Patent Application
20180340675
This application claims priority to Italian Patent Application Serial No. 102017000056197, which was filed on May 24, 2017, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.
The present description relates to lighting devices.
One or more embodiments may relate to lighting devices using electrically-powered light radiation sources, such as solid-state light radiation sources (e.g. LED sources).
Various conventional lighting devices (e.g. using LEDs) include laminated glass and plastics adapted for various applications, such as glazing, door, walls, windows and paneling applications.
These devices may include LEDs assembled directly or indirectly on a glass or plastic substrate.
Various conventional arrangements may suffer from undesired glare and/or presence of bright spots.
Such drawbacks have been addressed in various ways, e.g. by:
concealing LEDs at the edges,
using light guides,
coating enamel on the surface to reduce light intensity,
designing optical structures on plastic or glass surfaces,
various combinations of the foregoing.
In certain instances (e.g. optical structures patterned on glass), the manufacturing process may be fairly expensive and present limitations in terms of features which can be realized.
In addition to possible issues related to cost, various approaches as discussed in the foregoing may end up by providing essentially “fixed” solutions, namely solutions where light management is permanently defined e.g. by light guide design, an enamel layer on the top surface of glass or plastic substrates or the type of diffusive elements in an adhesive layer.
An aspect of one or more embodiments is to contribute in addressing the various issues discussed in the foregoing.
According to one or more embodiments, such an aspect can be achieved by means of a lighting device having the features set forth in the present disclosure.
One or more embodiments may relate to a corresponding method.
The claims are an integral part of the technical disclosure of embodiments as provided herein.
One or more embodiments may provide a simple and low-cost solution making it possible to use existing and customizable diffuser layers, including e.g. polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC) or other plastics materials as already available on the market.
One or more embodiments may involve using a laminating process of e.g. diffuser layers as a part of a stacked layer arrangement (“stack up”).
One or more embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the annexed figures, wherein:
In the ensuing description, one or more specific details are illustrated, aimed at providing an in-depth understanding of examples of embodiments of this description. The embodiments may be obtained without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, known structures, materials, or operations are not illustrated or described in detail so that certain aspects of embodiments will not be obscured.
Reference to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” in the framework of the present description is intended to indicate that a particular configuration, structure, or characteristic described in relation to the embodiment is comprised in at least one embodiment. Hence, phrases such as “in an embodiment” or “in one embodiment” that may be present in one or more points of the present description do not necessarily refer to one and the same embodiment. Moreover, particular conformations, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any adequate way in one or more embodiments.
The references used herein are provided merely for convenience and hence do not define the extent of protection or the scope of the embodiments.
The exploded view of
A device 10 as exemplified in
It will be otherwise understood that the stacked arrangement as exmeplified herein lends itself to being imparted any shape in a wide variety of possible choices (quadrilateral, round, elliptical, mistilinear, and so on).
For instance, a device 10 as exemplified herein may be used in glazing/window applications, e.g. in buildings or in the automotive sector. A device 10 as exemplified herein also lends itself to being produced with a shape corresponding to the shape of e.g. symbols such as letters or numbers, thus making the device 10 adapted for signaling applications.
In one or more embodiment, the stacked arrangement of layers of the lighting device 10 may include a light-emitting layer 100 with a distribution of electrically powered light radiation sources 100a (e.g. LEDs) with associated electrically conductive formations (“traces”) serving the radiation sources 100a for power supply and, possibly, control purposes.
The light-emitting layer 100 may include a (possibly flexible) substrate (such as a Printed Circuit Board (PCB)) including e.g. light-permeable (e.g. transparent) or light-impermeable material.
Such a light-emitting layers may be produced in various ways according to known processes, thus making it unnecessary to provide a more detailed description herein.
A (very) thin, flexible light emitting arrangement suited for use in one or more embodiments is disclosed in Italian Patent Application Serial No. 102017000056220, which was filed on May 24, 2017, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.
In one or more embodiments, the light-emitting layer 100 may be coupled, e.g. via an adhesive layer 102, to a support substrate 104 including e.g. glass or plastic material.
In one or more embodiments, one or more light-diffusive layer, such as two diffuser layers 106a, 106b may be coupled to (e.g. laminated over) the light-emitting layer 100 with the capability of diffusing light radiation from the light radiation sources 100a.
