MXPA06009065A - Illumination system - Google Patents

Abstract

Illumination systems are disclosed, which include a plurality of light source modules, each having a light-emitting surface, and a system of optical elements configured to image the emitting surfaces onto an illumination target. The shape of the emitting surface or of the image of the emitting surface produced by the system of optical elements may substantially match the shape of the target. In addition, illumination systems are disclosed that utilize a plurality of source modules having light-emitting surfaces of different colors. Furthermore, the present disclosure is directed to illumination systems including a plurality of light source modules disposed in an array within a non-radially symmetrical aperture and to illumination systems in which the light source modules and the system of optical elements are configured to form a plurality of channels aimed substantially into the illumination target.

Description

WO 2005/084038 A3 lll JI IN I? eleven For two-lettering codes and other abbreviations, refer to the "Guidance Notes on Codes and Abbreviations" appearances at the beginning of the regular issue of the PCT Gazeite.

LIGHTING SYSTEM Field of the Invention The present description relates to lighting systems, which may be used, for example, in backlight and projection systems. More specifically, the invention relates to lighting systems that include a plurality of light source modules and a system of optical elements. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Lighting systems have a variety of applications, including projection screens, rear lights for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and others. The projection systems usually include a light source, illumination optics, an image forming device, projection optics and a projection screen. The light optics collect light from a light source and direct it to one or more imaging devices in a predetermined manner. The image forming devices, controlled by a digitally processed and electronically conditioned video signal, produce an image corresponding to the video signal. The projection optics then increases the image and projects it onto the projection screen. White light sources, such as arc lamps, in conjunction with colored wheels have been REF: 174994 used and still used predominantly as a light source for projection screen systems. However, recently, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were introduced as an alternative. Some of the advantages of LED light sources include a longer life time, greater efficiency and superior thermal characteristics. An example of an image forming device frequently used in digital light processing systems. It is a digital micro-mirror (DMD) device. The main characteristic of a DMD is an array of rotating micro-mirrors. The tilt of each mirror is controlled independently by the data loaded in the memory cell associated with each mirror, to direct the reflected light and spatially correlate a pixel of video data to a pixel on a projection screen. The light reflected by a mirror in an ON state passes through the optic of. projection and it is projected on the screen to create a bright field. On the other hand, light reflected by a mirror in a OFF state fails the projection optics, which results in a dark field. A color image can also be produced using a DMD, for example, using color sequencing, or alternatively, using three DMDs, one for each primary color. Other examples of imaging devices include liquid crystal panels, such as a liquid crystal silicon (LCOS) device. In the liquid crystal panels, the alignment of the liquid crystal material is increasingly controlled (pixel by pixel) according to the data corresponding to a video signal. Depending on the alignment of the liquid crystal material, the polarization of the incident light can be altered by the liquid crystal structure. In this way, with the proper use of polarizers or splitters of the polarizing beams, dark and clear regions can be created, which correspond to the input video data. Color images have been formed using liquid crystal panels in a manner similar to DMD. LCD backlights have traditionally included one or more light sources, such as cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL). Typical direct-on-line backlights usually include an array of sources or an extended, individual source placed behind an LCD. The light generated by the backlight is usually diffused for increased uniformity and is directed to a red, green and blue array of filters that correspond to the red, green and blue pixels of the LCD, if a color image is desired. The red, green and blue pixels modulate the red, green and blue components transmitted according to the input image data.

The performance of the. Optical systems, such as projection and backlight systems, can be characterized by several parameters, one of which is the etendue (extension). The etendue, e, se, can be calculated using the following formula: e = A * O = p * A * sin2? = p * A * NA2 where O in the solid angle of Aa emission or acceptance (in steradians); A is the area of the receiver or transmitter,? is the emission or acceptance angle, and NA is the numerical aperture. If the etendue of a certain element of an optical system is smaller than the etendue of a later stage optical element, the incongruity can result in loss of light, which reduces the efficiency of the optical system. In this way, the performance of an optical system is usually limited by the element that has the smallest etendue. The techniques typically employed to decrease the degradation of the etendue in an optical system include increasing the efficiency of the system (Im / w), decreasing the size of the source, decreasing the solid angle of the beam, and avoiding introduction of additional opening stops. The traditional optics used in lighting systems has included several configurations, but their off-axis performance has been satisfactory only within tightly adjusted intervals. These and other defects indicated the complicated designs of the optical elements and systems, which include, for example, the use of complicated aspherical surfaces and complex combinations of numerous elements. In addition, optics in traditional lighting systems have exhibited insufficient collection characteristics. In particular, if a significant portion of an output of the light source emerges at angles that are far from the optical axis, which is the case for most LEDs, conventional lighting systems fail to capture a substantial portion of this light. . Additionally, traditional lighting systems usually have relatively poor imaging characteristics, for example, due to .abnormalities. In particular, this is the case for most of the traditional reflectors and / or pickers used in projection and backlight applications to combine several light sources of different wavelengths.

