Fiber optic panel providing an arbitrary pattern of illumination and method of making same
US5295216A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 17, 1992 |
| Grant date | Mar 15, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 17, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S385/901
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An improved fiber optic panel having a desired illumination pattern is assembled from at least two partial panels, each comprising a plurality of fully terminated parallel fibers. Two or more such partial arrays are combined to fabricate a optical fiber substrate having an arbitrary illumination pattern. The non-illuminated fiber lengths extending from the individual fiber terminations are removed before the two partial arrays are assembled, thus further enhancing the efficiency of the device. In a preferred embodiment the fibers of each partial array have a center-to-center spacing slightly greater than twice the fiber diameters, and the fibers of the two partial arrays are intermeshed to form a closely packed parallel array of fibers in which a fully terminated shorter fiber is located between two longer fibers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.