Abstract:
A vehicle lighting unit can be configured to include a thin light guide. The vehicle lighting unit (1, 1B, 1C, 1D) can include: a solid light guide (3) having a light exiting surface (3a), a reflection surface (3b) opposite to the light exiting surface (3a), and a light incident surface (31) through which light enters the light guide so that the light reaches and is internally reflected off the light exiting surface (3a), then internally reflected off the reflection surface (3b), and exits through the light exiting surface (3a); and an LED light source (2) disposed to face to the light incident surface (31), for emitting light that enters the light guide through the light incident surface (31), is internally reflected off the light exiting surface (3a), is internally reflected off the reflection surface (3b), and exits through the light exiting surface (3a), wherein the reflection surface (3b) includes a plurality of divided reflection regions (a1 to a3, b1 to b3, c1 to c3), and the reflection regions includes at least one reflection region disposed at a reference position and at least one reflection region disposed at a position closer to the light exiting surface (3a) than the reference position.
Abstract:
One example of a solar photovoltaic concentrator has a primary mirror with multiple free-form panels, each of which forms a Köhler integrator with a respective panel of a lenticular secondary lens. The Köhler integrators are folded by a common intermediate mirror. The resulting plurality of integrators all concentrate sunlight onto a common photovoltaic cell. Luminaires using a similar geometry are also described.
Abstract:
An embodiment of an optical manifold has first and second collimators, each arranged to receive light from a source and transmit the light to an exit port of the collimator, and a separator arranged to emit some of the light from the exit ports of the first and second collimators and to recycle some of the light into the collimators. Another embodiment has at least three collimators of substantially equal length and having central axes, respective light sources at entry ports of the collimators, the collimators being arranged with their central axes parallel and with their light sources in a common plane and reflectors positioned to direct light from exit ports of the collimators to a selectively reflective component that guides all the light into a common exit beam.
Abstract:
The present embodiments provide systems, backlights, films, apparatuses and methods of generating back lighting Some embodiments provide backlight (1) that include a cavity with at least one interior light source (Is) and diffusely reflecting wall of high reflectivity, a top surface (3) with multiple intermittently spaced holes (3h) allowing exit of light generated by the light sources, and external collimators (3d) extending from each of the holes (3h) such that the external collimators (3d) spatially expand and angularly narrow the light exiting the holes (3h).
Abstract:
A luminance-preserving non-imaging backlight (20) that includes a luminous source emitting light (10), an injector (21), an ejector (23), a CPC profile(21) and microstructured facets (d,dd) that refract upwardly reflected light into a collimated direction common to the facets.
Abstract:
An optical manifold for efficiently combining a plurality of LED outputs into a single, substantially homogeneous output, in a small, cost-effective package. The optical manifolds can be used to combine multiple LEDs of the same color and provide a high intensity output aperture with very high uniformity and sharp borders, or they can be used to generate a multiwavelength output, such as red, green, and blue LEDs that are combined to generate white light. Embodiments are also disclosed that use a single or multiple LEDs and a remote phosphor and an intermediate wavelength-selective filter arranged so that backscattered photoluminescence is recycled to boost the luminance and flux of the output aperture. The optical manifolds are designed to alleviate substantial luminance inhomogeneities inherent to LEDs. The optical manifold utilizes principles of non-imaging optics to transform light and provide directed, substantially uniform light sources.
Abstract:
A method for manufacturing an apparatus and the apparatus being configured to convert a first distribution of an input radiation to a second distribution of output radiation. The method consists of the steps of generating a two-dimensional representation of at least three active optical surfaces of an optical device including calculating a segment of a first surface based on edge ray sets as a first generalized Cartesian oval, calculating a segment of an entry surface based on the edge ray set as a second generalized Cartesian oval, calculating a segment of a second surface based on the edge ray set as a third generalized Cartesian oval, and successively repeating the steps of calculating the segment of the first surface and calculating the segment of the second surface in a direction towards a source, and rotationally sweeping the two-dimensional representation about a central axis providing a three-dimensional representation of the optical device.
Abstract:
A shell integrator has a hollow transparent body with inner and outer surfaces formed as arrays of lenslets. Each lenslet of the inner surface images a common source region in the middle of the hollow body onto a respective lenslet of the outer surface. Each lenslet of the outer surface forms a virtual image of the respective lenslet of the inner surface at the common source region. One integrator has a light-guide following the surface of the hollow body from an inlet end at a central region of the surface to an outlet end at a rim of the hollow body. The light-guide inlet end is shaped to receive light from the common source region and direct such light along the light-guide. Another integrator is generally elongated, and may be semicylindrical. Any of these integrators may have a stepped surface forming a Fresnel lens.
Abstract:
A luminaire includes a mixing chamber having an array of apertures in one wall, a light source to supply light into the mixing chamber, and an array of optics outside the mixing chamber, each positioned to cooperate with a respective one of the apertures to emit light from the mixing chamber as a beam. The shape, size, and/or direction of the output light beam are controllably varied by controlling the shape, size, and/or position of each aperture relative to its associated optic.