Slim waveguide coupling apparatus and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An illumination structure comprising:
- a waveguide having opposed top and bottom surfaces;
a discrete light source disposed proximate the bottom surface of the waveguide;
a top mirror (i) disposed above the discrete light source, (ii) having a level of transparency allowing a first portion of light emitted by the discrete light source to pass through the top mirror, and (iii) reflecting a second portion of light emitted by the discrete light source into a confined mode of the waveguide; and
disposed above the top mirror and a portion of the top surface of the waveguide, an absorber for preventing transmission therethrough of at least a portion of the first portion of light emitted by the discrete light source.
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Abstract
In various embodiments, an illumination structure includes a discrete light source disposed proximate a bottom surface of a waveguide. A top mirror may be disposed above the discrete light source to convert modes of light emitted from the discrete light source into trapped modes, thereby increasing the coupling efficiency of the illumination structure.
374 Citations
34 Claims
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1. An illumination structure comprising:
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a waveguide having opposed top and bottom surfaces; a discrete light source disposed proximate the bottom surface of the waveguide; a top mirror (i) disposed above the discrete light source, (ii) having a level of transparency allowing a first portion of light emitted by the discrete light source to pass through the top mirror, and (iii) reflecting a second portion of light emitted by the discrete light source into a confined mode of the waveguide; and disposed above the top mirror and a portion of the top surface of the waveguide, an absorber for preventing transmission therethrough of at least a portion of the first portion of light emitted by the discrete light source. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method for coupling light emitted from a discrete light source to a waveguide, the method comprising:
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emitting light from a discrete light source disposed proximate a bottom surface of a waveguide; reflecting a portion of the emitted light from a top mirror disposed above the discrete light source so as to confine the reflected portion of the emitted light within the waveguide; transmitting a portion of the emitted light through the top mirror; and preventing emission of at least a portion of the transmitted portion with an absorber disposed over the top mirror and a portion of a top surface of the waveguide opposite the bottom surface of the waveguide. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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32. An illumination structure comprising a plurality of panels, each panel comprising:
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an in-coupling region comprising a discrete light source and a horizontal mirror (i) spanning top and bottom surfaces of the panel and (ii) comprising two elliptical segments collectively defining two partially overlapping ellipses having (a) one pole shared thereby and (b) at least one pole not shared thereby; and an out-coupling region disposed proximate the in-coupling region, wherein (i) the discrete light source is disposed at the shared pole and (ii) light emitted by the discrete light source is reflected by the horizontal mirror into the out-coupling region, and the light is emitted over substantially all of a surface of the out-coupling region. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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Specification