Patent Grant
8998433
The disclosure relates to light emitting devices which utilize remote wavelength conversion, and particularly to implementing a wavelength conversion component with improved color characteristics for a light emitting device.
Commercial and entertainment lighting applications such as lighting for advertisements, disco lighting, theater lighting, stage lighting, traffic lighting, etc. often times require light to be emitted with high color saturation for optimal presentation. Typically, high color saturation is generated by applying a narrow selective filter to an incandescent light source. The light source generates white light, which comprises a combination of light with different wavelengths in the visible spectrum. The filter selectively filters the white light to provide the desired color light emission. The color pigments, dyes, or colorants, used in these filters are typically transparent color filters which absorb the unwanted color light. While this system generates highly saturated color light, it also wastes a significant portion of the light generated by the light source, as a significant portion is absorbed by the selective filter rather than being transmitted.
White light emitting diodes (LEDs) are known in the art and are a relatively recent innovation. It was not until LEDs emitting the blue/ultraviolet of the electromagnetic spectrum were developed that it became practical to develop white light sources based on LEDs. As is known white light generating LEDs (“white LEDs”) include photo-luminescent materials (e.g., one or more phosphor materials), which absorbs a portion of the radiation emitted by the LED and re-emits radiation of a different color (e.g., range of wavelengths). For example, the LED emits blue light in the visible part of the spectrum and the phosphor re-emits yellow or a combination of green and red light, green and yellow, or yellow and red light. The portion of the visible blue light emitted by the LED which is not absorbed by the phosphor mixes with the yellow light emitted to provide light which appears to the eye as being white. In addition to generating white light, the combination of an LED and photo-luminescent material may be configured to generate any number of colors in the visible spectrum.
This provides much more efficient use of the LED light source, as a significant amount of light generated by the LED light source is transmitted or absorbed and re-emitted by the photo-luminescent material.
However, a problem that arises is that although a photo-luminescent material may create sufficient light in the target color wavelength, this is typically a much broader emission curve than desired for high color saturation. This may be particularly problematic for certain type of lighting that require high color saturation, such as lighting for advertisements, disco lighting, theater lighting, stage lighting, traffic lighting.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved approach to improve the color characteristics for LED lighting devices.
Embodiments of the invention concern a light emitting device that utilizes remote wavelength conversion with improved color characteristics. In some embodiments, the light emitting device includes a radiation source operable to generate and radiate excitation energy, the source being configured to irradiate a wavelength conversion component with excitation energy and the wavelength conversion component comprising a layer of photo-luminescent material configured to emit radiation of a selected color when irradiated by the radiation source and a color enhancement filter layer configured to filter undesirable wavelengths of an emission product of the layer of photo-luminescent material to establish a final emission product for the light emitting device.
In order that the present invention is better understood light emitting devices and wavelength conversion components in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals are used to denote like parts, and in which:
Various embodiments are described hereinafter with reference to the figures. It should be noted that the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. It should also be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the embodiments, and are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention or as a limitation on the scope of the invention. In addition, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. An aspect or an advantage described in conjunction with a particular embodiment is not necessarily limited to that embodiment and can be practiced in any other embodiments even if not so illustrated. Also, reference throughout this specification to “some embodiments” or “other embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in some embodiments” or “in other embodiments” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or embodiments.
For the purposes of illustration only, the following description is made with reference to photo-luminescent material embodied specifically as phosphor materials. However, the invention is applicable to any type of photo-luminescent material, such as either phosphor materials or quantum dots. A quantum dot is a portion of matter (e.g. semiconductor) whose excitons are confined in all three spatial dimensions that may be excited by radiation energy to emit light of a particular wavelength or range of wavelengths. As such, the invention is not limited to phosphor based wavelength conversion components unless claimed as such.
The use of a light emitting device with photo-luminescent materials in combination with a light source to absorb light of a first range of wavelengths and convert that light into light of a second range of wavelengths is known. The emission product of the light emitting device is a combination of the light generated by the photo-luminescent material and the light generated by the light source which is not absorbed by the photo-luminescent material. When the light source takes on the form of blue LEDs, the photo-luminescent material may be composed of color emissive phosphors, in particular Blue Activated Emissive Colorants (BAEC).
It has been assumed so far that the blend of BAEC phosphors can be used to create a desired color saturation for the full color space. However, many phosphors have broader light emission spectrums than desired for highly saturated color. Also using the phosphors to completely eliminate all blue light leakage from the LEDs may require a very thick layer of phosphor which may be inefficient or undesirable.
