An etendue squeezing optic includes light guiding elements that are extruded sideways to guide light to a wide outlet surface for efficient injection into an edge face of a flat light guide such as a backlight panel for a visual display, in combination with a light source optically coupled to the light inlet through an air-gap, so that light entering the optic through the air- gap is confined to a cone of directions determined by a critical angle of refraction into the optic from air at the air-gap.
A high concentration photovoltaic device has a Fresnel lens having a front side and a back side, which may be mounted on a cover plate, and a mirror behind the Fresnel lens and facing the Fresnel lens. A secondary lens is unitary with the Fresnel lens and facing the mirror, and is typically on the inside of the cover plate in the center of the Fresnel lens. A photovoltaic cell in front of the secondary lens faces the mirror through the secondary lens. An additional focusing lens may be provided in front of the mirror. Two optical elements of said device form a Köhler integrator between a remote source, usually the sun, in front of the device and the photovoltaic cell as a target. The mirror may be spectrally selective, with a secondary photovoltaic cell behind the mirror. Additional photovoltaic cells to collect unfocused light may surround the mirror.
H01L 31/054 - Optical elements directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means
H01L 31/0232 - Optical elements or arrangements associated with the device
H01L 31/042 - PV modules or arrays of single PV cells
H01L 31/052 - Cooling means directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. integrated Peltier elements for active cooling or heat sinks directly associated with the PV cells
A shell integrator has a hollow transparent body with inner and outer surfaces formed as arrays of lenslets. Each lenslet of the inner surface images a common source region in the middle of the hollow body onto a respective lenslet of the outer surface. Each lenslet of the outer surface forms a virtual image of the respective lenslet of the inner surface at the common source region. One integrator has a light-guide following the surface of the hollow body from an inlet end at a central region of the surface to an outlet end at a rim of the hollow body. The light-guide inlet end is shaped to receive light from the common source region and direct such light along the light-guide. Another integrator is generally elongated, and may be semicylindrical. Any of these integrators may have a stepped surface forming a Fresnel lens.
F21V 13/00 - Producing particular characteristics or distribution of the light emitted by means of a combination of elements specified in two or more of main groups
A luminaire includes a mixing chamber having an array of apertures in one wall, a light source to supply light into the mixing chamber, and an array of optics outside the mixing chamber, each positioned to cooperate with a respective one of the apertures to emit light from the mixing chamber as a beam. The shape, size, and/or direction of the output light beam are controllably varied by controlling the shape, size, and/or position of each aperture relative to its associated optic.
The photovoltaic cell of solar concentrator is joined to the secondary optical element by a silicone or other material that is liquid, at least when applied. Bubbles are migrated away from an optically active region of the silicone before use. The silicone may set after the bubbles have migrated away, or may remain fluid.
H01L 31/052 - Cooling means directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. integrated Peltier elements for active cooling or heat sinks directly associated with the PV cells
One example of a solar voltaic concentrator has a primary Fresnel lens with multiple panels, each of which forms a Kohler integrator with a respective panel of a lenticular secondary lens. The resulting plurality of integrators all concentrate sunlight onto a common multi-junction photovoltaic cell. The integrators provide matching illumination in the different wavebands required by the different junctions. Luminaires using a similar geometry are also possible.
H01L 31/052 - Cooling means directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. integrated Peltier elements for active cooling or heat sinks directly associated with the PV cells
An optical component called the Phase Space Combiner (PSC) is designed to join several bundles of rays. The bundles of rays, when represented in ray phase-space, occupy non- connected regions before passing through the PSC, while their representation in ray phase space occupies a single simply connected region (without holes) after passing through the PSC. Obviously, when used in reverse way it splits one bundle in several parts. We present herein the idea of using Multiple Individual Optics, MIO, not for collimating the light from the LEDs but as a PSC. Then a Single Common Optics, SCO, which can be an optical train, is used to get the desired intensity pattern. This hybrid SCO and MIO strategy combines most of the advantages of both approaches.
A luminaire has a light source and a shell integrator. The shell integrator has a transparent dome over the light source, with inner and outer surfaces formed as arrays of lenslets. Each lenslet of the inner surface images the light source onto a respective lenslet of the outer surface, and each lenslet of the outer surface images the respective lenslet of the inner surface as a virtual image onto the light source. The dome may be substantially hemispherical. The light source and the integrator may be at an input of a collimator.
