Optical assembly with high light intensity

Abstract

An optical assembly is provided and includes a substrate, at least one light reflecting component, at least one total internal reflecting component and at least one light emitting component. The at least one light reflecting component is disposed on the substrate. The at least one light reflecting component includes a proximal end adjacent to the substrate and a distal end away from the substrate. The at least one total internal reflecting component is disposed on the substrate. The at least one light emitting component is disposed on the substrate and located between the proximal end of the at least one light reflecting component and the at least one total internal reflecting component along a first direction. The light emitting component includes a light emitting surface. A normal direction of the light emitting surface is parallel to a second direction. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an optical component, and more particularly to a high-intensity optical component. Prior Technology

[0002] Lighting fixtures are typically equipped with optical components to focus light and increase light intensity, thereby ensuring that the visual ability of the human eye within the light output range remains normal and unaffected. However, while existing optical components increase light intensity, they often make the light output range narrower. Therefore, how to improve optical components to balance light intensity and light output range has become a key issue in the industry. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One objective of this invention is to provide a high-intensity optical component to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention discloses an optical component comprising a substrate, at least one reflective element, at least one total internal reflection element, and at least one light-emitting element. The at least one reflective element is disposed on the substrate and includes a proximal end adjacent to the substrate and a distal end distant from the substrate. The at least one total internal reflection element is disposed on the substrate, and the at least one light-emitting element is disposed on the substrate and located between the proximal end of the at least one reflective element and the at least one total internal reflection element along a first direction. The at least one light-emitting element includes a light-emitting surface, a normal direction of which is parallel to a second direction and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0005] According to one embodiment of the present invention, at least one light incident structure is formed on the proximal side of the at least one total reflection element adjacent to one of the at least one light emitting elements.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one light-incident structure is a recessed structure and includes a first light-incident portion and a second light-incident portion. The at least one light-emitting element is located between the first light-incident portion and the proximal end of the at least one reflective element along the first direction. The second light-incident portion is located between the at least one light-emitting element and the distal end of the at least one reflective element along the second direction and partially covers the light-emitting surface of the at least one light-emitting element.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the portion of the light-emitting surface of the at least one light-emitting element that is blocked by the second light-incident portion is less than or equal to the portion of the light-emitting surface of the at least one light-emitting element that is not blocked by the second light-incident portion.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, at least one light-emitting structure is formed on the far side of the at least one total reflection element, which is away from one of the at least one light-emitting elements.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one light-emitting structure includes a light-emitting protrusion and a light-emitting planar portion. The light-emitting planar portion is located between the light-emitting protrusion and the far end of the reflective element along the second direction. The light-emitting planar portion and the light-emitting surface of the at least one light-emitting element are not parallel to each other.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a cross section of the at least one reflective element is parabolic, the optical axis of one of the at least one reflective elements is parallel to the first direction, the at least one light-emitting element is adjacent to a focal point of the at least one reflective element, a distance along the first direction between the near end of the at least one reflective element and the focal point is a focal length of the at least one reflective element, and the ratio of the focal length of the at least one reflective element to a maximum distance along the first direction between the focal point of the at least one reflective element and the at least one light-emitting structure is 1:1 or 3:1, or between 1:1 and 3:1.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one total internal reflection element is further formed with at least one reflective structure, which is located between the at least one light-incident structure and the at least one light-outcident structure along the first direction and is used to reflect light from the at least one light-incident structure to the at least one light-outcident structure.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the ratio of a distance along the second direction between the far end of the at least one reflective element and the luminous surface of the at least one light-emitting element and a maximum distance along the second direction between the connection point of the at least one reflective structure and the at least one light-emitting structure and the luminous surface of the at least one light-emitting element is equal to 2:1 or 7:1, or between 2:1 and 7:1.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a cross-section of the at least one reflective element is parabolic, the optical axis of one of the at least one reflective elements is parallel to the first direction, the at least one light-emitting element is adjacent to a focal point of the at least one reflective element, a distance along the first direction between the near end of the at least one reflective element and the focal point is a focal length of the at least one reflective element, and the ratio of the focal length of the at least one reflective element to a distance along the second direction between the far end of the at least one reflective element and the light-emitting surface of the at least one light-emitting element is equal to 1:2 or 1:4, or between 1:2 and 1:4.

