Device for the conversion of a plurality of light beams into a more compact arrangement of light beams

US6023548A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Gerhard Heise · Munich, DE
• Reinhard Maerz · Munich, DE
• Herbert Michel · Munich, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 27, 1998
• Grant date: Feb 8, 2000
• Expiry date: Mar 27, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S385/901
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A device for planar light-guiding layers arranged one above the other and having an infeed end face for coupling a respective light beam in the layer and an outfeed end face for coupling light from each of the layers, each of the layers being provided with an arrangement for deflecting light coupled in one of the end faces toward the other end faces so that a plurality of individual light beams can be converted into a more compact arrangement of a light beam or a light beam of a larger cross section can be converted into a plurality of smaller sub-beams having a smaller cross section.