An LED lamp is disclosed comprising a remote phosphor patch on or near the interior surface of a translucent sphere. The phosphor is illuminated by an adjacent light box containing blue LEDs, located within the lamp below the transmissive phosphor patch or alternatively above a reflective phosphor patch. The reflective patch can be either fully or partially populated with phosphor. Below the light box is an electronics bay, and below that is an Edison screw-in base.
A light funnel collimator has a central lens surface and a back reflecting surface, shaped to provide a wider background beam and a narrower hotspot beam within but off- center of the wider beam. One of the beams is on-axis of the collimator, and the other beam is off-axis. The reflector is at least partly asymmetrical relative to the axis, and provides or contributes to the off-axis beam.
A passive electro-optical tracker uses a two-band IR intensity ratio to discriminate high-speed projectiles and obtain a time-varying speed estimate from their time- varying temperature, as well as determining the trajectory back to the source of fire. In an omnidirectional system a hemispheric imager with an MWIR spectrum splitter forms two CCD images of the environment. Various methods are given to determine the azimuth and range of a projectile, both for clear atmospheric conditions and for nonhomogeneous atmospheric conditions. One approach uses the relative intensity of the image of the projectile on the pixels of a CCD camera to determine the azimuthal angle of trajectory with respect to the ground, and its range. A second uses a least squares optimization over multiple frames based on a triangle representation of the smeared image to yield a real-time trajectory estimate.
One optical system comprises a first optical surface, a faceted second optical surface, and a faceted third optical surface. The optical system is operative to convert a first bundle of rays that is continuous in phase space outside the first optical surface into a second bundle of rays that is continuous in phase space outside the third optical surface. Between the second and third optical surfaces the rays making up the first and second bundles form discrete sub-bundles each passing from a facet of the second optical surface to a facet of the third optical surface. The sub-bundles do not form a continuous bundle in a phase space that has dimensions representing the position and angle at which rays cross a surface transverse to the bundle of rays.
An autostereoscopic display provides true natural perception of 3D scenes by projecting depth-slice images of objects located at different distances, so during each video frame the scene is segmented into five or more different depths and then each displayed in succession with both the stereo disparity and apparent image distance proper for each depth.
G02B 27/22 - Other optical systems; Other optical apparatus for producing stereoscopic or other three-dimensional effects
G02B 27/18 - Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups , for optical projection, e.g. combination of mirror and condenser and objective
One example of a solar photovoltaic concentrator has a primary mirror with multiple free-form panels, each of which forms a Kδhler integrator with a respective panel of a lenticular secondary lens. The Kδhler integrators are folded by a common intermediate mirror. The resulting plurality of integrators all concentrate sunlight onto a common photovoltaic cell. Luminaires using a similar geometry are also described.
H01L 31/052 - Cooling means directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. integrated Peltier elements for active cooling or heat sinks directly associated with the PV cells
A passive electro-optical tracker uses a two-band IR intensity ratio to discriminate high-speed projectiles and obtain a speed estimate from their temperature, as well as determining the trajectory back to the source of fire. In an omnidirectional system a hemispheric imager with an MWIR spectrum splitter forms two CCD images of the environment. Three methods are given to determine the azimuth and range of a projectile, one for clear atmospheric conditions and two for nonhomogeneous atmospheric conditions. The first approach uses the relative intensity of the image of the projectile on the pixels of a CCD camera to determine the azimuthal angle of trajectory with respect to the ground, and its range. The second calculates this angle using a different algorithm. The third uses a least squares optimization over multiple frames based on a triangle representation of the smeared image to yield a real-time trajectory estimate.
F41G 3/16 - Sighting devices adapted for indirect laying of fire
F41G 3/06 - Aiming or laying means with rangefinder
F41G 7/20 - Direction control systems for self-propelled missiles based on continuous observation of target position
G01S 1/70 - Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmittersReceivers co-operating therewith using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
G01S 3/00 - Direction-finders for determining the direction from which infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic waves, or particle emission, not having a directional significance, are being received
An LED-powered replacement for the conventional incandescent screw-in light bulb comprises a phosphor coated sphere emitting white light into the same spherical pattern as a frosted incandescent bulb. In one embodiment inside the hollow sphere there is a dielectric cone emitting blue light, which causes the phosphor coating to glow. The blue light comes into the cone from a dielectric totally internally reflecting concentrator (DTIRC), which receives light from a conical reflector surrounding an LED array. The array has blue chips for energizing the phosphor and red chips for supplementing the phosphor light, enabling separate electronic control of the color temperature as well as the overall luminosity of the LED Lamp. Both blue and red chips are controlled by a quantum dimmer.