[0014] In summary, in this invention, a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element can be guided by the reflective element, while another portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element can be guided by the total internal reflection element. This design not only effectively improves the light emission intensity but also expands the light emission range. Therefore, the optical component of this invention has significant advantages in balancing light emission intensity and light emission range. Furthermore, the arrangement of the light-emitting element along the first direction between the near end of the reflective element and the total internal reflection element, and the normal direction of the light-emitting surface being parallel to the second direction, can increase the internal space utilization of luminaires that emit light laterally or radially, thereby making the design of the luminaire more flexible (e.g., more flat) to meet different usage requirements. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0015] Figure 1 is a partial structural schematic diagram of the optical component of the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an exploded view of the optical components of the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of part A of the optical component shown in Figure 2, for example, in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is an enlarged view of part B of the optical component shown in Figure 2, for example, in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a partial structural cross-sectional view of the optical component of the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the optical path of the optical component in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the total internal reflection element according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the total internal reflection element according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the total internal reflection element according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the total internal reflection element according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Implementation

[0016] The directional terms used in the following embodiments, such as up, down, left, right, front, or back, are merely for reference to the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for illustrative purposes and not for limiting the invention. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the term "connection" herein includes any direct and indirect electrical or structural connection means. Therefore, if the text describes a first device connected to a second device, it means that the first device can be directly electrically / structurally connected to the second device, or indirectly electrically / structurally connected to the second device through other devices or connection means.

[0017] Please refer to Figures 1 and 6. Figure 1 is a partial structural schematic diagram of the optical component 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an exploded view of the components of the optical component 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of part A of the optical component 1 shown in Figure 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is an enlarged view of part B of the optical component 1 shown in Figure 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a partial structural cross-sectional view of the optical component 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the light path of the optical component according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the optical component 1 includes a substrate 11, a plurality of reflective elements 12, a plurality of total internal reflection elements 13, and a plurality of light-emitting elements 14. The plurality of reflective elements 12, the plurality of total internal reflection elements 13, and the plurality of light-emitting elements 14 are all disposed on the substrate 11. In this embodiment, the optical component 1 can be applied to a warning light fixture capable of 360-degree light emission. The substrate 11 can be a circular circuit board, the light-emitting element 14 can be a light-emitting diode, the total internal reflection element 13 can be a light-transmitting plastic or glass element, and the reflective element 12 can be a metal element or an element with a metal reflective coating. A plurality of reflective elements 12 are arranged in a ring relative to the center of the substrate 11, and adjacent reflective elements 12 can be connected to each other so that the plurality of reflective elements 12 together form a single-piece reflective structure (e.g., it can be integrally molded). A plurality of total internal reflection elements 13 are arranged in a ring relative to the center of the substrate 11 in an equidistant and symmetrical manner. The optical assembly 1 further includes a plurality of bridging ribs 15, each bridging rib 15 being located between and connecting two adjacent total reflection elements 13, so that the plurality of total reflection elements 13 and the plurality of bridging ribs 15 together form a single-piece total reflection structure (e.g., it can be integrally molded), but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in another embodiment, two adjacent reflective elements and / or two adjacent total reflection elements can be separated from each other. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the optical assembly can be applied to a single-sided light-emitting lamp and includes only one reflective element, one total reflection element, and one light-emitting element, and the reflective element, total reflection element, and light-emitting element can be arranged along the same straight line.

