Patents by Inventor Eric Bretschneider

Eric Bretschneider has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11991801
    Abstract: A system includes two or more phosphor-containing white LEDs (or other color-shifting artificial light sources) selected so that their combined color shift over at least 8,000 hours (e.g., at least 10,000 hours, at least 20,000 hours, at least 30,000 hours, at least 40,000 hours, up to 200,000 hours, up to 100,000 hours, up to 80,000 hours) of operation is less than at least one of the LED's (or the other color-shifting artificial light source's) color shift over that time. Here, the combined color shift (?u?v?) over the at least 8,000 hours (e.g., at least 10,000 hours, at least 20,000 hours, at least 30,000 hours, at least 40,000 hours, up to 200,000 hours, up to 100,000 hours, up to 80,000 hours) of operation can be less than 0.007 (e.g., 0.006 or less, 0.005 or less, 0.004 or less, 0.003 or less, 0.002 or less, 0.001 or less, 0.0005 or less).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Eric Bretschneider, Louis Lerman, Hans Peter Stormberg
  • Publication number: 20230408748
    Abstract: A luminaire module includes light-emitting elements (LEEs) arranged to provide light; a light guide including a receiving end and an opposing end, the receiving end arranged to receive light provided by the LEEs, a core including a first transparent material with a first refractive index, the core having a pair of opposing side surfaces extending along a length of the light guide between the receiving and opposing ends, and a cladding including a second material having a second smaller refractive index, the cladding extending across and being in contact with at least a portion of the opposing side surfaces forming a cladding-core interface. The cladding-core interface is optically smooth. Additionally, the luminaire module includes an optical extractor arranged to receive guided light from the opposing end of the light guide and configured to output into the ambient environment at least some of the received guided light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Inventors: Eric Bretschneider, Ferdinand Schinagl
  • Publication number: 20230184407
    Abstract: A luminaire includes multiple light-emitting elements (LEEs); a base supporting the LEEs; and a first wall and a second wall each extending along a first direction from a respective first end facing the LEEs to a respective second end. The first and second walls have light-reflective surfaces facing each other. In one or more cross-sectional planes parallel to the first direction, the light-reflective surfaces of the first and second walls have first portions that curve in opposite directions, second portions that are parallel, and third portions that curve in like directions. The first portions are arranged facing the LEEs to provide an input aperture that receives light from the LEEs. The third portions are arranged to provide an exit aperture that outputs output light into an ambient environment. The first and second walls are configured to propagate light from the input aperture to the exit aperture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2022
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Inventors: Eric Bretschneider, Louis Lerman, Ferdinand Schinagl
  • Publication number: 20230109630
    Abstract: A system includes two or more phosphor-containing white LEDs (or other color-shifting artificial light sources) selected so that their combined color shift over at least 8,000 hours (e.g., at least 10,000 hours, at least 20,000 hours, at least 30,000 hours, at least 40,000 hours, up to 200,000 hours, up to 100,000 hours, up to 80,000 hours) of operation is less than at least one of the LED's (or the other color-shifting artificial light source's) color shift over that time. Here, the combined color shift (?u?v?) over the at least 8,000 hours (e.g., at least 10,000 hours, at least 20,000 hours, at least 30,000 hours, at least 40,000 hours, up to 200,000 hours, up to 100,000 hours, up to 80,000 hours) of operation can be less than 0.007 (e.g., 0.006 or less, 0.005 or less, 0.004 or less, 0.003 or less, 0.002 or less, 0.001 or less, 0.0005 or less).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventors: Eric Bretschneider, Louis Lerman, Hans Peter Stormberg
  • Patent number: 11561337
    Abstract: A luminaire module (100) includes light-emitting elements (LEEs) (110) arranged to provide light; a light guide (130) including a receiving end (131a) and an opposing end (131b), the receiving end (131a) arranged to receive light provided by the LEEs (110), a core (134) including a first transparent material with a first refractive index (n1), the core (134) having a pair of opposing side surfaces (132a, 132b) extending along a length of the light guide (130) between the receiving and opposing ends (131a, 131b), and a cladding (136) including a second material having a second smaller refractive index (n2), the cladding (136) extending across and being in contact with at least a portion of the opposing side surfaces (132a, 132b) forming a cladding-core interface. The cladding-core interface is optically smooth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Eric Bretschneider, Ferdinand Schinagl
