Abstract: A display device including a display to generate a real image, and an optical system. The optical system includes a plurality of lenslets, each having one cluster of object pixels, where the assignation of object pixels to clusters may change periodically in time intervals. Each lenslet produces a ray pencil from each object pixel of its cluster which has waists laying close to a waist surface. The ray pencils are projected towards an eye position. The ray pencils are configured to generate a partial virtual image from the real image of its corresponding cluster. At least two of the lenslets cannot be made to coincide by a simple translation rigid motion. Foveal rays are a subset of rays emanating from the lenslets.

Abstract: A luminaire includes a mixing chamber having an array of apertures in one wall, a light source to supply light into the mixing chamber, and an array of optics outside the mixing chamber, each positioned to cooperate with a respective one of the apertures to emit light from the mixing chamber as a beam. The shape, size, and/or direction of the output light beam are controllably varied by controlling the shape, size, and/or position of each aperture relative to its associated optic.

Abstract: A shell integrator has a hollow transparent body with inner and outer surfaces formed as arrays of lenslets. Each lenslet of the inner surface images a common source region in the middle of the hollow body onto a respective lenslet of the outer surface. Each lenslet of the outer surface forms a virtual image of the respective lenslet of the inner surface at the common source region. One integrator has a light-guide following the surface of the hollow body from an inlet end at a central region of the surface to an outlet end at a rim of the hollow body. The light-guide inlet end is shaped to receive light from the common source region and direct such light along the light-guide. Another integrator is generally elongated, and may be semicylindrical. Any of these integrators may have a stepped surface forming a Fresnel lens.

Abstract: A high concentration photovoltaic device has a Fresnel lens having a front side and a back side, which may be mounted on a cover plate, and a mirror behind the Fresnel lens and facing the Fresnel lens. A secondary lens is unitary with the Fresnel lens and facing the mirror, and is typically on the inside of the cover plate in the center of the Fresnel lens. A photovoltaic cell in front of the secondary lens faces the mirror through the secondary lens. An additional focusing lens may be provided in front of the mirror. Two optical elements of said device form a Köhler integrator between a remote source, usually the sun, in front of the device and the photovoltaic cell as a target. The mirror may be spectrally selective, with a secondary photovoltaic cell behind the mirror. Additional photovoltaic cells to collect unfocused light may surround the mirror.

Abstract: A vehicle lighting unit can be configured to include a thin light guide. The vehicle lighting unit can include a solid light guide having a first surface including an internal reflection portion and a light exiting portion that are formed as a single continued surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a light incident surface through which light enters the light guide so that the light reaches and is internally reflected off the internal reflection portion of the first surface, then is internally reflected off the reflection portion of the second surface, and exits through the light exiting portion of the first surface. The reflection portion of the second surface can include a plurality of divided reflection regions, and the reflection regions can include at least one reflection region disposed at a reference position and at least one reflection region disposed at a position closer to the light exiting surface than the reference position.

Abstract: A shell integrator has a hollow transparent body with inner and outer surfaces formed as arrays of lenslets. Each lenslet of the inner surface images a common source region in the middle of the hollow body onto a respective lenslet of the outer surface. Each lenslet of the outer surface forms a virtual image of the respective lenslet of the inner surface at the common source region. One integrator has a light-guide following the surface of the hollow body from an inlet end at a central region of the surface to an outlet end at a rim of the hollow body. The light-guide inlet end is shaped to receive light from the common source region and direct such light along the light-guide. Another integrator is generally elongated, and may be semicylindrical. Any of these integrators may have a stepped surface forming a Fresnel lens.

Abstract: A luminaire includes a mixing chamber having an array of apertures in one wall, a light source to supply light into the mixing chamber, and an array of optics outside the mixing chamber, each positioned to cooperate with a respective one of the apertures to emit light from the mixing chamber as a beam. The shape, size, and/or direction of the output light beam are controllably varied by controlling the shape, size, and/or position of each aperture relative to its associated optic.

