Fresnel lens and lighting apparatus provided with the Fresnel lens

• US 7,618,161 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2005
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tokuhara, Naoto, Morino, Takeshi, Honguh, Yoshinori, Shiratsuchi, Masataka
• Primary Examiner(s): Payne; Sharon E
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZETTL, MARY E
• Application Number:
  US11/224,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20060056185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 362/328, 362/332, 362/335, 362/337, 362/340, 362/244, 362/311.01, 362/311.02, 362/311.06, 362/311.09, 362/311.12, 362/326, 362/336, 359/742, 359/743
• US Class Current: 362/335
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/045 the lens having discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/406 for theatres, stages or film studios
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876

Abstract

In a Fresnel lens which is made of a lens material whose refraction index is n, and focuses light beam from a light source at a specified radiation view angle φ, and has plural N pieces of circular lens surfaces arranged concentrically around a common optical axis, and plural circular rise surfaces arranged adjacent alternately between these lens surfaces, and two lens surfaces adjacent via at least one of the rise surfaces are concave surfaces, and tangent lines and at the intersecting point with the rise surfaces of the shape of a cross section passing through the optical axis of those lens surfaces intersect at the outside with respect to the optical axis, and when the angle formed between these tangent lines is defined as θ, a relational equation θ≧φ/(2 n N) stands.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a light source which emits light rays;

a Fresnel lens acting as a convex lens having a convergent function of converting the light rays to a spotlight and projecting the spotlight on an illumination area, which is made of a lens material whose refraction index is n, and projects light rays from the light source at a specified radiation view angle φ

to the illumination area, and has an optical axis, the Fresnel lens comprising;

a plurality of Fresnel lens segments which are arranged concentrically around a common optical axis, and are made into ridge shapes respectively, wherein

each Fresnel lens segment includes;

a segment lens surface which has a peak and a bottom corresponding to one and the other end of the segment lens surface, respectively, and is curved into a concave surface toward the illumination area in respect to a reference plane connecting the peak and the bottom,

a rise surface which is arranged between adjacent lens surfaces, and extended between the peak and the bottom, the light rays projected from adjacent lens surfaces irradiating circular band areas having widths, respectively, which mutually overlap at least half of the width of the circular band area.

2. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the Fresnel lens further comprises a convex lens portion on the optical axis.

3. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the Fresnel lens comprises a flat surface opposing the segment lens surface and facing the light source.

4. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the Fresnel lens has a form of a substantially meniscus lens, including a circular arc plane on which the tops of the plural Fresnel lens segments are arranged.

5. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rise surface diffuses the light rays.

6. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the Fresnel lens has a rear surface facing the light source, which diffuses the light rays.

7. The lighting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the rise surface diffuses light rays.

8. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the peak and the bottom defines first and second tangent lines of the concave surface, the first and second lines passing through the peak and bottom lines of the each segment lens surface in a cross section including the optical axis, respectively, and the angle between the first and second tangent lines is defined as θ

, and an inequality of θ

≧

φ

/(2 n N) is established, wherein N is a number of Fresnel lens segments that have a refraction index n, and light rays project at an angle φ

of an illumination area.

9. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a convex mirror arranged at a rear side of the light source to reflect light rays to the Fresnel lens, wherein the light source has a light spot, the convex mirror has a focal point on the light spot, and the Fresnel lens has a rear focal point on the light spot.