Illumination devices including multiple light emitting elements

• US 8,602,586 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
• Original Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
• Inventors: Dau, Wilson, Gardner, Robert C., Lerman, George, Lerman, Louis, Lowery, Christopher H., Ogonowsky, Brian D., Smith, George E., Speier, Ingo, Steele, Robert V., Teng, Jacqueline, York, Allan Brent
• Primary Examiner(s): Shallenberger, Julie
• Application Number:
  US13/611,871
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 362/219, 362/225, 362/217.02, 36221704-21707, 362/235, 362/247, 362/296.01, 362/347
• US Class Current: 362/217.05
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/04 intended only for mounting on a ceiling or the like overhead structures F21S8/02 takes precedence; details of ceiling bases F21V21/03
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0016 on lighting devices that also provide for direct lighting, e.g. by means of independent light sources, by splitting of the light beam, by switching between both lighting modes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0025 Combination of two or more reflectors for a single light source array of reflectors for a cluster of light sources F21V7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0033 with successive reflections from one reflector to the next or following
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/10 comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0001 specially adapted for lighting devices or systems lighting or signalling on vehicles using light guides B60Q1/00; lighting devices for vehicle dashboards B60Q3/10; lighting devices for vehicle interior using light guides B60Q3/62; lighting devices mounted on the vehicle rear part using light guides F21S43/235; measuring arrangements having light conducting pointers G01D13/265; illumination of liquid crystal displays G02F1/1336; illuminated signs G09F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0011 the light guides being planar or of plate-like form
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0096 the lights guides being of the hollow type

Abstract

A variety of illumination devices are disclosed that are configured to manipulate light provided by one or more light-emitting elements (LEEs). In general, embodiments of the illumination devices feature one or more optical couplers that redirect illumination from the LEEs to a reflector which then directs the light into a range of angles. In some embodiments, the illumination device includes a second reflector that reflects at least some of the light from the first reflector. In certain embodiments, the illumination device includes a light guide that guides light from the collector to the first reflector. The components of the illumination device can be configured to provide illumination devices that can provide a variety of intensity distributions. Such illumination devices can be configured to provide light for particular lighting applications, including office lighting, task lighting, cabinet lighting, garage lighting, wall wash, stack lighting, and downlighting.

Claims

1. An illumination device comprising:

a substrate having first and second opposing surfaces, such that each of the first and second surfaces are elongated and have a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension shorter than the longitudinal dimension;

a plurality of light-emitting elements (LEE) arranged on the first surface of the substrate and distributed along the longitudinal dimension, such that the LEEs emit, during operation, light in a first angular range with respect to a normal to the first surface of the substrate;

one or more primary optics arranged in an elongated configuration along the longitudinal dimension of the first surface and coupled with the LEEs, the one or more primary optics being shaped to redirect light received from the LEEs in the first angular range, and to provide the redirected light in a second angular range, a divergence of the second angular range being smaller than a divergence of the first angular range at least in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate;

a secondary optic comprising a redirecting surface elongated along the longitudinal dimension,

wherein the secondary optic is (i) spaced apart from the one or more of the primary optics by a first distance along a prevalent direction of propagation of light of the second angular range, and (ii) oriented relative to the one or more of the primary optics such that the redirecting surface of the secondary optic faces the one or more of the primary optics,

wherein the first distance and the divergence of the second angular range are configured such that the light provided by the one or more primary optics in the second angular range impinges on the redirecting surface,

wherein first and second portions of the redirecting surface reflect at least some of the light that impinges thereon, and provide the reflected light in third and fourth angular ranges with respect to the normal to the first surface of the substrate, respectively, and

wherein at least prevalent directions of propagation of light of the third and fourth angular ranges are different from each other and from the prevalent direction of propagation of light of the second angular range at least perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate; and

a tertiary optic comprising a first reflector elongated along the longitudinal dimension,

wherein the first reflector is spaced apart from the secondary optic and faces the first portion of the redirecting surface of the secondary optic,

wherein the first reflector is shaped to reflect at least some of the light provided by the first portion of the redirecting surface of the secondary optic in the third angular range as first reflected light in a fifth angular range with respect to the normal to the first surface of the substrate, and

wherein the fifth angular range is different than the third angular range, such that a first portion of an intensity distribution output by the illumination device during operation includes at least some of the first reflected light.

2. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the divergence of the second angular range is smaller than the divergence of the first angular range also along the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate.

3. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the tertiary optic further comprises:

a second reflector elongated along the longitudinal dimension, the second reflector being spaced apart from and facing the second portion of the redirecting surface of the secondary optic, wherein the second reflector optic is shaped to reflect at least some of the light provided by the second portion of the redirecting surface of the secondary optic in the fourth angular range as second reflected light, and to provide the second reflected light in a sixth angular range with respect to the normal to the first surface of the substrate, wherein the sixth angular range is different than the fourth angular range, such that the first portion of the intensity distribution output by the illumination device during operation includes at least some of the second reflected light.

5. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the one or more primary optics are configured as one or more solid primary optics.

6. The illumination device of claim 3, wherein the first and second reflectors at least in part transmit at least some of the light received from the redirecting surface, wherein a second portion of the intensity distribution output by the illumination device during operation includes the transmitted light.

7. The illumination device of claim 6, wherein the first and second reflectors have perforations configured to provide the transmitted light, and the second portion of the intensity distribution output by the illumination device during operation includes the transmitted light.

9. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the intensity distribution output by the illumination device during operation includes the first reflected light, and a second portion of the intensity distribution output by the illumination device during operation includes at least some of the light reflected from the second redirecting surface, wherein the intensity distribution is asymmetric with respect to the first portion and the second portion.

10. The illumination device of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first and second reflector comprises a curved portion and a substantially planar portion.

11. A system comprising N illumination devices according to claim 9, where N is a number larger or equal to 3, the N illumination devices arranged such that the substrates of the illumination devices are substantially coplanar, and each one of the illumination devices outputs the first portion of the intensity distribution towards one or more opposite ones of the illumination devices, and emits the second portion of the intensity distribution away from each other.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein N is an odd number.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein N equals 4.

14. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the redirecting surface comprises a reflective material, where the reflective material includes one or more of Ag or Al.

15. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second portions of the redirecting surface has a uniform cross-sectional shape along the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate in planes perpendicular thereto.

16. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein for a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate, the redirecting surface has an apex that separates the first and second portions of the redirecting surface.

17. The illumination device of claim 16, wherein the apex of the redirecting surface is a rounded apex with a non-zero radius of curvature.

18. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the first and second portions of the redirecting surface have first and second arcuate shapes in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate.

19. The illumination device of claim 16, wherein the first and second portions of the redirecting surface have one or more first and second linear shapes in the cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate, such that the apex has a v-shape in the cross-sectional plane.

20. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein for a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate, the redirecting surface is shaped as an arc of a circle, and the first and second portions of the redirecting surface represent first and second portions of the arc of the circle.

21. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the first and second portions of the redirecting surface are separated, at least in part, by a slot, and for a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate that intersects the slot, first and second curves corresponding to the first and second portions of the redirecting surface are separated by a discontinuity.

22. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein at least portions of the first and second portions of the redirecting surface partially transmit light.

23. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein either of the first and second portions of the redirecting surface comprise one or more slots, and

for a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate that intersects the one or more slots, first and second curves corresponding to the first and second portions of the redirecting surface comprise one or more discontinuities associated with the one or more slots.

24. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein for a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate, either of the first and second portions of the redirecting surface has one or more apexes.

25. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein for a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate, the first portion of the redirecting surface is shaped as a plurality of potentially disjoint, piecewise differentiable first curves, and the second portion of the redirecting surface is shaped as a plurality of potentially disjoint, piecewise differentiable second curves.

26. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of substrate tiles distributed in an elongated configuration, each of the substrate tiles corresponding to one or more of the plurality of LEEs.

27. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the one or more primary optics comprise one integrally formed, elongated primary optic.

28. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the one or more primary optics comprise a plurality of primary optics, the plurality of primary optics distributed in an elongated configuration.

29. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of LEEs and the one or more primary optics are integrally formed.

30. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein an angular range comprises (i) a divergence of the angular range and (ii) a prevalent direction of propagation of light in the angular range, wherein the prevalent direction of propagation corresponds to a direction along which a portion of an intensity distribution has a maximum, and the divergence corresponds to a solid angle outside of which the intensity distribution drops below a predefined fraction of the maximum of the intensity distribution.

