Light-emitting circuit and luminaire

• US 8,847,477 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawashima, Seiko, Takahashi, Yoshiko, Fujita, Masahiro, Kashiwagi, Takahito
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowman, Mary Ellen
• Application Number:
  US13/828,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20140232259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 313/498, 313/512, 257/98, 362/84
• US Class Current: 313/498
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a light-emitting circuit including a substrate, a plurality of light-emitting portions, and a luminous intensity distribution control member is provided. A plurality of the light-emitting portions are arranged apart from each other on the substrate. A plurality of the light-emitting portions each have a plurality of light-emitting elements and a color mixing unit. A plurality of the light-emitting elements radiate light. The color mixing unit combines the lights sealing a plurality of the light-emitting elements and radiated from a plurality of the light-emitting elements. The luminous intensity distribution control member includes a plurality of lenses provided corresponding to a plurality of the light-emitting portions, respectively, provided so that respective lights radiated from a plurality of the light-emitting portions enter a plurality of the lenses respectively, and configured to control the luminous intensity distribution of the light-emitting portions.

Claims

1. A light-emitting circuit comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of light-emitting portions arranged apart from each other on the substrate, each of a plurality of the light-emitting portions including a plurality of light-emitting elements configured to radiate light and a color mixing unit sealing the plurality of the light-emitting elements and configured to combine lights radiated from the plurality of the light-emitting elements; and

a luminous intensity distribution control member including a plurality of lenses provided corresponding to the plurality of the light-emitting portions, respectively, provided so that respective lights radiated from the plurality of the light-emitting portions enter the plurality of the lenses respectively, and configured to change luminous intensity distribution of the light-emitting portions,

each of the color mixing units having a dome shape,

the plurality of light-emitting elements of each of the light-emitting portions including a first light-emitting element configured to radiate light in a first wavelength range and a plurality of second light-emitting elements configured to radiate light in a second wavelength range that does not overlap with the first wavelength range,

the first light-emitting element and the plurality of second light-emitting elements of each of the light-emitting portions being sealed with the same color mixing unit, and

the plurality of second light-emitting elements surrounding the first light-emitting element and arranged in a circular shape.

2. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein the light-emitting elements are semiconductor light-emitting elements containing a semiconductor material.

3. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein each of the first light-emitting elements radiates blue light having a peak wavelength between 430 nanometers and 490 nanometers, and

each of the second light-emitting elements radiates red light having a peak wavelength between 600 nanometers and 670 nanometers.

4. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein each of the color mixing units includes a phosphor configured to be excited by irradiation of light from the first light-emitting element and radiate light in a third wavelength range different from the first wavelength range, and a scattering material, and

each of the light-emitting portions radiates light including light radiated from the first light-emitting element, light radiated from the second light-emitting element, and light radiated from the phosphor combined together.

5. The circuit according to claim 4, wherein the phosphor is a yellow phosphor configured to be excited by the light radiated from the first light-emitting element, and radiate light having a wavelength longer than 490 nanometers.

6. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement of the plurality of the light-emitting elements in the interior of the corresponding color mixing unit is the same for each of a plurality of the light-emitting portions.

7. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal and vertical ratio of the aggregation of the plurality of the light-emitting portions on the substrate is 10:

1 or more and 1;

1 or lower.

8. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of the light-emitting portions are arranged concentrically or pseudo-concentrically on the substrate.

9. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of the light-emitting portions are arranged linearly on the substrate.

10. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of the light-emitting portions is formed into a dome shape on the substrate.

11. The circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a light-diffuser layer provided between the light-emitting portions and the luminous intensity distribution control member.

12. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein each of the lenses is a collimator lens.

13. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein the luminous intensity distribution control member includes a fly-eye lens including a plurality of the lenses arranged vertically and horizontally.

14. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein each of the lenses is a Fresnel lens.

15. A luminaire comprising the light-emitting circuit according to claim 1.