In addition, although some traditional reflective collimators have acceptable collection characteristics, for example, elliptical and parabolic reflectors, these reflectors are usually characterized by rotationally symmetric polarization. This polarization generally results in the rounding of the resulting image as well as a lack of complete correspondence between a point in the light source and a point in the target plane, thus causing loss of order and degradation of the etendue. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present description refers to lighting systems that include light source modules having light emitting surfaces, a lighting objective and a system of optical elements placed between the light source modules and the target. of lighting. In some exemplary embodiments, the optical element system forms in images the emitting surfaces of the light source modules on the illumination target. The shape of at least one of the emitting surfaces may correspond substantially to the shape of the lighting objective, which may be, for example, a generally square entrance of a light tunnel or a generally rectangular image-forming device. In other exemplary embodiments, the shape of a emitting surface can be substantially square, the shape of the illumination target can be substantially rectangular, and the optical element system can be configured such that the shape of the illumination patch substantially corresponds to the shape of the lighting objective. In some exemplary embodiments of the present description, substantially superimposed images of the emitting surfaces form a lighting patch that substantially fills or over-refills the lighting objective. Alternatively, images of the emitting surfaces can be closely packed to form a lighting patch, or the images of the emitting surfaces can overlap to form a lighting patch. The present disclosure also relates to lighting systems that include light source modules, each having emitting surfaces of different colors placed close to each other, a lighting objective and a system of optical elements placed between the source modules of light and the objective of illumination. In some example embodiments, the optical element system forms the emitting surfaces on the illumination target in images. In the appropriate embodiments, each light source module includes a first light emitting surface of a first color, a second light emitting surface of a second color and a third light emitting surface of a third color. In these embodiments, the lighting objective may include a first, a second and a third color zones, and the system of optical elements may form in images the first emitting surface on the first color zone, the second emitting surface on the second zone of color, and the third emitting surface on the third zone of color. The first, second and third colors can be primary colors. Optionally, the optical element system may include other elements, such as a lenticular array and dichroic mirrors. The present disclosure also relates to lighting systems in which light source modules are placed in an array within a non-radially symmetrical opening. Lighting systems also include lighting objectives, such as an image forming device having a plurality of mirrors that can rotate about a pivot example. In the latter case, the non-radially simetric opening has a long dimension and a short dimension and is oriented so that the long dimension is aligned with the pivot axis of the mirrors of the image forming device. Furthermore, the present description is refers to lighting systems that include a plurality of light source modules having light emitting surfaces, and lighting objective and a system of optical elements positioned between the plurality of light source modules and the lighting objective. The light source modules and the system of the optical elements are configured to form a plurality of channels pointed substantially in the illumination target. The light source modules can be placed tangentially to and along a spherical surface. Alternatively, the light source modules can be placed substantially coplanar with each other, while the optical element system can be used to point at least some light from each light source module substantially towards the illumination target. These and other aspects of the lighting systems of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description along with the figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES So that those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will more readily understand how to make and use the present invention, the exemplary embodiments thereof will be described in detail below with. reference to the figures, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lighting system constructed according to an example embodiment of the present description; Figure 2A is a schematic front view of an array of light source modules with associated optical elements, substantially arranged to approximate the shape of an asymmetric contrenhancement aperture; Figure 2B is an enlarged front view of a tightly packed, hexagonal array of lenses, which may be included in appropriate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a lighting system constructed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, showing a light source module and associated lenses; Figures 4A-4D are schematic cross-sectional views of another type of lighting systems constructed according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, having individual focus and pointed channels; Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lighting system constructed according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, which is particularly useful for backlight applications; Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lighting system constructed according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, which is particularly useful for projection applications; Figure 7 is a schematic representation of a portion of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating the use of light source modules having emitting surfaces of different colors; Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lighting system constructed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure using light source modules having emitting surfaces of different colors; and Figure 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lighting system constructed according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure using light source modules having emitting surfaces of different colors. Detailed Description of the Invention With reference now to the Figures, in which like reference numbers designate similar elements, Figure 1 shows schematically one. example mode of the lighting systems of the present disclosure, which may be used for projection applications. The lighting system 10 shown in Figure 1 includes a set of light source modules 12, illustrated by modules 72, 72 ', 72"of light sources, and a system of optical elements 15. One or more Light source modules, may include a L? D light source, such as the LED light sources currently available commercially. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that as LEDs are developed and perfected with increased efficiency and performance, these LEDs will advantageously be used in exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, since LEDs with high maximum performance are usually preferred. Alternatively, organic light emitting diodes (OLED), vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL) or other suitable light emitting devices can be used. The set of light source modules 12 can be configured as an array, and the light source modules, such as 72, 72 ', 72", can be mounted on one or more substrates, jointly or individually, so that the heat generated by the light source modules can be easily dissipated by the material of the substrate. Examples of suitable substrates for mounting the light source modules include printed circuit boards, such as metal core printed circuit boards, flexible circuits, such as polyimide film with copper tracks, ceramic substrates and others. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many configurations of the set of light source modules 12 and individual light source modules are within the scope of the present disclosure., such as 72, 72 ', 72". In addition, the number and type of light source modules may vary depending on the application, desired system configuration, system dimensions, and output brightness of the system. In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in Figure 1, the system of optical elements 15 includes a first set of lenses 14, including the lenses 74, 74 ', 74", a second set of lenses 16, including the lenses 76 , 76 ', 76", and a capacitor 18. Sim to the number of light source modules, the numbers of lenses in sets 14 and 16 may vary depending on the application, the desired system configuration and the desired dimensions. The capacitor 18 can be or can include a plano-convex lens Alternatively, the capacitor can be or can include a meniscus lens in order to reduce the aberrations or abnormalities, or any other type of lens or lens depending of the desired characteristics of the output light The optical element system 15 may include other components in addition to, or instead of the capacitor 18, as may be useful for a particular application, for example may include dichroic to separate or combine beams of light of different colors. In addition, in some exemplary embodiments, such as embodiments illustrated in Figures 4A-4D and discussed below, the capacitor 18 may be omitted from the system. In the appropriate embodiments of the present disclosure, each light source module has an optical element or elements associated therewith so as to facilitate light collection and achieve the desired imaging characteristics. For example, in the example embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, a pair of contact lenses (one of set 14 and one of set 16) is associated with each light source module of set 12. In particular, Figure 1 shows the lenses 74 and 76 associated with the light source module 72, the lenses 74 'and 16' associated with the light source module 72 ', and the lenses 74' 'and 76' 'associated with the module 72' 'of light source. The lens assemblies 14 and 16 can be configured as a tightly packed double layer arrangement, such as an arrangement shown in Figure 2B or other suitable configuration, with the set of light source modules 12 substantially following the configuration of the lens assemblies 14 and 16. An example configuration of the set of light source modules is shown in Figure 2A, which shows a theoretical circular entrance pupil 2 of a lighting system and a non-radially symmetrical aperture 4, which represents the entrance pupil, formed by appropriately placing the set of modules 12 'of the light source. This configuration and sim configurations are particularly advantageous in projection systems that use one or more of DMD illuminated at an angle and without a light tunnel. (described below) that interposes between the light source and the image forming device. In general, in these systems, there is a strong dependence between the angle of illumination and the amount of light scattered in a projection pupil by reflection of the mirror frame, from below the mirrors in the OFF states, and from the mirrors in the term or transition states. Increasing the illumination angle increases the contrast, but also causes an off-center of the illumination pupil with respect to the projection pupil, introducing reduction of illumination, if the numerical aperture of the projection optics is not increased accordingly. However, if the aperture of the projection optics is increased to avoid the reduction of illumination, it can collect reflections of flatter or transition state (neither ON or OFF) and the light lost from around the DMD and passes it to the screen , thus potentially overcoming the initial attempt to improve contrast. In traditional lighting systems that use arc lamps, this problem was faced by the placement of an aperture stop. truncation in the illumination pupil to block at least a portion of the flat state reflections that overlap with the reflections in the ON state. However, recently, it has been shown that the contrast of the DMD projection systems can be improved with asymmetric opening stops. U.S. Patent No. 5,442,414, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein to the extent that is not inconsistent with the present disclosure, discloses contrast-enhanced asymmetric openings, having both long and short dimensions, with the long dimension that is aligned with the pivot axis of the mirrors.

