Light source apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016186958-A1
Application number	US-201514979832-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 28, 2015
Priority date	Dec 25, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A light source apparatus includes two or more light sources placed in one direction, and an array lens having two or more lenses, which corresponds to each of the light sources. In order to condense a light emitted from each of the lenses into one position, in a first lens in each of the lenses, an optical axis of the light source which corresponds to the first lens is shifted from an optical axis of said first lens in said one direction. The first lens is formed such that a length from the optical axis to one end of said first lens in the one direction is longer than a length from the optical axis to another end of the first lens in a direction which is opposite to the one direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A light source apparatus, comprising:
two or more light sources placed in one direction; and an array lens having two or more lenses, which corresponds to each of said light sources, wherein in order to condense a light emitted from each of said lenses into one position, in a first lens in each of said lenses, an optical axis of said light source which corresponds to said first lens is shifts from an optical axis of said first lens in said one direction, and wherein said first lens is formed such that a length from the optical axis to one end of said first lens in said one direction is longer than a length from the optical axis to another end of said first lens in a direction which is opposite to said one direction.

2 . The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a surface which forms a second lens neighboring said first lens in said one direction is located farther from the optical axis of said first lens than the one end of said first lens in said one direction.

3 . The light source apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein said first lens and said second lens are formed continuously with a smooth curved surface.

4 . The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the optical axis of each of said lenses of said array lens is placed at a fixed interval, and the light source is placed such that the optical axe of the light source shifts from the optical axe of the lens which corresponds to the light source respectively.

5 . The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the optical axis of each of said light sources is placed at a fixed interval, and each of the said lenses of said array lens is formed such that the optical axe of the light source shifts from the optical axe of the lens which corresponds to the light source respectively.

6 . The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of said lenses of said array lens is formed based on a same function which expresses a curved surface.

7 . The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein as a position becomes farther from a condensed position of a light emitted from each of said lenses of said array lens, an offset amount between the optical axes of said light source and said lens which corresponds to each other becomes larger.

8 . The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a phosphor is placed at a condensed position of a light emitted from each of said lenses of said array.

9 . The light source apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein a size of said phosphor is smaller than a size of said array lens.

10 . The light source apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein said phosphor emits a light in a wavelength of a complementary color to the light which enters said phosphor.

11 . The light source apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a light path from said light source to a condensed position of a light emitted from said lens is sealed.

12 . A light source apparatus, comprising:
two or more light sources placed in one direction; and an array lens having two or more lenses, which corresponds to each of said light sources, wherein in order to condense a light emitted from each of said lenses into one position, in a first lens in each of said lenses, an optical axis of said light source which corresponds to said first lens shifts from an optical axis of said first lens in said one direction, wherein said first lens is formed such that a length from the optical axis to one end of said first lens in said one direction is longer than a length from the optical axis to another end of said first lens in a direction which is opposite to said one direction, and wherein said array lens has a second lens neighboring said first lens in said one direction, and said first lens and said second lens are formed continuously.

13 . The light source apparatus according to claim 12 ,
wherein said first lens has a cut off portion of the surface in the direction which is opposite to said one direction.

14 . The light source apparatus according to claim 13 ,
wherein said first lens and said second lens are formed continuously with a smooth curved surface.

Assignees

• Nichia Corp

Inventors

• Nagahara Seiji
• Okahisa Eiichiro

Classifications

• F21Y2115/30

  Semiconductor lasers · CPC title

• F21Y2103/10

  comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements · CPC title

• F21K9/64

  using wavelength conversion means distinct or spaced from the light-generating element, e.g. a remote phosphor layer · CPC title

• F21K9/56

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F21V5/04 Primary

  of lens shape · CPC title