Surgical light with conical reflector

• US 5,913,599 A
• Filed: 06/11/1997
• Issued: 06/22/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steris Corporation
• Original Assignee: Steris Corporation
• Inventors: Frazier, Henry Holt, Smith, A. Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): HUSAR, STEPHEN F
• Application Number:
  US08/872,889
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 362/33, 362/328, 362/327, 362/330, 362/341, 362/348, 362/804, 362/339, 362/293
• US Class Current: 362/328
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 13/04 the elements being reflectors and refractors for vehicle rear lights F21S43/40
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/02 of prismatic shape F21V5/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/22 characterised by materials, surface treatments or coatings, e.g. dichroic reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/205 for operating theatres
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/804 Surgical or dental spotlight

Abstract

A surgical light (10) includes a conical shaped reflector (12) which is formed from pre-finished sheet of reflector material into a conical shape. The conical reflector (12) reflects the light from a lamp (14) at a plurality of different angles. Light directly from the lamp and reflected from the reflector strikes a refractor (18) at a plurality of angles of incidence which vary with distance from a central axis (X) of the reflector. The refractor has a plurality of differently shaped prisms (20) whose shape varies with the distance from the central axis to redirect the light to an illumination zone (Z).

Claims

1. A surgical light comprising:

a light source;

a flexible sheet of reflector material carrying a cold mirror coating pre-finished on the flexible sheet, the flexible sheet of reflector material including at least a one of flutes and facets and being formed into a conical shape surrounding the light source and directing light from the light source to an aperture of the surgical light; and

,

a refractor received in the aperture of the surgical light and redirecting the light passing through the aperture to an illumination zone, the refractor including a plurality of individual prisms that differ in shape in relation to a distance between each individual prism and a center of the refractor.

2. The surgical light as set forth in claim 1 wherein the flexible sheet of reflector material is wrapped into said conical shape.

3. The surgical light as set forth in claim 1 wherein the flexible sheet of reflector material is extruded to form said sheet.

4. The surgical light as set forth in claim 1 wherein the flexible sheet of reflector material is rolled to form said sheet.

5. The surgical light as set forth in claim 1 wherein the refractor includes a plurality of individual prisms.

6. A surgical light comprising:

a light source;

a flexible sheet of reflector material carrying a cold mirror coating pre-finished on the flexible sheet, the flexible sheet of reflector material being formed into a conical shape surrounding the light source and directing light from the light source to an aperture of the surgical light; and

,

a refractor received in the aperture of the surgical light and redirecting the light passing through the aperture to an illumination zone, the refractor including a plurality of individual prisms that differ in shape in relation to a distance between each individual prism and a center of the refractor.

7. The surgical light as set forth in claim 6 wherein each of the plurality of individual prisms includes an outer side surface, an inner side surface, and a top surface.

8. The surgical light as set forth in claim 7 wherein:

the top surface and the outer side surface of first ones of said plurality of individual prisms form an acute angle defining a total internal refraction section of the refractor; and

,

the top surface and the inner side surface of second ones of said plurality of individual prisms form an obtuse angle.

9. The surgical light as set forth in claim 8 wherein the acute angle and the obtuse angle vary depending on the distance between each individual prism and the center of the refractor.

10. A surgical light comprising:

a light source;

a flexible sheet of reflector material carrying a cold mirror coating pre-finished on the flexible sheet, the flexible sheet of reflector material including at least one of flutes and facets to break up an image of a filament of said light source, the flexible sheet of reflector material being formed into a conical shape surrounding the light source and directing light from the light source to an aperture of the surgical light; and

,

a refractor received in the aperture of the surgical light and redirecting the light passing through the aperture to an illumination zone.

11. In a surgical light including a light source, a reflector surrounding the light source and directing light-from the light source to an aperture of the surgical light, a cold mirror coating on a surface of the reflector which reflects visible light and transmits infrared energy to prevent heating of a surgical site, a refractor received in the aperture of the surgical light and redirecting the light passing through the aperture to an illumination zone for illuminating the surgical site, the improvement comprising:

the refractor being formed to include a plurality of individual prisms that differ in shape in relation to a distance between each individual prism and a center of the reflector; and

,

the reflector being formed from a sheet of flexible material pre-coated with said cold mirror coating and arranged surrounding said light source in a conical shape, the reflector including at least a one of flutes and facets.

