Uniform intensity profile catadioptric lens

• US 5,150,966 A
• Filed: 09/19/1990
• Issued: 09/29/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Company
• Original Assignee: 3M Company
• Inventors: Nelson, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, Y MY QUACH
• Application Number:
  US07/585,308
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 362/327, 362/335, 362/336, 362/337, 362/343, 362/328, 362/339, 362/329
• US Class Current: 362/337
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876

Abstract

The present invention is a light fixture having a catadioptric lens designed to discard preselected amounts of light from a light source. The percentage of the light discarded will vary over the surface of the reflector in order to provide a predetermined output intensity distribution.

Claims

1. A light fixture comprising:

a housing defining an optical cavity having an optical window for allowing light to escape from said optical cavity;

a light source in said optical cavity for producing light; and

a lens lying in said optical window for directing light from said optical cavity through said optical window, said lens having a first surface external to said optical cavity and a second surface internal to said optical cavity, said second surface being a structured surface, said structured surface having a plurality of triangular prisms formed thereon, each said prisms having a transmissive facet and a reflective facet positioned such that light from said light source will enter said lens through one of said transmissive facets, be totally internally reflected by one of said reflective facets and exit through said first surface, where each of said transmissive facets makes a first angle with said optical window and each of said reflective facets makes a second angle with a normal to said optical window, said first and second angles for each of said prisms being selected to provide preselected light intensity distribution over said optical windown, said preselected light intensity distribution being provided by discarding a preselected percentage of said light from said light source.

2. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein said triangular prisms are circular and concentric.

3. The light fixture of claim 2 wherein said preselected light intensity distribution has a region of greatest intensity and a region of least intensity and said region of greatest intensity has an intensity no more than three times as great as that in said region of least intensity.

4. The light fixture of claim 3 wherein said first surface is smooth.

5. The light fixture of claim 4 wherein said optical window lies in a plane.

6. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein said preselected intensity distribution has a region of greatest intensity and a region of least intensity and said region of greatest intensity has an intensity no more than three times as great as that in said region of least intensity.

7. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein said first surface is smooth.

8. The light fixture of claim 7 wherein said preselected light intensity ion has a region of greatest intensity and a region of least intensity and said region of greatest intensity has an intensity no more than three times as great as that in said region of least intensity.

9. The light fixture of claim 7 wherein said optical window lies in a plane.

10. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein said optical window lies in a plane.

11. The light fixture of claim 10 wherein said triangular prisms are circular and concentric.

12. The light fixture of claim 11 wherein said first surface is smooth.