Side light LED troffer tube

1. A side light LED tube comprising:

a tube having a smooth outer surface, the tube comprising at least one light receiving portion configured to receive light; and

a plurality of non-reflective gradient optics having varying transparencies from each other and each being formed on the tube, the gradient optics being configured to distribute the light to achieve a selected emitted light intensity variation across a selected surface of the tube,

wherein the plurality of gradient optics comprise regions that each have substantially uniform transparency along a length of the region, and

wherein the transparency of the plurality of gradient optics progressively increases along the tube so that light emitted from the light receiving portion of the tube is substantially uniform.

2. The tube of claim 1 , wherein the gradient optics are configured to distribute the light so that the emitted light intensity is substantially the same along the selected length of the tube.

3. The tube of claim 1 , wherein said tube comprises a reflective portion and an optics portion.

4. The tube of claim 3 , wherein said reflective portion comprises at least one reflective surface that reflects light toward the optics portion.

5. The tube of claim 3 , wherein said optics portion comprises at least one surface onto which the gradient optics are formed.

6. The tube of claim 5 , wherein said at least one surface comprises an interior surface and an exterior surface and the gradient optics are formed on at least one of the interior surface and the exterior surface.

7. The tube of claim 1 , wherein said tube comprises at least one cross-sectional shape selected from a set of shapes comprising circular, oval, elliptical, parabolic, and multisided shapes.

8. The tube of claim 1 , wherein said gradient optics comprise at least one of material thickness, material layering, material density, material variation, material coating, thin film application, surface texturing and surface defects that are associated with the tube.

9. The tube of claim 1 , further comprising at least one LED coupled to the at least one light receiving portion, respectively, and configured to emit the light within the tube.

10. The tube of claim 9 , further comprising integrated power and thermal management circuitry coupled to the at least one LED.

11. The tube of claim 10 , wherein said integrated power and thermal management circuitry comprise a connector configure to mate with a troffer socket.

12. The tube of claim 1 , wherein said tube is configured to have a selected length so that the troffer tube is equivalent to one of a TS or TI2 fluorescent tube.

13. The tube of claim 1 , wherein said tube comprises a non-linear shape.

14. The tube of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of gradient optics decreases in thickness along the tube to provide the increasing transparency.

15. The tube of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of gradient optics comprise varying diffuser films along the tube to provide the increasing transparency.

16. A lighting device comprising:

a housing; and

a side light LED tube coupled to the housing and comprising:

a tube having a smooth outer surface, the tube comprising at least one light receiving portion configured to receive light; and

a plurality of non-reflective gradient optics having varying transparencies from each other and each being formed on the tube, the gradient optics being configured to distribute the light to achieve a selected emitted light intensity variation across a selected surface of the tube,

wherein the plurality of gradient optics comprise regions that each have substantially uniform transparency along a length of the region, and

wherein the transparency of the plurality of gradient optics progressively increases along the tube so that light emitted from the light receiving portion of the tube is substantially uniform.

17. The device of claim 16 , wherein the transparency gradient is configured to distribute the light so that the emitted light intensity is substantially the same along the selected length of the tube.

18. The device of claim 16 , wherein said tube comprises a reflective portion and an optics portion.

19. The device of claim 18 , wherein said reflective portion comprises at least one reflective surface that reflects light toward the optics portion.

20. The device of claim 16 , wherein said tube comprises at least one cross-sectional shape selected from a set of shapes comprising circular, oval, elliptical, parabolic, and multisided shapes.

21. The device of claim 20 , wherein said optics portion comprises at least one surface onto which the gradient optics are formed.

22. The device of claim 21 , wherein said at least one surface comprises an interior surface and an exterior surface and the gradient optics are formed on at least one of the interior surface and the exterior surface.

23. The device of claim 16 , wherein said gradient optics comprise at least one of material thickness, material layering, material density, material variation, material coating, thin film application, surface texturing and surface defects that are associated with the tube.

24. The device of claim 16 , further comprising at least one LED coupled to the at least one light receiving portion, respectively, and configured to emit the light within the tube.

25. The device of claim 24 , further comprising integrated power and thermal management circuitry coupled to the at least one LED.

26. The device of claim 25 , wherein said integrated power and thermal management circuitry comprise a connector configure to mate with a troffer socket.

27. The device of claim 16 , wherein said tube is configured to have a selected length so that the troffer tube is equivalent to one of a T8 or TI2 fluorescent tube.

28. The device of claim 16 , wherein said tube comprises a non-linear shape.