LED Lighting Fixture with Segmented Reflector Sidewalls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lighting fixtures using LEDs struggle with effective collimation and color mixing, leading to inefficient light distribution and reduced lumens, particularly in applications requiring precise light control like live performances and studio productions.
Innovation Solution
A lighting fixture design featuring a hexagonal array of LEDs with a tapered reflector having alternating specular and diffusing sidewalls, combined with a tandem lens array, which enhances collimation and color mixing by varying the azimuthal angle of light reflection and beam distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If conventional LED lighting fixtures use standard reflectors and single lenses, then the device complexity is low, but the collimation and color mixing performance is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The reflector is segmented into multiple sidewalls (first, second, third, fourth sidewalls) with different surface properties. The third and fourth sidewalls have more diffuse interior surfaces while the first and second sidewalls have more specular interior surfaces. This segmentation allows different portions of light to be treated differently, improving both collimation and color mixing through the combined effect of specular and diffuse reflections.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the reflector are given different optical properties. Specifically, the third and fourth sidewalls are designed with more diffuse reflectivity while the first and second sidewalls maintain more specular reflectivity. This local differentiation optimizes light distribution by combining the directional control of specular surfaces with the scattering benefits of diffuse surfaces in specific locations.
Solution Approach 3:
The patent employs a nested optical system where a tandem lens array (multiple lenses) is positioned at the output end of the reflector. This nested arrangement of multiple optical elements within the fixture structure enables enhanced collimation and color mixing by layering optical functions, with each lens contributing to the overall light control performance.
2Productivity
If conventional fixtures use simple reflector designs, then manufacturing is easier, but light distribution efficiency and lumen retention are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The reflector is manufactured with differentiated surface properties on different sidewalls. The third and fourth sidewalls are given more diffuse interior surfaces while the first and second sidewalls maintain more specular surfaces. This localized quality differentiation optimizes light distribution efficiency and lumen retention by combining the benefits of both reflection types in specific locations within the reflector structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The reflector employs composite surface treatments or materials that provide both specular and diffuse reflective properties in different regions. This composite approach allows the single reflector component to perform multiple optical functions simultaneously, improving light distribution efficiency without requiring multiple separate reflector parts, thus balancing manufacturing complexity with performance.
3Measurement precision
If conventional fixtures use single lenses instead of tandem lens arrays, then the device complexity is lower, but optical efficiency and beam control precision are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
A tandem lens array with multiple lenses is nested at the output end of the reflector. This nested arrangement of multiple optical elements enables enhanced beam control precision and optical efficiency by layering optical functions, with each lens contributing to collimation and color mixing through varying azimuthal angles of light reflection and beam distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The lens system is segmented into multiple individual lenses arranged in a tandem array. Each lens in the array can be optimized for specific optical functions, allowing precise control over different portions of the light beam. This segmentation of the optical system improves beam control precision while distributing the complexity across multiple standardized lens elements.
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 achieves enhanced collimation and color mixing with reduced lumen loss, providing improved light uniformity and optical efficiency, suitable for applications requiring precise light control, with up to 80% optical efficiency and adaptable for various beam angles.
Implementation Method 1
a reflector including a input end adjacent the array of LEDs and an output end opposite the input end such that the light source emits light through the reflector from the input end through the output end
Implementation Method 2
the third and the fourth sidewalls each include an interior surface having a reflectivity that is more diffuse than the interior surfaces of the first and second sidewalls
Implementation Method 3
A tandem lens array is adjacent the output end of the reflector
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting fixture including a light source including an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) and a reflector including a input end adjacent the array of LEDs and an output end opposite the input end such that the light source emits light through the reflector from the input end through the output end. The reflector further includes a first, a second, a third, and a fourth sidewall that extend from the input end to the output end. The first and the second sidewalls each include an interior surface, the third and the fourth sidewalls each include an interior surface having a reflectivity that is more diffuse than the interior surfaces of the first and second sidewalls. A lens is adjacent the output end of the reflector.