Patents Assigned to Quarkstar LLC
  • Patent number: 10107475
    Abstract: A light-emitting device includes a lens of refractive index n having a spherical exit surface of radius R and a luminous element positioned such that at least a portion of an edge of an emitting surface of the luminous element lies on a sphere of radius R/n opposite the exit surface, whereby that portion of the edge of the emitting surface is aplanatically imaged by the spherical exit surface. The light-emitting device may further include one or more reflective sidewalls arranged to reflect a fraction of light emitted from the luminous element before it is refracted by the exit surface. A luminaire incorporating a housing and a light-emitting device of this type is also provided, which may include one or more additional optical elements such as reflectors or lenses to further direct and shape light from the light-emitting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: George E. Smith, Robert C. Gardner
  • Patent number: 10094969
    Abstract: An illumination device includes a plurality of light-emitting elements (LEEs); a light guide extending in a forward direction from a first end to a second end to receive at the first end light emitted by the LEEs and to guide the received light to the second end; an optical extractor optically coupled to the second end to receive the guided light, the optical extractor including a redirecting surface to reflect a first portion of the guided light, the reflected light being output by the optical extractor in a backward angular range, and the redirecting surface having one or more transmissive portions to transmit a second portion of the guided light in the forward direction; and one or more optical elements optically coupled to the transmissive portions, the optical elements to modify the light transmitted through the transmissive portions and to output the modified light in a forward angular range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Allan Brent York, Hans Peter Stormberg, Louis Lerman, Ferdinand Schinagl, Wilson Dau
  • Patent number: 10088618
    Abstract: A variety of light-emitting devices are disclosed that are configured to output light provided by a light-emitting element (LEE). In general, embodiments of the light-emitting devices feature a light-emitting element, a scattering element that is spaced apart from the light-emitting element and an extractor element coupled to the scattering element, where the extractor element includes, at least in part, a total internal reflection surface. Luminaires incorporating light-emitting devices of this type are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Hans Peter Stormberg, Robert C. Gardner, Gregory A. Magel, Ferdinand Schinagl, Roland H. Haitz
  • Patent number: 9983345
    Abstract: The present technology relates to luminaires including a housing and a luminaire module disposed within the housing, where the housing has apertures through which light that is output by the luminaire module exits the luminaire towards one or more target areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Wilson Dau, Allan Brent York, Louis Lerman, Ferdinand Schinagl, Hans Peter Stormberg
  • Patent number: 9945534
    Abstract: A bidirectional light sheet including at least first and second arrays of bare LED chips having top and bottom electrodes, where the arrays of LEDs are sandwiched between at least two transparent substrates having conductors bonded to the electrodes without wires, forming light sheets to emit light from opposite surfaces of the light sheet to create a bidirectional light sheet. The light sheet may be suspended from a ceiling to be non-parallel to the ceiling A reflector or a plurality of lenses may be included in the light sheet to emit light at any peak intensity angle to achieve a predetermined light emission pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Wilson Dau, Louis Lerman, Allan Brent York
  • Patent number: 9915410
    Abstract: A variety of light-emitting devices are disclosed that are configured to output light provided by a light-emitting element (LEE). In general, embodiments of the light-emitting devices feature two or more light-emitting elements, a scattering element that is spaced apart from the light-emitting elements, an extractor element coupled to the scattering element, and a reflective element that is configured and arranged to reflect light emitted from the light-emitting elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Allan Brent York, Roland H. Haitz, Louis Lerman
  • Patent number: 9913339
    Abstract: In a single lighting device including a large number of light-emitting elements (LEEs), the LEEs are divided into separately powered groups, and different combinations of the groups are fully energized to achieve the desired overall brightness. In some embodiments, the number of LEEs in each group has a binary relationship to the other groups. The resolution of the dimming is the brightness of the smallest group. In one example of five binary weighted groups of LEEs, 32 brightness levels can be achieved while the LEEs in the energized groups are fully ON. Thus, since there is no high frequency switching, there is substantially no power dissipation by the dimming control system, and there is limited noise or EMI created. The dimming control can be easily implemented with a logic circuit controlling a transistor switch for each group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Wilson Dau, George Lerman, Ferdinand Schinagl, Jacqueline Teng, Allan Brent York
  • Patent number: 9891371
    Abstract: An illumination device includes light-emitting elements (LEEs); a light guide extending in a forward direction from a first end to a second end, the light guide being positioned to receive at the first end light emitted by the LEEs and to guide the received light to the second end; and an optical extractor coupled to the second end to receive the guided light. The optical extractor is formed from a transparent, solid material and includes a first output surface including a transmissive portion arranged and shaped to transmit a first portion of the guided light to the ambient in a forward angular range and a reflective portion arranged and shaped to reflect via TIR all the guided light incident on the reflective portion; and a second output surface arranged to transmit, to the ambient in a backward angular range, light reflected by the reflective portion of the first output surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Allan Brent York, Ferdinand Schinagl, Wilson Dau, Louis Lerman, Hans Peter Stormberg
