20164results about "Refractors" patented technology

A compact and efficient optical illumination system featuring planar multi-layered LED light source arrays concentrating their polarized or un-polarized output within a limited angular range. The optical system manipulates light emitted by a planar array of electrically-interconnected LED chips positioned within the input apertures of a corresponding array of shaped metallic reflecting bins using at least one of elevated prismatic films, polarization converting films, micro-lens arrays and external hemispherical or ellipsoidal reflecting elements. Practical applications of the LED array illumination systems include compact LCD or DMD video image projectors, as well as general lighting, automotive lighting, and LCD backlighting.

The present invention provides several embodiments of an elongate hollow tubular or solid rod lighting device including a plurality of LEDs therewith and appropriate electrical componentry, and serving as a direct replacement for a conventional fluorescent light tube in a conventional fluorescent lighting fixture. The present lighting device includes appropriate connector pins extending from each end thereof, enabling the device to be installed in a conventional fluorescent lighting fixture with no modification to the fixture. The light may include appropriate electrical componentry such as a step-down transformer to provide the required voltage for the LEDs, either integrally within the light, incorporated in an end cap thereof, or installed separately therefrom in the fixture, as desired. The light may be colored or tinted as desired by the use of LEDs providing the desired color output, and / or by installing a tinted sleeve over the tube or rod as desired.

There are provided a plane light source and an LCD backlight unit having the same. A plane light source having a plurality of light emitting devices arranged in a light emitting device matrix having rows and columns at a substrate according to an aspect of the invention includes a first matrix having a plurality of light emitting devices arranged in rows and columns; and a second matrix having a plurality of light emitting devices arranged in rows and columns, each of the light emitting devices located within a quadrangle formed by four neighboring light emitting devices included in the first matrix, wherein a pitch S between one light emitting device included in the light emitting device matrix and another light emitting device most adjacent to the one light emitting device satisfies the following equation to obtain uniform luminance distribution at a position distant from a light emitting surface of the light emitting device by an optical length l,S≤l2×tan⁡(θ2+α),Equationwhere −π / 18≦α≦π / 18 is satisfied, and θ is an orientation angle of the light emitting device.

The present invention provides a linear lighting apparatus with improved heat dissipation and a method for improving the heat dissipation in a linear lighting apparatus. The apparatus includes a plurality of light emitting diodes, a plurality of primary optical assemblies and an apparatus housing. The primary optical assemblies are each in contact with one of the plurality of light emitting diodes. The primary optical assemblies and a second optical assembly are configured to refract the light so as to create a linear light source emanating from the apparatus. The apparatus housing is configured to dissipate thermal energy from the light emitting diodes.

A lighting assembly, comprising a light engine assembly and a room-side element. The room-side element is in contact with the light engine assembly. The light engine assembly comprises at least one trim element and a light engine. The trim element defines a trim element internal space. The light engine comprises at least one solid state light emitter, and is positioned within the trim element internal space. Also, a lighting assembly, comprising a light engine assembly and means for dissipating heat from the light engine assembly.

A light emitting diode (LED) array comprises an array of LEDs mounted to a substrate. The LEDs emit light in a direction generally perpendicular to the substrate. An optical sheet is disposed over the LEDs. At least a portion of light entering one side of the optical sheet from the LEDs is guided within the optical sheet in a direction generally parallel to the substrate. Light extraction features direct light from the optical sheet in a generally forward direction. Such an array is useful for several applications, including space lighting, direct information display and backlighting of liquid crystal displays. The light spreading effect of the optical sheet reduces the amount of black space between LED pixels.

A LED-based replacement light for a fluorescent socket is constructed such that a tubular housing has a D-shaped cross section with a flat base with opposing longitudinal edges, opposing sides extending generally perpendicular to the flat base from the opposing longitudinal edges, and a curved surface spanning the opposing sides opposite the flat base. A circuit board structure defines a LED-mounting side with multiple LEDs mounted on the LED-mounting side at predetermined intervals along a length of the circuit board, with at least areas of a primary heat transferring side directly underlying the respective LEDs in thermally conductive relation with the tubular housing for highly electrically insulated thermal transmission of heat generated by the multiple LEDs from the circuit board to an ambient environment surrounding an exterior of the tubular housing. At least one electrical connector is at a longitudinal end of the housing in electrical communication with the circuit board.

A high-intensity light source is formed by a micro array of a semiconductor light source such as a LEDs, laser diodes, or VCSEL placed densely on a liquid or gas cooled thermally conductive substrate. The semiconductor devices are typically attached by a joining process to electrically conductive patterns on the substrate, and driven by a microprocessor controlled power supply. An optic element is placed over the micro array to achieve improved directionality, intensity, and / or spectral purity of the output beam. The light module may be used for such processes as, for example, fluorescence, inspection and measurement, photopolymerzation, ionization, sterilization, debris removal, and other photochemical processes.

