Illumination – Light modifier – Fluid medium type
Patent
1993-12-13
1996-09-10
Gromada, Denise L.
Illumination
Light modifier
Fluid medium type
362294, 362350, 362373, 362307, 313 32, 313 36, 359665, F21V 2900
Patent
active
055554938
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention deals with very powerful industrial optical systems. It concerns the creation of a floodlight much brighter than any other existing light.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With such a system, there is no need for anticaloric glass to project either fixed or moving pictures, hence a considerably better optical efficiency. Existing floodlights are traditionally made of a lightsource, a reflector and an external Fresnel lens. Their power is limited to 20 Kw and requires the use of anticaloric glass. This is detrimental to the brightness necessary for the projection of fixed images. The invention overcomes this drawback. The invention uses the optical and thermic properties of fluid elements. These elements may be in a stable state, or set in motion by natural convection, or maintained in forced motion in a carefully designed container with an appropriate internal optical shape.
The variation of the refraction rate, forced and maintained by the control of the fluid environment's thermic gradient, is used to create a refraction rate gradient. Moreover, the fluid's ability to transmit or absorb part of the luminous flow depends on the wavelength. The optical system collects all the light produced by one or several light sources such as the lamp 20, whatever the incidence of the entering light radiation and its position relative to the entrance surface. The system then focuses the light and concentrates it into a divergent set of beams with a constant shape. Using the Descartes-Snell's laws, the properties of refraction and total reflection are verified on the optical system's surfaces and diopters and also within the moving fluid. It is worth noting that the optical system is thermically controlled by forced movements of gaseous or liquid fluids.
This new system avoids the use of anticaloric filters which limit existing projectors of fixed images (25 to 30% output). Such filters absorb a great deal of visible light.
The adopted solution consists of circulating a fluid, which is transparent to visible light and opaque to other light rays, inside a container. This container shall be appropriately shaped, so that Descartes-Snell's laws are confirmed and subject to a laminated circulation. Such circulation creates a regulated thermic gradient inside the container, thus enabling the concentration of light rays by successive reflections and refractions. The shape of the concentrating optical system's volume is obtained by the revolution of a segment of an arc of a logarithmic spiral. One any use other kinds of arc segments, curves or broken line approximations to create this shape, but the arc of a logarithmic spiral is the only one which produces the maximum optical output. There are also other possibilities than shapes generated by revolution.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a cut-away view of the fluid optical system.
FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section of the fluid optical system.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIGS. 1 and 2 show that the device is made of the following numbered elements:
The internal shape (1) which constitutes the essential part of the fluid optical system. This shape is obtained through the revolution of the arc of a logarithmic spiral.
Its surface is covered with a reflecting chromium-, nickel- or silver-plated layer, or a glass deposit, or any other totally reflective material. This part can be melted under pressure, and made of cast aluminium or cast iron or any other material with a good mechanical and thermic resistance.
The inside geometry must be perfect.
Containers (2) and (3), which support the inside shape, are made of two casings fixed together by a seal and a couple of screws. These casings can serve as an external radiator to drain off excess calories through the forced circulation of a fluid.
External casing containing the coolant fluid.
Waterproof seal.
A planar entrance surface 7 made of a transparent window as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.
Waterproofness is guaranteed by a toric seal. The whole is held togeth
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Amblard Jean-Claude
Georget Jean
Le Nagard Roger
Vide-Amblard Amilcar
Gromada Denise L.
Sember Thomas M.
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