Lighting device and lighting method

• US 8,878,429 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2013
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Van De Ven, Antony Paul, Negley, Gerald H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimeshkumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIAZ, JOSE
• Application Number:
  US13/740,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20130194792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 313498-512, 313467-468, 362230-231, 362/253, 362/545, 362/555, 362/800, 362/227, 362/285, 257/98, 315/291
• US Class Current: 313/498
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/00 Light sources using semiconductor devices as light-generating elements, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] or lasers
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/60 Optical arrangements integrated in the light source, e.g. for improving the colour rendering index or the light extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0242 Compensation of deficiencies in the appearance of colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/06 Colour space transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light

Abstract

A lighting device comprising sources of visible light comprising solid state light emitters and/or luminescent materials emitting three or four different hues. A first group of the sources, when illuminated, emit light of two hues which, if combined, would produce illumination having coordinates within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by points having coordinates: 0.59, 0.24; 0.40, 0.50; 0.24, 0.53; 0.17, 0.25; and 0.30, 0.12. A second group of the sources is of an additional hue. Mixing light from the first and second groups produces illumination within ten MacAdam ellipses of the blackbody locus. Also, a lighting device comprising a white light source having a CRI of 75 or less and at least one solid state light emitters and/or luminescent material. Also, methods of lighting.

Claims

1. A lighting device comprising:

a plurality of sources of visible light, said sources each selected from among solid state light emitters and luminescent materials, each source of visible light, when illuminated, emitting light of a hue, said sources of visible light, when illuminated, emitting in total three different hues, said sources of visible light comprising a first group of sources of visible light and a second group of sources of visible light, said first group of sources of visible light comprising sources of visible light which, when illuminated, emit light of two hues which, if mixed in the absence of any other light, produce a first group mixed illumination which would have x,y color coordinates which are within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by five points having x,y coordinates;

0.59, 0.24;

0.40, 0.50;

0.24, 0.53;

0.17, 0.25; and

0.30, 0.12, said second group of sources of visible light comprising at least one source of visible light of a first additional hue, wherein mixing of light from said first group of sources of visible light and light from said second group of sources of visible light produces a first group-second group mixed illumination of a hue which is within ten MacAdam ellipses of at least one point on a blackbody locus on said 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram.

2. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said first group mixed illumination would have x,y color coordinates which are within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by four points having x,y coordinates:

0.41, 0.45;

0.37, 0.47;

0.25, 0.27; and

0.29, 0.24.

3. A lighting device comprising:

a plurality of sources of visible light, said sources each selected from among solid state light emitters and luminescent materials, each source of visible light, when illuminated, emitting light of a hue, said sources of visible light, when illuminated, emitting in total four different hues, said sources of visible light comprising a first group of sources of visible light and a second group of sources of visible light, said first group of sources of visible light comprising sources of visible light which, when illuminated, emit light of two hues which, if mixed in the absence of any other light, produce a first group mixed illumination which would have x,y color coordinates which are within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by five points having x,y coordinates;

0.59, 0.24;

0.40, 0.50;

0.24, 0.53;

0.17, 0.25; and

0.30, 0.12, said second group of sources of visible light comprising at least one source of visible light of a first additional hue and at least one source of visible light of a second additional hue;

wherein mixing of light from said first group of sources of visible light and light from said second group of sources of visible light produces a first group-second group mixed illumination of a hue which is within ten MacAdam ellipses of at least one point on a blackbody locus on said 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram.

4. A lighting device as recited in claim 3, wherein said first group mixed illumination would have x,y color coordinates which are within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by four points having x,y coordinates:

0.41, 0.45;

0.37, 0.47;

0.25, 0.27; and

0.29, 0.24.

5. A lighting device comprising:

a plurality of sources of visible light, said sources each selected from among solid state emitters and luminescent materials, each of said sources of visible light, when illuminated, emitting light of a hue, said sources of visible light, when illuminated, emitting in total at least three different hues, said sources of visible light comprising a first group of sources of visible light and a second group of sources of visible light, said first group of sources of visible light comprising sources of visible light which, when illuminated, emit light of at least two hues which, if mixed in the absence of any other light, produce a first group mixed illumination which would have color x,y coordinates which are within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by five points having x,y coordinates;

0.59, 0.24;

0.40, 0.50;

0.24, 0.53;

0.17, 0.25; and

0.30, 0.12, said second group of sources of visible light comprising at least one additional source of visible light, wherein mixing of light from said first group of sources of visible light and light from said second group of sources of visible light produces a first group-second group mixed illumination of a hue which is within ten MacAdam ellipses of at least one point on a blackbody locus on said 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram, and wherein an intensity of at least one of said hues is at least 35% of an intensity of said first group-second group mixed illumination.

