Light irradiation apparatus

• US 7,896,524 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: CCS Corporation, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoneda, Kenji, Saito, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): Shea; Sandra L O
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunwiddie; Meghan K
• Application Number:
  US11/916,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20100014286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,740 Days
• Field of Search: 362/231, 362/245, 362/282, 362/308
• US Class Current: 362/282
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 13/04 the elements being reflectors and refractors for vehicle rear lights F21S43/40
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/00 Controlling the distribution of the light emitted by adjustment of elements reflectors with provision for adjusting the curvature F21V7/16; light filters or the like with provision for controlling the colour or intensity F21V9/40; screens using adjustable parallel laminae or strips F21V11/04; screens using iris-type diaphragms F21V11/10; screens using movable sheets without apertures F21V11/18; adjustable mountings for lighting devices F21V21/14
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/02 by movement of light sources in vehicle head lamps F21S41/657
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/06 by movement of refractors in vehicle head lamps F21S41/635
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/30 Pivoted housings or frames
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 27/02 Cable inlets
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/008 Combination of two or more successive refractors along an optical axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0091 using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/04 Optical design
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/40 with provision for controlling spectral properties, e.g. colour, or intensity
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/411 for inspection of the interior of hollow structures, e.g. vessels, tubes
• 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: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/58 Optical field-shaping elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/60 Reflective elements

Abstract

The invention provides a light irradiation apparatus that can adjust widening/narrowing of a light irradiation area and can guide almost whole of light emitted from an LED to the light irradiation area.

The apparatus has an LED 11 and an optical unit 2 for making light for the LED 11 pass through itself and emit from its apical surface 21, and is equipped further with a supporting body 1A for holding the LED on the apical surface and a position adjustment mechanism for adjusting a relative position of the optical unit 2 to the LED 11 along an optical axis C direction. The apparatus is configured so that the potion adjustment mechanism make the optical unit 2 move relative to the LED 11 between a proximity position P1 at which a part or the whole of the supporting body 1A is housed in a base end recess 25 and a clearance position P2 at which substantially whole of the supporting body 1A comes out of the base end recess 25 so that the apical surface of the supporting body 1A and a base end face 22 of the optical unit 2 become substantially the same height.

Claims

1. A light irradiation apparatus, comprising:

an LED,

an optical unit with an optical transmission characteristic that makes light from the LED pass through the inside thereof and makes it emit from its apical surface, and

a supporting body having the LED installed on its apical surface, wherein

the optical unit is in a shape of a rotating body centered in an optical axis of the light emitted from the LED, and is so configured that a base end recess for housing the LED is opened in a central part of its base end face, and a reflection plane for performing substantially total reflection of the light from the LED is formed on its side, and is further equipped with a position adjustment mechanism for adjusting a relative position between the LED and the optical unit along an optical axis direction, wherein

the position adjustment mechanism makes the optical unit move relative to the LED between a proximity position at which a part or whole of the above mentioned supporting body is housed in a base end recess and a clearance position at which substantially the whole of the supporting body comes out of the base end recess and the apical surface of the supporting body and a base end face of the optical unit become substantially the same height, wherein

the optical unit is so configured that a central convex lens part formed on its apical surface central part, a ring convex lens part with a different curvature formed on an apical surface in the periphery of the central convex lens part, and a curvilinear bulge surface acting as a reflection plane formed on its side, and the optical unit is so configured that at least at the proximity position, among the light rays emitted from the LED, substantially all the light rays passing through the side of the base end recess undergo total reflection on the curvilinear bulge surface and output them as mutually converging light rays through the ring convex lens part, while substantially all the light rays passing through a bottom of the recess emit to the outside as mutually converging light rays through the central convex lens part.

2. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a convex lens part is formed on the bottom of the base end recess.

3. A light irradiation apparatus, comprising:

an LED,

an optical unit with an optical transmission characteristic that makes light from the LED pass through the inside thereof and makes it emit from its apical surface, and

a supporting body having the LED installed on its apical surface, wherein

the optical unit is in a shape of a rotating body centered in an optical axis of the light emitted from the LED, and is so configured that a base end recess for housing the LED is opened in a central part of its base end face, and a reflection plane for performing substantially total reflection of the light from the LED is formed on its side, and is further equipped with a position adjustment mechanism for adjusting a relative position between the LED and the optical unit along an optical axis direction, wherein

the position adjustment mechanism makes the optical unit move relative to the LED between a proximity position at which a part or whole of the above mentioned supporting body is housed in a base end recess and a clearance position at which substantially the whole of the supporting body comes out of the base end recess and the apical surface of the supporting body and a base end face of the optical unit become substantially the same height, wherein

the optical unit is so configured that an apical recess is opened in the apical surface central part thereof, a ring concave lens part is formed in the periphery on the apical surface of the apical recess, and a curvilinear bulge surface acting as a reflection plane on its side,

wherein, among light rays emitted from the LED, substantially all the light rays passing through the apical recess are configured to emit to the outside as outwardly diverging light rays without allowing them to pass through the concave lens part, while substantially all the light rays not passing through the apical recess are configured to undergo total reflection on the curvilinear bulge surface, pass through the concave lens part, and emit to the outside as outwardly diverging light rays.

4. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

a central convex part is formed in a bottom of the apical recess.