  • Patent number: 11391438
    Abstract: A luminaire (100) includes a base (102) supporting multiple light-emitting elements (LEEs) (122); and a first wall (150-i) and a second wall (150-o) each extending along a first direction (101). The first and second walls (150-i, 150-o) have light-reflective surfaces facing each other and forming a hollow channel (152). The light-reflective surfaces have first portions (120) that curve in opposite directions, second portions (130) that are parallel, and third portions (140) that curve in like directions. The first portions (120) are arranged facing the LEEs (110) to provide an input aperture (122) that receives light from the LEEs (110). The third portions (140) are arranged to provide an exit aperture (142) that outputs output light into an ambient environment. The first and second walls (150-i, 150-o) are configured to propagate light from the input aperture (122) to the exit aperture (142).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Eric Bretschneider, Louis Lerman, Ferdinand Schinagl
  • Publication number: 20220187527
    Abstract: A luminaire includes alight source (110), an optical system (111), and a luminous areal element (LAE) (150a, 150b). The optical system (111) is configured to receive light from the light source (110) and output the light into a first far-field light distribution (145). The optical system includes one or more optical elements arranged to direct light from an input aperture (118) of the optical system to an output aperture (132) of the optical system, and one or more output surfaces at the output aperture through which light is emitted. The surface has a first dimension T. The LAE (150a, 150b) is spaced from the output aperture (132), and is configured to output light according to a second far-field light distribution (155a, 155b). The LAE has a light emission surface through which light is emitted having a second dimension W greater than T. The first and the second light distributions at least in part overlap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventor: Eric Bretschneider
  • Patent number: 11337282
    Abstract: A system includes two or more phosphor-containing white LEDs (or other color-shifting artificial light sources) selected so that their combined color shift over at least 8,000 hours (e.g., at least 10,000 hours, at least 20,000 hours, at least 30,000 hours, at least 40,000 hours, up to 200,000 hours, up to 100,000 hours, up to 80,000 hours) of operation is less than at least one of the LED's (or the other color-shifting artificial light source's) color shift over that time. Here, the combined color shift (??v?) over the at least 8,000 hours (e.g., at least 10,000 hours, at least 20,000 hours, at least 30,000 hours, at least 40,000 hours, up to 200,000 hours, up to 100,000 hours, up to 80,000 hours) of operation can be less than 0.007 (e.g., 0.006 or less, 0.005 or less, 0.004 or less, 0.003 or less, 0.002 or less, 0.001 or less, 0.0005 or less).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Quarkstar LLC
    Inventors: Eric Bretschneider, Louis Lerman, Hans Peter Stormberg
  • Publication number: 20210381675
    Abstract: An illumination device includes multiple light-emitting elements operatively arranged to emit light during operation, and a transparent elongate optical element including one or more cavities. The optical element is arranged to receive light from the light-emitting elements. The one or more cavities are arranged along an extension of the optical element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventor: Eric Bretschneider
  • Publication number: 20210341129
    Abstract: A luminaire (100) includes a base (102) supporting multiple light-emitting elements (LEEs) (122); and a first wall (150-i) and a second wall (150-o) each extending along a first direction (101). The first and second walls (150-i, 150-o) have light-reflective surfaces facing each other and forming a hollow channel (152). The light-reflective surfaces have first portions (120) that curve in opposite directions, second portions (130) that are parallel, and third portions (140) that curve in like directions. The first portions (120) are arranged facing the LEEs (110) to provide an input aperture (122) that receives light from the LEEs (110). The third portions (140) are arranged to provide an exit aperture (142) that outputs output light into an ambient environment. The first and second walls (150-i, 150-o) are configured to propagate light from the input aperture (122) to the exit aperture (142).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Inventors: Eric Bretschneider, Louis Lerman, Ferdinand Schinagl
  • Publication number: 20210055472
