Efficient light engine systems, components and methods of manufacture

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The delivery efficiency of a LE for a given, spatial extended emission source S and a given, remote illumination target T with respective spatial and angular dependent emission functions is improved by providing means for more etendue efficiently matching the optical properties of the source to the needs of the target and by providing optional means for spatial, angular and spectral beam reformatting.
Prior art LE's are built with either non-imaging, high collection efficiency type, or imaging, but low collection efficiency type MLE's.
The present invention encompasses the design, manufacturing and use of imaging and more collection efficient type MLE'S for building more efficient LE's for etendue limited target illumination.
These preferred MLE's achieve a much more etendue efficient 4.
pi.
-steradian ->.
apprxeq.
.
pi.
/2 solid angle conversion and allow generating a more usable exit beam for a wide range of target illumination applications.
Further, prior art beam reformatting of the output of a MLE is accomplished with Symmetric Beam Transformers (SBT's) or with low etendue efficient Anamorphic Beam Transformers (ABT's), i.
e.
optical coupling system which have a different magnification in two orthogonal image directions.
This invention describes the design and use of etendue an efficient ABT to increase the delivery efficiency of LE's by reformatting the asymmetrical output beams of preferred types of MLE's in an etendue efficient and/or delivery efficient manner.
Additionally, various applications of these basic building blocks are discussed for building LGLE, PLE, fluorescence conversion LE and other types of LE.
Numerical methods for characterizing and optimizing the respective components are discussed as well.
The preferred MLE is comprised of a reflective CCS and a reflective Retro Reflection System (RRS) having at least one exit port.
The RRS collects less than 50% of the light emitted by the source S and either focussed it back into the original emission region or focussed it to a region nearby that has a small offset distance related to the width of the emission region and/or its enclosing envelope