Light collecting and transmitting apparatus

Claim 2

Optical device for transmitting and collecting light energy comprising a longitudinally extending bar composed of transparent material, said bar having a longitudinally extending bottom wall, first and second parallel side walls, said side walls extending perpendicularly from said bottom wall and a surface which is inclined with respect to said bottom wall, a plurality of totally reflecting prisms being formed on said inclined surface, said reflecting prisms each including a reflecting surface extending between said first and second side walls, said prisms being arranged in stepwise fashion along said surface such that the intersections between each said reflecting surface and said first side wall lie in the same plane as the intersections between each said succeeding reflecting surface and said second side wall, each of said prisms occupying a distinct space above said bar bottom wall, said prisms occupying the entire space between said bar bottom wall and top wall.

Claim 3

The optical device recited in claim 1 wherein each of said prisms has a reflecting surface and the area of said prism reflecting surfaces is uniform.

Claim 4

The optical device recited in claim 1 wherein each of said prisms has a reflecting surface and the areas of said prism reflecting surfaces differ.

Claim 5

The optical device recited in claim 3 wherein the area of each of said prism reflecting surfaces is proportional to the energy of the light incident on siad surfaces.

Claim 6

The optical device recited in claim 1 wherein each of said prisms has a reflecting surface, each of said prisms reflecting surfaces being positioned such that light incident on the side of said bar is internally reflected through said bar to the base of said bar by said prism reflecting surfaces and light incident on the base of said bar is transmitted through said bar and reflected out from the bar along its length by said prism reflecting surfaces.

Claim 7

Optical device comprising a longitudinally extending bar composed of transparent material, said bar having a longitudinally extending bottom wall and a surface which is inclined with respect to said bottom wall, first and second parallel side walls extending perpendicularly from said bottom wall, a plurality of totally reflecting prisms being formed on said inclined surface, the length of the legs of each of said prisms being equal, the distance between said first and second side walls being equal to the length of said prism legs, said prisms being arranged in stepwise fashion along said surface, each of said prisms occupying a distinct space above said bar bottom wall.

Claim 8

Optical device comprising a longitudinally extending bar composed of transparent material, said bar having a longitudinally extending bottom wall and a surface which is inclined with respect to said bottom wall, first and second parallel side walls extending perpendicularly from said bottom wall, a plurality of totally reflecting prisms being formed on said inclined surface, the length of the legs of each of said prisms being equal, the distance between said first and second side walls being equal to the length of said prism legs, said prisms being arranged in stepwise fashion along said surface, each of said prisms occupying a distinct space above said bar bottom wall.

Claim 9

Optical device comprising a longitudinally extending bar composed of transparent material, said bar having a longitudinally extending bottom wall, first and second parallel side walls extending perpendicularly from said bottom wall, a plurality of totally reflecting prisms being formed in said bar, the length of the legs of each of said prisms being equal the distance between said first and second side walls being equal to the length of said prism legs, said prisms being arranged in steplike fashion within said bar, each of said prisms occupying a distinct space above said bar bottom wall.

Claim 10

Optical device comprising a longitudinally extending bar composed of transparent material, said bar having a longitudinally extending bottom wall, first and second parallel side walls extending perpendicularly from said bottom wall, a plurality of totally reflecting prisms being formed in said bar, the length of the legs of each of said prisms being equal the distance between said first and second side walls being equal to the length of said prism legs, said prisms being arranged in steplike fashion within said bar, each of said prisms occupying a distinct space above said bar bottom wall.

Claim 11

Optical device for transmitting and collecting light energy comprising an elongated member composed of transparent material, said elongated member having first and second side walls, said side walls being parallel to one another, said elongated member having at least two reflecting surfaces, each of said two reflecting surfaces extending from said first side wall to said second side wall, said reflecting surfaces being parallel to one another, each of said two reflecting surfaces forming an angle of 45* with said first side wall, the intersection between said first side wall and the first of said two reflecting surfaces being defined as said first reflecting surface leading edge, the intersection between said first side wall and the second of said two reflecting surfaces being defined as said second reflecting surface leading edge, the distance between said first reflecting surface leading edge and said second reflecting surface leading edge being equal to the distance between said first and second side walls.

Claim 12

Optical device for transmitting and collecting light energy comprising an elongated member composed of transparent material, said elongated member having first and second side walls, said side walls being parallel to one another, said elongated member having at least two reflecting surfaces, each of said two reflecting surfaces extending from said first side wall to said second side wall, said reflecting surfaces being parallel to one another, each of said two reflecting surfaces forming an angle of 45* with said first side wall, the intersection between said first side wall and the first of said two reflecting surfaces being defined as said first reflecting surface leading edge, the intersection between said first side wall and the second of said two reflecting surfaces being defined as said second reflecting surface leading edge, the distance between said first reflecting surface leading edge and said second reflecting surface leading edge being equal to the distance between said first and second side walls.

Claim 13

The optical device recited in claim 8, said first and second reflecting surfaces each having a top edge and a bottom edge, said first reflecting surface leading edge extending between said first reflecting surface top edge and bottom edge, said second reflecting surface leading edge extending between said second reflecting surface top edge and bottom edge, said first reflecting surface top edge lying in the same plane as said second reflecting surface bottom edge.

Claim 14

The optical device recited in claim 8, said first and second reflecting surfaces having equal surface areas.

Claim 15

The optical device recited in claim 8, said first reflecting surface having a greater surface area than said second reflecting surface.

Claim 16

The optical device recited in claim 11, the surface areas of said first and second reflecting surfaces being inversely proportional to the light energy incident on said first and second reflecting surfaces.

Claim 17

The optical device recited in claim 8, further comprising a plurality of additional reflecting surfaces, each of said additional reflecting surfaces extending from said first side wall to said second side wall, said additional reflecting surfaces each being parallel to said first reflecting surface, the intersections between said first side wall and each of said additional reflecting surfaces being defined as said additional reflecting surface leading edges, the distance between each of said additional reflecting surface leading edges being equal to the distance between said first and second side walls.

Claim 18

The optical device recited in claim 13, said additional reflecting surfaces each having a top edge and a bottom edge, said additional reflecting surfaces each being positioned one above the other in a direction parallel to said additional reflecting surface leading edges, said top edge of each said additional relfecting surface lying in the same plane as said bottom edge of said nearest adjacent additional reflecting surface.