Lighting Device Toroidal Biconical Lens 360 Ring Effect
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lighting devices that create 360° loop light effects are complex to manufacture and install, requiring cumbersome solutions like LED strips in ring shapes to achieve desired light projections.
Innovation Solution
A compact lighting device utilizing a toroidal lens and a biconical lens optical assembly to generate a 360° ring-like light effect from a single LED source, achieving efficient light projection with high illuminance using a combination of refractor elements that bend light beams by more than 90°.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If LED strips are used in ring shapes to create 360° loop light effects, then the desired light projection is achieved, but the device becomes complex to manufacture and install
Solution Approach 1:
The optical assembly is segmented into two distinct lens elements: a toroidal lens for horizontal light distribution and a biconical lens for vertical light distribution. This segmentation allows each lens to be optimized for its specific function, simplifying manufacturing compared to creating complex curved LED strips while achieving the same 360° light effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of bending LED strips into rings with an optical approach using refractive lenses. Instead of mechanically configuring light sources into complex shapes, the system uses optical elements to redirect light from a simple linear LED arrangement into a 360° ring pattern, eliminating the need for complex mechanical installations.
2Device complexity
If a single LED source is used with optical lenses, then the device becomes compact and simple, but achieving high illuminance requires precise optical design
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs two specifically curved lens designs: a toroidal lens with curvature in one plane and a biconical lens with curvature in both planes. These geometric forms are mathematically optimized to refract light at precise angles, achieving 360° uniform distribution. The curved geometries allow standard manufacturing processes to produce the required precision without complex assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of two separate optical systems (horizontal light distribution and vertical light distribution) into a single integrated optical assembly. By combining the toroidal and biconical lenses in one unit, the system achieves complex 3D light redistribution while maintaining a compact form factor and avoiding the need for multiple precisely aligned components.
3Illumination intensity
If LED strips in ring shape are used, then 360° light projection is achieved, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional LED strip arrangement (requiring physical ring formation) to a three-dimensional optical system where lenses refract light in multiple dimensions. The toroidal lens handles horizontal angular distribution while the biconical lens handles vertical distribution, creating 360° projection from a compact volumetric arrangement rather than an extended planar configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical lenses serve as intermediaries that transform the light from a simple linear LED source into a 360° ring projection. Instead of requiring the light source itself to be arranged in a large ring shape, the intermediary lenses perform the spatial transformation, allowing the actual light-emitting components to remain compact while still achieving the full 360° illumination effect.
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 enables the creation of a simple, efficient, and compact lighting device capable of producing high illuminance with low-powered LEDs, suitable for decorative and architectural applications, offering a high ratio of illuminance to electrical power consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a first lens (a toroidal lens, meaning that it is defined by a torus portion), which further opens the natural Lambertian emission of the (LED) light source
Implementation Method 2
a second lens (a biconical lens, meaning that it has optical surfaces with double curvature) with the function of collimating in a plane orthogonal to the lens and further opening the light beam in a plane parallel to the lens
Implementation Method 3
Successive refractions in the two refractors bend the beams by more than 90° relative to the normal to the emission plane of the light source in the plane parallel to the optical assembly
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A lighting device (1) extends substantially along a first axis (A) and comprises a LED light source (3), which has a substantially hemispheric emission on a side of an emission plane (E), and an optical group (4), which is placed in front of the light source (3); the optical group (4) is configured so as to intercept the light emitted by the light source (3) and generate a light ring, which extends at 360° around the light source (3) on opposite sides of the emission plane (E) and is substantially parallel to a meridian plane (M), which is perpendicular to the emission plane (E) and goes through the axis (A) of the lighting device (1).