Homogenizer comprising a light source

• US 10,502,939 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2016
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ivoclar Vivadent AG
• Original Assignee: Ivoclar Vivadent AG
• Inventors: Senn, Bruno, Pauler, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Mandala, Victor A
• Application Number:
  US16/061,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20180364464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/06 with illuminating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/003 Apparatus for curing resins by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0019 having reflective surfaces only (e.g. louvre systems, systems with multiple planar reflectors)
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0028 refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0061 the light source comprising a LED semiconductor devices with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier specially adapted for light emission H01L33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0977 Reflective elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0994 Fibers, light pipes optical fibers per se G02B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0008 the light being emitted at the end of the fibre
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0096 the lights guides being of the hollow type

Abstract

The invention relates to a homogenizer having an input surface and an output surface which are incongruent to one another, at least one inclined surface extending between the input surface and the output surface. The inclined surface is corrugated. According to the invention, the homogenizer is designed as a hollow element which surrounds the LED chips (14) reflectively.

Claims

1. A homogenizer comprising

an input surface and

an output surface,

wherein the input surface and the output surface are incongruent to each other,

wherein between the input surface (12) and the output surface (22) at least an inclined surface extends, comprising a corrugation (18),

wherein the homogenizer (10) is formed as an internally reflecting hollow element,

wherein LED chips (14) are accommodated in the homogenizer (10), and

wherein the homogenizer (10) has sensor light channels (38, 40), extending between the interior space of the hollow element and a region outside the hollow element, extending in the plane of the LED chips (14).

2. The homogenizer according to claim 1,

wherein the input surface (12) is formed polygonally, and/or

wherein the output surface (22) is round.

3. The homogenizer according to claim 2,

wherein formed polygonally comprises squared or rectangularly and

wherein round comprises formed circularly.

4. The homogenizer according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of LED chips (14) is arranged adjacent to the input surface (12), the LED chips each being cast with collecting lenses, wherein the LED chips (14) are completely accommodated in the reflector.

5. The homogenizer according to claim 1,

wherein the homogenizer (10), as a hollow element, extends to a base plate (36), to which the LED chips are attached.

6. The homogenizer claim 1,

wherein the output surface (22) is closed with a transparent cover plate,

wherein the transparent cover plate is inserted into the homogenizer (10) and, at a wall (24) of the homogenizer facing the output surface (22), the transparent cover plate is circumferentially bonded to the homogenizer (10) with a transparent adhesive,

wherein the transparent cover plate is bluntly positioned onto the output surface (22) of the homogenizer (10) and is fixed thereto.

7. The homogenizer according to claim 1,

wherein on the outside of the homogenizer (10), a solid, cylindrical body is formed having a wall thickness, which, at the output side, is at least a quarter of a radius of the homogenizer, and on the input side is at least one third of the radius of the homogenizer (10) on the outside.

8. The homogenizer according to claim 1,

wherein the sensor light channels (38, 40) extend to the sensors (30), and therefrom extend obliquely radially inwardly to the output surface (22) of the homogenizer.

9. The homogenizer according to claim 1,

wherein the corrugation (18) comprises a multitude of ribs (20), which extend across the inner circumference of the homogenizer (10).

10. The homogenizer according to claim 9,

wherein the multitude of ribs (20) comprise a number from 10 to 100.

11. The homogenizer according to claim 10,

wherein the multitude of ribs (20) comprise 20.

12. The homogenizer according to claim 1,

wherein ribs (20) of the corrugation (18) extend with a constant shape between the input surface (12) and the output surface (22) and/or

wherein the ribs (20) of the corrugation (18) are arranged in a regular pattern, in the same distance to one another.

13. The homogenizer according to claim 1,

wherein ribs (20) of the corrugation (18) extend parallel to each other, but with different shapes and/or

wherein the shape of the corrugation (18), is adapted to the light wavelength or the wavelength regions transmitted by the homogenizer (10).

14. The homogenizer according to claim 13,

wherein the shape of the ribs (20) is adapted to the light wavelength or the wavelength regions transmitted by the homogenizer (10).

15. The homogenizer according to claim 1,

wherein the corrugation (18) of the homogenizer (10) comprises a reflective layer.

16. The homogenizer according to claim 15,

wherein the reflective layer comprises a vapor-deposited reflective layer.

17. The homogenizer according to claim 1,

wherein the output surface (22) of the homogenizer (10) is adjacent to an input terminal of an optical fiber and

wherein output and input terminal surfaces are aligned with each other.

18. The homogenizer according to claim 1,

wherein the homogenizer is formed in multiple parts, and

wherein the parts of the homogenizer (10) are especially maintained to one another by snap-in connections.

19. A light curing apparatus having an homogenizer comprising,

an input surface and

an output surface,

wherein the input surface and the output surface are incongruent to each other,

wherein between the input surface (12) and the output surface (22) at least an inclined surface extends, comprising a corrugation (18),

wherein the homogenizer (10) is formed as an internally reflecting hollow element,

wherein LED chips (14) are accommodated in the homogenizer (10),

wherein the homogenizer (10) is formed as a main reflector of the light curing apparatus and is located downstream of an optical path of a light source, and is located upstream of a light guide rod.