Abstract:
One embodiment of a method for configuring consumption of service includes identifying a service to be consumed by a user, identifying a plurality of bearer technologies across which at least one electronic device can access the service, selecting one of the plurality of bearer technologies for use in configuring the at least one electronic device, and configuring the at least one electronic device for the service using one of a plurality of management frameworks according to the selected bearer technology.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   Illumination assemblies are used in an enormous number of different products, such as in displays for video and computer equipment, lighting equipment, etc. A typical light source in an illumination assembly, such as a light emitting diode (LED), often does not have an optimal radiation pattern for the application. For example, most of the illumination from an LED die may be directed primarily from the top and sides of the die, resulting in wasted light from the sides and a spotlight effect from the top of the die. A display using LED dies without other features to condition the radiation pattern from the LED dies might appear both dim and uneven or spotty. 
   Conventional illumination assemblies may include an encapsulant over the LED die that has a highly diffusive material dispersed throughout the encapsulant. One example of an encapsulant with a highly diffusive material is an epoxy with many fine borosilicate particles spread throughout the epoxy. The diffusive encapsulant does provide several benefits, such as physical protection of the LED die and random scattering of the light rays from the LED die as they pass through the encapsulant and hit the particles. The resulting light from the illumination assembly thus has a more diffuse than specular character. Unfortunately, diffusive encapsulants also have several disadvantages. As the light passes through the diffusive encapsulant and is scattered, flux losses in the light may be high due to the three dimensional, volumetric scattering of light bouncing back and forth within the encapsulant. The use of a diffusive encapsulant over the light source may also lead to physical weakness or failure if another encapsulant is used over the top of the diffusive encapsulant. For example, if the diffusive encapsulant is placed over an LED die and another structural non-diffusive encapsulant is placed over that in the illumination assembly, the two encapsulants may have coefficients of thermal expansion. As the illumination heats up under use, the different encapsulants expand at different rates, causing failure of components at boundaries between the encapsulants. If a wire bond for the LED die passes through the boundary between the two encapsulants, it is susceptible to breakage due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion. Finally, the radiation pattern generated as light passes through a diffusive encapsulant is very difficult to sculpt or direct. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary illumination system with a reflector cup having a diffusive surface. 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional profile of a dome on an exemplary reflector cup wall. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an exemplary dome pattern on a reflector cup wall. 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional profile of a dimple in an exemplary reflector cup wall. 
       FIG. 5  is a block diagram of an exemplary display having multiple LED housings with diffusive reflector cups. 
   

   DESCRIPTION 
   The drawings and description, in general, disclose an illumination assembly having a diffusive reflector cup. The reflector cup is rendered diffusive by the presence of distensions or coatings that alter the angle of reflection of incident light upon the reflector cup wall. This avoids the need for diffusive encapsulants over light sources within the reflector cup. 
   The term “distension” is used herein to refer to any shape or form on the reflector cup wall that changes the slope of the wall. Distensions may project from the reflector cup wall into the interior cavity of the reflector cup, or may recede from the reflector cup wall away from the interior cavity of the reflector cup. Examples of distensions include domes (convex bumps or protrusions of any shape into the interior cavity of the reflector cup), dimples (concave voids or indentations that recede away from the interior cavity of the reflector cup), etc. Distensions, rather than merely having discrete forms such as domes or dimples on an otherwise regular and smooth reflector cup wall, may also have a continuously varying profile, such as a repetitively rolling contour combining both protrusions and indentations similar to an acoustic foam or egg carton geometry. (Note that a smooth, constant slope is not a continuously varying profile.) 
