Lightguide luminaire module for direct and indirect illumination

• US 8,899,808 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2014
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• 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:
  US14/152,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20140126235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• Field of Search: 362/616, 362/619, 362/555, 362/300, 362/301, 362307-309, 362/311.06, 362/327, 362222-224
• US Class Current: 362/555
• 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

A luminaire module includes at least one light-emitting element (LEE); a light guide (LG) extending in a first direction from a first end of LG to a second end of LG to receive at the first end light emitted by the LEE and configured to guide the light to the second end; and an optical extractor (OE) optically coupled to LG at the second end to receive light from the LEE guided from the first end to the second end of LG. OE includes a first interface configured to reflect a first portion of the light exiting the LG and transmit a second portion of the light exiting the LG so that the second portion of the light exits OE to an ambient environment in the first direction, and a second interface configured to transmit light incident thereon to the ambient environment in a direction different from the first direction.

Claims

1. A luminaire module, comprising:

multiple light-emitting elements positioned to emit light predominantly in a forward direction;

a light guide extending in the forward direction from a first end of the light guide to a second end of the light guide, the light guide being positioned to receive at the first end light emitted by the light-emitting elements and configured to guide the light to the second end, wherein the light guide comprises a first side surface and a second side surface opposite the first side surface, the first and second side surfaces extending between the first end and the second end; and

an optical extractor optically coupled to the light guide at the second end to receive light from the light-emitting elements guided from the first end to the second end of the light guide, the optical extractor comprising;

a first interface positioned in a path of light exiting the light guide at the second end and configured to reflect a first portion of the light exiting the light guide and transmit a second portion of the light exiting the light guide so that the second portion of the light exits the optical extractor to an ambient environment prevalently in the forward direction, and

a second interface positioned in a path of the first portion of the light reflected from the first interface, the second interface being concave relative to the reflected light and extending from the first interface to at least one of the first side surface or the second side surface of the light guide to transmit the reflected light that is incident on the second interface to the ambient environment prevalently in a backward direction opposing the forward direction,

wherein the luminaire module extends along a lateral direction orthogonal to the forward direction.

2. The luminaire module of claim 1, wherein the luminaire module is symmetric about a plane extending along the forward direction and the lateral direction.

3. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the multiple light emitting elements are arranged orthogonally to the forward direction.

4. The luminaire module of claim 1, wherein the first and second light guide surfaces are planar surfaces.

5. The luminaire module of claim 4, wherein the first and second light guide surfaces are coplanar surfaces.

6. The luminaire module of claim 1, wherein the light guide is formed from a solid, transparent material.

7. The luminaire module of claim 1, wherein the first interface comprises two surfaces that face different directions.

8. The luminaire of claim 7, wherein the two surfaces meet at an apex.

9. The luminaire of claim 8, wherein the light guide and optical extractor are symmetrical about a plane that intersects the apex of the two surfaces.

10. The luminaire module of claim 7, wherein the surfaces of the first interface are planar surfaces.

11. The luminaire of claim 7, wherein the surfaces are non-planar surfaces.

12. The luminaire module of claim 1, wherein the first interface comprises at least a first region that reflects the first portion of the light and a second region that transmits the second portion of the light.

13. The luminaire module of claim 1, wherein the first interface specularly reflects incident light.

14. The luminaire module of claim 1, wherein the first interface diffusely reflects incident light.

15. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the first interface partially transmits 20% or less of the light exiting the light guide at the second end.

16. The luminaire module of claim 1, wherein the first interface comprises a reflecting layer for reflecting the first portion of light, the reflecting layer comprising openings for transmitting the second portion of light.

17. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting elements are light emitting diodes (LEDs).

18. The luminaire of claim 17, wherein the LEDs comprise a plurality of white LEDs.

19. The luminaire of claim 1, further comprising a primary optic arranged to receive light emitted from the light emitting elements and direct the light to the first end of the light guide.

20. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the optical extractor comprises a piece of a solid, transparent material and the first and second interfaces are surfaces of the piece of material.

21. The luminaire of claim 20, wherein the optical extractor is integral with or bonded to the light guide.

22. A luminaire module, comprising:

multiple light-emitting elements arranged to emit light predominantly in a forward direction;

a light guide comprising two opposing side surfaces both extending in the forward direction from a first end of the light guide to a second end of the light guide, the light guide being positioned to receive at the first end light emitted by the light-emitting elements and guide the light between the surfaces to the second end; and

an optical extractor formed from a solid, transparent material optically coupled to the light guide at the second end, the optical extractor comprising a redirecting surface, a first output surface and a second output surface, the redirecting surface being arranged to receive light from the light-emitting elements guided from the first end to the second end of the light guide, reflect a first portion of the received light and transmit a second portion of the received light out of the optical extractor in a forward angular range, the first output surface being curved and extending from the redirecting surface to one of the opposing side surfaces of the light guide, and the second output surface being curved and extending from the redirecting surface to the other one of the opposing side surfaces of the light guide,

where the first, curved output surface transmits the light—

reflected from the redirecting surface that impinges on the first, curved output surface—

out of the optical extractor in a first backward angular range, and the second, curved output surface transmits the light—

reflected from the redirecting surface that impinges on the second, curved output surface—

out of the optical extractor in a second backward angular on opposing sides of the light guide relative to the first backward angular range,

where the luminaire module extends orthogonally to the forward direction, and

where, for a polar coordinate system in which the forward direction corresponds to 0°

, forward refers to light propagating in directions from −

90°

to +90°

, inclusive of 0°

, and backward refers to light propagating in directions from +90°

to −

90°

, inclusive of 180°

.

23. The luminaire module of claim 22, wherein the redirecting surface comprises two portions that face different directions and meet at an apex.

24. The luminaire of claim 22, wherein the light-emitting elements are white light emitting diodes.

25. The luminaire of claim 22, wherein the multiple light emitting elements are arranged orthogonally to the forward direction.

26. The luminaire of claim 22, further comprising one or more optical couplers arranged to receive light emitted from the light emitting elements, collimate the received light and direct the collimated light to the first end of the light guide.