Compact non-imaging light collector
AssigneeIllumitech Inc.
InventorsBenjamin D. Jacobson, Robert D. Gengelbach
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A nonimaging optical system for processing a first and second light distribution. The nonimaging optical system includes at least two refractive surfaces, at least one reflective surface nearer to the first light distribution along at least one ray path than the nearer of the two refracting surfaces and the reflective surface and the refractive surfaces cooperating to redirect light edge rays of the first light distribution into the neighborhood of the edge of the second light distribution with a single reflection from the reflecting surface.
Claims20
A non-imaging optical system for processing a first and second light distribution and at least one ray path connecting said light distributions, the optical system comprising:
- at least two refractive surfaces;
- at least one reflective surface nearer to said first distribution along at least one ray path than the nearest of said two refracting surfaces;
- and
- said reflective surface and said refractive surfaces cooperating to redirect light edge-rays of said first light distribution substantially into the neighborhood of the edge of said second light distribution with no more than a single reflection from said at least one reflecting surface and no more than a single refraction between said first light distribution and said at least one reflecting surface.
A non-imaging optical system for processing a first and second light distribution and at least one ray path connecting said light distributions, the optical system comprising:
- at least two refractive surfaces;
- at least one reflective surface nearer to said first light distribution along said at least one ray path than the nearest of said two refracting surfaces;
- and
- the combination of said refractive surfaces and said reflective surface having an aspect ratio less than 2.5.
A non-imaging optical system for processing a first and second light distribution and a plurality of ray paths connecting a plurality of neighborhoods of the edges of said light distributions, the optical system comprising:
- at least two refractive surfaces;
- at least one reflective surface nearer to said first light distribution along at least one of said ray paths than the nearest of said two refracting surfaces, and on the same side of said first light distribution as said two refractive surfaces;
- at least one of said refractive surfaces redirecting a first portion of said ray paths substantially into the neighborhood of the edge of said first light distribution without intersecting said at least one reflective surface.
A non-imaging optical system for processing a first and second light distribution, said first and second light distributions having angular distributions whose central rays are substantially parallel and pointing in the same direction, the optical system comprising:
- at least one refractive surface;
- at least one substantially continuously connected reflective surface on the same side of said first light distribution as said at least one refractive surface;
- the combination of said at least one refractive surface and said reflective surface having an aspect ratio less than 0.9;
- and
- said at least one refractive surface and said reflective surface cooperating to redirect edge-rays of said first light distribution substantially into the neighborhood of said second light distribution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.