Optical devices for guiding illumination
First Claim
1. An optical device for guiding illumination comprising:
- a body with a surface having a plurality of acutely angled ramp structures; and
each of said ramp structures having a front exit face for distributing said light, in which light when inputted at one end of said device is substantially totally internally reflected within said body until substantially distributed from the front exit face of each of said ramp structures, wherein said body has a first end representing said one end for inputting light, and a second end, and said ramp structures extend along a dimension between said first end and said second end representing the axis of the device, in which said ramp structures each have a ramp surface at an acute angle with respect to said axis, and the front exit face of each of said ramp structures represents a surface at an acute angle with respect to the normal of said axis, and wherein;
Θ
R represents the angle of the ramp surface with respect to said axis;
Θ
EF represents the angle of said front exit face of each of said structures with respect to the normal of said axis;
said body is of material having a refractive index (NA);
Rn is a ratio of the refractive index of the material of said body to a refractive index of the medium surrounding said body; and
said angles Θ
R and Θ
EF are selected in accordance with at least equations;
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Optical devices for guiding illumination are provided each having a body of optical material with staircase or acutely angled ramp structures on its top surface for distributing light inputted from one end of the device from the front exit faces of such structures along certain angular orientations, while at least a substantial portion of the light is totally internally reflected within the body until distributed from such front exit faces. Optical devices are also provided each have a body of optical material having a bottom surface with acutely angled ramp structures and falling structures which alternate with each other, such that light is totally internally reflected within the device until reflected by such ramp structures along the bottom surface to exit the top surface of the device or transmitted through the ramp structures to an adjacent falling structure back into the device. Acutely angled ramp structures may be provided on both top and bottom surfaces of optical devices for distributing light along such top surface. Illumination apparatuses are also provided using such optical devices.
-
Citations
21 Claims
-
1. An optical device for guiding illumination comprising:
-
a body with a surface having a plurality of acutely angled ramp structures; and each of said ramp structures having a front exit face for distributing said light, in which light when inputted at one end of said device is substantially totally internally reflected within said body until substantially distributed from the front exit face of each of said ramp structures, wherein said body has a first end representing said one end for inputting light, and a second end, and said ramp structures extend along a dimension between said first end and said second end representing the axis of the device, in which said ramp structures each have a ramp surface at an acute angle with respect to said axis, and the front exit face of each of said ramp structures represents a surface at an acute angle with respect to the normal of said axis, and wherein; Θ
R represents the angle of the ramp surface with respect to said axis;Θ
EF represents the angle of said front exit face of each of said structures with respect to the normal of said axis;said body is of material having a refractive index (NA); Rn is a ratio of the refractive index of the material of said body to a refractive index of the medium surrounding said body; and said angles Θ
R and Θ
EF are selected in accordance with at least equations;- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
5. An optical device for guiding illumination comprising:
-
a body with a surface having a plurality of acutely angled ramp structures; and each of said ramp structures having a front exit face for distributing said light, in which light when inputted at one end of said device is substantially totally internally reflected within said body until substantially distributed from the front exit face of each of said ramp structures, wherein said body has a first end representing said one end for inputting light, and a second end, and said ramp structures extend along a dimension between said first end and said second end representing the axis of the device, in which said ramp structures each have a ramp surface at an acute angle with respect to said axis, and the front exit face of each of said ramp structures represents a surface at an acute angle with respect to the normal of said axis, and wherein the height of the ramp surface, the angle of the ramp surfaces, and the angle of the front exit face vary for one or more of said ramp structures along said surface. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
Specification