Optical waveguide illumination and signage device and method for making same

• US 6,550,952 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: iLight Technologies Incorporated (Luminii, LLC)
• Original Assignee: iLight Technologies Incorporated (Luminii, LLC)
• Inventors: Smith, Cory Alan, Cleaver, Mark Joseph, Hulse, George Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Cariaso, Alan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alavi, Ali
• Application Number:
  US09/844,212
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 362/555, 362/559, 362/812, 362/560, 362/335, 362/336, 405/47, 385/128, 385/901, 385/124
• US Class Current: 362/555
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/00 Elongate light sources, e.g. fluorescent tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0018 Redirecting means on the surface of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/002 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide, e.g. with collimating, focussing or diverging surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0028 Light guide, e.g. taper
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0046 Tapered light guide, e.g. wedge-shaped light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/006 to produce indicia, symbols, texts or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 385/901 Illuminating or display apparatus

Abstract

An illuminating device comprising an optical waveguide having at least one set of LEDs positioned adjacent one end surface and having a portion of the surface area treated so as to cause a portion of the light directed along the length of the waveguide to be reflected out of the waveguide through a second surface area located intermediate the length of the waveguide. Indicia may be located within the treated portion of the surface area so as to be illuminated and made visible to a viewer through the second surface area.

Claims

1. A device for displaying illuminated indicia comprising an optical waveguide having an end surface and a predetermined length along which light entering said waveguide through said end surface is directed, said waveguide having a first surface area provided with a first set of indicia located intermediate said predetermined length, said indicia having an optically altered state causing a portion of the light incident thereon to be reflected out through a second surface area of said waveguide located intermediate said length thereby rendering said indicia visible to a viewer.

2. The device of claim 1 including a LED light source positioned adjacent said end surface.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said waveguide has a second end surface that reflects light incident thereon back along said predetermined length of said waveguide.

4. The device of claim 1 including a second LED light source positioned adjacent a second end surface positioned at the opposite end of said waveguide from said first end surface.

5. The device of claim 1 in which said first set of indicia are characters embossed into said first surface area.

6. The device of claim 2 in which said embossed indicia has a first optically altering state causing a portion of said light incident thereon to be reflected out though said second surface area and a remainder of said first surface about said embossed indicia has a second optically altering state causing a portion of said light incident thereon to be reflected out through said second surface area thereby presenting an optically different background about said indicia to a viewer.

7. The device of claim 2 including a light source positioned adjacent said first surface area for illuminating said embossed indicia thereby providing a neon-like glow to said embossed indicia.

8. The device of claim 1 in which said waveguide includes a third surface area juxtaposed to said first surface area, said device further including a member bearing a second set of indicia positioned adjacent said third surface area and a light source illuminating said second set of indicia so as to be visible along with said first set of indicia.

9. An illumination device comprising:

an optical waveguide of predetermined length,

a first housing enclosing one end of said optical waveguide, having at least one high intensity light emitting diode (LED) positioned within said housing and emitting light into said end of the waveguide,

a reflecting member extending substantially the length of a waveguide with an open area juxtaposed to said flat wall causing the light to be directionally reflected out of the waveguide, and

at least a portion of the surface area of said waveguide being optically treated so as to have light altering characteristics and causing a portion of said light traversing said waveguide to be reflected out of said waveguide through a second surface area located intermediate the length of the waveguide, said waveguide being rotatable relative to said housing so as to change the direction of the light reflected through the second area, and

an indicia positioned adjacent to said waveguide in a region to be illuminated by said LED.

10. An illumination device comprising:

an optical waveguide of predetermined length having a V-shaped notch defined by two inclining walls intermediate to each other at one end and opposite ends converging into a substantially flat wall arranged essentially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said waveguide,

a first housing for enclosing one end of said optical waveguide having at least one high intensity light emitting diode (LED) positioned within said housing and emitting light into said end of the waveguide,

a second housing for enclosing an opposite end of said waveguide having at least one second high intensity LED positioned within said housing and emitting light into said opposite end of said waveguide,

a reflecting member extending substantially the length of said waveguide with an open area juxtaposed to said flat wall causing the light to be directionally reflected out of the waveguide,

at least one third LED positioned adjacent said flat wall and said open area defined by said reflecting member for causing light to be emitted upward through said flat wall in a direction similar to light reflected by said reflecting member thereby reducing attenuation of traversely emitting light occurring intermediate said one and opposite ends of said optical waveguide and masking said V-shape notch, and

at least a portion of the surface area of said waveguide being optically treated so as to have light altering characteristics and causing a portion of said light traversing said waveguide to be reflected out of said waveguide through a second surface area located intermediate the length of the waveguide, said waveguide being rotatable relative to said housing so as to change the direction of the light reflected through the second area.

11. The device of claim 10 in which said inclining walls have treated internal surfaces to reflect light back along said waveguide in a direction away from said surfaces and permitting the transmission of a portion of light from the LED positioned adjacent said flat wall in a direction out of said waveguide similar to light reflected by said reflecting member thereby reducing attenuation of traversely emitting light occurring intermediate said one and opposite ends of said optical waveguide and masking said V-shape notch.

