This invention pertains to a lighting system and, in particular, for a light emitting diode (LED) lighting system.
Lighting systems have traditionally involved the use of incandescent or fluorescent lighting. Recent advances in the use of light emitting diodes has, however, resulted in greater use of LEDs for not only display and accent lighting but interior lighting as well. With the use of LEDs comes the problem of how to disperse the concentrated light ray of the LED so as to create a more uniform and comfortable lighting environment. In addition to developing ways to disperse the LED lighting, there is also a need to improve lighting systems for use with a dropped ceiling in order to meet regulatory restrictions that deal with dropped-ceiling mounted luminaires.
Some of the more difficult regulatory restrictions to deal with involve the fact that the entire barrier between plenum space and occupied space must be bounded by an approved structural and fire rated material. Additionally, the system must be strong enough to support a load greater than its own weight, and must be anchored against earthquake, physical strikes and vibration. Furthermore, any potentially dangerous electrical components, including LED power sources must be isolated from any interaction with nearby materials or occupants. Finally, the amount of light, and the distribution of light into the occupied space is fairly static and defined by the space to be lit. Therefore, any reduction in the size of the luminous source will result in a brighter and higher glare appearance. The entire ceiling grid area, however, must glow uniformly in order to create the highest visual comfort. Finally, the luminous appearance of the energized lighting system must be visually comfortable. Also, the luminous area of the lighting system must be made as large as possible to reduce its contrast with the surrounding ceiling tiles.
Previous lighting systems for use with a dropped ceiling have involved the use of fluorescent lighting. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,857 (Degelmann) is directed to an energy efficient lighting system for use with T8 fluorescent tubes. Given the regulatory restrictions and the need to create a comfortable lighting environment using LEDs, a dropped-ceiling lighting system that would satisfy the regulatory requirements and provide for uniform lighting would be an important improvement in the art.
Disclosed is a lighting system that includes a support element having a reflective surface, a luminaire mounted on the support element, said luminaire including an LED light source that provides light in a first pattern, and a waveguide redirection element that receives the light from the LED light source and redirects the light into a second pattern onto the reflective surface, wherein the reflective surface occupies a first area, the LED light source occupies a second area, and the first area is greater than the second area.
Also disclosed is a lighting system that includes a reflective surface having an edge, an LED light engine comprising at least one LED and a waveguide that receives the light generated from said at least one LED and directs the light from an emission surface towards the reflective surface, the LED light engine being adjacent to the reflective surface, and the emission surface being spaced from the reflective surface and adapted to direct light uniformly across at least a portion of the surface of the reflective surface laterally spaced from said LED light engine at an incident angle of no greater than about 10 degrees from the emission surface to the edge of the reflective surface.
Disclosed also is a lighting system kit that includes a support element having a reflective surface, and an LED light engine mounted on the support element including an LED light source that provides light in a first pattern, and a waveguide element that receives the light from the LED light source and redirects the light into a second pattern onto a portion of the reflective surface laterally spaced from the waveguide element.
Further disclosed is a dropped-ceiling lighting system comprised of a reflector positioned in an opening in a grid used to suspend a dropped ceiling, a lighting device mounted adjacent to the reflector. The lighting device includes a light source that provides light in a first pattern, and a redirection element that receives the light from the LED light source and redirects the light into a second pattern onto the reflector. A structural support secures the lighting device to the grid, and a power source for the lighting device.
Also disclosed is a dropped-ceiling lighting system comprised of a reflector attached to a plenum barrier positioned in an opening in a grid used to suspend a dropped ceiling, a power source extends from a first edge of the plenum barrier to a second edge of the plenum barrier, and a lighting device that includes a light source is mounted to the power source, where said light source provides light in a first pattern, and a redirection element that receives the light from the LED light source and redirects the light into a second pattern onto the reflector.
In an embodiment, when seen from below, the first area occupied by the reflective surface 12 is about 46 times greater than the second area occupied by the LED light source 24. In one particular version, the LED light source 24 occupies an area approximately 4 inches in diameter.