Abstract: Some photovoltaic cells have a front face accepting incoming incident light and opaque gridlines overlying part of the front face, electrically bonded to the face, with upper reflective facets oblique to the plane of the front face and producing outgoing reflected light. An optical interface parallel to and in front of the front face transmits incoming light to the front face and to the gridlines and reflects back towards the front face by total internal reflection at least some of the outgoing reflected light. Some photovoltaic devices have a triple junction photovoltaic cell, a single junction photovoltaic cell, and a reflective surface arranged to distribute incoming light between the cells. The surface may be a frequency-selective mirror that apportions light so when the cells are in series the power produced, and preferably the photocurrent, is greater than if all the light fell on the triple junction cell alone.

Abstract: One example of a solar voltaic concentrator has a primary Fresnel lens with multiple panels, each of which forms a Kohler integrator with a respective panel of a lenticular secondary lens. The resulting plurality of integrators all concentrate sunlight onto a common multi-junction photovoltaic cell. The integrators provide matching illumination in the different wavebands required by the different junctions. Luminaires using a similar geometry are also possible.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods and systems to homogenize illumination on a target.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide an illumination optical system. The optical system can include a first surface and a second surface. Each of the first and second surfaces can further comprises a multiplicity of corresponding Cartesian-oval lenticulations such that each lenticulation of the first surface focuses a source upon a corresponding lenticulation of the second surface and each lenticulation of the second surface focuses a target upon a corresponding lenticulation of the first surface.

Abstract: Some photovoltaic cells have a front face accepting incoming incident light and opaque gridlines overlying part of the front face, electrically bonded to the face, with upper reflective facets oblique to the plane of the front face and producing outgoing reflected light. An optical interface parallel to and in front of the front face transmits incoming light to the front face and to the gridlines and reflects back towards the front face by total internal reflection at least some of the outgoing reflected light. Some photovoltaic devices have a triple junction photovoltaic cell, a single junction photovoltaic cell, and a reflective surface arranged to distribute incoming light between the cells. The surface may be a frequency-selective mirror that apportions light so when the cells are in series the power produced, and preferably the photocurrent, is greater than if all the light fell on the triple junction cell alone.

Abstract: A waveguide version of a Kohler integrator is disclosed, utilizing geodesic lenses with a surface that can be mapped to a gradient-index Luneburg lens or to a nonfull-aperture Luneburg lens in such a way that the light paths in the gradient index lenses map into the geodesics of the surface, with the outer region of the gradient index lenses mapped into a flat surface. Arrays of these can be applied to lines of LEDs, as in CHMSLs, to mix light in intensity and in illumination as well as to avoid the deleterious effects of binning and burnout, or in multicolor arrays, to ensure complete chromatic mixing.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide methods and systems to homogenize illumination on a target.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide an illumination optical system. The optical system can include a first surface and a second surface. Each of the first and second surfaces can further comprises a multiplicity of corresponding Cartesian-oval lenticulations such that each lenticulation of the first surface focuses a source upon a corresponding lenticulation of the second surface and each lenticulation of the second surface focuses a target upon a corresponding lenticulation of the first surface.

Abstract: The embodiments provide methods for use in designing and/or manufacturing optical systems. Some embodiments further provide for the optical systems generated utilizing the methods for use in designing and/or manufacturing. In some embodiments, a method simultaneously generates first and second sets of span points defining first and second surfaces, respectively, where sets of span points are interdependent. The method curve fits through the first and second sets of span points defining initial first and second spines, smoothes the curve fittings such that tangent vectors are perpendicular to normal vectors, and defines patches of the first and second surfaces relative to the first and second spines. Some embodiments simultaneously generate the first and second sets of span points by alternatively determining the points of the sets based on propagation of input wavefronts and associated output wavefronts relative to previously determined points.

Abstract: A waveguide version of a Kohler integrator is disclosed, utilizing geodesic lenses with a surface that can be mapped to a gradient-index Luneburg lens or to a nonfull-aperture Luneburg lens in such a way that the light paths in the gradient index lenses map into the geodesics of the surface, with the outer region of the gradient index lenses mapped into a flat surface. Arrays of these can be applied to lines of LEDs, as in CHMSLs, to mix light in intensity and in illumination as well as to avoid the deleterious effects of binning and burnout, or in multicolor arrays, to ensure complete chromatic mixing.