Luminaire utilizing waveguide

• US 9,709,725 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2015
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Medendorp, Jr., Nicholas W., Wilcox, Kurt S., Yuan, Zongjie, Raleigh, Craig D., Bendtsen, Andrew Dan, Snell, Nathan, Sorenson, Jeremy, Kinnune, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Kianni, Kaveh C
• Application Number:
  US14/657,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20150253488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 385131
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/009 the casing being inside the housing of the lighting device
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/10 Outdoor lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0021 for housing at least a part of the light source, e.g. by forming holes or recesses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0031 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0035 provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0038 Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0043 provided on the surface of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0073 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0075 Arrangements of multiple light guides G02B6/0028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0085 Means for removing heat created by the light source from the package heat extraction or cooling elements for semiconductor light sources in general H01L33/64
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0091 of the light source relative to the light guide G02B6/0021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/24 Coupling light guides
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/262 Optical details of coupling light into, or out of, or between fibre ends, e.g. special fibre end shapes or associated optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/305 and having an integrated mode-size expanding section, e.g. tapered waveguide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/32 having lens focusing means positioned between opposed fibre ends with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/34 utilising prism or grating G02B6/293 takes precedence

Abstract

An optical waveguide having orthogonal x- and y-dimensions includes at least one coupling feature for directing light into the waveguide, at least one light redirection feature extending in the x- and y-dimensions for redirecting light in the waveguide, at least one first light extraction feature extending in the x-dimension for extracting light out of the waveguide, and at least one second light extraction feature extending in the y-dimension for extracting light out of the waveguide.

Claims

1. An optical waveguide body comprising orthogonal x- and y-dimensions, comprising:

at least one coupling feature for directing light into the waveguide body and the at least one coupling feature extending into the waveguide body from an end surface;

at least one light redirection feature extending in the x- and y-dimensions for redirecting light within the waveguide body;

at least one first light extraction feature extending in the x-dimension for extracting light out of the waveguide body;

at least one second light extraction feature extending in the y-dimension for extracting light out of the waveguide body; and

at least one light extraction rib extending in the y-dimension and disposed within a first side of the waveguide body transverse to the end surface;

wherein the at least one first light extraction feature, the at least one second light extraction feature, and the at least one light redirection feature are disposed within a second side of the waveguide body transverse to the end surface;

wherein the at least one first light extraction feature and the at least one second light extraction feature comprise first and second sloped surfaces, respectively, and the first and second sloped surfaces face different directions.

2. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one light redirection feature comprises at least two light redirection features that are mirror images of one another with a gap therebetween.

3. The optical waveguide of claim 2, wherein the at least one light redirection feature comprises at least two sets of light redirection features that are mirror images of one another with a gap therebetween.

4. The optical waveguide body of claim 1, wherein the at least one first light extraction feature comprises at least one further light extracting feature disposed between the at least one coupling feature and the at least one first light extraction feature.

5. The optical waveguide body of claim 4, wherein the at least one further light extraction feature comprises a TIR surface for reflecting light in the optical waveguide.

6. The optical waveguide body of claim 1, wherein the at least one first light extraction feature comprises at least two spaced further light extracting features disposed between the at least one coupling feature and the at least one first light extraction feature.

7. The optical waveguide of claim 6, wherein each of the at least two spaced further light extraction features comprises a pair of light extraction surfaces.

8. The optical waveguide of claim 7, wherein each pair of light extraction surfaces comprises light scattering features.

9. The optical waveguide of claim 8, wherein each pair of light extraction surfaces is bounded by two side surfaces that comprises light scattering features.

10. The optical waveguide body of claim 6, wherein a channel is defined between TIR surfaces of the at least two spaced further light extraction features and wherein the TIR surfaces reflect light along the channel toward the at least one light redirection feature.

