Liquid light guide having position retaining function

• US 20100290244A1
• Filed: 05/14/2010
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Günther Nath
• Original Assignee: Günther Nath
• Inventors: NATH, Günther
• Granted Patent: US 8,608,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/582
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/0325 Fluid core or cladding
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/032 with non solid core or cladding G02B6/02295 takes precedence

Abstract

An illumination apparatus comprises an irradiation source 11 and a liquid light guide 10 coupled thereto. The liquid light guide has the form of a goose neck. A liquid filled light guide tube 28 of the liquid light guide 10 is supported in a position retaining tube 22 and at least one end of the light guiding tube 28, preferably the light input end, is supported rotatably in the position retaining tube 22.

Claims

1. An illumination apparatus comprising an irradiation source and a liquid light guide which is coupled to the irradiation source and includes a light guiding tube filled with a liquid, characterized in that

the liquid light guide further includes a position retaining tube within which the light guiding tube is arranged, and

at least one end of the light guiding tube is rotatably supported with respect to the position retaining tube.

2. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the light guiding tube is fixed at the at least one end with a sealing end member, and

the position retaining tube at the at least one end is fixed to a pipe element, preferably a coaxially arranged flange, in which the end member is rotatably supported.

3. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sealing end member is a sleeve within which the at least one end of the light guiding tube is fixed by a sealing element, preferably an O-ring.

4. The illumination apparatus of claim 3, wherein the sealing element seals the liquid light guide against liquid leakage at the front face of the light guiding tube together with a plug which is also arranged in the end member.

5. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the end member and the pipe element are rotatably connected to each other by connection means, preferably a snap ring.

6. The illumination apparatus of claim 5, wherein the connection means is simultaneously engaged in an outer groove of the end member and an inner groove of the pipe element extending coaxially thereto.

7. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light guiding tube comprises a fluor-carbon-polymer, preferably Teflon®

FEP.

8. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position retaining means is made of a flexible metal which can hold its position after bending, preferably a metallic profile band wound with a sealing strand or wire.

9. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light guiding tube is supported rotatably relative to the position retaining tube only at one end, preferably the light input end, and the other end extends within the position retaining tube coaxially thereto without any special bearing means and without undergoing any additional restrictions concerning its rotational or translational movements with respect thereto.

10. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein a friction clutch is provided at the location where the liquid light guide exits a housing of the irradiation source, and wherein the friction clutch effects a defined friction resistance of the position retaining tube with respect to the wall of the housing.

11. The illumination apparatus of claim 10, wherein the friction clutch comprises a magnet ring mounted at the light input end of the position retaining tube, and wherein the magnet ring effects a magnetic adhering force to a counterpart mounted at the housing wall and thereby effects a resistance against rotation.