Screen illumination apparatus and method

• US 6,166,860 A
• Filed: 08/17/1999
• Issued: 12/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Teledyne Lighting & Display Products, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Parnyn, William A, Medvedev, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lucas, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US09/375,400
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 339/641, 339/618, 339/727, 339/742, 339/748
• US Class Current: 359/641
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 13/04 the elements being reflectors and refractors for vehicle rear lights F21S43/40
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133607 the light controlling member including light directing or refracting elements, e.g. prisms or lenses

Abstract

In a device for directing light longitudinally forwardly, the combination comprising a light source, and a protective, transparent envelope extending about the light source; a drum lens having a body extending about the light source and envelope, for refracting light from the source; a light reflector extending about the drum lens body, for forwardly and convergently re-directing refracted light received from the drum lens body; and a correcting lens for receiving a collimating re-directed light screened from the reflector.

Claims

1. In a device for directing light longitudinally forwardly, the combination comprising:

a) a light source, and a protective, transparent envelope extending about the light source,

b) a drum lens having a body extending about the light source and envelope, for refracting light from the source,

c) a light reflector extending about the drum lens body, for forwardly and convergently re-directing refracted light received from the drum lens body,

d) and a correcting lens for receiving a collimating re-directed light screened from the reflector.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said device has a longitudinally forwardly extending optical axis intersecting said source, said drum lens, reflector, and correcting lens being circularly symmetric about said optical axis.

3. The combination of claim 1 including an aspheric lens extending longitudinally forwardly of the envelope to receive light from the source via the envelope and to refract said light toward the correcting lens, said light refracted by the aspheric lens producing a primary beam and said light reflected by the reflector producing a secondary beam, said beams substantially merging at the correcting lens.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the aspheric lens is integral with the drum lens.

5. The combination of claim 3 wherein the aspheric lens has an inner surface longitudinally facing the envelope, said inner surface having forward convexity, and said aspheric lens has an outer surface longitudinally facing away from the envelope, said outer surface having forward convexity which exceeds the forward convexity of said inner surface.

6. The combination of claim 3 wherein there is a local annular juncture between the drum lens and the aspheric lens, and located to divergently refract light from the source.

7. The combination of claim 3 wherein the device has a longitudinally extending optical axis and said correcting lens has a surface facing away from the source, said surface having a first zone intersected by said axis and a second zone spaced from and extending about said axis, said first zone collimating light received via said aspheric lens and said second zone collimating light received via said reflector.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said surface first zone is convex in a longitudinally forward facing direction, and said second zone has a region that is concave in a longitudinally forward facing direction.

9. The combination of claim 7 including a target screen spaced forwardly of said correcting lens, said screen positioned to receive uniformly collimated light via said surface first and second zones of said correcting lens.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein said screen comprises a liquid crystal display.

11. The combination of claim 1 including a target screen spaced forwardly of said correcting lens, said screen positioned to receive collimated light via said correcting lens.

12. The combination of claim 11 wherein said screen comprises a liquid crystal display.

13. The combination of claim 1 wherein the source is a plasma lamp.