Lighting system with appearance affecting optical system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10711976-B2
Application number	US-201616348627-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2016
Priority date	Nov 19, 2016
Publication date	Jul 14, 2020
Grant date	Jul 14, 2020

Abstract

In an aspect, a lighting system ( 1 ) comprises a lighting unit ( 11 ) with a light source ( 31 ) and a dichroic light exiting surface ( 15 ), wherein the lighting unit ( 11 ) is configured for emitting dichroic light from the dichroic light exiting surface ( 15 ). The emitted dichroic light includes a directional light portion ( 37 ) of direct light ( 17 ) and a diffused light portion ( 39 ) of diffused light ( 19 ) with a another larger correlated color temperature. The lighting system further comprises an appearance affecting optical system ( 13 ) with a plurality of structural elements ( 40, 91, 93, 101, 105 ) that comprise surfaces that delimit a plurality of diffused light passages ( 14, 103, 107 ), and comprise direct light illuminated surface regions ( 25 ), which are subject to the illumination with direct light ( 17 ) from respectively associated affected direct light providing areas ( 81 ) of the dichroic light exiting surface ( 15 ). Moreover, the affected direct light providing areas ( 81 ) cover at least 70% of the dichroic light exiting surface ( 15 ), and the direct light ( 17 ) from at least one affected direct light providing area ( 81 ) and diffused light ( 19 ) propagate within at least one of the diffused light passages ( 14, 103, 107 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lighting system comprising:
a lighting unit including a light source and a dichroic light exiting surface, wherein the lighting unit is configured for emitting dichroic light from the dichroic light exiting surface and the emitted dichroic light includes
a directional light portion of direct light having a first correlated color temperature, wherein the direct light from a specific location of the dichroic light exiting surface is emitted with a directed angular luminous intensity distribution with a local peak, which defines a local main direction of direct light emitted from that specific location; and
a diffused light portion of diffused light having a second correlated color temperature, which is larger than the first correlated color temperature, wherein the diffused light is emitted for a specific location of the dichroic light exiting surface with a diffuse angular luminous intensity distribution; and

an appearance affecting optical system including an entrance side located at the side of the dichroic light exiting surface, an exit side opposite to the entrance side, and a plurality of structural elements that comprise surfaces that
extend in-between the entrance side and the exit side,
delimit a plurality of diffused light passages, and
comprise direct light illuminated surface regions, which are subject to the illumination with direct light from respectively associated affected direct light providing areas of dichroic light exiting surface,

wherein
the affected direct light providing areas cover at least 70% of the dichroic light exiting surface, and
the direct light from at least one affected direct light providing area and diffused light propagate within at least one of the diffused light passages.

2. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein
at least one of the diffused light passages is configured such that some of the direct light passes from unaffected direct light providing areas of the light exiting surface to the exit side without interacting with any structural element and wherein the unaffected direct light providing areas cover up to 30% of the area of the dichroic light exiting surface; and/or
at least one of the diffused light passages is configured as a void volume that allows looking at a portion of the light exiting surface under a light passage specific range of observation angles and seeing diffused light propagating through the light passage some of which passing from the dichroic light exiting surface to the exit side without interacting with any structural element, wherein at least one of the diffused light passages is at least partially delimited by respective direct light illuminated surface regions.

3. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein
the direct light emitted from a specific location of the dichroic light exiting surface comprises a local main direct light ray that originates from that specific location in the local main direction and the relation between a direct light illuminated surface region and an associated affected direct light providing area is given by the condition that those locations on the dichroic light exiting surface form the associated affected direct light providing area from which local main direct light rays, which originate in the respective local main directions, propagate through the void of a respective diffused light passages until they impinge, as a first optical interaction, onto the structural element on which the respective direct light illuminated surface region is formed.

4. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein
the directed angular luminous intensity distribution associated with a specific location of the dichroic light exiting surface has a full width half maximum that is about or smaller than 40°, 30°, or 20°, and with respect to a specific plane is about or smaller than 40°, 30°, or 20°, and/or
the diffuse angular luminous intensity distribution at a second correlated color temperature is a Lambertian or Lambertian-like intensity distribution.

5. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein
the structural elements, and the direct light illuminated surface regions, each extend within a local depth range defined in a normal direction with respect to a dichroic light exiting surface and lateral width range defined in a parallel direction with respect to a dichroic light exiting surface such that at least 60%, at least 70%, or at least 80% of the radiant flux of the directional light portion is incident on direct light illuminated surface regions, and/or
the remaining part of the directional light portion, which is not incident on direct light illuminated surface regions, is spatially distributed over the dichroic light exiting surface in a plurality of non-contiguous regions.

6. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein
neighboring structural elements providing neighboring direct light illuminated surface region are associated with neighboring affected direct light providing areas, and/or
at least one of the plurality of structural elements comprises a purely diffused light illuminated surface region close to a direct light illuminated surface region.

7. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
the dichroic light exiting surface comprises at least one unaffected direct light providing area from which a local main direct light ray that originates from a specific location in the local main direction passes through the appearance affecting optical system without interacting with any structural element,
the dichroic light exiting surface comprises at least one diffused light area from which some diffused light passes through the appearance affecting optical system without interacting with any structural element, and
wherein in particular the at least one diffused light area overlaps at least partly with one or more affected direct light providing areas and/or one or more unaffected direct light providing areas.

8. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein
when two neighboring structural elements are in contact with the dichroic light exiting surface, the affected direct light providing area associated with a direct light illuminated surface region of one of the two structural elements is the area between the two structural elements, and/or
40% or less, such as 30% or less, or 20% or less of the radiant flux of the direct light passes through the appearance affecting optical system without interacting with any structural element by passing through the respective diffused light passages and/or through an opening within a structural element.

9. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein
at least one side surface of at least one structural element, and the orientation and the shape of a direct light illuminated surface region, is configured as a reflective side face that guides at least a portion of the dichroic light via at least one reflection from the entrance side to the exit side, and/or
the reflective side face is configured to reflect at least 60%, at least 70%, or at least 80% of the radiant flux of the directional light portion.

10. The lighting system of claim 9 , wherein
a local main direct light ray, which originates from a specific location within an associated affected direct light providing area in the respective local main direction, performs at least one reflection at at least one reflective side face such that the local main direct light ray is redirected at least once before exiting the appearance affecting optical system at the exit side, and/or
at least one of the structural elements comprises an averted face that faces towards a one reflective side face of a directly neighboring structural element, wherein the averted face is configured to be reflective,

Assignees

• Coelux Srl

Inventors

• Di Trapani Paolo
• Magatti Davide
• Lotti Antonio
• Molteni Matteo
• Gatti Giorgio

Classifications

• F21V3/02

  characterised by the shape · CPC title

• F21V9/20

  Dichroic filters, i.e. devices operating on the principle of wave interference to pass specific ranges of wavelengths while cancelling others · CPC title

• F21V9/02 Primary

  for simulating daylight (F21V9/04, F21V9/06 take precedence) · CPC title

• F21V11/02

  using parallel laminae or strips, e.g. of Venetian-blind type (F21V11/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F21S8/026 Primary

  intended to be recessed in a ceiling or like overhead structure, e.g. suspended ceiling · CPC title