F21V 17/00 - Fastening of component parts of lighting devices, e.g. shades, globes, refractors, reflectors, filters, screens, grids or protective cages
F21V 29/00 - Protecting lighting devices from thermal damageCooling or heating arrangements specially adapted for lighting devices or systems
Some photovoltaic cells have a front face accepting incoming incident light and opaque gridlines overlying part of the front face, electrically bonded to the face, with upper reflective facets oblique to the plane of the front face and producing outgoing reflected light. An optical interface parallel to and in front of the front face transmits incoming light to the front face and to the gridlines and reflects back towards the front face by total internal reflection at least some of the outgoing reflected light. Some photovoltaic devices have a triple junction photovoltaic cell, a single junction photovoltaic cell, and a reflective surface arranged to distribute incoming light between the cells. The surface may be a frequency-selective mirror that apportions light so when the cells are in series the power produced, and preferably the photocurrent, is greater than if all the light fell on the triple junction cell alone.
A heat sink for an LED downlight utilizes tilted fins forming helical air passages that can enhance thermal performance by 30% over conventional fins. To overcome the thermal challenge of installation within the stagnant hot air of insulated ceiling cans, a heat sink has an integral electrostatic air pump on its exterior, to move hot air downwards and drain the stagnant air from the can by establishing a chimney-like circulation up through the heat sink and back down around the outside of the heat sink. The air mover can be powered by a compact high-voltage, low-current power supply similar to those of neon signs. An embodiment of the heat sink is also revealed that is suitable for cooling an LED replacement for standard screw-in or equivalent light bulbs. This device can perform well in variety of orientations (horizontal, vertical, etc.) and fixtures.
One example of a solar voltaic concentrator has a primary Fresnel lens with multiple panels, each of which forms a Köhler integrator with a respective panel of a lenticular secondary lens. The resulting plurality of integrators all concentrate sunlight onto a common photovoltaic cell. Luminaires using a similar geometry are also described.
F24J 2/08 - having lenses as concentrating elements
H01L 31/052 - Cooling means directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. integrated Peltier elements for active cooling or heat sinks directly associated with the PV cells
20.
QUANTUM DIMMING VIA SEQUENTIAL STEPPED MODULATION OF LED ARRAYS
In one method of and apparatus for varying the luminosity of illumination, each of a plurality of light sources has an on state in which it emits light and an off state in which it does not emit light. Each of the plurality of light sources is switched cyclically between the on state and the off state in a sequence over a cycle period. The switching sequence is selected such that the number of said light sources that are on is uniform over the cycle. The luminosity of the illumination is varied by varying the proportion of each cycle for which each light source is switched on.
G09G 3/32 - Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix using controlled light sources using electroluminescent panels semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED]
21.
COMPACT LED DOWNLIGHT WITH CUSPATED FLUX-REDISTRIBUTION LENS
A lighting device has a light source, a reflector dish with a central opening facing the light source, and a lens between the light source and the reflector dish. The lens is so arranged that light emitted from the source towards the central opening of the reflector dish is diffracted away from the central opening. The reflector dish is arranged to reflect light received from the source through the lens back past the lens and source.
An optical device for coupling the luminous output of a light-emitting diode (LED) to a predominantly spherical pattern comprises a transfer section that receives the LED's light within it and an ejector positioned adjacent the transfer section to receive light from the transfer section and spread the light generally spherically. A base of the transfer section is optically aligned and/or coupled to the LED so that the LED's light enters the transfer section. The transfer section can comprises a compound elliptic concentrator operating via total internal reflection. The ejector section can have a variety of shapes, and can have diffusive features on its surface as well, including a phosphor coating. The transfer section can in some implementations be polygonal, V-grooved, faceted and other configurations.
One embodiment of a method of calculating an optical surface comprises calculating a meridional optical line of the surface. A ray is selected that passes a known point defining an end of a part of the optical line already calculated. The optical line is extrapolated from the known point to meet the ray using a polynomial with at least one degree of freedom. The polynomial is adjusted as necessary so that the selected ray is deflected at the extrapolated optical line to a desired target point. The polynomial is added to the optical line up to the point where the selected ray is deflected. The point where the selected ray is deflected is used as the known point in a repetition of those steps.
A cylindrical light source comprises multiple LEDs mounted on either the exterior or interior surface of the cylinder, with heat-sink fins respectively on its interior or exterior. The LEDs emit radially, but their emission is redirected along the cylinder axis by individual ellipsoidal reflectors.