   Creating a varied topography on a reflector surface such as an array of domes effectively results in a rough surface that diffusively reflects light from a light source near the reflector surface. Rather than having a reflector cup wall with a uniform slope, the topography or profile of the reflector surface is varied to provide the desired reflection pattern in the reflected light. Any desired reflectance patterns may be generated, from diffuse but shaped patterns to near or complete Lambertian reflectance wherein light is scattered substantially uniformly in all directions from the surface of the reflector and the apparent brightness of the surface is the same from all view angles. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary illumination assembly  10  includes one or more light sources such as an LED die  12  mounted within a reflector cup  14 . The LED die  12  may be mounted on a substrate  16  such as a printed circuit board or a conductive lead frame. One or more wire bonds  20  may be used to provide electrical connections to the LED die  12 , such as connecting an anode of the LED die  12  to an anode post  22 . Other electrical connections may be made on the substrate  16 , such as connecting a cathode on the base of the LED die  12  to a cathode connection pad. A lens  24  may be placed over the illumination assembly  10 , and an encapsulant  26  such as a clear epoxy may be used to fill a void  30  under the lens  24  and in the reflector cup  14 . The encapsulant  26  provides physical protection to the LED die  12  and the wire bond  20 , including preventing moisture from reaching the LED die  12 , and may be used to attach the lens  24  to the illumination assembly  10 . The illumination assembly  10  may also include a housing  32  made of any suitable material such as plastic or ceramic, and leads  34  and  36  to conduct electricity to the LED die  12 . 
   It is important to note that the illumination assembly with a diffusive reflector cup is not limited to any particular configuration of structure, and that the diffusive reflector cup may be used with any variations on the illumination assembly. The diffusive reflector cup disclosed herein for use with an illumination assembly avoids the need for a highly diffusive encapsulant material over the light source in the reflector cup, whatever the particular configuration and design of the illumination assembly. A single encapsulant material can fill the entire illumination assembly under the lens (or any portion thereof), including the reflector cup, unlike traditional designs in which an encapsulant with a highly diffusive material was placed in the reflector cup and another encapsulant placed in the rest of the illumination assembly so that the wire bond passed through a boundary between the two encapsulants. In that traditional design, the encapsulants would have had different coefficients of thermal expansion, causing them to expand to different extents during use and to stress the wire bond (e.g.,  20 ), potentially breaking it and causing the light to fail. 
   Turning now particularly to a discussion of the diffusive reflector cup, distensions on the reflective wall of the reflector cup alter the angle of reflectance of incident light on the reflector cup wall. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , a dome  40  may be formed on the wall  42  of the reflector cup. Incident light rays  44 ,  46  and  50  that emanate from roughly the same location such as the light source (not shown) will reflect in different directions  52 ,  54  and  56  from the wall  42  or from various points on the dome  40 . Again, the distensions may have whatever shape or form desired based on the light sources, the desired light output, the overall reflector cup geometry, etc. Distensions may take whatever shape, size and scale desired. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 3 , an exemplary reflector cup  60  may have an array of domes (e.g.,  62  and  64 ) on the surface of the reflector cup wall  66 . Light from an LED die  70  mounted on a base  72  of the reflector cup  60  is diffusely reflected from the reflector cup wall  66  and the array of domes (e.g.,  62  and  64 ). (The base  72  may comprise a unitary portion of the reflector cup  60  or may comprise the substrate on which the reflector cup  60  is mounted.) Note that the scale, layout and overall geometry of the topography of the reflector cup walls illustrated in the drawings is purely exemplary. The shape of the reflector cup  60  is not limited to that illustrated, for example, the size, the overall slope of the reflective walls, the height and width, etc. may be modified as desired. The reflector cup  60  may have any desired shape, such as round, elliptical, square, rectangular, etc. For example, if multiple light sources are placed in a single reflective cup, such as a red, a green and a blue light source, an elliptical or oval reflective cup may provide an optimal light output. 
   It is also important to note that the size and scale of the domes (e.g.,  62  and  64 ) in  FIG. 3  has been exaggerated for clarity. A more numerous array of smaller domes may provide a more diffuse output light. However, the diffusing features on the surface of the reflector cup  60  may be adapted as desired to shape or customize the output light and for other considerations such as ease of manufacturing and to improve the physical adherence of the encapsulant. For example, shallower protrusions or indentations on the reflector cup wall may sufficiently diffuse the output light while minimizing scattering losses, but more prominent protrusions or indentations may minimize the risk of encapsulant delamination by providing deeper overhangs or varied slopes for the encapsulant to grip. 