Thus, in the appropriate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the configuration of the set of light source modules 12 'can be selected so that the individual light source modules are placed substantially within the area of the light source. the pupil having the highest contrast, illustrated as the aperture 4 not radially symmetrical, thus conserving the illumination energy and "reducing" the number of light source modules used The configuration of the set of optical elements 13, associated with the light source modules, it can therefore be selected, and preferably the configuration of the set of light source modules 12 'will be followed, so that the latter will also have the general shape that substantially approximates an aperture. not radially symmetric, as illustrated in Figure 2A.Other configurations of the light source module assemblies and the elem optical assemblies, for example lens assemblies 14 and 16 shown in Figure 1, are also within the scope of the present disclosure, such as arrays having a generally rectangular or square shape, depending on the specific application and other considerations, such as the shape and size of the lighting objective, as well as the cost. Additionally, only one of the lenses 14 or 16 can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Figure 2B depicts a front view of an example configuration 58 of the lens assemblies 14 and 16. In the configuration 58, the lenses of the lens assembly 14, such as 74, 74 ', 74"may be substantially the same shape and size, for example, having a substantially round outer diameter "of approximately 18 m The lens of the lens assembly 16, such as the lenses 76, 76 ', 76", can also have substantially the same shape and size , for example, a substantially hexagonal shape with the shortest diagonal of approximately 20 mm and the longest diagonal of approximately 23 mm The outer dimensions of the lenses of the assembly 14 must be large enough to collect a desired amount of light from the set of The light source modules 12 and the outer dimensions of the lenses of the assembly 16 must be large enough to capture a desired amount of the light coming out of the assembly 14. In some some example modalities, the individual lenses in assemblies 14 and 16 may have the same shape and general configuration, except for the details of the edges, since the second arrangement must be preferably worked with a tool to minimize interstitial areas. The lenses of sets 14 and 16, such as lenses 74, 74 ', 74"and 76, 76', 76", are preferably meniscus lenses configured substantially like lenses 74 and 76 shown in Figure 3 Figure 3 also shows a light source module 72, which in this exemplary embodiment includes a base 722, a emitting surface 724 and a substantially clear dome 726 optically, the commercially available LED light source modules. , they can be used in the appropriate embodiments of the present description, which will make these lighting systems relatively cheap, compact and convenient for use.The emitting surface 724 can be or can include a emitting surface or surfaces of an LED, a layer of phosphorus, or any other emitting material, Those skilled in the art will understand that the term "emitting surface" can be used to refer to any light emitting surface of a light source module, l as any surface portion of a light-emitting semiconductor layer or piece encapsulated in the substantially clear material optically. As an example, the dimensions of the lenses 74 and 76 include a central thickness of about 8.8 mm, about a radius of -55 mm of the concave surfaces, and aspheric concave surface (described by the general aspheric equation) with the radius of about -10 mm and with a conical constant of approximately -0.55. The convex surface becomes aspheric in order to reduce aberrations or abnormalities without preventing the resulting loss of light. Optionally, the concave surface can also be made aspherical. However, the performance of these lenses is influenced most strongly by the shape of the convex surface. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the full size and shape of the lenses may vary depending on the specific application, the system configuration and the size of the system. The material of the lenses is preferably acrylic, but polycarbonate, polystyrene, glass or any other suitable material can be used as well. In general, materials with higher refractive indexes are preferred, but finally the choice will be made depending on factors that are important for a particular application, such as cost, modeling capacity, ease of matching the refractive index with glue or otic epoxies, etc. In the appropriate embodiments of the present disclosure, the lens 74, having a concave side 74a and a convex side 74b, is positioned before the light source module 72, so that the concave side 74a generally faces the emitting surface 724. The lens 76, having a concave side 76a and a convex side 76b, is positioned so that the concave side 76a is adjacent the convex side 74b. Preferably, the concave side 76a of the lens 76 is in direct contact with the convex side 74b of the lens 74 in order to maximize the light collection efficiency, but in some embodiments, the lenses can be separated by a distance up to about 4 mm and still have acceptable light collection characteristics. Larger spacings are also within the present invention, but these configurations are likely to have a decreased collection efficiency if the spacing is increased without also increasing the outer dimensions of the lens 76. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the placement of the lenses 74 and 76 more closely together and increasing the diameter of the lens 76 will usually allow the collection of light within a wider range of angles and vice versa. The lenses can be held together by a suitable optical epoxy or glue which is substantially indexed to the material of the lenses. With further reference to Figures 1 and 3,. in some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the system of the optical elements 15 form in images one or more of the emitting surfaces of the light source modules, for example, the emitting surface 724 of the light source module 72, in a 17 lighting objective. The nature of the lighting objective 17 will vary depending on the specific application. For example, in Figure 1, the lighting objective 17 is shown, for illustrative purposes only, which is an entrance to a light tunnel 19.

