Tricolor lighting system

• US 5,842,765 A
• Filed: 07/24/1995
• Issued: 12/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Cassarly, William J., Davenport, John M., Hansler, Richard L., Miller, Alistair Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Spark, Matthew J.
• Application Number:
  US08/506,448
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 362/32, 362/293, 362/294, 362/298, 362/307
• US Class Current: 362/21
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0006 Coupling light into the fibre in general G02B6/4298

Abstract

A tricolor lighting system uses first and second dichroic filters or mirrors to separate light into different colors, primarily red, green, and blue. The light is directed into input ends of respective first, second, and third light guides for a desired end use at a remote location. Various embodiments use either paraboloid or ellipsoidal reflective surfaces associated with the light source and in selected embodiments, the first and second mirrors are disposed in a crossed relation to provide a compact system.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising:

a source for emitting light;

a reflective surface receiving the emitted light from the source and redirecting the light in a desired direction, the source being located at a focus of the reflective surface;

a first dichroic mirror receiving light from the reflective surface and transmitting received light of a first selected color and received light of a second selected color therethrough and reflecting received light of a third selected color;

a second dichroic mirror receiving light from the reflective surface and transmitting received light of the second selected color and received light of the third selected color and reflecting received light of the first selected color;

a first light guide having an input end for receiving reflected light of the first selected color reflected by the second dichroic mirror and an output end spaced from the input end for emitting light of the first selected color;

a second light guide having an input end for receiving reflected light of the third selected color reflected from the first dichroic mirror and an output end spaced from the input end for emitting light of the third selected color;

a third light guide having an input end for receiving transmitted light of the second selected color and an output end spaced from the input end for emitting light of the second selected color.

2. The lighting system as defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second dichroic mirrors are disposed in crossed relation so that light that is received in the input end of the third light guide has been transmitted through both the first and second dichroic mirrors.

3. The lighting system as defined in claim 1 further comprising a third mirror interposed between the second dichroic mirror and the input end of the third light guide.

4. The lighting system as defined in claim 1 further comprising first, second, and third lenses located adjacent the input ends of the first, second, and third light guides, respectively for focusing light entering the light guides.

5. The lighting system as defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second dichroic mirrors are disposed in generally perpendicular crossed relation, the input end of the third light guide being located at a second focus of the reflective surface.

6. The lighting system as defined in claim 1 wherein the input end of the third light guide receives light that has passed through both the first and second dichroic mirrors.

7. The lighting system as defined in claim 1 further comprising a lens interposed between the reflective surface and the dichroic mirrors, the lens collimating the light from the reflective surface and directing it toward the first and second dichroic mirrors.

8. The lighting system as defined in claim 7 wherein the first and second dichroic mirrors are disposed in generally perpendicular crossed relation.

9. The lighting system as defined in claim 8 wherein the input end of each light guide includes a lens having a positive curved surface.

10. The lighting system as defined in claim 1 wherein the reflective surface is a paraboloid collector that collimates light received from the light source.

11. The lighting system as defined in claim 10 wherein the first dichroic mirror is disposed at forty-five degrees to a propagation direction of the collimated light from the reflective surface, the light transmitted through the first dichroic mirror entering the input end of the first light guide, and light reflected by the first dichroic mirror being directed toward the second dichroic mirror.

12. The lighting system as defined in claim 11 wherein the second dichroic mirror is generally parallel to the first dichroic mirror and receives light reflected by the first dichroic mirror, reflecting a portion of the light toward the input end of the second light guide and transmitting the remainder therethrough.

13. The lighting system as defined in claim 12 further comprising a third dichroic mirror that is generally parallel to the first and second dichroic mirrors, reflecting at least a portion of the light transmitted through the second dichroic mirror toward the input end of the third light guide.

14. A lighting system comprising:

a source for emitting light;

a reflective surface receiving the emitted light from the source and redirecting the light in a desired direction;

first and second dichroic mirrors receiving light from the reflective surface and transmitting a first portion of the light therethrough and reflecting a remaining portion of the light, the dichroic mirrors being disposed in generally perpendicular, crossed relation;

a first light guide having an input end for receiving light from the first dichroic mirror and an output end spaced from the input end for emitting light of a first selected color at a remote location;

a second light guide having an input end for receiving light from the second dichroic mirror and an output end spaced from the input end for emitting light of a second selected color at the remote location; and

a third light guide having an input end that receives light transmitted through both the first and second dichroic mirrors and an output end spaced from the input end for emitting light of a third selected color at the remote location.

15. The lighting system as defined in claim 14 wherein the reflective surface has an ellipsoidal configuration and first and second foci where the source is located at a first focus thereof and a vertex of the crossed first and second dichroic mirrors is located between the first and second foci of the reflective surface.