185results about How to "Efficient illumination" patented technology

A sign comprising a surface having a display, and a plurality of sources of visible light. The sources of visible light are oriented to illuminate at least a portion of the display, and include solid state light emitters and / or luminescent materials. Line segments drawn on a Chromaticity Diagram connecting coordinates of some of the illumination color hues define a shape which encompasses coordinates of the display color hue(s). Also, a sign comprising a surface having a display having a surface area of at least 4 square meters, and at least 100 sources of visible light including solid state light emitters and / or luminescent materials. Also, a sign comprising a white light source and at least one additional source of light. Also, methods of illuminating signs.

An illumination system employing a waveguide. Light received from an edge or an end of a waveguide is propagated in response to transmission and total internal reflection. Light deflecting elements distributed along the propagation path of light continuously change the out-of-plane propagation angle of light rays and cause decoupling of portions of the propagated light from the core of the waveguide at different distances from the light input edge or end. Light escapes from the waveguide into an intermediate layer at low out-of-plane angles and is further redirected by light extraction features out of the system. In one embodiment, the illumination system is configured to emit collimated light. In one embodiment, the illumination system includes shallow surface relief features. In one embodiment, the light deflecting elements include forward-scattering particles distributed throughout the volume of the waveguide. Additional collimating and non-collimating illumination units and methods are also disclosed.

The invention relates to a refrigerated display case with an illuminated support member or “mullion” that efficiently transfers heat generated by at least one light emitting diode (LED) to warm and maintain door seals. The invention further relates to a low-profile, elongated LED light fixture that is retrofitted to the display case mullion to provide efficient illumination. The LED light fixture includes an elongated frame having a central hub extending longitudinally along the frame. A pair of opposed arms extending upwardly at an angle from the central hub, wherein the terminus of each arm has a curvilinear configuration that defines a receiver. At least one leg extends rearward from the central hub. Two legs are spaced a distance apart to define an elongated central cavity that receives a fastener for securement of the fixture to the vertical support within the display case. A printed circuit board resides within a channel of the central hub and a plurality of LEDs are electrically and mechanically connected to the circuit board. A substantially planar lens cover resides within the receiver for securement to the frame.

Disclosed is a light guiding valve apparatus including at least one transparent stepped waveguide optical valve for providing large area collimated illumination from localized light sources, and at least one further illumination source. A stepped waveguide may be a stepped structure, where the steps include extraction features hidden to guided light, propagating in a first forward direction. Returning light propagating in a second backward direction may be refracted, diffracted, or reflected by the features to provide discrete illumination beams exiting from the top surface of the waveguide. Such controlled illumination may provide for efficient, multi-user autostereoscopic displays as well as improved 2D display functionality. Light from a separate illumination source may pass through the transparent stepped waveguide optical valve to provide at least one further additional illumination function.

A mirror for facilitating appearance related functions includes a circular ring-shaped frame holding therein back-to-back reflective mirror plates having different magnification factors, e.g. 1× and 5×, each plate having a circular central imaging reflective area and an outer concentric light transmissive window area. Continuously rotatable pivot joints support the frame between opposed arms of a yoke protruding upwardly from a stanchion and base for placement on a table, or an arm and wall bracket for mounting on a wall, enabling the frame to be rotated to interchangeably orient 1× and 5× mirror plates in a forward facing use position. A ring-shaped, printed circuit board with circumferentially spaced apart light emitting diodes (LED's) protruding radially outwards of an outer circumferential edge of the board is located between inner facing surfaces of the mirror plates. Illumination of objects in front of the mirror plates is effected by direct LED rays emitted forwardly through the light transmissive windows, and intensified by indirect LED rays reflected from reflective inner facing surfaces of the mirror plates. Electrical power is supplied to the LED's from a battery power supply in the base of the mirror by electrically conductive pins which protrude radially outwards from opposite sides of the frame, the pins being rotatably supported in electrically conductive cups located in opposed arms of the yoke, the cups being connected to the power supply via wires disposed through the yoke arms and stanchion to the power supply.