5. A light irradiation apparatus, comprising:

an LED,

a solid optical unit with optical transparency that is in a shape of a widening-toward-end rotating body with a center of the optical axis of the light emitted from the LED, and makes the light from the LED pass through its inside and emit it from its apical surface; and

a concave lens disposed in a further apical end of the optical unit;

wherein

the optical unit is so configured that a reflection plane for performing substantially total reflection of the light from the LED is formed on its side, and

further comprising a position adjustment mechanism for setting a clearance between the concave lens and the optical unit along the optical axis direction to be variable, wherein

the optical unit is so configured that a base end recess for housing the LED is opened in a central part of its base end face, a central convex lens part is formed in the central part on its apical surface and a ring convex lens part of a curvature different from that of the central convex lens part is formed in the periphery thereof, and a curvilinear bulge surface acting as a reflection plane for performing substantially total reflection of the light from the LED is formed on its side, wherein, among the light rays emitted from the LED, substantially all the light rays passing through the side of the base end recess are configured to undergo total reflection on the curvilinear bulge surface and emit to the outside as mutually converging light rays through the ring convex lens part, while substantially all the light rays passing through the bottom of the recess are configured to emit to the outside as mutually converging light rays through the central convex lens part.

6. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

a through hole is provided in the center of the concave lens and substantially all the light rays coming out from the central convex lens part are configured to pass through said through hole.

7. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

a uniform-thickness part is provided in the center of the concave lens, and substantially all the light rays emitted from at least the central convex lens part are configured to pass through said uniform-thickness part.

8. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 5,

comprising a plurality of LEDs each having different emission color.

9. A light irradiation apparatus, comprising:

an LED,

a solid optical unit with optical transparency that is in a shape of a widening-toward-end rotating body with a center of the optical axis of the light emitted from the LED, and makes the light from the LED pass through its inside and emit it from its apical surface; and

a concave lens disposed in a further apical end of the optical unit;

where

the optical unit is so configured that a reflection plane for performing substantially total reflection of the light from the LED is formed on its side, and

further comprising a position adjustment mechanism for setting a clearance between the concave lens and the optical unit along the optical axis direction to be variable, wherein

the position adjustment mechanism makes the concave lens move relative to the optical unit between a clearance position that is a position at which the diameter of light emitted from the optical unit becomes a minimum or its neighbor and a proximity position that is set to a position nearer the optical unit than the clearance position, wherein

a through hole is provided in the center of the concave lens, and substantially all the light rays coming out from the optical unit are configured to pass through said through hole at the clearance position.

10. A light irradiation apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of LEDs,

a plurality of solid optical units positioned for optical transparency and corresponding to these LEDs, respectively;

a plurality of concave lenses, each corresponding to one of the solid optical units, are disposed at a distance from apical ends of the optical units;

wherein each of the optical units is so configured that a reflection plane for performing substantially total reflection of the light from the LED is formed on its side; and

a position adjustment mechanism for setting a variable clearance between the concave lenses and the respective optical units along an optical axis direction,

wherein the position adjustment mechanism includes a sliding mechanism that supports the concave lenses in such a manner that the concave lenses can be moved in parallel along the optical axis direction and a fixing mechanism for fixing the concave lenses at a desired position along the sliding mechanism,

wherein the fixing mechanism includes a lens support that supports the concave lenses, an elastic member that is provided between the LEDs and a substrate for supporting the optical units to apply an elastic force to the lens support in a light emission direction, an engagement member that engages with a flange part of the lens support and sandwiches the lens support flange part between the engagement member and the elastic member, thereby holding the lens support and a screw-thread feed mechanism for moving the engagement member forwardly/backwardly along an optical axis direction, wherein

the position adjustment mechanism uniformly alters the optical axis distance between the concave lenses and the optical units.

11. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each optical unit is in a shape of a widening-toward-end rotating body with a center of the optical axis of the light emitted from the LED, and makes the light from the LED pass through its inside and be emitted from its apical surface, the optical unit is configured so that a base end recess for housing the LED is opened in a central part of its base end face,

a central convex lens part is formed in the central part on its apical surface and a ring convex lens part of a curvature different from that of the central part has a convex lens part formed in the periphery thereof, and

a curvilinear bulge surface acts as a reflection plane, for performing substantially total reflection of the light from the LED, is formed on a side of the optical unit,

wherein, among the light rays emitted from the LED, substantially all the light rays passing through a side of the base end recess are configured to undergo total reflection on the curvilinear bulge surface and be emitted to an outside as mutually converging light rays through the ring convex lens part, while substantially all the light rays passing through the bottom of the base end recess are configured to be emitted to the outside as mutually converging light rays through the central convex lens part.

12. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the position adjustment mechanism makes the concave lenses move relative to the respective optical units between a clearance position that is a position at which the diameter of light emitted from the optical unit becomes a minimum and a proximity position that is set to a position nearer the optical unit than the clearance position.

13. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

a through hole is provided in the center of the concave lens, and substantially all the light rays coming out from the optical unit are configured to pass through said through hole at the clearance position.

14. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

a through hole is provided in the center of the concave lens, and substantially all the light rays coming out from the optical unit are configured to pass through said through hole at the clearance position.

15. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

a uniform -thickness part is provided in the center of the concave lens, and substantially all the light rays emitted from the optical unit are configured to pass through said uniform -thickness part at the clearance position.

16. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

a uniform-thickness part is provided in the center of the concave lens, and substantially all the light rays emitted from the optical unit are configured to pass through said uniform-thickness part at the clearance position.

17. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 10,

comprising a plurality of LEDs each having different emission color.