LED devices for offset wide beam generation

• US 8,132,942 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Holder, Ronald G., Rhoads, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Laura
• Application Number:
  US12/945,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20110115360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 362/800, 362/249.02, 362/311.02, 362/545, 362/431
• US Class Current: 362/311.02
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/68 Details of reflectors forming part of the light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/90 Methods of manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 13/04 the elements being reflectors and refractors for vehicle rear lights F21S43/40
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/101 permanently, e.g. welding, gluing or riveting
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/164 the parts being subjected to bending, e.g. snap joints
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/02 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/00 Reflectors for light sources characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/505
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0066 specially adapted to cooperate with point like light sources; specially adapted to cooperate with light sources the shape of which is unspecified F21V7/16 - F21V7/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2101/00 Point-like light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

A light source is combined with an optic and a reflector. Light incident onto to the reflector is reflected with a single reflection. The reflector occupies a portion of a solid angle around the light source to the exclusion of the optic at least with respect to any optical function. The reflector directly receives a second portion of light. The optic occupies substantially all of the remaining portion of the predetermined solid angle to directly receive a first portion of light from the light source. A reflected beam from the reflector is reflected into a predetermined reflection pattern. The inner and/or outer surface of the optic is shaped to refract or direct light which is directly transmitted into the optic from the light source from a first portion of light and/or reflected into the optic from the reflector from the reflected beam into a predetermined beam.

Claims

1. An illumination system comprising:

a light emitting diode (LED) disposed adjacent a substrate;

an optic disposed adjacent the substrate and comprising an inner surface defining a cavity facing the LED; and

a reflector positioned to receive light from the LED and to direct the received light through the optic,

wherein the optic comprises a heat staked post, and wherein the heat staked post couples the reflector and the optic to one another.

2. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the optic comprises a shoulder, and wherein the heat staked post maintains a shoulder of the reflector alongside the shoulder of the optic.

3. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the heat staked post is deformed over a surface of the reflector.

4. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein an axis of the LED projects away from the substrate,

wherein the LED and a reflective surface of the reflector are disposed in the cavity, with the reflective surface disposed on a first lateral side of the axis;

and

wherein the reflective surface is oriented to form a beam that transmits through the cavity and is incident upon a portion of the inner surface disposed on a second lateral side of the axis that is opposite the first lateral side of the axis.

5. The illumination system of claim 4, wherein the portion of the inner surface is operable to refract the incident beam towards a transparent convex outer surface of the optic that is opposite the inner surface.

6. The illumination system of claim 4, wherein the LED is oriented to emit light rays towards the portion of the inner surface, joining with light rays of the incident beam.

7. The illumination system of claim 4, wherein the LED is operable to emit light onto the portion of the inner surface,

wherein the incident beam and the emitted light jointly illuminate the portion of the inner surface, and

wherein the inner surface refracts each of the incident beam and the emitted light.

8. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the LED comprises an LED package comprising a dome that is separated from the inner surface by an air gap.

wherein the substrate comprises a substantially flat surface,

wherein the optic comprises substantially transparent optical material, and

wherein the reflector comprises a mirror.

9. An illumination system comprising:

an optic comprising;

an inner surface defining a cavity and comprising a refractive surface region; and

an outer surface opposite the inner surface;

an LED disposed substantially in the cavity and having an axis extending through the inner surface and the outer surface, wherein an imaginary plane comprises the axis, with the refractive surface region disposed on a first side of the imaginary plane; and

a reflector disposed in the cavity on a second side of the imaginary plane and oriented to reflect light emitted by the LED so that substantially all the reflected light crosses the imaginary plane while propagating in the cavity towards the refractive surface region.

10. The illumination system of claim 9, wherein the optic comprises a heat staked post, and wherein the heat staked post joins the reflector and the optic.

11. The illumination system of claim 9, wherein the outer surface is substantially hemispherical.

12. The illumination system of claim 9, wherein the refractive surface region is operative to refract the reflected light for transmission through the outer surface.

13. The illumination system of claim 9, wherein the LED is operative to emit second light towards the refractive surface region.

14. The illumination system of claim 9, wherein the reflector comprises a mirror,

wherein the optic substantially consists of optically transparent material, and

wherein the LED comprises an LED package.

15. The illumination system of claim 9, wherein the LED is oriented to emit second light into a volume of the cavity that is disposed on the first side of the imaginary plane so that the second light joins with the reflected light at the refractive surface region.

16. An illumination system comprising:

an optic comprising;

a concave refractive surface forming a cavity; and

a convex refractive surface opposite the concave refractive surface;

an LED package comprising a dome disposed in the cavity with a gap between the dome and the concave refractive surface; and

a reflector disposed in the cavity and oriented to redirect onto the concave refractive surface substantially all rays emitted from the dome that are incident upon the reflector.

17. The illumination system of claim 16, wherein the optic comprises a heat staked post that provides mechanical coupling between the optic and the reflector.

18. The illumination system of claim 16, wherein the reflector is operative to form a beam of the redirected rays.

19. The illumination system of claim 16, wherein the reflector is operative to form from the redirected rays a beam that transmits across a vertical axis of the LED package within the cavity.

20. The illumination system of claim 16, wherein the reflector is operable to form the incident rays into a beam that joins with other rays emitted from the dome prior to exiting the optic through the convex refractive surface.