Free form lighting module

• US 9,268,082 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2010
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Van Dijk, Erik Martinus Hubertus Petrus, Boonekamp, Erik, Van Der Wal, Rene Henri Wouter, Dingemans, Antonius Petrus Marinus
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jong-Suk (James)
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kryukova, Erin
• Application Number:
  US13/382,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20120113676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,058 Days
• Field of Search: 362/607, 362/609, 362/616, 362623-625, 362/628, 362/249.04, 362/249.08, 362/278, 362/320, 362/626
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/06 by suspension
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/04 by movement of reflectors in vehicle head lamps F21S41/675
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/08 by movement of the screens or filters
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0043 provided on the surface of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0045 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0063 for extracting light out both the major surfaces of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0073 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0078 Side-by-side arrangements, e.g. for large area displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133628 with cooling means

Abstract

The invention provides an illumination device (1) comprising (a) a waveguide element (20) comprising a first face (21), a second face (22), and a waveguide edge (23), and (b) a LED light source (10), arranged to generate light source light (17), with optional collimating optics (11). The LED light source (10) with optional collimating optics (11) is arranged to couple at least part of the light source light (17) into the waveguide element (20) via the waveguide edge (23) of the waveguide element (20). The first face (21) comprises structures (51) arranged to couple at least part of the light out of the waveguide element (20) via the second face (22) to provide second face light (37). The illumination device (1) further comprises a cavity (80), arranged to allow light to escape from the waveguide element (20) into the cavity (80), and a reflector (81), arranged to reflect at least part of the light in the cavity (80) in a direction away from the second face (22) to provide first face light (47). Such an illumination device may allow lighting a room, for instance via the ceiling with uplight, and lighting a specific area in the room with downlight. Further, a relatively thin illumination device may be provided, which may for instance suspend from a ceiling.

Claims

1. An illumination device comprising:

a waveguide element comprising a first face, a second face, and a waveguide edge;

a LED light source, arranged to generate light source light,

wherein the LED light source is arranged to couple at least part of the light source light into the waveguide element via the waveguide edge of the waveguide element; and

wherein the first face comprises a plurality of structures arranged to couple at least part of the light source light out of the waveguide element via the second face to provide second face light;

a cavity, arranged to allow light source light to escape from the waveguide element into the cavity, and

a reflector in the cavity, arranged to reflect at least part of the light source light in the cavity in a direction away from the second face to provide first face light that escapes from the illumination device, only via the cavity, in the direction away from the second face to illuminate structure beyond the illumination device.

2. The illumination device according to claim 1, further comprising an adjustable cavity opening, wherein the adjustable cavity opening is arranged to control the amount of first face light escaping from the cavity.

3. The illumination device according to claim 2, wherein the cavity comprises a diaphragm having an adjustable diaphragm opening as the adjustable cavity opening.

4. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the cavity comprises an adjustable reflector, wherein the adjustable reflector is arranged to control reflection at the adjustable reflector back into the waveguide element.

5. The illumination device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the structures are elastically deformable, and wherein the illumination device further comprises an actuator, arranged to plastically deform the structures.

6. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the cavity is a recess in the first face.

7. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the cavity is a cavity extending from the first face to the second face.

8. The illumination device according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of cavities.

9. The illumination device according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of waveguides, and comprising one or more cavities, wherein the one or more cavities are cavities between adjacent waveguides, respectively.

10. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the first face comprises a pattern of reflective dots or stripes.

11. The illumination device according to claim 1, further comprising a diffuser, arranged downstream of the second face.

12. The illumination device according to claim 11, further comprising glare-suppression optics, arranged downstream of the second face and arranged downstream of the diffuser.

13. The illumination device according to claim 12, further comprising a spacing downstream of the second face and upstream of one or more of the diffuser and the glare-suppression optics.

14. The illumination device according to claim 1, further comprising a reflector, arranged to reflect light escaping from the first face back into the waveguide.

15. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the first face is in contact with a heat sink.

16. An illumination device comprising:

a waveguide element comprising a first face, a second face, and a waveguide edge on an outer periphery of the waveguide element;

a LED light source arranged to generate light source light and couple at least part of the light source light into the waveguide element via the waveguide edge of the waveguide element;

wherein the first face of the waveguide element comprises a plurality of structures arranged to couple a first portion of the light source light out of the waveguide element via the second face to provide second face light;

a cavity formed in the waveguide element, arranged to allow a second portion of the light source light to escape from the waveguide element into the cavity; and

a reflector in the cavity, arranged to reflect at least part of the second portion of the light source light in a direction away from the second face to provide first face light, only via the cavity.

17. An illumination device comprising:

a waveguide element comprising a first face, a second face, and a waveguide edge;

a LED light source arranged to generate light source light and couple at least part of the light source light into the waveguide element via the waveguide edge of the waveguide element;

wherein the first face of the waveguide element comprises a plurality of structures arranged to couple a first portion of the light source light out of the waveguide element via the second face to provide second face light;

a cavity comprising at least one cavity edge and an opening, the at least one edge arranged to allow a second portion of the light source light to exit the waveguide element into the cavity through the at least one edge; and

a reflector in the cavity, arranged to reflect at least part of the second portion of the light source light through the opening in a direction away from the second face, only via the cavity, to illuminate structure beyond the illumination device.