Abstract:
An etendue squeezing optic includes light guiding elements that are extruded sideways to guide light to a wide outlet surface for efficient injection into an edge face of a flat light guide such as a backlight panel for a visual display, in combination with a light source optically coupled to the light inlet through an air-gap, so that light entering the optic through the air- gap is confined to a cone of directions determined by a critical angle of refraction into the optic from air at the air-gap.
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 has a light source and a shell integrator. The shell integrator has a transparent dome over the light source, with inner and outer surfaces formed as arrays of lenslets. Each lenslet of the inner surface images the light source onto a respective lenslet of the outer surface, and each lenslet of the outer surface images the respective lenslet of the inner surface as a virtual image onto the light source. The dome may be substantially hemispherical. The light source and the integrator may be at an input of a collimator.
Abstract:
One optical system comprises a first optical surface, a faceted second optical surface, and a faceted third optical surface. The optical system is operative to convert a first bundle of rays that is continuous in phase space outside the first optical surface into a second bundle of rays that is continuous in phase space outside the third optical surface. Between the second and third optical surfaces the rays making up the first and second bundles form discrete sub-bundles each passing from a facet of the second optical surface to a facet of the third optical surface. The sub-bundles do not form a continuous bundle in a phase space that has dimensions representing the position and angle at which rays cross a surface transverse to the bundle of rays.
Abstract:
One example of a solar photovoltaic concentrator has a primary mirror with multiple free-form panels, each of which forms a Kdhler integrator with a respective panel of a lenticular secondary lens. The Kdhler 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:
One example of a solar photovoltaic concentrator has a primary mirror with multiple free-form panels, each of which forms a Kδhler integrator with a respective panel of a lenticular secondary lens. The Kδhler 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:
One example of a solar voltaic concentrator has a primary Fresnel lens with multiple panels, each of which forms a Köhler integrator with a respective panel of a lenticular secondary lens. The resulting plurality of integrators all concentrate sunlight onto a common photovoltaic cell. Luminaires using a similar geometry are also described.
Abstract:
A cylindrical light source comprises multiple LEDs mounted on either the exterior or interior surface of the cylinder, with heat-sink fins respectively on its interior or exterior. The LEDs emit radially, but their emission is redirected along the cylinder axis by individual ellipsoidal reflectors.
Abstract:
An embodiment of a collimating downlight has front-mounted blue LED chips facing upwards, having a heat sink on the back of the LED chips exposed in ambient air. The LED chips are mounted in a collimator that sends their blue light to a remote phosphor situated near the top of the downlight can. Surrounding the remote phosphor is a downward-facing reflector that forms a beam from its stimulated emission and reflected blue light. The phosphor thickness and composition can be adjusted to give a desired color temperature.
Abstract:
A condenser for directing light from a UHP arc lamp or other generally cylindrical source onto a target such as a microdisplay in line with a front end of the lamp comprises a primary mirror to direct light from the source towards the back end of the condenser, and a secondary mirror at the back end of the condenser to direct the light from the primary mirror onto the target.