ILLUMINATION DEVICE

• US 20100202142A1
• Filed: 05/01/2008
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Morgan Innovation Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Morgan Solar Inc.
• Inventors: Morgan, John Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,152,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/235
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 11/00 Non-electric lighting devices or systems using daylight roofs with sky-light opening E04D13/03; sun blinds for windows with means for redirecting light onto ceiling of a room E06B9/00; hybrid lighting devices combining artificial and natural light F21S19/00; solar heat collectors F24S; solar cells or solar cell modules H01L31/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0004 characterised by the optical means employed
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0019 having reflective surfaces only (e.g. louvre systems, systems with multiple planar reflectors)
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0028 refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0011 the light guides being planar or of plate-like form
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0038 Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0078 Side-by-side arrangements, e.g. for large area displays
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02327 the optical elements being integrated or being directly associated to the device, e.g. back reflectors optical coatings H01L31/0216
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0547 comprising light concentrating means of the reflecting type, e.g. parabolic mirrors, concentrators using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An illumination device having an optical waveguide stage to which is optically coupled a light-projecting stage. The illumination device accepts light from a small isotropic light source such as a light emitting diode or a bulb coupled to the optical waveguide stage. The illumination device spreads the light over a wide area while also collimating it to form a beam. The light-projecting stage and the optical waveguide stage are made of thin slabs of optically transmissive material.

Claims

1. An illumination device comprising:

a light-projecting stage having at least one optical input aperture, an output surface, and optical elements formed between the at least one optical input aperture and the output surface; and

an optical waveguide stage optically coupled to the at least one optical input aperture, the optical waveguide stage having an input surface to receive light and a waveguide section to guide the light from the input surface to the at least one optical input aperture, the optical elements directing the light from the at least one input aperture to the output surface wherefrom the light exits as a beam.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the optical waveguide stage includes a first surface off of which the light received from the input surface goes through a first total internal reflection to obtain totally internally reflected light, some of the totally internally reflected light being incident on the at least one optical input aperture.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the optical waveguide section further has a plurality of reflector elements formed opposite the first surface, the plurality of reflector elements for receiving totally internally reflected light from the first surface and for reflecting the totally internally reflected light towards the first surface.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the plurality of reflector elements includes planar reflectors.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the planar reflectors are substantially parallel to the first surface.

6. The device as claimed in claim 3 wherein at least one reflector element has a total internal reflection surface.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one optical input aperture is located in between adjacent reflector elements.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the optical waveguide stage guides the light towards the at least one optical input aperture through a series of total internal reflections.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the input surface has a light input area and the output surface has a light collecting area, the light input area being smaller than the light collecting area.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a light source optically coupled to the input surface.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10 wherein the light source includes at least one of a, an isotropic light source, a light emitting diode and an incandescent light source.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the optical elements include at least one of parabolic reflectors, cubic reflectors, hyperbolic reflectors, elliptical reflectors, flat reflectors, round reflectors and lenses.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the optical elements are spaced-apart from each other along substantially parallel lines.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the output surface is substantially non-orthogonal to the input surface.

15. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the optical elements are spaced-apart from each other along substantially concentric circle arcs; and

the input surface is shaped as a circle arc substantially concentric with the optical elements.

16. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the optical waveguide stage is formed in a first slab of optically transmissive material; and

the light-projecting stage is formed in a second slab of optically transmissive material.

17. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the optical waveguide stage and the light-projecting stage are formed in a same optically transmissive material.

18. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the light-projecting stage is a light-collimating stage.

19. An illumination device comprising:

a first light-projecting stage having a first at least one optical input aperture, a first output surface, and first optical elements formed between the first at least one optical input aperture and the first output surface;

a second light-projecting stage having a second at least one optical input aperture, a second output surface, and second optical elements formed between the second at least one optical input aperture and the second output surface;

an optical waveguide stage optically coupled to the first at least one optical input aperture and to the second at least one optical input aperture, the optical waveguide stage having a first input surface to receive a first light from a first light source and a second input surface to receive a second light from a second light source, the optical waveguide further having a waveguide section to guide the first light from the first input surface to the first at least one optical input aperture, the first optical elements directing the first light from the first at least one input aperture to the first output surface wherefrom the first light exits as a first beam, the waveguide section also to guide the second light from the second input surface to the first at least one optical input aperture and to the second at least one optical input aperture, the first optical elements and the second optical elements directing the second light respectively from the first at least one input aperture to the first output surface and from the second at least one input aperture to the second output surface, the second light exiting form the first and second output surface forming a second beam.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the first beam and the second beam exit the device at different angles.