[0018] Since the optical component 1 has axial symmetry, and the component groups defined by the corresponding reflective element 12, the corresponding total internal reflection element 13, and the corresponding light-emitting element 14 at different azimuth angles have the same structural configuration, only one component group will be described below. As shown in Figures 2 to 6, the reflective element 12 includes a proximal end 121 adjacent to the substrate 11 and a distal end 122 away from the substrate 11. The proximal end 121 of the reflective element 12 does not need to directly contact the substrate 11. For example, the reflective element 12 can be mounted on the substrate 11 by means of a raised bracket or support. The light-emitting element 14 is located between the proximal end 121 of the reflective element 12 and the total internal reflection element 13 along a first direction D1, and the light-emitting element 14 includes a light-emitting surface 141. The normal direction ND of the light surface 141 is parallel to a second direction D2, wherein the second direction D2 is perpendicular to the first direction D1. For example, the first direction and the second direction D2 can be the radial (or lateral) and axial directions of the optical component 1, respectively. Part of the light emitted by the light-emitting surface 141 of the light-emitting element 14 can be guided by the reflective element 12, while another part of the light emitted by the light-emitting surface 141 of the light-emitting element 14 can be guided by the total internal reflection element 13 to achieve the purpose of lateral or radial light emission.

[0019] It is worth mentioning that the arrangement of the light-emitting element 14 along the first direction D1 between the near end 121 of the reflective element 12 and the total reflection element 13, and the normal direction ND of the light-emitting surface 141 being parallel to the second direction D2, can increase the internal space utilization of the luminaire that emits light laterally or radially, thereby making the design of the luminaire more flexible (e.g., more flat) to meet different usage needs.

[0020] In this embodiment, the cross-section of the reflective element 12 can be parabolic, the inner surface of the reflective element 12 can be scaled, the optical axis of the reflective element 12 can be parallel to the first direction D1 and perpendicular to the second direction D2, and the position of the light-emitting element 14 can be adjacent to the focal point of the reflective element 12. For example, the center of the light-emitting element 14 can coincide with the focal point of the reflective element 12, and the distance between the proximal end 121 of the reflective element 12 and the focal point along the first direction D1 is a focal length F of the reflective element 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in another embodiment, the inner surface of the reflective element can be a smooth inclined surface.

[0021] Furthermore, the total internal reflection element 13 includes an incident light structure 131, an exiting light structure 132, and a reflecting structure 133. The incident light structure 131 is formed on the near side of the total internal reflection element 13 adjacent to the light-emitting element 14, and the exiting light structure 132 is formed on the far side of the total internal reflection element 13 away from the light-emitting element 14. The reflecting structure 133 is located between the incident light structure 131 and the exiting light structure 132 along the first direction D1 and is used to reflect light from the incident light structure 131 to the exiting light structure 132. That is, part of the light emitted from the light-emitting surface 141 of the light-emitting element 14 can enter the total internal reflection element 13 through the incident light structure 131, and the reflecting structure 133 can reflect the light from the incident light structure 131 to the exiting light structure 132. Then, the light can exit the total internal reflection element 13 through the exiting light structure 132. In this embodiment, the refractive index of the material of the total internal reflection element 13 can be greater than the refractive index of the medium outside the total internal reflection element 13 (e.g., air). However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in another embodiment, a reflective layer (e.g., a metal reflective layer) for reflecting light may be provided on the reflective structure of the total reflection element. In this case, the refractive index of the material of the total reflection element may not be greater than the refractive index of the medium outside the total reflection element.

[0022] Specifically, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, the light-incident structure 131 is a recessed structure and includes a first light-incident portion 1311 and a second light-incident portion 1312. The light-emitting element 14 is located between the first light-incident portion 1311 and the proximal end 121 of the reflector element 12 along the first direction D1. The second light-incident portion 1312 is located between the light-emitting element 14 and the distal end 122 of the reflector element 12 along the second direction D2 and partially blocks the light-emitting surface 141 of the light-emitting element 14.

