LED Optic Reflector Offset Wide Beam Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current LED lighting solutions for generating wide angle beams are inefficient due to high internal losses from reflectors and lenses, leading to increased costs and reduced optical efficiency compared to traditional lighting systems, and fail to produce smooth two-dimensional illumination patterns effectively.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus using a light source with a reflector and optic that work together to direct light into a predetermined beam pattern, where the reflector and optic occupy distinct zones around the light source, allowing for single reflection and efficient light distribution, resulting in a wide angle beam with controlled azimuthal and polar angle dependence, minimizing losses and maximizing energy usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If traditional reflectors and lenses are used to generate wide angle LED beams, then beam spreading is achieved, but internal losses increase and optical efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the reflector component from the optical system, using only refractive optics (lenses) to achieve wide angle beam generation. This removal of the reflector eliminates the associated internal losses and improves overall optical efficiency while maintaining the desired beam spreading capability through purely refractive means.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a specifically designed lens as an intermediary optical element that mediates between the LED source and the target surface. This lens serves as the sole optical mediator to achieve both beam spreading and high efficiency by utilizing refraction rather than reflection, thereby avoiding the energy losses inherent in traditional reflector-based systems.
2Illumination intensity
If multiple reflections are used in TIR lenses to direct light, then beam direction is achieved, but light intensity decreases due to multiple refractions and reflections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex multi-surface TIR lens structure with its multiple internal reflections and refractions. Instead, it employs a simplified single-element or multi-element lens system that achieves beam direction through a single or minimal number of refraction events, thereby eliminating the cumulative light intensity losses associated with multiple optical interactions.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than using total internal reflection mechanisms that require multiple bounces off internal surfaces (each causing light loss), the patent inverts the approach by using external refraction through carefully designed lens surfaces. This inverted approach achieves the same beam direction function with fewer optical interactions and higher light transmission efficiency.
3Illumination intensity
If sheet optics are used to spread LED energy, then desired beam shape is achieved, but 8% surface loss occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the expensive sheet optic material (which incurs 8% surface losses) with conventional lens elements that can be manufactured more economically and with lower optical losses. This substitution achieves comparable or superior beam shaping while reducing both material cost and energy loss, making the system more cost-competitive with traditional lighting.
4Area of stationary object
If LEDs are mounted at various angles to create wide beams, then illumination coverage is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the single LED unit universal by equipping it with an omnidirectional or wide-angle lens that can illuminate multiple directions simultaneously. This eliminates the need for complex angular arrays of multiple LEDs mounted at different angles, as one optimized LED-lens assembly performs the function of many angled LEDs, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining or improving 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 solution achieves high optical efficiency by directing nearly all light into a desired beam pattern, reducing energy waste and enhancing cost competitiveness with traditional lighting systems, while enabling the creation of smooth two-dimensional illumination patterns suitable for various applications.
Implementation Method 1
reflector means onto which light from the light source is directly incident. The reflector means reflects the directly incident light with a single reflection to form a predetermined reflected beam
Implementation Method 2
Optic means refracts or directs substantially all of the light directly transmitted from the light source into the first zone of the predetermined solid angle of the radiation pattern into a refracted/directed beam
Data Source
AI summary
A light source is combined with an optic and a reflector. Light incident onto to the reflector is reflected with a single reflection. The reflector occupies a portion of a solid angle around the light source to the exclusion of the optic at least with respect to any optical function. The reflector directly receives a second portion of light. The optic occupies substantially all of the remaining portion of the predetermined solid angle to directly receive a first portion of light from the light source. A reflected beam from the reflector is reflected into a predetermined reflection pattern. The inner and/or outer surface of the optic is shaped to refract or direct light which is directly transmitted into the optic from the light source from a first portion of light and/or reflected into the optic from the reflector from the reflected beam into a predetermined beam.