Luminaire illumination system and method

• US 8,576,406 B1
• Filed: 07/23/2009
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mercury Mission Systems LLC (Mercury Systems, Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Physical Optics Corporation
• Inventors: Jannson, Tomasz, Forrester, Thomas, Pradhan, Ranjit, Shih, Min-Yi, Agurok, Ilya
• Primary Examiner(s): A, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US12/508,500
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 356/496, 356/498, 356/500, 359/628, 359/237, 359/238, 362/227, 362/230, 362/237
• US Class Current: 356/496
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/233 specially adapted for generating a spot light distribution, e.g. for substitution of reflector lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/068 from a stretched wire
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 13/04 the elements being reflectors and refractors for vehicle rear lights F21S43/40
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/005 using microprisms
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/008 Combination of two or more successive refractors along an optical axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/045 the lens having discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0091 using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0028 refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0927 Systems for changing the beam intensity distribution, e.g. Gaussian to top-hat

Abstract

A method of constructing a non-imaging beam transformer includes reducing a tailored illumination function from a predetermined light source to a source point response illumination function; calculating a plurality of transformation pairs for the predetermined light source, the transformation pairs identifying the radii of illumination of the light source at given source output angles; determining a desired lighting profile for light output at a region of interest to be illuminated by the beam transformer; determining a surface profile of a surface of the beam transformer such that for given output angles of the light source, the transformation pairs at those output angles are satisfied to correspond to the desired lighting profile; and constructing the beam transformer having the surface profile determined based on the transformation pairs. The method can include characterizing a specific angular output distribution of a light source to calculate the transformation pairs.

Claims

1. A non-imaging beam transformer, comprising:

an input surface configured to be proximate a predetermined light source and configured to receive light from the light source, a body portion bound by a lateral surface, and an output surface further defining the body portion, wherein the lateral surfaces are defined based a plurality of transformation pairs for the predetermined light source and the desired illumination profile in a region of interest, and wherein the transformation pairs identify the radii of illumination of the light source at given source output angles.

2. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the body portion comprises a positive refraction spherical lens for low source output angles and the lateral surface comprises a total internal reflection lateral surface for high source output angles.

3. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the output surface comprises a power output refractive surface to reduce divergence from point-like-extended sources.

4. The beam transformer of claim 1, further comprising a Fresnel plate proximal the output surface and configured to redirect light output from the beam transformer in accordance with the transformation pairs.

5. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the output surface comprises two power refractive surfaces and further comprising a Fresnel plate proximal the output surface.

6. The beam transformer of claim 1, further comprising a rod disposed internally to the beam transformer and a plurality of light sources arranged around the rod, and wherein the lateral surface comprises quasi-parabolic reflector surfaces of rotation around the rod.

7. The beam transformer of claim 6, wherein the lateral surface is a metallic surface.

8. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the light source is a point-like extended source with a source point response that has been obtained by an adaptive deconvolution process, based on tailored output distribution at a region of interest and a point-like-extended source intensity distribution in the form of circus function.

9. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the output surface comprises a diffuser front surface with divergent angles sufficiently large to substantially reduce ripples of an output illumination distribution.

10. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the diffuser front surface is made using an injection molding process.

11. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the beam transformer and the diffuser are a monolithic structure.

12. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the diffuser is a separate structure attached to the front surface of the beam transformer.

13. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the output surface comprises a diffuser front surface.

14. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the output surface comprises a diffuser front surface.

15. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the beam transformer has cylindrical symmetry.

16. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the beam transformer has cylindrical symmetry and a profile of a length greater than twice the width.

17. The beam transformer of claim 1, wherein the beam transformer has cylindrical symmetry and is dimensioned to fit into a luminaire housing configured for conventional fluorescent tubes.

18. A method for illuminating an area of interest of a predefined geometry, using overlapping spots with Gaussian distribution, using an array of luminaires arranged in a hexagonal array or rectangular array, wherein the luminaires comprise an input surface configured to be proximate a predetermined light source and configured to receive light from the light source, a body portion bound by a lateral surface, and an output surface further defining the body portion, wherein the lateral surfaces are defined based a plurality of transformation pairs for the predetermined light source and the desired illumination profile in a region of interest, and wherein the transformation pairs identify the radii of illumination of the light source at given source output angles.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a normalized intensity distribution of a luminaire is described by the Gaussian formula:

20. An array of luminaires configured to illuminate a region of interest of a predefined geometry, using overlapping spots with Gaussian distribution at the region of interest, the array of luminaires arranged in a hexagonal array or rectangular array, wherein the luminaires comprise an input surface configured to be proximate a predetermined light source and configured to receive light from the light source, a body portion bound by a lateral surface, and an output surface further defining the body portion, wherein the lateral surfaces are defined based a plurality of transformation pairs for the predetermined light source and the desired illumination profile in a region of interest, and wherein the transformation pairs identify the radii of illumination of the light source at given source output angles.

21. The array of luminaires of claim 20, wherein an observer'"'"'s eye level is at a level different from a level of the region of interest, and wherein the luminaires appear in direct view for an observer at eye level as no more than one or two point sources.

22. The array of luminaires of claim 20, further comprising a MOSFET switch to power a microcontroller used to control illumination of the light source for each luminaire.

23. The array of luminaires of claim 20, wherein voltage adjustment to drive the source is configured as a closed-loop system with the source and operates as a current-sensitive amplifier.

24. The array of luminaires of claim 20, further comprising a pulse-width modulated data generator coupled to the microcontroller to drive the light source with a time varying input signal.

25. The array of luminaires of claim 20, further comprising delay modules disposed between the data generator and the luminaires, wherein the delay modules are configured to desynchronize the pulse-width modulated signal used to drive the plurality of luminaires.

26. The array of luminaires of claim 20, wherein each luminaire further comprises a pulse-width modulated data generator and a pseudorandom number generator coupled to the data generator and having an output coupled to drive the microcontroller to desynchronize the array of luminaires.

27. A non-imaging beam transformer having a form factor configured to fit conventional cylindrical housings, comprising:

an input surface configured to be proximate a predetermined light source and configured to receive light from the light source, a body portion bound by a lateral surface and characterized as having a cylindrical symmetry, and an output surface further defining the body portion, wherein the lateral surfaces are defined based a plurality of transformation pairs for the predetermined light source and the desired illumination profile in a region of interest, and wherein the transformation pairs identify the radii of illumination of the light source at given source output angles.