Apparatus and method for improved illumination area fill

A method for illuminating a surface comprising:

• radiating light from a light source whose intensity varies as a function of the angles of the light rays radiated from the light source in a three dimensional radiation pattern, and
• reflecting light from a reflector having an aperture, the reflector being proximate to the light source, defining a system angle by its aperture and allowing directly radiated energy to propagate from the light source through the aperture of the reflector to the surface to provide a directly radiated energy distribution pattern on the surface,
• where the reflector has a defined shape derived from a transfer function, which has as inputs:
• the three dimensional radiation pattern of the light source;
• beam parameters, such as light source-to-surface distance and beam diameter;
• system parameters of the reflector such as reflector size and aperture size of the reflector;
• and
• a desired composite energy distribution on the surface;
• and which has as outputs:
• an amount of directly radiated energy propagating through the aperture of the reflector;
• a remainder of the total available radiated energy from the light source less the energy of the light directly radiating to the surface through the reflector aperture;
• and
• a calculated position and orientation of each point on the reflector as a function of angle needed to provide the desired composite energy distribution on the surface, which calculation defines the shape of the reflector necessary to provide a reflected energy pattern to overlay the directly radiated energy pattern to form the designer controlled composite energy distribution on the surface.

A method of computerized design of a shape of a reflector having a three dimensional surface, a base and aperture, the reflector for reflecting light from a light source whose intensity varies as a function of three dimensional angles of light rays radiated from the light source comprising defining a shape for the reflector which shape is derived from a transfer function in a computer, which transfer function comprises inputting:

• the three dimensional radiation pattern of the light source;
• beam parameters, such as light source-to-surface distance and beam diameter;
• system parameters of the reflector such as reflector size and aperture size of the reflector;
• and
• a desired composite energy distribution on the surface;
• and outputting:
• an amount of directly radiated energy propagating through the aperture of the reflector;
• a remainder of the total available radiated energy from the light source less the energy of the light directly radiating to the surface through the reflector aperture;
• and
• a calculated position and orientation of each point on the reflector as a function of angle needed to provide the desired composite energy distribution on the surface, which calculation defines the shape of the reflector necessary to provide a reflected energy pattern to overlay the directly radiated energy pattern to form the designer controlled composite energy distribution on the surface.