LED lighting systems including luminescent layers on remote reflectors

• US 9,217,553 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2011
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Medendorp, Nicholas W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sawhney, Hargobind S
• Application Number:
  US13/216,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20110305001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 362/84, 362/136, 362/139, 362/142, 362/235, 362/244, 362/245, 362/249.01, 362/249.02, 362/249.1, 362/276, 362/2, 362/82, 362/283, 362/298, 362/299, 362/395, 362/410, 362/414, 362/427, 362/431
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/086 with lighting device attached sideways of the standard, e.g. for roads and highways
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 13/14 the elements being filters or photoluminescent elements, reflectors and refractors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/30 the coatings comprising photoluminescent substances
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/08 for producing coloured light, e.g. monochromatic; for reducing intensity of light with provision for controlling the colour F21V9/40
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/32 characterised by the arrangement of the photoluminescent material
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/38 Combination of two or more photoluminescent elements of different materials
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A lighting system may include a substrate and a light emitting device (LED) on the substrate, and the light emitting device may be configured to transmit light having a first wavelength along a path away from the substrate. A remote reflector may be spaced apart from the light emitting device, and the light emitting device may be between the substrate and the remote reflector. The remote reflector may also be in the path of the light having the first wavelength transmitted by light emitting device. A luminescent layer may be on a surface of the remote reflector, and the luminescent layer may be configured to convert a portion of the light having the first wavelength to light having a second wavelength different than the first wavelength. Moreover, the remote reflector may be configured to reflect light having the first and second wavelengths.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising:

a light emitting device configured to transmit visible light having a first color;

a housing reflector adjacent the light emitting device, wherein the housing reflector is configured to reflect a portion of the visible light transmitted by the light emitting device;

a remote reflector having a reflective surface spaced apart from the light emitting device and spaced apart from the housing reflector, wherein the reflective surface of the remote reflector is in a direct path of light transmitted by the light emitting device to the remote reflector and in an indirect path of light transmitted by the light emitting device and reflected by the housing reflector to the remote reflector;

a luminescent layer on the reflective surface of the remote reflector, wherein the luminescent layer is configured to convert a portion of the visible light having the first color to visible light having a second color different than the first color, wherein the reflective surface is configured to reflect visible light having the first and second colors, and wherein the reflective surface is configured to direct light in a target direction so that the visible light having the first color from the light emitting device is transmitted in the target direction only after reflection from the reflective surface; and

at least one adjustable coupling that is configured to be adjustable to adjust at least one of the target direction of the light reflected by the remote reflector and a focus of the light reflected by the remote reflector,

wherein the at least one adjustable coupling comprises at least one of an adjustable coupling between a support structure and the remote reflector and an adjustable coupling between the support structure and the light emitting device.

2. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the luminescent layer comprises a phosphor material configured to convert the portion of the visible light having the first color to visible light having the second color, and wherein the light emitting device and the housing reflector are free of the phosphor material.

3. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the light emitting device comprises one of a plurality of light emitting devices configured to transmit visible light, and wherein the reflective surface of the remote reflector is in a direct path of light transmitted by the plurality of light emitting devices.

4. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the light emitting device comprises a phosphor coated light emitting device.

5. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein an entirety of the light emitting device and an entirety of the housing reflector are spaced apart from the reflective surface of the remote reflector and from the luminescent layer by a distance of at least 10 cm.

6. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the light emitting device is mounted on a substrate, and wherein the adjustable coupling is between the support structure and the substrate.

7. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the at least one adjustable coupling comprises the adjustable coupling between the support structure and the remote reflector.

8. The lighting system of claim wherein the at least one adjustable coupling comprises the adjustable coupling between the support structure and the light emitting device.

9. The lighting system of claim 8 wherein the light emitting device is mounted on a substrate, and wherein the adjustable coupling is between the support structure and the substrate.

10. A lighting system comprising:

a light emitting device configured to transmit visible light having a first color;

a housing reflector adjacent the light emitting device, wherein the housing reflector is configured to reflect a portion of the visible light transmitted by the light emitting device;

a remote reflector having a reflective surface spaced apart from the light emitting device and spaced apart from the housing reflector, wherein the reflective surface of the remote reflector is in a direct path of light transmitted by the light emitting device to the remote reflector and in an indirect path of light transmitted by the light emitting device and reflected by the housing reflector to the remote reflector;

a luminescent layer on the reflective surface of the remote reflector, wherein the luminescent layer is configured to convert a portion of the visible light having the first color to visible light having a second color different than the first color, wherein the reflective surface is configured to reflect visible light having the first and second colors, and wherein the reflective surface is configured to direct light in a target direction so that the visible light having the first color from the light emitting device is transmitted in the target direction only after reflection from the reflective surface; and

an adjustable coupling between a support structure and the light emitting device wherein the adjustable coupling is configured to be adjustable to adjust at least one of the target direction of the light reflected by the remote reflector and a focus of the light reflected by the remote reflector.

11. The lighting system of claim 10, wherein the adjustable coupling is adjustable so that light reflected by the remote reflector is reflected in the target direction that is adjustable.

12. The lighting system of claim 10 wherein the adjustable coupling is adjustable so that a focus of the light reflected by the housing reflector is adjustable.

13. The lighting system of claim 10 wherein an entirety of the light emitting device and an entirety of the housing reflector are spaced apart from the reflective surface of the remote reflector and from the luminescent layer by a distance of at least 10 cm.

14. The lighting system of claim 10 wherein the light emitting device is mounted on a substrate and the wherein the adjustable coupling is between the support structure and the substrate.

15. A lighting system comprising:

a light emitting device configured to transmit visible light having a first color;

a housing reflector adjacent the light emitting device, wherein the housing reflector is configured to reflect a portion of the visible light transmitted by the light emitting device;

a remote reflector having a reflective surface spaced apart from the light emitting device and spaced apart from the housing reflector, wherein the reflective surface of the remote reflector is in a direct path of light transmitted by the light emitting device to the remote reflector and in an indirect path of light transmitted by the light emitting device and reflected by the housing reflector to the remote reflector;

a luminescent layer on the reflective surface of the remote reflector, wherein the luminescent layer is configured to convert a portion of the visible light having the first color to visible light having a second color different than the first color, wherein the reflective surface is configured to reflect visible light having the first and second colors, and wherein the reflective surface is configured to direct light in a target direction so that the visible light having the first color from the light emitting device is transmitted in the target direction only after reflection from the reflective surface; and

an adjustable coupling between a support structure and the remote reflector wherein the adjustable coupling is configured to be adjustable to adjust at least one of the target direction of the light reflected by the remote reflector and a focus of the light reflected by the remote reflector.

16. The lighting system of claim 15 wherein the adjustable coupling is adjustable so that light reflected by the remote reflector is reflected in the target direction that is adjustable.

17. The lighting system of claim 15 wherein the adjustable coupling is adjustable so that a focus of the light reflected by the housing reflector is adjustable.

18. The lighting system of claim 15 wherein the luminescent layer comprises a phosphor material configured to convert the portion of the visible light having the first color to visible light having the second color, and wherein the light emitting device and the housing reflector are free of the phosphor material.

19. The lighting system of claim 15 wherein an entirety of the light emitting device and an entirety of the housing reflector are spaced apart from the reflective surface of the remote reflector and from the luminescent layer by a distance of at least 10 cm.