Indirect direct troffer luminaire

• US 8,833,969 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
• Original Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
• Inventors: Speier, Ingo, Dau, Wilson, Gardner, Robert C., Lerman, George, Lerman, Louis, Lowery, Christopher H., Ogonowsky, Brian D., Smith, George E., Steele, Robert V., Teng, Jacqueline, York, Allan Brent
• Primary Examiner(s): BANNAN, JULIE A
• Application Number:
  US14/140,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20140104868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 266 Days
• Field of Search: 362/555, 362/219, 362222-225, 362236-238, 362/249.06
• US Class Current: 362/236
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/04 intended only for mounting on a ceiling or the like overhead structures F21S8/02 takes precedence; details of ceiling bases F21V21/03
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0016 on lighting devices that also provide for direct lighting, e.g. by means of independent light sources, by splitting of the light beam, by switching between both lighting modes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0025 Combination of two or more reflectors for a single light source array of reflectors for a cluster of light sources F21V7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0033 with successive reflections from one reflector to the next or following
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/10 comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0001 specially adapted for lighting devices or systems lighting or signalling on vehicles using light guides B60Q1/00; lighting devices for vehicle dashboards B60Q3/10; lighting devices for vehicle interior using light guides B60Q3/62; lighting devices mounted on the vehicle rear part using light guides F21S43/235; measuring arrangements having light conducting pointers G01D13/265; illumination of liquid crystal displays G02F1/1336; illuminated signs G09F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0011 the light guides being planar or of plate-like form
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0096 the lights guides being of the hollow type

Abstract

An illumination system is described including a plurality of illumination devices, each device including (i) light-emitting elements (LEEs) arranged along a corresponding first axis; (ii) an optical extractor extending along a corresponding longitudinal axis parallel to the first axis; and (iii) a light guide positioned to receive at a first end of the light guide light emitted by the LEEs and guide it to a second end of the light guide. The optical extractor is optically coupled to the light guide at the second end and is shaped to redirect the light guided by the light guide into a range of angles on either side of the light guide. The illumination devices are connected to each other to form a polygon such that the longitudinal axes of the connected illumination devices lie in a common plane.

Claims

1. An illumination system comprising:

a plurality of illumination devices, each illumination device comprising;

a plurality of light-emitting elements (LEEs) arranged along a corresponding first axis;

an optical extractor extending along a corresponding longitudinal axis parallel to the first axis; and

a light guide positioned to receive at a first end of the light guide light emitted by the LEEs and guide it to a second end of the light guide,

wherein the optical extractor is optically coupled to the light guide at the second end and comprises a first optical interface, such that, for a cross-sectional plane, the first optical interface has a shape that comprises a vertex, the first optical interface being positioned to receive the light from the light guide and reflect the light into a range of angles on either side of the light guide,

wherein the illumination devices are connected to each other to form a polygon such that the longitudinal axes of the connected modules lie in a common plane.

2. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the optical extractor further comprises a second optical interface positioned in the path of the light reflected by the first optical interface and configured to transmit the light into the range of angles.

3. The illumination system of claim 2, wherein for a cross-sectional plane, the second interface has a portion having an arcuate shape.

4. The illumination system of claim 3, wherein the arcuate portion has a constant radius of curvature.

5. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein each illumination device from among the plurality of illumination devices further comprises one or more collectors arranged to receive light emitted by the LEEs and shaped to provide, to the first end of the light guide, light having a divergence smaller than a divergence of the light received from the LEEs.

6. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of LEEs of each illumination device comprises a light-emitting diode.

7. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the polygon has a maximum dimension less than 2 feet.

8. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the polygon is a quadrilateral.

9. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the polygon comprises four or more illumination devices.

10. The illumination system of claim 1, wherein the first optical interface of the optical extractor is shaped to redirect light into different ranges of angles on opposing sides of the light guide.