6. A lighting device as recited in claim 5, wherein said first group mixed illumination would have x,y color coordinates which are within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by four points having x,y coordinates:

0.41, 0.45;

0.37, 0.47;

0.25, 0.27; and

0.29, 0.24.

7. A lighting device as recited in claim 5, wherein said first group-second group mixed illumination has a CRI of at least 85.

8. A lighting device as recited in claim 5, wherein a combined intensity of said light from said first group of sources of visible light is at least 60% of an intensity of said first group-second group mixed illumination.

9. A lighting device as recited in claim 5, wherein said at least one additional source of visible light is a light emitting diode.

10. A lighting device as recited in claim 5, wherein said at least one additional source of visible light is a luminescent material.

11. A method of lighting, comprising:

mixing light from a plurality of sources of visible light, said sources each selected from among solid state light emitters and luminescent materials, each source of visible light, when illuminated, emitting light of a hue, said sources of visible light, when illuminated, emitting in total three different hues, said sources of visible light comprising a first group of sources of visible light and a second group of sources of visible light, said first group of sources of visible light comprising sources of visible light which, when illuminated, emit light of two hues which, if mixed in the absence of any other light, produce a first group mixed illumination which would have x,y color coordinates which are within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by five points having x,y coordinates;

0.59, 0.24;

0.40, 0.50;

0.24, 0.53;

0.17, 0.25; and

0.30, 0.12, said second group of sources of visible light comprising at least one source of visible light of a first additional hue, wherein mixing of light from said first group of sources of visible light and light from said second group of sources of visible light produces a first group-second group mixed illumination of a hue which is within ten MacAdam ellipses of at least one point on a blackbody locus on said 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein said first group mixed illumination would have x,y color coordinates which are within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by four points having x,y coordinates:

0.41, 0.45;

0.37, 0.47;

0.25, 0.27; and

0.29, 0.24.

13. A method of lighting, comprising:

mixing light from a plurality of sources of visible light, said sources each selected from among solid state light emitters and luminescent materials, each source of visible light, when illuminated, emitting light of a hue, said sources of visible light, when illuminated, emitting in total four different hues, said sources of visible light comprising a first group of sources of visible light and a second group of sources of visible light, said first group of sources of visible light comprising sources of visible light which, when illuminated, emit light of two hues which, if mixed in the absence of any other light, produce a first group mixed illumination which would have x,y color coordinates which are within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by five points having x,y coordinates;

0.59, 0.24;

0.40, 0.50;

0.24, 0.53;

0.17, 0.25; and

0.30, 0.12, said second group of sources of visible light comprising at least one source of visible light of a first additional hue and at least one source of visible light of a second additional hue;

wherein mixing of light from said first group of sources of visible light and light from said second group of sources of visible light produces a first group-second group mixed illumination of a hue which is within ten MacAdam ellipses of at least one point on a blackbody locus on said 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein said first group mixed illumination would have x,y color coordinates which are within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by four points having x,y coordinates:

0.41, 0.45;

0.37, 0.47;

0.25, 0.27; and

0.29, 0.24.

15. A method of lighting, comprising:

mixing light from a plurality of sources of visible light, said sources each selected from among solid state emitters and luminescent materials, each of said sources of visible light, when illuminated, emitting light of a hue, said sources of visible light, when illuminated, emitting in total at least three different hues, said sources of visible light comprising a first group of sources of visible light and a second group of sources of visible light, said first group of sources of visible light comprising sources of visible light which, when illuminated, emit light of at least two hues which, if mixed in the absence of any other light, produce a first group mixed illumination which would have color x,y coordinates which are within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by 0.30, 0.12, said second group of sources of visible light comprising at least one source of visible light, wherein mixing of light from said first group of sources of visible light and light from said second group of sources of visible light produces a first group-second group mixed illumination of a hue which is within ten MacAdam ellipses of at least one point on a blackbody locus on said 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram, and wherein an intensity of at least one of said hues is at least 35% of an intensity of said first group-second group mixed illumination.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein said first group mixed illumination would have x,y color coordinates which are within an area on a 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram defined by four points having x,y coordinates:

0.41, 0.45;

0.37, 0.47;

0.25, 0.27; and

0.29, 0.24.

17. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein said first group-second group mixed illumination has a CRI of at least 85.

18. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein a combined intensity of said light from said first group of sources of visible light is at least 60% of an intensity of said first group-second group mixed illumination.

19. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein said at least one additional source of visible light is a light emitting diode.

20. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein said at least one additional source of visible light is a luminescent material.