[0023] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the light-emitting structure 132 includes a light-emitting protrusion 1321 and a light-emitting planar portion 1322. The light-emitting planar portion 1322 is located along the second direction D2 between the light-emitting protrusion 1321 and the distal end 122 of the reflector 12. The light-emitting planar portion 1322 and the light-emitting surface 141 of the light-emitting element 14 are not parallel to each other.

[0024] Preferably, as shown in Figure 5, in order to achieve a better balance between light intensity and light emission range, the portion of the light-emitting surface 141 of the light-emitting element 14 that is covered by the second light-incident portion 1312 is less than or equal to the portion of the light-emitting surface 141 of the light-emitting element 14 that is not covered by the second light-incident portion 1312, that is, the area of ​​the light-emitting surface 141 covered by the second light-incident portion 1312 does not exceed half of the total area of ​​the light-emitting surface 141; the ratio of the focal length F of the reflector 12 to the furthest distance L1 between the focal point of the reflector 12 and the light-emitting structure 132 along the first direction D1 can be 1:1 or 3:1, or can be between 1:1 and 3:1. The ratio of the distance L2 between the far end 122 of the reflective element 12 and the luminous surface 141 of the luminous element 14 along the second direction D2 to the furthest distance L3 between the connection between the reflective structure 133 and the light-emitting structure 132 and the luminous surface 141 of the luminous element 14 along the second direction D2 can be equal to 2:1 or 7:1, or can be between 2:1 and 7:1; and the ratio of the focal length F of the reflective element 12 to the distance L2 between the far end 122 of the reflective element 12 and the luminous surface 141 of the luminous element 14 along the second direction D2 can be equal to 1:2 or 1:4, or can be between 1:2 and 1:4.

[0025] Understandably, the number of light-incident structures, light-exit structures, and reflective structures in the total internal reflection element of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and depends on actual needs. For example, in another embodiment, the total internal reflection element may include a plurality of light-incident structures, a plurality of light-exit structures, and a plurality of reflective structures, wherein the plurality of light-incident structures can be used to partially block the light-emitting surfaces of the plurality of light-emitting elements, and the plurality of reflective structures can be used to reflect light from the plurality of light-incident structures to the plurality of light-exit structures.

[0026] Understandably, the light-incident and light-exit structures of the total internal reflection element of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments. For example, please refer to Figures 7 to 10. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a total internal reflection element 13' according to the second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a total internal reflection element 13'' according to the third embodiment of the present invention, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a total internal reflection element 13''' according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a total internal reflection element 13'''' according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment shown in Figure 7, one of the light-exit structures 132' of the total internal reflection element 13' may have a texture equivalent to a wave lens. In the third embodiment shown in Figure 8, one of the light-exit structures 132'' of the total internal reflection element 13'' may have a texture equivalent to a Fresnel lens. In the fourth embodiment shown in Figure 9, one of the light-exit structures 132''' of the total internal reflection element 13''' may have a texture equivalent to a plane lens, that is, the light-exit structure 132''' only has a light-exiting plane portion. In the fifth embodiment shown in Figure 10, one of the light-incident structures 131''' of the total internal reflection element 13''' may have a texture equivalent to a wave lens. Of course, depending on the actual design requirements of the optical path, a different structural design for the light-incident and light-outcident structures of the total internal reflection element from the aforementioned embodiments may be adopted.

[0027] Compared to prior art, in this invention, a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element can be guided by a reflective element, while another portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element can be guided by a total internal reflection element. This design not only effectively improves the light emission intensity but also expands the light emission range. Therefore, the optical component of this invention has significant advantages in balancing light emission intensity and light emission range. Furthermore, the arrangement of the light-emitting element along the first direction between the near end of the reflective element and the total internal reflection element, and the normal direction of the light-emitting surface being parallel to the second direction, can increase the internal space utilization of luminaires that emit light laterally or radially, thereby making the design of the luminaire more flexible (e.g., more flat) to meet different usage requirements. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims of the present invention shall be covered by the present invention.

