Patent ID: 7280723
Filing Date: 2007-10-09
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. An illumination assembly comprising: at least one light-emitting element; and a light-conduction assembly including a common output end and a plurality of at least two light-guiding branch elements, each light-guiding branch element including an incident end and an emission end and being rigid over the entire length thereof between the incident and emission ends; wherein (a) each incident end exhibits an incident face to at least one of the at least one light-emitting elements and the emission end includes an emission face coinciding with the common output end of the light-conduction assembly; (b) at least one of the at least two rigid light-guiding branch elements includes along a portion of its length a numerical-aperture alteration taper having opposed small and large ends exhibiting, respectively, a small-end numerical aperture and a large-end numerical aperture lower in magnitude than the small-end numerical aperture; (c) the alteration taper is oriented such that the small end is more proximate the incident end of the light-guiding element than the large end; and (d) the rigid light-guiding branch elements are secured in mutually-fixed relationship such that