Light collecting and emitting apparatus, method, and applications

摘要

A light guide apparatus includes a light guide layer having a top surface and a bottom surface, and a transversely oriented side-end surface that forms an output aperture of the light guide, characterized by an index of refraction, n1, and further characterized by a length dimension in an intended light propagation direction towards the output aperture, where the intended light propagation direction is a z-axis direction of a Cartesian coordinate system; and a plurality of light injection elements disposed in the form of at least one linear strip in at least one of the top and bottom surfaces of the light guide layer, wherein some of the plurality of light injection elements are disposed on one lateral side of the strip and some other of the plurality of light injection elements are disposed on an opposing lateral side of the strip at a rotation angle Δz about the y-axis.

主权项

1. A light guide apparatus, comprising:
a light guide layer, comprising
opposed major surfaces, at least one of which is a substantially planar surface, anda side-end surface extending between the major surfaces; and a light redirecting strip comprising opposed lateral sides, the light redirecting strip parallel to one of the major surfaces of the light guide layer and orthogonal to the side-end surface, the light redirecting strip comprising light redirecting surfaces on the lateral sides thereof, each of the light redirecting surfaces oriented at about 45 degrees to the one of the major surfaces, and rotated outwardly from the light redirecting strip about an axis orthogonal to the one of the major surfaces.