Light tunnels suitable for use with the appropriate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described, for example, in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,625,738 and 6,332,688, the descriptions of which are incorporated herein by reference in the present to the extent that they are not inconsistent with the present disclosure. A light tunnel will serve to homogenize the output of the light emitting modules. such as 72, 72 ', 72", and in this way the precise formation of images of the emitting surfaces in the example modalities using light tunnels will not be needed. The tunnel '19 of light can be a mirror tunnel, for example, a rectangular tunnel, solid or hollow, or an elongated tunnel composed of a solid glass rod that depends on the total internal reflection to reflect the light through it. . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous shape combinations are possible for the input and output ends of the light tunnels. In other exemplary embodiments, the lighting objective 17 may be an image forming device, for example, a DMD, a liquid crystal panel or one or more pixels or color areas of a liquid crystal display. In these modalities, the most accurate formation of images may be more desired. In addition, these embodiments, if used in projection systems utilizing one or more DMDs, will benefit from the arrangement of the light source modules to substantially approximate the shape of the asymmetric contrast enhancing aperture, illustrated in Figure 2A. . The emitting surfaces of the light source modules, such as those of the modules 72, 72 ', 72", of the light source, can be given a specific shape to improve the performance of the lighting system 10. For example, one or more of the emitting surfaces may be formed to correspond substantially to the shape of the objective 17. In particular, if the objective 17 is a square input to the light tunnel 19, one may also be formed in general as squares. more than the emitting surfaces of the light source modules. If, on the other hand, objective 17 is a rectangular image-forming device having the aspect ratio of approximately 16: 9 (which is usually the case in high-definition televisions), one can also be formed in general as rectangles. more of the emitting surfaces of the light source modules, preferably with approximately the same aspect ratios. Alternatively, the images of the generally square emitting sources can be closely packed to substantially fill a generally rectangular lighting objective. It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that other general forms of emitting surfaces and lighting objectives are within the scope of the present disclosure. With further reference to Figure 1, the system of optical elements 15 can be designed and configured to appropriately increase the images of the emitting surfaces. The performance of a typical projection screen will usually benefit from, or in some cases still require, a certain amount of overfilling of the lighting objective by the illumination path, which in these example modalities will be formed by superimposed images of one or more emitting surfaces of the light emitting modules. For example, for an imaging device of approximately 20.0 x 12.0 mm, the illumination path may be approximately 10% larger on each axis, or approximately 22.0 x 13.2 mm. In some exemplary embodiments, it is desirable to cause the amount of overfill to be substantially the same on all sides, for example, to further accommodate the mechanical alignments. In these cases, one or more of the emitting surfaces of the light surface modules can be made slightly different in the aspect ratio of the lighting target, in order to produce an image of the desired shape. Alternatively, the system of optical elements may include cylindrical lenses or other non-circularly symmetrical lenses that can convert the images of the emitting surfaces to a desired general shape or aspect ratio. Also, when desired, images of emitting surfaces of different colors, such as red, green and blue, can be combined or superimposed with dichroic combination mirrors as shown and explained below. Another group of exemplary embodiments of the lighting systems of the present disclosure is illustrated in Figures 4A-4D. In these exemplary embodiments, the configurations of the optical element systems are such that the capacitor 18 used in the embodiments illustrated in FIG. 1 may be omitted. In contrast, the modalities shown in Figures 4A-4D use one or more individually pointed and focused channels, which include one or more optical elements associated with each light source module, such as one or more lenses, which direct and focus at least a portion of the emission of one or more light source modules on a lighting objective, preferably, so that they are superimposed on the lighting objective to form a lighting patch. For example, Figure 4A is a schematic representation of an exemplary lighting system 20a that includes a set of light source modules 22a, such as light source modules 72, 72 ', 72", and a system of optical elements 25a. the set of light source modules 22a is configured so that at least a portion of the emission of each light source module is substantially aimed towards the lighting target 27. This can be achieved, for example, as shown in Figure 4B, by arranging a set of light source modules 22, such as 72, 72 ', 72", tangentially toward and along a spherical surface that has a radius R and is centered at 0. In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in Figure 4A, the optical element system 25a includes a first set of lenses 24a, which includes the lenses 64, 64 '. 64", and a second lens assembly 26a, which includes the lenses 66, 66 ', 66". In this exemplary embodiment, the lenses in the array 24a are preferably plano-convex lenses having spherical surfaces that are generally pointing away from the light source modules, and the lenses in the assembly 26a are preferably flat lenses. -convexes that have aspherical surfaces that point out of the light source modules. Each pointed channel is formed by a light source module with the associated lens or lens. For example, the light source module 72 with associated lenses 64 and 66 forms this pointed channel. In the exemplary lighting system shown in Figure 4b, the optical element system 25 utilizes a layer of meniscus lenses, such as 54, 54 ', 54"with the concave surfaces facing the light source modules. . In this example embodiment, a light source module and associated meniscus lens, e.g., light source module 72 and lens 54, form each pointed channel. Figure 4C is a schematic representation of an exemplary lighting system 20b, including a set of light source modules 22b, such as light source modules 72, 72 ', 72", and an element system optical 25b. The set of light source modules 22b is configured so that the light source modules are placed substantially coplanar to each other for simplicity of wiring and mounting. As an example, this mode uses a hexagonal array of seven light source modules. The emission of each light source module is generally directed towards the lighting target 27 by appropriately configuring the optical element system 25b, which in this example embodiment includes biconvex lenses, such as 56, 56 'and 56". The pointing of the individual channels can be achieved, for example, by selecting the central