A diffuser for a lighting device comprises a diffuser region, a hook element and a nose element. A light fixture comprises a housing with an opening and a diffuser as described above, in which the nose element extends through the opening, optionally further comprising an accessory including at least one spring element engaging the hook element. A light fixture structure comprises a housing defining an opening and an first attachment element comprising a nose element, a hook element and a connection region, and optionally further comprising a diffuser engaging a first portion of the hook element, and / or an accessory which engages a second portion of the hook element. An eyeball accessory comprises first and second housing elements pivotably attached to each other. An accessory for a light fixture comprises a housing member and a spring element engageable with a fixture.

In one embodiment of this invention, a lightguide comprises a low refractive index region disposed between light extracting region and a non-scattering region. In further embodiment of this invention, volumetric scattering lightguide comprises a low refractive index region disposed between a volumetric scattering region and a non-scattering region. In some embodiments, a light emitting device comprising a volumetric scattering lightguide can angularly filter light input into the edge of a volumetric scattering lightguide by controlling the refractive index of the low refractive index region relative to the refractive index of the non-scattering region to prevent direct illumination of the volumetric scattering region, provide a luminance uniformity greater than 70%, or improve the angular luminous intensity of the light emitting device. The volumetric scattering lightguide may be curved, tapered, and a light emitting device comprising the same may further comprise at least one light source and a light redirecting element.

An optical manifold for efficiently combining a plurality of LED outputs into a single, substantially homogeneous output, in a small, cost-effective package. The optical manifolds can be used to combine multiple LEDs of the same color and provide a high intensity output aperture with very high uniformity and sharp borders, or they can be used to generate a multiwavelength output, such as red, green, and blue LEDs that are combined to generate white light. Embodiments are also disclosed that use a single or multiple LEDs and a remote phosphor and an intermediate wavelength-selective filter arranged so that backscattered photoluminescence is recycled to boost the luminance and flux of the output aperture. The optical manifolds are designed to alleviate substantial luminance inhomogeneities inherent to LEDs. The optical manifold utilizes principles of non-imaging optics to transform light and provide directed, substantially uniform light sources.

An optical transmission tube for illumination is uniquely incorporated into any one of a variety of automotive, commercial, retail, structural, architectural, safety, or other products including running boards, vehicle interior compartments such as a glove box, approximate the license plate attachment area on a vehicle, a trunk, a vehicle hood, on a vehicle door, a vehicle bumper, a vehicle luggage rack, a picture frame, a flashlight, a building, a guard rail, a construction barrier, a bicycle, a sign, an appliance interior compartment such as a refrigerator, a part bin, a retail display shelf, a clipboard, a step, a tractor trailer, a desk, a walkway, a room or storage chamber, a runway, an instrument panel, a railroad crossing gate, an emergency sign, an elevator doorway, a swimming pool, a dog collar, a fish tank, a baby crib a hand rail, an inline skate an island in a parking lot or on a street, affixed to a curb, or on safety clothing.

A compact and efficient optical illumination system featuring planar multi-layered LED light source arrays concentrating their polarized or un-polarized output within a limited angular range. The optical system manipulates light emitted by a planar light emitters such as electrically-interconnected LED chips. Each light emitting region in the array is surrounded by reflecting sidewalls whose output is processed by elevated prismatic films, polarization converting films, or both. The optical interaction between light emitters, reflecting sidewalls, and the elevated prismatic films create overlapping virtual images between emitting regions that contribute to the greater optical uniformity. Practical illumination applications of such uniform light source arrays include compact LCD or DMD video image projectors, as well as general lighting, automotive lighting, and LCD backlighting.

The invention concerns an illumination system for wavelengths <=193 nm, particularly for EUV lithography, with at least one light source, which has an illumination A in a predetermined surface; at least one device for producing secondary light sources; at least one mirror or lens device comprising at least one mirror or one lens, which is or are organized into raster elements; one or more optical elements, which are arranged between the mirror or lens device comprising at least one mirror or one lens, which is or are organized into raster elements and the reticle plane, whereby the optical elements image the secondary light sources in the exit pupil of the illumination system.The illumination system is characterized by the fact that the raster elements of the one or more mirror or lenses are shaped and arranged in such a way that the images of the raster elements cover by means of the optical elements the major portion of the reticle plane and that the exit pupil defined by aperture and filling degree is illuminated.