A mirror includes a frame holding back-to-back a pair of reflective mirror plates having different magnification factors, each plate having a reflective central area and an outer concentric light-transmissive window area. Rotatable pivot joints supporting the frame between opposed arms of a support yoke and enable the frame to be rotated to orient a selected plate in a forward-facing use position. A hoop-shaped printed circuit board having circumferentially spaced apart light emitting diodes (LED's) protruding therefrom is located between inner facing surfaces of the mirror plates. Objects in front of a mirror plates are illuminated by direct LED rays emitted forwardly through the window areas and by indirect LED rays reflected from reflective inner facing surfaces of the mirror plates, and from the forward facing surface of a movable reflector ring within the frame which falls rearward when the frame is rotated.

A portable travel mirror device includes a base, a handle pivotably mounted to the base, and a dual mirror assembly mounted to the handle which is pivotable and telescopically extendable between compact transport and upright use configurations, and includes a circular primary mirror frame holding a magnifying mirror encircled by a ring-shaped lamp energized by a power source within the base, and overlain by a diffuser ring. A secondary mirror pivotably and swivelably attached to the primary mirror frame has a different magnification factor, e.g., 1×, and is pivotable upwards from a travel position overlying and protecting the primary mirror to an upright use position, and is also swivelable into contact with the primary mirror frame, whereby light from the lamp is transmitted through the diffuser ring and a transparent secondary mirror bezel to illuminate objects in front of the primary or secondary mirror.

A combination aspiration / irrigation and illumination device using optical fibers circumferentially disposed around the aspiration conduit for transmitting illuminating light to a cavity to be aspirated. The aspiration conduit having a tip that is detachably affixed to and end of the aspiration conduit. The optical fibers terminated at a distance (d) from a distal end of the tip. Also provided is an image fiber(s) for transmitting image data from the distal end of the device.

An illumination system employing a waveguide that receives and propagates light in response to transmission and total internal reflection. Light deflecting elements distributed along the propagation path incrementally change the out-of-plane angles of light rays and cause decoupling of portions of light from the waveguide at different distances from the light input edge or end. Light may escape from the waveguide into an intermediate layer at low out-of-plane angles and can be further redirected by light extraction features out of the system. In one embodiment, the illumination system is configured to emit collimated light. In one embodiment, the illumination system includes shallow surface relief features. In one embodiment, the light deflecting elements include forward-scattering particles distributed throughout the volume of the waveguide.

An apparatus for inspecting a semiconductor wafer includes a vertically movable chuck plate for holding said semiconductor wafer, a first light source for illuminating an area on the wafer, a main imaging camera for detecting light scattered from the surface of the wafer and a main imaging lens for imaging the illuminated area of the wafer onto the camera. The apparatus additionally includes an auto-focus system for maintaining the wafer within the depth of field of the lens focal point. The auto-focus system comprises a second light source with associated optics, a linear position sensor with associated optics for detecting light from the second light source that is reflected off the illuminated area of the wafer, circuitry for converting the light detected by the sensor into an output voltage which is proportional to the relative vertical position of the illuminated area of the wafer. In use, the output voltage can be used to compensate for vertical deviations in the topology of said patterned wafer by vertically moving the chuck plate in real-time so that the lens images the area on the wafer onto the camera in focus.

The invention provides an illumination arrangement (1) for illuminating horticultural growths (100) with for instance LEDs as a light source. These LEDs are placed in a lighting unit (10). The lighting unit may especially have the ability to direct substantially all light from the light source (here the LEDs) to the horticultural growths (in the greenhouse). Additionally, a horticultural growth-recognition system (50) can be implemented in the illumination arrangement, so that the system can adapt for instance its beam (11) to the location of the horticultural growth(s) (in the case of growth or moving of plants, etc).