optical element or elements, for example, the lens 56 ', so that it has a focal length that is shorter than that of the surrounding lenses, so that at least some of the output of the light source module 72 ', focused by the lens 56', can be superimposed on the lighting target with at least some of the output of the light source modules 72 and 72", focused by lenses 56 and 56 ''. Figure 4D is a schematic representation of an exemplary lighting system 20c, which includes a set of light source modules 22c, such as light source modules 72, 72 ', 72", and a system of elements optical 25c. The set of light source modules 22c is also configured so that the light source modules are placed substantially coplanar to each other for simplicity of wiring and mounting. The emission of each light source module is generally directed towards the lighting target 27 by appropriately configuring the optical element system 25c. In this exemplary embodiment, the optical element system 25c includes a first set of lenses 24c, including lenses 94, 94 ', 94", and a second lens assembly 26c, including lenses 96, 96' , 96 ''. The lenses of the assembly 24c are placed substantially coplanar with each other, while some of the lenses of the assembly 26c are inclined with respect to the optical axis of the system, for example, as shown for the lenses 96 and 96"in Figure 4D , to achieve superposition of the emission of different light source modules in the lighting objective 27. With further reference to Figures 4A-4D, in some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the optical element systems may be configured to image one or more of the emitting surfaces of the light source modules on the objective 27 of lighting. As explained above, the nature of the lighting objective 27 will vary depending on the specific application. Those skilled in the art will also readily appreciate that the number and type of light source modules and optical elements associated with the light source modules, thus forming individual pointed channels, can also vary depending on the application, configuration, desired system and system dimensions. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the light of one or more of the light source modules is focused on the same lighting objective by pointing the individual channels in the objective can use fewer parts, may have less costs, they can be more efficient and in some modes can result in a brighter production than typical modes using shared capacitors. However, exemplary embodiments using capacitors may allow more flexibility, since a capacitor may be used to adjust the angle of the light output bundle, the back focal length and the magnification. Additionally, in the exemplary embodiments illustrated in Figures 4A and 4B, the light source modules are not coplanar, which is a disadvantage for the mounting of printed circuit boards. On the other hand, if the light source modules are mounted on the same substrate, such as the printed circuit board itself, the associated optical elements placed around the periphery of the system will be pointed at or inclined, which may result in decreased luminance compared to for example the system in which the light source modules point towards the center of a sphere and are mounted tangentially to it. Each of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be particularly advantageous for a particular application. For example, it is likely to achieve higher picking efficiency when the optical element placed in front of a light source module has a concave surface that "wraps around" the front portion of the light source module., collecting in this way light greater angles. A flat surface facing a light source module will also work to achieve comparable harvesting efficiency, but these optical elements are more difficult to mold. The performance of the lighting system is also slightly improved, in the usual way, by increasing the number of light source modules, as well as the use of the "pointed" configuration in comparison to the example modes using shared capacitors. In Figure 5 another exemplary embodiment of the lighting systems of the present disclosure is illustrated. These example modalities can be used to direct the backlighting of LCDs. In particular, the lighting system 30 shown in. Figure 5 can be used to illuminate an LCD 85. the lighting system 30 includes a set of light source modules 32, such as modules 72, 72 ', 72"of light source, which may be LED light source modules, and a system of optical elements 35. In these example embodiments, a sufficient number of light source modules must be used, such as 72, 72 ', 72' ', to create a lighting patch that covers a sufficient portion of the surface of the LCD 85, to obtain a resulting image of the desired size, brightness and quality. In these example embodiments, the system of optical elements 35 includes a first set of lenses 34, which includes the lenses 74, 74 ', 74", a second set of lenses 36, which includes the lenses. 76, 76 ', 76"and may also include collimation optics such as Fresnel lenses, gradient index lenses, etc. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, the optical element system 35 may include other additional components as may be desired for a particular application. With further reference to Figure 5, in the appropriate embodiments, a pair of contact lenses, one of the set 34 and one of the set 36, for example, the lenses 74 and 76, may be associated with each light source module, for example , 72. The lens assemblies 34 and 36 can be configured as a tightly packed, double layer arrangement, similar to the arrangement shown in Figure 2D, in which the number and complete structure of the configuration 58 is altered to accommodate the number desired of the modules 72, 72 ', 72", of light source, etc., and to the shape of the surface to be illuminated, such as the LCD screen 85, which is usually rectangular or square in general. The general shapes and the respective positioning of the lenses in assemblies 34 and 35, as well as the general shape and placement of the light source modules, can be substantially the same as those described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the Figures 1-3, 4A-4D or they may have another suitable configuration. The optical element system 35 can be configured so as to image one or more of the emitting surfaces of the light source modules of the set 32 in one or more pixels, such as 850, 850 ', 850", of the LCD 85, which in these example modalities will constitute the objective or objectives of illumination (see Figure 1, item 17). In some exemplary embodiments, it is preferable to image the emitting surfaces on the LCD 85 with at least some amount of overlap of the adjacent images to create a substantially continuous illumination path. Thus, in these embodiments, the images of the emitting surfaces overlap, or at least partially overlap, to compose a substantially uniform pattern of many emitters, wherein the individual elements may have non-uniform shapes. Furthermore, in suitable exemplary embodiments, for direct view backlighting, the images may have only a small amount of overlap, only so that they substantially fill the area to be illuminated. Here, substantial overlap of the images is not needed, as would be the case for most projection applications. Alternatively, an individual emitting surface in a