The invention concerns an illumination system, particularly for microlithography with wavelengths <=193 nm, comprising a light source, a first optical component, a second optical component, an image plane and an exit pupil. The first optical component transforms the light source into a plurality of secondary light sources being imaged by the second optical component in said exit pupil. The first optical component comprises a first optical element having a plurality of first raster elements, which are imaged into said image plane producing a plurality of images being superimposed at least partially on a field in said image plane. The first raster elements deflect incoming ray bundles with first deflection angles, wherein at least two of the first deflection angles are different. The first raster elements are preferably rectangular, wherein the field is a segment of an annulus. To transform the rectangular images of the first raster elements into the segment of the annulus, the second optical component comprises a first field mirror for shaping the field to the segment of the annulus.

The methods involve using a tool to cut or form multiple optical element shaped cavities in a surface of a substrate without rotating the tool or substrate during the cutting or forming process. At least some of the cavities are cut or formed to have at least two surfaces that come together to form a ridge and that are quite small relative to the length and width of the substrate. Thereafter the substrate is used to form optical films, components or wave guides having multiple optical elements on at least one surface corresponding to the cavities in the substrate.

A system for focusing light on an illumination area. The system includes a reflector having a focusing reflective surface and a focal region and an LED array having a plurality of LEDs located within the focal region. Each of the plurality of LEDs in the LED array is positioned to emit light toward the focusing reflective surface. The focusing reflective surface reflects light from each of the plurality of LEDs of the LED array toward the illumination area.

An optical device is for spatially displacing the output of a light-emitting diode (LED) and coupling the output to a predominantly spherical emission pattern produced at a useftul height above the LED. The device is made of a transparent dielectric material, such as an injection-molded plastic. It comprises a lower transfer section that receives the LED's light from below and an upper ejector section that receives the transferred light and spreads it spherically. One or more LEDs. are optically coupled to the bottom of the transfer section, which operates by total internal reflection upon their entire hemispherical emission. One embodiment operates as a flashlight-bulb substitute with the ejector section radiating onto a parabolic reflector, which forms the beam. Thus hemisphencally emitting LEDs can be used in parabolic-mirror flashlights wherein these LEDs by themselves may be unsuitable for that role.

An optical manifold for efficiently combining a plurality of LED outputs into a single, substantially homogeneous output, in a small, cost-effective package. The optical manifolds can be used to combine multiple LEDs of the same color and provide a high intensity output aperture with very high uniformity and sharp borders, or they can be used to generate a multiwavelength output, such as red, green, and blue LEDs that are combined to generate white light. Embodiments are also disclosed that use a single or multiple LEDs and a remote phosphor and an intermediate wavelength-selective filter arranged so that backscattered photoluminescence is recycled to boost the luminance and flux of the output aperture. The optical manifolds are designed to alleviate substantial luminance inhomogeneities inherent to LEDs. The optical manifold utilizes principles of non-imaging optics to transform light and provide directed, substantially uniform light sources.

A backlight for a display device, such as a liquid crystal display device, includes a light guiding plate having a front and a rear surface. The front and rear surfaces may be parallel to one another, or may instead be non-parallel. To the extent that such surfaces are non-parallel, one surface may be included at a single, or multiple angles with respect to the other surface. The backlight further includes a light source that is coupled to an edge of the light guiding plate by means of an energy conserving coupling section, and which provides light that is conditioned and transmitted through the light guiding plate. Light extractors are disposed on at least one side of the light guiding plate to assist in the transmission and conditioning of the light that is provided to the light guiding plate by the light source.

A heat dissipating LED signal lamp emitting structure includes an isothermal board, a light emitting unit on the isothermal board, a heat conducting cylinder connected to the bottom of the isothermal board, a heat dissipating body around the periphery of the heat conducting cylinder and comprised of heat sinks, a circular cover body above the isothermal board for covering the isothermal board, a reflecting groove at the center of the cover body for passing through the light emitting unit, and a transparent lid on the cover body for covering the light emitting unit. With the heat dissipating effect of the heat dissipating body, the operating heat produced by the light emitting unit can be dissipated to the outside. The invention not only uses a single light emitting unit as a signal lamp emitting source, but also enhances the light emitting efficiency and the life expectancy of the light emitting unit.

