WAVEGUIDE SHEET AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20090161369A1
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oree, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Oree, Inc.
• Inventors: Luski, Shalom, Zimmermann, Micha, Meir, Noam, Regev, Keren
• Application Number:
  US12/324,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20090161369A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/311.10
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0041 provided in the bulk of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0065 Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0076 Stacked arrangements of multiple light guides of the same or different cross-sectional area
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0078 Side-by-side arrangements, e.g. for large area displays

Abstract

In one aspect, an illumination structure includes a substantially non-fiber waveguide, which itself includes a discrete in-coupling region for receiving light, a discrete propagation region for propagating light, and a discrete out-coupling region for emitting light.

Claims

1. An illumination structure comprising:

a substantially non-fiber waveguide; and

a discrete light source disposed proximate a bottom surface of a first portion of the waveguide,

wherein light is absorbed into the structure through the bottom surface of the first portion and is emitted from a top surface of a second portion of the waveguide having substantially no overlap with the first portion of the waveguide.

2. The illumination structure of claim 1, wherein the first and second portions of the waveguide are spaced apart from each other, and light is emitted only from the second portion of the waveguide.

3. An illumination structure comprising:

a substantially non-fiber waveguide; and

a discrete light source disposed proximate a bottom surface of a first portion of the waveguide,

wherein a propagation direction, within a second portion of the waveguide, of light from the discrete light source is substantially perpendicular to an in-coupling direction of the light.

4. The illumination structure of claim 3, wherein the propagation direction of the light is substantially perpendicular to an out-coupling direction of the light in a third portion of the waveguide, the out-coupling direction being parallel to the in-coupling direction.

5. The illumination structure of claim 3, further comprising a phosphor material for converting some of the light to a different wavelength, the converted light mixing with unconverted light to form mixed light spectrally different from both the unconverted light and the converted light.

6. The illumination structure of claim 5, wherein an out-coupling direction of the mixed light is substantially perpendicular to the propagation direction.

7. A method of forming a substantially non-fiber waveguide, the method comprising forming a plurality of joined core structures, at least one of which is substantially free of scattering particles.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least some of the core structures comprise a plurality of scattering particles, and wherein at least one of a size, a concentration, or a type of the scattering particles varies among at least two of the core structures.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the plurality of joined core structures comprises at least one of co-injection molding, coextrusion, coating, lamination, bonding, or welding.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising forming a cladding layer on at least one of a top surface or a bottom surface of the plurality of joined core structures.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein, across a thickness thereof, there is substantially no overlap between adjoining core structures.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the waveguide is substantially planar.