IP Library Granted Patent US 8,742,435
Granted Patent B2
US 8,742,435 · App. 12/933,486 · Granted Jun 3, 2014

LED lighting device

Inventors: Kenichiro Tanaka (Neyagawa, JP); Akira Fukuoka (Moriguchi, JP)
Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,742,435
App. No.
12/933,486
Granted
Jun 3, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

The LED lighting device in this invention comprises a light source, a first face sheet, and a reflection sheet. The light source comprises a plurality of LED chips which are configured to emit lights having wavelengths which are different from each other. The first face sheet has a rear surface. The rear surface is defined as a diffusing and reflecting surface which is being configured to diffuse and reflect the lights which are emitted from the LED chips. The first face sheet is provided with a plurality of apertures. The reflection sheet has a second reflecting surface. The second reflecting surface is configured to reflect the light which is reflected from the diffusing and reflecting surface of the first face sheet toward the first face sheet. Each the aperture is shaped to pass the light which is reflected from the second reflecting surface. Each the aperture is configured to prevent the light which is directly emitted by the light from being passed through the aperture without being subjected to any reflection.

Claims (47)

1. An LED lighting device comprising:

a light source comprising a plurality of LED chips which are configured to emit lights having wavelengths which are different from each other;

a first face sheet having a front surface and a rear surface, said rear surface being defined as a diffusing and reflecting surface being configured to diffuse and reflect the lights which are emitted from said LED chips, said first face sheet being disposed such that said rear surface is faced to said light source, said first face sheet having a center axis and a plurality of apertures, each of said plurality of apertures having a width which extends along a direction perpendicular to the center axis and a depth along the center axis; and

a reflection sheet having a second reflecting surface, said reflection sheet being disposed such that said second reflecting surface is faced to said rear surface of said first face sheet, said reflection sheet being spaced from said first face sheet by a predetermined distance, said second reflecting surface being configured to reflect lights reflected by said diffusing and reflecting surface, toward said first face sheet, wherein:

said light source is aligned with said center axis,

the first face sheet is a sheet closest to the reflection sheet,

said first face sheet has said plurality of apertures through which the lights reflected by said second reflecting surface passes, each of said plurality of apertures having a shape so as not to pass a light which is emitted and directly traveled from said light source to said plurality of apertures, whereby none of the light which is emitted from said light source passes through said aperture without being subjected to any reflection, and

each of said plurality of apertures has an opening dimension which is perpendicular to the center axis, said opening dimensions of said plurality of apertures being made smaller toward said center axis, each of said plurality of apertures is shaped to have an aspect ratio which is determined by a ratio of its own depth to width, and each of said plurality of apertures being shaped to have an aspect ratio so as not to directly pass the light, being emitted from said light source, without any reflection.

2. The LED lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

each of said plurality of apertures has an inside surface which diffuse and reflect the lights emitted from said light source, and

the lights emitted from said light source is diffused and reflected by said inside surface of said aperture and are directed toward an outside of said LED lighting device.

3. The LED lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

said reflecting sheet is spaced from said first face sheet by the predetermined distance so as to leave a space between said first face sheet and said reflecting sheet, and

said space is filled with air.

4. The LED lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein

said depths of said plurality of apertures are made greater toward said center axis.

5. The LED lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

each of said plurality of apertures has a first inside surface and a second inside surface which is faced to said first inside surface, said first inside surface being located on a near side of the center axis,

each of said widths becomes smaller toward said rear surface from said front surface, and

said second inside surface extends in parallel to said center axis.

6. The LED lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

each of said plurality of apertures has a periphery with a far portion which is located far way from said center axis than a rest of said aperture, and

said face sheet further comprises reflecting walls, each of said reflecting walls extending toward a front direction from each said far portions.

7. The LED lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein

said LED lighting device further comprises a light guide plate which is disposed on said front surface of said face sheet.

8. The LED lighting device as set forth in claim 7 , wherein:

said light guide plate has a fixing surface attached to said front surface of said face sheet, and an exposed surface opposite to said fixing surface, and

said exposed surface is shaped to have a convex-concave profile, whereby a light extraction effect is improved.

9. The LED lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

said LED lighting device further comprises a second face sheet,

said second face sheet having a front surface and a rear face which is defined as a diffusing and reflecting surface being configured to diffuse and reflect the lights which is emitted from said LED chips, said second face sheet being shaped to have a plurality of second apertures each of which has a width and a depth,

said second face sheet is opposite to said LED chips from said first face sheet,

each of said plurality of second apertures is shaped to pass the light which is reflected by said second reflecting surface, and

each of said second plurality of apertures has having a shape so as not to pass the light directly from said light source, without any reflection.

10. The LED lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

said LED lighting device further comprises a spacer, said spacer being disposed between said first face sheet and said reflection sheet so as to leave a space between said first face sheet and said reflection sheet, and

said first face sheet, said reflection sheet and said spacer define a housing.

11. The LED lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein

the plurality of LED chips are encapsulated by a light transmissive member having a lens shape.

12. The LED lighting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein

a thickness of the first face sheet is made greater toward the center axis.

13. An LED lighting device comprising:

a light source including a plurality of LED chips which are configured to emit lights having wavelengths which are different from each other;

one or more of face sheets, each having a front surface and a rear surface, the rear surface being configured to diffuse and reflect the lights emitted from the light source, and each being disposed such that the rear surface faces the light source, the one or more of face sheets having a center axis and a plurality of apertures; and

a reflection sheet having a reflecting surface and disposed such that the reflecting surface faces the rear surface of one of the one or more of face sheets closest to the reflection sheet, the reflection sheet being spaced from the one of the one or more of face sheets closest to the reflection sheet by a predetermined distance, the reflecting surface being configured to reflect lights reflected by the rear surface of the one of the one or more of face sheets closest to the reflection sheet toward the one of the one or more of face sheets closest to the reflection sheet, wherein:

the light source is aligned with the center axis,

the plurality of apertures of the one of the one or more of face sheets closest to the reflection sheet are configured such that no direct light which are emitted from the light source and which are not reflected by the rear surface, the reflection sheet or inside surfaces of the plurality of apertures of the one of the one or more of face sheets closest to the reflection sheet passes through the plurality of apertures of the one of the one or more of face sheets closest to the reflection sheet.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Feb 13, 2012
From: PANASONIC ELECTRIC WORKS CO.,LTD.,
To: PANASONIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 027697/0525 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 20, 2010
From: TANAKA, KENICHIRO; FUKUOKA, AKIRA
To: PANASONIC ELECTRIC WORKS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 025012/0643 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2008-076699 · Mar 24, 2008 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20110018012A1 · Jan 27, 2011