Free-Form Lenticular Optical Elements and Their Application to Condensers and Headlamps

• US 20080316761A1
• Filed: 07/28/2006
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Light Prescriptions Innovators, LLC
• Original Assignee: Light Prescriptions Innovators, LLC
• Inventors: Dross, Oliver, Benitez, Pablo, Minano, Juan Carlos, Hernandez, Maikel, Blen, Jose, Mohedano, Ruben
• Granted Patent: US 8,419,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/518
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/00 Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps reversing lights F21S43/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/141 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/162 Incandescent light sources, e.g. filament or halogen lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/275 Lens surfaces, e.g. coatings or surface structures
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/285 Refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters not provided in groups F21S41/24 - F21S41/2805
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/321 the reflector being a surface of revolution or a planar surface, e.g. truncated
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/322 the reflector using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/086 wherein the system is made of a single block of optical material, e.g. solid catadioptric systems
• 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 3/0068 arranged in a single integral body or plate, e.g. laminates or hybrid structures with other optical elements G02B5/1885, G02B17/002, G02B30/27 take precedence

Abstract

Some embodiments provide an illumination optical system. The optical system can include a first surface and a second surface. Each of the first and second surfaces can further comprises a multiplicity of corresponding Cartesian-oval lenticulations such that each lenticulation of the first surface focuses a source upon a corresponding lenticulation of the second surface and each lenticulation of the second surface focuses a target upon a corresponding lenticulation of the first surface.

Claims

1. A Kohler-integration illumination optical system, comprising:

a first surface; and

a second surface;

wherein each of the first and second surfaces comprising a multiplicity of corresponding Cartesian-oval lenticulations such that each lenticulation of the first surface focuses a source upon a corresponding lenticulation of the second surface and each lenticulation of the second surface focuses a target upon a corresponding lenticulation of the first surface;

wherein at least for one of the first and second surfaces the edges lines of its lenticulations reside on a free-form surface.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the lenticulations of the first surface correspond with the lenticulations of the second surface to establish an output image that is tolerant of positional variations of the source.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

adjacent lenslets defined in part by the first and second surfaces, where a slope discontinuities between the adjacent lenslets are positioned to establish a sharp illumination gradient at an edge of said output image.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the edge lines edges of the lenticulations of both said first and said second surfaces reside on 3D SMS surfaces.

2. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

7. A refraction, reflection, internal reflection and refraction (RXIR) integrator headlamp lens, comprising:

a non-circular cross-section; and

three optically active free-form surfaces, said three surfaces comprising an entry surface, an upper internally reflecting surface, and a lower reflecting surface, said entry surface comprising zones of two-directional free-form lenticulations and zones of one-directional lenticulations, said lower reflecting surface comprising zones of two-directional free-form lenticulations and zones of one-directional lenticulations acting in concert with said lenticulations of said entry surface; and

wherein the entry surface, upper internally reflecting surface, and the lower reflecting surface fulfill a vehicular illumination prescription that includes cutoff-gradient and hot-spots in the output intensity pattern.

9. The lens of claim 7, further comprising:

an LED light source with said lens positioned over the LED light source;

wherein said zones of two-directional free-form lenticulations of said entry surface form at least one of said hot-spots and said zones of one-directional lenticulations of the entry surface form said gradient, said zones of two-directional free-form lenticulations and zones of one-directional lenticulations of said lower reflecting surface acting in concert with said lenticulations of said entry surface to provide said gradient and one or more of said hot spots, along with tolerance to positional errors of said LED light source.

8. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

11. A rotationally symmetric optical system receiving light from a source and sending it to a target, the system comprising:

five optical surfaces, which are ordered by a light trip from a source toward a target;

the five optical surfaces comprising a first refractive surface, a second refractive surface, a primary mirror surface, a secondary mirror surface, and a refractive dome;

wherein the refractive dome is positioned above the target;

wherein the fist refractive surface and the second refractive surface define a change of material and refractive index; and

wherein two of the five surfaces have coordinated lenticulations forming a Kohler radial integrator with the source and the target.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator comprise the primary mirror surface and the secondary mirror surface, and where the second refractive surface does not define a change of material and thus the material after the first surface is the same until the light reaches the dome forming a single solid piece.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the first and second refractive surfaces.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the first refractive surface and the primary mirror surface.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the first refractive surface and the secondary mirror surface.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the first refractive surface and the refractive dome.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the second refractive surface and the primary mirror surface.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the second refractive surface and the secondary mirror surface.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the second refractive surface and the refractive dome.

