Multi-segment light-emitting diode

• US 6,606,175 B1
• Filed: 03/16/1999
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sampsell, Jeffrey B., Florence, James M., Westerman, Larry Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Leslie
• Assistant Examiner(s): Payne, David C
• Application Number:
  US09/268,877
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 359/154, 359/159, 359/155, 359/362, 359/379, 359/619, 359/622, 359/620, 359/621
• US Class Current: 398/140
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1141 One-way transmission

Abstract

A power conservative multi-segment LED transmitter including a multi-segment LED with a plurality of independently addressable LED segments, each LED segment suitable for selectively emitting a beam segment. A controller selectively enables and disables the LED segments. Depending on whether the beam segments overlap or not and whether low or high power is supplied to the enabled LED segments, the combined resulting beam may be a low power steered beam, a power conservative steered beam, an overlapping low power intense steered beam, or an overlapping power conservative steered beam. The steerable multi-segment LED transmitter and receiver system preferably includes an “all enabled” state in which each of the LED segments are enabled and emit a respective beam segment; a “training” state in which the LED segments are selectively enabled and disabled and the receiver determines substantially detected beam segments; and a “steered” state in which only the LED segments emitting the substantially detected beam segments are enabled.

Claims

1. A power conservative multi-segment LED transmitter responsive to a receiver, comprising:

(a) a transmitter including a multi-segment LED and a controller;

(b) said LED including a plurality of independently addressable LED segments, each LED segment suitable to selectively emit a respective beam segment;

(c) a receiver for detecting said beam segments;

(d) said controller suitable to selectively enable each LED segment detected by said receiver, each enabled LED segment emitting a respective said beam segment;

(e) said controller suitable to selectively disable each LED segment not detected by said receiver; and

(f) at least one emitted beam segment from at least one enabled LED segment forming a steered beam.

2. The transmitter of claim 1 wherein said steered beam is a broad beam pattern comprised of at least two at least partially nonoverlapping said emitted beam segments.

3. The transmitter of claim 1 wherein said emitted beam segments largely overlap to form a steered beam of concentrated intensity.

4. The transmitter of claim 1 wherein said LED segments emit the respective beam segments into a single lens.

5. The transmitter of claim 1 wherein said LED segments are arranged as a coplanar two-dimensional array on a single substrate.

6. The transmitter of claim 1 further comprising:

(a) said controller suitable to selectively enable all of said LED segments to form a broad beam comprised of at least partially nonoverlapping emitted beam segments, said enabled LED segments together consuming a cumulative quantity of power;

(b) said controller suitable to selectively enable and disable said LED segments, each enabled LED segment emitting a respective beam segment, the respective emitted beam segment(s) together forming a low power steered beam; and

(c) said low power steered beam consuming no more power than said cumulative quantity of power.

7. The transmitter of claim 1 further comprising:

(a) said controller suitable to selectively enable all of said LED segments to form a broad beam comprised of said emitted beam segments using a predetermined quantity of power to enable each of said LED segments, the total of said predetermined quantities of power being a cumulative quantity of power;

(b) said controller suitable to selectively disable said LED segment(s) to conserve the predetermined quantity of power for each disabled LED segment; and

(c) said controller suitable to selectively provide power greater than said predetermined quantity of power to enabled LED segment(s) that each emit a respective high powered beam segment, said respective high powered beam segment(s) together forming a power conservative steered beam, said power conservative steered beam consuming no more power than said cumulative quantity of power.

8. The transmitter of claim 1 further comprising:

(a) said controller suitable to selectively enable all of said LED segments to form an overlapping beam using a predetermined quantity of power to enable each of said LED segments, the total of said predetermined quantities of power being a cumulative quantity of power;

(b) said controller suitable to selectively disable said LED segment(s), each remaining enabled LED segment emitting a respective beam segment, said respective beam segment(s) together forming an overlapping low power intense steered beam using no more power than said cumulative quantity of power.

9. The transmitter of claim 1 further comprising:

(a) said controller suitable to selectively enable all of said LED segments to form an overlapping beam comprised of largely overlapping emitted beam segments, said overlapping beam using a predetermined quantity of power to enable each of said LED segments, the total of said predetermined quantities of power being a cumulative quantity of power;

(b) said controller suitable to selectively disable said LED segment(s) to conserve the predetermined quantity of power for each disabled LED segment;

(c) said controller suitable to provide power greater than said predetermined quantity of power to each remaining enabled LED segment(s) that emit a respective high powered beam segment(s); and

(d) said respective high powered beam segment(s) together forming an overlapping power conservative steered beam, said overlapping power conservative steered beam consuming no more power than said cumulative quantity of power.