According to some embodiments of the invention, a color enhancement layer (also referred to herein as a “color filter layer” or “color enhancement filter layer”) can be used to achieve improved color saturation. The color enhancement layer is placed in the path between the phosphor layer and the emission path of the final emission product. The color enhancement layer functions as a filter that narrows the light emission spectrum of the final emission product from the lighting apparatus. In this way, the color enhancement/filter layer serves to greatly improve the color saturation quality of the final emission product.
While the problem has been described with respect to the use of blue LEDs and photo-luminescent material comprising BAEC, it is important to note that the invention may be applicable to a number of different radiation sources in combination with a number of different photo-luminescent materials.
The radiation source 103 is housed in a light emitting device housing 113, which may be configured in various shapes depending on the application. The light emitting device housing 113 may be fabricated from sheet metal, molded from a plastics material or constructed from any other suitable material.
The wavelength conversion component 101 includes a layer of photo-luminescent material 107. Any appropriate photo-luminescent material may be used provided that the photo-luminescent material is excitable by radiation emitted by the radiation source 103 (e.g., LEDs). In some embodiments, the layer of photo-luminescent material 107 may comprise a phosphor material mixed with a carrier material. In other embodiments, the layer of photo-luminescent material 107 may also include other photo-luminescent material such as quantum dots.
When the layer of photo-luminescent material 107 comprises a phosphor material mixed with a carrier material, the carrier material must be substantially transmissive to light in the visible spectrum (e.g., 380-740 nm). At such wavelengths, the carrier material should be able to transmit at least 90% of visible light. Such carrier materials may include a polymer resin, a monomer resin, an acrylic, an epoxy, a silicone or a fluorinated polymer. Furthermore, the carrier material should have an index of refraction that is substantially similar to the indices of refraction of the light transmissive hermetic substrates in order to ensure proper transmission of light through the wavelength conversion component 101. For a layer of photo-luminescent material 107 comprising phosphor material mixed with a carrier material, the phosphor material can comprise an inorganic or organic phosphor such as for example silicate-based phosphor of a general composition A3Si(O,D)5 or A2Si(O,D)4 in which Si is silicon, O is oxygen, A comprises strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), magnesium (Mg) or calcium (Ca) and D comprises chlorine (Cl), fluorine (F), nitrogen (N) or sulfur (S). Examples of silicate-based phosphors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,575,697 B2 “Silicate-based green phosphors”, U.S. Pat. No. 7,601,276 B2 “Two phase silicate-based yellow phosphors”, U.S. Pat. No. 7,655,156 B2 “Silicate-based orange phosphors” and U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,858 B2 “Silicate-based yellow-green phosphors”. The phosphor can also comprise an aluminate-based material such as is taught in co-pending patent application US2006/0158090 A1 “Novel aluminate-based green phosphors” and patent U.S. Pat. No. 7,390,437 B2 “Aluminate-based blue phosphors”, an aluminum-silicate phosphor as taught in co-pending application US2008/0111472 A1 “Aluminum-silicate orange-red phosphor” or a nitride-based red phosphor material such as is taught in co-pending United States patent application US2009/0283721 A1 “Nitride-based red phosphors” and International patent application WO2010/074963 A1 “Nitride-based red-emitting in RGB (red-green-blue) lighting systems”. It will be appreciated that the phosphor material is not limited to the examples described and can comprise any phosphor material including nitride and/or sulfate phosphor materials, oxy-nitrides and oxy-sulfate phosphors or garnet materials (YAG).
The wavelength conversion component 101 may further include a light transmissive substrate 109 such as for example a polycarbonate, polythene, acrylic or glass sheet. The light transmissive substrate 109 must be substantially transmissive to light in the visible spectrum (e.g., 380-740 nm). At such wavelengths, the light transmissive substrate 109 should ideally be able to transmit at least 90% of visible light.
The wavelength conversion component 101 also comprises a color enhancement filter layer 111. The color enhancement filter layer 111 comprises a color pigment and/or colored dye which is incorporated into, for example, a vinyl film or mixed with a binder material and provided as a layer on the substrate. As is known, color pigments are insoluble and can be organic such as for example Ciba's RED 254, a DIKETO-PYRROLO-PYRROLE compound or inorganic such as for example iron oxide, while color dyes are soluble.
