Outdoor and/or Enclosed Structure LED Luminaire for General Illumination Applications, Such as Parking Lots and Structures

• US 20140355302A1
• Filed: 08/18/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilcox, Kurt S., Medendorp, Nicholas W. Jr., Kinnune, Brian, Trott, Gary David, Castillo, Mario A., Dixon, Mark, Dungan, William L., Lopez, Peter, Pratt, S. Scott
• Granted Patent: US 10,379,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/609
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/03 of surface-mounted type F21S8/02, F21S8/04 take precedence; details of wall or floor bases F21V21/02
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/043 mounted by means of a rigid support, e.g. bracket or arm
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/086 with lighting device attached sideways of the standard, e.g. for roads and highways
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/006 the substrate being distinct from the light source holder
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0464 the sensor sensing the level of ambient illumination, e.g. dawn or dusk sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/002 using microoptical elements for redirecting or diffusing light
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/10 Outdoor lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0016 Grooves, prisms, gratings, scattering particles or rough surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/002 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide, e.g. with collimating, focussing or diverging surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0031 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0038 Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0075 Arrangements of multiple light guides G02B6/0028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0085 Means for removing heat created by the light source from the package heat extraction or cooling elements for semiconductor light sources in general H01L33/64
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0095 Light guides as housings, housing portions, shelves, doors, tiles, windows, or the like

Abstract

A luminaire for use in lighting a large open space such as a parking lot or deck of a parking garage includes a plurality of optical waveguides disposed in side-by-side relationship and together defining a closed path and at least one LED associated with each optical waveguide and disposed at a first end of the associated optical waveguide.

Claims

1. A luminaire, comprising:

a plurality of optical waveguides disposed in side-by-side relationship and together at least partially defining a closed path; and

at least one LED associated with each optical waveguide and disposed at a first end of the associated optical waveguide.

2. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the optical waveguides are disposed in a main frame.

3. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein each optical waveguide includes a coupling portion.

4. The luminaire of claim 3, wherein each coupling portion includes refracting and reflecting portions.

5. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein each optical waveguide includes a light emitting portion intermediate the coupling portion and a distal portion of the optical waveguide opposite the coupling portion.

6. The luminaire of claim 5, wherein the light emitting portion of each optical waveguide includes a plurality of light extraction features.

7. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the plurality of optical waveguides comprise four optical waveguides.

8. The luminaire of claim 7, wherein the four optical waveguides define a rectangular closed path.

9. The luminaire of claim 1, further including a sensor and a driver circuit responsive to the sensor for operating the LEDs.

10. The luminaire of claim 9, further including mounting apparatus for mounting the luminaire to one of a ceiling or a pole.

11. The luminaire of claim 1, further including a circuit board interconnecting the LEDs.

12. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein each optical waveguide includes a coupling portion and wherein the coupling portions are all disposed at a particular elevation of the luminaire.

13. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the optical waveguides have at least substantially identical dimensions.

14. A luminaire, comprising:

a main frame;

a plurality of waveguides disposed in the main frame wherein each optical waveguide includes first and second opposite waveguide ends, a coupling portion disposed at the first waveguide end, and a light emitting portion disposed between the first and second waveguide ends, wherein at least one of the waveguides is disposed at an angle relative to at least one other waveguide, and wherein the coupling portions of the waveguides are disposed adjacent a first luminaire end and the second waveguide ends are disposed adjacent a second luminaire end opposite the first luminaire end; and

at least one LED associated with each waveguide.

15. The luminaire of claim 14, wherein each coupling portion includes refracting and reflecting portions.

16. The luminaire of claim 15, wherein the light emitting portion of each optical waveguide includes a plurality of light extraction features.

17. The luminaire of claim 16, wherein the plurality of optical waveguides comprise four optical waveguides.

18. The luminaire of claim 17, wherein the four optical waveguides define at least a partially closed path.

19. The luminaire of claim 14, wherein the angle is greater than 90 degrees.

20. The luminaire of claim 14, further including a sensor and wherein the driver circuit is responsive to the sensor for operating the LEDs.

21. The luminaire of claim 14, further including a mounting apparatus for mounting the luminaire to one of a ceiling or a pole.

22. The luminaire of claim 14, wherein the coupling portions are all disposed at a particular elevation of the luminaire.

23. The luminaire of claim 22, wherein the optical waveguides have at least substantially identical dimensions.

24. The luminaire of claim 14, further including a circuit element interconnecting the LEDs.

25. The luminaire of claim 24, further including a gasket frame disposed on the main frame wherein the gasket frame includes a recess for receiving the coupling portions and the flex circuit element and upper and lower gaskets and wherein the luminaire further includes a cover plate mounted on the main frame with the gasket frame disposed therebetween and the upper and lower gaskets seal against the cover plate and the main frame, respectively.

26. A luminaire, comprising:

a main frame having a plurality of receptacles;

a plurality of optical waveguides disposed in the receptacles of the main frame in side-by-side relationship wherein the optical waveguides are all of substantially the same size and shape;

a gasket frame having a peripheral recess and upper and lower gaskets;

a plurality of optical coupling portions disposed in the recess of the gasket frame wherein each optical coupling portion is associated with and is adapted to direct light into an associated optical waveguide;

a plurality of LEDs associated with each optical coupling portion and disposed in the recess of the gasket frame and adapted to direct light into associated optical coupling portion;

a circuit element interconnecting the plurality of LEDs and disposed in the recess of the gasket frame; and

a cover plate disposed on the main frame such that the gasket frame is disposed therebetween and such that the upper and lower gaskets seal against the cover plate and the main frame, respectively.

27. The luminaire of claim 26, wherein each optical waveguide includes a plurality of light extraction features.

28. The luminaire of claim 27, wherein each optical waveguide is wedge-shaped.

29. The luminaire of claim 28, further including a circuit adapted to operate the LEDs and wherein the main frame further includes an enclosure within which the circuit is disposed.

30. The luminaire of claim 29, wherein the main frame includes an outer frame member and the enclosure is supported inside the outer frame member by at least one support member extending between the outer frame member and the enclosure.

31. The luminaire of claim 26, wherein each coupling portion includes refracting and reflecting portions and each optical waveguide includes a plurality of light extraction features.

32. The luminaire of claim 31, wherein the plurality of optical waveguides comprise four optical waveguides defining a rectangular closed path.

33. The luminaire of claim 26, further including a sensor and a circuit responsive to the sensor for operating the LEDs.

34. The luminaire of claim 26, further including mounting apparatus for mounting the luminaire to one of a ceiling or a pole.

35. The luminaire of claim 26, wherein the coupling portions are all disposed at a particular elevation of the luminaire.