Methods and systems relating to solid state light sources for use in industrial processes

• US 20070278504A1
• Filed: 01/26/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoseon Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Phoseon Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Jasmin, Roland, Schreiner, Alex, Owen, Mark, Anderson, Duwayne
• Granted Patent: US 7,461,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/89
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/26 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

Methods and systems relating to solid state light sources for use in industrial processes.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. A light module comprising:

an array of solid-state light emitters mounted on or formed in a thermally transmissive substrate providing electrical circuitry patterns for coupling with the solid-state emitters, the substrate comprising a ceramic or semiconductor material wherein the density of light emitters in the array is at least 1 emitters per 6.25 mm²;

a lens array layer disposed over the array of solid-state emitters, the lens array having a plurality of lenses formed therein, each lens being optically coupled to one or more light emitters, the lens array being adjacent to the emitters and the substrate surrounding individual emitters; and

a temperature control system for dissipating heat away from the light emitters.

34. The light module of claim 33, further comprising an optical element spaced apart from the lens array layer and optically coupled to at least one lens in the lens array, the optical element providing one or more optical properties, including any one of, or any combination of two or more condensing, collimating, spatial directionally, uniformity, coherence, spectral creation, and/or spectral filtering.

35. The light module of claim 33, wherein the lenses in the lens array layer are fabricated responsive to the spacing of selected of the plurality of solid-state light emitters in the array.

36. The light module of claim 33, wherein the lens array layer and lenses formed therein comprise a monolithically molded layer of the material in direct contact with the emitters and surrounding substrate.

37. The light module of claim 36, wherein the molded material comprises a gel.

38. The light module of claim 36, wherein the molded material comprises an epoxy, gel, acrylic, urethane, or moldable glass.

39. The light of claim 33, wherein the substrate comprises any one of, or any combination of two or more of alumina, aluminum nitride, sapphire, silicon carbide, and/or semiconductor silicon.

40. The light module of claim 33, wherein the module is associated with a power control subsystem that controls power so that, as to at least one of the plurality of solid-state light emitters, the power waveform is any one of, or any combination of two or more of:

pulsed power supplied at regular, repeating or varying on/off periods or frequencies;

pulsed power supplied at any of various current levels;

pulsed power supplied at currents greater than the solid-state light emitter'"'"'s specifications;

pulsed power supplied at varying current levels;

pulsed power supplied at ramped up current levels;

pulsed power supplied at ramped down current levels;

arbitrary voltage and current supplied at any of various pulse repetition rates and duty cycles; and

/or power supplied with sinusoidal or sinusoid-like variations in current levels.

41. The light module of claim 33 wherein the array of emitters is configured to provide a plurality of wavelengths of light simultaneously or at separate times.

42. A light system comprising a plurality of light modules according to claim 33, the light modules being coupled to a common controller.

43. The light of claim 42, wherein the plurality of light modules are arranged in at least one of a line or an array.

44. The light module of claim 43, further comprising a support and motive means, the support having mounted thereon at least one light module, the at least one light module being mounted either along an x-axis or at an angle to the x-axis, and motive means providing for moving the so-mounted at least one light module relative to the target area, the moving comprising movement along at least one of a y-axis and the x-axis.

45. The light module of claim 44, wherein motive means provides for movement, relative to the target area comprising moving along the y-axis and the x-axis.

46. The light module of claim 33 wherein the lenses in the lens array layer are fabricated responsive to the spacing of selected of the plurality of solid-state light emitters in the array and the lens array layer comprises a molded layer of light transmissive material, the lenses comprising projections from the surface of the layer.

47. The light module of claim 45 wherein the lens array layer comprises a gel material.

48. The light module of claim 33, wherein the temperature control any one of, or any combination of two or more of:

a heat sink;

a heats pipe;

a thermal-electric cooler;

a fluid cooled heat sink;

one or more coolant channels or tubes; and

/or coolant having turbulent flow thermally coupled to the emitters.

49. A light module comprising:

an array of solid-state light emitters mounted on or formed in a thermally transmissive substrate providing electrical circuitry patterns of coupling with the solid-state emitters, the substrate comprising a ceramic or semiconductor material wherein the density of light emitters in the array is at least 1 emitter per 6.25 mm²;

a lens array layer disposed over the array of solid-state emitters, the lens array having a plurality of lenses formed therein, each lens being optically coupled to one or more light emitters, the lens array layer being adjacent the emitters and the substrate surrounding individual emitters, the layer comprising a monolithically molded material; and

a temperature control system for dissipating heat away from the light emitters.