CONDENSING ELEMENT, ARRAY, AND METHODS THEREOF
First Claim
1. A condensing element comprising:
- a bowl-shaped outer section having a sidewall between a light input surface at one end and a light output surface at the other end and providing substantially total internal reflection of light emitted from the input surface and incident upon the sidewall of the outer section; and
a lens-shaped inner section that is recessed within the outer section and having a sidewall extending to the output surface of the outer section;
wherein light emitted from the light input surface is not directly incident upon the output surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A condensing element, array, and methods thereof include a bowl-shaped outer section and a lens-shaped inner section. The outer section provides substantially total internal reflection of light entering at an input surface of the outer section. The inner section is recessed within the outer section at a distance from the entering light that is within the focal position of the inner section. The outer and inner sections are configured in a preferred embodiment so that substantially all the light exiting the condensing element is substantially parallel to the optical axis of the entering light. In an alternate embodiment, the configuration of the condensing element can be modified to selectively adjust the desired degree of collimation of the exiting light.
78 Citations
62 Claims
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1. A condensing element comprising:
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a bowl-shaped outer section having a sidewall between a light input surface at one end and a light output surface at the other end and providing substantially total internal reflection of light emitted from the input surface and incident upon the sidewall of the outer section; and a lens-shaped inner section that is recessed within the outer section and having a sidewall extending to the output surface of the outer section;
wherein light emitted from the light input surface is not directly incident upon the output surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method for making a condensing element, the method comprising:
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forming a bowl-shaped outer section having a sidewall between a light input surface at one end and a light output surface at the other end and providing substantially total internal reflection of light emitted from the input surface and incident upon the sidewall of the outer section and; recessing within the outer section, a lens-shaped inner section having a sidewall extending to the output surface of the outer section, at a distance from the entering light that is within the focal position of the inner section, such that light emitted from the input surface is not directly incident upon the output surface. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62)
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Specification