Optical Sheet Stabilizer for Luminaire Sagging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Luminaires designed for flat installation often face trade-offs between size, mechanical stability, and visual aesthetics, as they may appear flat and lack depth, and achieving high lumen output can conflict with these goals.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a housing with a light source, an optical sheet, and a rigid transparent film stabilizer that provides mechanical support to the optical sheet, allowing it to maintain a flat appearance while being mechanically stable and reducing sagging to less than 0.1% of the span length.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the luminaire is designed to be flat for low clearance ceiling installation, then the size goal is achieved, but the visual aesthetic goal of providing a three-dimensional look is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a thin optical sheet (diffuser) that can be made extremely thin while maintaining its light-diffusing function. The optical sheet is supported by a rigid backing structure that prevents sagging, allowing the luminaire to be very thin (flat) while the optical sheet maintains its shape and provides the desired light distribution and visual appearance.
2Volume of moving object
If the optical sheet is made thin to achieve a flat luminaire design, then the size goal is improved, but the mechanical stability deteriorates due to sagging
Solution Approach 1:
The optical sheet is designed as a thin flexible film that provides light-diffusing functionality while being supported by a rigid backing structure. This allows the optical sheet to be extremely thin for a flat luminaire design while the rigid support prevents sagging and maintains flatness during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The luminaire combines a thin flexible optical sheet with a rigid backing structure to create a composite assembly. The optical sheet provides light diffusion while the rigid backing provides mechanical support, achieving both thinness and structural stability.
3Productivity
If the optical sheet span is increased to provide larger light-emitting area, then the productivity goal is improved, but the mechanical stability worsens due to increased sagging
Solution Approach 1:
The optical sheet is designed as a thin flexible film that can span large areas while being supported by a rigid backing structure. This allows the luminaire to provide large light-emitting areas for high productivity while the rigid support prevents excessive sagging that would occur with large-span thin sheets alone.
Data Source
AI summary
In one or more embodiments, a luminaire includes a housing, a light source coupled with the housing, an optical sheet coupled with the housing, and a film stabilizer coupled with the housing. The optical sheet includes a first surface and an opposing second surface that are both disposed substantially horizontally when the luminaire is in an installed orientation. The first surface is disposed facing the light source, so that when the light source emits light, the light passes first through the first surface and subsequently through the second surface. The film stabilizer includes a third surface and an opposing fourth surface. The film stabilizer is disposed with the third surface adjacent to the second surface of the optical sheet, and provides mechanical support for the optical sheet.