Wavelength-Swept Phosphor White Light for CCT and Heat Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing light sources, particularly those using laser-phosphor technology, face challenges with heat management, the desire for compact high-power devices, and the lack of wavelength tunability.
Innovation Solution
A light generating system comprising a first and second light generating device, both configured to produce light with different spectral power distributions, and a luminescent material that converts part of this light into luminescent material light. The first light generating device includes a wavelength variable light source that can change between at least two centroid wavelengths with a significant wavelength difference and frequency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If laser-phosphor technology is used to achieve high intensity light output, then illumination intensity is improved, but heat management becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the light generation into multiple wavelength components (first device light and second device light with different spectral power distributions) that are separately generated and then combined. This segmentation allows each light source to operate at optimized power levels, reducing the heat concentration problem inherent in single high-power laser-phosphor systems while maintaining high overall illumination intensity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a wavelength variable light generating device that dynamically changes between at least two centroid wavelengths with a changing frequency of at least 40 Hz. This dynamic wavelength switching enables the system to modulate the spectral composition and intensity distribution, allowing heat management by varying which wavelength components are active at different times, thus preventing sustained thermal overload on any single phosphor conversion path.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple light sources are used to achieve wavelength tunability and large color gamut, then color rendering is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges two light generating devices with different spectral power distributions and combines their outputs through a luminescent material to produce white light with tunable correlated color temperature. By merging the spectral outputs rather than using separate complete white light sources, the system achieves wavelength tunability and large color gamut while keeping the number of light sources limited to just two, thus balancing adaptability with device complexity.
3Power
If high power density is used to achieve compact high-power devices, then power density is improved, but heat management becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The wavelength variable light generating device operates by periodically switching between different centroid wavelengths at a frequency of at least 40 Hz. This periodic action allows the system to deliver high average power density in a compact form factor while managing heat by distributing the power delivery across multiple wavelength cycles, preventing sustained thermal accumulation that would occur with continuous single-wavelength high-power operation.
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 system enables the generation of white light with controllable correlated color temperature (CCT) along the black body locus, providing a large color gamut and high color rendering index (CRI) with a limited number of light sources, while also achieving high intensity.
Implementation Method 1
a luminescent material configured to convert at least part of one or more of the first device light and the second device light into luminescent material light
Implementation Method 2
a first light generating device configured to generate first device light; the first light generating device comprises a wavelength variable light generating device configured to generate in an operational mode of the light generating system first device light changing between at least two centroid wavelengths
Data Source
AI summary
A light generating system includes first light generating device configured to generate a first wavelength variable light changing between at least two centroid wavelengths having a difference of at least 10 nm, with a changing frequency of at least 50 Hz; a second light generating device configured to generate a second light having a different spectral power distribution from that of the first light generating device; and a luminescent material configured to convert at least part of one or more of the first or the second lights into luminescent light. The light generating system is configured to generate white system light including the luminescent light, the first device light, and the second device light.(λ1c,1,λ1c,2)(I)