WO1999039134A1 - Reflecteur en secteurs permettant de coupler une source etendue d'eclairage a n elements de fibres - Google Patents

Reflecteur en secteurs permettant de coupler une source etendue d'eclairage a n elements de fibres Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1999039134A1
WO1999039134A1 PCT/US1999/002002 US9902002W WO9939134A1 WO 1999039134 A1 WO1999039134 A1 WO 1999039134A1 US 9902002 W US9902002 W US 9902002W WO 9939134 A1 WO9939134 A1 WO 9939134A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
reflector
illumination
illumination source
segments
illumination system
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1999/002002
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Kathryn Riddick
Andrew P. Riser
Original Assignee
Remote Source Lighting International, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Remote Source Lighting International, Inc. filed Critical Remote Source Lighting International, Inc.
Priority to EP99905557A priority Critical patent/EP1023557A4/fr
Publication of WO1999039134A1 publication Critical patent/WO1999039134A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/0001—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings specially adapted for lighting devices or systems
    • G02B6/0005—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings specially adapted for lighting devices or systems the light guides being of the fibre type
    • G02B6/0006—Coupling light into the fibre
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/42—Coupling light guides with opto-electronic elements
    • G02B6/4298—Coupling light guides with opto-electronic elements coupling with non-coherent light sources and/or radiation detectors, e.g. lamps, incandescent bulbs, scintillation chambers

