Hybrid illumination systems and methods

Abstract

In accordance with certain embodiments, interior spaces are illuminated with a combination of harvested sunlight and artificial light emitted by one or more light-emitting elements.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A system for illuminating a field of view for an observer without casting a shadow of the observer onto the field of view, the system comprising:
 a substantially transparent substrate having (i) a viewing surface through which the observer observes the field of view, and (ii) an emission surface, opposite the viewing surface, for illuminating the field of view;   a plurality of light-emitting elements (i) disposed within or on the substrate, and (ii) configured to emit light from the emission surface toward the field of view substantially without emission from the viewing surface; and   one or more electrical connections for supplying power to the plurality of light-emitting elements.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements are configured to emit light that is approximately coaxial with a line of sight from the observer to the field of view. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the substrate comprises at least one of glass or plastic. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the substrate comprises at least one of polymethylmethylacrylate, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, or polycarbonate. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged in a regular array. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the regular array comprises a square array, a triangular array, a hexagonal array, or a rectangular array. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein at least one light-emitting element comprises a light-emitting diode. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein at least one light-emitting element comprises a phosphor for converting light emitted by said light-emitting element from one set of wavelengths to another. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a sensor for detecting a position of the observer relative to the substrate; and   a controller for causing light-emitting elements proximate the observer to emit light.   
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a photosensor for detecting ambient light; and   a controller for causing, in response to the detected light, one or more of the light-emitting elements to emit no light or emit light at less than a maximum intensity.   
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising a controller configured to change an aggregate color of light emitted by the plurality of the light-emitting elements. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements emits white light. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the white light has a color temperature selected from the range of 2900K to 6500K. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 26 , further comprising a controller configured to change a color temperature of the white light. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein at least one of the light-emitting elements comprises (i) an output surface for emitting light toward the field of view and (ii) a reflective surface opposite the output surface. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising, disposed over an output surface of at least one of the light-emitting elements, an anti-reflection coating, a light-extraction layer, or a photonic band gap layer. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more electrical connections are substantially transparent. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more electrical connections comprise at least one of indium tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, carbon nanotubes, graphene, a conductive polymer, gold, or silver. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements are disposed on the viewing surface of the substrate, light emitted by the light-emitting elements traveling through the substrate toward the field of view. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the substrate is flexible. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the substrate is substantially rigid. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising an encapsulation layer disposed over the substrate and the plurality of light-emitting elements. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements are configured for high-current pulsing. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a frame within which the substrate is mounted; and   a handle for controlling a position of the frame.   
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising, disposed within the handle, a power supply electrically connected to the one or more electrical connections. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a frame within which the substrate is mounted; and   one or more earpieces, connected to the frame, for disposing the substrate proximate an eye of the observer.   
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 40 , further comprising a battery disposed on one said earpiece and electrically connected to the one or more electrical connections. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements partially block a portion of the field of view from the observer. 
     
     
         43 . A method of illumination, the method comprising:
 providing, between an observer and a field of view, an illumination system comprising (i) a substantially transparent substrate having opposed viewing and emission surfaces, and (ii) a plurality of light-emitting elements (a) disposed within or on the substrate and (b) configured to emit light from the emission surface substantially without emission from the viewing surface; and   illuminating, via one or more of the light-emitting elements, at least a portion of the field of view (i) substantially without blocking the observer's view of the at least a portion of the field of view and (ii) without casting a shadow of the observer onto the field of view.