Lighting device and corresponding method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10837620-B2
Application number	US-201816478484-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2018
Priority date	Jan 17, 2017
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

A lighting device, e.g. for wallwashing lighting applications, includes a linear array of light radiation emitters including a light radiation source, e.g. a LED source, a light guide member having a first end coupled with the radiation source and a second end to emit light radiation guided by the guide member along a guide axis, as well as an optical system to receive light radiation from the light guide member and project outgoing light radiation from the lighting device. The light guide members of the light radiation emitters in the array are arranged with their second ends aligned in a longitudinal direction of the array, and with their light guide axes lying in a common plane angled to a reference plane. The optical systems of the light radiation emitters in the array produce outgoing light radiation beams having higher angles to said reference plane than the corresponding input beams.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lighting device, including a linear array of light radiation emitters, wherein:
a) the light radiation emitters in the array include:
an electrically-powered light radiation source,
a light guide member having a first end coupled with the light radiation source to receive a light radiation therefrom and a second end to emit light radiation guided by the light guide member along a guide axis, and
an optical system to receive light radiation from the light guide member and project outgoing light radiation from the lighting device,
b) the light guide members of the light radiation emitters in the array are arranged with their second ends aligned in a longitudinal direction of the array and with their light guide axes lying in a common plane angled to a reference plane,
c) the optical systems of the light radiation emitters in the array are configured for producing from light radiation input beams output beams in said outgoing light radiation with higher angles to said reference plane than said input beams; wherein the optical systems in the light radiation emitters in the array comprise lenses having refractive sectors of different thicknesses.

2. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein said output beams have a distribution of said higher angles from a lower range facing said reference plane to an upper range opposed said reference plane with decreasing divergence from the lower range towards the upper range of said higher angles.

3. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the optical systems of the light radiation emitters in the array include a plurality of optical sectors distributed over an angular range with respect to said reference plane.

4. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the light radiation emitters in the array include multi-coloured light radiation sources.

5. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the light radiation emitters in the array include light guide members facilitating mixing of light radiation propagated along said guide axis.

6. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the light radiation emitters in the array include light guide elements having:
a polygonal cross-section, preferably triangular, rectangular, square or hexagonal, and/or
a tapered shape with the first end narrower than the second end.

7. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the light radiation emitters in the array include rod-like or tunnel-like light guide members.

8. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the light radiation emitters in the array include solid-state light radiation sources.

9. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the optical sectors in said plurality of optical sectors adjoin in the absence of discontinuities, at least at the output surface of the lens.

10. A method of lighting a surface having opposed ends, the method comprising:
arranging a pair of lighting devices at the opposed ends of the surface; wherein each lighting device comprises an array of light radiation emitters;
wherein each light radiation emitter comprises:
an electrically-powered light radiation source;
a light guide member having a first end coupled with the light radiation source to receive a light radiation therefrom and a second end to emit light radiation guided by the light guide member along a guide axis;
an optical system to receive light radiation from the light guide member and project outgoing light radiation from the lighting device;

wherein the light guide members of the light radiation emitters of the array are arranged with their second ends aligned in a longitudinal direction of the array and with their light guide axes lying in a common plane angled to a reference plane;
wherein the optical systems of the light radiation emitters of the array are configured to produce output beams in said outgoing light radiation with higher angles to said reference plane than light radiation input beams;
arranging the pair of lighting devices with said array extending facing the surface with said reference plane arranged transversally of said surface and the lighting devices in the pair arranged symmetrical to each other and directing their light radiation towards each other;
configuring the optical system in the lighting devices to output an illuminance distribution over the illuminated surface that decreases linearly from the region of the illuminated surface facing the lighting device.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the light radiation emitters in the array include solid-state light radiation sources.

12. The method of claim 10 , comprising arranging the light guide axes of the light guide members in the light radiation emitters in the array at an angle of about 45° to said reference plane.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the optical systems in the light radiation emitters in the array include lenses having refractive sectors of different thicknesses.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the optical sectors in said plurality of optical sectors adjoin in the absence of discontinuities, at least at the output surface of the lens.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein said output beams have a distribution of said higher angles from a lower range facing said reference plane to an upper range opposed said reference plane with decreasing divergence from the lower range towards the upper range of said higher angles.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the optical systems of the light radiation emitters in the array include a plurality of optical sectors distributed over an angular range with respect to said reference plane.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the light radiation emitters in the array include multi-coloured light radiation sources.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the light radiation emitters in the array include light guide members facilitating mixing of light radiation propagated along said guide axis.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein the light radiation emitters in the array include light guide elements having:
a polygonal cross-section, preferably triangular, rectangular, square or hexagonal, and/or
a tapered shape with the first end narrower than the second end.

20. The method of claim 10 , wherein the light radiation emitters in the array include rod-like or tunnel-like light guide members.

Assignees

• Osram Gmbh

Inventors

• Frison Renato
• Alfier Alberto
• Li Xiaolong
• Mascolo Luca

Classifications

• F21V5/08 Primary

  producing an asymmetric light distribution · CPC title

• G02B6/0073

  Light emitting diode [LED] · CPC title

• F21Y2103/10

  comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements · CPC title

• G02B6/0001

  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 title

• G02B6/0075

  Arrangements of multiple light guides (G02B6/0028 takes precedence) · CPC title