Solid state light fixture with a tunable angular distribution
First Claim
1. A light fixture, comprising:
- a lens having a lateral area divided into a plurality of zones, each zone having a respective focal length;
a plurality of selectively electrically controllable light emitting diodes (LEDs) disposed longitudinally adjacent to the lens, the plurality of LEDs emitting light in essentially the same direction toward the lens with essentially the same spectral profile, each LED in the plurality emitting light that strikes one of the zones, each LED belonging to a subset of LEDs corresponding to the zone struck by its emitted light, each zone producing a transmitted beam having a respective angular beam width, the transmitted beams from the plurality of zones forming exiting light;
wherein at least two of the zones produce transmitted beams having different respective angular beam widths;
wherein each subset of LEDs is electrically controllable independent of the other subsets;
wherein the zones are concentric with each consecutive zone completely surrounding the respective zone of the beam having a narrower angular beam width; and
wherein a variation in electrical power to one subset of LEDs relative to the other subsets of LEDs produces an adjustment of an angular beam width of the fixture.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A light fixture may include LEDs that each emits light into a particular zone on a lens, where each zone has its own focal properties. Each LED may be grouped into one (or more) subset(s) that corresponds to the zone(s) struck by its emitted light. The LEDs may be selectively electrically controllable, so that the amount of light transmitted through each zone may be controllable by the electrical control system of the fixture. Because light transmitted through different zones emerges from the fixture having different widths, the electrical control system can directly control the amount of light emerging at each width. By mixing relatively narrow light with relatively wide light in the proper proportions, the electrical control system of the fixture may produce light having any desired angular profile between “narrow” and “wide”.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A light fixture, comprising:
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a lens having a lateral area divided into a plurality of zones, each zone having a respective focal length; a plurality of selectively electrically controllable light emitting diodes (LEDs) disposed longitudinally adjacent to the lens, the plurality of LEDs emitting light in essentially the same direction toward the lens with essentially the same spectral profile, each LED in the plurality emitting light that strikes one of the zones, each LED belonging to a subset of LEDs corresponding to the zone struck by its emitted light, each zone producing a transmitted beam having a respective angular beam width, the transmitted beams from the plurality of zones forming exiting light; wherein at least two of the zones produce transmitted beams having different respective angular beam widths; wherein each subset of LEDs is electrically controllable independent of the other subsets; wherein the zones are concentric with each consecutive zone completely surrounding the respective zone of the beam having a narrower angular beam width; and wherein a variation in electrical power to one subset of LEDs relative to the other subsets of LEDs produces an adjustment of an angular beam width of the fixture. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A light fixture, comprising:
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a plurality of selectively electrically controllable light emitting diodes (LEDs), the plurality of LEDs emitting light in essentially the same direction with essentially the same spectral profile; and a plurality of lenses corresponding to at least some of the plurality of LEDs; wherein each lens that receives emitted light from a corresponding LED produces a transmitted beam having one of a predetermined number of angular beam widths; wherein each LED that does not have a corresponding lens produces a transmitted beam having one of the predetermined number of angular beam widths; wherein the LEDs are grouped into mutually exclusive subsets by the respective angular beam width; wherein the transmitted beams form exiting light; wherein at least two of the transmitted beams have different angular beam widths; wherein each subset of LEDs is electrically controllable independent of the other subsets; wherein a variation in electrical power to one subset of LEDs relative to the other subsets of LEDs produces a change in the angular beam width of the exiting light of the fixture; wherein a first subset of LEDs having the narrowest of the angular beam widths is disposed at the lateral center of the plurality; wherein a second subset of LEDs having an intermediate angular beam width surrounds the first subset of LEDs; and wherein a third subset of LEDs having the widest of the angular beam widths surrounds the second subset of LEDs. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for varying an angular distribution from a light fixture, comprising:
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providing a localized plurality of selectively electrically powered light emitting diodes (LEDs), the plurality of LEDs emitting light in essentially the same direction with essentially the same spectral profile, the light from each LED having one of a predetermined number of angular beam widths, the light from the plurality of LEDs forming exiting light; providing electrical power to a first subset of the plurality of LEDs, the first subset producing light having a first angular beam width; and varying the electrical power provided to a second subset of the plurality of LEDs, the second subset producing light having a second angular beam width larger than the first angular beam width and wherein the second angular beam width substantially surrounding the first angular beam width and results in an adjustment of the angular beam width of the fixture. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification