Lossless beam-width adjustment with low-cost mechanics

The Problem Achieving the next large reduction in lighting energy use will require looking beyond “lumens per Watt” and consider “lumens per where, lumens per when, and lumens per why”. How light is used is more important than how its generated. Legacy light sources are static, difficult to adjust, and only provide the correct lighting a fraction of the time at best, sometimes not at all. Solid-state lighting creates a unique opportunity to achieve revolutionary new features in lighting such as lossless beam width, shape, and steering adjustments. These new functionalities require more sophisticated optical designs and mechanical control of elements inside the fixture, which is too expensive and complex to be broadly adopted. What is needed are lab-grade kinematics for the cost of a toy. The Solution The solution will require an entirely new class of luminaires designed from the ground up to meet the complex dynamic lighting requirements of the real world, putting the right light, in the right place, at the right time. This will be achieved by developing new optical designs and implementing compliant kinematic mechanisms to control them. Compliant mechanisms achieve mechanical control using elastic joints that flex instead of pivoting or sliding, dramatically reducing the part count and cost required to add new functionality to luminaires. This program brings together experts in compliant mechanisms, illumination optics, and additive manufacturing to unlock the true potential of solid-state lighting. Phase I Accomplishments During Phase I the project team developed and demonstrated a novel low-cost lossless beam width adjustment technology, leveraged compliant mechanisms to achieve a 20x cost reduction in beam steering mechanics, developed a novel low-cost luminaire motorization module, and demonstrated in-house additive manufacturing of functional parts in end-use materials. Phase II Plan During Phase II the project team will further develop its optical technology and demonstrate novel functionalities. Compliant mechanisms will be designed and validated for high volume lighting applications, and motorization modules will be developed to allow remote adjustability of these new functions. Advantages of additive manufacturing will be compared to offshore molding. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits These highly functional luminaires will provide superior lighting quality and performance at competitive prices and will save energy by targeting light where it is needed, reducing, or eliminating glare, over-lighting, and under-lighting. This will improve equity in access to safe, comfortable, and attractive lighting, while also creating US based manufacturing jobs in additive manufacturing and advance luminaire construction. These new products save energy, reduce waste, and improve occupant wellbeing.