The present invention relates to a lighting device using an LED. One embodiment of the invention provides a lamp-shaped LED lighting device that can replace a known lighting device. The lamp-shaped LED lighting device promptly emits the heat generated by an LED element, which influences the optical output and the lifespan of the LED lighting device, through a lamp-shaped frame with a heat-ventilation structure that facilitates air circulation. In addition, the lamp-shaped LED lighting device prevents glare from an LED light source by using a lateral reflecting member, a diffusion lens and a diffusion cover and diffuses the light from the light source widely without optical attenuation. Another embodiment of the invention provides a tube and panel-shaped LED lighting devices that can be replaced with a previous tube-shaped fluorescent light and a panel-shaped lighting device. The tube and panel-shaped LED lighting devices rapidly emit the heat generated by an LED element, which influences the optical output and the life span of the LED lighting device, through a tube and panel-shaped frame with a heat-sink structure. In addition, the tube and panel-shaped LED lighting devices prevent glare from the LED light source by optically arranging a curved reflecting plate, a diffusion plate and a diffusion window which include a diffusion lens at the upper portion of the LED element. Furthermore the tube and panel-shaped LED lighting devices diffuse the light from the LED light source widely without optical attenuation.

An LED lamp may be made with a heat sink optic. The lamp has a base having a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact for receiving current. At least one LED is mounted on a thermally conductive support; that supports electrical connections for the LED and provides thermal conduction of heat from the LED to the optic. The LED support mounted in the base and electrically coupled through the first electrical contact to electrical current. The light transmissive, and heat diffusing optic has an external an internal wall defining a cavity with the LED positioned in the cavity. The optic is in thermal contact with the LED support and mechanically coupled to the base. The snap together structure enables rapid manufacture while allowing numerous variations.

A lamp includes a linearly extending heat sink, blue-light-emitting LEDs mounted on the heat sink, and a light emitting cover mounted on the heat sink in line with the LEDs, a first portion of the cover opposite the LEDs including a phosphor that is excited by the LEDs to emit white light. The cover may be a tube with the LEDs outside the tube, a portion of the tube nearest the LEDs being transparent and receiving light from the LEDs. The tube may include reflectors that are attached to an exterior surface of the tube to hold the tube on the heat sink. Alternatively, the cover may enclose the LEDs on the heat sink, where a portion of the cover has an interior surface that reflects light from the LEDs to the first portion. The lamp may include electrical connections that allow for multiple lamps to be connected in series.

A lighting device, comprising at least one solid state light emitter and one (or more) optical device(s) which (each) comprises at least first, second and third optical structures, first and second surfaces of the second structure being in contact with a surface of the first structure and a surface of the third structure, respectively. The third structure has at least one optical feature. The light emitter is positioned, the optical feature is positioned, and the regions of the structures have indices of refraction, such that if the light emitter is illuminated, at least a portion of the emitted light will enter into the second optical device structure and exit from the optical feature on the third structure. Also, a method of lighting comprising illuminating a light emitter in such a device.

Work light has LEDs that require heatsink. Desired radiation pattern achieved by using optical components designed to produce beam or LEDs may have beams in different directions. Radiation pattern of LEDs may be changed by refractive-reflective optics or by convex lenses. Convex lenses may be hemispheres, other planoconvex shapes, concavo-convex shapes, or other shapes. Curved surfaces on any lenses may be spherical or aspheric. Ballast to operate the LEDs from line voltage AC or low voltage DC. Work light may contain batteries. The work light may be mounted on a stand. May have accessory mount. May have charging station. May have a paging transmitter to activate a paging receiver in work light. May have openings for heat transfer from heatsink to ambient air external to light.

A method and apparatus for curing photosensitive materials uses LEDs and an optical concentrator to generate high optical power intensities. An LED array, comprising a plurality of LED assemblies, generates collimated light. A collection lens functions as an optical concentrator and focuses the collimated light to a desired spot size at a desired location. The LED assemblies may be at least partially disposed in a cooling plenum, where the cooling plenum is at least partially defined by the collection lens. Each LED assembly within the LED array may be detachably coupled to a mounting surface, enabling easy replacement of individual LED assemblies within the LED array. The photocuring assembly may also include a redirecting assembly disposed between the collection lens and the desired location that may further concentrate the light at the desired location. The photocuring assembly may include more than one of the above features.

An apparatus and method is characterized by providing an optical transfer function between a predetermined illuminated surface pattern, such as a street light pattern, and a predetermined energy distribution pattern of a light source, such as that from an LED. A lens is formed having a shape defined by the optical transfer function. The optical transfer function is derived by generating an energy distribution pattern using the predetermined energy distribution pattern of the light source. Then the projection of the energy distribution pattern onto the illuminated surface is generated. The projection is then compared to the predetermined illuminated surface pattern to determine if it acceptably matches. The process continues reiteratively until an acceptable match is achieved. Alternatively, the lens shape is numerically or analytically determined by a functional relationship between the shape and the predetermined illuminated surface pattern and predetermined energy distribution pattern of a light source as inputs.