Flat panel luminaire having embedded light guides

• US 6,908,204 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2003
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Photokinetix Holdings Inc.
• Original Assignee: Edward Robert Kraft
• Inventors: Kraft, Edward R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ward, John Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Negron, Ismael
• Application Number:
  US10/649,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20040042196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 362/31, 362/576, 362/511, 362/330, 362/551, 362/554, 362/555, 362/580, 362557-559, 362/459, 362/509, 362/145, 362/147, 362/148, 362/317, 385/15, 385/31, 385/39, 385/45, 385/50, 385/51, 385129-132, 385/900, 385/901, 385/43, 405/46, 405/47
• US Class Current: 362/628
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12071 PMMA
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/002 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide, e.g. with collimating, focussing or diverging surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0028 Light guide, e.g. taper
• 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 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0065 Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• 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

Abstract

A flat panel luminaire includes a light source, which can be remote, an optical light pipe, and a light-emitting panel. The light-emitting panel includes a tapered light-injection zone joined to a light-emitting zone having the embedded irregular tetrahedrally-shaped light guides. The surface and cross-sectional areas of the light guides gradually increase as the light guides extend away from the tapered zone. Methods of illuminating an area using such light guides are also provided.

Claims

1. A luminaire comprising:

a light source;

at least one optical light pipe having two ends, one said end coupled to said light source; and

at least one light emitting panel coupled to the other said end of said light pipe, said light emitting panel comprising;

a tapered light-injection area having a narrow end and a wide end, said narrow end coupled to said light pipe,

a light-emitting zone having a proximal end and a distal end, said proximal end joined to said wide end, and

at least one irregular tetrahedrally-shaped light guide embedded in said light-emitting zone, said light guide extending continuously from said proximal end to said distal end and forming a groove that increases in surface area from said proximal end to said distal end.

2. The luminaire of claim 1 further comprising multiple said optical light pipes connected to respective multiple said light emitting panels.

3. The luminaire of claim 1 comprising multiple embedded irregular tetrahedrally-shaped light guides embedded in said light-emitting zone, said multiple light guides arranged in parallel with respect to each other.

4. The luminaire of claim 1 wherein said light guide has a surface that is abraded, etched, chemically treated, silk screened, or laminated.

5. The luminaire of claim 1 wherein said tapered light-injection area is bent over a radius of about 10 times one-half its thickness.

6. The luminaire of claim 1 wherein said light guide has two interior surfaces treated with a reflective material.

7. The luminaire of claim 6 wherein said reflective material is a highly reflective paint.

8. The luminaire of claim 1 wherein said light-emitting zone comprises a mirror layer, a silicone layer, and a base layer, said mirror layer interfacing said silicone layer and said silicone layer interfacing said base layer, said light guide being cast or machined into said base layer.

9. The luminaire of claim 8 wherein said base layer comprises plastic or glass.

10. The luminaire of claim 9 wherein said plastic or glass has a transmittance of at least 91% and a refractive index of between 1.49 and 1.51.

11. A method of illuminating an area, said method comprising:

generating a light flux from a light source;

transporting said light flux via an optical light medium to a tapered enclosure of a light-emitting panel; and

propagating said light flux from said tapered enclosure through a tetrahedrally-shaped groove embedded in said light-emitting panel, said tetrahedrally-shaped groove having a surface area that increases in the direction of said propagating.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising propagating said light flux from said tapered enclosure through multiple tetrahedrally-shaped grooves embedded in said light-emitting panel, each said tetrahedrally-shaped groove having a surface area that increases in the direction of said propagating.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising propagating said light flux from said tapered enclosure through multiple tetrahedrally-shaped grooves embedded in said light-emitting panel, said multiple grooves embedded in parallel with respect to each other, each said tetrahedrally-shaped groove having a surface area that increases in the direction of said propagating.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein prior to said propagating said method further comprises casting or machining said tetrahedrally-shaped groove in a base layer of said light-emitting panel.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein prior to said propagating said method further comprises casting or machining said tetrahedrally-shaped groove in a plastic or glass base layer of said light-emitting panel.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein prior to said propagating said method further comprises casting or machining said tetrahedrally-shaped groove in a plastic or glass base layer of said light-emitting panel, said plastic or glass layer having a transmittance of at least 91% and a refractive index of between 1.49 and 1.51.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein prior to said propagating said method further comprises abrading, etching, chemically treating, silk screening, or laminating a surface of said tetrahedrally-shaped groove.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein prior to said transporting said method further comprises bending said tapered area over a radius of about 10 times one-half its thickness.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein prior to said propagating said method further comprises treating two interior surfaces of said tetrahedrally-shaped groove with a reflective material.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said treating comprises treating two interior surfaces of said tetrahedrally-shaped groove with a highly reflective paint.