Patent ID: 6350050
Filing Date: 2002-02-26
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
An efficient system for directing light, comprising:a) a light source having a bulbous region; b) a generally tubular, hollow coupling device with an interior light-reflective surface for receiving light from the source at an inlet and transmitting it as a generally diverging light beam through an outlet; the coupling device being shaped in accordance with non-imaging optics and increasing in cross sectional area from inlet to outlet in such manner as to reduce the angle of light reflected from the surface as it passes through the device; c) substantially the entire cross section of the device along a main axis of light propagation being substantially curved; the cross-sectional area of the bulbous region filling the majority of the planar region which is radially bounded by the inlet end of the light-reflective curved surface of the device; d) the bulbous region being fixed in position relative to the coupling device; d a thermal-isolating region having an inlet positioned in proximity to an outlet of the coupling device and having an outlet for passing light to an optical member; and e) an arrangement for splitting the light from the outlet of the thermal-isolating region, comprising a plurality of light guides, each of which includes: i) an inlet end for receiving light from the thermal-isolating region and an outlet end for directing light to a remote location; and ii) the inlet ends being substantially coplanar with each other and forming a substantially solid shape; f) the coupling device and thermal-isolating region being shaped so as to distribute a respective, substantial amount of light to each of the plurality of light guides.