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AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorsHubertina Petronella Huck, Rifat Hikmet
Estimating the term…
An illumination system (8) comprises an optical waveguide (18) which is made from optically transparent components and has four end faces (10, 10′). A light source (12) whose light is coupled into the optical waveguide (18) via one of the end faces (10), is situated opposite this end face (10). The optical waveguide (18) has a light guide (30). A number of fibres (34) are attached to a surface (32) of the light guide (30). The fibres (34) have birefringent properties. A preferred method of providing the birefringent properties is to stretch fibres (34) of a suitable polymer plastic material in their longitudinal direction. The light from the light source (12) will be polarized by the fibres (34) and polarised light will be outcoupled from the optical waveguide (18) via an exit surface (16). The illumination system (8) may be used for front or back lightning of LCD panels for e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, etc.
An illumination system comprising an optical waveguide being optically transparent and having an exit surface and a plurality of end faces, opposite to at least one of which a light source is situated, whose light is to be coupled in to the optical waveguide at said at least one end face, the optical waveguide having polarizing means integrated therein for polarizing the light emitted by the light source,
A method of manufacturing polarizing means in an optical waveguide being optically transparent and having an exit surface and a plurality of end faces, opposite to at least one of which a light source is adapted to be situated, whose light is to be coupled in to the optical waveguide at said at least one end face, the polarizing means being adapted to polarize the light emitted by the light source, characterized by the steps of
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.