LUMINAIRE UTILIZING WAVEGUIDE

• US 20150253488A1
• Filed: 03/13/2015
• Published: 09/10/2015
• 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., Yuan, Zongjie, Bendtsen, Andrew Dan, Snell, Nathan, Sorenson, Jeremy, Kinnune, Brian, Raleigh, Craig D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,709,725 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/009 the casing being inside the housing of the lighting device
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/10 Outdoor lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• 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 6/0031 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0035 provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it
• 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 6/0043 provided on the surface of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0073 Light emitting diode [LED]
• 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 6/0091 of the light source relative to the light guide G02B6/0021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/24 Coupling light guides
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/262 Optical details of coupling light into, or out of, or between fibre ends, e.g. special fibre end shapes or associated optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/305 and having an integrated mode-size expanding section, e.g. tapered waveguide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/32 having lens focusing means positioned between opposed fibre ends with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/34 utilising prism or grating G02B6/293 takes precedence

Abstract

An optical waveguide having orthogonal x- and y-dimensions includes at least one coupling feature for directing light into the waveguide, at least one light redirection feature extending in the x- and y-dimensions for redirecting light in the waveguide, at least one first light extraction feature extending in the x-dimension for extracting light out of the waveguide, and at least one second light extraction feature extending in the y-dimension for extracting light out of the waveguide.

Claims

1. An optical waveguide having orthogonal x- and y-dimensions, comprising:

at least one coupling feature for directing light into the waveguide;

at least one light redirection feature extending in the x- and y-dimensions for redirecting light in the waveguide;

at least one first light extraction feature extending in the x-dimension for extracting light out of the waveguide; and

at least one second light extraction feature extending in the y-dimension for extracting light out of the waveguide.

2. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one light redirection feature includes at least two light redirection features that are mirror images of one another with a gap therebetween.

3. The optical waveguide of claim 2, wherein the at least one light redirection feature includes at least two sets of light redirection features that are mirror images of one another with a gap therebetween.

4. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one first light extraction feature comprises at least one further light extracting feature disposed between the at least one coupling feature and the at least one first light extraction feature.

5. The optical waveguide of claim 4, wherein the at least one further light extraction feature includes a TIR surface for reflecting light in the optical waveguide.

6. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one first light extraction feature comprises at least two spaced further light extracting features disposed between the at least one coupling feature and the at least one first light extraction feature.

7. The optical waveguide of claim 6, wherein each of the at least two spaced further light extraction features includes a pair of light extraction surfaces.

8. The optical waveguide of claim 7, wherein each pair of light extraction surfaces includes light scattering features.

9. The optical waveguide of claim 8, wherein each pair of light extraction surfaces is bounded by two side surfaces that include light scattering features.

10. The optical waveguide of claim 6, wherein a channel is defined between TIR surfaces of the at least two spaced further light extraction features and wherein the TIR surfaces reflect light along the channel toward the at least one light redirection feature.

11. The optical waveguide of claim 10, wherein each TIR surface includes light scattering features.

12. The optical waveguide of claim 6, further including a TIR feature disposed between the at least two spaced further light extraction features wherein the TIR feature includes opposed first and second TIR surfaces and wherein a first channel is defined between the first TIR surface and a third TIR surface of one of the further light extraction features and a second channel is defined between the second TIR surface and a fourth TIR surface of another of the further light extraction features.

13. The optical waveguide of claim 12, wherein the first and second channels are adapted to direct light in the waveguide toward the at least one light redirection feature.

14. The optical waveguide of claim 13, wherein the at least one light redirection feature includes first and second sets of light redirection features aligned with the first and second channels, respectively.

15. The optical waveguide of claim 1, further including at least one third light extraction feature extending in the x- and y-dimensions for extracting light out of the waveguide.

16. The optical waveguide of claim 15, wherein the at least one third light extraction feature includes light scattering features.

17. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one light redirecting feature is disposed between the at least one coupling feature and the at least one first light extraction feature.

18. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one light redirecting feature includes first and second sets of light redirecting features wherein all but at least one of the light redirection features of the first set are spaced from all but at least one of the light redirecting features of the second set.

