Illumination device for direct-indirect illumination

• US 10,094,969 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
• Original Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
• Inventors: York, Allan Brent, Stormberg, Hans Peter, Lerman, Louis, Schinagl, Ferdinand, Dau, Wilson
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Anh
• Assistant Examiner(s): APENTENG, JESSICA MCMILLAN
• Application Number:
  US15/605,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20180106952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 362606
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/61 using light guides
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/026 intended to be recessed in a ceiling or like overhead structure, e.g. suspended ceiling
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/04 intended only for mounting on a ceiling or the like overhead structures F21S8/02 takes precedence; details of ceiling bases F21V21/03
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0016 on lighting devices that also provide for direct lighting, e.g. by means of independent light sources, by splitting of the light beam, by switching between both lighting modes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0091 using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2101/00 Point-like light sources
• 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: G02B 19/00 Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging opticsfor microscopes G02B21/08
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0023 provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed between the light guide and the light source, or around the light source
• 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 6/0045 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0046 Tapered light guide, e.g. wedge-shaped light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/005 provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed on the light output side of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• 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 6/0096 the lights guides being of the hollow type

Abstract

An illumination device includes a plurality of light-emitting elements (LEEs); a light guide extending in a forward direction from a first end to a second end to receive at the first end light emitted by the LEEs and to guide the received light to the second end; an optical extractor optically coupled to the second end to receive the guided light, the optical extractor including a redirecting surface to reflect a first portion of the guided light, the reflected light being output by the optical extractor in a backward angular range, and the redirecting surface having one or more transmissive portions to transmit a second portion of the guided light in the forward direction; and one or more optical elements optically coupled to the transmissive portions, the optical elements to modify the light transmitted through the transmissive portions and to output the modified light in a forward angular range.

Claims

1. An illumination device comprising:

a plurality of light-emitting elements (LEEs);

a light guide extending in a forward direction from a first end of the light guide to a second end of the light guide, the light guide being positioned to receive at the first end light emitted by the LEEs and configured to guide the received light to the second end via total internal reflection (TIR), wherein the light guide has two parallel side surfaces that form a cylinder shell; and

an optical extractor optically coupled to the light guide at the second end to receive the guided light, the optical extractor being formed from a transparent, solid material and comprising;

a first set of reflective surfaces to reflect a first portion of the guided light,

a first set of transmissive surfaces to transmit a second portion of the guided light to an ambient environment in the forward direction, the reflective surfaces being separated by the transmissive surfaces, and

a curved output surface arranged to transmit the light reflected by the reflective surfaces to the ambient environment in a backward direction,

wherein the transmissive surfaces are shaped such that each transmissive surface modifies at least an associated propagation direction or an associated divergence of the forward transmitted light in a different manner relative to adjacent transmissive surfaces.

2. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein

the reflective surfaces are portions of an interface between the optical extractor and the ambient environment that are coated with a film of reflective material, and

the transmissive surfaces are remaining portions of the interface between the optical extractor and the ambient environment that are uncoated.

3. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the transmissive surfaces is flat.

4. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the transmissive surfaces is curved.

5. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein adjacent transmissive and reflective surfaces intersect with common surface slope.

6. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the first set of reflective surfaces reflect guided light in a first angular range with a component antiparallel to the forward direction and a first component orthogonal to the forward direction.

7. The illumination device of claim 6, wherein

the optical extractor further comprises a second set of reflective surfaces to reflect guided light in a second angular range with a component antiparallel to the forward direction and antiparallel to the first component of the first angular range, and

the optical extractor further comprises a second curved output surface to transmit the light reflected by the second set of reflective surfaces to the ambient environment in another backward angular range.

8. The illumination device of claim 6, wherein the transmissive surfaces are distributed laterally perpendicular to the forward direction.

9. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the light guide and the optical extractor are bonded together or integrally formed.

10. The illumination device of claim 1 further comprising one or more optical couplers, wherein

the light provided by the LEEs is in an emission angular range,

the optical couplers are arranged to receive the light provided by the LEEs and redirect it to the first end of the light guide where it has a collimated angular range, and

a numerical aperture of the light guide is such that the light received from the optical couplers in the collimated angular range can be guided by the light guide through TIR.

11. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein a cross-section which extends orthogonally to the forward direction of the cylinder shell is oval.

12. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein a cross-section which extends orthogonally to the forward direction of the cylinder shell is circular.

13. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the LEEs are arranged within a plane extending orthogonally to the forward direction.

14. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the LEEs are LEDs that emit white light.