Portable luminaire

• US 7,744,246 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Farlight, LLC
• Original Assignee: Farlight, LLC
• Inventors: Tudhope, Robert H., Rizkin, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, ANABEL
• Application Number:
  US11/930,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20080192467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 362/327, 362333-335, 362/240, 362244-246, 362/309, 359/718
• US Class Current: 362/245
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2203/00 Aircraft or airfield lights using LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/205 arranged underground, e.g. underground runway lighting units
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 9/559 illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 10/06 flashing, e.g. with rotating reflector or light source signalling lighting devices mounted on vehicles B60Q1/26
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 13/04 the elements being reflectors and refractors for vehicle rear lights F21S43/40
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/0824 Ground spikes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/046 the lens having a rotationally symmetrical shape about an axis for transmitting light in a direction mainly perpendicular to this axis, e.g. ring or annular lens with light source disposed inside the ring
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0091 using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/04 Optical design
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2111/06 for aircraft runways or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/33 annular
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

A portable luminaire includes an optical module, a power source and a housing. The optical module has at least one light emitting diode (LED) that emits light with a wide divergence, a non-imaging optical element and a transparent window. The non-imaging optical element (NIO) has a refractive member located around a LED optical axis and a total internal reflection member located around the refractive member. The refractive member and the total internal reflection member are integrated in a single transparent element having a mutual focal point. The NIO element collects a significant amount of light emitted by the LED with wide divergence located at the focal point to compress the collected light with high efficiency into a required pattern with a generally different angular distribution in a horizontal plane and a vertical plane, and to direct the compressed light outside of the luminaire.

Claims

1. An optical module including:

at least one light emitting diode (LED) that emits light with a wide divergence; and

a non-imaging optical element (NIO) that collects light emitted by the LED with high efficiency, compresses the collected light and directs the compressed light with a precalculated intensity distribution across a pattern, wherein the NIO further includes

a first member located around a LED optical axis having a first end that collects light from the LED and a second end opposite the first end to transmit light;

a second member located around the first member, wherein the second member has a first end to collect light and a second end opposite the first end to transmit light, and a wall formed therebetween, wherein an surface of the wall is curved to reflect light through the second end with a precalculated divergence that does not exceed a maximum angle;

wherein the first member and the second member are integrated into a single element having a mutual focal point;

wherein the optical module further comprises a plurality of LEDs;

wherein the NIO element compresses light into a required pattern only in a vertical plane;

wherein the optical module provides a linear pattern in a horizontal plane; and

wherein the NIO element is shaped as rectangular bar in a horizontal cross-section and the plurality of LEDs are connected to an inner side of the bar at a distance from the first end of the first member equal to the focal length of the NIO element, and the LED axes located in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the rectangular bar longitudinal axis.

2. The optical module of claim 1, wherein the surface of the reflecting wall is curved as a arbitrary function of LED spatial intensity distribution and precalculated intensity distribution across the pattern.

3. The optical module of claim 2, wherein light reflecting surface satisfies an equation:

4. The optical module of claim 1, wherein the NIO element comprises of transparent material with index of refraction greater that 1, and light reflecting surface is a total internal reflection (TIR) surface.

5. The optical module of claim 1, wherein the first member of NIO element comprises of transparent material with index of refraction equal or about 1, and light reflecting surface comprises of material with index of refraction greater that 1.

6. The optical module of claim 5, wherein the light reflecting surface comprises of reflective material.

7. A luminaire comprising a plurality of optical modules, each optical module associated with an optical axis and comprising a linearly projected cross-section;

and

for each module, at least one LED positioned such that a central light emitting axis of the at least one LED is angled at about 0°

relative to the optical axis associated with this module,

wherein each optical module including

at least one light emitting diode (LED) that emits light with a wide divergence; and

a non-imaging optical element (NIO) that collects light emitted by the LED with high efficiency, compresses the collected light and directs the compressed light with a precalculated intensity distribution across a pattern, wherein the NIO further includes

a first member located around a LED optical axis having a first end that collects light from the LED and a second end opposite the first end to transmit light;

a second member located around the first member, wherein the second member has a first end to collect light and a second end opposite the first end to transmit light, and a wall formed therebetween, wherein an surface of the wall is curved to reflect light through the second end with a precalculated divergence that does not exceed a maximum angle;

wherein the first member and the second member are integrated into a single element having a mutual focal point;

wherein the optical module further comprises a plurality of LEDs;

wherein the NIO element compresses light into a required pattern only in a vertical plane;

wherein the optical module provides a linear pattern in a horizontal plane; and

wherein the NIO element is shaped as rectangular bar in a horizontal cross-section and the plurality of LEDs are connected to an inner side of the bar at a distance from the first end of the first member equal to the focal length of the NIO element, and the LED axes located in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the rectangular bar longitudinal axis.