Waveguide sheet containing in-coupling, propagation, and out-coupling regions

• US 7,929,816 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oree Advanced Illumination Solutions Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Oree, Inc.
• Inventors: Fine, Eran, Meir, Noam
• Primary Examiner(s): Pak; Sung H
• Application Number:
  US12/324,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20090161383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 385/39
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0041 provided in the bulk of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0065 Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0076 Stacked arrangements of multiple light guides of the same or different cross-sectional area
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0078 Side-by-side arrangements, e.g. for large area displays

Abstract

In one aspect, an illumination structure includes a substantially non-fiber waveguide, which itself includes a discrete in-coupling region for receiving light, a discrete propagation region for propagating light, and a discrete out-coupling region for emitting light.

Claims

1. An illumination structure comprising:

a substantially non-fiber waveguide, the waveguide comprising;

a discrete in-coupling region for receiving light and comprising an optical element disposed therewithin,

a discrete propagation region for propagating light and that is substantially free of the optical element, and

a discrete out-coupling region for emitting light, the in-coupling, propagation, and out-coupling regions being spatially distinct, light entering the in-coupling region being substantially retained within the waveguide for emission from the out-coupling region.

2. The illumination structure of claim 1, further comprising:

a first cladding layer disposed over a top surface of the waveguide; and

a second cladding layer disposed beneath a bottom surface of the waveguide.

3. The illumination structure of claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises a plurality of scattering particles.

4. The illumination structure of claim 1, wherein the propagation region is substantially free of scattering particles.

5. The illumination structure of claim 1, wherein the out-coupling region comprises a plurality of scattering particles.

6. The illumination structure of claim 5, wherein the scattering particles have a concentration that varies across at least one dimension of the out-coupling region.

7. The illumination structure of claim 6, wherein the concentration of scattering particles increases with distance from the in-coupling region.

8. The illumination structure of claim 1, wherein the out-coupling region comprises a plurality of core structures, at least some of which comprise a plurality of scattering particles, and wherein at least one of a size, a concentration, or a type of the scattering particles varies among at least two of the core structures.

9. The illumination structure of claim 8, wherein, in a direction perpendicular to a general direction of light propagation therethrough, there is substantially no overlap between individual core structures.

10. The illumination structure of claim 8, wherein each of the core structures has a substantially quadrilateral cross-sectional area.

11. The illumination structure of claim 10, wherein the cross-sectional area is substantially rectangular.

12. The illumination structure of claim 1, further comprising means for emitting light disposed proximate the in-coupling region.

13. The illumination structure of claim 1, further comprising means for emitting light disposed within the waveguide.

14. The illumination structure of claim 1, further comprising a reflector disposed proximate a surface of the in-coupling region.

15. The illumination structure of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is substantially planar.

16. The illumination structure of claim 1, wherein an optical mean free path of light in the propagation region is substantially constant, and an optical mean free path of light in the out-coupling region varies substantially monotonically.

18. The illumination structure of claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises a microlens.

19. The illumination structure of claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises an optical funnel.

20. The illumination structure of claim 1, wherein the in-coupling region receives light entering in a first direction, the propagation region propagates light in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the out-coupling region emits light in a third direction perpendicular to the second direction.

21. The illumination structure of claim 13, wherein the means for emitting light consists essentially of a bare-die light-emitting diode.

17. A method of producing light, the method comprising:

providing a substantially non-fiber waveguide comprising;

a discrete in-coupling region for receiving light comprising an optical element disposed therewithin,

a discrete propagation region for propagating light and that is substantially free of the optical element, and

a discrete out-coupling region for emitting light; and

emitting light proximate the in-coupling region, whereby the light propagates through the propagation region with substantially no emission therefrom into the out-coupling region, and is emitted from the out-coupling region.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the optical element comprises a plurality of scattering particles.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the optical element comprises a microlens.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the optical element comprises an optical funnel.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the in-coupling region receives light entering in a first direction, the propagation region propagates light in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the out-coupling region emits light in a third direction perpendicular to the second direction.