Daylight collectors with diffuse and direct light collection
AssigneeSolatube International, Inc.
InventorPaul August Jaster
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Lighting devices and methods for providing daylight to the interior of a structure are disclosed. Some embodiments disclosed herein provide a daylighting device including a tube having a sidewall with a reflective interior surface, a light collecting structure, and a light reflector positioned to reflect daylight into the light collector. In some embodiments, the light collector is associated with one or more light-turning and/or light reflecting structures configured to increase the amount of light captured by the daylighting device. Optical elements may allow for the absorption and/or selective transmission of infrared light away from an interior of the daylighting device.
Claims25
A light-collecting device configured to direct daylight through a collector base aperture and into an interior of a building when the light-collecting device is installed on a roof of the building, the device comprising:
- a top cover portion;
- a sidewall portion configured to support the top cover portion above an upper end of the sidewall portion and to define a collector base aperture at a lower end of the sidewall portion, wherein the sidewall portion has a height that extends between the top cover portion and the collector base aperture;
- a prismatic element configured to refract at least a portion of light that passes through the top cover portion, wherein the prismatic element comprises a planar surface and a prismatic surface, wherein the prismatic surface is opposite the planar surface, and wherein the prismatic surface is positioned between the planar surface and the collector base aperture;
- and
- a reflector configured to turn at least a portion of the refracted light towards the collector base aperture;
- wherein the light-collecting device is configured to be positioned over an opening in a roof of a building and is configured to direct daylight into the opening in the roof when the light-collecting device is installed as part of a daylighting device installation.
An at least partially transparent light-collecting device configured to direct daylight through a collector base aperture and into an interior of a building when the light-collecting device is installed on a roof of the building, the device comprising:
- a top cover portion;
- a sidewall portion configured to support the top cover portion above an upper end of the sidewall portion and to define a collector base aperture at a lower end of the sidewall portion, wherein the sidewall portion has a height that extends between the top cover portion and the collector base aperture;
- a prismatic element configured to refract a portion of light that passes through the top cover portion, wherein the prismatic element comprises a planar surface and a prismatic surface, wherein the prismatic surface is opposite the planar surface, and wherein the prismatic surface is positioned between the planar surface and the collector base aperture;
- and
- wherein the light-collecting device is configured to be positioned over an opening in a roof of a building and is configured to direct daylight into the opening in the roof when the light-collecting device is installed as part of a daylighting device installation.
A method of illuminating an interior of a building, the method comprising:
- receiving daylight on a sidewall surface;
- turning the daylight towards an aperture lying in a substantially horizontal plane using a prismatic film disposed within a light-collecting device, the prismatic film comprising a prismatic surface and a planar surface, wherein the prismatic surface is opposite the planar surface, and wherein the prismatic surface is positioned between the planar surface and the aperture;
- and
- reflecting at least a portion of the daylight towards the aperture using a reflector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.