Compact folded-optics illumination lens

• US 20040252390A1
• Filed: 02/13/2004
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Light Engine Limited
• Original Assignee: Light Prescriptions Innovators, LLC
• Inventors: Benitez, Pablo, Munoz, Fernando, Minano, Juan C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,181,378 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/858
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 13/04 the elements being reflectors and refractors for vehicle rear lights F21S43/40
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0091 using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2101/00 Point-like light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0028 refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0061 the light source comprising a LED semiconductor devices with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier specially adapted for light emission H01L33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0012 Optical design, e.g. procedures, algorithms, optimisation routines
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/02 with non-spherical faces G02B3/10 takes precedence

Abstract

The present embodiments provide for apparatuses, and methods for manufacturing apparatuses to convert a first distribution of an input radiation to a second distribution of output radiation. The apparatus can be defined in some embodiments by generating a two-dimensional representation of three active optical surfaces including calculating a segment of first, entry and second surfaces based on first second, and third generalized Cartesian ovals, respectively, and successively repeating the calculating of the segments of the first and second surfaces, and rotationally sweeping the two-dimensional representation about a central axis providing a three-dimensional representation. In some embodiments, portion of the first and/or second surfaces can be totally internally reflective.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an optical device, comprising:

generating a two-dimensional representation of at least three active optical surfaces of an optical device, comprising;

defining a perimeter;

calculating a segment of the first surface, an entry surface and a second surface based on edge ray set according to generalized Cartesian ovals; and

successively repeating the steps of calculating the segments of the first and second surface; and

rotationally sweeping the two-dimensional representation about a central axis providing a three-dimensional representation of the optical device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating further comprises:

calculating a segment of a first surface based on edge ray set as a first generalized Cartesian oval;

calculating a segment of an entry surface based on the edge ray set as a second generalized Cartesian oval; and

calculating a segment of a second surface based on the edge ray set as a third generalized Cartesian oval.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the calculating the segment of the second surface comprises calculating the segment of the second surface such that the second surface is totally internally reflective.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of calculating the segment of the entry surface includes determining a position of a first end of the segment of the entry surface including the steps of:

determining a flux weighting for edge rays intercepting the first segment of the entry surface;

determining a flux weighting for all edge rays of the edge ray sets; and

determining a resultant sum of the flex weighting for the edge rays intercepting the first segment of the entry surface as a fraction of the flux weighting for all the edge-rays of the edge ray sets.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the successively repeating the calculating the segment of the first surface comprises calculating a second segment of the first surface as a fourth generalized Cartesian oval based on a far edge ray set;

and

wherein the calculating the second segment of the first surface comprises calculating the second segment such that the far edge ray set intercepts the perimeter segment of the second surface after reflecting from the second segment of the first surface.

6. A method for generating an optical beam, comprising:

refracting initial light;

internally reflecting the light;

again reflecting the light; and

refracting the light producing an output light that is at least partially collimated.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the internally reflecting the light and the again reflecting the light include totally internally reflecting the light.

8. A folded-optics apparatus comprising:

a body that receives light, the body comprising first, second and third surfaces;

the third surface defining a cavity, and at least a portion of the third surface is refractive;

the second surface extending generally radially away from the cavity, and the second surface comprising a reflective region; and

at least a first portion of the first surface provides internal reflection folding and at least a second portion of the first surface provides refractive transition between the body and an exterior of the body.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the cavity is configured to be positioned about a light source such that the third surface is proximate the optical device with a gap defined between the optical device and the third surface such that the third surface is an entry surface allowing light emitted from the light source to enter the body through the third surface, and the first surface emits an output optical beam.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the reflective region of the second surface provides total internal reflection (TIR).

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first, second and third surfaces are optically active surfaces;

the first surface internally reflects an optical beam propagating within the body and to refract the optical beam as the beam passes through the first surface;

the second surface totally internally reflects the optical beam propagating within the body; and

the third surface receives the light and refractively distributes the light as the light passes through the third surface and into the body.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first surface is defined at least in part by a segment based on edge ray set as a first generalized Cartesian oval, the third surface is defined at least in part by a segment based on the edge ray set as a second generalized Cartesian oval, and the second surface is defined at least in part by a segment based on the edge ray set as a third generalized Cartesian oval.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a light detecting device positioned at least partially within the cavity proximate the third surface of the cavity such that light received by the first surface of the transparent body passes through the third surface of the cavity to impinge on the light detecting device.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transparent body is configured from a plurality of non-symmetric portions, wherein the plurality of non-symmetric portions provide bilaterally asymmetric distributions.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first, second and third surfaces are formed to define an RXIR device.

16. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first, second and third surfaces are configured such that an output light beam has a variable collimation across an exit diameter so as to conform to a particular illumination prescription.

17. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the third surface includes an anti-reflection coating.

18. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first, second and third surfaces are defined to convert a first distribution of input radiation of the light to a second distribution of an output radiation, where the first, second and third surfaces are defined according to a two-dimensional model that defines the first distribution as an input bundle of edge rays and the second distribution as an output bundle of edge rays, and representing the input and output edge ray bundles each in a phase-space representation in terms of the position of each ray in space;

and

a two-dimensional representation of successively calculating segments the first, second and third surfaces, where the two-dimensional representation defines a three-dimensional optical device when rotated about an axis.

19. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first, second and third surfaces are active surfaces, the first and second surfaces are opposing active non-spherical optical surfaces, where the first, second and third active surfaces are defined by a two-dimensional representation that is symmetrically extended to provide a three-dimensional device;

and

the first and third active surfaces provide transitions for first and second radiation between an exterior and interior of the body.