Method and apparatus for controlling light

• US 6,296,383 B1
• Filed: 10/16/1998
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3D Systems, Inc. (3D Systems Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dicon A/S
• Inventors: Henningsen, Henning
• Primary Examiner(s): Spyrou, Cassandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Curtis, Craig
• Application Number:
  US09/171,391
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 362/551, 362/552, 362/554, 362/556, 362/558, 362/581, 362/31, 362/32, 362/61, 385/31, 385/39, 250/221
• US Class Current: 362/552
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0011 with light guides for distributing the light between several lighting or signalling devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0006 Coupling light into the fibre in general G02B6/4298
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/264 with optical elements between opposed fibre ends which perform a function other than beam splitting having lens focusing means G02B6/32; utilising prism or grating G02B6/34
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/266 the optical element being an attenuator
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2848 having refractive means, e.g. imaging elements between light guides as splitting, branching and/or combining devices, e.g. lenses, holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/353 the optical element being a shutter, baffle, beam dump or opaque element absorbers on light guide termination G02B6/243
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3532 the optical element being a wavelength independent filter or having spatially dependent transmission properties, e.g. neutral filter or neutral density wedge substrate with plurality of density filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3548 1xN switch, i.e. one input and a selectable single output of N possible outputs
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3552 1x1 switch, e.g. on/off switch
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3558 1xN switch, i.e. one input and a selectable single output of N possible outputs
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3594 Characterised by additional functional means, e.g. means for variably attenuating or branching or means for switching differently polarized beams
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4298 coupling with non-coherent light sources and/or radiation detectors, e.g. lamps, incandescent bulbs, scintillation chambers

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling light from a light source (1) to a lighting location. A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises precisely one central light source (1) which is connected to a plurality of light guides (4) via a control unit (3), each of said light guides being terminated at a remote point. The control unit comprises a plurality of electrically controlled microshutters (14, 15), each of which has at least two states, an open state and a closed state, from which the light is conducted further on to the light location or locations via optical guides in the open state of the diaphragms. The light may thus be distributed by means of the control unit (3) to the individual light guides (4) in response to control signals supplied to the control unit.

Claims

1. A method of controlling light from one or more central light sources (1) to at least two lighting locations via light conductors (4), said light being conducted from the central light source or sources (1) to a control device (3) comprising a plurality of electrically individually controlled micro-mechanical shutters, each of which has a closed state and an open state, from which the light is conducted further on to the lighting locations via at least two optical guides (4) in the non-closed state of the microshutters.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the light is conducted from the central light source or sources (1) to the microshutters of the control unit via a plurality of optical guides (5′

).

3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the light is conducted from the central light source or sources (1) via precisely one optical guide (5′

).

4. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that light is conducted to at least one lighting location via a plurality of microshutters, the intensity of the light conducted to the lighting location being dependent on the number of opened microshutters.

5. A method according to claim 4, characterized in that the light is conducted to the lighting location from the control unit via precisely one optical guide (4′

).

6. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the light from the light source (1) is focused in a light channel of the microshutter by means of one or more optical elements (11) and is then conducted from the control unit to the light guides via additional optical elements (13).

7. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the intensity of the light at at least one lighting location is controlled by gradual opening and closing of an associated diaphragm.

8. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the light is conducted from the central light source or sources to the microshutters of the control unit via at least one inserted diaphragm whose light passage is regulated by gradual closing of the diaphragm.

9. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the light is conducted from the central light source or sources to lighting locations under temporal control, the relation between the period of time during which one or more microshutters are open and closed being regulated to provide a given intensity at the individual microshutters.

10. A method according to claim 9, characterized in that the period time of one or more of said microshutters is constant, it being possible to regulate the duty cycle from 0 to 100% as needed.

11. An apparatus for controlling light from one or more central light sources (1) to at least two lighting locations via light guides, said central light source or sources being optically connected at least one optical control device (3) comprising at least two electrically controlled mechanical microshutter diaphragms (15), each of which has at least two states, a closed state and an open state, from which the light is conducted further on to the lighting locations via optical guides (4) in the open state of the microshutters, each light guide being arranged to receive light from at least one microshutter.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that at least one of the light sources is arranged to illuminate a plurality of microshutters via a first lens arrangement (11), said lens arrangement (11) comprising a plurality of microlenses so arranged with respect to each microshutter that the light emitted by the light source or sources is focused on or in the vicinity of the optical axis of a light channel (12) of the individual microshutters.

13. An apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the focal plane of the focusing optics at the inlet side of the microshutters coincides completely or approximately with the diaphragms of the individual microshutters.

14. An apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the diaphragm devices include plates which are pivotally hinged/to the microshutter arrangement.

15. An apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the diaphragm of each individual microshutter is formed by an oscillating diaphragm element which is movable to and from between two positions, the oscillating diaphragm element being suspended such that elastic forces are applied to an equilibrium position between the two positions, said apparatus additionally comprising a control unit for controlling the oscillating diaphragm element by means of electrostatic forces, said diaphragm element blocking the light channel of the microshutter in one of the two positions.

16. An apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that a optical connection between the control device and the light source or sources is formed by one or more light guides arranged to receive light from the light sources and to illuminate the microshutters of the control unit.

17. An apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that at least one of the optical guides is arranged to receive light from a plurality of microshutters.

18. An apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the apparatus comprises a digital control unit for individual electrical control of the individual microshutters, said control unit comprising an allocation profile (51′

, 56′ and

56) for face definition of the microshutters comprised by an optical control unit which is to be modulated.

19. An apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that at least one microshutter is connected optically to a colour filter.