Illuminating headlamp providing substantially uniform illumination

• US 7,690,806 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2008
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Designs For Vision, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Designs For Vision, Inc.
• Inventors: Braganca, Kenneth, Yan, Peter, Feinbloom, Richard E.
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, LAURA K
• Application Number:
  US12/074,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20080239707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 362/105, 362/187, 362/190, 362/191, 362/308
• US Class Current: 362/105
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 14/00 Electric lighting devices without a self-contained power source, e.g. for mains connection
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/045 in portable lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

An illuminating headlamp consisting of a headband and at least one optical device providing illumination at a known distance from said optical device attached to said headband. Each optical device consists of a housing having an open first end and an open second end. There is a light emitting device attached to a mounting which is attached to the second end causing said light emitting device to be orientated at a known angle to an axis of said housing. At least one optically transparent lens is incorporated into said first end, and a means for adjusting said optically transparent lens in order to cause a focal point of the lens to be positioned behind said light emitting device, wherein a zone of substantially uniform illumination is projected at said known distance.

Claims

1. An illuminating headlamp comprising:

one of a headband and a clip-on assembly; and

at least one optical device providing illumination at a known distance from said optical device attached to said headband, said at least one optical device comprising;

a housing having an open first end and an open second end;

a light emitting device attached to a mounting attached to said second end, said mounting attaching causing said light emitting device to be orientated at a known angle to an axis of said housing;

at least one optically transparent lens incorporated into said first end, and

means for adjusting said at least one optically transparent lens to cause a focal point of said at least one lens to be positioned behind said light emitting device, said adjusting causes a defocusing of light generated by said light emitting device, wherein a zone of substantially uniform illumination of said defocused light is projected at said known distance.

2. The headlamp of claim 1 wherein said light emitting device is an array of light emitting diodes.

3. The headlamp of claim 2, wherein said array of light emitting diodes is substantially rectangular.

4. The headlamp of claim 2, wherein said array of light emitting diodes is substantially diamond shaped.

5. The headlamp of claim 2, wherein said array of light emitting diodes is substantially square shaped.

6. The headlamp of claim 1, wherein said means for adjusting said at least one lens is selected from the group consisting of:

rotary and sliding.

7. The headlamp of claim 1, wherein said adjustment of said at least one optically transparent lens causes a distance between said at least one optically transparent lens and said light emitting device to be varied.

8. The headlamp of claim 1, wherein said adjustment of said at least one optically transparent lens causes a distance between two lens of said at least one optically transparent lens to be varied.

9. The headlamp of claim 1, wherein said known angle is substantially equal to 45 degrees.

10. The headlamp of claim 1, wherein said known angle is substantially equal to 90 degrees.

11. The headlamp of claim 1, wherein said illumination projected from each of said at least one optical device is superimposed at said known distance.

12. A method for providing a zone of substantially uniform illumination at a known distance from at least one illumination generating device comprising the steps of:

projecting an illumination from each of the at least one illumination generating devices said known distance;

focusing said projected illumination to create a substantially shape image at said known distance; and

defocusing said projected illumination at said known distance to create said substantially uniform illumination.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

measuring an intensity of each of said at least one projected illuminations; and

defocusing said projected illumination until a relatively maximum illumination is achieved.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

defocusing said projected illumination until a minimum illumination size is achieved.