12. In the surgical light as set forth in claim 11, the improvement further comprising:

the reflector being formed of said single sheet of flexible material which is flexed into said conical shape.

13. In the surgical light as set forth in claim 11, the improvement further comprising:

the plurality of individual prisms including an outer side surface, an inner side surface, and a top surface, the top and outer side surfaces of first ones of said plurality of individual prisms forming an acute angle defining a total internal refraction section of the refractor, and the top and inner side surfaces of second ones of said plurality of individual prisms forming an obtuse angle.

14. In a surgical light including a light source, a reflector surrounding the light source and directing light from the light source to an aperture of the surgical light, a cold mirror coating on a surface of the reflector which reflects visible light and transmits infrared energy to prevent heating of a surgical site, the reflector being formed from a sheet of flexible material pre-coated with said cold mirror coating and arranged surrounding said light source in a conical shape, a refractor received in the aperture of the surgical light and redirecting the light passing through the aperture to an illumination zone for illuminating the surgical site, the refractor including a plurality of individual prisms, the improvement comprising:

the plurality of individual prisms differing in shape depending on a distance between a prism and a center of the refractor.

15. In the surgical light as set forth in claim 14, the improvement further comprising:

first ones of the plurality of individual prisms include an outer side surface, an inner side surface, and a top surface;

the top surface and the outer side surface forming an acute angle;

the top surface and the inner side surface forming an obtuse angle.

16. In a surgical light including light source, a reflector surrounding the light source and directing light from the light source to an aperture of the surgical light, a cold mirror coating on a surface of the reflector which reflects visible light and transmits infrared energy to prevent heating of a surgical site, the reflector being formed from a sheet of flexible material pre-coated with said cold mirror coating and arranged surrounding said light source in a conical shape, a refractor received in the aperture of the surgical light and redirecting the light passing through the aperture to an illumination zone for illuminating the surgical site, the improvement comprising:

the reflector including at least a one of flutes and facets to break up an image of a filament in the light source.

17. A method of illuminating a surgical site, the method comprising:

reflecting light with a surface of a conical reflector formed of a flexible material through an aperture in the reflector at a plurality of angles of incidence with respect to said aperture; and

,

at each point of incidence across the aperture, refracting light incident upon said aperture through a range of refractive angles that vary in accordance with a distance of said each point from a central axis of the conical reflector.

18. In a light of the type including a light source, a cold mirrored conical reflector surrounding the light source for directing light from the light source to an aperture defined by the reflector, and a refractor received in the aperture of the surgical light for redirecting the light passing through the refractor to an illumination zone, a method of manufacture comprising the steps of:

providing a sheet of flexible reflector material pre-finished with a cold mirror coating;

flexing the sheet of reflector material to surround said light source;

with the sheet of flexible reflector material, forming a conically shaped cold mirror reflector symmetric about said light source; and

,

providing a plurality of individual prisms on said refractor, the plurality of individual prisms varying in shape in relation to a distance between each individual prism and a center of the refractor.

19. The method of manufacture according to claim 18 wherein the step of providing said sheet of flexible reflector material includes extruding pre-finished reflector material having a cold mirror dichroic coating to a finished sheet thickness that allows bending and folding of said sheet.

20. The method of manufacture according to claim 18 wherein the step of providing said sheet of flexible reflector material includes rolling pre-finished reflector material having a cold mirror dichroic coating to a finished sheet thickness that allows bending and folding of said sheet.

21. The method of manufacture according to claim 18 further including the step of providing a plurality of individual prisms on said refractor.

22. In a light of the type including a light source, cold mirrored conical reflector surrounding the light source for directing light from the light source to an aperture defined by the reflector, and a refractor received in the aperture of the surgical light for redirecting the light passing through the refractor to an illumination zone, a method of manufacture comprising the steps of:

providing a sheet of flexible reflector material pre-finished with a cold mirror coating;

flexing the sheet of reflector material to surround said light source;

with the sheet of flexible reflector material, forming a conically shaped cold mirror reflector symmetric about said light source; and

,

providing a plurality of individual prisms on said refractor, each of said plurality of individual prisms having an outer side surface, an inner side surface, and a top surface, the top surface and the outer side surface forming an acute angle and the top surface and the inner side surface forming an obtuse angle, the acute angle and the obtuse angle of each of said plurality of individual prisms varying in relation to a distance between each individual prism and a center of said refractor received in the aperture of the surgical light.