Achieving multiple beam patterns using 3-D printed lens by changing the position of LEDs

As lighting has diversified across many applications, optical designers have been challenged to produce application-specific optical systems. For an instance where multiple beam distributions are required in an application, instead of making individual lenses catering to different beam shapes, it would be beneficial to create a single optic that can be used with different LED source positioning. Hence, this study proposes a method of positioning LEDs in a fixture to achieve multiple beam patterns using a fixed lens design. Through ray-tracing analysis, we showed that different beam distributions could be obtained by changing the LED position in a refractive lens array. The experimental study was conducted with a 3D-printed lens to validate the model. The results confirm the possibility of creating a single fixed lens to achieve multiple beam distributions via different LED positioning. The proposed novel method can replace the expensive and cumbersome process of developing separate lenses for each beam distribution. Further, our experimental results can guide fixture manufacturers on the use of 3D-printed optics for lighting applications.