Edge weighted spacing of LEDs for improved uniformity range

• US 9,388,967 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• 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:
  US14/947,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20160076742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 235 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 length of the front plane; and

a linear array of light-emitting elements enclosed within the housing and the window, the linear array aligned with and emitting light through a window front plane and window sidewalls, and the linear array spanning 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 the window sidewalls at the widthwise edges are aligned flush with housing sidewalls.

2. The light source of claim 1, wherein the length of the front plane comprises an entire length of the front plane of the housing.

3. The light source of claim 1, wherein the linear array of light-emitting elements comprises more than one light-emitting element.

4. The light source of claim 1, wherein the window comprises a contiguous window covering the linear array of light-emitting elements through which the linear array of light-emitting elements emit light.

5. The light source of claim 4, wherein the linear array of light-emitting elements are recessed below the contiguous window covering.

6. 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 the end portion, the first spacing greater than the second spacing; and

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

7. The light source of claim 6, wherein the middle portion comprises four light-emitting elements.

8. The light source of claim 6, wherein a third spacing between the middle portion and each of the two end portions is greater than the second spacing and less than the first spacing.

9. The light source of claim 6, 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.

10. A method of irradiating light, comprising:

irradiating light from a linear array of light-emitting elements through a front plane and sidewalls of a window, wherein;

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

the housing and the window enclose the linear array of light-emitting elements; and

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

11. The method of irradiating light of claim 10, wherein irradiating light from the linear array of light-emitting elements comprises irradiating light with a first irradiance from a plurality of light-emitting elements in a middle portion of the linear array and irradiating light with a second irradiance from a plurality of light-emitting elements in two end portions of the linear array, wherein,

the linear array of light-emitting elements comprises the middle portion in between the two end portions, the linear array having a single row of elements, wherein,

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

each of the end portions comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements of the linear array evenly distributed over the end portion with a second spacing throughout the end portion, the first spacing being greater than the second spacing, and the middle portion and the two end portions comprise all of the light-emitting elements in the linear array.

12. The method of claim 11, 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 with a first intensity, and irradiating light from light-emitting elements distributed over the two end portions with a second intensity, wherein the first intensity is greater than the second intensity.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein irradiating light from the linear array of light-emitting elements further comprises:

supplying a first drive current to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the middle portion; and

supplying a second drive current to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the two end portions, wherein

the first drive current is greater than the second drive current, and the first irradiance is greater than the second irradiance.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising one or more of reflecting, refracting, and diffracting light from each of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the middle portion via optical elements, wherein each of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the middle portion comprises one of the optical elements, and wherein the first irradiance is greater than the second irradiance.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising one or more of reflecting, refracting, and diffracting light from each of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the two end portions via optical elements, wherein each of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the end portions comprises one of the optical elements, and wherein the first irradiance is greater than the second irradiance.

16. A lighting system comprising,

a housing;

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

a linear array of light-emitting elements enclosed within the housing and the window, the linear array aligned with and emitting light through a window front plane and window sidewalls, and the linear array spanning the window length, wherein

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

the window sidewalls at the widthwise edges are aligned flush with housing sidewalls, the window sidewalls extending perpendicularly back from the front plane,

the linear array of light-emitting elements 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 of the linear array are evenly distributed over the middle portion with a first spacing throughout the middle portion; and

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

a controller, including instructions executable to irradiate light having a first irradiance from the light-emitting elements distributed over the middle portion, and to irradiate light having a second irradiance from light-emitting elements distributed over the two end portions.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first irradiance is greater than the second irradiance.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the window comprises a contiguous window covering the linear array of light-emitting elements through which the light-emitting elements of the linear array emit light.

19. The lighting system of claim 18, further comprising coupling optics, the coupling optics comprising first optical elements at each of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the middle portion and second optical elements at each of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the two end portions.

20. The lighting system of claim 18, wherein the cooling subsystem comprises a heat sink with cooling fins conductively attached to a back surface of the linear array of light-emitting elements, and a cooling fan.