Reflective Optical Element for LED Color Homogeneity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing light-emitting diodes (LEDs) face challenges in achieving a uniform emission pattern and mixing of different colors, often resulting in color fringes and the need for complex optical systems, especially when multiple LEDs of various colors are combined to produce white light.
Innovation Solution
The use of a reflective optical element that completely covers at least one LED chip in a plan view, incorporating radiation-scattering and/or radiation-reflecting materials, to direct and mix light in a spatially limited region, enhancing homogeneity and intermixing of light from multiple LEDs, thereby improving color homogeneity and luminance uniformity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If multiple light-emitting diode chips of different colors are used to produce white light, then the color temperature can be adjusted, but color fringes appear and color homogeneity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple light-emitting diode chips of different colors (blue, green, red) within a single housing and uses a common reflective optical element to merge their light outputs. This merging approach allows adjustment of color temperature while achieving uniform color homogeneity through the integrated optical mixing chamber, eliminating the color fringes that would appear if separate LEDs were used independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The reflective optical element serves as an intermediary between the multiple light-emitting diode chips and the external environment. It receives light from different colored chips, reflects and redirects it through a mixing chamber, and outputs homogeneous light with uniform color temperature, thereby mediating the transition from heterogeneous chip outputs to homogeneous final light.
2Stability of the object's composition
If complex optical systems are used to mix light from multiple LEDs, then color homogeneity can be improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reflective optical element performs multiple functions simultaneously: it reflects light from multiple LED chips, directs light into a mixing chamber, and serves as a structural component of the housing. This multi-functionality achieves effective light mixing and color homogeneity without requiring separate complex optical components for each function, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a reflective foil or reflective layer as a thin-film optical element that provides efficient light reflection and mixing. This thin-film approach achieves the desired color homogeneity with minimal structural complexity compared to bulk optical components, reducing the overall device complexity while maintaining optical performance.
3Device complexity
If individual LED chips are visible in plan view, then the structure can be simpler, but the emission pattern becomes non-uniform with visible color fringes
Solution Approach 1:
The reflective optical element is designed to completely cover each light-emitting diode chip in plan view, creating a uniform reflective surface that obscures the individual chip structures. This local coverage ensures that light from different colored chips is mixed uniformly before exiting, eliminating visible color fringes while maintaining relatively simple overall structure.
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
This approach results in a highly uniform emission pattern with improved color homogeneity and luminance, reducing the visibility of individual LEDs and increasing the efficiency of light mixing, while maintaining a compact construction.
Implementation Method 1
a reflective optical element that completely covers at least one LED chip in a plan view, incorporating radiation-scattering and/or radiation-reflecting materials, to direct and mix light
Implementation Method 2
incorporating radiation-scattering and/or radiation-reflecting materials, to direct and mix light in a spatially limited region
Data Source
AI summary
A light-emitting diode and a light module are disclosed. In an embodiment the light-emitting diode includes at least one light-emitting diode chip and a first optical element, which is reflective for light generated by the at least one light-emitting diode chip during operation, wherein the first optical element completely covers at least one of the at least one light-emitting diode chip in a plan view.