Floor lighting assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11327221-B2
Application number	US-202117164134-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2021
Priority date	Sep 6, 2019
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

A floor lighting assembly includes a luminous composite sheet and a light transmissive carpet. The luminous composite sheet has a top side, a bottom side, and an edge extending from the top side to the bottom side. The light sources are arranged in a row and are configured to emit light into the light guide film through the edge. The light transmissive carpet is disposed above the top side of the light guide film. The light transmissive carpet includes a backing structure and a pile mounted to and extending from the backing structure. The light guide film is configured to spread and redirect the light that is received therein through the edge for emitting the light through the top side of the light guide film such that some of the light is transmitted through the light transmissive carpet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A luminous composite sheet comprising:
light guide film that is at least translucent and has a top side, a bottom side opposite the top side, and an edge extending from the top side to the bottom side;
a substrate positioned adjacent to the edge of the light guide film, the substrate holding a plurality of light sources spaced apart along a length of the edge of the light guide film and configured to emit light into the light guide film through the edge; and
a laminate coating that is at least translucent, wherein the laminate coating covers and mechanically contacts both a top side of the substrate and the top side of the light guide film,
wherein the light guide film is configured to spread and redirect the light that is received therein through the edge for emitting the light from the top side of the light guide film through the laminate coating.

2. The luminous composite sheet of claim 1 , wherein a top surface of the laminate coating is planar and is configured to receive a carpet thereon.

3. The luminous composite sheet of claim 1 , wherein the laminate coating is thermoset to conform to both the substrate and the light guide film.

4. The luminous composite sheet of claim 1 , wherein the light guide film includes an array of deflection elements disposed therein and located between the top side and the bottom side, the deflection elements configured to redirect the light that enters the light guide film through the edge for emitting the light from the top side.

5. The luminous composite sheet of claim 1 , wherein the substrate defines one or more recesses along an edge of the substrate that faces towards the edge of the light guide film, wherein the light sources are mounted within the one or more recesses.

6. The luminous composite sheet of claim 5 , wherein the substrate includes one or more shelves that extend over the one or more recesses to protect the light sources within the one or more recesses from impact forces exerted on at least one of the top side of the substrate or the top side of the light guide film.

7. The luminous composite sheet of claim 1 , wherein the laminate coating covers an entirety of the top side of the light guide film.

8. The luminous composite sheet of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of pressure sensors mounted to the light guide film and spaced apart from each other along a length of the light guide film; and
a controller communicatively connected to the pressure sensors and the light sources, wherein the controller is configured to detect a presence of a body on the luminous composite sheet responsive to pressure signals generated by at least one of the pressure sensors, and is configured to control the light sources to illuminate an occupied area of the luminous composite sheet that includes a location of the presence of the body.

9. The luminous composite sheet of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to control the light sources to illuminate the occupied area by activating a preset number of the light sources on both sides of a specific light source of the light sources that best aligns with the location of the presence of the body.

10. The luminous composite sheet of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to track the location of the presence of the body over time based on the pressure signals to determine a direction of movement of the body relative to the luminous composite sheet, the controller further configured to control the light sources to illuminate an upcoming area of the luminous composite sheet in front of the occupied area, based on the direction of movement, prior to the body reaching the upcoming area.

11. A method comprising:
providing a light guide film that is at least translucent and has a top side, a bottom side opposite the top side, and an edge extending from the top side to the bottom side;
positioning a substrate adjacent to the edge of the light guide film, the substrate holding a plurality of light sources spaced apart along a length of the edge of the light guide film and configured to emit light into the light guide film through the edge; and
applying a laminate coating to cover and mechanically contact both a top side of the substrate and the top side of the light guide film to form a luminous composite sheet, wherein the laminate coating is at least translucent,
wherein the light guide film is configured to spread and redirect the light that is received therein through the edge for emitting the light from the top side of the light guide film through the laminate coating.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising mounting each of the light sources within a different one of multiple recesses defined along an edge of the substrate that faces the edge of the light guide film.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein mounting each of the light sources comprises positioning the light sources below shelves of the substrate that extend over the recesses for protecting the light sources from impact forces exerted on at least one of the top side of the substrate or the top side of the light guide film.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the edge of the light guide film is a first edge and the light guide film also includes a second edge opposite the first edge, a third edge that extends between the first edge and the second edge, and a fourth edge opposite the third edge, the method further comprising:
applying a reflective layer on the bottom side, the second edge, the third edge, and the fourth edge of the light guide film to reflect light that impinges thereon back into an interior of the light guide film.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein applying the laminate coating comprises thermosetting the laminate coating to conform to both the substrate and the light guide film.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein applying the laminate coating comprises covering an entirety of the top side of the light guide film with the laminate coating.

17. A floor lighting assembly comprising:
a luminous composite sheet comprising:
a light guide film that is at least translucent and has a top side, a bottom side opposite the top side, and an edge extending from the top side to the bottom side;
a substrate positioned adjacent to the edge of the light guide film, the substrate holding a plurality of light sources spaced apart along a length of the edge of the light guide film and configured to emit light into the light guide film through the edge; and
a plurality of pressure sensors mounted to the light guide film and spaced apart from each other along a length of the light guide film,
wherein the light guide film is configured to spread and redirect the light that is received therein through the edge for emitting the light from the top side of the light guide film; and

a controller communicatively connected to the pressure sensors and the light sources, wherein the controller is configured to detect a presence of a body on the luminous composite sheet responsive to pressure signals generated by at least one of the pressure sensors, and is configured to control the light sources to illuminate an occupied area of the luminous composite sheet that includes a location of the presence of the body.

18. The floor lighting assembly of claim 17 , wherein the luminous composite sheet further comprises a laminate coating that is thermoset to covers and conform to both a top side of the substrate and the top side of the light guide film, wherein the laminate coating is at least translucent.

19. The floor lighting assembly of claim 17 , wh

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Duce Jeffrey Lynn
• Hills Karen L

Classifications

• F21V33/00

  Structural combinations of lighting devices with other articles, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64D2011/0038

  Illumination systems for cabins as a whole · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• F21Y2115/15

  Organic light-emitting diodes [OLED] · CPC title

• B64D2203/00

  Aircraft or airfield lights using LEDs · CPC title