ARRANGEMENT FOR THE ILLUMINATION OF A FIELD

• US 20070064202A1
• Filed: 09/18/2006
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Bodemann, Axel, Moffat, Bryce, Degen, Artur
• Granted Patent: US 7,637,627 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/94
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2013 Plural light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/208 Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3152 for shaping the light beam beam shaping per se G02B27/09

Abstract

The invention is directed to an arrangement for the illumination of a field which uses, as a combined light source, three groups of LEDs which emit light bundles (100) in different colors (R, G, B). The light bundles—considered in the direction of light propagation—pass collector optics, a device for combining the light bundles, and in-coupling optics. The invention is wherein a first light source comprises a matrix of red LEDs, a second light source comprises a matrix of green LEDs, and a third light source comprises a matrix of blue LEDs, the light-emitting surface of each LED matrix being coupled with a light inlet face of a concentrator, each concentrator opening in a funnel-shaped manner in the light propagation direction, and the collector optics and in-coupling optics are dimensioned in such a way that the surface shape of every light-emitting surface of the concentrators is transmitted to a light inlet face of the light mixing rod in such a way that they are congruently superimposed on one another.

Claims

1. An arrangement for the illumination of a field comprising:

a combined light source having three groups of LEDs which emit light bundles in different colors (R, G, B), said light bundles—

considered in the direction of light propagation—

passing collector optics;

a device for combining the light bundles; and

in-coupling optics;

said combined light source having a first light source comprising a matrix of red LEDs, a second light source comprising a matrix of green LEDs, and a third light source comprising a matrix of blue LEDs;

each LED matrix having a light emitting surface coupled with a light inlet face of a concentrator;

each concentrator opening in a funnel-shaped manner in the light propagation direction; and

said collector optics and in-coupling optics being dimensioned in such a way that the surface shape of every light-emitting surface of the concentrators is transmitted to a light inlet face of the light mixing rod in such a way that they are congruently superimposed on one another.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the matrix of LEDs has a trapezoidal light-emitting surface, in particular a rectangular surface which preferably has a lateral magnification of 3:

4 or 16;

9.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the light-emitting surface of the concentrator is trapezoidal, in particular, has a rectangular surface which preferably has a lateral magnification of 3:

4 or 16;

9.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein every concentrator reduces the numerical aperture of the light bundles at the light-emitting surface by a factor between 0.6 and 0.3.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein an air gap between 0 and 1 mm, preferably 0.2 mm, is provided between the light-emitting surfaces of the matrix of red/green/blue LEDs and a light inlet face of the concentrator.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the device for combining the light bundles contains two interference layer beamsplitters whose layers are arranged on a surface of a plane-parallel plate, beamsplitter cube or beamsplitter prism.

7. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the light-emitting surfaces of the concentrators are congruent.

8. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the collector optics are identical.

9. The arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the collector optics contain in each instance a concave-convex lens and a biconvex lens.

10. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the in-coupling optics contain a biconvex lens and a concave-convex lens.

11. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the third collector optics and the in-coupling optics define an optical axis that is identical to the center of gravity axis of the light mixing rod, and the optical axis of the first collector optics has a first offset (V₁) and the optical axis of the second collector optics has a second offset, wherein the center of gravity axes of the light-emitting surfaces of the concentrators associated with the respective collector optics are identical to the optical axes of the collector optics.

12. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the concentrator is formed of a matrix of individual integrator rods, each integrator rod being coupled with an individual LED or a matrix of LEDs.