Coupled fiber optic faceplates

Claim 1

In a system of coupled fiber optical faceplates wherein the plates each comprise a great number of individually clad juxtaposed light-conduting fibers joined together with their corresponding opposite ends forming light-receiving and lightemitting faces in the system and at least one of each of said faces are coupled together, the improvement comprising: the remaining light-receiving face in the system having a diffusely reflective light-emitting layer of phosphor thereon; a coating of light-reflecting material discriminately covering ends of fiber claddings of said light-receiving face at said coupling, at least a substantial portion of said covered ends of said fiber claddings being misregistered from alignment with corresponding ends of fiber claddings of said light-emitting face of said coupling whereby a substantial portion of light transmitted from said layer of phosphor through said emitting face and becoming incident upon said covered ends of said claddings of the receiving face will be reflected by said coating back into the fibers which make up said emitting face and thence to said layer of phosphor for diffuse reflection thereby back into said system as useful energy.