In operation, the radiation source 103 (e.g., LEDs) generates and radiates excitation energy (e.g., light) of a selected wavelength range λ1 towards the wavelength conversion component. The excitation energy causes the layer of photo-luminescent material 107 of the wavelength conversion component 101 to emit radiation (e.g., light) of a selected color (e.g., range of wavelengths λ2). When generating light of a selected color with a high color saturation, the layer of photo-luminescent material 107 is configured to absorb substantially all of the light generated by the radiation source 103. However a small portion of the light generated by the radiation source λ1 may not be absorbed by the layer of photo-luminescent material 107 of the wavelength conversion component 101 and may instead be transmitted through the layer of photo-luminescent material 107. The emission product of the layer of photo-luminescent material 107 of the wavelength conversion component 101 can thus a combination of the light emitted by the photo-luminescent material λ2 and the small portion of light generated by the radiation source λ1 that is not absorbed by the layer of photo-luminescent material 107.
The use of blue light as a radiation source in conjunction with a combination of red and green light emissive phosphors enables a virtually continuous palette of light colors/hues to be generated by the display surface from a single color excitation source, preferably an inexpensive blue LED. For example, blue light can be generated by an LED alone without the need for a phosphor. Red light can be generated by use of a thick layer of red phosphor and green light by a thick layer of green phosphor. A thick layer refers to a sufficient quantity/concentration of phosphor to absorb all of the incident excitation radiation.
Yellow light can be produced by a green phosphor whose quantity is insufficient to absorb all of the blue light impinging on it such that the emitted light is a combination of blue and green light which appears yellow in color to the eye. In a like manner, mauve/purple light can be produced using a red phosphor whose quantity is insufficient to absorb all of the blue light such that the blue light combined with the yellow light emitted give an emitted light which appears mauve in color to the eye. It will be appreciated that a virtually continuous palette of colors and hues can be generated by an appropriate selection of phosphor material combination and/or quantity.
As discussed above, the emission product of the layer of photo-luminescent material 107 of the wavelength conversion component 101 will have a broader emission curve than desired for high color saturation. This is due to the inherent nature of photo-luminescent materials such as phosphors, which have broader light emission spectrums than desired for highly saturated color or due to the light generated by the radiation source that is not absorbed by the layer of photo-luminescent material. As such the color enhancement filter layer 111 is configured to filter the undesirable wavelengths of the emission product of the layer of photo-luminescent material 107 such that a final emission product (λ3) established by the wavelength conversion component 101 is highly saturated (e.g., smaller range of wavelengths). For example, when the emission product of the layer of photo-luminescent material comprises a particular range of wavelengths, the color enhancement filter layer may be configured to filter out a portion of those wavelengths such that the final emission product of the light emitting device may comprise a full width half maximum (FWHM) of the range of wavelengths corresponding to the emission product of the layer of photo-luminescent material.
The wavelength conversion component of the light emitting device may be implemented in any number of different configurations.
The wavelength conversion component 101 includes a layer of photo-luminescent material 107, a light transmissive substrate 109, and a color enhancement filter layer 111. The layer of photo-luminescent material 107 may be provided on an under surface, that is the surface facing the radiation source 103, of the light transmissive substrate 109. The color enhancement filter layer 111 may be provided on a top surface, that is the surface facing away from the radiation source 103, of the light transmissive substrate 109.
The light emitting device 100 of
Unlike the approach of
The light emitting device 200 of
The wavelength conversion component 301 includes a layer of photo-luminescent material 107, a light transmissive substrate 109, a color enhancement filter layer 111, and an additional light tranmissive substrate 303. The layer of photo-luminescent material 107 may be provided on a top surface, that is the surface facing away from the radiation source 103, of the light transmissive substrate 109. The color enhancement filter layer 111 may be provided on a top surface, that is the surface facing away from the radiation source 103, of the layer of photo-luminescent material 107. The additional light transmissive substrate 303 may be provided on a top surface, that is the surface facing away from the radiation source 103, of the color enhancement filter layer 111. The light transmissive substrate 109 and the additional light transmissive substrate 303 are configured to protect the layer of photo-luminescent material 107 and the color enhancement filter layer 111 from external environmental contaminants (e.g., water).
The light emitting device 300 of
While
The wavelength conversion component 501 is located remotely from a radiation source 103. The radiation source 103 may be housed within a light emitting device housing 113 and may comprise a number of light emitting diodes (LEDs) 105. The LEDs 105 are generally located within the interior volume 503 defined by the inner surface of the three-dimensional shape of the wavelength conversion component 501.
The three-dimensional wavelength conversion component 501 includes a layer of photo-luminescent material 107′, a light transmissive substrate 109′, and a color enhancement filter layer 111′. The layer of photo-luminescent material 107′ may be embodied as a three-dimensional configuration and be provided on an under surface, that is the surface facing the radiation source 103, of the light transmissive substrate 109′ (which may also take on a three-dimensional configuration). The color enhancement filter layer 111′ may also take on a three-dimensional shape and be provided on a top surface, that is the surface facing away from the radiation source 103, of the light transmissive substrate 109′.