10. A multi-segment LED transmitter system, said system comprising:

(a) a transmitter including a multi-segment LED and a controller;

(b) said LED including a plurality of independently addressable LED segments, each LED segment for selectively emitting a respective beam segment;

(c) said controller suitable to selectively enable and disable said LED segments, each enabled LED segment emitting a respective beam segment;

(d) a beam pattern comprised of at least two of said emitted beam segments at least partially overlapping; and

(e) a receiver suitable to signal said controller to enable and disable selective LED segments, each enabled LED segment emitting a respective emitted beam segment, the respective emitted beam segment(s) together forming a steered beam.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said LED segments emit the respective beam segments into a single lens.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said LED segments are arranged as a coplanar two-dimensional array on a single substrate.

13. A method for conserving power in a multi-segment LED, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) a controller enabling a plurality of independently addressable LED segments, each enabled LED segment emitting a respective beam segment;

(b) directing said beam segments toward a receiver;

(c) selectively enabling and disabling each of said LED segments to determine which beam segments said receiver detects, said receiver receiving and detecting at least one of said beam segments;

(d) said receiver signaling said controller to disable LED segments emitting undetected beam segments.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

(a) said step of said controller enabling a plurality of independently addressable LED segments further comprising the step of emitting a broad beam comprised of a plurality of said respective beam segments; and

(b) said controller selectively enabling and disabling said LED segments, each enabled LED segment emitting a respective beam segment, the respective emitted beam segment(s) together forming a low power steered beam.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

(a) said step of said controller enabling a plurality of independently addressable LED segments further comprising the step of emitting a broad beam comprised of a plurality of said respective beam segments; and

(b) said controller selectively disabling said LED segments and selectively providing extra power to enabled LED segments that emit a respective high powered beam segment, said respective high powered beam segment(s) together forming a power conservative steered beam, said power conservative steered beam consuming no more power than the power consumed by said broad beam.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

(a) said step of said controller enabling a plurality of independently addressable LED segments further comprising the step of emitting an overlapping beam comprised of a plurality of said respective beam segments overlapping each other; and

(b) said controller selectively disabling said LED segments, each remaining enabled LED segment emitting an enabled respective beam segment, said enabled respective beam segment(s) together forming an overlapping low power intense steered beam.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

(a) said step of said controller enabling a plurality of independently addressable LED segments further comprising the step of emitting an overlapping beam comprised of a plurality of said respective beam segments overlapping each other; and

(b) said controller selectively disabling said LED segments and said controller providing extra power to each remaining enabled LED segments that emit an enabled respective high powered beam segment, said enabled respective high powered beam segment(s) together forming an overlapping power conservative steered beam, said overlapping power conservative steered beam consuming no more power than the power consumed by said overlapping beam.

18. A steerable multi-segment LED transmitter and receiver system, comprising:

(a) an “

all enabled”

state in which each of a plurality of independently addressable LED segments of said multi-segment LED are enabled, each enabled LED segment emitting a respective beam segment;

(b) a “

training”

state in which said LED segments are selectively enabled and disabled, said receiver determining detected beam segment(s); and

(c) a “

steered”

state in which only said LED segment(s) emitting said detected beam segment(s) are enabled.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of emitting a steered beam comprised of said beam segments emitted from said enabled LED segments further comprising the step of emitting a steered beam comprised of a single beam segment emitted from a single enabled LED segment.

19. A method for producing a steered beam using a multi-segment LED, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) enabling a plurality of independently addressable LED segments in said multi-segment LED, each enabled LED segment emitting a respective beam segment;

(b) directing said beam segments toward a receiver;

(c) for each LED segment of said multi-segment LED, disabling selectively said LED segments;

(d) receiving and detecting at least one of said beam segments having a predetermined signal strength using said receiver during said step of disabling selectively said LED segments;

(e) signaling said multi-segment LED to disable LED segments emitting beam segments having a signal strength less than said predetermined signal strength;

(f) disabling said LED segments emitting beam segments having a signal strength less than said predetermined signal strength;

(g) enabling said LED segments emitting beam segments having a signal strength greater than said predetermined signal strength; and

(h) emitting a steered beam comprised of said beam segments emitted from said enabled LED segments.