An embodiment of a method of designing a grooved reflector comprises selecting two given wavefronts; and designing two surfaces meeting at an edge to form a groove such that the rays of each of the given wavefront become rays of a respective one of the given wavefronts after a reflection at each of the surfaces. Multiple grooves may be combined to form a mirror covering a desired area. A mirror may be manufactured according to the design.
An embodiment of a collimating downlight has front-mounted blue LED chips facing upwards, having a heat sink on the back of the LED chips exposed in ambient air. The LED chips are mounted in a collimator that sends their blue light to a remote phosphor situated near the top of the downlight can. Surrounding the remote phosphor is a downward-facing reflector that forms a beam from its stimulated emission and reflected blue light. The phosphor thickness and composition can be adjusted to give a desired color temperature.
Light sources comprise an emitter of photostimulative light, such as one or more blue LEDs, a reflector, which may be a diverging cone, disposed to reflect light from the LEDs towards an exit aperture, a tailored aspheric lens that further collimates the light from the reflector, a short-pass filter receiving and transmitting the collimated light, a dielectric concentrator receiving the light transmitted by the filter from the LEDs and concentrating it upon the exit aperture, a dielectric emission optic on the outside of the exit aperture to receive the concentrated light, and a layer of photosensitive phosphor deposited on the outside of the emission optic, the phosphor responsive to the LED light to emit light of a longer wavelength.
An optoelectronic cooling system is equally applicable to an LED collimator or a photovoltaic solar concentrator. A transparent fluid conveys heat from the optoelectronic chip to a hollow cover over the system aperture. The cooling system can keep a solar concentrator chip at the same temperature as found for a one-sun flat-plate solar cell. Natural convection or forced circulation can operate to convey heat from the chip to the cover.
A condenser for directing light from a UHP arc lamp or other generally cylindrical source onto a target such as a microdisplay in line with a front end of the lamp comprises a primary mirror to direct light from the source towards the back end of the condenser, and a secondary mirror at the back end of the condenser to direct the light from the primary mirror onto the target.
A tubular luminaire efficiently utilizes the light of a line of high-brightness unlensed LEDs to reproduce the homogeneous appearance of a neon tube. The transparent tube has an annular cross-section suitable for cost-effective manufacturing by extrusion. The LEDs are mounted in a line on a circuit board that can be positioned either inside or outside the tube. Their light shines into a cylindrical groove, thereby entering within the material of the tube. Above the groove, the wall of the tube has a spiral shape that reflects the light laterally so that it stays within the annular tube for a considerable path length. Volume scattering by a low density of scattering inclusions causes the light to escape as a homogenous glow. Alternatively, mild surface scattering from the inside surface can be used.
An array of reflectors that transform a collimated beam into one that uniformly illuminates a specific patch of target surface, in particular obliquely presented rectangles, such as billboards. Each reflector is square, with a concave shape that uniformly illuminates a rectangular target. An algorithm is disclosed for producing a shape appropriate for any given illumination geometry. An array of such reflectors can be utilized with a nonuniform collimated beam and still produce uniform illumination. Hexagonal reflectors could also be arrayed to illuminate a hexagon, or an obliquely presented circle in the case of a collimated input beam with some divergence, which causes a blurring of the cutoff at the edges of the target. Non-tiling shapes such as alphanumeric characters will require some of the light of the collimated beam to be discarded. Reflector shapes and methods of calculating such shapes are also disclosed.
The diffuse reflectivity of an LED source is utilized to recycle some of its emission, thereby enabling a luminaire to escape the etendue limit. Retroreflectors intercept the rays destined for the outer part of the luminaire aperture, which can then be truncated. The resulting smaller aperture has the same beam-width as the full original, albeit with lesser flux due to recycling losses. A reduction to half the original area is possible.
In one embodiment of a solar concentrator, a tailored aspheric lens augments the solar-concentrator performance of a concave mirror, widening its acceptance angle for easier solar tracking, making it more cost-competitive for ultra-large arrays. The molded-glass secondary lens also includes a short rod for reducing the peak concentration on a photovoltaic cell that is optically bonded to the end of the rod. The Simultaneous Multiple Surface method produces lens shapes suitable for a variety of medium and high concentrations by mirrored dishes. Besides the rotationally symmetric parabolic mirror itself, other aspheric deviations therefrom are described, including a free-form rectangular mirror that has its focal region at its edge.
