Catadioptric lens system for collecting and directing light from large aperture luminescent light illuminating fixtures

A projection illumination fixture comprising in combination:

• a) at least one luminescent light tube each with an interior tubular surface lined with an emulsion coating including suspended titanium dioxide and phosphors for producing highly scattered sustained luminescent light emission of a desired mixture of red, blue and green light frequencies;
• b) at least one electrical energizing means electrically connected between a source of electrical energy and the luminescent light tube(s) for providing electron current pulses to the luminescent light tube(s) at a rate sufficient to excite/stimulate sustained luminescent light emission from the phosphors in the emulsion coatings;
• c) reflective surfaces positioned relative to the luminescent light tube(s) for reflecting the highly scattered sustained luminescent light emission emitted by the light tube(s) toward a reflector cavity aperture;
• d) a catadioptric lens for collecting and redirecting the highly scattered sustained luminescent light emission radiating into the reflector cavity aperture into a hollow light snoot structure toward a snoot aperture;
• e) a large area, Fresnel type projection lens having a focal length FL located across the snoot aperture receiving the redirected sustained luminescent light emission light radiating into the snoot aperture for projecting it to and spreading it in an illumination field;
• f) a gobo located immediately outward from the catadioptric lens with a pre-selected gobo aperture for shaping a light beam of redirected sustained luminescent light emission radiating from the catadioptric lens into the light snoot the projection lens projecting inverting and spreading the shaped light beam in the illumination field whereby, regions in the illumination field may be selected for illumination by aiming the shaped light beam of sustained luminescent light emission radiating from the fixture;
• wherein the reflector cavity aperture, gobo aperture and snoot aperture are parallel and aligned along a principal optical axis the gobo aperture being located a distance DG from the projection lens where DG is greater than the focal length FL of the projection lens, and
• wherein the catadioptric lens is planar having at least one structured planar surface for reflecting and refracting the highly scattered sustained luminescent light emission radiating into the reflector cavity aperture redirecting such light emission to predominantly radiate from each theoretical point on its outward facing planar surface into the light snoot structure toward the snoot aperture in a diverging ellipsoidal cone with an apex angle ranging from 50° to 90°.