22. The system of claim 11, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the primary mirror surface and the refractive dome.

23. The system of claim 11, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the secondary mirror and the refractive dome.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the first surface is a first refractive surface and the second surface is a second refractive surface,

where the first refractive surface further defines a change of material and refractive index.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the third surface and the refractive dome where the third surface comprises a mirror.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the first refractive surface and the refractive dome.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the second refractive surface and the refractive dome.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the first refractive surface and the third surface, where the third surface comprises a mirror.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the second refractive surface and the third surface, where the third surface comprises a mirror.

12-13. -13. (canceled)

24. An optical system, comprising:

a refractive, reflective and internally reflective (RXI) concentrator comprising an upper cover comprising a flat upper surface receiving light from a source and a lenticulated lower surface, a lower RXI concentrator lens, a lower-index gap-filling material between the lenticulated lower surface and the lower RXI concentrator lens, and a refractive dome above a target, said RXI lens comprising an upper lenticulated surface matching said lenticulated lower surface of said upper cover and a correspondingly lenticulated primary mirror reflecting said received light onto said upper lenticulated surface for total internal reflection by said gap-filler material onto said dome and onto the target.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the dome does not define a change of material.

26. A rotational symmetric optical system receiving light from a source and sending it to a target, the system comprising:

four optical surfaces, which are ordered by a light trip from the source towards the target, wherein the four optical surfaces comprise first surface a second surface, a third surface, and a refractive dome above the target;

wherein the second surface defines a change of material and refractive index and where two of the four surfaces have coordinated lenticulations forming a Kohler radial integrator with the source and the target.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the first and third surfaces where the first surface comprises a primary mirror and the third surface comprises a secondary mirror.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are first and second surfaces where the first surface comprises a the primary mirror and the second surface comprises a first refracting surface.

35. A rotational symmetric optical system receiving light from a source and sending it to a target, the system comprising:

four optical surfaces, which are ordered by the light path from the source towards the target, such that the four optical surfaces comprise a first flat refractive surface, and second, third and fourth refractive surfaces;

wherein the first flat refractive surface and the second, third and fourth refractive surfaces define changes of material and refractive index, and where two of the four surfaces have coordinated lenticulations forming a Kohler radial integrator with the source and the target.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the two surfaces forming the Kohler integrator are the second and the third refracting surfaces.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the second refractive surface has Fresnel faceting.

38. A refractive, reflective, internal reflective and refractive (RXIR) concentrating lens surrounding a central target, the lens comprising:

an exit surface and a reflecting surface, where the exit surface comprises circumferential lenticulations;

wherein said lenticulations providing at least in part radial Kohler integration of an illumination of said target.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein said reflecting surface comprises

circumferential lenticulations and said lenticulations of the exit surface and said lenticulations of said reflecting surface providing radial Kohler integration of an illumination of said target.

50. The system of claim 38, wherein said reflecting surface comprises hexagonal lenticulations;

wherein said circumferential lenticulations of the exit surface and said hexagonal lenticulations of said reflecting surface provide two-dimensional Kohler integration of an illumination of said target.

40. An etendue-squeezing lens, comprising:

an input surface; and

an output surface;

wherein said input and output surfaces are tessellated with differently tilted lenslets.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein said lenslets comprises differently tilted rectangular lenslets, said rectangular lenslets being perpendicularly oriented such that the rectangular lenslets of the input surface run perpendicular to the rectangular lenslets of the output surface.

42. :

The system of claim 40, wherein said lenslets comprises lenslets that are toroidal, with curvatures coordinated to provide Kohler integration.

43. The system of claim 40, wherein said lenslets comprises L-shaped rectangular lenses to form a decentered etendue-squeezer.

44. The system of claim 40, wherein said lenslets comprises T-shaped rectangular lenses to form a decentered etendue-squeezer.

45. The system of claim 40, wherein said lenslets comprises free-form 3D-SMS surfaces.

46-49. -49. (canceled)