Lens and lens cap with sawtooth portion for light emitting diode

• US 6,607,286 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2001
• Issued: 08/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lumileds LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lumileds Lighting US LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: West, Robert S., Sasser, Gary D., Stewart, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ton, Anabel
• Application Number:
  US09/849,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20020163808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 362/326, 362/327, 362/334-340, 362/186, 362/800, 362/26, 313/512, 313/513
• US Class Current: 362/255
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 13/04 the elements being reflectors and refractors for vehicle rear lights F21S43/40
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0091 using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0028 refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0061 the light source comprising a LED semiconductor devices with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier specially adapted for light emission H01L33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0071 adapted to illuminate a complete hemisphere or a plane extending 360 degrees around the source
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/58 Optical field-shaping elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/60 Reflective elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

A lens mounted to a light emitting diode package internally redirects light within the lens so that a majority of light is emitted from the lens approximately perpendicular to a package axis of the light emitting diode package. In one embodiment, the light emitted by the light emitting diode package is refracted by a sawtooth portion of the lens and reflected by a total internal reflection portion of the lens.

Claims

1. A lens cap attachable to a light source, comprising:

a body comprising

a central axis running along a length of said body;

a first surface for coupling to a light source;

a sawtooth lens portion whereby the sawtooth lens portion refracts light emitted from said light source such that a majority of light emitted from the sawtooth lens portion is generally perpendicular to said central axis of the body;

a funnel-shaped lens portion connected to the sawtooth lens portion whereby the funnel-shaped lens portion reflects light emitted from the light source such that a majority of light emitted from the funnel-shaped lens portion is generally perpendicular to the central axis of the body; and

an attachment means for coupling the lens cap to the light source whereby said attachment means is coupled to the sawtooth lens portion.

2. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein the first surface is perpendicular to the central axis.

3. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein the lens is formed by diamond turning.

4. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein the lens is formed by injection molding.

5. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein the lens is formed by casting.

6. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein the lens has an index of refraction in the range of 1.45 to 1.6.

7. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein the lens has an index of refraction of approximately 1.53.

8. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein the lens is made of a material selected from the group consisting of PC, PMMA, PEI, PC/PMMA and COC.

9. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein the lens is attached to the light source with an optical adhesive located between the lens and the light source.

10. The lens cap of claim 9, wherein the light source is an LED package and the first surface is shaped to couple with a lens of said LED package.

11. The lens cap of claim 10, wherein a lens of the LED package is hemispherical in shape.

12. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein the lens is attached to an LED with an index-matched, non-adhesive material located between the lens and the light source.

13. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein the lens is attached to an LED by external means with air occupying a volume located between the lens and the light source.

14. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein a reflective surface of the funnel-shaped lens portion comprises a curved portion that curves away from the central axis of the body such that a curved v-shape is formed about the central axis when the curved portion is swept about the central axis.

15. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein a reflective surface of the funnel-shaped lens portion comprises a linear portion angled away from the central axis of the body such that a v-shape is formed about the central axis when the linear portion is swept about the central axis.

16. The lens cap of claim 1, wherein a reflective surface of the funnel-shaped lens portion comprises at least two connected linear portions angled with respect to each other and away from the central axis of the body such that a v-shape is formed about the central axis when the at least two connected linear portions are swept about the central axis.

17. A lens comprising:

a bottom surface;

a reflecting surface; and

a refracting surface obliquely angled with respect to a central axis of the lens;

wherein light entering the lens through the bottom surface and directly incident on the reflecting surface is reflected from the reflecting surface to the refracting surface and refracted by the refracting surface to exit the lens in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the lens.

18. The lens of claim 17, wherein the bottom surface is perpendicular to the central axis.

19. The lens of claim 17, wherein the reflecting surface reflects by total internal reflection.

20. The lens of claim 17, wherein the reflecting surface is a surface of a funnel-shaped portion of the lens.

21. The lens of claim 17, further comprising a second refracting surface, wherein light entering the lens through the bottom surface and directly incident on the second refracting surface is refracted by the second refracting surface to exit the lens in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis.

