The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 18, 2006
Filed:
Jul. 03, 2003
Hidenori Wada, Uji, JP;
Yasuhiro Tanaka, Ashiya, JP;
Hideki Hayashi, Nara, JP;
Sadao Mizuno, Ibaraki, JP;
Hidenori Wada, Uji, JP;
Yasuhiro Tanaka, Ashiya, JP;
Hideki Hayashi, Nara, JP;
Sadao Mizuno, Ibaraki, JP;
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
An optical element having a high capture efficiency and rim intensity is provided. The optical element includes a central axis, a first curved surface extending in the transverse direction with respect to the central axis, a second curved surface extending in the transverse direction with respect to the central axis, and a peripheral surface extending between the first curved surface and the second curved surface. Light is refracted from the time light is incident on the first curved surface to the time the light is emitted from the second curved surface. Thereby, a light intensity distribution of the light emitted from the second curved surface and a light intensity distribution of the light incident on the first curved surface are different from each other, and a rim intensity improvement rate R, which is a rate of the rim intensity of the emitted light with respect to the rim intensity of the incident light is 1.07 or more and 1.5 or less, in which the rim intensity represents a ratio of the central intensity to the peripheral intensity.