Optical system, method, and applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10323826-B2
Application number	US-201615769577-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2016
Priority date	Oct 20, 2015
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

An optical system ( 200, 300, 400 ), including: at least one 2×2 LED array forming a node ( 204 ) consisting of four different color LEDs: LED 1 (G), LED 2 (R), LED 3 (B), LED 4 (W) and at least one respective TIR light-directing housing forming an optic ( 202 ) having a base end ( 208 ) and a light-emitting end ( 210 ), in which the node is disposed in the base end. The optic is characterized by a shape having four different focal points (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 , F 4 ), and each of the LED 1 , LED 2 , LED 3 , LED 4 is disposed at a respective one of the focal points.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical system, comprising:
at least one 2×2 LED array forming a node consisting of four different color LEDs: LED 1 (G), LED 2 (R), LED 3 (B), LED 4 (W) and
at least one respective light-directing housing forming an optic having a base end and a light-emitting end, in which the node is disposed in the base end,
wherein the optic is characterized by a shape having four different focal points (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 , F 4 ), and by comprising a spline (S 1 ) and a hyperbola conic (H 1 ) as profile sections,
wherein each of the LED 1 , LED 2 , LED 3 , LED 4 is disposed at a respective focal point of both the spline (S 1 ) and the hyperbola conic (H 1 ).

2. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein LED 1 is a green-emitting LED, LED 2 is red-emitting LED, LED 3 is a blue-emitting LED, and LED 4 is a mint white-emitting LED.

3. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein the optic has a TIR profile.

4. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein the optic consists of four optical quadrant sections (Q 1 , Q 2 , Q 3 , Q 4 ), wherein each of the four optical quadrant sections is characterized by one of the four focal points.

5. The optical system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of N nodes and N respective optics, where N is an integer multiple of 4, further wherein each node disposed in its respective optic is rotated by 90 degrees with respect to an immediately adjacent node in its respective optic.

6. The optical system of claim 5 , wherein the N nodes and the N respective optics are adjacently disposed in an array, wherein said array is one of an m-by-n array where m and n are integers and m may be equal or not equal to n, and a 1×N array.

7. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein the optic is an injected-molded component.

8. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein the optic is transparent over the visible spectrum.

9. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein each of the LED 1 , LED 2 , LED 3 , LED 4 has a variable intensity.

10. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein the optic has a textured interior surface.

11. A method of emitting light in a specified beam pattern, comprising:
providing an optical system comprising:
at least one 2×2 LED array forming a node consisting of four different color LEDs: LED 1 (G), LED 2 (K), LED 3 (B), LED 4 (W); and
at least one respective TIR light-directing housing forming an optic having a base end and a light-emitting end, in which the node is disposed in the base end,
wherein the optic is characterized by a shape having four different focal points (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 , F 4 ), and by comprising a spline (S 1 ) and a hyperbola conic (H 1 ) as profile sections,
wherein each of the LED 1 , LED 2 , LED 3 , LED 4 is disposed at a respective focal point of both the spline (S 1 ) and the hyperbola conic (H 1 );
energizing the at least one node; and
illuminating a space adjacent the light-emitting end of the optic.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising adjusting at least one of an intensity and a color of at least one of the LEDs to provide a desired color output from the optical system.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising adjusting the TIR profile of the optic to provide the specified emitted beam pattern.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising providing a plurality of N nodes and N respective optics, where N is an integer multiple of 4, further wherein each node disposed in its respective optic is rotated by 90 degrees with respect to an immediately adjacent node in its respective optic.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising adjacently disposing the N nodes and the N respective optics in an array, wherein said array is one of an m-by-n array where m and n are integers and m may be equal or not equal to n, and a 1×N array.

Assignees

• Signify Holding Bv

Inventors

• Lacroix Luc Guy Louis

Classifications

• F21Y2113/13

  comprising an assembly of point-like light sources · CPC title

• F21V7/0091 Primary

  using total internal reflection · CPC title

• G02B19/0028

  refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems · CPC title

• F21V7/0083

  Array of reflectors for a cluster of light sources, e.g. arrangement of multiple light sources in one plane (combination of two or more reflectors F21V7/0025) · CPC title

• F21V7/0066

  specially adapted to cooperate with point like light sources; specially adapted to cooperate with light sources the shape of which is unspecified (F21V7/16 - F21V7/30 take precedence) · CPC title