Method and system for managing light from a light emitting diode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9494283-B2
Application number	US-201514860524-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2015
Priority date	Feb 28, 2011
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

A light source, for example a light emitting diode, can emit light and have an associated optical axis. The source can be deployed in applications where it is desirable to have illumination biased laterally relative to the optical axis, such as in a street luminaire where directing light towards a street is beneficial. The source can be coupled to an optic that comprises a cavity. At least a portion of the cavity can have an outline that is egg-shaped in cross section. A backside of the cavity (or a backside portion of the optic) can have an irregular shape for receiving the light emitting diode, for example to form a receptacle shaped to fit a circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An illumination system comprising:
an optic that has a street side and a house side and that comprises:
an interior surface that defines a cavity and that comprises a region disposed on the house side of the optic;
a backside in which the cavity is formed; and
an exterior surface that is opposite the interior surface and the backside and that comprises a surface that is internally reflective and a second region, with the surface that is internally reflective and the second region disposed on the house side of the optic; and

a light emitting diode disposed to emit light into the cavity,
wherein the street side of the optic is configured to transmit and emit a first portion of the emitted light that is oriented towards the street side of the optic,
wherein the region of the interior surface is configured to focus a second portion of the emitted light that is oriented towards the house side of the optic,
wherein the surface that is internally reflective is oriented to receive the focused second portion of the emitted light and redirect the focused second portion in a street side direction,
wherein the second region of the exterior surface is oriented to receive a third portion of the emitted light that is oriented towards the house side of the optic and to internally reflect the received third portion to the backside of the optic, and
wherein the backside of the optic is configured to recycle or return incident light so that the optic sends street side a portion of the internally reflected third portion that is incident on the backside of the optic.

2. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the optic is further operative to transmit and emit at least some of the emitted light that is oriented in a house side direction.

3. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the backside of the optic recycles incident light.

4. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the backside of the optic returns incident light.

5. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the optic comprises a base and a channel formed in the base, the channel sized to receive one or more electrical lines for powering the light emitting diode.

6. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the backside of the optic is substantially flat.

7. An illumination system comprising:
an optic comprising:
a street side;
a house side;
a backside;
an interior surface that is formed in the backside of the optic and that comprises a focusing region disposed on the house side of the optic; and
an exterior surface that opposes the interior surface and the backside and that comprises:
a surface that is internally reflective and that is disposed on the house side of the optic; and
an internally reflective region that is disposed on the house side of the optic; and

a light emitting diode positioned to emit light towards the interior surface,
wherein the street side of the optic is configured to transmit and emit a first portion of the emitted light that is oriented in a street side direction,
wherein the focusing region of the interior surface is oriented to focus a second portion of the emitted light that is oriented in a house side direction,
wherein the surface that is internally reflective is disposed to receive the focused second portion of the emitted light from the focusing region and redirect the focused second portion in the street side direction, and
wherein the internally reflective region of the exterior surface is disposed to receive a third portion of the emitted light that is oriented in a house side direction and to internally reflect the received third portion to the backside of the optic for recycling back into the optic.

8. The illumination system of claim 7 , wherein portions of interior surface and the exterior surface that are disposed on the house side of the optic are further configured to transmit and emit at least some light that is oriented in the house side direction.

9. The illumination system of claim 7 , wherein the backside of the optic is substantially flat.

10. The illumination system of claim 7 , wherein the optic is operative to radiate recycled light diffusely.

11. The illumination system of claim 7 , wherein the backside of the optic is operative to send street side a portion of incident light.

12. The illumination system of claim 7 , wherein the optic comprises a base and a channel formed in the base, the channel sized to receive one or more electrical lines for powering the light emitting diode.

13. The illumination system of claim 7 , wherein the internally reflective region of the exterior surface is oriented for total internal reflection of the received third portion of the emitted light.

14. An illumination system comprising:
a light emitting diode; and
an optic comprising:
an exterior surface;
a backside; and
a cavity that is formed in the backside and that is disposed to receive light emitted by the light emitting diode;

wherein the exterior surface comprises a region that is oriented for total internal reflection of incident light emitted by the light emitting diode, so that the totally internally reflected light is directed towards the backside of the optic for recycling into the optic.

15. The illumination system of claim 14 , wherein the optic is configured for diffusely radiating at least a portion of recycled light.

16. The illumination system of claim 14 , wherein the backside of the optic is substantially flat.

17. The illumination system of claim 14 , wherein the optic comprises a base and a channel formed in the base, the channel sized to receive one or more electrical lines for powering the light emitting diode.

18. The illumination system of claim 14 , wherein the optic comprises a house side and a street side.

19. The illumination system of claim 14 , wherein the region that is oriented for total internal reflection of the incident light is disposed completely on a house side of the optic.

Assignees

• Cooper Technologies Co

Inventors

• Broughton Kevin Charles

Classifications

• F21W2131/103

  of streets or roads · CPC title

• F21K9/60

  Optical arrangements integrated in the light source, e.g. for improving the colour rendering index or the light extraction · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• F21V13/04

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

• F21V5/08

  producing an asymmetric light distribution · CPC title