360 degree viewable light emitting apparatus

• US 7,722,215 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Element Labs, Inc. (Barco NV)
• Original Assignee: Barco Incorporated (Barco NV)
• Inventors: Varrin, Christopher, Ward, Matthew, Hochman, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Sawhney; Hargobind S
• Application Number:
  US11/618,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20070171639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 362/238, 362/249, 362/227, 362/231, 362/235, 362/240, 362/252, 362/336, 362/374, 362/375, 362/470, 362/545, 362/800, 340/321, 340/468, 340/473, 340/815.45
• US Class Current: 362/249.01
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/00 Light sources using semiconductor devices as light-generating elements, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] or lasers
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2111/02 for roads, paths or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2107/60 on stacked substrates
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/144 Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards

Abstract

A light emitting apparatus and method of manufacturing thereof are disclosed. The light emitting apparatus includes a plurality of printed circuit boards connected to one another, a light emitting element disposed on and electrically connected to each printed circuit board, and at least one connector disposed between the printed circuit boards. The method of manufacturing the light emitting apparatus includes disposing a light emitting element on a plurality of printed circuit boards, arranging planar surfaces of the plurality of printed circuit boards substantially opposite, and connecting the plurality of printed circuit boards to one another.

Claims

1. A light emitting apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of printed circuit boards electrically connected to one another, each of the printed circuit boards comprising a planar surface;

a light emitting element disposed on and electrically connected to each of the planar surfaces of the plurality of printed circuit boards;

at least a first connector disposed on each planar surface of the plurality of printed circuit boards, and extending between the plurality of printed circuit boards,

wherein each planar surface has an edge, and a shortest distance between the first connector to the edge is less than a shortest distance between the light emitting element to the edge; and

an optical material substantially encompassing at least one of the plurality of printed circuit boards, wherein the plurality of printed circuit boards are disposed in a column alignment within the optical material.

2. The light emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical material comprises at least one of a transparent material, a translucent material, a diffusive material, a colored material, a refractive material, a reflective material, and a catadioptric material.

3. The light emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical material comprises at least one of a spherical shape, an aspherical shape, a convex shape, a concave shape, a conical shape, an elliptical shape, a hyperbolic shape, a parabolic shape, and a lenticular shape.

4. The light emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of printed circuit boards are electrically connected to one another by the at least a first connector.

5. The light emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light emitting element comprises a plurality of light emitting elements, and wherein the plurality of light emitting elements are light emitting diodes emitting different colors.

6. The light emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least a first connector comprises at least one of a rigid material, a flexible material, and a spring material.

7. The light emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least a first connector comprises one of a pin, a blade, a cable, and a wire.

8. The light emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of printed circuit boards is disposed on a support structure.

9. The light emitting apparatus of claim 8, wherein the support structure comprises a first optical material.

10. The light emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of printed circuit boards comprises one of a circular shape and a polygonal shape.

11. The light emitting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of printed circuit boards.

12. The light emitting apparatus of claim 11, wherein the sensor is one of an image sensor, an infra-red sensor, and a sound sensor.

13. The light emitting apparatus of claim 12, further comprising an optical device disposed within the light emitting apparatus.

14. The light emitting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one photovoltaic component electrically connected to the light emitting apparatus.

15. The light emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least a first connector extends perpendicularly to a planar surface of a printed circuit board.

16. The light emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical material is a diffusive optical material that diffuses light emitted by light emitting elements of the plurality of printed circuit boards.

17. A light emitting apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of printed circuit boards electrically connected to one another, each of the printed circuit boards comprising a planar surface;

a light emitting element disposed on and electrically connected to each of the planar surfaces of the plurality of printed circuit boards; and

at least a first connector disposed on each planar surface of the plurality of printed circuit boards, and extending between the plurality of printed circuit boards,

wherein each planar surface has an edge, and a shortest distance between the first connector to the edge is less than a shortest distance between the light emitting element to the edge, and

wherein the planar surfaces of the plurality of printed circuit boards are substantially parallel and the first connector extends perpendicularly to the surfaces of the printed circuit boards.

18. The light emitting apparatus of claim 17, comprising:

a diffusive optical material, substantially encasing the plurality of printed circuit boards about their edges, wherein the diffusive optical material diffuses light emitted by light emitting elements of the printed circuit boards.

19. A light emitting apparatus, comprising;

a first printed circuit board comprising a first planar surface and a second planar surface;

a second printed circuit board comprising a first planar surface and a second planar surface, wherein the second planar surface of the second printed circuit board is arranged substantially opposite to the first planar surface of the first printed circuit board;

a first light emitting element disposed on the first planar surface of the first printed circuit board;

a second light emitting element disposed on the first planar surface of the second printed circuit board; and

at least one connector disposed on the first planar surface of the first printed circuit board and extending to the second planar surface of the second printed circuit board,

wherein the first planar surface of the first printed circuit board has a first edge, and a shortest distance between the at least one connector to the first edge is less than a shortest distance between the first light emitting element to the first edge.

20. The light emitting apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first printed circuit board is electrically connected to the second printed circuit board.

21. The light emitting apparatus of claim 19, wherein the planar surfaces of the first and second printed circuit boards are substantially parallel.

22. The light emitting apparatus of claim 19, further comprising an optical material substantially encompassing at least one of the plurality of printed circuit boards.

23. The light emitting apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one connector disposed on the first planar surface of the first printed circuit board and extending to the second planar surface of the second printed circuit board is a first connector, and the light emitting apparatus further comprises:

a second connector disposed on the first planar surface of the first printed circuit board, wherein a first distance between the first connector and the second connector is greater than a second distance between the first light emitting element and the first connector.

24. The light emitting apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one connector disposed on the first planar surface of the first printed circuit board extends perpendicularly to the first planar surface of the first printed circuit board.

25. The light emitting apparatus of claim 19, comprising:

a diffusive optical material, substantially encasing the first and second printed circuit boards about their edges, wherein the diffusive optical material diffuses light emitted by the first and second light emitting elements.

26. A method for manufacturing a light emitting apparatus, comprising:

providing a plurality of printed circuit boards, each having a first planar surface and a second planar surface;

disposing a light emitting element on the first planar surface of each of the plurality of printed circuit boards;

arranging a first printed circuit board of the plurality of printed circuit boards such that a first planar surface of the first printed circuit board faces a second planar surface of a second printed circuit board of the plurality of printed circuit boards; and

connecting the first and second printed circuit boards together using a connector disposed on the first planar surface of the first printed circuit board and extending to the second planar surface of the second printed circuit board, the first planar surface of the first printed circuit board has a first edge, and a shortest distance between the connector to the first edge is less than a shortest distance between a light emitting element of the first printed circuit board to the first edge.

27. The method for manufacturing a light emitting apparatus of claim 26, wherein each of the plurality of printed circuit boards is electrically connected to one another.

28. The method for manufacturing a light emitting apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

arranging the plurality of printed circuit boards such that the first and second planar surfaces of each of the plurality of printed circuit boards are substantially parallel.

29. The method for manufacturing a light emitting apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

encompassing at least one printed circuit board of the plurality of printed circuit boards with an optical material.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the connector disposed on the first planar surface of the first printed circuit board extends perpendicularly to the first planar surface of the first printed circuit board.

31. The method of claim 26, comprising:

encasing the plurality of printed circuit boards about their edges with a diffusive optical material that diffuses light emitted by light emitting elements of the printed circuit boards.