Luminaire module with multiple light guide elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9335462-B2
Application number	US-201414422328-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2014
Priority date	Jul 18, 2013
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

A variety of luminaire modules are disclosed that are configured to output light provided by multiple light-emitting elements (LEEs). In general, embodiments of the luminaire modules feature at least two LEEs disposed on at least one substrate, at least two light guides that receive light from corresponding LEEs of the at least two LEEs, and at least one optical extractor that receives light from corresponding light guides from the at least two light guides.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A luminaire module comprising:
a first set of light-emitting elements (LEEs) disposed on one or more substrates and adapted to emit light in a forward direction;
a first light guide shaped to guide light, emitted by the first set of LEEs and received at an input end of the first light guide, in the forward direction to an output end of the first light guide and provide first guided light at the output end of the first light guide;
a first optical extractor optically coupled with the output end of the first light guide and adapted to receive the first guided light, the first optical extractor having at least one redirecting surface, the at least one redirecting surface of the first optical extractor being adapted to reflect at least a portion of the light received at the first optical extractor in a first direction that has a component orthogonal to the forward direction;
a second set of LEEs disposed on the one or more substrates and adapted to emit light in the forward direction, the second set of LEEs being independently controllable from the first set of LEEs;
a second light guide optically shaped to guide light, emitted by the second set of LEEs and received at an input end of the second light guide, in the forward direction to an output end of the second light guide and provide second guided light at the output end of the second light guide; and
a second optical extractor optically coupled with the output end of the second light guide and adapted to receive the second guided light, the second optical extractor having at least one redirecting surface, the at least one redirecting surface of the second optical extractor being adapted to reflect at least a portion of the light received at the second optical extractor in a second direction that has a component orthogonal to the forward direction and antiparallel to the orthogonal component of the first direction,
wherein the first and second light guide are spaced apart forming a space between the first and the second light guide,
wherein the space is filled with a medium to control total internal reflection at respective interfaces of the first and second light guides with the medium, and
wherein the medium is an electronically controllable fluid.

2. The luminaire module of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more first couplers positioned to receive a portion of the light emitted by the first set of LEEs and adapted to at least partially collimate the received portion of the light, the one or more first couplers being optically coupled with the first light guide at the input end of the first light guide; and
one or more second couplers positioned to receive a portion of the light emitted by the second set of LEEs and adapted to at least partially collimate the received portion of the light, the one or more second couplers being optically coupled with the second light guide at the input end of the second light guide.

3. The luminaire module of claim 1 , wherein the second set of LEEs is adjacent to the first set of LEEs.

4. The luminaire module of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second directions has a component that is antiparallel to the forward direction.

5. The luminaire module of claim 1 , wherein
the first optical extractor comprises one or more output surfaces, and wherein the first optical extractor directs at least a portion of the light received from the first light guide towards the one or more output surfaces of the first optical extractor, and
the second optical extractor comprises one or more output surfaces, and wherein the second optical extractor directs at least a portion of the light received from the second light guide towards the one or more output surfaces of the second optical extractor.

6. The luminaire module of claim 1 , wherein the first set of LEEs is powered independently from the second set of LEEs.

7. The luminaire module of claim 6 , wherein the first set of LEEs and the second set of LEEs are independently controllable via a first power connection to the first set of LEEs and a second power connection to the second set of LEEs.

8. A luminaire module comprising:
a first set of light-emitting elements (LEEs) disposed on one or more substrates and adapted to emit light in a forward direction;
a first light guide shaped to guide light, emitted by the first set of LEEs and received at an input end of the first light guide, in the forward direction to an output end of the first light guide and provide first guided light at the output end of the first light guide;
a first optical extractor optically coupled with the output end of the first light guide and adapted to receive the first guided light, the first optical extractor having at least one redirecting surface, the at least one redirecting surface of the first optical extractor being adapted to reflect at least a portion of the light received at the first optical extractor in a first direction that has a component orthogonal to the forward direction;
a second set of LEEs disposed on the one or more substrates and adapted to emit light in the forward direction, the second set of LEEs being independently controllable from the first set of LEEs;
a second light guide optically shaped to guide light, emitted by the second set of LEEs and received at an input end of the second light guide, in the forward direction to an output end of the second light guide and provide second guided light at the output end of the second light guide; and
a second optical extractor optically coupled with the output end of the second light guide and adapted to receive the second guided light, the second optical extractor having at least one redirecting surface, the at least one redirecting surface of the second optical extractor being adapted to reflect at least a portion of the light received at the second optical extractor in a second direction that has a component orthogonal to the forward direction and antiparallel to the orthogonal component of the first direction,
wherein the first and second light guide are spaced apart forming a space between the first and the second light guide,
wherein the space is filled with a medium to control total internal reflection at respective interfaces of the first and second light guides with the medium, and
wherein the medium comprises one or more liquid crystal sheets disposed between the first and the second light guide.

9. The luminaire module of claim 8 , wherein one or more of the at least one redirecting surface of the first optical extractor or the at least one redirecting surface of the second optical extractor reflects substantially all of the light received from at least one of the first light guide or the second light guide.

10. The luminaire module of claim 8 , wherein the first set of LEEs is independently controllable from the second set of LEEs to selectively provide different relative intensities between light provided along the first direction and light provided along the second direction.

11. The luminaire module of claim 8 , wherein the first set of LEEs is independently controllable from the second set of LEEs to selectively provide different chromaticities between light provided along the first direction and light provided along the second direction.

12. The luminaire module of claim 8 , wherein a subset of one of more LEEs of the first set of LEEs are operated independently of other LEEs of the first set of LEEs.

13. The luminaire module of claim 12 , wherein a subset of one of more LEEs of the second set of LEEs are operated independently of other LEEs of the second set of LEEs.

14. The luminaire module of claim 8

Assignees

• Quarkstar Llc

Inventors

• York Allan Brent

Classifications

• F21Y2101/00

  Point-like light sources · CPC title

• F21V7/0016

  on lighting devices that also provide for direct lighting, e.g. by means of independent light sources, by splitting of the light beam, by switching between both lighting modes · CPC title

• G02B6/0051

  Diffusing sheet or layer · CPC title

• F21Y2103/10

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

• G02B6/0076 Primary

  Stacked arrangements of multiple light guides of the same or different cross-sectional area · CPC title