Trough reflector and lens coupler for lightguide illumination system
US6196709A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 29, 1999 |
| Grant date | Mar 6, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 29, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/0006
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A lightguide illumination system is disclosed for providing more improved and efficient technology for capturing light from an extended light source having a relatively high aspect ratio, and coupling that light into a plurality of lightguides. The inventive systems functions by dividing the length of the extended light source into shorter segments, so that the aspect ratio of the light source can be more closely matched to the aspect ratio of the lightguide. In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of interleaved trough reflector segments are employed to segment the length of the light source. This enables the coupling efficiency of the total system to be greatly improved.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.