Patent ID: 6932599

Claim:
An irradiation unit comprising a light-emitting unit contained within a housing, and a light-conducting unit having an entrance aperture, the light-emitting unit comprising a plurality of light-emitting elements each of which has a light cone, an aperture and an optical axis, and emits a light beam which is directed onto and directly illuminates the entrance aperture, wherein each of the light-emitting elements is mounted a distance away from the entrance aperture with an angle of inclination relative to the optical axis, wherein the light-emitting elements are arranged on at least two planes parallel to the entrance aperture, a plane furthest removed from the entrance aperture being a circular surface and all other planes being an annular surface having an annular opening, and the light beams emitted by light-emitting elements on a plane further from the entrance aperture illuminate the entrance aperture through the annular opening of the annular surfaces closer to the entrance aperture, wherein the light-emitting elements are thermally connected to the housing, and wherein the aperture, the distance and the angle of inclination are selected such that the light beam illuminates an area that corresponds substantially to the surface of the entrance aperture.