Folded LED Light Engine for Cost-Efficient Natural Lighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for creating a natural lighting effect indoors are costly and inefficient, particularly when attempting to produce large-area, omnidirectional lighting experiences using pixelated LED strips or matrix panels, which are unaffordable for office and hospitality settings due to high costs of addressable light nodes and control components.
Innovation Solution
A cost-efficient, easily manufactured folded light engine comprising an array of LEDs mounted on a strip substrate with a central portion and peripheral portions, where LEDs are connected by electrically conducting tracks and distributed randomly to form elongated LED chains, allowing for a low-cost, large-area, pixelated light-area with sufficient stiffness and protection, and driven by suitable signals to mimic natural lighting effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If pixelated LED strips or matrix panels are used to create large-area omnidirectional lighting, then the lighting area and immersion effect are improved, but the cost of addressable light nodes and control components becomes prohibitively high
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting device is segmented into multiple independently controllable zones along the strip substrate, each zone containing a specific arrangement of LEDs. This allows the entire large-area lighting system to be divided into manageable segments that can be controlled individually to create natural lighting effects, reducing the need for high-resolution pixelation across the entire area while maintaining the immersive effect
Solution Approach 2:
Different zones of the lighting device have different LED configurations and control characteristics optimized for their specific functions. Some zones may have higher density for bright field areas, while others have lower density for shadow regions, allowing cost-effective implementation by allocating resources only where needed rather than uniformly across the entire large area
2Illumination intensity
If high-resolution pixelated LED arrays are used to compete with ambient daylight, then the lighting intensity and color accuracy are improved, but the cost per unit area increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting device implements spatially varying LED densities and intensities across different zones. Bright field areas use higher intensity LEDs to compete with ambient daylight, while shadow regions use lower intensity LEDs. This local optimization allows the system to achieve the required lighting intensity where needed without proportionally increasing the cost across the entire large area
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting device uses temporal modulation and dynamic switching of LED zones to create the perception of high resolution and natural lighting effects. By activating different zones at different times and varying intensities dynamically, the system achieves the appearance of high-resolution pixelation without requiring all LEDs to operate at maximum intensity simultaneously, thereby reducing overall cost
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple large-sized light areas are deployed to provide omnidirectional 360 natural light experience, then the immersion and natural effect are improved, but the number of addressable light nodes and control components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting device is designed as a universal module that can be deployed in various configurations and orientations to create omnidirectional lighting experiences. Each strip substrate unit can function independently or be combined with others, and the same basic control architecture can manage multiple zones and devices, reducing the overall complexity compared to having dedicated control systems for each separate light area
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a cost-effective, immersive natural lighting experience by distributing LEDs in a seemingly random, non-symmetrical pattern across a large area, achieving dynamic lighting effects similar to those found in nature at a fraction of the cost of traditional pixelated devices, while maintaining mechanical and electrical protection.
Implementation Method 1
a lighting device including an array of LEDs mounted on a strip substrate
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4a~4b
AI summary
A folded light engine comprising an array of LEDs mounted on a strip substrate, wherein the strip substrate comprises a central portion provided with a first set of through-holes, a first peripheral portion provided with an electrically conducting track connecting a first group of LEDs and a second set of through holes, and a second peripheral portion provided with an electrically conducting track connecting a second group of LEDs. The first peripheral portion is folded over the central portion, so that the LEDs thereon coincide with through-holes in the central portion, and the second peripheral portion is folded over the first peripheral portion, so that each LEDs thereon coincide with a combined through-hole formed by through-holes in the central portion and in the first peripheral portion. An elongated light engine can be cost efficiently manufactured in a relatively simple processes, including single-sided circuit patterning and LED mounting.