Illumination device

• US 9,267,663 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2011
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Applied Optics Co., Ltd.,
• Original Assignee: Japan Applied Optics Co., Ltd.,
• Inventors: Arai, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Diane
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wolford, Naomi M
• Application Number:
  US13/814,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20130135856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 362/245, 362/331, 362/333, 362/231, 362/362, 362/440, 362147-148, 362308-309, 362/364, 362/455
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 10/02 changing colors F21S10/002 - F21S10/007, F21S10/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/02 by movement of light sources in vehicle head lamps F21S41/657
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/06 by movement of refractors in vehicle head lamps F21S41/635
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/08 by movement of the screens or filters
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/12 by screwing
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/164 the parts being subjected to bending, e.g. snap joints
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/77 with essentially identical diverging planar fins or blades, e.g. with fan-like or star-like cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/773 the planes containing the fins or blades having the direction of the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/008 Combination of two or more successive refractors along an optical axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0091 using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/304 for pictures
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/406 for theatres, stages or film studios
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/10 comprising a two-dimensional array of point-like light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/12 characterised by the geometrical disposition of the light-generating elements, e.g. arranging light-generating elements in differing patterns or densities
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/10 of different colours
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/13 comprising an assembly of point-like light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

Light having little color inconsistency is effectively emitted with a simple structure achieving favorable productivity. A plurality of multi-color light emitting diodes comprising a plurality of LED chips having different light emission colors is disposed on the same surface such that the light emitted by the plurality of the multi-color light emitting diodes is mixed and emitted in a illumination device, wherein at least one multi-color light emitting diode from among the plurality of multi-color light emitting diodes is disposed while being rotated by a prescribed angle with reference to one other multi-color light emitting diode in such a manner that when translating the one multi-color light emitting diode so as to overlap with the one other multi-color light emitting diode, LED chips having the same light emission color do not overlap with each other.

Claims

1. An illumination device for mixing and radiating the light emitted by a plurality of multi-color light emitting diodes, the illumination device comprising:

a plurality of first lenses disposed in correspondence to each of said plurality of multi-color light emitting diodes in contact with or in the proximity of a front side thereof;

a second lens disposed on a front side of the plurality of first lenses, said second lens has a concave rear surface and a corrugated sheet-like unevenly profiled portion provided by a plurality of rows of recessed portions with concave shaped cross-sections on the concave rear surface,

a hood covering the front side of said second lens, said hood has a shape with a front end portion extending obliquely and is arranged rotatably around an optical axis of said second lens;

a rear cylindrical portion having said plurality of multi-color light emitting diodes, the rear cylindrical portion being connected to said first lens with a front cylindrical portion having said second lens and said hood;

said front cylindrical portion includes a combining cylindrical portion detachably connected to said rear cylindrical portion, said hood extended over the periphery of the combining cylindrical portion, said second lens rotatably provided on the front end side in said combining cylindrical portion, and a rectangular shaped spring member provided on the rear side of the second lens in said combining cylindrical portion;

an inward edge portion extending inwardly to contact the second lens from the front side is provided at the front edge of said combining cylindrical portion; and

an annular groove continuing throughout the circumference of the hood is provided on an inner peripheral surface of said hood, wherein

said rectangular shaped spring member defining ends of the rectangular shaped spring member and knobs provided at ends of the rectangular shaped spring member, the cut and knobs are configured to allow the rectangular shaped spring member to pass through said combining cylindrical portion such that outer peripheral portions of the rectangular shaped spring member fit in said annular groove, whereby said rectangular shaped spring member is latched with said combining cylindrical portion such that said rectangular shaped spring member elastically presses said second lens from the rear side while holding said hood rotatably and unmovably in the back-and-forth direction, and

the degree of diffusion of light incident from the rear surface side of the second lens, that is diffused and radiated from a front surface of the second lens, is larger in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the plurality of rows of recessed portions extend, than in the direction in which the plurality of rows of recessed portions extend.

2. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein said second lens has an unevenly profiled portion provided with a number of quadrangular pyramid-shaped recessed portions on the front surface.

3. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination device further comprises:

a substrate for fixing said plurality of multi-color light emitting diodes in a same plane such that each of said plurality of multi-color light emitting diodes faces toward a front of the illumination device;

a body for covering the sides of said plurality of multi-color light emitting diodes and said substrate;

a heat sink disposed on the rear side of said substrate for dissipating the heat of said plurality of multi-color light emitting diodes; and

a support bracket for supporting said plurality of first lenses while fixing the same to said substrate.

4. The illumination device according to claim 3, wherein each of said plurality of multi-color light emitting diodes comprises a plurality of LED chips with different light emission colors, wherein

at least one multi-color light emitting diode of the plurality of multi-color light emitting diodes is rotated by a prescribed angle with reference to one other multi-color light emitting diode such that when translating said one multi-color light emitting diode so as to overlap with said one other multi-color light emitting diode, LED chips having the same light emission color do not overlap with each other.

5. The illumination device according to claim 4, wherein

said plurality of multi-color light emitting diodes include four multi-color light emitting diodes that are provided on a same circumference of the substrate at regular intervals,

each of the multi-color light emitting diodes having LED chips with four colors of red, green, blue and white disposed on the same circumference of the substrate at regular intervals, and each of the multi-color light emitting diodes is rotated by 90 degrees with respect to the circumferentially adjoining multi-color light emitting diodes.