LED devices for offset wide beam generation

• US 8,454,205 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2012
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• 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 K
• Application Number:
  US13/418,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20120224370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 362/311.02, 362/800, 362/249.02, 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:

an optic comprising a cavity;

a light emitting diode (LED) mounted to emit light into the cavity; and

a reflector physically coupled to the optic through a heat staking process, the reflector comprising a reflective surface region disposed between the LED and the optic.

2. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the LED comprises an axis projecting through the cavity, and

wherein the reflector is oriented to reflect light across the axis.

3. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein a heat staked post maintains a shoulder of the reflector against a shoulder of the optic.

4. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein a heat staked post is at least partially melted over a surface of the reflector.

5. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein an axis of the LED extends into the cavity from a dome of the LED,

wherein the dome and the reflective surface region are disposed in the cavity, the reflective surface region on a first side of the axis;

and

wherein the reflective surface region is configured to project a beam of the emitted light through the cavity and onto a refractive surface region of the optic that is disposed on a second side of the axis, opposing the first side of the axis.

6. The illumination system of claim 5, wherein the refractive surface region faces the LED.

7. The illumination system of claim 5, wherein the refractive surface region is concave and oriented for refracting the projected beam towards a second refractive surface region of the optic that faces away from the LED.

8. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the illumination system comprises a light module comprising an array of light sources, and

wherein one for the light sources comprises the optic.

9. The illumination system of claim 8, wherein the light module is one light module in a plurality of light modules disposed adjacent one another in a light fixture.

10. An illumination system comprising:

a light emitting diode comprising;

a substrate; and

a dome protruding relative to the substrate, wherein a reference plane that projects away from the substrate sections the dome into a first section disposed on a first side of the reference plane and a second section disposed on a second side of the reference plane;

an optic comprising a first surface forming a cavity that faces towards the light emitting diode and a second surface, opposite the cavity, that faces away from the light emitting diode, wherein the first surface comprises a refractive surface region disposed on the first side of the reference plane in a position to receive first light directly from the first section of the dome; and

a reflective surface disposed in the cavity on the second side of the reference plane, wherein the reflective surface is oriented to receive second light from the second section of the dome and to direct the received second light onto the refractive surface region.

11. The illumination system of claim 10, wherein the reflective surface is further oriented to project a beam of the second light across the cavity and through the reference plane.

12. The illumination system of claim 10, wherein the reference plane comprises an axis of the light emitting diode.

13. The illumination system of claim 10, wherein the second surface is substantially hemispherical.

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

15. The illumination system of claim 10, wherein the reflective surface comprises a mirror,

wherein the optic substantially consists of optically transparent material, and

wherein the light emitting diode comprises an LED package.

16. The illumination system of claim 10, wherein a reflector comprises the reflective surface, and wherein substantially all light reflected by the reflector crosses the reference plane prior to exiting the optic.

17. An illumination system comprising:

an optic comprising;

a concave refractive inner surface forming a cavity; and

a refractive outer surface opposite the concave refractive inner surface;

an LED package, comprising a light emitting surface facing the cavity, oriented to illuminate the concave refractive inner surface; and

a reflector disposed in the cavity and oriented to direct onto the concave refractive inner surface substantially all rays emitted from the light emitting surface that are incident on the reflector.

18. The illumination system of claim 17, wherein the optic is one optic in an array of optics,

wherein a light module comprises the array of optics, and

wherein the illumination system comprises the light module.

19. The illumination system of claim 18, wherein the illumination system comprises a fixture into which the light module is mounted adjacent a plurality of other light modules.

20. The illumination system of claim 17, wherein the reflector is operative to form from the incident rays a beam that transmits across an axis of the LED package within the cavity.