Flat optical fiber light emitters
AssigneeLumitex, Inc.
InventorsDavid J. Page, Brian M. Spahnie
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Light emitters are made of one or more cladded flat optical fibers having opposite flat sides and disruptions along at least a portion of the length of the fibers to cause light entering at least one end to be emitted from at least one side. The ends of the flat optical fibers may have substantially the same thickness as a light source and a width substantially equal to or substantially greater than the width of the light source for ease of optically coupling one or more such light sources to the flat optical fiber ends.
Claims38
A light emitter comprising at least one flat optical fiber having opposite flat sides and opposite side edges and opposite ends, at least one surface mount light source having substantially the same thickness as the fiber optically coupled to an end of the fiber, the fiber having a light conducting core that is cladded by an outer cladding to keep light in for conducting light entering the end of the fiber, and disruptions along at least a portion of the length of the fiber to cause conducted light to be emitted from at least one side of the fiber, the fiber having a ratio of thickness to width of less than 0.5 and a ratio of thickness to length of less than 0.007.
A light emitter comprising at least one flat cladded optical fiber having opposite flat sides and opposite side edges and opposite ends, the fiber having a light conducting core that is cladded by an outer cladding to keep light in, a plurality of surface mount light sources optically coupled to an end of the fiber in side-by-side relation to one another across the width of the fiber, each of the light sources having a thickness substantially the same as the thickness of the fiber and a width substantially less than the width of the fiber, the fiber having deformities in at least a portion of the length of one of the sides to cause conducted light to be emitted from at least one of the sides, the fiber having a width that is at least ten times the thickness of the fiber and having a ratio of thickness to length of less than 0.007.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.