Uniform intensity profile catadioptric lens

• US 5,029,060 A
• Filed: 07/17/1990
• Issued: 07/02/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Company
• Original Assignee: 3M Company
• Inventors: Nelson, John C., Aho, Kenneth A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Stephen F.
• Application Number:
  US07/554,017
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: 362/299, 362/302, 362/304, 362/309, 362/327, 362/328, 362/329, 362/340
• US Class Current: 362/299
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/00 Reflectors for light sources characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/505

Abstract

The present invention is a light fixture having a reflector designed to discard preselected amounts of light from a light source. The percentage of the light discarded will vary over the surface of the reflector in order to provide a predetermined output intensity distribution.

Claims

1. A light fixture comprising:

a housing defining an optical cavity having an optical window for allowing light to escape from said cavity;

a light source in said optical cavity; and

a reflector for directing light from said optical cavity through said optical window, said reflector having a main body of a transparent material, said main body having a smooth surface with a reflective layer adjacent thereto and a structured surface, said structured surface having a plurality of triangular prisms formed thereon, each said prisms having a transmissive facet and a reflective facet positioned such that light from said light source will enter said main body through one of said transmissive facets, be totally internally reflected by one of said reflective facets and exit through one of said transmissive facets, where each of said transmissive facets makes a first angle with said smooth surface and each of said reflective facets makes a second angle with a normal to said smooth surface, said first and second angles for each of said prisms being selected to provide preselected light intensity distribution over said optical window.

2. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein said triangular prisms are circular and concentric.

3. The light fixture of claim 2 wherein said reflective layer is a specular reflector.

4. The light fixture of claim 3 wherein said reflective layer is formed by a metal vapor coated on said smooth layer.

5. The light fixture of claim 2 wherein said reflective layer is a diffuse reflector.

6. The light fixture of claim 5 wherein said reflective layer is formed by a metal vapor coated on said smooth layer.

7. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein said intensity distribution has a region of greatest intensity and a region of least intensity and said region of greatest intensity has an intensity no more than three times as great as that in said region of least intensity.

8. The light fixture of claim 7 wherein said reflective layer is a specular reflector.

9. The light fixture of claim 8 wherein said reflective layer is formed by a metal vapor coated on said smooth layer.

10. The light fixture of claim 7 wherein said reflective layer is a diffuse reflector.

11. The light fixture of claim 10 wherein said reflective layer is formed by a metal vapor coated on said smooth layer.

12. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein said reflective layer is a specular reflector.

13. The light fixture of claim 12 wherein said reflective layer is formed by a metal vapor coated on said smooth layer.

14. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein said reflective layer is a diffuse reflector.

15. The light fixture of claim 14 wherein said reflective layer is formed by a metal vapor coated on said smooth layer.