In still another embodiment, the LED light source 24 is positioned to direct incident light initially downward with respect to the reflective surface 12. In another embodiment, the LED light source 24 directs incident light initially in an upward direction relative to the reflective surface 12, while in still another embodiment, the LED light source 24 directs incident light initially at an angle of about 90° with respect to the reflective surface 12. In one embodiment, the light source 24 may emit light in a circular pattern, while in a second embodiment, the light source 24 emits light in a linear pattern.
In an embodiment, the light is emitted from the light source 24 and is reflected from the reflector 12 in a luminance per unit maximum to minimum ratio of about 1:1 to about 3:1 over the surface of the reflector 12. In another embodiment, the light is reflected from the reflector 12 in a ratio of about 1.5:1 to about 2.5:1. In a more particular embodiment, the light is reflected from the reflector in a ratio of about 2.0 to about 1.0.
In one embodiment, the reflective surface 12 is diffuse. It may also be on a ceiling. The reflective surface 12 may be smooth or textured depending upon how one wants to control how light redirects off the reflective surface 12 and into space.
Also disclosed, in
In another embodiment, the incident angle is less than about 8°, while is still another embodiment, the incident angle is between about 3° and about 8°. In a more particular embodiment, the incident angle is about 5°. Similar incident angles may occur in an embodiment using a reflective optical assembly as opposed to a waveguide 30 as a redirection element 26, as discussed below.
The reflective surface 12 may be diffuse. It may also be designed to shine light down into an area to be illuminated. The reflective surface 12 may be smooth or textured depending upon how one wants to control how light redirects off the reflective surface 12 and into space. While the reflective surface 12 is designed to shine light into an area, the distribution of the light may be changed by changing the specularity versus diffusion of the reflective surface 12, and by adding textured surfaces onto the reflective surface 12. In addition to controlling how light illuminates a space, such features also affect the appearance of the reflective surface 12.
The reflective surface 12 may be on a ceiling or on a support member 20 for the LED light engine 18 and may be rigid enough to support its own weight below a ceiling tile, but may also use the LED light engine 18 for support. The reflective surface 12 may also be a ceiling barrier that supports its own weight and may use the ceiling supports for additional strength.
In an embodiment, the waveguide 30 generally defines a plane, and the plane of the waveguide 30 is generally parallel to the plane of the reflective surface 12. In still another embodiment, the LED light engine 18 is supported by a support member 20 and the reflective surface 12 is a surface of the supporting member of the reflective surface. In yet another embodiment, the reflective surface 12 is positioned in an opening in a grid used to suspend a dropped ceiling.
The waveguide 30 maybe adapted to direct all of the light generated from the LED light source 24 onto the reflective surface 12. Likewise, the waveguide 30 may also be directed to direct most of the light generated from the LED light source 24 onto the reflective surface 12. In one embodiment, the emission surface 31 angles away from the reflective surface 12, as shown for example in
In an embodiment, the LED light engine 18 comprises a reflector 26. In still another embodiment, the waveguide 30 comprises a reflector 26 opposite the reflective surface 12. In a particular version of such embodiment, the reflective surface 12 has a first area and the LED light source 24 has a second area that is smaller than the first area. In a more particular embodiment, the first area is 12 times greater than the second area. The LED light engine 18 may be located adjacent to yet spaced apart from said reflective surface 12. In still another embodiment, the support element 21 may be adapted to fit in a modular ceiling system.
Also disclosed is a lighting system kit 10 comprising a support element 21 having a reflective surface 12 and an LED light engine 18 mounted on the support element 21. The LED light engine 18 includes an LED light source 24 that provides light in a first pattern, and a waveguide element 30 that receives the light from the LED light source 24 and redirects the light into a second pattern onto a portion of the reflective surface 12 laterally space from the waveguide element 30.
In an embodiment, the reflective surface 12 is diffuse. In another embodiment, the light shines downward from the reflective surface 12 into an area to be illuminated. In still another embodiment, the reflective surface 12 is on a ceiling. The reflective surface 12 may also be on a support member for the LED light engine 18.
In another embodiment, the waveguide 30 generally defines a plane and the plane of the waveguide 30 is generally parallel to the plane of the reflective surface 12. The LED light engine 18 may be supported by a support member, and the reflective surface 12 is a surface of the supporting member of the reflective surface 12. The reflective surface 12 may also be positioned in an opening in a grid used to suspend a dropped ceiling.