    Abstract: A luminaire module (100) includes light-emitting elements (LEEs) (110) arranged to provide light; a light guide (130) including a receiving end (131a) and an opposing end (131b), the receiving end (131a) arranged to receive light provided by the LEEs (110), a core (134) including a first transparent material with a first refractive index (n1), the core (134) having a pair of opposing side surfaces (132a, 132b) extending along a length of the light guide (130) between the receiving and opposing ends (131a, 131b), and a cladding (136) including a second material having a second smaller refractive index (n2), the cladding (136) extending across and being in contact with at least a portion of the opposing side surfaces (132a, 132b) forming a cladding-core interface. The cladding-core interface is optically smooth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2019
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Eric Bretschneider, Ferdinand Schinagl
  • Publication number: 20200374995
    Abstract: A luminaire includes a first light source and a second light source, the first and second light source operatively configured to provide amounts of light independently controllable during operation; and an optical system having an input aperture system and an output aperture system. The output aperture system is displaced by a predetermined distance along a forward direction from the input aperture system. The optical system is operatively coupled with the first and second light source and configured to direct light received at the input aperture system to the output aperture system. The output aperture system is configured to output light from the first light source in first directions and light from the second light source in second directions at least in part different from the first directions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Inventors: Eric Bretschneider, Louis Lerman, Ferdinand Schinagl, Andrew Stuart Gladwin
  • Publication number: 20200037412
    Abstract: A system includes two or more phosphor-containing white LEDs (or other color-shifting artificial light sources) selected so that their combined color shift over at least 8,000 hours (e.g., at least 10,000 hours, at least 20,000 hours, at least 30,000 hours, at least 40,000 hours, up to 200,000 hours, up to 100,000 hours, up to 80,000 hours) of operation is less than at least one of the LED's (or the other color-shifting artificial light source's) color shift over that time. Here, the combined color shift (??v?) over the at least 8,000 hours (e.g., at least 10,000 hours, at least 20,000 hours, at least 30,000 hours, at least 40,000 hours, up to 200,000 hours, up to 100,000 hours, up to 80,000 hours) of operation can be less than 0.007 (e.g., 0.006 or less, 0.005 or less, 0.004 or less, 0.003 or less, 0.002 or less, 0.001 or less, 0.0005 or less).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Inventors: Eric Bretschneider, Louis Lerman, Hans Peter Stormberg
  • Publication number: 20190350062
    Abstract: A lighting system comprising a light source operable to emit a source light, a sensor operable to sense environmental light from an environment, and a controller operatively connected to each of the sensor and the light source and configured to analyze the environmental light sensed by the sensor to at least one of detect and generate data relating to a condition of the environment, the data being transmittable in a transmitted data light. The sensor is operable to sense the presence or absence of a dominant wavelength associated with the environmental light. Additionally, the controller is operable to correlate the dominant wavelength with a substance, the controller is configured to detect a level of the dominant wavelength correlated with the substance, and the controller is configured to operate the lighting system to generate an alert based upon the detected level of the dominant wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Applicant: Environmental Light Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Fredric S. Maxik, Eric Bretschneider, Pedro Medelius, David Bartine, Robert Soler, Gregory Flickinger
  • Patent number: 10462874
    Abstract: A lighting system comprising a light source operable to emit a source light, a sensor operable to sense environmental light from an environment, and a controller operatively connected to each of the sensor and the light source and configured to analyze the environmental light sensed by the sensor to at least one of detect and generate data relating to a condition of the environment, the data being transmittable in a transmitted data light. The sensor is operable to sense the presence or absence of a dominant wavelength associated with the environmental light. Additionally, the controller is operable to correlate the dominant wavelength with a substance, the controller is configured to detect a level of the dominant wavelength correlated with the substance, and the controller is configured to operate the lighting system to generate an alert based upon the detected level of the dominant wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Environmental Light Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Fredric S. Maxik, Eric Bretschneider, Pedro Medelius, David Bartine, Robert Soler, Gregory Flickinger