  • Patent number: 9863605
    Abstract: A variety of light-emitting devices for general illumination utilizing solid state light sources (e.g., light emitting diodes) are disclosed. In general, the devices include a scattering element in combination with an extractor element. The scattering element, which may include elastic and/or inelastic scattering centers, is spaced apart from the light source element. Opposite sides of the scattering element have asymmetric optical interfaces, there being a larger refractive index mismatch at the interface facing the light emitting element than the interface between the scattering element and the extractor element. Such a structure favors forward scattering of light from the scattering element. In other words, the system favors scattering out of the scattering element into the extractor element over backscattering light towards the light source element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Roland H. Haitz, George E. Smith, Robert C. Gardner, Louis Lerman
  • Patent number: 9846272
    Abstract: Illumination devices are described for illuminating a target area, e.g., floors of a room, using solid-state light sources. In general, an illumination device includes a first light guide extending along a first plane, the first light guide to receive light from first light emitting elements (LEEs) and guide the light in a first direction in the first plane; a second light guide extending along the first plane, the second light guide to receive light from second LEEs and guide the light in a second direction in the first plane opposite to the first direction; a first redirecting optic to receive light from the first light guide and direct the light in first and second angular ranges; and a second redirecting optic to receive light from the second light guide and direct the light in third and fourth angular ranges, where the first, second, third and fourth angular ranges are different.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Wilson Dau, Louis Lerman, Ingo Speier
  • Patent number: 9822948
    Abstract: A luminaire module delivers light with a beam angle of ?. The luminaire module includes a light emitting module and a reflector positioned symmetrically about an axis. Light produced by the light emitting module exits the light emitting module from one or more spatially-extended light emitting portions. The light emitting portion(s) is (are) fully contained within a spatially extended notional design envelope which is used to guide the design of reflector and its corresponding reflective surface, such that when any light exiting the light emitting portions through the design envelope strikes the reflective surface of the reflector, the light does not return to the source and escapes from the luminaire module within a beam angle ?, with no more than a single reflection from a reflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: George E. Smith, Robert C. Gardner, Roland H. Haitz, Louis Lerman
  • Patent number: 9752757
    Abstract: A variety of light-emitting devices are disclosed that are configured to manipulate light provided by one or more light-emitting elements (LEEs). In general, a light-emitting device includes one or more light-emitting elements (LEEs) disposed on a base surface that are configured to emit light, a first optical element having a first surface spaced apart from the LEEs and positioned to receive light from the LEEs, a transparent second optical coupled to the first optical element, and a reflector element adjacent the second optical element arranged to reflect a portion of light output from the second optical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: John J. Uebbing, Roland H. Haitz
  • Patent number: 9746173
    Abstract: Devices used for workspace illumination include, for example, a panel and a solid-state based optical system arranged inside an enclosure of the panel. The panel can be a cubicle divider. In one aspect, an illumination device includes a mount; a panel including a first face and a second opposing face. The panel is vertically supported by the mount along a horizontal dimension of the first and second faces. Further, the panel forms an enclosure between the first and the second face. Additionally, the illumination device includes a first luminaire module arranged in the enclosure and configured to output light in a first output angular range. The light output in the first output angular range has a prevalent propagation direction with a vertical component towards a first target area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Wilson Dau, Ingo Speier, Ferdinand Schinagl, Edgar R. Velasquez
  • Patent number: 9733414
    Abstract: Illumination systems are described for illuminating a target area, e.g., a floor of a room, using active illumination devices in optical communication with passive illumination devices. The active and passive illumination devices of the illumination system are configured and arranged relative to each other in a variety of ways so a variety of intensity distributions can be provided by the illumination system. Such illumination system is implemented to provide light for particular lighting applications, including office lighting, garage lighting, or cabinet lighting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Hans Peter Stormberg, Louis Lerman, Robert C. Gardner, Ingo Speier, Allan Brent York
  • Publication number: 20170198881