discrete pixel or in a number of pixels can be imaged. Finally, in the de-lighting system 30, an exchange can be made between the brightness of the light source modules, their size and the number of channels (here, the resource number individually controlled with the associated optics). A further exemplary embodiment of the lighting systems of the present disclosure is schematically illustrated in Figure 6. This lighting system 40 can be used in a projection system 150. This lighting system 40 can be used in a projection system 150. The lighting system 40, used to illuminate, a projection screen 154, includes a set of light source modules 42, such as the modules 72, 72 '., 72", of light source (as in Figures 1-5), and a system of optical elements 45. In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in Figure 6, the optical element system 45 includes a first set of lenses 44, having lenses similar to those shown and described with reference to Figures 1-5, a second lens assembly 46, which also has lenses similar to those shown and described with reference to Figures 1-5. The lighting system 40 can be followed by an imaging device 141, such as an LCD transmitting device, and by a field lens 143, such as a Fresnel lens. Folding mirrors 145, 149 and 152, which can be ordinary front surface mirrors, can be used to fold the optical path of the projection system 150 and thereby increase its compaction. The projection system may also include projection optics 147 for projecting the image created by the image forming device 141 on the screen 154. Referring further to FIG. 6, a pair of contact lenses, one of the set 44 and one of assembly 46, for example, lenses 74 and 76 shown in Figure 3, with each light source module, for example, 72, also shown in Figure 3. Lens assemblies 44 and 46 can be configured with a tightly packed, double layer arrangement, similar to the arrangement shown in Figure 2B, in which the total number and structure of the 587 configuration can be altered to achieve the desired brightness, resolution and size of the resulting image formed on the screen 154. Preferably, the general shapes and sizes of the lenses of the assemblies 44 and 46, as well as the shape and general-size of the light source modules of the assembly 42, are substantially the same We are like those described with reference to the modalities illustrated in Figures 1-5. The exemplary embodiments illustrated in Figure 6 are particularly useful for projection applications of large LCD panels, because they allow the decrease in cabinet size and the use of fewer components. In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, Figure 7 illustrates a light source module having multi-color emitting surfaces. For example, Figure 7, the light source module 1721 includes three emitter surfaces 194R, 194G and 194B (red, green and blue, respectively, or other suitable primary colors), placed close to each other. These light emitting modules can be three-chip LED modules, and any or more of. the emitting surfaces can be or include LED emitting surfaces, phosphor layers or any other emitting material. The optics 174 and 176 collimator may include lenses similar to those shown and described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in Figures 1-6 or other suitable optical elements. Preferably, each lens receives light from the three emitting surfaces 194R, 194G and 194B. In this way, the cost and size of lighting systems can be reduced, because multiple light sources share the same optics. To achieve this, the emitting surfaces 194R, 194G and 194B must be placed sufficiently close together. In addition, emitting surfaces should be placed sufficiently close to the lenses to ensure sufficient light collection. The light source module 172 and the collimating optics 174, 176 are configured so that collimation is achieved for the emitting surfaces 194R, 194G and 194B in such a way that the illumination is "indexed" with respect to a color particular. This can be achieved by placing the emitting surfaces 194R, 194G and 194B near the focal plane of the collimation optics, so that the spatial separation of the different color emitters is transformed into angular separation of the aces having different colors. For example, for an arrangement shown in Figure 7, the green light may leave the collimation optics at approximately 0 degrees to the optical axis, while the red light may exit the collimation optics at an angle of approximately +2 degrees at optical axis, and blue light can come out at an angle of about -2. Figure 8 schematically shows another exemplary embodiment of the lighting systems of the present disclosure. The lighting system 100 shown in Figure 8 includes a set of light source modules 112, such as light source modules 172, 172 'and 172", each having multiple emitting surfaces 194R, 194G and 194B , 194R ', 194G' and 194B ', 194R ", 194G" and 194B ", etc., respectively, and a system of optical elements 115. In the example embodiments illustrated in Figure 8, the optical element system 115 includes a first set of lenses 114., including lenses 174, 174 ', 174", a second lens assembly 116, including lenses 176, 176', 176", dichroic mirrors 120R, 120B and 120G and a capacitor 118. The capacitor 118 may be or may include a plano-convex lens, preferably having an aspheric convex surface, a meniscus lens, or a gradient index lens. The system of optical elements 115 may include other components in addition to or in place of the elements shown, as may be desired for a particular application. In the appropriate embodiments of the present disclosure, the lens assembly 114 that includes the lenses 174, 174 ', 174", and the lens assembly 116 that includes the lenses 176, 176', 176" may have similar configurations to the lens assemblies described with reference to other example embodiments of the present disclosure or may have other suitable configurations, as appropriate for a particular application. For example, a pair of contact lens, one of assembly 114 and one of assembly 116 may be associated with each light source module. For example, in Figure 8, the lenses 174 and 176 are associated with the light source module 172, the lenses 174 ', 176' are associated with the light source module 172 ', and the lenses 174' ' and 176"are associated with the light source module 172". As explained in relation to Figure 7, any or all of the emitting surfaces 194R, 194G, 194B, 194R ', 194G', 194B 'and 194R ", 194G", 194B. ', may be emitting surfaces of the red, green and blue (RGB) LED modules, phosphor layers, or any other emitting material or any number or combination thereof. With further reference to Figure 8, the optical element system 115 can be configured to take in images one or more of the emitting surfaces of the light source modules, for example 172, 172 ', 172", on a target 117 lighting. As explained with reference to other example embodiments, the nature of the lighting objective 117 will vary depending on the specific application. For example, the lighting target 117 may be an entrance to a light tunnel, an image forming device, an LCD, or a specific color area or pixel of an LCD. Where overlapping color patches are desired or with at least partial overlap, the dichroic mirrors 12OR, 12OB and 12G can be used to combine the images of the emitting surfaces of different colors in the lighting objective 117.