In the kit 10, the waveguide 30 may be adapted to direct all of the light generated from the LED light source 24 onto the reflective surface 12. In another embodiment, the waveguide 30 is directed to direct most of the light generated from the LED light source 24 onto the reflective surface 12. In still another embodiment, the emission surface 31 angles away from the reflective surface 12.
In another embodiment, the LED light engine 18 comprises a reflector 26. In still another embodiment, the waveguide 30 comprises a reflector 26 opposite the reflective surface 12. In a particular version of such embodiment, the reflective surface 12 has a first area and the LED light source 24 has a second area that is smaller than the first area. In a more particular embodiment, the first area is 12 times greater than the second area. The LED light engine 18 may be located adjacent to yet spaced apart from said reflective surface 12. In yet another embodiment, the reflective surface 12 is positioned in an opening in a grid used to suspend a dropped ceiling.
In an embodiment, as shown in
In still another embodiment, as shown in
In an embodiment, the light source 24 is a light emitting diode (“LED”). In one version of the embodiment, the light source 24 is oriented away from the reflector 12, as shown, for example, in
Depending on the orientation of the light source 24, a waveguide 30 may be positioned adjacent to the light source 24, as is shown in
In still another embodiment, the reflector 12 may be a substrate. In yet another embodiment, the reflector 12 is a coating painted on the plenum barrier 28.
Also disclosed is a dropped-ceiling lighting system 10 comprised of a reflector 12 attached to a plenum barrier 28 such as a ceiling tile positioned in an opening in a grid 16 used to suspend a dropped ceiling 14. A power source 22 extends from a first edge 34 of the plenum barrier 28 to a second edge 36 of the plenum barrier 28, as shown in
In an embodiment, the power source 22 is mounted so as to extend along a portion of the ceiling grid 16 between adjacent ceiling tiles, as shown in
In another embodiment, the reflector 12 is a substrate. The reflector 12 may also be a coating that is painted on the plenum barrier 28. In all of the embodiments discussed above, the light source 24 may be an LED.
When in operation, power is transmitted to the lighting device 18 from the power source 22. In one embodiment, the lighting device 18 (e.g., LEDs) emits light either downward from the ceiling, upward toward the ceiling, or outward from the center of the lighting system in a direction parallel to the ceiling tile. The emitted light radiates through an optical reflector 26 and lens 38 before entering a space or room to be illuminated where it then reflects off of the reflector 12 so as to light the space.
The appearance of the light will be guided by the shape of the light source but can be controlled by changing the geometry of the optics. The design results in a constant output of light being directed to different orientations on the troffer. This allows one to avoid high brightness areas in favor of low brightness so as to reduce glare.
In an embodiment, the light emitted from the LEDs is directed into a waveguide 30 made of a thin body of an acrylic-like substance. As shown in
In yet another embodiment, a long, thin lighting device 18 runs from a first edge 34 to a second edge 36 of the reflector 12 where it fastens directly to the ceiling grid, as shown in
Depending on whether a radial or linear light fixture is utilized, the light may be distributed in a manner shown in
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. It should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention.
This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/758,660, filed, Jan. 30, 2013, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/839,949, filed, Mar. 15, 2013, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/840,563, filed, Mar. 15, 2013, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/841,074, filed, Mar. 15, 2013, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/842,521, filed, Mar. 15, 2013, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/841,651, filed, Mar. 15, 2013, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/842,557, filed Mar. 15, 2013 and incorporates the disclosures of such applications by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61758660 | Jan 2013 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13839949 | Mar 2013 | US |
Child | 14015801 | US | |
Parent | 13840563 | Mar 2013 | US |
Child | 13839949 | US | |
Parent | 13841074 | Mar 2013 | US |
Child | 13840563 | US | |
Parent | 13842521 | Mar 2013 | US |
Child | 13841074 | US | |
Parent | 13841651 | Mar 2013 | US |
Child | 13842521 | US | |
Parent | 13842557 | Mar 2013 | US |
Child | 13841651 | US |