An embodiment of an optical manifold has first and second collimators, each arranged to receive light from a source and transmit the light to an exit port of the collimator, and a separator arranged to emit some of the light from the exit ports of the first and second collimators and to recycle some of the light into the collimators. Another embodiment has at least three collimators of substantially equal length and having central axes, respective light sources at entry ports of the collimators, the collimators being arranged with their central axes parallel and with their light sources in a common plane and reflectors positioned to direct light from exit ports of the collimators to a selectively reflective component that guides all the light into a common exit beam.
G02B 23/10 - Telescopes, e.g. binocularsPeriscopesInstruments for viewing the inside of hollow bodiesViewfindersOptical aiming or sighting devices involving prisms or mirrors reflecting into the field of view additional indications, e.g. from collimator
35.
LED LUMINANCE-ENHANCEMENT AND COLOR-MIXING BY ROTATIONALLY MULTIPLEXED BEAM-COMBINING
The present embodiments provide methods and systems for use in providing enhanced illumination. Some embodiments include at least two light sources (81 L, 82L, 83L, 84L) and one or more smoothly rotating wheels, where the one or more wheels comprises at least one mirror sector (81M, 82M, 83M), the circumferential portion of the mirror sector is the inverse of the number of said sources, a first source (81 L) of the sources is so disposed that the mirror sector (81 M) reflects light from the first source into a common output path (86), where the first source pulsing such that a duty cycle of the first source corresponds to a time the mirror sector reflects light from the first source into the common output path (86).
A thin-film LED (10, 20, 30) mounted on a substrate (5) and with a defined upper surface (2) approximately hemispherically emitting light, with the upper surface (2) being diffusively transmissive, a lower first layer of identically defined linear prismatic film (31) separated from the upper surface (2), a upper second layer of linear prismatic film (32), identical to but oriented orthogonally to the layer (31), and a circumferential vertical reflective wall (24) bordering on both of the first (31) and second layer (32) and extending height from the substrate (5) to the top of the second layer (32)
G02B 6/10 - Light guidesStructural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type
The present embodiments provide systems, backlights, films, apparatuses and methods of generating back lighting Some embodiments provide backlight (1) that include a cavity with at least one interior light source (Is) and diffusely reflecting wall of high reflectivity, a top surface (3) with multiple intermittently spaced holes (3h) allowing exit of light generated by the light sources, and external collimators (3d) extending from each of the holes (3h) such that the external collimators (3d) spatially expand and angularly narrow the light exiting the holes (3h).
A waveguide version of a Kohler integrator is disclosed, utilizing geodesic lenses with a surface that can be mapped to a gradient-index Luneburg lens or to a nonfull-aperture Luneburg lens in such a way that the light paths in the gradient index lenses map into the geodesies of the surface, with the outer region of the gradient index lenses mapped into a flat surface. Arrays of these can be applied to lines of LEDs, as in CHMSLs, to mix light in intensity and in illumination as well as to avoid the deleterious effects of binning and burnout, or in multicolor arrays, to ensure complete chromatic mixing.
B06B 3/04 - Processes or apparatus specially adapted for transmitting mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic frequency involving focusing or reflecting
39.
MULTI-JUNCTION SOLAR CELLS WITH A HOMOGENIZER SYSTEM AND COUPLED NON-IMAGING LIGHT CONCENTRATOR
The present embodiments provide methods and systems to homogenize illumination on a target. Some embodiments provide rotational symmetric dual-reflector solar concentrators that include a concave primary reflector with an aim-direction directed toward the sun to receive optical radiation in a far-field angle within an angle of acceptance and redirect radiation upward and centrally generating flux concentration, a secondary reflector positioned coaxial with said primary reflector to receive said redirected radiation and redirect radiation downward and centrally generating flux concentration solar rays, and a central target zone receiving said concentrated solar rays, where cross sections of said primary and secondary reflectors both further comprise a multiplicity of segments that establish a correspondence between pairs of segments, each of said segments of said primary reflector such as to image said angle of acceptance onto said corresponding segment of said secondary reflector to image onto said target zone.
H01L 31/052 - Cooling means directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. integrated Peltier elements for active cooling or heat sinks directly associated with the PV cells
An optical manifold for efficiently combining a plurality of blue LEDs (11) outputs to illuminate a phosphor for a single, substantially homogeneous output, in a small, cost-effective package Embodiments are disclosed that use a single or multiple LEDs and a remote phosphor (746), and an intermediate wavelength-selective filter (761) arranged so that backscattered photoluminescence is recycled to boost the luminance and flux of the output aperture A further aperture mask is used to boost phosphor luminance with only modest lo of luminosity Alternative non- recycling embodiments provide blue and yellow light in collimated beams, either separately or combined into white
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