LED Lens with Convex Inner Region for Light Refraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing LED optics fail to efficiently control the direction of light emission, resulting in loss of light and inefficient illumination patterns due to the orientation of light rays at undesirable angles, which prior solutions attempted to address by blocking these rays but ultimately decreased efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A lens design with a convex inner region and a specific outer surface configuration that refracts light without overlapping rays, including an axis-adjacent and a second output region, along with a base-adjacent region that does not receive emitter light, to improve light output efficiency and direction control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If prior lenses block light rays at undesirable angles to achieve desired illumination patterns, then illumination pattern control is improved, but light output efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of blocking undesirable light rays as prior lenses do, this invention inverts the approach by refracting all light rays including those at wide angles into useful directions. The lens surface is specifically designed to redirect even the most oblique rays into the desired illumination pattern, converting what were previously blocked 'harmful' rays into useful light output.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the refraction parameters by designing a lens surface with specific curvature variations. The lens surface parameter is optimized to refract light rays at different incident angles into a controlled output pattern, allowing efficient utilization of light across the entire angular range emitted by the LED.
2Area of stationary object
If lenses are designed to redirect light at wide angles to improve illumination coverage, then illumination area is improved, but control of refraction direction deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lens surface is designed with locally varying properties - different regions of the lens surface have different curvatures and refraction characteristics. This local quality variation allows precise control of refraction direction for light rays incident at different angles, while collectively achieving wide-area illumination coverage.
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 lens design achieves improved light output efficiency by refracting nearly all emitted light, reducing light loss and enhancing the uniformity of illumination, thus simplifying the outer surface configuration and minimizing irregularities in light direction.
Implementation Method 1
Light rays from different portions of the emitter arrive at the lens at different angles and are refracted by the lens in different directions
Data Source
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AI summary
A lens (10) for distribution of light from a light emitter (1) having an emitter axis (2). The lens includes an inner surface defining an inner cavity (20) and including a substantially cross-sectionally convex inner region (22A-D) along an open end of the inner cavity and a substantially cross-sectionally linear inner region joining the substantially cross-sectionally convex inner region and extending therefrom toward the emitter axis. The convex region is configured for refracting emitter light rays toward the emitter axis. The lens further includes an outer surface receiving the light from each of the inner regions. A lens flange (60A-D) surrounds the lens and extends radially outwardly from the lens outer surface at positions axially spaced from the light emitter. Each lens has at least one layer of a polymeric material extending into the lens flange of such material and is spaced from the lens flanges that surround the adjacent lenses.