Curvilinear LED light source

• US 20060028837A1
• Filed: 08/06/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (f/k/a GE Lighting Solutions, LLC) (American Industrial Partners)
• Original Assignee: Lumination LLC
• Inventors: Mrakovich, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,273,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/602
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/22 flexible or deformable, e.g. into a curved shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/28 rigid, e.g. LED bars
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/001 the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/22 electroluminescent electroluminescent light sources per se H05B33/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10106 Light emitting diode [LED]

Abstract

An LED system that simulates bare or exposed neon in appearance. The curvilinear LED light source comprises a rigid, formable light guide having a generally circular cross-section and a flexible LED light engine. The light guide is made of a material or materials that can be heated and formed into a desired shape. The light guide retains the desired shape upon cooling. The flexible light engine is inserted into a groove in the light engine.

Claims

1. A curvilinear LED light source comprising:

a light guide and at least one LED light engine,

wherein said light guide is adapted to be formed into a desired shape,

wherein the light guide comprises a rod with a groove extending longitudinally, said rod comprising of at least one optically difuse, layer and said groove adapted to retain said light engine.

2. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 1, wherein the light guide is rigid.

3. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 1, wherein the light guide is cabable of being formed when it is heated and retains a formed shape after it is cooled.

4. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 1 wherein the light guide further comprises an optically clear base layer and said optically diffuse layer coats said base layer.

5. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 1 wherein the light guide further comprises an optically clear outer layer that coats said optically diffuse layer.

6. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 4 further comprising a phosphur layer.

7. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 6 wherein the diffusing layer is the phosphur layer.

8. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 4 wherein the diffuse layer comprises a phosphur material.

9. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 6 wherein the phosphur layer contains one or more phosphur or is a mono-, bi- or tri-phosphur blend.

10. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 6 wherein the phospur layer is excited by blue or by UV LEDs.

11. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 4 wherein the layers have similar optical properties, the optical properties are selected from the group consisting of glass transition temperature, coefficients of thermal expansion, indexes of refraction, and combinations thereof.

12. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 5 wherein the layers have similar optical properties, the optical properties are selected from the group consisting of glass transition temperature, coefficients of thermal expansion, indexes of refraction, and combinations thereof.

13. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 1 wherein the light engine comprises a plurality of LEDs.

14. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 13 wherein the LEDs are spaced to achieve an overlapping beam pattern resulting in a uniform light distribution along the length of the light rod.

15. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 13 wherein the LEDs are mounted on at least one pcb, a flexible circuit, a flexible wire bus or combinations thereof.

16. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 15 wherein the LEDs are mounted on at least two pcbs and the pcbs are conntected via wire jumpers.

17. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 15 wherein the LEDs are connected to at least two pcbs and the pcbs are connected via wire jumpers and wherein the pcbs are inserted into a connector attached to a multi-wire bus.

18. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 13 wherein the LED light engine comprises a continuous profile of thermoplastic material or a silicone based material

19. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 13 wherein at least a portion of the LED light engine is overmolded with a low melt, thermoplastic material or a siliconce based material.

20. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 3 wherein the base layer comprises an elastomeric material, a silicoln based material, a thermoplastic material or a combination thereof.

21. The curvilinear LED light engine of claim 1 further comprising a low voltage power supply.

22. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 1 wherein the light source has a viewing angle of greater than 180°

.

23. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 1 wherein the light guide comprises a elongated solid core rod with a backlight light guide layer over the solid core.

24. The curiviinear LED light source of claim 23 wherein the light guide has a generally circular shape and total internal reflection (TIR) is utilized to direct light emitted by the LED light engine through the light guide such that the light is emitted radially outward from light guide.

25. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 24 wherein the light engine comprises at least two side emitting LEDs and said at least two side emitting LEDs emit light in opposing directions.

26. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 25 wherein the LEDs are spaced to achieve overlapping beam patterns resulting in a uniform light distribution along the length of the rod.

27. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 25 further comprising a phosphur layer.

28. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 27 the diffuse layer comprises a phosphur material.

29. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 27 wherein the phosphur layer contains one or more phosphur or is a mono-, bi- or tri-phosphor blend.

30. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 27 wherein the phospur layer is excited by blue or by UV LEDs.

31. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 24 wherein the light engine comprises a plurality of LEDs.

32. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 31 wherein the LEDs are spaced to achieve overlapping beam patterns resulting in a uniform light distribution along the length of the light rod.

33. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 31 wherein the LEDs are mounted on at least one pcb, a flexible circuit, a flexible wire bus or combinations thereof.

34. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 33 wherein the LEDs are mounted on at least two pcbs and the pcbs are conntected via wire jumpers.

35. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 33 wherein the LEDs are conntected to at least two pcbs and the pcbs are connected via wire jumpers wherein the pcbs are inserted into a connector attached to a multi-wire bus.

36. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 31 wherein the LED light engine comprises a continuous profile of thermoplastic material.

37. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 23 wherein the core comprises an elastomeric material, a silicoln based material, a thermoplastic material or a combination thereof.

38. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 31 wherein at least a portion of the LED light engine is overmolded with a low melt, thermoplastic material.

39. The curvilinear LED light engine of claim 26 further comprising a low voltage power supply.

40. The curvilinear LED light source of claim 24 wherein the light source has a viewing angle of greater than 180°

.

41. A system for creating an illuminated sign comprising the steps of:

obtaining a light guide;

heating the light guide;

shaping the heated light guide to a desired shape;

cooling the light guide;

attaching at least one flexible LED light engine to the shaped light guide; and

connect the light engine to a low voltage power supply.

42. A method for building a curvilinear LED light source comprising the steps of co-extruding an LED light engine in the center of an extruded light guide, said LED light engines having LEDs facing in opposing directions.