Light source alignment system

Abstract

A luminaire includes a light source that emits a first light beam having a first optical axis. An optical element of the light source alignment system receives the first light beam and emits a second light beam having a second optical axis. The second optical axis is substantially parallel to, but not coaxial with, the first optical axis. The continuously adjustable position of the optical element determines the position of the second optical axis. A method for aligning an optical axis of a light beam includes: receiving a first light beam having a first optical axis; emitting a second light beam having a second optical axis, the second optical axis being substantially parallel to, but not coaxial with, the first optical axis; and aligning the second light beam with an optical element of the optical system by adjusting a continuously adjustable position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 579,738, filed on August 30, 2023, entitled “LIGHT SOURCE ALIGNMENT SYSTEM,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to light fixtures, and more particularly to light source aiming systems for light fixtures. Background Art

[0004] Some lamps in the entertainment and architectural lighting markets include automated and remotely controllable features. Such lamps may be used in theaters, television studios, concert halls, theme parks, nightclubs, and other venues. A lamp may provide control over the pan and tilt functions of the lamp, allowing an operator to control the direction in which the lamp is pointed and thus the position of the light beam on the stage or in the studio. This position control, which may be referred to as pan and tilt, may be obtained by controlling the position of the lamp on two orthogonal axes of rotation. Some lamps provide control over other parameters such as intensity, color, focal length, beam size, beam shape, and / or beam pattern.

[0005] The optical system of such an automated luminaire may be designed to enable the user to control the beam size over a range from a very narrow output beam to a wider wash beam. Such control may allow such a luminaire to be used for long distance throws to a target or for nearly parallel light effects, as well as for wider and more traditional wash effects. Optical systems capable of producing narrow beams may be referred to as "beam" optical systems, while optical systems capable of producing wide beams may be referred to as "wash" optical systems. Summary of the invention

[0006] In a first embodiment, a light fixture includes a light source and a light source alignment system. The light source is configured to emit a first light beam having a first optical axis. The light source alignment system is mechanically coupled to the light source and includes an optical element configured to receive the first light beam and emit a second light beam having a second optical axis that is substantially parallel to the first optical axis but not coaxial with the first optical axis. The position of the second optical axis relative to the first optical axis is determined by a continuously adjustable position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis.

[0007] In a second embodiment, a method for aligning an optical axis of a light beam in a luminaire includes: receiving a first light beam from a light source by an optical element, the first light beam having a first optical axis; emitting a second light beam having a second optical axis from the optical element, the second optical axis being substantially parallel to the first optical axis but not coaxial with the first optical axis; and aligning the second light beam with an optical element of an optical system by adjusting a position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis. The position of the optical element is continuously adjustable, and the position of the second optical axis relative to the first optical axis is determined by the position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like features throughout.

[0009] Figure 1 An orthogonal view of a luminaire according to the present disclosure is presented;

[0010] Figure 2 Presented Figure 1 an orthogonal view of the head of the luminaire with the exterior cover removed;

[0011] Figure 3 Presented Figure 1 an orthogonal view of the head of the luminaire with the light engine exposed;

[0012] Figure 4 Presented Figure 3 A first orthogonal view of a light engine of a luminaire;

[0013] Figure 5 Presented Figure 3 a second orthogonal view of a light engine of the luminaire;

[0014] Figure 6 Presented Figure 1 a rear view of a portion of a head of the luminaire in which the light engine is exposed;

[0015] Fig. 7A , Figure 7B and Figure 7C Schematic diagrams of a first configuration, a second configuration, and a third configuration of a light source alignment system according to the present disclosure are presented respectively; and

[0016] Figure 8 A flow chart of a method for aligning an optical axis of a light beam in a luminaire is presented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Preferred embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to designate like and corresponding parts in the different drawings.

[0018] In some lamps, aligning the light source with the optical system of the lamp is accomplished by loosely mounting the light source within the lamp and moving the light source within the lamp to achieve alignment. Once aligned, the mounting of the light source is tightened to maintain alignment despite handling, use, shipping, or other movement of the lamp. This alignment can be difficult where the light source is large, heavy, or attached to a non-moving part of the lamp, such as a heat sink.

[0019] Furthermore, where the diameter of the light beam emitted from the light source is small, the light beam and the optical system need to be aligned more precisely than for a larger diameter beam. This is particularly true where only small adjustments of the light source relative to the rest of the optical system are required.

