Illuminator method and device
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a first toroidal ray guide defining an axis of revolution and having a toroidal entrance pupil adapted to image radiation from a non-point source that is incident on the entrance pupil at an angle to the axis of revolution between 40 and 140 degrees, said first toroidal ray guide having a first imaging surface opposite the entrance pupil; and
a second ray guide also defining the axis of revolution and having a second imaging surface adjacent to the first imaging surface and an exit pupil opposite the second imaging surface,wherein the first and second ray guides are arranged to substantially image the entrance pupil to the exit pupil.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A first toroidal ray guide defines an axis of revolution and has a toroidal entrance pupil adapted to image light incident on the entrance pupil at an angle to the axis of revolution between 40 and 140 degrees, and it also has a first imaging surface opposite the entrance pupil. A second toroidal ray guide also defines the same axis of revolution and has a second imaging surface adjacent to the first imaging surface. Various additions and further qualities of the ray guides, which form optical channels, are disclosed. In a method light emanating from a source at between 40-140 degrees from an optical axis is received at an entrance pupil of a ray guide arrangement that is circularly symmetric about the optical axis. Then the received light is redirected through the ray guide arrangement to an exit pupil in an average direction substantially parallel to the optical axis.
-
Citations
41 Claims
-
1. An apparatus comprising:
-
a first toroidal ray guide defining an axis of revolution and having a toroidal entrance pupil adapted to image radiation from a non-point source that is incident on the entrance pupil at an angle to the axis of revolution between 40 and 140 degrees, said first toroidal ray guide having a first imaging surface opposite the entrance pupil; and a second ray guide also defining the axis of revolution and having a second imaging surface adjacent to the first imaging surface and an exit pupil opposite the second imaging surface, wherein the first and second ray guides are arranged to substantially image the entrance pupil to the exit pupil. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 41)
-
-
19. A method comprising:
-
emanating radiation from an extended source disposed along an optical axis at an angle between 40 and 140 degrees from the optical axis; receiving the emanated radiation at an entrance pupil of a ray guide arrangement, said ray guide arrangement being circularly symmetric about the optical axis; and redirecting the received radiation through the ray guide arrangement to an exit pupil in an average direction substantially parallel to the optical axis; wherein the ray guide arrangement is arranged such that the entrance pupil is substantially imaged to the exit pupil. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 37, 38, 39, 40)
-
Specification