当前申请(专利权)人地址：
30 Ordnance Street,Toronto, Ontario M6K 1A2 CA | 3-130 Strachan Ave.,Toronto, Ontario M6J 3W4 CA
发明人：
MORGAN, JOHN PAUL | SINCLAIR, MICHAEL | MORRIS, NIGEL | DUFOUR, PASCAL
摘要：
Optics are provided for use in illumination devices and solar concentrators, the optics having a light guide, a redirecting layer including a plurality of lenses, and a plurality of reflector elements. In illumination devices, light from a light source enters the light guide and is guided therein until it escapes into a reflector element, which reflects at least some of the light received by the reflector element toward a corresponding lens for emission from the illumination device. In solar concentrators, sunlight is received by the lenses, which focus the sunlight onto reflective surfaces of the reflector elements. The reflective surface of each reflector element redirects the light into the light guide, which guides the light toward a solar energy collector, such as a photovoltaic cell. The light from the light guide may be directed onto the solar energy collector by a light conditioning element.
权利要求：
What is claimed is:
1. An optic for use with a light source in an illumination device, the optic comprising:
a light guide made of light transmissive material, the light guide comprising
a first surface;
a second surface opposite the first surface;
a light coupling area for receiving light from the light source; and a peripheral edge;
a redirecting layer made of light transmissive material, the redirecting layer comprising a plurality of lenses in optical communication with the light guide for emitting light, the redirecting layer being optically attached to the first surface of the light guide; and
a plurality of reflector elements optically connected to the second surface of the light guide, each reflector element being associated with a lens of the redirecting layer for ejecting light entering the reflector element from the light guide toward the associated lens.
2. The optic of claim 1 where the light guide is made from a material selected from the group of glass, polycarbonate, injection molded poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), injection molded polymethyl methacrylimide (PMMI), cyclo olefin polymers (COP), cyclo olefin copolymers (COC), and silicone.
3. The optic of claim 1 where the first surface is a planar surface. 4. The optic of claim 1 where the plurality of lenses of the redirecting layer are plano-covenx lenses that are adjacent to one another.
5. The optic of claim 1 where the redirecting layer is integrated or over molded with the first surface of the light guide.
6. The optic of claim 1 where the reflector elements further comprise an inter-step portion to receive light from the light guide and wherein the reflector elements comprise flat, parabolic analytical or free-form reflective surfaces. 7. The optic of claim 6 wherein the reflector elements further comprise a first portion to reflect light towards the associated lens of the redirecting layer and a second portion, to reflect light from the interstep portion to the first portion.
8. The optic of claim 1 wherein the reflector elements are made of light transmissive materials, of lower refractive index than the material of the light guide.
9. The optic of claim 1 wherein light is totally internally reflected by the first surface of the light guide and a step portion of the second surface of the light guide. 10. The optic of claim 1 wherein the first surface of the light guide is sloped relative to the light emitting surface of the redirecting layer and the redirecting layer is wedged- shape in cross-section so that the combined thickness of the redirecting layer and light guide is substantially constant. 11. The optic of claim 1 further comprising an optical coupling layer between the redirecting layer and the light guide, wherein the optical coupling layer is made from a head-deformable, optically transmissive material and the redirecting layer and the light guide are fused together into a monolithic optic. 12. The optic of claim 7 further comprising a a low refractive index film between a reflector element and the light guide whereby light entering the reflective element via the interstep portion and reflected by the second portion of the reflective surface of the reflector element undergoes total internal reflection at the interface of the low refractive index film and the reflector element.
13. The optic of claim 7 wherein the second portion of the reflector element comprises a protrusion extending from a substantially flat portion whereby light from the light guide passes through an optical aperature formed by the protrusion and the reflector element.
14. The optic of claim 1 wherein the redirecting layer comprises a plurality of concavo-convex lenses; and the second surface of the optic is stepped.
15. The optic of claim 14 wherein the reflector elements comprise a plurality of primary reflector elements interspersed between a plurality of secondary reflector elements, the secondary reflector elements totally internally reflect light into the light guide and the primary reflector elements reflect substantially collimated light to the concave portions of the associated lenses of the redirecting layer. 16. An illumination device comprising
an optic of claim 1 ;
a light source coupled to the a light coupling area of the optic.
17. The illumination device of claim 16 wherein the illumination has a circulate symmetry about a central axis passing through the light source for the optic.
