Apparatus for wavelength conversion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10215367-B2
Application number	US-201615346867-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2016
Priority date	Nov 9, 2016
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus for wavelength conversion, comprising a wavelength converter, a first reflector, a second reflector, a third reflector, and a first lens. The first reflector has a curvature and is configured to reflect a plurality of input light beams onto the second reflector. The second reflector is configured to reflect the input light onto the third reflector. The first lens is disposed between the wavelength converter and the third reflector. The third reflector is configured to reflect the input light through the first lens and onto the wavelength converter, which is then excited to emit an emitted light. The first lens is configured to receive at least a portion of the emitted light, reduce its divergence, and at least partially transmit it to form an output light propagating towards the third reflector, which is configured to at least partially transmit the output light.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for wavelength conversion, the apparatus comprising:
a wavelength converter comprising a wavelength conversion material;
a first reflector, a second reflector, a third reflector, and a first lens;
the first reflector configured to reflect a plurality of input light beams onto the second reflector, the first reflector having a curvature configured to increase a convergence of the input light beams reflected from the first reflector;
the second reflector configured to reflect the input light beams onto the third reflector;
the first lens disposed between the wavelength converter and the third reflector, the first lens disposed proximate to the wavelength converter;
the third reflector configured to reflect the input light beams through the first lens and onto the wavelength conversion material, the input light beams configured to excite the wavelength conversion material to emit an emitted light being wavelength-shifted relative to the input light beams;
the first lens configured to receive at least a portion of the emitted light, to reduce a divergence of the portion of the emitted light, and to at least partially transmit the portion of the emitted light to form an output light propagating towards the third reflector; and
the third reflector further configured to at least partially transmit the output light;
wherein a first input light beam of the plurality of input light beams is laterally spaced away from an optical axis of the output light by a first distance, and a second input light beam of the plurality of input light beams is laterally spaced away from the optical axis by a second distance different from the first distance.

2. An apparatus for wavelength conversion, the apparatus comprising:
a wavelength converter comprising a wavelength conversion material;
a first reflector, a second reflector, a third reflector, a first lens, and a second lens;
the first reflector configured to reflect a plurality of input light beams onto the second reflector, the first reflector having a curvature configured to increase a convergence of the input light beams reflected from the first reflector;
the second reflector configured to reflect the input light beams onto the third reflector;
the first lens disposed between the wavelength converter and the third reflector, the first lens disposed proximate to the wavelength converter, the third reflector disposed on the second lens;
the third reflector configured to reflect the input light beams through the first lens and onto the wavelength conversion material, the input light beams configured to excite the wavelength conversion material to emit an emitted light being wavelength-shifted relative to the input light beams;
the first lens configured to receive at least a portion of the emitted light, to reduce a divergence of the portion of the emitted light, and to at least partially transmit the portion of the emitted light to form an output light propagating towards the third reflector;
the third reflector further configured to at least partially transmit the output light; and
the second lens configured to receive the output light propagating from the first lens, the second lens configured to further reduce the divergence of the output light.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the second lens comprises a flat side configured to receive the output light and a convex side opposite the flat side, the third reflector being disposed on the flat side.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the third reflector comprises a dichroic coating configured to reflect the input light beams and transmit the output light.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising a third lens configured to receive the output light propagating from the second lens, the third lens configured to further reduce the divergence of the output light.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein one or more of:
the first lens comprises a first side configured to receive the portion of the emitted light, and a corresponding convex side opposite the first side; and
the third lens comprises a corresponding flat side configured to receive the output light from the second lens and a corresponding convex side opposite the corresponding flat side.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first side comprises one or more of:
a corresponding flat side; and
a concave side.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein one or more of the first lens, the second lens, and the third lens are hemispherical.

9. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first reflector comprises a parabolic reflector.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the parabolic reflector defines an aperture for passage of the output light.

11. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first reflector, the second reflector, the third reflector, and the first lens are configured to converge the input light beams at the wavelength conversion material.

12. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the wavelength conversion material is disposed on the second reflector, and the second reflector comprises a surface of a heat sink.

13. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a first distance between the second reflector and the first lens is equal to or smaller than a second distance between the wavelength conversion material and the first lens.

14. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of light sources each configured to emit a corresponding one of the input light beams.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of light sources are mounted on a common surface being thermally coupled to a heat sink.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the input light beams are about parallel to one another.

17. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first lens is spaced from the wavelength converter by a gap.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the gap is in a range of about 1 mm to about 2 mm.

19. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the wavelength conversion material comprises one of a phosphor and quantum dots.

20. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the wavelength conversion material is shaped as a ring and the wavelength converter is rotatable about a center of the ring.

Assignees

• Christie Digital Systems Usa

Inventors

• Adema Daniel Robert
• Ma Joseph
• Hill Graham
• Domm John

Classifications

• G02B19/0028

  refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems · CPC title

• F21V13/14 Primary

  the elements being filters or photoluminescent elements, reflectors and refractors · CPC title

• G03B21/204 Primary

  using secondary light emission, e.g. luminescence or fluorescence (using different colours G03B33/00; if related to video signals H04N9/3197) · CPC title

• F21V29/70

  characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks · CPC title

• G02B27/141

  using dichroic mirrors · CPC title