Light distribution system employing planar microstructured waveguide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10613306-B2
Application number	US-201816185010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2018
Priority date	Apr 21, 2009
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

An optical article employing a lenticular lens array associated with a layer of optically transmissive material and illuminated by a light source. The layer of optically transmissive material includes discrete microscopic surface relief features formed in a surface opposite to the lenses forming the lenticular lens array. The discrete microscopic surface relief features deflect light propagating through the layer of optically transmissive material and direct the light out of the layer. The optical article may be further associated with a reflective surface and/or a photoabsorptive layer configured to partially transmit and partially absorb and convert light.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light distribution system, comprising:
a flexible optically transmissive sheet having a first broad-area surface and an opposing second broad-area surface;
an artificial light source illuminating the optically transmissive sheet;
a plurality of rounded ridges formed in the first broad-area surface and aligned parallel to an edge of the optically transmissive sheet;
a plurality of discrete cavities formed in the second broad-area surface and distributed over an area of the second broad-area surface according to a predetermined two-dimensional pattern;
each of the plurality of discrete cavities being disposed in optical communication with respect to at least one of the plurality of rounded ridges; and
a planar reflective surface extending parallel to the optically transmissive sheet and disposed in an energy receiving relationship with respect to the optically transmissive sheet;
wherein a light receiving aperture of each of the plurality of discrete cavities is less than a spacing distance between adjacent ones of the plurality of discrete cavities so that a cumulative area of the plurality of discrete cavities is less than areas of each of the first and second broad-area surfaces, wherein a thickness of the optically transmissive sheet is between a fraction of a millimeter and several millimeters, wherein a width and/or length of the optically transmissive sheet is 100 millimeters or more, wherein the plurality of rounded ridges defines a lenticular lens array defining a focal plane disposed at a predetermined distance from the plurality of rounded ridges and between the plurality of rounded ridges and the second broad-area surface, and wherein the plurality of discrete cavities is disposed in a proximity to the focal plane.

2. The light distribution system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of discrete cavities is configured to intercept light propagating within the optically transmissive sheet and deflect at least a portion of the intercepted light away from an original propagation direction such that the deflected light exits from the optically transmissive sheet towards the planar reflective surface.

3. The light distribution system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of discrete cavities comprises elongated grooves extending parallel to an edge of the optically transmissive sheet, wherein at least one of the elongated grooves has a high geometrical aspect ratio in a cross-section perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the elongated groove.

4. The light distribution system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of discrete cavities comprises a curved wall.

5. The light distribution system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of discrete cavities has a round aperture.

6. The light distribution system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of discrete cavities has an elliptical aperture.

7. The light distribution system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of rounded ridges has a length approximating a major dimension of the optically transmissive sheet.

8. The light distribution system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rounded ridges comprises two or more non-overlapping arrays that have different arrangements of the rounded ridges.

9. The light distribution system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the plurality of discrete cavities are positioned adjacent to each other in one dimension forming one or more parallel bands extending along a length or width dimension of the optically transmissive sheet.

10. The light distribution system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the plurality of discrete cavities are formed by elongated notches in the second broad-area surface and positioned adjacent to each other in one dimension forming one or more parallel bands extending along a length or width dimension of the optically transmissive sheet, and wherein the elongated notches are aligned parallel to the bands.

11. The light distribution system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of discrete cavities comprises multiple surface corrugations each defining a refractive face sloped at an angle with respect to the second broad-area surface and configured to transmit light out of the optically transmissive sheet.

12. The light distribution system of claim 1 , comprising a planar photoabsorptive layer extending parallel to the optically transmissive sheet and disposed in energy receiving relationship with respect to the optically transmissive sheet, wherein the photoabsorptive layer is configured to partially transmit and partially absorb and convert light to a useful form of energy.

13. The light distribution system of claim 1 , comprising a planar photoabsorptive layer extending parallel to the optically transmissive sheet and disposed in energy receiving relationship with respect to the optically transmissive sheet, wherein the photoabsorptive layer has a broad-area light input surface, an opposing broad-area light output surface, and a plurality of light harvesting elements distributed throughout a continuous layer of an optically transmissive material and configured for absorbing and converting light to a useful form of energy, wherein the thickness of the photoabsorptive layer is selected to cause at least a substantial portion of light received on the broad-area light input surface to pass through the photoabsorptive layer without being absorbed and to exit from the broad-area light output surface.

14. The light distribution system of claim 1 , comprising a light harvesting layer disposed between the optically transmissive sheet and the planar reflective surface, wherein the light harvesting layer is configured to partially transmit and partially absorb and convert light propagating between the optically transmissive sheet and the planar reflective surface.

15. The light distribution system of claim 1 , comprising a light absorbing layer distributed over a plane of the optically transmissive sheet, wherein the optically transmissive sheet is configured to transmit and redistribute light emitted by the artificial light source and direct the light toward the light absorbing layer, wherein the light absorbing layer is configured to absorb and convert at least a portion of the light into a useful form of energy.

16. The light distribution system of claim 1 , wherein a width and/or length of the optically transmissive sheet is 1000 millimeters or more.

17. The light distribution system of claim 1 , wherein the optically transmissive sheet is configured to receive light on a first surface and output light from a second surface which is not the same as the first surface.

18. The light distribution system of claim 1 , comprising a surface configured to reflect light by means of a total internal reflection.

19. The light distribution system of claim 1 , comprising a planar layer of highly transmissive material configured to transport light over a distance along the planar layer in a waveguide mode and with a minimal loss.

20. A light distribution system, comprising:
a flexible optically transmissive sheet having a first broad-area surface and an opposing second broad-area surface;
an artificial light source illuminating the optically transmissive sheet;
a plurality of rounded ridges formed in the first broad-area surface and aligned parallel to an edge of the optically transmissive sheet;
a plurality of discrete protrusions formed in the second broad-area surface and distributed over an area of the second broad-area surface according to a predetermined

Assignees

• Vasylyev Sergiy
• Svv Tech Innovations Inc

Inventors

• Vasylyev Sergiy

Classifications

• H02S40/22

  Light-reflecting or light-concentrating means (directly associated with the PV cell or integrated with the PV cell H10F77/42) · CPC title

• Y02E10/52

  PV systems with concentrators · CPC title

• G02B3/0056

  arranged along two different directions in a plane, e.g. honeycomb arrangement of lenses (G02B3/0043 takes precedence; miniaturised objectives for electronic devices employing wafer level optics G02B13/0085) · CPC title

• G02B3/005 Primary

  arranged along a single direction only, e.g. lenticular sheets (G02B3/0043 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02S40/00

  Components or accessories in combination with PV modules, not provided for in groups H02S10/00 - H02S30/00 · CPC title