The light emitting device 500 of
The downlight 1000 comprises a hollow generally cylindrical thermally conductive body 1001 fabricated from, for example, die cast aluminum. The body 1001 functions as a heat sink and dissipates heat generated by the light emitters 1007. To increase heat radiation from the downlight 1000 and thereby increase cooling of the downlight 1000, the body 1001 can include a series of latitudinal spirally extending heat radiating fins 1003 located towards the base of the body 1001. To further increase the radiation of heat, the outer surface of the body can be treated to increase its emissivity such as for example painted black or anodized. The body 1001 further comprises a generally frustoconical (i.e. a cone whose apex is truncated by a plane that is parallel to the base) axial chamber 1005 that extends from the front of the body a depth of approximately two thirds of the length of the body. The form factor of the body 1001 is configured to enable the downlight to be retrofitted directly in a standard six inch downlighting fixture (can) as are commonly used in the United States.
Four solid state light emitters 1007 are mounted as a square array on a circular shaped MCPCB (Metal Core Printed Circuit Board) 1009. As is known an MCPCB comprises a layered structure composed of a metal core base, typically aluminum, a thermally conducting/electrically insulating dielectric layer and a copper circuit layer for electrically connecting electrical components in a desired circuit configuration. With the aid of a thermally conducting compound such as for example a standard heat sink compound containing beryllium oxide or aluminum nitride the metal core base of the MCPCB 1009 is mounted in thermal communication with the body via the floor of the chamber 1005. As shown in
The downlight 1000 further comprises a hollow generally cylindrical light reflective chamber wall mask 1015 that surrounds the array of light emitters 1007. The chamber wall mask 1015 can be made of a plastics material and preferably has a white or other light reflective finish. A wavelength conversion component 101, such as the one described above in
The wavelength conversion component 101 comprises a layer of photo-luminescent material 107, a light transmissive substrate 109, and a color enhancement filter layer 111. The color enhancement filter layer 111 is configured to filter the undesirable wavelengths of the emission product of the layer of photo-luminescent material 107 such that a final emission product established by the wavelength conversion component 101 is highly saturated, as described above.
The downlight 1000 further comprises a light reflective hood 1025 which is configured to define the selected emission angle (beam spread) of the downlight (i.e. 60° in this example). The hood 1025 comprises a generally cylindrical shell with three contiguous (conjoint) inner light reflective frustoconical surfaces. The hood 1025 is preferably made of Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) with a metallization layer. Finally the downlight 1000 can comprise an annular trim (bezel) 1027 that can also be fabricated from ABS.
The downlight 1100 of
Whereas the wavelength conversion component 101 of
As discussed above, the color enhancement filter layer 111′ is configured to filter the undesirable wavelengths of the emission product of the layer of photo-luminescent material 107′ such that a final emission product established by the wavelength conversion component is highly saturated.
The reflector lamp 1200 comprises a generally rectangular thermally conductive body 1201 fabricated from, for example, die cast aluminum. The body 1201 functions as a heat sink and dissipates heat generated by a light emitting device 100, such as the one described above in
A light emitting device 100 that includes a wavelength conversion component 101 such as the one described above with respect to
While not illustrated, the wavelength conversion component 101 may include a layer of photo-luminescent material, a light transmissive substrate, and a color enhancement filter layer. The wavelength conversion component 101 may be configured to establish a highly saturated final emission product established by using the color enhancement filter layer to filter the undesirable wavelengths of the emission product of the layer of photo-luminescent material, as discussed above.
The reflector lamp 1200 further comprises a generally frustroconical light reflective light reflector 1205 having a paraboloidal light reflective inner surface which is configured to define the selected emission angle (beam spread) of the downlight (i.e. 60° in this example). The reflector 1205 is preferably made of Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) with a metallization layer.
The linear lamp 1300 comprises an elongated thermally conductive body 1301 fabricated from, for example, extruded aluminum. The form factor of the body 1301 is configured to be mounted with a standard linear lamp housing. The body 1301 further comprises a first recessed channel 1304, wherein a rectangular tube-like case 1307 containing some electrical components (e.g., electrical wires) of the linear lamp 1300 may be situated. The case 1307 may further comprise an electrical connector (e.g., plug) 1309 extending past the length of the body 1301 on one end, and a recessed complimentary socket (not shown) configured to receive a connector on another end. This allows several linear lamps 1300 to be connected in series to cover a desired area. Individual linear lamps 1300 may range from 1 foot to 6 feet in length.
