Patent · US Expired

Optical fiber illumination system

US5845038A · kind A · utility

95Cited by
7References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 28, 1997
Grant dateDec 1, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 28, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B6/001
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An illumination system comprises a light source optically coupled with an optical fiber. The optical fiber includes a light emitting region extending along a portion of its length. The light emitting region includes a plurality of optical elements disposed about a first longitudinal axis extending along the surface of the optical fiber and a plurality of optical elements disposed about a second longitudinal axis extending along the surface of the fiber. The second longitudinal axis is displaced from the first longitudinal axis. In use, light from the light source is injected into the optical fiber and propagates along the fiber according to Snell's law. A portion of the light propagating through the fiber becomes is reflected from the optical elements and is extracted from the fiber.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.