18. The illumination device of claim 16 wherein the illumination device is planar cuboid has a linear light source and planar of symmetry about the light source. 19. An optic for use with a light source in an illumination device, the optic comprising:
an array of redirecting lenses and associated reflector elements;
a light guide made of light transmissive material having a first surface optically attached to the redirecting lenses and a second substantially parallel surface optically attached to the reflector elements; a light conditioning element for receiving light from a light source for distributing light within the light guide;
the redirecting lenses emitting light and the reflector elements ejecting light entering the reflector element towards the associated lens.
20. The optic of claim 19 wherein the redirecting lenses and the reflector elements are integrally formed with the light guide.
21. An optic for use with a solar energy collector in a solar concentrator, the optic comprising: a light guide of light transmissive material, the light guide comprising a first surface; a second surface opposite the first surface; a light coupling area for emitting light from the light guide; and a peripheral edge; a redirecting layer comprising a plurality of lenses, the redirecting layer being optically attached to the first surface of the light guide; a plurality of reflector elements optically connected to the second surface of the light guide, each reflector element being associated with a lens of the redirecting layer and having a reflective surface for receiving light focused thereon by the associated lens, the reflective surface reflecting received light into the light guide for transmission therein toward the solar energy collector; and a light conditioning element for receiving light from the light coupling area of the light guide and redirecting the received light onto the solar energy collector.
22. The optic of claim 1 where the light guide is made from a material selected from the group of glass, polycarbonate, injection molded poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), injection molded polymethyl methacrylimide (PMMI), cyclo olefin polymers (COP), cyclo olefin copolymers (COC), and silicone.
23. The optic of claim 21 where the first surface is a planar surface.
24. The optic of claim 21 where the plurality of lenses of the collecting layer are plano-covenx lenses that are adjacent to one another.
25. The optic of claim 21 where the collecting layer is integrated or over molded with the first surface of the light guide.
26. The optic of claim 21 where the reflector elements further comprise an inter-step portion to reflect light to the light guide and wherein the reflector elements comprise flat, parabolic analytical or free-form reflective surfaces.
27. The optic of claim 26 wherein the reflector elements further comprise a first portion to reflect light from the associated lens of the redirecting layer and a second portion, to reflect light to the interstep portion from the first portion.
28. The optic of claim 21 wherein the reflector elements are made of light transmissive materials, of lower refractive index than the material of the light guide.
29. The optic of claim 21 wherein light is totally internally reflected by the first surface of the light guide and a step portion of the second surface of the light guide.
30. The optic of claim 21 wherein the first surface of the light guide is sloped relative to the light emitting surface of the redirecting layer and the redirecting layer is wedged- shape in cross-section so that the combined thickness of the redirecting layer and light guide is substantially constant.
31. The optic of claim 21 further comprising an optical coupling layer between the redirecting layer and the light guide, wherein the optical coupling layer is made from a head-deformable, optically transmissive material and the redirecting layer and the light guide are fused together into a monolithic optic.
32. The optic of claim 27 further comprising a a low refractive index film between a reflector element and the light guide whereby light exiting the reflective element via the interstep portion from the second portion of the reflective surface of the reflector element undergoes total internal reflection at the interface of the low refractive index film and the reflector element.
33. The optic of claim 27 wherein the second portion of the reflector element comprises a protrusion extending from a substantially flat portion whereby light from the reflector element passes through an optical aperature into the light guide formed by the protrusion and the reflector element.
34. The optic of claim 21 wherein the collecting layer comprises a plurality of concavo-convex lenses; and the second surface of the optic is stepped.
35. The optic of claim 34 wherein the reflector elements comprise a plurality of primary reflector elements interspersed between a plurality of secondary reflector elements, the secondary reflector elements totally internally reflect light into the light guide and the primary reflector elements reflect substantially collimated light to the concave portions of the associated lenses of the collecting layer.
36. A solar concentrator device comprising an optic of claim 21; a light source coupled to the a light coupling area of the optic.
37. The illumination device of claim 36 wherein the illumination has a circulate symmetry about a central axis passing through the light source for the optic.
37. The illumination device of claim 36 wherein the illumination device is planar cuboid has a linear light source and planar of symmetry about the light source.
39. An optic for use with a light source in a solar concentrator, the optic comprising: an array of collecting lenses and associated reflector elements; a light guide made of light transmissive material having a first surface optically attached to the collecting lenses and a second substantially parallel surface optically attached to the reflector elements; a light conditioning element for receiving light from the light guide and directing the light to a light receiver; the collecting lenses emitting light and the reflector elements receiving light entering the reflector element from the associated lens.
40. The optic of claim 39 wherein the collecting lenses and the reflector elements are integrally formed with the light guide.