    Abstract: A luminaire assembly includes a substrate; light emitting elements (LEEs) secured to the substrate; optical couplers arranged along the substrate, each optical coupler being positioned to receive light emitting from a corresponding one of the LEEs and to direct the light in a forward direction orthogonal to the substrate; a redirecting surface spaced apart from the couplers along the forward direction to reflect the light from the optical couplers to an ambient environment in a backward angular range; a housing comprising a support structure and a layer of a heat conducting material disposed on the support structure, where a thermal conductivity of the layer of heat conducting material is greater than a thermal conductivity of a material forming the support structure; and a heat coupling layer arranged between the substrate and the housing, the heat coupling layer being adjacent to the heat conducting material of the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Publication date: July 13, 2017
    Applicant: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Charles R. McCreary, JR., Ferdinand Schinagl
  • Patent number: 9683710
    Abstract: A variety of illumination devices for general illumination utilizing solid state light sources (e.g., light-emitting diodes) are disclosed. In general, an illumination device can include multiple light sources that are disposed on a substrate, where at least some of the light sources include a light-emitting diode (LED) and a corresponding inelastic scattering element surrounding, at least in part, the LED. The inelastic scattering elements can have different light emission spectra. The illumination device can further include a light-mixing element adapted to receive light that is output by the light sources, where, during operation of the illumination device, each inelastic scattering element inelastically scatters light emitted from its corresponding LED, and the light-mixing element mixes the light received from the inelastic scattering elements to provide the output light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventor: Ferdinand Schinagl
  • Patent number: 9664839
    Abstract: An illumination device includes a plurality of light-emitting elements (LEEs); a light guide extending in a forward direction from a first end to a second end to receive at the first end light emitted by the LEEs and to guide the received light to the second end; an optical extractor optically coupled to the second end to receive the guided light, the optical extractor including a redirecting surface to reflect a first portion of the guided light, the reflected light being output by the optical extractor in a backward angular range, and the redirecting surface having one or more transmissive portions to transmit a second portion of the guided light in the forward direction; and one or more optical elements optically coupled to the transmissive portions, the optical elements to modify the light transmitted through the transmissive portions and to output the modified light in a forward angular range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Allan Brent York, Hans Peter Stormberg, Louis Lerman, Ferdinand Schinagl, Wilson Dau
  • Patent number: 9658382
    Abstract: A solid-state luminaire module includes one or more light-emitting elements (LEEs) and a light guide. The light guide includes a receiving end and an opposing end, the receiving end being arranged to receive the light provided by the LEEs; a pair of opposing side surfaces, extending along a length of the light guide between the receiving end and the opposing end, to guide the received light in a forward direction; and a plurality of redirecting interfaces spaced apart from each other and distributed along a portion of the length of the light guide adjacent the opposing end. The redirecting interfaces are configured to reflect a portion of the guided light in a backward direction as return light, such that the return light can transmit through the pair of opposing side surfaces into the ambient as output light of the luminaire module, the output light to propagate in backward directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventor: Louis Lerman
  • Patent number: 9557030
    Abstract: An illumination device includes light-emitting elements (LEEs); a light guide extending in a forward direction from a first end to a second end, the light guide being positioned to receive at the first end light emitted by the LEEs and to guide the received light to the second end; and an optical extractor coupled to the second end to receive the guided light. The optical extractor is formed from a transparent, solid material and includes a first output surface including a transmissive portion arranged and shaped to transmit a first portion of the guided light to the ambient in a forward angular range and a reflective portion arranged and shaped to reflect via TIR all the guided light incident on the reflective portion; and a second output surface arranged to transmit, to the ambient in a backward angular range, light reflected by the reflective portion of the first output surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Allan Brent York, Ferdinand Schinagl, Wilson Dau, Louis Lerman, Hans Peter Stormberg
  • Patent number: 9557018
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an LED lamp has a generally bulb shape. The LEDs are low power types and axe encapsulated in thin, narrow, flexible strips. The LEDs are connected in series in the strips to drop a desired voltage. The strips are affixed to the outer surface of a bulb form to provide structure to the lamp. The strips are connected in parallel to a power supply, which may be housed in the lamp. Since many low power LEDs are used and are spread out over a large surface area, there is no need for a large metal heat sink. Further, the light emission is similar to that of an incandescent bulb. In other embodiment, there is no bulb form and the strips are bendable to have a variety of shapes. In another embodiment, a light sheet is bent to provide 360 degrees of light emission. Many other embodiments are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Robert V. Steele, Louis Lerman, Allan Brent York, Wilson Dau, Jacqueline Teng, George Lerman