Similar to other example embodiments, described herein, one or more of the emitting surfaces 194R, 194G, 194B, 194R ', 194G', 194B ', 194R ", 194G", 194B ", etc. of the modules 172, 172 ', 172' 'of light source, etc., can be given a specific shape to improve the performance of the lighting system 100. For example, one or more of the emitting surfaces may be formed to substantially correspond to the general shape of the lighting objective 117. In particular, if the target 117 is a square entrance of a light tunnel, one or more of the emitting surfaces of the light source modules, such as 172, 172 ', 172", can also be formed generally as squares. . If, on the other hand, objective 117 is a rectangular image-forming device or a rectangular-colored pixel or area of an LCD, one or more of the emitting surfaces of the light source modules can also be formed in general as rectangles. . It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that other forms of emitting surfaces and lighting objectives are within the scope of the present disclosure. Another example embodiment of the lighting systems of the present disclosure is illustrated in Figure 9. These example modalities can be used to backlight LCD. The lighting systems 200 include one or more light source modules, exemplified by the light source modules 272 and 272 ', which may be three-chip LED modules, and a system of optical elements, such as a set of collimation lenses, exemplified by 211 and 211 ', in which each of the collimation lenses is associated with at least one of the light source modules. The lighting system 200 can be used to illuminate an imaging device 185. In these example modalities, a sufficient number of light source modules, exemplified by 272 and 272 ', having emitting surfaces of different colors, must be used and implemented by 294R, 294G, 294B and 294'R, 294'G, 194'B, to cover a sufficient portion of the surface of the imaging device 185, which may be an LCD screen, to obtain a resulting image of the desired size and quality. The imaging device may have an array of color areas or pixels, exemplified by pixels 385R, 385G, 385B, 385'R, 385'G, 385'B and 385"R, 385" G, 385". B. A lenticular array 165, which includes the individual lenticles, such as 365, 365 ', 365"that can be placed next to the imaging device 185, can be used to image one or more of the emitting surfaces such as 294R, 294G, 294B, 294'R, 294'G, 294'B, over a corresponding color area or pixel, such as 385R, 385G, 385B, 385'R, 385'G, 385'B ,. 385 '' R, 385"G and 385 '' B. The lenticules can be biconvex or planoconvex lenses In some example modalities, one or more of the emitting surfaces in a filter strip can be imaged. , each individual lenticle focuses the beams corresponding to different colors originating from different emitters to different places in the image forming device 185, for example, on different zones or color pixels. focus the beams corresponding to the red, green and blue light originating from the emitting surfaces 294R, 29G and 294B on the color areas or pixels 385R ", 385G" and 385G "the image forming device 185. Furthermore, as explained in conjunction with other exemplary embodiments, the shapes of the emitting surfaces can be matched to the shape of the color areas or pixels, in this way, each light source module can illuminate a predetermined area of the imaging device containing many areas or pixels of color, so that its effective surface is substantially illuminated. Uniformity is achieved by calibrating all light emitting modules and their multi-color emitters to the appropriate output level. With further reference to Figure 9, in some example embodiments, the lenticular array 165 as well as the pixels or color zones, such as 385R, 385G, 385B, 385'R, 385'G, 385'B, 385"R, 385" G, 385 B, they have a separation of about 0.2 mm.The light emitting surfaces, such as 294B, 294G, 294R, can be emitting lines, for example LED strips, with a spacing of approximately 0.4 mm from center to center. collimation lenses, such as 211 and 211 ', can be carefully necked together to create a uniform beam of illumination, so that the imaging device 185 is illuminated substantially without interruption. Alternatively, the spacing between the light emitting sources may be approximately 0.6 mm, with the lens spacing of approximately 0.3 mm approximately 0.1 mm between the color areas or pixels of the imaging device 185. Collimation lenses, such as 211, 211 ' and the modules d The associated light source, such as 272 and 272 ', can be packaged hexagonally or packaged in Cartesian grid, as desired for a specific application. With further reference to the Figure, the lighting system 200 produces beams that are angularly separated depending on their color. As a result, red light can be channeled through the red zone or zones of an imaging device, and likewise blue and green light can be channeled through the blue and green areas, respectively. Filters can be used or not, with these modalities of the present description, depending on the purity of the pipeline. Pure channeling, or channeling, which is substantially free of crosstalk, can be achieved with some embodiments of the present disclosure, since the specific color will be distributed to a specific pixel, for example, only red light passing through a zone of red color. In addition, the present disclosure allows the use of light source modules, such as LED modules, for better distribution in the far field of illumination. The approach of the present disclosure simplifies the design of lighting systems for a variety of specific applications and allows many different configurations of light source modules, optics and imaging device. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are capable of collecting light from labyrinth-type emitters, such as LEDs, more effectively than traditional systems. In this way, more light can be transmitted to the lighting objective resulting in better overall efficiency. In addition, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may have characteristic imaging enhancements. Furthermore, the present description allows the creation of lighting systems that use fewer components, are compact, are versatile, and are easy and less expensive to manufacture. Although the lighting systems of the present disclosure have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the dimensions and configurations of the optical element systems that are used in various embodiments of the present disclosure may vary depending on the specific application of the nature and dimensions of the illumination objective. In addition, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may incorporate optical elements, system components described in the United States Patent Application entitled "Illumination System", Attorney Document No. 59373US002, and the United States patent application. United titled "Reforming Light Source Modules and Illumination Systems That Use Themselves", Attorney Document No. 59526US002, presented concurrently with this, the descriptions of which are incorporated herein by reference herein to the extent that they are not inconsistent with the present disclosure. In addition, the present disclosure contemplates the inclusion of additional optical elements in exemplary embodiments of the lighting systems constructed in accordance with the present disclosure, as will be known to those skilled in the art. In addition, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that modalities of the present disclosure can be used with a variety of light sources, including white LEDs, colored LEDs (e.g., red, blue, green or other colors) and LED modules. of multiple chips, for example, RGB LED modules. RGB LEDs will typically allow for the achievement of the best color performance, but white LEDs are acceptable for many applications. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the present invention is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (33)

1. CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property: 1. Lighting system, characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of light source modules, each light source module comprising a light emitting surface, light; a lighting objective; and a system of optical elements placed between the plurality of light source modules and the lighting objective; wherein the system of optical elements forms in images the emitting surfaces of the light source modules on the lighting objective creating a plurality of images of emitting surfaces.
2. 2. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the images of the emitting surfaces are substantially superimposed to form a lighting patch, the illumination patch that substantially fills the illumination objective.
3. 3. Illumination system according to claim 2, characterized in that the illumination patch over-refills the illumination objective.