[0020] Embodiments of the light engine according to the present disclosure solve this alignment problem by providing a light source alignment system that only needs to be loosened and adjusted to obtain alignment of the light beam with the optical system while allowing the light engine to remain installed in the luminaire. Because the components of the light source alignment system are simpler and lighter, it is easier to loosen, adjust, and retighten them.

[0021] Additionally, alignment mechanisms for some light sources may require a technician to access the mechanism from several sides of the light source, for example to loosen and tighten mountings of the light source. Where the luminaire is subject to ingress protection (IP) standards related to dust or liquid intrusion into the light source, the luminaire may require a complex light source housing that can be removed to allow access to the mechanism from several sides and then resealed when reattached to meet the IP standards.

[0022] As described above, the components of embodiments of the light source alignment system according to the present disclosure are simpler and lighter than existing light source alignment systems. They are also easier to loosen, adjust, and re-tighten than existing light source alignment systems. In addition, the light source alignment system according to the present disclosure only requires access from one side, allowing technicians to enter by removing and reattaching a single flat cover. Such a cover is easier to remove and reattach than more complex covers, and is more suitable for resealing to meet specific IP standards.

[0023] Figure 1An orthogonal view of a luminaire 100 according to the present disclosure is presented. The luminaire 100 includes a light source housing beneath an outer cover 102. In some embodiments, the light source housing includes a laser-based light engine comprising one or more lasers of one or more colors and one or more optical devices that convert a coherent light beam emitted by the laser into an incoherent light beam. Such lasers may include solid-state light emitting diode (LED) lasers. The optical devices may include a phosphor plate or filter. In some such embodiments, the light engine includes a solid-state LED laser that emits coherent blue light that excites a phosphor to emit incoherent white light.

[0024] Although luminaire 100 is an automated luminaire configured for pan / tilt motion, it will be appreciated that the light source alignment system according to the present disclosure may be used with other types of luminaires, such as fixed luminaires or tilt-only luminaires. In situations where the light source is large, heavy, and / or attached to a non-moving component of the luminaire, such as a heat sink, aligning the light source with other optical elements of the luminaire's optical system may be a problem for an assembly or repair technician. The light source alignment system according to the present disclosure provides a solution to this problem by allowing a technician to adjust the position of the light source alignment system - rather than the position of the light source - to align the light beam from the light source with the other optical elements of the luminaire.

[0025] Figure 2 Presented Figure 1 100 with the exterior cover removed. The light source housing 112 includes a light source such as the laser light engine described above. The heat pipe 106a transfers heat from the light source housing 112 to the heat sink 110a which is cooled by the fan 108a. For the heat pipe 106b, the heat sink 110b and the fan 108b (which are in Figure 2 In some embodiments, the light source housing 112 is sealed with the cover 104 to prevent dust, water or other contaminants from entering the light source housing 112. In such embodiments, the heat pipe 106a and the heat pipe 106b exit the light source housing 112 through the sealed opening. In some such embodiments, the light source housing 112 is sealed to meet the Ingress Protection 65 (IP65) rating standard. Figure 3 Presented Figure 1 1 is an orthogonal view of the head 128 of the luminaire 100 with the cover 104 removed from the light source housing 112, thereby exposing the light engine 114.

[0026] Figure 4 Presented Figure 3 A first orthogonal view of the luminaire's light engine 114 as viewed from the right front viewpoint. Figure 5 Presented Figure 3FIG. 1 is a second orthogonal view of the light engine 114 of the luminaire as viewed from a right rear viewpoint. Figure 6 Presented Figure 1 A rear view of a portion of the head of the luminaire where the light engine 114 is exposed.

[0027] The emitted light beam exits the light engine 114 through an exit port 203. The exit port 203 may be an aperture or may be an exit surface of an optical device (e.g., a lens) of the light engine 114. The light engine 114 includes a light source alignment system 201. The light source alignment system 201 includes an alignment lens 204 mounted in a lens holder 202. The lens holder 202 is coupled to arms 206 and 208, which include associated operating handles 207 and 209, respectively. The lens holder 202 is secured to the light engine 114 by screws 210 and 211 (at Figure 6 204 is adjustably secured to the planar light guide 205 by screws 210 and 211. In other embodiments, other fasteners that allow the lens holder 202 to be loosened, adjusted, and re-tightened may be used, such as quarter-turn fasteners and over-center toggle clamps.

[0028] The emission beam passes through the planar light guide 205 into the alignment lens 204, which emits the alignment beam. In some embodiments, the alignment lens 204 can be an aspherical positive optical power lens configured to direct the alignment beam toward an imaging aperture of a downstream optical system. In other embodiments, the alignment lens 204 can be another optical element (such as a spherical lens), or any other type of positive lens (such as a Fresnel lens). The diameter of the alignment lens 204 is larger than the diameter of the exit port 203.

