LIGHT CONCENTRATOR ASSEMBLY

• US 20140233237A1
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lutian, John M.
• Application Number:
  US13/773,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20140233237A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/257
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0004 characterised by the optical means employed
• 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 6/0018 Redirecting means on the surface of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0028 Light guide, e.g. taper
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0046 Tapered light guide, e.g. wedge-shaped light guide

Abstract

A light concentrator assembly includes a concentrator portion having multiple light concentrators. The light concentrator assembly concentrates light received from different parts of a light source, such as a light emitting diode, and outputs light beams that have an angular spectrum narrower than the light beam received from the light source. Each concentrator of the light concentrator assembly concentrates light from one or more parts of the same light source. Light can optionally be routed from the different parts of the light source to different ones of the multiple light concentrators using multiple angular rotators that maintain the angular spectrum of the light output by the different parts of the light source.

Claims

1. A light concentrator assembly system comprising:

multiple light concentrators each having an input portion and an output portion, each light concentrator being configured to reduce an angular spectrum of light from a different part of a light source received via the input portion of the light concentrator, the light source having multiple parts; and

multiple angular rotators each configured to route light from a different part of the light source to the input portion of one of the multiple light concentrators while maintaining the angular spectrum of the light.

2. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 1, the light source comprising a single light emitting diode.

3. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 1, each of the multiple light concentrators comprising a parabolic concentrator having a narrower input portion than output portion.

4. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 1, the multiple angular rotators comprising a same number of angular rotators as light concentrators of the multiple light concentrators, each of the multiple angular rotators being configured to route light to a single one of the multiple light concentrators.

5. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 4, the multiple angular rotators comprising four angular rotators each routing light to one of four light concentrators of the multiple light concentrators, each of the multiple light concentrators having an approximately parabolic shape.

6. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 1, the multiple angular rotators being configured to route approximately all of the light from the light source to the multiple light concentrators.

7. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 1, each of the multiple light concentrators being configured to output a light beam in a direction approximately parallel to directions of light beams output by other light concentrators of the multiple light concentrators.

8. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 1, the multiple light concentrators outputting light to a light emitting panel when a display system including the light concentrator assembly system is operating in a private viewing mode, but not outputting light to the light emitting panel when the display system is operating in a non-private viewing mode.

9. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 8, the light source being powered on only when the display system is operating in the private viewing mode.

10. A light concentrator assembly system comprising multiple light concentrators in a light concentrator portion, each of the multiple light concentrators being configured to receive light at an input portion of the light concentrator and output light at an output portion of the light concentrator, each of the multiple light concentrators being further configured to reduce an angular spectrum of a light beam received from a different one of multiple parts of a same light source outputting light to the light concentrator portion.

11. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 10, the light source comprising a single light emitting diode.

12. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 10, each of the multiple light concentrators having an approximately parabolic shape and having a narrower input portion than output portion.

13. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 10, further comprising multiple angular rotators in an angular rotator portion, each of the angular rotators being configured to route light from one of the multiple parts of the light source to the input portion of one of the multiple light concentrators while maintaining an angular spectrum of the light output by the part of the light source.

14. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 13, the multiple angular rotators comprising a same number of angular rotators as light concentrators of the multiple light concentrators, each of the multiple angular rotators being configured to route light to a single one of the multiple light concentrators.

15. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 14, the multiple angular rotators comprising four angular rotators each routing light to one of four light concentrators of the multiple light concentrators, each of the multiple light concentrators having an approximately parabolic shape.

16. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 10, the multiple light concentrators being configured to receive approximately all of the light from the light source.

17. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 10, each of the multiple light concentrators being configured to output a light beam in a direction approximately parallel to directions of light beams output by other light concentrators of the multiple light concentrators.

18. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 10, the multiple light concentrators outputting light to a light emitting panel when a display system including the light concentrator assembly system is operating in a private viewing mode, but not outputting light to the light emitting panel when the display system is operating in a non-private viewing mode.

19. A light concentrator assembly system as recited in claim 18, the light source being powered on only when the display system is operating in the private viewing mode.

20. A light concentrator assembly system comprising:

multiple light concentrators each having an input portion and an output portion, each light concentrator being configured to reduce an angular spectrum of light from one of multiple different parts of a single light emitting diode (LED) received via the input portion of the light concentrator, each of the multiple light concentrators being configured to output a light beam in a direction approximately parallel to directions of light beams output by other light concentrators of the multiple light concentrators; and

multiple angular rotators each configured to route light from a different part of the LED to the input portion of a single one of the multiple light concentrators while maintaining an angular spectrum of the light, the multiple angular rotators being configured to route approximately all of the light from the light source to the multiple light concentrators.