4. An illumination device comprising:

a substrate having first and second opposing surfaces, such that each of the first and second surfaces are elongated and have a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension shorter than the longitudinal dimension;

a plurality of light-emitting elements (LEE) arranged on the first surface of the substrate and distributed along the longitudinal dimension, such that the LEEs emit, during operation, light in a first angular range with respect to a normal to the first surface of the substrate;

one or more primary optics arranged in an elongated configuration along the longitudinal dimension of the first surface and coupled with the LEEs, the one or more primary optics being shaped to redirect light received from the LEEs in the first angular range, and to provide the redirected light in a second angular range, a divergence of the second angular range being smaller than a divergence of the first angular range at least in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate;

a secondary optic comprising a redirecting surface elongated along the longitudinal dimension, the redirecting surface of the secondary optic being spaced apart from and facing the one or more of the primary optics,

wherein first and second portions of the redirecting surface reflect light received from the one or more primary optics in the second angular range, and provide the reflected light in third and fourth angular ranges with respect to the normal to the first surface of the substrate, respectively,

wherein at least prevalent directions of the third and fourth angular ranges are different from each other and from a prevalent direction of propagation of light of the second angular range at least perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate; and

a tertiary optic comprising a first reflector elongated along the longitudinal dimension, the first reflector optic being spaced apart from and facing the first portion of the redirecting surface of the secondary optic,

wherein the first reflector is thermally coupled with the substrate,

wherein the first reflector is shaped to reflect at least some of the light provided by the first portion of the redirecting surface of the secondary optic in the third angular range with respect to the normal of the first surface of the substrate as first reflected light in a fifth angular range with respect to the normal to the first surface of the substrate,

wherein the fifth angular range is different than the third angular range, such that a first portion of an intensity distribution output by the illumination device during operation includes at least some of the first reflected light.

8. An illumination device comprising:

a substrate having first and second opposing surfaces, such that each of the first and second surfaces are elongated and have a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension shorter than the longitudinal dimension;

a plurality of light-emitting elements (LEE) arranged on the first surface of the substrate and distributed along the longitudinal dimension, such that the LEEs emit, during operation, light in a first angular range with respect to a normal to the first surface of the substrate;

one or more primary optics arranged in an elongated configuration along the longitudinal dimension of the first surface and coupled with the LEEs, the one or more primary optics being shaped to redirect light received from the LEEs in the first angular range, and to provide the redirected light in a second angular range, a divergence of the second angular range being smaller than a divergence of the first angular range at least in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate;

a secondary optic comprising

a redirecting surface elongated along the longitudinal dimension, the redirecting surface of the secondary optic being spaced apart from and facing the one or more of the primary optics, wherein

first and second portions of the redirecting surface reflect light received from the one or more primary optics in the second angular range, and provide the reflected light in third and fourth angular ranges with respect to the normal to the first surface of the substrate, respectively, wherein at least prevalent directions of the third and fourth angular ranges are different from each other and from a prevalent direction of propagation of light of the second angular range at least perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the first surface of the substrate; and

a tertiary optic comprising

a first reflector elongated along the longitudinal dimension, the first reflector optic being spaced apart from and facing the first portion of the redirecting surface of the secondary optic, wherein the first reflector is shaped to reflect at least some of the light provided by the first portion of the redirecting surface of the secondary optic in the third angular range with respect to the normal of the first surface of the substrate as first reflected light in a fifth angular range with respect to the normal to the first surface of the substrate, wherein the fifth angular range is different than the third angular range, such that a first portion of an intensity distribution output by the illumination device during operation includes at least some of the first reflected light,

wherein a first parameter combination comprises (i) an intensity distribution of the first angular range, (ii) a shape of the one or more primary optics, and (iii) a shape of the first portion of the redirecting surface and an orientation thereof, the first parameter combination determining the fifth angular range, wherein the first parameter combination is tailored such that the fifth angular range matches a predefined fifth angular range;

wherein a second parameter combination comprises (iv) an intensity distribution of the first angular range, (v) a shape of the one or more primary optics, and (vi) a shape of the second portion of the redirecting surface and an orientation thereof, the second parameter combination determining the fourth angular range, wherein the second parameter combination is tailored such that the fourth angular range matches a predefined fourth angular range; and

wherein a relative offset of the first and second portions of the redirecting surface with respect to the second angular range determines a relative distribution of light between the fifth angular range and the fourth angular range, wherein the relative offset is selected such that the relative distribution matches a predefined relative distribution.