[0029] The rear surface of the lens holder 202 contacts the front surface of the planar light guide 205. The front surface of the planar light guide 205 is perpendicular to the emission optical axis of the emission light beam. The lens holder 202 is thus constrained by the planar light guide 205 so that the alignment lens 204 can only move in a direction perpendicular to the emission optical axis. Screws 210 and 211 pass through corresponding oversized holes in the planar light guide 205. When tightened, the screws 210 and 211 clamp the lens holder 202 to the planar light guide 205 to prevent the alignment lens 204 from moving relative to the exit port 203. When loosened, screws 210 and screws 211 provide a certain amount of friction between the lens holder 202 and the planar light guide 205, which allows an operator to use operating handles 207 and operating handles 209 to adjust the position of the alignment lens 204 relative to the exit port 203, release the handles to check the position, and tighten screws 210 and screws 211 to clamp the alignment lens 204 in a desired position relative to the exit port 203.

[0030] The oversized holes allow the position of the alignment lens 204 to be continuously adjustable without obstruction or other increments of position change. The holes also allow the alignment lens 204 to be moved in any direction: vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

[0031] In the process for aligning the emission beam with the downstream optical system of the luminaire 100, the operator removes the outer cover 102 and the cover 104, loosens the screws 210 and the screws 211, and adjusts the operating handles 207 and the operating handles 209 to move the alignment lens 204 to the desired position in front of the exit port 203. The movement can be upward, downward, left, right, or any combination thereof, so that the center of the alignment lens 204 moves vertically in any direction relative to the optical axis. When the alignment beam is aligned to the operator's satisfaction, the screws 210 and the screws 211 are tightened to prevent the alignment lens 204 from moving further relative to the exit port 203, and the cover 104 and the outer cover 102 are replaced. In some cases, the alignment lens 204 may only need to move a few millimeters to achieve alignment.

[0032] Fig. 7A , Figure 7B and Figure 7C Schematic diagrams of a first configuration, a second configuration, and a third configuration of a light source alignment system 201 according to the present disclosure are presented, respectively. Fig. 7A A first configuration of the light source alignment system 201 is shown in which the center of the alignment lens 204 is aligned with the optical axis (or center) of the emission beam 401 passing through the exit port 203. The emission beam 401 is received directly by the alignment lens 204 without passing through other optics of the luminaire 100. In this first configuration, the alignment lens 204 emits an alignment beam 422a having an optical axis 420 coaxial with the center of the emission beam 401. The alignment beam 422a illuminates an imaging aperture 421 of a downstream optical system. The alignment beam 422a is received directly by the imaging aperture 421 without passing through other optics of the luminaire 100.

[0033] Figure 7BA second configuration of the light source alignment system 201 is shown in which the alignment lens 204 has been moved vertically in an upward direction relative to the optical axis of the emission beam 401 from its position in the first configuration. In this second configuration, the alignment lens 204 emits an alignment beam 422b. The optical axis 420 of the alignment beam 422b is positioned above the optical axis of the emission beam 401 and is substantially parallel to the optical axis of the emission beam 401, but not coaxial with the optical axis of the emission beam 401. For the purposes of this disclosure, the term "substantially parallel" means a deviation from parallelism of no more than 5° (degrees). In this way, the position of the optical axis 420 relative to the optical axis of the emission beam 401 is determined by the continuously adjustable position of the alignment lens 204 relative to the optical axis of the emission beam 401. The alignment beam 422b illuminates an area centered above the center of the imaging aperture 421.

[0034] Figure 7C A third configuration is shown in which the aiming lens 204 has been moved vertically in a downward direction relative to the optical axis of the emission beam 401 from its position in the first configuration. In this third configuration, the aiming lens 204 emits an aiming beam 422c. The optical axis 420 of the aiming beam 422c is positioned below the optical axis of the emission beam 401 and is substantially parallel to the optical axis of the emission beam 401, but not coaxial with the optical axis of the emission beam 401. The aiming beam 422c illuminates an area centered below the center of the imaging aperture 421.

[0035] although Fig. 7A , Figure 7B and Figure 7C The aiming lens 204 is described as being moved up and down (i.e., in the plane of the page), but the light source aiming system 201 is configured to move the aiming lens 204 in any direction perpendicular to the optical axis. In this way, the exiting beam 401 can be adjusted in any direction relative to the center of the emitted beam 401 to correct for any shift in position or angle between the light engine 114 and the imaging aperture 421 of the downstream optical system.

