Reflector and illumination system
US5832151A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 1, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 3, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 1, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S385/901
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An optical pipe illumination system is provided for coupling light from an illumination source to a number of output "light pipes", which are used for a variety of purposes, such as illuminating pools, spas, hazardous material zones, jail cells, and other applications where direct lighting is dangerous, difficult to maintain, or subject to vandalism. The illumination system employs an illumination reflector which has been customized to maximize the efficiency of light transmission between the illumination source, such as an arc lamp, and the cores of the output pipes. A method of fabricating the customized illumination reflector includes mapping the radiation patterns of the particular illumination source to be utilized, creating a database of those radiation patterns, and utilizing the database to generate an optimal illumination reflector configuration. The computer-generated reflector will virtually always be a non-conic section, because the illumination source is not ideal.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.