Patent · US Expired

System and method for elimination of scattered side lobes created by integrator lenslet arrays

US6469834B1 · kind B1 · utility

5Cited by
12References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 16, 2000
Grant dateOct 22, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 26, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B27/0961
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical illumination apparatus includes an illumination source, a pair of spaced integrator plates each having a plurality of lenslets, a conduit array, having a respective aperture corresponding to a plurality of the lenslets disposed there between, with non-reflective optically absorptive walls, and a relay optical structure for integrating light emitted from said second array of lenslets on a focal plane. The apparatus is employed by illuminating a first integrator plate having lenslets, subject to spatial intensity variations, segregating light from each respective lenslet with an elongated baffle, having a respective aperture for each of a plurality of respective lenslets, capturing light from each aperture with a second integrator plate having lenslets, and relaying the light to a focal plane, whereby light rays impinging on the walls of the elongated baffle are not transmitted through the aperture, thus substantially attenuating light rays having acute angles, to uniformly illuminate the focal plane.

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