19. The optical waveguide of claim 18, wherein the light redirecting features of the first and second sets are spaced from one another along the y-dimension and have inner edges that are offset with respect to one another along the x-dimension.

20. The optical waveguide of claim 19, wherein the inner edge of each light redirection feature of the first set is aligned with the inner edge of an associated light redirection feature of the second set along the y-dimension and wherein a spacing between inner edges of associated light redirection features of the first and second sets decrease with distance from the at least one coupling feature along the y-dimension.

21. The optical waveguide of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the light redirection features of the first set is contiguous with the at least one of the light redirection features of the second set to define at least one combined light redirection feature.

22. The optical waveguide of claim 21, wherein each light redirection feature is elongate in the x- and y-dimensions.

23. The optical waveguide of claim 22, wherein the at least one combined light redirection feature has a chevron shape.

24. The optical waveguide of claim 23, wherein the at least one combined light redirection feature has a light extraction surface.

25. The optical waveguide of claim 24, wherein the light extraction surface includes light scattering features.

26. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one light redirection feature comprises a cavity.

27. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one light extraction feature comprises a tapered surface.

28. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one light redirection feature is disposed on a first face, and further including at least one light extraction rib on a second face opposite the first face.

29. The optical waveguide of claim 28, wherein the at least one rib includes light scattering features.

30. A luminaire including the optical waveguide of claim 1.

31. The luminaire of claim 30, further comprising:

a housing adapted for outdoor use;

a driver circuit disposed in the housing;

at least one of a control device and an element associated with the driver circuit adapted to control an illumination output of the luminaire.

32. The luminaire of claim 31, wherein the control device comprises a dimming control device adapted to controllably limit a brightness of the luminaire.

33. The luminaire of claim 32 wherein the adjustment device comprises a programmable element adapted to limit power developed by the driver circuit.

34. An optical waveguide having orthogonal x- and y-dimensions and developing an illumination distribution pattern having orthogonal x- and y-extents, comprising:

at least one coupling feature for directing light into the waveguide;

at least one light redirection feature redirecting light in an x-y plane within the waveguide;

at least one light extraction feature for extracting light out of the waveguide in an illumination pattern having at least one of the x- and y-extents that is offset with respect to the x- and y-dimensions, respectively.

35. An optical waveguide, comprising:

a first plurality of LED light sources;

a second plurality of light coupling features each for transmitting light developed by at least one of the first plurality of LED light sources into the waveguide along a primary light path;

a third plurality of light redirection features each for redirecting light in the waveguide to cause at least a portion of the light developed by an LED to be redirected into a secondary light path transverse to the primary light path; and

a fourth plurality of light extraction features for directing light in the primary and secondary paths to be directed out of the waveguide;

wherein at least one of the light redirection features includes a light extraction surface having light scattering features.

36. The optical waveguide of claim 35, wherein the fourth plurality of light extraction features includes at least one light extraction feature offset from a center line and having a width for receiving light from at least some of the LED light sources and directing light out of the optical waveguide into a non-central portion of an illumination pattern.

37. The optical waveguide of claim 36, wherein the fourth plurality of light extraction features includes at least one light extraction feature intersecting a center line.

38. An optical waveguide having x- and y-dimensions, comprising:

a first plurality of LED light sources;

a second plurality of light coupling features disposed along a width of the waveguide along the x-dimension each for transmitting light developed by at least one of the first plurality of LED light sources into the waveguide along a primary light path directed parallel to the y-dimension wherein the width of the waveguide is bisected by a center line; and

at least one light extraction feature disposed away from the centerline and having a width along the x-dimension for receiving light from at least some of the LED light sources and directing light out of the optical waveguide into a non-central portion of an illumination pattern.

39. The optical waveguide of claim 38, further including at least one light redirection feature for redirecting light in the waveguide.

40. The optical waveguide of claim 38, further including at least one additional light extraction feature intersecting the center line.

41. The optical waveguide of claim 38, further including at least one additional light extraction feature extending parallel to the y-dimension and offset from the center line.