A surface light source device and display utilize a light guide plate provided with micro-reflectors arranged in an orientation suitable for a plurality of input portions having point-like light emitters, respectively. A light guide plate 15 has a back face divided into areas ARA to ARC to each of which each input portion having each of LEDs 14A to 14C is shared. Micro-reflectors 19 in each of areas ARA to ARC are orientated as to be directed to each of LEDs 14A to 14C correspondingly, effecting an effective direction conversion. Emitted light is incident to a liquid crystal display panel generally at a right angle via a light diffusion sheet. Some micro-reflectors 19 in each of areas ARA to ARC may be arranged as to be directed to an adjacent input portion. Micro-reflectors may be shaped like quadrangle pyramid projections, cylindrical dents or V-shaped dents.

A light-emitting apparatus, comprising at least one LED element, and at least one liquid crystal lens disposed to face the LED element and positioned at a distance from the LED element, a focal length of light, broadening and narrowing directions of light, and changing the illuminating area of light being adjustable by applying a voltage to the at least one liquid crystal lens and a light-emitting apparatus, further comprising at least one lens placed on the liquid crystal lens.

A data display device including a light-guide element made of an optically transparent material having at least two polished surfaces faced to one another, whereby at least one surface contains at least one gravure forming a diffuse-reflective character, and a light source arranged close to the light-guide element to illuminate said character.

In a spread illuminating apparatus comprising a spot-like light source, and a light conductive plate, the light conductive plate is shaped into a pentagon which has two sides thereof substantially parallel to each other, and which includes, as a part thereof, a triangle having its base defined by an imaginary line connecting respective straightly opposing ends of the two parallel sides, and the spot-like light source is disposed at a side of the pentagon constituting one of two hypotenuses of the triangle.

An image display device includes: a first face; a laser light source device emitting laser light; and a diffractive optical element on which the laser light emitted from the laser light source device is incident, generating diffracted light from the incident laser light, and illuminating the first face with the diffracted light, the first face is provided at a position on which zero-order light emitted from the diffractive optical element is not incident, and an image is displayed by light via the first face.

A light source for a refrigerator includes a power supply and a light emitting diode (LED) module. A light emitting portion of the LED module may be located in the interior of a rear end of a shelf plate.

An LED light and communication system is in communication with a broadband over power line communications system. The LED light and communication system includes at least one optical transceiver light fixture. The optical transceiver light fixture includes a plurality of light emitting diodes, at least one photodetector, and a processor. A facility control unit is in communication with the light emitting diode light fixtures and a control server. The facility control unit is constructed and arranged to control the operation of the optical transceiver light fixtures.

The present invention provides a surface-treating agent to form fine roughness on the surface of a material and more specifically a surface treating-agent which forms fine roughness on the surface of a material and is easy to process, thereby being useful for materials for highly water-repellent glass, lenses and fabric, materials with an excellent anti-soiling property, panels having an excellent light scattering property, illumination of optical fiber and the like, materials and coatings to prevent accumulation and adhesion of snow or icicle formation on antennas, wires and steel towers, and roughness formation on the surface of semiconductor substrates; the treated materials; and a method of surface treatment to develop the roughness. The surface-treating agent of the present invention has an average primary particle diameter in the range of 1-50 nm, contains fine particles in the range of 5-60% by mass of the total amount of the surface-treating agent in a slurry of nanoparticles which are treated for water repellency and mechanically dispersed in a solvent containing a volatile solvent, and forms a roughness structure with upward protrusions having a spatial periodicity of 0.1-50 μm on the surface of a material by volatilizing the solvent or dipping repeatedly in water upon treating the surface of the material.

A focusing lens for an LED is provided. The focusing lens for an LED, which concentrates light emitted from the LED so as to have directionality parallel to an optic axis, comprises: a transparent body; a first lens part formed in the body; and a second lens part covering the first lens, and wherein the first lens comprises: first and second aspheric lens surfaces which are convex in different sizes and are formed on planes being symmetric to each other; and wherein the second lens comprise: a plane of incidence formed to protrude from an outer circumference of the second aspheric lens surfaces, the plane of incidence into which the LED is inserted and which is configured to allow the light emitted from the LED to be incident and refracted; a plane of reflection formed to have a convex curved surface which extend and slopes to be progressive wider from the plane of incidence towards the second aspheric lens surface, the plane of reflection which is configured to allow the light emitted from the LED to be totally reflected; and a plane of emission formed to have a concave curved surface which extends and slopes from the plane of reflection towards the second aspheric lens surface, the plane of emission which is configured to allow the light emitted from the LED to be refracted and emitted as light being parallel to the optic axis. The focusing lens minimizes a loss of the light emitted from the LED and maximally reduces an angle of the emitted light, to effectively illuminate a local region at a long distance.

