LED assembly having a refractor that provides improved light control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9080746-B2
Application number	US-201313837731-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Jul 14, 2015
Grant date	Jul 14, 2015

Abstract

An LED assembly that includes optics and optical arrangements for light emitting diodes (LEDs). In some embodiments, a reflector is provided within a void between the lens and the LED. This reflector can reflect light emitted by the LED in a non-preferred direction back toward the preferred direction. In other embodiments, an optical element is formed or otherwise provided in the lens cavity and shaped so that, when the lens is positioned above the LED, the refractor bends the emitted light in a preferred direction. In some embodiments, both a reflector and optical element are provided in the LED assembly to control the directionality of the emitted light. Such embodiments of the invention can be used to increase the efficiency of an LED by ensuring that generated light is being directed to the target area of choice.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light assembly for distributing light toward a preferred side, the light assembly comprising:
a light emitter mounted on a circuit board and having an emitter axis oriented outwardly from and normal to the circuit board; wherein the preferred-side and a non-preferred-side are separated by a plane that includes the emitter axis; and
a lens positioned proximate the light emitter, the lens comprising:
a convex outer surface, and
a concave inner surface more proximate the light emitter than the outer surface, wherein:
a lens cavity exists between the circuit board and the inner surface, and
the lens cavity comprises a preferred-side void substantially within the preferred side and a non-preferred-side void substantially within the non-preferred side;

an optical element within the non-preferred-side void that is shaped to refract light emitted from the light emitter toward the non-preferred side so that the refracted light exits the lens toward the preferred side; and
a reflector positioned within the lens cavity, wherein the reflector extends at least partially around the light emitter;
wherein
the light emitted from the light emitter toward the non-preferred side comprises a first portion and a second portion,
the optical element is adapted to refract the first portion of light so that the first portion of light exits the lens toward the preferred side, and
the reflector is adapted to reflect the second portion of light so that the second portion of light exits the lens toward the preferred side.

2. The light assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a circuit board, wherein the reflector is coupled to the circuit board.

3. The light assembly of claim 1 , wherein the reflector is positioned within the non-preferred-side void.

4. The light assembly of claim 1 , wherein the light emitted from the light emitter toward the non-preferred side further comprises a third portion, wherein the reflector is adapted to reflect the third portion of light toward the optical element and wherein the optical element is adapted to refract the reflected third portion of light so that the third portion of light exits the lens toward the preferred side.

5. The light assembly of claim 1 , wherein the optical element is disposed adjacent the lens along a flat surface.

6. The light assembly of claim 5 , wherein the flat surface lies along the plane that includes the emitter axis.

7. The light assembly of claim 1 , wherein the preferred-side void and the non-preferred-side void are contiguous.

8. A light assembly for distributing light toward a preferred side, the light assembly comprising:
a light emitter mounted on a circuit board and having a light emitter axis oriented outwardly from and normal to the circuit board; wherein the light emitter axis lies within a plane that forms a boundary between the preferred side and a non-preferred side; and
a lens positioned over the light emitter, the lens having an outer surface and an inner surface that defines a lens cavity, wherein an optical element extends within the lens cavity from the inner surface toward the light emitter, and is shaped to refract light emitted from the light emitter toward the non-preferred side so that the refracted light exits the lens toward the preferred side, the optical element comprising at least one optical element surface that extends from the inner surface toward the light emitter, the optical element terminating in a tip.

9. The light assembly of claim 8 , wherein the optical element is formed integrally in the lens.

10. The light assembly of claim 8 , wherein the at least one optical element surface forms a single curve that is concave with respect to the light emitter, as it extends from the inner surface to the tip.

11. The light assembly of claim 8 , wherein the optical element tapers radially about an optical element axis that extends through the tip, and wherein the optical element axis is coaxial with the light emitter axis.

12. The light assembly of claim 8 , wherein the optical element comprises an axis that extends through the tip, wherein the optical element axis extends parallel to but offset from the light emitter axis.

13. The light assembly of claim 8 , further comprising a reflector positioned within the lens cavity, wherein the reflector extends at least partially around the light emitter.

14. The light assembly of claim 13 , wherein the reflector is coupled to the circuit board.

15. The light assembly of claim 13 , wherein the light emitted from the light emitter toward the non-preferred side comprises a first portion and a second portion, wherein the optical element is adapted to refract the first portion of light so that the first portion of light exits the lens toward the preferred side and wherein the reflector is adapted to reflect the second portion of light so that the second portion of light exits the lens toward the preferred side.

16. The light assembly of claim 13 , wherein the light emitted from the light emitter toward the non-preferred side further comprises a third portion, wherein the reflector is adapted to reflect the third portion of light toward the optical element and wherein the optical element is adapted to refract the reflected third portion of light so that the third portion of light exits the lens toward the preferred side.

17. A device for the distribution of light toward a preferred side, comprising:
a light emitter having an emitter axis that extends through a plane that forms a boundary between the preferred side and a non-preferred side; and
a lens positioned over the light emitter, the lens having a hemispherical outer surface and an inner surface, wherein:
on the non-preferred side,
a first surface portion of the inner surface forms a semi-hemispherical cross-sectional shape having a radius of curvature about the light emitter, and
a second surface portion of the inner surface is an axially inward protrusion from the first surface portion and forms a tip at the emitter axis, the second surface portion being
radially symmetric about the emitter axis, and
radially proximal to the emitter axis with respect to the first surface portion of the inner surface,
such that the protrusion formed by the second surface portion extends radially and axially inward from the first surface portion, toward the light emitter, to the tip;

on the preferred side,
a third surface portion of the inner surface is a planar surface perpendicular to the emitter axis, and
a fourth surface portion of the inner surface forms a recess in the third surface portion that extends radially and axially outward from the light emitter with respect to the third surface portion, the fourth surface portion forming a semi-ovoid cross-sectional shape oriented such that:
a first axis of the semi-ovoid is perpendicular to the emitter axis toward the preferred side, and
a second axis of the semi-ovoid is along the emitter axis; and

the inner surface forms one or more planar surfaces along the plane that forms the boundary between the preferred side and a non-preferred side, and is bounded by the first, second, third and fourth surface portions.

18. The device for the distribution of light according to claim 17 , wherein the second surface portion of the inner surface comprises a funnel shape.

Assignees

• Abl Ip Holding Llc

Inventors

• Chen Jie
• Marquardt Craig Eugene
• Weiss Daniel Aaron
• Sekowski Daniel Vincent
• Abdelsamed Yaser S

Classifications

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• F21V13/04 Primary

  the elements being reflectors and refractors {(for vehicle rear lights F21S43/40)} · CPC title

• F21V5/04

  of lens shape · CPC title

• F21W2131/10

  Outdoor lighting · CPC title

• F21V5/08

  producing an asymmetric light distribution · CPC title