4. 4. The lighting system according to claim 2, characterized in that a shape of at least one of the emitting surfaces substantially corresponds to a shape of the lighting target.
5. 5. The lighting system according to claim 4, characterized in that the shape of the lighting objective is substantially square.
6. 6. Lighting system according to claim 5, characterized in that the lighting objective is an entrance of a light tunnel.
7. 7. The lighting system according to claim 4, characterized in that the shape of the lighting target is substantially rectangular.
8. 8. The lighting system according to claim 7, characterized in that the lighting objective is an image forming device.
9. 9. The lighting system according to claim 2, characterized in that a shape of at least one of the emitting surfaces is substantially square, a shape of the lighting target is substantially rectangular, and the optical element system is configured so that a shape of the lighting patch corresponds substantially to the shape of the lighting objective.
10. 10. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of light source modules are placed in an array within a non-radially symmetrical opening.
11. 11. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the images of the emitting surfaces are closely packed, thus forming a lighting patch, the illumination patch that substantially fills the illumination target.
12. 12. Lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the images of the emitting surfaces are overlapped thereby forming a lighting patch, the lighting patch that substantially fills the lighting objective.
13. 13. The lighting system according to claim 12, characterized in that the illumination target is an LCD comprising a plurality of pixels.
14. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the light source modules and the optical element system are configured to form a plurality of channels pointed substantially in the illumination target.
15. 15. The lighting system according to claim 14, characterized in that the light source modules are placed tangentially to and along a spherical surface.
16. 16. The lighting system according to claim 14, characterized in that the light source modules are placed substantially coplanar with each other and the optical element system comprises a means for aiming at least some light of each light source module substantially. towards the goal of illumination.
17. 17. Lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the system of optical elements comprises a pair of meniscus lenses associated with each light source module, each pair of meniscus lenses configured such that a first meniscus lens has a convex side and a concave side and a second The meniscus lens has a convex side and a concave side and positioned so that the concave side of the second meniscus lens is adjacent to the convex side of the first meniscus lens and the concave side of the first meniscus lens faces the emitting surface of the module associated light source.
18. 18. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the system of optical elements comprises a plurality of pairs of meniscus lenses, each pair associated with a respective light source module and configured so that a first lens- The meniscus has a convex side and a concave side and a second meniscus lens has a convex side and a concave side positioned such that the concave side of the second meniscus lens is adjacent to the convex side of the first meniscus lens and the concave side of the The first meniscus lens faces the emitting surface of the associated light source module, and wherein the optical element system further comprises a capacitor positioned between the plurality of meniscus lens pairs and the illumination target.
19. 19. Lighting system, characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of light source modules, each light source module comprising a plurality of emitting surfaces of different colors placed one near the other; a lighting objective; and a system of optical elements placed between the plurality of light source modules and the lighting objective; wherein the system of optical elements forms in images the plurality of emitting surfaces on the lighting objective.
20. The lighting system according to claim 19, characterized in that each light source module comprises a first light emitting surface of a first color, a second light emitting surface of a second color and a third light emitting surface of a second color. a third color.
21. 21. The lighting system according to claim 20, characterized in that the images of the emitting surfaces are substantially superimposed to form a lighting patch, the illumination patch that substantially fills the illumination target.
22. 22. The lighting system according to claim 21, characterized in that the lighting patch over-refills the lighting objective.
23. 23. The lighting system according to claim 20, characterized in that the system of optical elements comprises dichroic mirrors.
24. 24. The lighting system according to claim 20, characterized in that the lighting objective comprises a first, a second and a third color zone, and wherein the system of optical elements forms in images the first emitting surface on the first zone. of color, the second emitting surface on the second color zone, and the third emitting surface on the third color zone.
25. 25. The lighting system according to claim 24, characterized in that the system of optical elements comprises a lenticular arrangement placed between the plurality of light source modules and the lighting objective. 2'6.
26. Lighting system according to claim 20, characterized in that the first, second and third colors are primary colors.
27. 27. The lighting system according to claim 19, characterized in that the system of optical elements comprises a pair of meniscus lenses associated with each light source module, each pair of meniscus lenses being configured so that a first lens of Meniscus has a convex side and a concave side and a second meniscus lens has a convex side and a concave side and positioned so that the concave side of the second meniscus lens is adjacent to the convex side of the first meniscus lens and the concave side of the first meniscus lens faces the emitting surface of the associated light source module.
28. The lighting system according to claim 19, characterized in that the system of optical elements comprises a plurality of pairs of meniscus lenses, each pair associated with a respective light source module and configured so that a first meniscus lens has a convex side and a concave side and a second meniscus lens has a convex side and a concave side and positioned so that the concave side of the second meniscus lens is adjacent to the convex side of the first meniscus lens and the concave side of the first meniscus lens faces towards the emitting surface of the associated light source module, and wherein the optical element system comprises - further a condenser positioned between the plurality of meniscus lens pairs and the illumination objective.
29. 29. Lighting system, characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of light source modules placed in an array within a non-radially symmetric opening; "a lighting objective, and a system of optical elements placed between the plurality of light source modules and the lighting objective
30. 30. Lighting system according to claim 29, characterized in that the lighting objective is a forming device. of images having a plurality of mirrors that can rotate about a pivot axis, and wherein the non-radially symmetric opening has a long dimension and a short dimension and is oriented so that the long dimension is aligned with the pivot axis of the mirrors of the image forming device
31. 31. Illumination system, characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of light source modules, each light source module comprising a light emitting surface; a lighting objective; and a system of optical elements positioned between the plurality of the light source module and the lighting objective; wherein the light source modules and the optical element system are configured to form a plurality of channels pointed substantially to the illumination target.
32. 32. The lighting system according to claim 31, characterized in that the light source modules are placed tangentially to and along a spherical surface. The lighting system according to claim 31, characterized in that the light source modules are placed substantially coplanar with each other and the system of optical elements comprises means for aiming at least some light of each light source module substantially towards the goal of illumination.