11. The optical waveguide body of claim 10, wherein each TIR surface comprises light scattering features.

12. The optical waveguide body of claim 6, further comprising a TIR feature disposed between the at least two spaced further light extraction features wherein the TIR feature comprises opposed first and second TIR surfaces and wherein a first channel is defined between the first TIR surface and a third TIR surface of one of the further light extraction features and a second channel is defined between the second TIR surface and a fourth TIR surface of another of the further light extraction features.

13. The optical waveguide body of claim 12, wherein the first and second channels are adapted to direct light in the waveguide toward the at least one light redirection feature.

14. The optical waveguide body of claim 13, wherein the at least one light redirection feature comprises first and second sets of light redirection features aligned with the first and second channels, respectively.

15. The optical waveguide body of claim 1, further comprising at least one third light extraction feature extending in the x- and y-dimensions for extracting light out of the waveguide.

16. The optical waveguide body of claim 15, wherein the at least one third light extraction feature comprises light scattering features.

17. The optical waveguide body of claim 1, wherein the at least one light redirecting feature is disposed between the at least one coupling feature and the at least one first light extraction feature.

18. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one light redirecting feature comprises first and second sets of light redirecting features wherein all but at least one of the light redirection features of the first set are spaced from all but at least one of the light redirecting features of the second set.

19. The optical waveguide of claim 18, wherein the light redirecting features of the first and second sets are spaced from one another along the y-dimension and comprise inner edges that are offset with respect to one another along the x-dimension.

20. The optical waveguide of claim 19, wherein the inner edge of each light redirection feature of the first set is aligned with the inner edge of an associated light redirection feature of the second set along the y-dimension and wherein a spacing between inner edges of associated light redirection features of the first and second sets decrease with distance from the at least one coupling feature along the y-dimension.

21. The optical waveguide of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the light redirection features of the first set is contiguous with the at least one of the light redirection features of the second set to define at least one combined light redirection feature.

22. The optical waveguide of claim 21, wherein each light redirection feature is elongate in the x- and y-dimensions.

23. The optical waveguide of claim 22, wherein the at least one combined light redirection feature comprises a chevron shape.

24. The optical waveguide of claim 23, wherein the at least one combined light redirection feature comprises a light extraction surface.

25. The optical waveguide of claim 24, wherein the light extraction surface comprises light scattering features.

26. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one light redirection feature comprises a cavity.

27. The optical waveguide body of claim 1, wherein the at least one light extraction feature comprises a tapered surface.

28. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one light redirection feature is disposed on a first face, and further comprising at least one light extraction rib on a second face opposite the first face.

29. The optical waveguide of claim 28, wherein the at least one rib comprises light scattering features.

30. A luminaire comprising the optical waveguide body of claim 1.

31. The luminaire of claim 30, further comprising:

a housing adapted for outdoor use;

a driver circuit disposed in the housing;

at least one of a control device and an element associated with the driver circuit adapted to control an illumination output of the luminaire.

32. The luminaire of claim 31, wherein the control device comprises a dimming control device adapted to controllably limit a brightness of the luminaire.

33. The luminaire of claim 32 wherein the control device comprises a programmable element adapted to limit power developed by the driver circuit.

34. A luminaire, comprising:

an optical waveguide body comprising orthogonal x- and y-dimensions, a housing for outdoor use, and a control device comprising a programmable element adapted to limit power developed by a driver circuit wherein the optical waveguide body, the control device, and the driver circuit are disposed within the housing, the optical waveguide body comprising;

at least one coupling feature for directing light into the waveguide body and the at least one coupling feature extending into the waveguide body from an end surface;

at least one light redirection feature extending in the x- and y-dimensions for redirecting light within the waveguide body;

at least one first light extraction feature extending in the x-dimension for extracting light out of the waveguide body;

at least one second light extraction feature extending in the y-dimension for extracting light out of the waveguide body; and

at least one light extraction rib extending in the y-dimension and disposed within a first side of the waveguide body transverse to the end surface;

wherein the at least one first light extraction feature, the at least one second light extraction feature, and the at least one light redirection feature are disposed within a second side of the waveguide body transverse to the end surface.