Portable light emitting apparatus with a semiconductor emitter array

• US 5,634,711 A
• Filed: 09/13/1994
• Issued: 06/03/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: EXFO Photonics Solutions Inc. (11172239 Canada, Inc.), Efos Canada Inc., Excelitas Canada, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Efos Canada Inc.
• Inventors: Kennedy, John, Kayser, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sember, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US08/305,514
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 433/29, 433/80, 433/215, 433/229, 128/303.1, 362/800, 362/183, 362/119, 362/109, 362/234, 362/184, 362/202, 362/294, 362/373, 362/32, 362/230, 362/231, 315/224, 315/127, 315/225, 315/119, 315/128, 363/21, 363/97, 363/55, 363/56, 320/13, 320/2
• US Class Current: 362/119
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/004 Hand-held apparatus, e.g. guns
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 2204/002 using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0644 Handheld applicators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0652 Arrays of diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/06 using light
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/062 Photodynamic therapy, i.e. excitation of an agent
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4298 coupling with non-coherent light sources and/or radiation detectors, e.g. lamps, incandescent bulbs, scintillation chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/22 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/24 using electrical feedback from LEDs or from LED modules
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

A hand-held portable light emitting device is suitable for medical and industrial photocuring and phototherapy applications. The hand-held portable light emitting device has: (a) a portable housing having a front end and a rear end; (b) a semiconducting light emitter having a matrix of a plurality of light emitting diodes mounted at the front end of the housing to emit light energy suitable for initiating a photo-reaction; (c) a power supply connected to the light emitter to provide the electrical power for energizing the diodes to emit the light energy; (d) a controller connected to the light emitter and the power supply, to vary the level of the light energy; (e) a mount at the front end of the housing; and (f) an optical assembly mounted to the mount, to direct the light energy generated from the diodes to a photoreaction site near the optical assembly.

Claims

1. A hand-held portable light emitting device comprising:

(a) a portable housing having a front end and rear end;

(b) light emitting semiconducting means having a matrix of a plurality of light emitting diode means mounted at said front end, said light emitting diode means being operative to emit light energy, suitable for initiating a photo-reaction;

(c) power means coupled to said semiconducting means and operative to provide the electrical power for energizing said plurality of light emitting diode means to emit said light energy;

(d) control means connected to said semiconducting means and said power means, and operative to vary a level of said light energy;

(e) mounting means provided at said front end of said housing;

(f) an optical assembly mounted to said mounting means, said optical assembly being operative to direct said light energy generated from said light emitting diode means to a photoreaction location disposed adjacent to said optical assembly;

(g) wherein said control means comprises drive means for driving said light emitting semiconductor means and a controller for controlling said drive means;

(h) wherein said drive means includes pulse means for pulsing said light emitting semiconductor means to emit energy suitable for photocuring or phototherapy; and

(i) wherein said pulse means comprises pulse width modulation means having an oscillator for producing a square-wave output, a sawtooth waveform generator for producing a sawtooth waveform from said square-wave output, and a pulse width modulator for producing an output control signal having a duty cycle and said duty cycle being variable in response to a control input signal generated by said controller and said drive means being responsive to said output control signal for pulsing said light emitting semiconductor means.

2. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said optical assembly comprises a tubular light guide member.

3. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said power means comprises a battery disposed in said housing.

4. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said power means comprises an AC power supply.

5. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 1 further including cooling means for cooling said light emitting semiconductor means.

6. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said cooling means comprises a heat sink thermally coupled to said light emitting semiconductor means for dissipating heat generated in said light emitting semiconductor means.

7. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said cooling means includes a fan mounted in said housing for exhausting heat generated in said light emitting semiconductor means through one or more exhaust ports in said housing.

8. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said cooling means includes an input port for receiving an external air supply for cooling said light emitting semiconductor means.

9. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said portable housing is manufactured from a material suitable for autoclaving.

10. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said portable housing includes a removable sheath manufactured from a sterile material.

11. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of said light emitting diode means include means for collimating said emitted light energy.

12. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 1, further including optical collimating means mounted between said light emitting semiconducting means and said optical member for collimating and coupling said light energy for said optical member.

13. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said optical collimating means comprises a fiber optic taper.

14. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light emitting semiconductor means is capable of emitting light energy having a level of at least 470 nanometers.

15. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light emitting semiconductor means is capable of emitting light energy having a level of at least 660 nanometers.

16. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said drive means includes charge storage means for storing drive current for pulsing said light emitting semiconductor means.

17. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 16, wherein charge storage means comprise a bank of capacitors.

18. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 1, further including a transparent cap member mounted at said front end and covering over said light emitting diode means.

19. A hand-held portable light emitting device comprising:

(a) a portable housing having a front end and rear end;

(b) light emitting semiconducting means having a matrix of a plurality of light emitting diode means mounted at said front end, said light emitting diode means being operative to emit light energy suitable for initiating a photo-reaction;

(c) power means coupled to said semiconducting means and operative to provide the electrical power for energizing said plurality of light emitting diode means to emit said light energy;

(d) control means connected to said semiconducting means and said power means, and operative to vary a level of said light energy;

(e) mounting means provided at said front end of said housing;

(f) an optical assembly mounted to said mounting means, said optical assembly being operative to direct said light energy generated from said light emitting diode means to a photoreaction location disposed adjacent to said optical assembly; and

(g) wherein said power means includes overload sensing means coupled to said light emitting semiconductor means for sensing an overload condition in said light emitting semiconductor means and producing an overload condition signal.

20. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 19, wherein said power means includes overload protection means coupled to said power means for suspending operation of said power means in response to said overload condition signal.

21. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 20, wherein said overload sensing means comprises a current sensing transformer coupled to said light emitting semiconductor means and having means for sensing a current flowing in said light emitting semiconductor means.

22. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 21, wherein said overload protection means comprises a clamping circuit coupled to said power means and having means responsive to said overload condition signal for clamping operation of said power means.

23. A hand-held portable light emitting device comprising:

(a) a portable housing having a front end and rear end;

(b) light emitting semiconducting means having a matrix of a plurality of light emitting diode means mounted at said front end, said light emitting diode means being operative to emit light energy suitable for initiating a photo-reaction;

(c) power means coupled to Said semiconducting means and operative to provide the electrical power for energizing said plurality of light emitting diode means to emit said light energy;

(d) control means connected to said semiconducting means and said power means, and operative to vary a level of said light energy;

(e) mounting means provided at said front end of said housing;

(f) an optical assembly mounted to said mounting means, said optical assembly being operative to direct said light energy generated from Said light emitting diode means to a photoreaction location disposed adjacent to said optical assembly;

(g) wherein said control means comprises drive means for driving said light emitting semiconductor means and a controller for controlling said drive means;

(h) wherein said drive means includes pulse means for pulsing said light emitting semiconductor means to emit energy suitable for photocuring or phototherapy; and

(i) wherein said pulse means includes overload sensing means coupled to said light emitting semiconductor means for sensing an overload condition in said light emitting semiconductor means and producing an overload condition signal.

24. The hand-held portable as claimed in claim 23, wherein said control means includes overload protection means coupled to said drive means for suspending operation of said pulse means in response to said overload condition signal.

25. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 24, wherein said overload sensing means comprises a current sensing transformer coupled to said light emitting semiconductor means and having means for sensing a current flowing in said light emitting semiconductor means.

26. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 25, wherein said overload protection means comprises a clamping circuit coupled to said pulse means and having means responsive to said overload condition signal for clamping operation of said pulse means.

27. A hand-held portable light emitting device comprising:

(a) a portable housing having a front end and rear end;

(b) light emitting semiconducting means having a matrix of a plurality of light emitting diode means mounted at said front end, said light emitting diode means being operative to emit light energy suitable for initiating a photo-reaction;

(c) power means coupled to said semiconducting means and operative to provide the electrical power for energizing said plurality of light emitting diode means to emit said light energy;

(d) control means connected to said semiconducting means and said power means, and operative to vary a level of said light energy;

(e) mounting means provided at said front end of said housing;

(f) an optical assembly mounted to said mounting means, said optical assembly being operative to direct said light energy generated from said light emitting diode means to a photoreaction location disposed adjacent to said optical assembly; and

(g) further including photosensing means for sensing light energy produced by said light emitting semiconductor means and producing a light output signal for said control means.

28. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 27, wherein said photosensing means are located proximate said light emitting diode means.

29. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 28, wherein said photosensing means comprises a photodiode.

30. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 27, wherein said control means includes a suitably programmed microprocessor coupled to said photosensing means to receive light output signals and to output a control signal for controlling said power means.

31. The hand-held portable device as claimed in claim 30, wherein said control means includes input means for setting a desired light energy level and said microprocessor includes means for maintaining said desired light energy level in response to said light output signals.