# US 9,518,708 B2 · Lighting apparatus

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- Number: US 9,518,708 B2
- Document ID: US9518708B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/250,882
- Filed: 2014-04-11
- Published: 2014-10-16
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2013-04-12
- Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Panasonic Corporation
- Inventors: Takashi Ohta; Atsushi Motoya
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9518708B2

## CPC

- F21V 5/002: {using microoptical elements for redirecting or diffusing light}
- B60Q 3/43: General lighting
- F21V 5/045: {the lens having discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lenses}
- F21V 5/10: comprising photoluminescent material
- G02B 5/0242: {by means of dispersed particles}
- G02B 19/0061: {the light source comprising a LED}
- B64D 2011/0038: {Illumination systems for cabins as a whole}
- B64D 2203/00: Aircraft or airfield lights using LEDs
- F21Y 2103/10: comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements
- F21Y 2115/10: Light-emitting diodes [LED]
- F21V: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
- F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED

## Abstract

A lighting apparatus includes a plurality of LEDs arranged in a row; an elongated wiring board on which the LEDs are mounted; and an optical lens covering all the LEDs and controlling distribution of light emitted from each LED. The light emitted from each LED has an optical axis orthogonal to the wiring board. The optical lens is a converging lens and includes a first light incident surface on which the light emitted from the LED is incident, a medium that guides the light incident from the light incident surface, a light emitting surface, and a diffusion section that contains diffusing particles for causing the light incident from the LED to diffuse. The concentration of the diffusing particles in the diffusion section is high in the vicinity of the optical axis of the light emitted from the LED and gradually decreases as a distance from the optical axis increases.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A lighting apparatus comprising:
a plurality of LED structures having a plurality of LEDs arranged in a row;
a wiring board having an elongated shape, on which the LEDs are mounted; and
an optical lens that covers the LED structures, and controls distribution of light emitted from each of the LEDs, wherein
each of the plurality of LED structures includes a plurality of LED types that each emit light of a different color from each other and are mounted on the wiring board in a row, and
the light emitted from each LED has an optical axis orthogonal to the wiring board,
the optical lens is a converging lens which has an elongated shape that covers all of the LEDs included in at least one of the LED structures, and includes a light incident surface on which the light emitted from the LED is incident, a medium that guides the light incident from the light incident surface, a light emitting surface that emits the light guided through the medium, and a diffuser that contains diffusing particles for causing the light incident from the LED to diffuse, and
the concentration of the diffusing particles in the diffuser is high in the vicinity of the optical axis of the light emitted from the LED and gradually decreases as a distance from the optical axis increases,
wherein the medium contains the diffusing particles to provide the diffuser.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the optical lens is configured to have a Fresnel structure at the light emitting surface.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the optical lens is configured to have a Fresnel structure at the light incident surface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The lighting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
the optical lens further includes a translucent coating that coats the light emitting surface, and
the translucent coating has a refractive index higher than a refractive index of the medium.