Edge weighted spacing of LEDs for improved uniformity range

• US 9,335,010 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2015
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoseon Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Phoseon Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Childers, Doug
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Almo, Khareem E
• Application Number:
  US14/817,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20150338030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 280 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/20 Light sources comprising attachment means
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/01 Housings, e.g. material or assembling of housing parts F21V15/02 takes precedence housings forming signs or letters G09F13/04
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/00 Supporting, suspending, or attaching arrangements for lighting devices F21V17/00, F21V19/00 take precedence; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q, stands for supporting apparatus or articles in general F16M11/00; Hand grips
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/009 the casing being inside the housing of the lighting device
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/60 characterised by the use of a forced flow of gas, e.g. air
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/67 characterised by the arrangement of fans
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/74 with fins or blades
• 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: H05K 2201/10106 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10522 Adjacent components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/2054 Light-reflecting surface, e.g. conductors, substrates, coatings, dielectrics
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/00 Casings, cabinets or drawers for electric apparatus

Abstract

A light source may comprise a housing, a window mounted in a front plane of the housing, a window length spanning a front plane length, and a linear array of light-emitting elements within the housing. The linear array may be aligned with and emit light through the window, and the linear array may span the window length, wherein first and last light-emitting elements of the linear array are positioned adjacent to widthwise edges of the window, and wherein window sidewalls at the widthwise edges are aligned flush with housing sidewalls.

Claims

1. A light source, comprising:

a housing;

a window mounted in a front plane of the housing, a window length spanning a front plane length; and

a linear array of light-emitting elements within the housing, the linear array aligned with and emitting light through the window, and the linear array spanning the window length entirely, wherein first and last light-emitting elements of the linear array are positioned directly adjacent to widthwise edges of the window, and wherein window sidewalls at the widthwise edges are aligned flush with housing sidewalls.

2. The light source of claim 1, wherein the linear array of light-emitting elements further comprises a middle portion in between two end portions, the linear array having only a single row of elements, wherein:

the middle portion comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements evenly distributed over the middle portion with a first spacing throughout the middle portion;

each of the end portions comprise a plurality of light-emitting elements evenly distributed over the end portion with a second spacing throughout each end portion, the first spacing greater than the second spacing; and

the middle portion and the end portions comprise all of the light-emitting elements in the linear array.

3. The light source of claim 2, wherein the middle portion comprises four light-emitting elements.

4. The light source of claim 2, wherein a third spacing between the middle portion and each of the end portions may be greater than the second spacing and less than the first spacing.

5. The light source of claim 4, wherein:

the plurality of light-emitting elements in the middle portion have a first irradiance; and

the plurality of light-emitting elements in each end portion have a second irradiance.

6. The light source of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the middle portion comprises a higher intensity light-emitting element than each of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the end portions, and wherein the first irradiance is greater than the second irradiance.

7. The light source of claim 1, wherein:

the window comprises a front face and the window sidewalls, the front face flush with the front plane, and the window sidewalls extending perpendicularly back from the front plane.

8. A method of irradiating light, comprising:

irradiating light from two linear arrays of light-emitting elements, each of the two linear arrays of light-emitting elements comprising a middle portion between two end portions, each of the linear arrays having only a single row of elements, wherein;

the middle portion comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements evenly distributed over the middle portion with a first spacing throughout the middle portions;

each of the end portions comprise a plurality of light-emitting elements evenly distributed over the end portion with a second spacing throughout each end portion, the first spacing is greater than the second spacing; and

the middle portion and the end portions comprise all of the light-emitting elements in the linear arrays.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising irradiating light from the plurality of light-emitting elements in the middle portion with a first irradiance, and irradiating light from the plurality of light-emitting elements in each end portion with a second irradiance.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising arranging the two linear arrays of light-emitting elements adjacently side by side, wherein the two linear arrays are collinear.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising arranging the two linear arrays of light-emitting elements adjacently side by side, wherein a distance between adjacent terminal light-emitting elements of the linear arrays is less than or equal to the first spacing.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein irradiating light from the linear array of light-emitting elements further comprises irradiating light from the plurality of light-emitting elements distributed over the middle portion having a first intensity, and irradiating light from light-emitting elements distributed over the end portions having a second intensity, wherein the first intensity is greater than the second intensity.

20. The lighting system of claim 10, wherein the first light-emitting element in the array is at one end with light-emitting elements in the array only to one side, up to the last light-emitting element in the array, with again only light-emitting elements on the side leading toward the first light-emitting element.

13. A lighting system comprising two light sources, wherein each of the two light sources comprises:

a housing;

a window mounted in a front plane of the housing, a window length spanning a front plane length; and

a linear array of light-emitting elements within the housing, the linear array aligned with and emitting light through the window, and the linear array spanning the window length entirely, wherein;

first and last light-emitting elements of the linear array are positioned directly adjacent to widthwise edges of the window,

window sidewalls at the widthwise edges are aligned flush with housing sidewalls, and

wherein the two light sources are arranged adjacently side by side such that adjacent housing sidewalls of the two light sources are flush, the adjacent housing sidewalls extending perpendicularly back from the front plane.

14. The lighting system of claim 13, wherein the linear array of light-emitting elements in each of the light sources comprises a middle portion in between two end portions, the linear array having only a single row of elements, wherein:

the middle portion comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements distributed evenly over the middle portion with a first spacing throughout the middle portion; and

each of the end portions comprise a plurality of light-emitting elements distributed evenly over the end portion with a second spacing throughout each end portion, wherein the first spacing is greater than the second spacing.

15. The lighting system of claim 14, wherein the middle portion and the end portions comprise all of the light-emitting elements in each of the linear arrays.

16. The lighting system of claim 15, further comprising a controller, including instructions executable to irradiate light from the light-emitting elements distributed over the middle portion having a first irradiance, and to irradiate light from light-emitting elements distributed over the end portions having a second irradiance, wherein the first irradiance is greater than the second irradiance.

17. The lighting system of claim 14, wherein the light sources are positioned such that the front planes of each of the light sources are coplanar.

18. The lighting system of claim 14, wherein the light sources are positioned such that the linear arrays of each of the light sources are collinear.

19. The lighting system of claim 14, wherein a distance between the last light-emitting element of one of the light sources and the first light-emitting element of the other of the light sources positioned adjacent to the adjacent housing sidewalls is less than or equal to the first spacing.