[0036] Figure 8A flow chart of a method 800 for aligning an optical axis of a light beam in a luminaire is presented. In step 802, an optical element receives a first light beam having a first optical axis from a light source. In step 804, the optical element emits a second light beam having a second optical axis. The second optical axis is parallel to the first optical axis, but not coaxial with the first optical axis. In step 806, a technician adjusts a position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis to align the second light beam with an optical element of the optical system. In some embodiments, adjusting the position of the optical element includes loosening a fastener to allow adjustment of the position of the optical element, moving the optical element vertically relative to the first optical axis, and tightening the fastener to prevent movement of an alignment lens relative to the first optical axis.

[0037] Although only some embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein, those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure will appreciate that other embodiments may be envisioned without departing from the scope of the disclosure herein. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A lamp, comprising: a light engine configured to emit a first light beam having a first optical axis; as well as a light source alignment system mechanically coupled to the light engine, the light source alignment system comprising an optical element configured to receive the first light beam and emit a second light beam having a second optical axis that is substantially parallel to the first optical axis but not coaxial with the first optical axis, Wherein, the position of the second optical axis relative to the first optical axis is determined by the continuously adjustable position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis.

2. The luminaire of claim 1 , further comprising an imaging aperture configured to receive the second light beam, wherein: The first light beam is directly received by the light source alignment system without passing through another optical device of the luminaire between the light engine and the light source alignment system; as well as The second light beam is directly received by the imaging aperture without passing through another optical device of the luminaire between the light source alignment system and the imaging aperture.

3. The lamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The optical element includes an alignment lens configured to move vertically relative to the first optical axis.

4. The lamp according to claim 3, wherein: The alignment lens is an aspheric positive optical power lens.

5. The lamp according to claim 3, wherein: The light source alignment system includes a planar light guide and a lens holder; The planar light guide is configured to allow the first light beam to pass through the planar light guide; and The lens holder is adjustably secured to the planar light guide and is configured to mount the alignment lens.

6. The lamp according to claim 5, wherein: The rear surface of the lens holder is in contact with the front surface of the planar light guide; and The lens holder is constrained by the front surface of the planar light guide to move the alignment lens in one or more directions perpendicular to the first optical axis.

7. The lamp according to claim 5, wherein: The light source alignment system includes a fastener configured to: (i) be loosened to allow adjustment of the position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis; and (ii) be tightened to clamp the lens holder to the planar light guide to prevent movement of the alignment lens relative to the first optical axis.

8. The lamp according to claim 7, wherein: The luminaire includes a light source housing enclosing the light engine and the light source alignment system; the light source housing comprising a cover configured to allow access to the light source alignment system when the cover is removed from the light source housing; as well as The light source housing is configured to allow access by a technician to loosen the fasteners, adjust the position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis, and tighten the fasteners.

9. The lamp according to claim 8, wherein: The lens holder includes an arm and an associated handle configured to allow a technician to adjust a position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis.

10. The lamp according to claim 8, wherein: The cover and the light source housing are configured to seal the light source housing to meet Ingress Protection 65 (IP65) rating standards when the cover is attached to the light source housing.

11. A method for aligning an optical axis of a light beam in a luminaire, the method comprising: Receiving, by an optical element, a first light beam from a light engine, the first light beam having a first optical axis; emitting from the optical element a second light beam having a second optical axis, the second optical axis being substantially parallel to the first optical axis but not coaxial with the first optical axis; as well as The second light beam is aligned with an optical element of the optical system by adjusting a position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis, wherein: The position of the optical element is continuously adjustable, and The position of the second optical axis relative to the first optical axis is determined by the position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: receiving the second light beam through the imaging aperture; in: Receiving the first light beam by the optical element includes receiving the first light beam directly from the light engine without passing through another optical device; and Receiving the second light beam by the imaging aperture includes receiving the first light beam directly from the optical element without passing through another optical device.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The optical element includes an alignment lens; and Adjusting the position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis includes moving the optical element vertically relative to the first optical axis.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: Moving the optical element vertically relative to the first optical axis comprises moving the lens holder relative to a planar light guide through which the first light beam passes; and The alignment lens is mounted in the lens holder.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: Adjusting the position of the optical element relative to the first optical axis comprises: loosening the fastener to allow adjustment of the position of the optical element; moving the optical element vertically relative to the first optical axis; and The fastener is tightened to prevent movement of the alignment lens relative to the first optical axis.

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