Surface light guide and planar emitter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9488769-B2
Application number	US-201113642924-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2011
Priority date	Apr 23, 2010
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

A surface light guide includes a radiation exit area running along a main extension plane of the surface light guide and includes a light guiding region, which has scattering locations and a coating arranged on a first main area of the light guiding region, wherein radiation coupled in along the main extension plane impinging on the first main area after scattering at the scattering locations has an excessively increased radiation component and the coating reduces in a targeted manner an exit of the excessively increased radiation component from the radiation exit area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A surface light guide comprising a radiation exit area running along a main extension plane of the surface light guide and comprising a light guiding region, which has scattering locations and a coating arranged on a first main area of the light guiding region, wherein
radiation coupled in along the main extension plane impinges on the first main area after scattering at the scattering locations;
an extent of the scattering locations is at least five times as large as a peak wavelength of the radiation in the light guiding region;
the coating reduces transmission of radiation in a red spectral range and in a blue spectral range for angles of 20° to 40° compared to an untreated interface; and
radiation impinging at an angle of 0° can pass through the coating virtually unimpeded.

2. The surface light guide according to claim 1 , wherein the scattering locations are formed by at least one of particles, cavities and defects in the light guiding region.

3. The surface light guide according to claim 1 , wherein a reflector layer is formed on a side of the light guiding region facing away from the radiation exit area.

4. The surface light guide according to claim 1 , wherein a further coating is formed on a second main area of the light guiding region, said second main area lying opposite the first main area.

5. The surface light guide according to claim 4 , wherein the further coating is highly reflective to at least one wavelength range.

6. The surface light guide according to claim 1 , wherein a further radiation exit area is formed on a side of the surface light guide lying opposite the radiation exit area, wherein radiation emerging from the further radiation exit area differs from radiation emerging from the radiation exit area with regard to intensity or color locus.

7. The surface light guide according to claim 1 , wherein the coating is a multilayered dielectric coating.

8. The surface light guide according to claim 1 , wherein the coating contains a phosphorescent material or an electrochromic material.

9. The surface light guide according to claim 1 , wherein the coating is structured along the main extension plane of the surface light guide, and a structure size of the coating is below the resolving power of the human eye.

10. A planar emitter comprising at least one surface light guide according to claim 1 and at least one radiation source, wherein the radiation coupled into the surface light guide during operation of the planar emitter is generated by the radiation source.

11. The planar emitter according to claim 10 , wherein the radiation source comprises at least one semiconductor body having an active region provided to generate radiation.

12. The surface light guide according to claim 1 , that appears blue or cyan-colored in a switched-off state.

13. A surface light guide comprising a radiation exit area running along a main extension plane of the surface light guide and comprising a light guiding region, which has scattering locations and a coating arranged on a first main area of the light guiding region, wherein
radiation coupled in along the main extension plane impinges on the first main area after scattering at the scattering locations;
an extent of the scattering locations is at least five times smaller than a peak wavelength of the radiation in the light guiding region;
radiation in a blue spectral range is scattered at the scattering locations with a higher efficiency than radiation in a red spectral range; and
a transmission of the coating is greater for the radiation in the red spectral range than for radiation in the blue spectral range.

14. The surface light guide according to claim 13 , wherein the scattering locations are formed by at least one of particles, cavities and defects in the light guiding region.

15. The surface light guide according to claim 13 , wherein a reflector layer is formed on a side of the light guiding region facing away from the radiation exit area.

16. The surface light guide according to claim 13 , wherein a further coating is formed on a second main area of the light guiding region, said second main area lying opposite the first main area.

17. The surface light guide according to claim 13 , wherein a further radiation exit area is formed on a side of the surface light guide lying opposite the radiation exit area, and radiation emerging from the further radiation exit area differs from radiation emerging from the radiation exit area regarding intensity or color locus.

18. The surface light guide according to claim 13 , wherein the coating is a multilayered dielectric coating.

19. The surface light guide according to claim 13 , wherein the coating contains at least one of a phosphorescent material or an electrochromic material.

20. The surface light guide according to claim 13 , wherein the coating is structured along the main extension plane of the surface light guide, and a structure size of the coating is below the resolving power of the human eye.

21. A planar emitter comprising at least one surface light guide according to claim 13 and at least one radiation source, wherein the radiation coupled into the surface light guide during operation of the planar emitter is generated by the radiation source.

Assignees

• Brick Peter
• Frank Joachim
• Kaiser Stephan
• Kuhn Gerhard
• Markytan Ales
• Muschaweck Julius
• Neugirg Christian
• Osram Opto Semiconductors Gmbh

Inventors

• Brick Peter
• Frank Joachim
• Kaiser Stephan
• Kuhn Gerhard
• Markytan Ales
• Muschaweck Julius
• Neugirg Christian

Classifications

• G02B6/0063

  for extracting light out both the major surfaces of the light guide · CPC title

• G02B6/0055

  Reflecting element, sheet or layer · CPC title

• G02B6/0041 Primary

  provided in the bulk of the light guide · CPC title

• G02B6/0035 Primary

  provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it · CPC title

• G02B6/004

  Scattering dots or dot-like elements, e.g. microbeads, scattering particles, nanoparticles · CPC title