Reverse flared optical coupling member for use with a high brightness light source

摘要

An optical coupling assembly is useful for coupling a source of light, having high brightness and being non-coherent and focussed at a focal plane, to a plurality of optical light conductors. The coupling assembly includes an elongated light transmissive coupling member which has a central longitudinal axis and is disposed between the focal plane of the light source and leading ends of the optical light conductors. The coupling member includes oppositely flared front and rear end portions and a middle portion disposed along the longitudinal axis, with the middle portion extending between and connected to the front and rear end portions. The coupling member can have either a solid or tubular configuration. The middle portion of the coupling member has cylindrical shape and cross-sectional size of uniform dimensions and being less than the respective cross-sectional sizes of an inlet end of the front end portion and an outlet end of the rear end portion. The front end portion of the coupling member can have either a frusto-conical or parabolic shape, whereas the rear end portion can have a frusto-conical or parabolic shape being oriented in the reverse of the frusto-conical or parabolic shape of the front end portion. The rear end portion has a greater axial length than the front end portion and the outlet end of the rear end portion is larger in size than the inlet end of the front end portion.