cuboid has a linear light source and planar of symmetry about the light source.

19. An optic for use with a light source in an illumination device, the optic comprising:

an array of redirecting lenses and associated reflector elements;

a light guide made of light transmissive material having a first surface optically attached to the redirecting lenses and a second substantially parallel surface optically attached to the reflector elements;

a light conditioning element for receiving light from a light source for distributing light within the light guide;

the redirecting lenses emitting light and the reflector elements ejecting light entering the reflector element towards the associated lens.

20. The optic of claim 19 wherein the redirecting lenses and the reflector elements are integrally formed with the light guide.