Rpc Photonics, Inc.

University of Rochester

Donald J Schertler

G Michael Morris

Stephen H Chakmakjian

Tasso Sales

Nicholas A George

An optical element is provided having an asymmetric body, a light source, and a front face tilted at an oblique angle with respect to a target surface to provide illumination that is at least substantially uniform along the target surface's height. One or more optical elements may be in an apparatus, and multiple apparatuses may be disposed in front of one edge of a target surface to provide thereto at least substantially uniform oblique illumination. When the light source is an LED that is spectrally non-uniform at increasing angles away from its optical axis, the optical elements having such LEDs provide illumination that is spectrally non-uniform along a portion of the target surface, and additional optical elements with LED light sources are provided having a spectrum in one or more spectral ranges that compensates for such spectral non-uniformity to correct spectral non-uniformity along such portion of the target surface.

Optical element providing oblique illumination and apparatuses using same

An optical element is provided having an asymmetric body with a base cavity for receiving a light source, and outer sides providing total internal reflection, and a front face tilted so that the optical element's optical axis is at an oblique angle with respect to a target surface. Curvatures along cavity surfaces and outer sides are selected to output illumination from the body's front face having a distribution extending along the target surface's height and at least a portion of the width thereof having increased intensity with increasing height to provide at least substantially uniform illumination along the target surface's height. One or more optical elements may be in an apparatus, and multiple apparatuses may be disposed in front of one edge of a target surface and spaced from each other to provide the target surface with at least substantially uniform oblique illumination.

Optical devices for guiding illumination are provided each having a body of optical material with staircase or acutely angled ramp structures on its top surface for distributing light inputted from one end of the device from the front exit faces of such structures along certain angular orientations, while at least a substantial portion of the light is totally internally reflected within the body until distributed from such front exit faces. Optical devices are also provided each have a body of optical material having a bottom surface with acutely angled ramp structures and falling structures which alternate with each other, such that light is totally internally reflected within the device until reflected by such ramp structures along the bottom surface to exit the top surface of the device or transmitted through the ramp structures to an adjacent falling structure back into the device. Acutely angled ramp structures may be provided on both top and bottom surfaces of optical devices for distributing light along such top surface. Illumination apparatuses are also provided using such optical devices.

Optical devices for guiding illumination

Lighting devices are provided for efficiently distributing light over an area to provided uniform illumination over a wide angle or other tailored illumination patterns. Each light device has at least one light source, at least one collimator for partially collimating light from the light source, and at least one diffuser for diffusing light from the collimator. The diffuser provides diffused light over an area from the diffuser having an intensity that is angularly dependent in accordance with the angular distribution intensity of light outputted from the collimator, so as to provide a predetermined illumination pattern from the device. The light sources and collimators may be provided in one or two-dimensional arrays, and a single diffuser may be formed on each collimator or the diffuser may be along a plate spaced from the collimators.

Illumination devices

An improved optical system is provided for diffusing light uniformly over a wide angle, including, a diffractive element for diffracting light received by the system in multiple diffraction orders, and a diffusing element which diffuses the diffracted light. The diffractive element provides diffracted light having an angular distribution of intensities over the diffraction orders which is correlated to the power spectrum of the diffusing element such that the system produces a predetermined intensity distribution of diffused light. The diffraction period of the diffractive element is selected such that the angular separation between the zeroeth and first diffraction orders is approximately one-half the angular extent of the full-width-at-half-maximum of the power spectrum of the diffusing element. The strengths of the diffraction orders are selected such that the combination of diffused light from each diffractive order provides uniformity in the intensity of the diffused light from the system.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Donald J Schertler