In one or more embodiments, coupling (e.g. laminating) the one or more light-diffusive layers 106a, 106b over the light-emitting layer 10 may include an adhesive layer 108 of a material like or different from the material included in the adhesive layer 102.
Materials adapted for use for the adhesive layers such as 102 and 108 include e.g. polyvinyl butyral (PVB).
In one or more embodiments, a layer 110 including e.g. glass or plastic material may be provided onto the light-diffusive layer 106a e.g. to act as a protective front layer for the device 10 with the light-diffusive layer 106a sandwiched between the light emitting layer 100 and the layer 110.
In those embodiments as exemplified herein where not just one light-diffusive layer 106a, but plural light-diffusive layer 106a, 106b are provided, the layer 110 may act as a separation layer in turn sandwiched between the light-diffusive layers 106a, 106b.
In one or more embodiments the one or more light-diffusive layers (e.g. 106a, 106b) may include light-diffusive material plastics materials.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polycarbonate (PC) are exemplary of materials adapted for producing such light-diffusive layers.
One or more embodiments as exemplified herein lend themselves to producing lighting devices in the form of flexible panels including a stacked arrangement of layers (“stack up”) produced e.g. by lamination.
Lamination may involve using adhesive layers (e.g. PVB) which can be treated at high temperature and pressure to facilitate bonding of the various layers in the stacked arrangement.
One or more embodiments may adopt various combinations of diffusive structures.
For instance, a certain application may involve using a diffuser layer reducing light spots and providing a uniform lit appearance. In other applications, diffuser layers may be adopted in order to reduce glare. One or more embodiments may adopt a combination of the two. In one or more embodiments light management may thus take place within a stacked arrangement of layers.
One or more embodiments are applicable to both direct and indirect mounting of light radiation sources, such as LEDs, on a substrate.
Embodiments as exemplified herein may include at least one light-diffusive layer (e.g. 106a, 106b) arranged on one side of the light-emitting layer 100 with light radiation from the layer 100 intended to be diffused primarily towards a semi-space (e.g. the one opposite the substrate 104).
In one or more embodiments (e.g. embodiments using a light-permeable substrate for mounting the light radiation sources 100a in the light-emitting layer 100) light radiation may propagate on both sides of the light-emitting layer 100, so that light-diffusive layers as disclosed herein may be provided on both sides of the light-emitting layer 100.
In one or more embodiments, a lighting device (e.g. 10) including a stacked arrangement of layers, the arrangement including:
a light-emitting layer (e.g. 100) with a distribution of electrically powered light radiation sources (e.g. 100a), and
at least one light-diffusive layer (e.g. 106a, 106b) laminated over the light-emitting layer to diffuse light radiation from the light radiation sources.
One or more embodiments may include a light-permeable adhesive layer (e.g. 108) between the light-emitting layer and the at least one light-diffusive layer.
One or more embodiments may include a light-permeable cover layer (e.g. 110) with the at least one light-diffusive layer sandwiched between the light-emitting layer and the light-permeable cover layer.
One or more embodiments may include a plurality of light-diffusive layers laminated over the light-emitting layer to diffuse light radiation from the light radiation sources.
One or more embodiments may include a cover layer sandwiched between two light-diffusive layers in the plurality of light-diffusive layers.
One or more embodiments may include a support substrate (e.g. 104) coupled to the light-emitting layer.
One or more embodiments may include a support substrate coupled to the light-emitting layer opposite the at least one light-diffusive layer.
In one or more embodiments, at least one light-diffusive layer may include plastics material, optionally selected out of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polycarbonate (PC).
In one or more embodiments the electrically powered light radiation sources may include solid-state light radiation sources, optionally LED sources.
One or more embodiments may include a method of manufacturing a lighting device, the method including laminating together (e.g. L) the layers in the stacked arrangement of layers according to one or more embodiments.
Without prejudice to the underlying principles, the details and embodiments may vary, even significantly, with respect to what has been described by way of example only, without departing from the extent of protection.
The extent of protection is indicated by the present disclosure and all changes which come withing the meaning and range of equivalency of the present disclosure are intended to be embraced.
Lighting device 10
Light-emitting layer 100
Light radiation sources 100a
Adhesive layer 102
Support substrate 104
Light-diffusive layer 106a
Light-diffusive layer 106b
Adhesive layer 108
Cover layer 110
Lamination L
Cutting S
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102017000056197 | May 2017 | IT | national |