22. The lens of claim 17, wherein the second refractive surface is a surface of a saw tooth portion of the lens.

23. The lens of claim 17, wherein the reflecting and refracting surfaces are each portions of surfaces having cylindrical symmetry about the central axis.

24. A lens, comprising:

a body comprising

a central axis running along a length of the body;

a first surface for coupling to a light source;

a sawtooth lens portion whereby the sawtooth portion refracts light emitted from the light source such that a majority of light emitted from the sawtooth lens portion is generally perpendicular to the central axis of the body;

a funnel-shaped lens portion connected to the sawtooth lens portion whereby the funnel-shaped lens portion reflects light emitted from the light source such that a majority of light emitted from the funnel-shaped lens portion is generally perpendicular to the central axis of the body; and

wherein the lens has an index of refraction in the range of 1.45 to 1.6.

25. The lens of claim 24, wherein the lens has an index of refraction of approximately 1.53.

26. A lens, comprising:

a first surface adapted for coupling to a light source;

a sawtooth portion which refracts light coupled into the lens through the first surface, in a direction perpendicular to a central axis of the lens; and

a funnel-shaped portion which reflects light coupled into the lens through the first surface in a direction perpendicular to the central axis;

wherein the sawtooth portion and the funnel-shaped portion are formed in a single piece of material.

27. The lens of claim 26, wherein the first surface is perpendicular to the central axis.

28. The lens of claim 26, wherein the lens is turned.

29. The lens of claim 26, wherein the lens is molded.

30. The lens of claim 26, wherein the lens is cast.

31. The lens of claim 26, wherein the lens has an index of refraction in the range of 1.45 to 1.6.

32. The lens of claim 26, wherein the lens has an index of refraction of approximately 1.53.

33. The lens of claim 26, wherein the lens is made of a material selected from the group consisting of PC, PMMA, PEI, PC/PMMA and COC.

34. The lens of claim 26, further comprising an attachment portion adapted to couple the lens to an LED light source.

35. The lens of claim 26, wherein the funnel shaped portion curves away from the central axis.

36. The lens of claim 26, wherein the funnel-shaped portion comprises a linear portion angled away from the central axis.

37. The lens of claim 26, wherein the funnel-shaped portion comprises two connected linear portions angled with respect to each other and angled away from the central axis.

38. The lens of claim 26, wherein the first surface further defines a hollow whereby the light source may be at least partially located within the hollow.

39. A lens cap attachable to a light source, comprising:

a first surface adapted for optically coupling to a light source;

a sawtooth portion which refracts light coupled into the lens cap through the first surface, in a direction perpendicular to a central axis of the lens cap;

a funnel-shaped portion which reflects light coupled into the lens through the first surface in a direction perpendicular to the central axis; and

means for mechanically coupling the lens cap to the light source, whereby the means is coupled to the sawtooth portion.

40. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the first surface is perpendicular to the central axis.

41. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the lens cap is formed by turning.

42. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the lens cap is formed by molding.

43. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the lens cap is formed by casting.

44. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the lens cap has an index of refraction in the range of 1.45 to 1.6.

45. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the lens cap has an index of refraction of approximately 1.53.

46. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the lens cap is made of a material selected from the group consisting of PC, PMMA, PEI, PC/PMMA, and COC.

47. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the lens cap is attached to the light source with an adhesive located between the lens cap and the light source.

48. The lens cap of claim 47, wherein the light source is an LED in a package and the first surface is shaped to couple with a lens of the LED package.

49. The lens cap of claim 48, wherein the first surface is hemispherical in shape.

50. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the lens cap is attached to an LED light source with an index-matched, non-adhesive material located between the lens cap and the LED light source.

51. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the lens cap is attached to an LED light source with air occupying a volume located between the lens cap and the LED light source.

52. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the funnel-shaped portion comprises a curved portion that curves away from the central axis.

53. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the funnel-shaped portion comprises a linear portion angled away from the central axis.

54. The lens cap of claim 39, wherein the funnel-shaped portion comprises at least two connected linear portions angled with respect to each other and away from the central axis.