   As mentioned above, distensions may also comprise dimples  80  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Dimples  80  provide extra surfaces for light rays to reflect in multiple times. Each reflection within a dimple  80  may also create a diffuse component if an optically rough surface is provided, thus creating a chain reaction of multiple rays  82  and  84  reflecting from the dimple  80  at different angular directions from one incident light ray  86 . This helps create a more diffuse overall light output from the reflector cup. The diffuse reflection may be caused by the geometry of the reflector cup wall or the rough texture of the surface of the reflector wall including the texture on dome/dimple shapes, etc or both. 
   The distensions on the wall of a reflector cup may consist of an array of homogeneous topological features, such as an array of domes or dimples, or may have a heterogeneous mix of different diffusing features of various shapes, sizes, scales, etc. The distribution of surface features may be uniform across the surface of the reflector cup, or may vary as a function of spatial location to create the desired diffuse reflection. For example, in one embodiment a desired diffuse reflection pattern may be obtained by placing more numerous and densely packed domes at the bottom of the reflector cup near the LED die, and placing fewer and less dramatically shaped domes at the top of the reflector cup. Diffusive features on the surface of reflector cup may also be nested if desired. For example, smaller domes or dimples may be located on the surface of a dome or dimple. 
   In one embodiment, a surface coating may be used in place of or in addition to distensions to cause the desired diffusion of incident light. Thus, the reflector cup may be given the desired diffusive reflective pattern by a shaped and contoured surface, or by a diffusive textured coating applied to the surface (such as an optical grade Spectralon® coating available from the Labsphere corporation of North Sutton, N.H.), or a combination of these elements. 
   A diffusive reflector cup may be manufactured in any suitable process for forming the desired diffusely reflective surface. The reflector cup may be formed by rolling or stamping the diffusing features into a sheet of metal, then forming reflector cups with the resulting shaped sheet. The reflector cup may also be directly stamped into a material sheet, simultaneously forming the cup and the diffusing features. The reflector cup with its diffusing features may be molded in one or more pieces using a pourable or moldable material such as plastic. The reflector cup may be formed from a single material or multiple materials. For example, the reflector cup may be stamped out of a metal having the desired surface reflectance. The reflector cup may alternatively be molded out of plastic and the surface coated in a reflective material using any suitable process such as spraying, dipping, sputtering, powder coating, electrolytic coating, etc. 
   Note that language herein stating that distensions such as domes or dimples are located on the surface of a reflector cup does not necessarily imply that they are purely surface features. These features may be formed on a surface layer of a reflector cup, or may be formed in the main structural material of the reflector cup, or may be formed in any manner desired so that the reflector surface has the desired diffusive characteristics. 
   An exemplary illumination assembly may be formed by connecting a light source such as an LED die electrically and physically to a substrate, for example, by surface mounting the cathode on the base of an LED die to a cathode connection pad on a printed circuit board using solder paste and a wave flow process. The anode on the top or side of the LED die may be wire bonded to an anode pad or post on the substrate, either outside or inside of reflector cup. A lens may be placed over the top of the assembly, filling the entire resulting void or a portion thereof with an encapsulant such as a clear epoxy. Conductive leads, either surface mount or through hole pins, may be connected to light source leads on the substrate and a housing molded around the leads. In one embodiment, the substrate may comprise an electrically conductive lead frame to which LED dies are electrically connected and mounted, with a plastic or ceramic housing then formed around the lead frame. The reflector cup, encapsulant, and lens etc. may then be added as desired, with leads then cut out of frame and bent to form a single illumination assembly. 
   The illumination assembly with a diffusive reflector cup may be used in any suitable application, such as a display. In this use, an array of illumination assemblies may be connected along with control circuitry to form a display or monitor as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . For example, a color stadium display  90  may include an array of illumination assemblies  92  each having a red, a green and a blue light source mounted within a single diffusive reflector cup. 
   Although exemplary embodiments have been described herein, the system and method for configuring consumption of service is not limited to any particular type of device, service, service provider or bearer technology. The system and method described herein configures the consumption of service for a user, simplifying the configuration process particularly in complex environments such as multiple devices with different capabilities, multiple bearer technologies, etc. 
   While illustrative embodiments have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the concepts disclosed herein may be otherwise variously embodied and employed, and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations, except as limited by the prior art.