The body 1301 functions as a heat sink and dissipates heat generated by the light emitters 1303. To increase heat radiation from the linear lamp 1300 and thereby increase cooling of the light emitters 1303, the body 1301 can include a series of heat radiating fins 1302 located on the sides of the body 1301. To further increase heat radiation from the linear lamp 1300, the outer surface of the body 1301 can be treated to increase its emissivity such as for example painted black or anodized.
Light emitters 1303 are mounted on a rectangular shaped MCPCB 1305 configured to sit above the first recessed channel 1304. The under surface of the MCPCB 1305 sits in thermal contact with a second recessed channel 1306 that includes inclined walls 1308.
A generally hemi-spherical elongated wavelength conversion component 1311 may be positioned remote to the light emitters 1303. The wavelength conversion component 1311 may be secured within the second recessed channel 1306 by sliding the wavelength conversion component 1311 under the inclined walls 1308 such that the wavelength conversion component 1311 engages with the inclined walls 1308. The wavelength conversion component 1311 may also be flexibly positioned under the inclined walls 1308 such that the wavelength conversion component 1311 engages with the inclined walls 1308.
The wavelength conversion component 1311 may include a hemi-spherical elongated layer of photo-luminescent material 1313, a hemi-spherical elongated light transmissive substrate 1315, and a hemi-spherical elongated color enhancement filter layer 1317. As discussed above, the color enhancement filter layer 1317 is configured to filter the undesirable wavelengths of the emission product of the layer of photo-luminescent material 1313 such that a final emission product established by the wavelength conversion component 1311 is highly saturated.
In alternative embodiments, the wavelength conversion component of the linear lamp may be configured in the shape of a generally planar strip. In such embodiments, it will be appreciated that the second recessed channel may instead have vertical walls that extend to allow the wavelength conversion component to be received by the second recessed channel.
The light bulb 1400 comprises a screw base 1401 that is configured to fit within standard light bulb sockets, e.g. implemented as a standard Edison screw base. The light bulb 1400 may further comprise a thermally conductive body 1403 fabricated from, for example, die cast aluminum. The body functions as a heat sink and dissipates heat generated by the light emitters 1409, which are mounted on a MCPCB 1405. The MCPCB 1405 may be in thermal contact with the body 1403. To increase heat radiation from the light bulb 1400 and thereby increase cooling of the light bulb 1400, the body 1403 can include a series of latitudinal radially extending heat radiating fins 1407. To further increase the radiation of heat, the outer surface of the body 1403 can be treated to increase its emissivity such as for example painted black or anodized.
The light bulb 1400 further comprises a wavelength conversion component 501, such as the one described above in
As discussed above, the color enhancement filter layer 111′ is configured to filter the undesirable wavelengths of the emission product of the layer of photo-luminescent material 107′ such that a final emission product established by the wavelength conversion component 501 is highly saturated.
An envelope 1411 may extend around the upper portion of the LED light bulb 1400, enclosing the light emitters 1409 and the wavelength conversion component 501. The envelope 1411 is a light-transmissive material (e.g. glass or plastic) that provides protective and/or diffusive properties for the LED light bulb 1400.
The above applications of light emitting devices describe a remote wavelength conversion configuration, wherein a wavelength conversion component is remote to one or more light emitters. The wavelength conversion component and body of those light emitting devices define an interior volume wherein the light emitters are located. The interior volume may also be referred to as a light mixing chamber. For example, in the downlight 1000, 1100 of
The above applications of light emitting devices describe only a few embodiments with which the claimed invention may be applied. It is important to note that the claimed invention may be applied to several other light emitting device applications, including but not limited to, wall lamps, pendant lamps, chandeliers, recessed lights, track lights, accent lights, stage lighting, movie lighting, street lights, flood lights, beacon lights, security lights, traffic lights, headlamps, taillights, signs, etc.
Therefore, what has been described is a wavelength conversion component with improved color characteristics for remote wavelength conversion. The improved wavelength conversion component comprises a wavelength conversion layer, a light transmissive substrate, and a color enhancement filter layer. By providing the color enhancement filter layer, undesirable wavelengths of the emission product of the layer of photo-luminescent material may be filtered such that a final emission product established by the wavelength conversion component is highly saturated.
In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/087,549, filed on Apr. 15, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/714,711, filed on Mar. 6, 2007, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,937,865, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/780,902, filed on Mar. 8, 2006, which are all hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
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