Illumination – Light source and modifier – Including selected wavelength modifier
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-23
2001-01-30
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Light source and modifier
Including selected wavelength modifier
C362S285000, C362S339000, C362S326000, C362S800000, C362S230000, C313S501000, C313S512000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179449
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a semiconductor lamp, more particularly to a multi-color semiconductor lamp and to a method of providing colored illumination.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices that are capable of generating different colored light outputs are known in the art. Examples of such semiconductor devices of the prior art are those disclosed in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,875,456, 3,890,170, 5,491,349, 5,752,766 and 5,812,105 disclose various forms of semiconductor devices that comprise a plurality of light emitting diodes disposed close to one another and respectively emitting light of different colors. The light emitting diodes can be individually controlled to operate solely or in combination, thereby resulting in different colored light outputs. It is noted that the semiconductor devices disclosed in these patents require a relatively complicated control circuit for controlling the differently colored light emitting diodes individually in order to generate a wide range of different colored light outputs.
Semiconductor devices that are capable of generating light outputs of multiple wavelengths are also known in the art. Examples of such semiconductor devices of the prior art are those disclosed in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,588 discloses a semiconductor device operable to emit an infrared light and a visible light. U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,648 discloses a semiconductor device capable of emitting light in the green to ultraviolet spectrum. While the light outputs of the semiconductor devices disclosed in these patents are of multiple wavelengths, they are insufficient to generate a wide range of different colored light outputs.
In addition, semiconductor devices that are capable of generating white light are also known in the art. Examples of such semiconductor devices of the prior art are those disclosed in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,309 discloses a light emitting diode that includes stacked active layers of indium gallium nitride separated by barrier layers of aluminum gallium nitride or aluminum indium gallium nitride. U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,629 discloses an illumination system in which nonwhite light from a light emitting diode is reflected by a reflector to obtain white light. While the devices disclosed in these patents can be designed to generate light of a particular color, they are not designed for providing multi-color illumination.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a multi-color semiconductor lamp that employs a single semiconductor light source to generate a wide range of different colored light outputs, and to a method of providing colored illumination.
According to one aspect of the invention, a multi-color semiconductor lamp comprises:
a semiconductor light source activable so as to generate a light output;
a dispersing prism having an input side located in front of the light source to receive the light output, and an output side, the prism separating the light output of the light source into a plurality of chromatic components that radiate at different angles at the output side;
a lens disposed in front of the output side of the prism such that a vertex of a conical focusing region associated with the lens is located at the output side of the prism;
means for varying spatial position of one of the light source and the prism relative to the other one of the light source and the prism; and
means for activating the light source when the spatial position of said one of the light source and the prism has been varied such that a selected one of the chromatic components is registered with the conical focusing region of the lens.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of providing colored illumination comprises:
providing a dispersing prism between a semiconductor light source and a lens, the prism having an input side located in front of the light source to receive a light output therefrom, and being capable of separating the light output into a plurality of chromatic components that radiate at different angles at an output side of the prism, the lens being disposed in front of the output side of the prism such that a vertex of a conical focusing region associated with the lens is located at the output side of the prism;
varying spatial position one of the light source and the prism relative to the other one of the light source and the prism; and
activating the light source when the spatial position of said one of the light source and the prism has been varied such that a selected one of the chromatic components is registered with the conical focusing region of the lens.
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Alavi Ali
Johnson Kindness PLLC
O'Connor Christensen
O'Shea Sandra
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