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to optical lightguide illumination systems, and more particularly to optical lightguide illumination systems employing improved and more efficient technology for capturing light from an extended source and coupling that light into a plurality of lightguides.
  • optical lightguide illumination systems such as fiber optic lighting applications
  • an illumination source typically a single lamp
  • a plurality of lightguides such as optical fibers. This generally increases the coupling efficiency, and prevents damage to the optical fiber by reducing the optical power coupled into any one fiber.
  • Lamps particularly high intensity white light sources, are considered to be extended sources (as opposed to point sources), because they have a finite illuminating element, e.g. 1 x 4 mm. In addition, lamps radiate in all directions (although generally not uniformly). Energy cannot be efficiently coupled into any individual fiber because fiber cross-sectional areas and fiber numerical apertures are generally small than those of a lamp.
  • the present invention resolves the difficulties discussed supra, by providing a segmented reflector that efficiently couples energy from a lamp into a plurality of optical fibers.
  • a segmented reflector offers the ability to improve the coupling efficiency by utilizing the cross-sectional area and numerical aperture of more than one optical fiber at the output of a reflector. Also this reduces the energy collected by a single fiber, and can be useful in preventing damage created by the source intensity.
  • a source lamp is placed along a reflector axis.
  • the reflector is specifically designed for a particular style and type of lamp, and is designed to collect as many rays from that lamp as possible.
  • the reflector comprises four segments. Each of the four segments forms a distinct focus.
  • a plurality of lightguides are placed at the output of the reflector, one each at each focus of the respective reflector segments, with the longitudinal axis of each optical fiber substantially parallel to the axes of the reflector and the lamp. Assuming radial symmetry, each of the four fibers will collect substantially the same amount of light energy, and will transmit this light energy to an end device or user.
  • an illumination system comprising an illumination source, a reflector disposed adjacent to the illumination source, wherein the reflector is comprised of a plurality of segments, and a plurality of lightguides having receiving ends for receiving light distributed from different corresponding ones of the plurality of reflector segments.
  • the lightguides comprise optical fibers, and there is a one-to-one correspondence of reflector segments to lightguides.
  • the reflector is divided into pie-shaped segments.
  • an illumination system comprising an extended illumination source having a length, a reflector disposed adjacent to the extended illumination source, wherein the reflector is comprised of a plurality of segments and has an axis, and a plurality of lightguides having receiving ends for receiving light distributed from different corresponding ones of the plurality of reflector segments, wherein the length of the extended illumination source lies substantially along the reflector axis.
  • a method of fabricating a segmented illumination reflector of an illumination system having an extended illumination source wherein the segmented reflector comprises a plurality of reflector segments and the illumination system includes a plurality of lightguides having receiving ends for receiving light distributed from different co ⁇ 'esponding ones of the plurality of reflector segments.
  • This method comprises an initial step of mapping the radiation patterns of the extended illumination source. Then, a database of the radiation patterns emitted by the extended illumination source is created. Once the database has been created, it is used to generate a configuration for the segmented reflector which provides an optimal distribution and intensity of illumination at the receiving end of each of the lightguides.
  • Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an illumination system constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention.
  • Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of a preferred segmented reflector constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention.
  • an optical lightguide illumination system 10 is shown which is comprised of an extended illumination source 12.
  • the illumination source 12 may be any known lamp having a relatively high intensity output.
  • a segmented reflector 14, having an axis 16, is disposed about the illumination source 12 in such a manner that the extended dimension, typically its length, of the extended light source 12 lies along the axis of the reflector 14, as shown in Fig. 1.
  • the segmented reflector 14 comprises a plurality of segments 18. In the preferred embodiment, four segments 18 are shown, but it could practically be designed with as few as two segments or as many as twelve or more segments, if desired.
  • An important feature of the invention is that each of the reflector segments 18 is configured to focus light emitted from the lamp 12 onto a corresponding one of an output light guide or optical fiber 20, as illustrated in Fig. 1.
  • Patent Application Serial No. 08/599,970 now allowed and herein expressly incorporated by reference.
  • computer software is used to play the file containing the lamp's complex three-space emission pattern against the surface of any arbitrarily defined reflector surface, thereby yielding a highly accurate prediction of exactly what the resulting radiation product will look like at any point in space.
  • the precise reflector element shape required to collect and focus as many rays as possible from a particular lamp style and to type those rays onto output lightguides may be calculated.
  • reflectors constructed in accordance with these designs may be readily produced using current molding techniques. Once molded, a metallic metal finish may be deposited on the reflector.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Optical Couplings Of Light Guides (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un système d'éclairage par fibres optiques comprenant un réflecteur en secteurs qui assure un couplage efficace de l'énergie dégagée par une lampe et d'une pluralité de fibres optiques. Le réflecteur en segments améliore l'efficacité du couplage en utilisant la section et l'ouverture numérique de plus d'une fibre optique à la sortie du réflecteur. De plus, ce système permet de réduire l'énergie concentrée sur une seule fibre, et permet d'éviter une détérioration due à l'intensité de la source. En pratique, une lampe source (12) est placée dans l'axe (16) du réflecteur. Le réflecteur (14) est spécialement étudié pour un style et un type particuliers de lampe et est conçu pour intercepter un nombre aussi élevé que possible de rayons émis par cette lampe.
PCT/US1999/002002 1998-01-29 1999-01-29 Reflecteur en secteurs permettant de coupler une source etendue d'eclairage a n elements de fibres WO1999039134A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP99905557A EP1023557A4 (fr) 1998-01-29 1999-01-29 Reflecteur en secteurs permettant de coupler une source etendue d'eclairage a n elements de fibres

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US7330798P 1998-01-29 1998-01-29
US60/073,307 1998-01-29

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1999039134A1 true WO1999039134A1 (fr) 1999-08-05

Family

ID=22112966

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1999/002002 WO1999039134A1 (fr) 1998-01-29 1999-01-29 Reflecteur en secteurs permettant de coupler une source etendue d'eclairage a n elements de fibres

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1023557A4 (fr)
WO (1) WO1999039134A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1085256A1 (fr) * 1999-09-17 2001-03-21 Ford Motor Company Procédé et appareil pour collecter la lumière

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5857041A (en) * 1995-01-17 1999-01-05 Remote Source Lighting International Optical coupler and method utilizing optimal illumination reflector

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5317484A (en) * 1993-02-01 1994-05-31 General Electric Company Collection optics for high brightness discharge light source
US5559911A (en) * 1995-01-17 1996-09-24 Radiant Imaging, Inc. Optical fiber coupler using segmented lenses

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5857041A (en) * 1995-01-17 1999-01-05 Remote Source Lighting International Optical coupler and method utilizing optimal illumination reflector

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See also references of EP1023557A4 *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1085256A1 (fr) * 1999-09-17 2001-03-21 Ford Motor Company Procédé et appareil pour collecter la lumière

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1023557A1 (fr) 2000-08-02
EP1023557A4 (fr) 2000-11-08

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