ILLUMINATION DEVICE IN WHICH SOURCE LIGHT INJECTION IS NON-PARALLEL TO DEVICE`S OPTICAL AXIS
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Accused Products
Abstract
An illumination device includes a light source configured to emit, during operation, light with a prevalent direction of propagation different from a direction of an optical axis of the illumination device; and an optical coupler including a transparent material, the optical coupler having an input aperture, an exit aperture and a first side surface and a second side surface arranged between the input aperture and the exit aperture, the exit aperture being centered on the optical axis of the illumination device. The optical coupler receives the emitted light through the input aperture from the light source. Further, the first side surface and the second side surface redirect the received light via total internal reflection (TIR) to the exit aperture. Additionally, the redirected light is issued through the exit aperture.
21 Citations
44 Claims
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1. (canceled)
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18. An illumination device comprising:
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a light source configured to emit, during operation, light in an emission angular range, wherein a prevalent direction of propagation of the emitted light in the emission angular range is different from a direction of an optical axis of the illumination device; and an optical coupler comprising a transparent material, the optical coupler having an input aperture, an exit aperture and a first side surface and a second side surface arranged between the input aperture and the exit aperture, the exit aperture being centered on the optical axis of the illumination device, wherein the optical coupler receives, through the input aperture from the light source, the light emitted in the emission angular range, the first side surface and the second side surface redirect the received light via total internal reflection (TIR) to the exit aperture, and the redirected light is issued through the exit aperture in a redirected angular range, a light guide comprising a receiving end and an opposing end that are disposed along the optical axis of the illumination device, wherein the receiving end is arranged to receive the light issued by the optical coupler, and the light guide is configured to guide the light received at the receiving end in a forward direction toward the opposing end of the light guide; and an optical extractor located at the opposing end of the light guide and configured to output the guided light into an ambient environment as output light in backward directions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An illumination device comprising:
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a light source configured to emit, during operation, light in an emission angular range, wherein a prevalent direction of propagation of the emitted light in the emission angular range is different from a direction of an optical axis of the illumination device; and an optical coupler comprising a transparent material, the optical coupler having an input aperture, an exit aperture and a first side surface and a second side surface arranged between the input aperture and the exit aperture, the exit aperture being centered on the optical axis of the illumination device, wherein the optical coupler receives, through the input aperture from the light source, the light emitted in the emission angular range, the first side surface and the second side surface redirect the received light via total internal reflection (TIR) to the exit aperture, and the redirected light is issued through the exit aperture in a redirected angular range, an optical extractor disposed on the optical axis of the illumination device and spaced apart from the exit aperture of the optical coupler by a separation distance, wherein a combination of (i) the separation distance and (ii) a numerical aperture of the optical extractor is such that all the light issued by the optical coupler impinges on the optical extractor, and the optical extractor is configured to output into an ambient environment the light that impinges thereon as output light in backward directions opposing a prevalent direction of propagation of the light issued by the optical coupler. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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25-28. -28. (canceled)
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30. An optical coupler comprising:
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an input aperture disposed within a first plane; an exit aperture disposed within a second plane, the second plane intersecting the first plane at an acute angle that is less than a critical TIR angle; and a first side surface and a second side surface extending between the input aperture and the exit aperture, the first and second side surfaces configured to direct incident light from the input aperture to the exit aperture via total internal reflection, wherein the first side surface is a first logarithmic spiral which depends on the acute angle and the critical TIR angle, the second side surface comprises a curved portion and a flat portion, the flat portion being oriented orthogonal to the second plane, the flat portion of the second side surface is adjacent the exit aperture, the curved portion of the second side surface is a second logarithmic spiral which depends on the acute angle, the critical TIR angle and a dimension of the input aperture, the second side surface is continuous at an intersection of the curved portion with the flat portion, and a point of the exit aperture that is on the first side surface has the same coordinate along an axis orthogonal to the exit aperture as another point of the exit aperture that is on the flat portion of the second side surface. - View Dependent Claims (29, 35)
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31-34. -34. (canceled)
Specification