Quantum dot containing optical element
View Patent ↗An illumination device including a light source positioned at the distal end of a reflecting unit and a heat sink light transmissive substrate including quantum dots positioned at the proximal end of the reflecting unit with the reflecting unit having one or more reflecting side walls and a reflecting bottom wall and with the light source being separated a distance from the light transmissive substrate including quantum dots. In certain embodiments, the light source is an LED.
1. An illumination device comprising:
a light source positioned at a distal end of a reflecting unit,
the reflecting unit including a reflecting side wall and a reflecting bottom wall; and
an optic including quantum dots forming a layer thereof sandwiched between two heat sink light transmissive substrates, the two heat sink light transmissive substrates and the layer of the quantum dots sandwiched therebetween being disposed completely above an upper edge of the reflecting side wall, such that the optic is separated from the light source by a distance, wherein the upper edge is furthest from the reflecting bottom wall, wherein
the two heat sink light transmissive substrates between which is sandwiched the layer of the quantum dots, are directly connected to each other at opposing ends thereof,
an area of each of the opposing ends at which the two heat sink light transmissive substrates are directly connected to each other is free of the quantum dots and transfers heat away from the quantum dots, and
the area of each of the opposing ends of the two heat sink light transmissive substrates which is free of the quantum dots overlaps and directly contacts the upper edge of the reflecting side wall along a direction extending from the optic toward the reflecting bottom wall, wherein the direction is perpendicular to the reflecting bottom wall.
2. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein an area of the optic including the layer of the quantum dots sandwiched between the two heat sink light transmissive substrates corresponds to a surface area of the light source.
3. The illumination device of claim 2 wherein the quantum dots are confined to an area roughly equal to or slightly larger than the surface area of the light source.
4. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein the optic includes a plurality of areas including the quantum dots sandwiched between the two heat sink light transmissive substrates.
5. The illumination device of claim 1
wherein the light source comprises a plurality of LEDs, and
wherein the optic includes a plurality of areas including quantum dots which correspond to the plurality of LEDs.
6. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein the quantum dots occupy less than 90% of a surface area between the two heat sink light transmissive substrates.
7. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein the quantum dots occupy less than 80% of a surface area between the two heat sink light transmissive substrates.
8. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein the quantum dots occupy less than 70% of a surface area between the two heat sink light transmissive substrates.
9. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein the quantum dots occupy less than 60% of a surface area between the two heat sink light transmissive substrates.
10. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein the quantum dots occupy less than 50% of a surface area between the two heat sink light transmissive substrates.
11. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein a portion of the area of each of the opposing ends of the two heat sink light transmissive substrates lacking the quantum dots is a heat sink.
12. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein the optic includes one or more layers of the quantum dots between the two heat sink light transmissive substrates.
13. The illumination device of claim 12 wherein the optic includes two layers of the quantum dots and a bandpass filter positioned between the two layers of the quantum dots.
14. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein the reflecting unit includes a reflective wall that allows light emitted from the quantum dots to exit the reflecting unit through the reflective wall.
15. The illumination device of claim 14 wherein the reflective wall includes openings to allow light emitted from the quantum dots to exit the reflecting unit through the reflective wall.
16. The illumination device of claim 14 wherein the reflecting unit includes transparent reflective wall portions to allow light emitted from the quantum dots to exit the reflecting unit through the transparent reflective wall portions.
17. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein the reflecting unit includes a heat reflective outer wall.
18. The illumination device of claim 1 electrically connected to a base unit.
19. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein the light source, reflecting unit and the optic are fixedly connected to form a quantum light optic module having a connector for removably and electrically engaging a base unit.
20. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein at least one of the optic and light source is removably attached to the reflecting unit.
21. The illumination device of claim 1 wherein the reflecting unit is removably attached to a base unit.
22. An assembly comprising a plurality of illumination devices with each illumination device comprising
a light source positioned at a distal end of a reflecting unit;
the reflecting unit including a reflecting side wall and a reflecting bottom wall; and
an optic including quantum dots forming a layer thereof sandwiched between two heat sink light transmissive substrates, the two heat sink light transmissive substrates and the layer of the quantum dots sandwiched therebetween being disposed completely above an upper edge of the reflecting side wall, such that the optic is separated from the light source by a distance, wherein the upper edge is furthest from the reflecting bottom wall, wherein
the two heat sink light transmissive substrates between which is sandwiched the layer of the quantum dots, are directly connected to each other at opposing ends thereof,
an area of each of the opposing ends at which the two heat sink light transmissive substrates are directly connected to each other is free of the quantum dots and transfers heat away from the quantum dots,
the area of each of the opposing ends of the two heat sink light transmissive substrates which is free of the quantum dots overlaps and directly contacts the upper edge of the reflecting side wall along a direction extending from the optic toward the reflecting bottom wall, wherein the direction is perpendicular to the reflecting bottom wall, and
the light source, reflecting unit and the optic are fixedly connected to form a quantum light optic module which is removably and electrically engaged to a base unit.