Loss-less etendue-preserving light guides
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorPeter J. Janssen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A light guide comprises two or more straight light guide sections and one or more light coupling elements between sections to transport light from one section to another section. By having at least two TIR (totally internally reflecting) surfaces aligned with the light guiding direction of one of the light guiding sections, a light coupling element of the invention transports light from one light guide section to another with little or no light loss and little or no increase of etendue.
Claims23
A light guide comprising at least first and second light guide sections and at least one light coupling element between the light guide sections, the light guide sections each having an entrance aperture, an exit aperture and a guide wall defining a light guiding direction, the light coupling element being composed of an optically transparent material having an entrance face with a TIR surface, and an exit face with a TIR surface, the entrance face adjacent to the exit aperture of the first light guide section and extending in the light guiding direction of the second light guide section, and exit face adjacent to the entrance aperture of light guide section and extending in the light guiding direction of the first light guide section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.