  • Publication number: 20190182923
    Abstract: A lighting system comprising a light source operable to emit a source light, a sensor operable to sense environmental light from an environment, and a controller operatively connected to each of the sensor and the light source and configured to analyze the environmental light sensed by the sensor to at least one of detect and generate data relating to a condition of the environment, the data being transmittable in a transmitted data light. The sensor is operable to sense the presence or absence of a dominant wavelength associated with the environmental light. Additionally, the controller is operable to correlate the dominant wavelength with a substance, the controller is configured to detect a level of the dominant wavelength correlated with the substance, and the controller is configured to operate the lighting system to generate an alert based upon the detected level of the dominant wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Applicant: Environmental Light Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Fredric S. Maxik, Eric Bretschneider, Pedro Medelius, David Bartine, Robert Soler, Gregory Flickinger
  • Patent number: 10297584
    Abstract: A LED device is disclosed. The device has a LED area, a boundary element surrounding the LED area, a plurality of chip scale package LEDs in the LED area, a plurality of flip chip LEDs in the LED area, an encapsulate, a first conductive path, and a second conductive. The encapsulate covers the plurality of chip scale package LEDs and the plurality of flip chip LEDs in the LED area. The encapsulate has phosphor. The first conductive path connects the plurality of chip scale package LEDs. The second conductive path connects the plurality of flip chip LEDs. The plurality of chip scale package LEDs and the plurality of flip chip LEDs in the LED area are arranged in rows. Each row comprises alternating chip scale package LEDs and flip chip LEDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Light To Form, LLC
    Inventors: Shoubert Makanoeich, Nelson Caldani, Eric Bretschneider
  • Patent number: 10212781
    Abstract: A lighting system comprising a light source operable to emit a source light, a sensor operable to sense environmental light from an environment, and a controller operatively connected to each of the sensor and the light source and configured to analyze the environmental light sensed by the sensor to at least one of detect and generate data relating to a condition of the environment, the data being transmittable in a transmitted data light. The sensor is operable to sense the presence or absence of a dominant wavelength comprised by the environmental light. Additionally, the controller is operable to correlate the dominant wavelength with a substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Environmental Light Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Fredric S. Maxik, Eric Bretschneider, Pedro Medelius, David Bartine, Robert R. Soler, Gregory Flickinger
  • Patent number: 10177287
    Abstract: Phosphors emitting green light over a narrow wavelength range may be used to broaden the gamut of display devices. In one aspect, a light emitting device comprises a light emitting solid state device emitting blue or violet light, a first phosphor that absorbs blue or violet light emitted by the light emitting solid state device and in response emits green light in a spectral band having a peak at wavelength ?G and a height of one half its peak on a long wavelength edge of the band at wavelength ?Ghalf; and a second phosphor that absorbs blue or violet light emitted by the light emitting solid state device and in response emits red light in a spectral band having a peak at wavelength ?R and a height of one half its peak on a short wavelength edge of the band at wavelength ?Rhalf. The ratio (?Rhalf??Ghalf)/(?R??G) is greater than 0.70.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: EIE MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Jonathan Melman, Robert Nordsell, Kristen Baroudi, Yong Bok Go, Eric Bretschneider, Alan C. Thomas, Evan Thomas
  • Publication number: 20180286841
    Abstract: A LED lighting device is disclosed having a variable resistance device. The LED lighting device has a circuit. The circuit has a first circuit segment, a second circuit segment, a first LED on the first circuit segment, a second LED on the second circuit segment, a variable resistance device on the first circuit segment in series with the first LED, and a constant current power source connected to the first circuit segment and the second circuit segment. The first circuit segment is connected in parallel to the second circuit segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Shoubert Makanoeich, Nelson Caldani, Eric Bretschneider