12. An illumination device comprising:

a first optical waveguide of predetermined length with a first reflecting member extending substantially the length of said waveguides causing the light to be directionally reflected out of the first waveguide,

a second optical waveguide of predetermined length with a second reflecting member extending substantially the length of said waveguides causing the light to be directionally reflected out of the second waveguide similar to the light directionally reflected out of the first waveguide, and

a housing for enclosing one end of said first optical waveguide, having at least one first high intensity LED positioned within said housing and emitting light into said end of the first waveguide, and for enclosing one end of said second optical waveguide, having at least one second high intensity LED positioned within said housing and emitting light into said end of the second waveguide, said housing having at least a portion thereof which permits light to be transmitted out of the housing in a direction similar to that caused by the first and second reflecting members so as to reduce the appearance of a light attenuated region between said first and second waveguides.

13. The device of claim 12 including at least one LED positioned between said first and said second LEDs for increasing the intensity of light transmitted out of said housing.

14. A method of fabricating an illuminating device comprising the steps of

providing an optical waveguide with a pair of end surfaces and flattening a portion of said waveguide to form an essentially flat surface from one end surface to the other end surface

optically altering said flat surface so that some light incident upon said flat surface is reflected out of said waveguide through a surface area of said waveguide positioned between said end surfaces,

forming embossed characters in said flat surface, and

thereafter optically altering said embossed characters so as to be distinguishable visually from light reflected by said flat surface.

15. The method of claim 14 in which said step of optically altering said flat surface is accomplished by painting said surface with a light reflecting paint and said step of optically altering said embossed characters is accomplished by painting said characters with another and visually distinguishable light reflecting paint.

16. A sign device for providing illuminated indicia viewable between end surfaces of an optical waveguide in which at least one set of LEDs is positioned adjacent one of said end surfaces for directing light into said waveguide through said one end surface, said waveguide having a first and second surface areas positioned between said end surfaces, said first surface area treated so as to reflect a portion of the light incident thereupon with a first set of optical characteristics out through said second surface, said waveguide further having indicia associated with a surface region within said first surface area and having a second set of optical characteristics visually distinguishable from said first set through said second surface.

17. The device of claim 16 in which the indicia is embossed into waveguide within said surface region in which the surface area of said embossed indicia is treated to provide light incident thereon from said one set of LEDs with said second of optical characteristics.

18. The device of claim 16 in which the indicia is on a member positioned close to a window region in said waveguide within said first surface area and illuminated by a light source, said window being essentially transparent to light impinging thereupon thereby allowing a viewer to view the indicia through said second surface.

19. The device of claim 18 in which said member is essentially transparent and positioned between said light source and said window.

20. The device of claim 18 in which said light source illuminates a surface of said member facing said window.

21. The device of claim 17 in which a second set of indicia is on a member positioned close to a window defined by a third surface area adjacent said first surface area, said window being essentially transparent to light impinging thereupon allowing a viewer to view said embossed indicia and said second set of indicia in a side-by-side relationship through said second surface area.

22. The device of claim 17 in which a second set of indicia is on a member positioned close to a window defined by a third surface area adjacent said first surface area and said light source illuminates the surface of said member facing said window thereby allowing a viewer to view said embossed indicia and said second set of indicia in a side-by-side relationship through said second surface area.

23. The device of claim 20 in which said member is essentially transparent and positioned between said light source and said window.

24. The device of claim 16 including a second set of LEDs positioned adjacent the other surface end of said waveguide.

25. An illumination device comprising:

(a) a waveguide rod assembly comprising at least one waveguide rod and means associated with said rod for causing light to be emitted out of a portion of its lateral surface;

(b) an LED juxtaposed adjacent each and of said waveguide rod;

(c) means enclosing each LED and said associated end and causing light emitted from said LED to be directed into said associated end; and

(d) at least one LED positioned adjacent an intermediate point along the length of said waveguide assembly, said assembly having a light diffusing means associated with said one LED for causing light emitted from said one LED to enter into said assembly and be diffused within said assembly before being emitted out of said portion of said lateral surface thereby minimizing attenuation of light along a region of said portion midway between said ends.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein said waveguide rod has an assembly a V-shaped notch defined by two inclining walls intermediate to each other at one end and opposite ends converging into a substantially flat wall arranged essentially parallel to a longitudinal axis.

27. The device of claim 26 wherein said inclining walls have treated internal surfaces to reflect light back along said waveguide rod in a direction away from said surfaces and permitting the transmission of a portion of light from the LED positioned adjacent intermediate point in a direction out of said waveguide similar to light reflected by said light diffusing means thereby reducing attenuation of traversely emitting light occurring intermediate said one and opposite ends of said optical waveguide and masking said V-shape notch.

28. The device of claim 25 wherein said assembly includes at least two waveguide rods juxtaposed to and with said one LED positioned adjacent said juxtaposed ends of said waveguide rods.