A combination aspiration / irrigation and illumination device using optical fibers circumferentially disposed around the aspiration conduit for transmitting illuminating light to a cavity to be aspirated. The aspiration conduit having a tip that is detachably affixed to and end of the aspiration conduit. The optical fibers terminated at a distance (d) from a distal end of the tip. Also provided is an image fiber(s) for transmitting image data from the distal end of the device.

A surface light source device and display utilize a light guide plate provided with micro-reflectors arranged in an orientation suitable for a plurality of input portions having point-like light emitters, respectively. A light guide plate 15 has a back face divided into areas ARA to ARC to each of which each input portion having each of LEDs 14A to 14C is shared. Micro-reflectors 19 in each of areas ARA to ARC are orientated as to be directed to each of LEDs 14A to 14C correspondingly, effecting an effective direction conversion. Emitted light is incident to a liquid crystal display panel generally at a right angle via a light diffusion sheet. Some micro-reflectors 19 in each of areas ARA to ARC may be arranged as to be directed to an adjacent input portion. Micro-reflectors may be shaped like quadrangle pyramid projections, cylindrical dents or V-shaped dents.

A welding shield includes a durable shell body having a front viewing window pivotally attached to a headband, a welding shield lens attached to the shell body covering the front viewing window of the shell body, a first light source disposed to the front area of the shell body, a second light source disposed to the front area of the headband, and at least one control device for controlling the light sources.

A writing implement having a built-in illumination system includes a pen-top, a translucent pen-body, and a translucent pen-tip. A battery, an electrical switch and a lamp are housed within the pen-top so that light may be selectively generated by the lamp and directed generally along a central axis within the pen-body portion towards the pen-tip. A marking element is located within said pen-body, partially extending from said pen-tip. A lens is positioned between said lamp and said marking element so that light from the lamp is diverted away from the central axis to the pen-body which guides the received light to the pen-tip. Printed information located on the pen-body is illuminated, as well as a region located immediately adjacent to the pen-tip.

A lighting device for illuminating ice has a sheet of light-transmitting film located below an ice layer and coupled to a light source. The index of refraction of the light-transmitting film is greater than that of the adjoining ice or air so that the light within the film experiences substantial internal reflection. Light is emitted from the film (and the ice surface) at emission regions that disrupt internal reflection.

An electric jigsaw (1) includes a main housing (2) containing a gear housing (10), a reciprocating rod (11) vertically projecting from within the gear housing, a saw blade (13) coupled to the rod via a coupling ring (12), and a transparent synthetic resin guard (14) provided at the lower front end of the main housing and the gear housing (10). The transparent guard includes a vertical optical path therethrough and is attached to the gear housing in such a manner as to be horizontally rotatable between a protective position for covering the coupling ring and an open position for exposing the coupling ring. Additionally included in the jigsaw is an insulating cover (15) assembled to the gear housing (10) within the main housing (2) and a downward oriented light-emitting diode (19) disposed at the bottom end of the insulating cover (15) directly above the transparent guard (14) when the guard is in its protective position. The light from the LED is transmitted through the front guard along the optical path, illuminating a workpiece (W) immediately forward of the blade without significant scattering or diffusion.

An illuminated optical magnifying device with an optical focusing unit that can produce a magnified image of an object to be observed and with an illumination device whose light is at least partially applicable for illuminating the object to be observed, whereby the illumination device is composed of at least one luminous diode, which is arranged in the magnifying device in such a way that its light can emerge from the magnifying device essentially straight toward the direction of the object to be observed.