Lighting device

• US 8,445,824 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2009
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Negley, Gerald H., Van De Ven, Antony Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, THAI N
• Application Number:
  US12/469,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20100102199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 315149-159, 362/84, 362/294, 362/230, 362/232, 362/240, 362/327, 362/800, 250/201.1, 250/205, 250/216, 250/228
• US Class Current: 250/201.1
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/233 specially adapted for generating a spot light distribution, e.g. for substitution of reflector lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0442 activated by means of a sensor, e.g. motion or photodetectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0457 the sensor sensing the operating status of the lighting device, e.g. to detect failure of a light source or to provide feedback to the device
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

There is provided a lighting device, comprising at least one light emitter, at least one reflector and at least one sensor. The sensor is positioned within a region which receives direct light from the light emitter when the light emitter is emitting light. In some embodiments, the light emitter comprises one or more light emitting diode. In some embodiments, the sensor is positioned between the light emitter and a power supply. In some embodiments, the reflector comprises at least one opening, and light emitted by the light emitter passes through the opening to the sensor. In some embodiments, the sensor is sensitive to only some wavelengths of visible light. Some embodiments are back-reflecting lamps, and some are forward-reflecting lamps.

Claims

1. A lighting device, comprising:

at least one light emitter;

at least one reflector; and

at least one sensor, said sensor within a region which receives direct light from said light emitter when said light emitter is emitting light,

said sensor on or within said reflector,

said reflector comprising at least one curved region,

prior to exiting said lighting device, light that exits said lighting device passes through a first plane that (1) is substantially perpendicular to an axis of direct light emitted by said at least one light emitter, and that (2) extends through a portion of said light emitter.

2. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one light emitter comprises at least one solid state lighting device.

3. A lighting device as recited in claim 2, wherein said at least one solid state lighting device comprises a light emitting diode.

4. A lighting device as recited in claim 2 wherein said at least one solid state lighting device comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes.

5. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said sensor is within a conical region bounded by lines which each define an angle of ten degrees or less relative to said axis of direct light emitted by said light emitter.

6. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said sensor is within a conical region bounded by lines which each define an angle of five degrees or less relative to said axis of direct light emitted by said light emitter.

7. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein:

said lighting device further comprises at least one power supply, and

said sensor is between said light emitter and said power supply.

8. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said reflector comprises at least one opening, said sensor is opposite said opening with respect to said light emitter, such that when said light emitter is emitting light, a portion of light emitted by said light emitter passes through said opening to said sensor.

9. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said sensor is sensitive to visible light of all wavelengths.

10. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said sensor is sensitive to only some wavelengths of visible light.

11. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein when said light emitter is emitting light, at least 90% of light emitted by said light emitter is reflected only once by said reflector.

12. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein when said light emitter is emitting light, at least 10% of light emitted by said light emitter is reflected at least twice by said reflector.

13. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said lighting device comprises at least two reflectors, and when said light emitter is emitting light, at least 10% of light emitted by said light emitter is reflected by at least two of said reflectors.

14. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said lighting device comprises at least two reflectors, and when said light emitter is emitting light, at least 70% of light emitted by said light emitter is reflected by at least two of said reflectors.

15. A lighting device as recited in claim 14, wherein at least 50% of light emitted by said light emitter exits said lighting device in a direction which defines an angle of not greater than 90 degrees relative to said axis of direct light emitted by said light emitter.

16. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said reflector comprises at least one opening, and said sensor is positioned such that a portion of light emitted by said light emitter travels directly from said light emitter, through said opening and to said sensor, and substantially no ambient light passes through said opening and to said sensor.

20. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said sensor is on or within said curved region.

21. A lighting device as recited in claim 1, wherein a first volume is defined by said at least one reflector and a second plane, and said at least one light emitter is within said first volume.

17. A lighting device, comprising:

at least one light emitter;

at least one reflector, said reflector positioned to receive light from said light emitter and reflect said light to exit said lighting device; and

at least one sensor, said sensor within a region which receives light from said light emitter reflected from said reflector when said light emitter is emitting light,

wherein prior to exiting said lighting device, light that exits said lighting device passes through a first plane that (1) is substantially perpendicular to an axis of direct light emitted by said at least one light emitter, and that (2) extends through a portion of said light emitter.

18. A lighting device as recited in claim 17, wherein said sensor is directly next to said light emitter.

19. A lighting device as recited in claim 17, wherein at least 75% of said reflected light from said light emitter received by the sensor would not exit said lighting device if said sensor were not present.