Brief Description:
The intection prisms of a right angle light guide are positioned in a stepped two-dimensional array, such that they will not obstruct or divert any light already traveling down the light guide.
Applications:
For a high efficiency wave guide for either collecting light incident on one face and transmitting it to one edge, or alternatively collecting light from an edge and emitting it from a face.
- For a light guide to be used in a solar concentrator for photovoltaic power generation which directs sunlight incident on its face to photovoltaic cells on one edge.
- For a light guide for use in a spot light, flashlight or flat panel display which transmits light from one edge to project a broad beam of light from the face.
Advantages:
The design is being modeled using Light Tools software, from which a simulation of the efficiency for particular configurations will be available.
- Preliminary results show that for light incident on a solar concentrator at + 1.25o, a light guide with tilted arrays, 45 cm long and only 5 mm thick could have an efficiency of 90% and a geometric concentration of 112. (For the solar concentrator application, front surface reflection could add an additional loss of 5%.)
- For stepped arrays without the tilt, the 5 mm thick light guide of the same efficiency and geometric concentration could only be 27 cm long.
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