US 2003/0147256 A1 · Flat panel luminaire with remote light source and hollow light pipe for back lit signage applications

Abstract

A unique, solid flat panel lighting emitting luminaire has been created that utilizes a light source remote from the luminaire coupled with a hollow light pipe. The light panel luminaire is fed light flux via a hollow light pipe system into one or two edges of the flat panel. The light panel has imbedded irregular tapered tetrahedron light guides that emit light in a uniform controlled fashion over the length of the emitting surface. The subject lighting luminaire provides light emitted from an adjacent High Intensity Discharge (HID) light source. The luminaire is specifically designed to provide light over a large surface for backlit billboard applications without the limitations of traditional fluorescent light source light boxes. The luminaire does not require any maintenance to its interior as the light source is remote from the emitting surface. The luminaire is one continuous surface without visible seams, that would allow direct attachment of paint or transparency informational signage or simply provide a large surface of homogenous light for a back lit replaceable mediums. The light panel design allows the use of a signal or multiple light sources within a hollow light pipe light concentrator. One or more lamp types such as metal halide and/or high pressure sodium could be combined to deliver a color balanced light flux light source. The longevity and high efficiency of the HID light source light bulbs over fluorescent bulbs is well known. The light source is remote from the light emitting surface and allows any transparent, semi-transparent or semi-opaque material to be installed permanently of temporarily without having to be removed from the light panel emitting surface to facilitate bulb replacement or light box maintenance. The tapered hollow light pipe concentrator efficiently collects light flux and delivers the flux to the edge of the light panel without using glass or plastic fiber optic light guides. Light emitting panel sections can be fabricated and assembled into one homogeneous surface for any usual billboard size.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A remote illumination signage system as been devised consisting of:

a light source composed of one or more light bulbs;
(a) an optical hollow tapered light pipe for concentrating and transporting light flux from said light source;
(b) a light guide injector that couples the light flux from the transporting hollow light pipe to a light emitting luminaire;
(c) a lighting luminaire for delivering light from said light source to a desired region, the luminaire being optically connected to said light source.

1 more element

A lighting luminaire device has been created by casting or machining at least one irregular tapered tetrahedron light guide into a flat rectangular plastic or glass panel;

(a) That the surface of the embedded light guide is abraded, etched and/or treated to affect light refraction on the bounty between the base panel material and the imbedded light guide.
(b) That the light guide has a progressively larger cross sectional area as it lays more distal to the light injection edges.
(c) That light flux is injected via an organizational light guide into at least one edge of the light panel and thus the light flux is emitted in a uniform fashion across the light panel:
(d) providing at least one elongated imbedded tapered light guide having a surface so structured with respect to the base panel thereof as to enable said light guide to transmit light along the light guide while said periphery prevents substantial emanation of light from said light guide in a direction transverse to said light guide;
(e) modifying a portion of said periphery over an extraction zone of said light guide to impart a generally irregular tapered tetrahedron shape to said zone extending continuously from a cross sectionally small end to a cross sectionally large end thereof and so that light traveling through said core in a propagation direction from said small end to said large end will emanate in an emanation direction transversely to said propagation direction, said zone narrowing in width in a spreading direction transversely to said propagation direction and to said emanation direction whereby an area exposed to said light emanating from said light guide is illuminated continuously along said length of said zone;
and
(f) injecting light into said light guide ahead of said narrow end so that the light propagates in said propagation direction whereby said area is illuminated.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Flat panel luminaire with remote light source and hollow light pipe for back lit signage applications

Life of this patent

Flat panel luminaire with remote light source and hollow light pipe for back lit signage applications

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12