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US 6,908,204 B2Granted
Flat panel luminaire having embedded light guides
AssigneeEdward Robert Kraft
InventorEdward R. Kraft
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flat panel luminaire includes a light source, which can be remote, an optical light pipe, and a light-emitting panel. The light-emitting panel includes a tapered light-injection zone joined to a light-emitting zone having the embedded irregular tetrahedrally-shaped light guides. The surface and cross-sectional areas of the light guides gradually increase as the light guides extend away from the tapered zone. Methods of illuminating an area using such light guides are also provided.
Claims20
A luminaire comprising:
- a light source;
- at least one optical light pipe having two ends, one said end coupled to said light source;
- and
- at least one light emitting panel coupled to the other said end of said light pipe, said light emitting panel comprising:
- a tapered light-injection area having a narrow end and a wide end, said narrow end coupled to said light pipe,
- a light-emitting zone having a proximal end and a distal end, said proximal end joined to said wide end, and
- at least one irregular tetrahedrally-shaped light guide embedded in said light-emitting zone, said light guide extending continuously from said proximal end to said distal end and forming a groove that increases in surface area from said proximal end to said distal end.
4 more elements
A method of illuminating an area, said method comprising:
- generating a light flux from a light source;
- transporting said light flux via an optical light medium to a tapered enclosure of a light-emitting panel;
- and
- propagating said light flux from said tapered enclosure through a tetrahedrally-shaped groove embedded in said light-emitting panel, said tetrahedrally-shaped groove having a surface area that increases in the direction of said propagating.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.