[0028] 1: Optical components 11:Substrate 12: Reflective element 121: Proximal 122: Remote 13,13',13'',13''',13''': Total internal reflection element 131,131'''': Incident light structure 1311: First Entrance Light Section 1312: Second entrance section 132,132',132'',132''': Light-emitting structure 1321:Light-emitting convex part 1322: Light-emitting plane section 133: Reflective Structure 14: Light-emitting element 141: Luminous surface 15: Bridging rib D1: First Direction D2: Second Direction F: Focal length L1, L3: Farthest distance L2: Distance ND: Normal direction

Claims

1. An optical component comprising: a substrate; at least one reflective element disposed on the substrate, the at least one reflective element having a proximal end adjacent to the substrate and a distal end distant from the substrate; at least one total internal reflection element disposed on the substrate; and at least one light-emitting element disposed on the substrate and located between the proximal end of the at least one reflective element and the at least one total internal reflection element along a first direction, the at least one light-emitting element having a light-emitting surface, a normal direction of the light-emitting surface being parallel to a second direction and the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction; wherein at least one light-incident structure is formed on the proximal side of the at least one total internal reflection element adjacent to one of the at least one light-emitting elements, and the at least one light-incident structure is a recessed structure.

2. The optical assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one light-incident structure includes a first light-incident portion and a second light-incident portion, the at least one light-emitting element is located along the first direction between the first light-incident portion and the proximal end of the at least one reflective element, and the second light-incident portion is located along the second direction between the at least one light-emitting element and the distal end of the at least one reflective element and partially obscures the light-emitting surface of the at least one light-emitting element.

3. The optical assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein a portion of the emitting surface of the at least one light-emitting element that is blocked by the second light-incident portion is less than or equal to a portion of the emitting surface of the at least one light-emitting element that is not blocked by the second light-incident portion.

4. The optical assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one light-emitting structure is formed on the far side of the at least one total internal reflection element, away from one of the at least one light-emitting elements.

5. The optical assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one light-emitting structure includes a light-emitting protrusion and a light-emitting planar portion, the light-emitting planar portion being located along the second direction between the light-emitting protrusion and the distal end of the reflective element, and the light-emitting planar portion and the light-emitting surface of the at least one light-emitting element being non-parallel to each other.

6. The optical assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein a cross-section of the at least one reflective element is parabolic, an optical axis of the at least one reflective element is parallel to the first direction, the at least one light-emitting element is adjacent to a focal point of the at least one reflective element, a distance along the first direction between the near end of the at least one reflective element and the focal point is a focal length of the at least one reflective element, and the ratio of the focal length of the at least one reflective element to a maximum distance along the first direction between the focal point of the at least one reflective element and the at least one light-emitting structure is 1:1 or 3:1, or between 1:1 and 3:

1.

7. The optical assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one total internal reflection element is further formed with at least one reflective structure located along the first direction between the at least one light-incident structure and the at least one light-outcident structure for reflecting light from the at least one light-incident structure to the at least one light-outcident structure.

8. The optical assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein a distance along the second direction between the distal end of the at least one reflective element and the emitting surface of the at least one light-emitting element is in a ratio of 2:1 or 7:1, or between 2:1 and 7:1, to a distance between the connection point of the at least one reflective structure and the at least one light-emitting structure and the emitting surface of the at least one light-emitting element.

9. The optical assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cross-section of the at least one reflective element is parabolic, an optical axis of the at least one reflective element is parallel to the first direction, the at least one light-emitting element is adjacent to a focal point of the at least one reflective element, a distance along the first direction between the near end of the at least one reflective element and the focal point is a focal length of the at least one reflective element, and a ratio of the focal length of the at least one reflective element to a distance along the second direction between the far end of the at least one reflective element and the light-emitting surface of the at least one light-emitting element is equal to 1:2 or 1:4, or between 1:2 and 1:4.

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