Flat and transparent front-lighting system using microprisms
First Claim
1. A system especially suitable for illuminating the front side of an object, as viewed by an observer, comprising:
- (a) a light pipe assembly having opposing forward and rearward faces;
(b) an arrangement directing light into said light pipe assembly in a predetermined way;
(c) an arrangement of optical components forming part of said light pipe assembly reflecting substantially all of the light directed into said light pipe assembly in said predetermined way in a forward direction through the forward face of the light pipe assembly, said light pipe assembly including said arrangement of optical components being substantially transparent to visible light in a direction across the opposing forward and rearward faces of the assembly such that the light pipe assembly can be positioned between the object being illuminated and the observer without in any significant way disrupting the observer'"'"'s view of the object; and
(d) wherein said light pipe assembly includes means for insuring that the visible light passing across the opposing faces of the light pipe assembly does so in a substantially undistorted manner, whereby the observer is able to view said object through the light pipe assembly substantially free of distortion.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system especially suitable for illuminating the front side of an object, as viewed by an observer is disclosed herein. This system includes a light pipe assembly having opposing forward and rearward faces; an arrangement for directing light into the light pipe assembly in a predetermined way; and an arrangement of optical components forming part of the light pipe assembly. This latter assembly is provide for reflecting substantially all of the light directed into the light pipe in a forward direction through the forward face of the light pipe. The light pipe assembly including the arrangement of optical components is substantially transparent to visible light or electro-magnetic wave of a particular wavelength in the direction across the opposing forward and rearward faces of the assembly such that the light pipe assembly can be positioned between the object being illuminated and the observer or the detector without in any significant way disrupting the observer'"'"'s or detector'"'"'s view of the object.
-
Citations
53 Claims
-
1. A system especially suitable for illuminating the front side of an object, as viewed by an observer, comprising:
-
(a) a light pipe assembly having opposing forward and rearward faces; (b) an arrangement directing light into said light pipe assembly in a predetermined way; (c) an arrangement of optical components forming part of said light pipe assembly reflecting substantially all of the light directed into said light pipe assembly in said predetermined way in a forward direction through the forward face of the light pipe assembly, said light pipe assembly including said arrangement of optical components being substantially transparent to visible light in a direction across the opposing forward and rearward faces of the assembly such that the light pipe assembly can be positioned between the object being illuminated and the observer without in any significant way disrupting the observer'"'"'s view of the object; and (d) wherein said light pipe assembly includes means for insuring that the visible light passing across the opposing faces of the light pipe assembly does so in a substantially undistorted manner, whereby the observer is able to view said object through the light pipe assembly substantially free of distortion. - 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. A system especially suitable for illuminating a front side of an object, as viewed by an observer, comprising:
-
(a) a light pipe assembly having a top surface having a normal and a bottom surface, said top and bottom surface define the thickness of the assembly, a first side and a second side which define its width and a widthwise axis, and a first end and a second end which define its length and a lengthwise axis; (b) an arrangement of light reflecting surfaces disposed along the entire extent of and serving as the top surface of the light pipe assembly for reflecting light by total internal reflection within said light pipe assembly downwards through its bottom surface; (c) means for directing light into said light pipe assembly from at least one of said first end and said first side and for causing it to move from one of said first end and said first side of the light pipe assembly toward one of said second end and said second side, said means for directing light, into said light pipe assembly in relation to one of said lengthwise and said widthwise axis of the light pipe assembly, to an angle no greater than a predetermined angle, said light reflecting surfaces being configured such that the light entering said light pipe assembly has a maximum angle and is reflected off the light reflecting surfaces toward the bottom surface of the light pipe assembly at angles no greater than one half said maximum angle with respect to lines in a direction parallel to said normal; and (d) means for insuring that visible light passing across said top surface and bottom surface of the light pipe assembly does so in a substantially undistorted manner, whereby an observer is able to view said object through the light pipe assembly substantially free of distortion. - View Dependent Claims (25)
-
-
26. A system especially suitable for illuminating the front side of an object, as viewed by an observer, comprising:
-
(a) a light pipe assembly having opposing forward and rearward faces; (b) means for directing light into said light pipe assembly in a predetermined way; (c) means including optical components forming part of said light pipe assembly for reflecting substantially all of the light directed into said light pipe assembly in said predetermined way in a forward direction through the forward face of the light pipe assembly, said light pipe assembly including said arrangement of optical components being substantially transparent to visible light in a direction across the opposing forward and rearward faces of the assembly such that the light pipe assembly can be positioned between the object being illuminated and the observer without in any significant way disrupting the observer'"'"'s view of the object; and (d) wherein said light pipe assembly further includes a top surface and said arrangement of optical components includes an array of immediately adjacent microprisms distributed over said top surface of the light pipe assembly. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
-
-
41. A system especially suitable for illuminating the front side of an object, as viewed by an observer, comprising:
-
(a) a light pipe assembly having opposing forward and rearward faces; (b) means for directing light into said light pipe assembly in a predetermined way; (c) means including optical components forming part of said light pipe assembly for reflecting substantially all of the light directed into said light pipe assembly in said predetermined way in a forward direction through the forward face of the light pipe assembly, said light pipe assembly including said arrangement of optical components being substantially transparent to visible light in a direction across the opposing forward and rearward faces of the assembly such that the light pipe assembly can be positioned between the object being illuminated and the observer without in any significant way disrupting the observer'"'"'s view of the object; (d) wherein said light pipe assembly extends from one end thereof to an opposite end and wherein said means for directing light into said light pipe assembly includes at least one light source for directing light into said light pipe assembly from said one end thereof and for causing the light to move toward the opposite end; (e) wherein said light source generates light capable of having a maximum angle and said means for directing light includes means for limiting said maximum angle at which light enters said light pipe assembly; (f) wherein said light pipe assembly includes a light entering end and said light angle limiting means includes a light collimating light pipe having opposing top and bottom surfaces which define its thickness, opposing sides which define its width and opposing rearward and forward ends which define it length, said light collimating pipe being disposed in end to end relationship with and directly adjacent to the light entering end of said light pipe assembly, the top and bottom surfaces of the light collimating light pipe tapering outward away from one another from its rearward end to its forward end adjacent said light entering end; and (g) wherein each of the top and bottom tapering surfaces of said light collimating light pipe include two lengthwise segments thereof which tapering outward away from one another at a particular angle. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
-
Specification