US5257173A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Light irradiating apparatus having light emitting diode used as light source
Assignee: Stanley Electric Co Ltd
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Filing: 1991-12-03
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Granted: 1993-10-26
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Expires: 2011-12-03
Abstract
Abstract A light source is constituted by a plurality of light emitting units which are arranged opposite to a light irradiating lens such that light emission from a part of the light source is changed to light emission from the whole surface of the light source and vice versa. In addition, a light irradiating apparatus having a light emitting diode used therefor as a light source comprises optical fiber(s) arranged between the light emitting diode and a light emitting lens such that a light emitted from the light emitting diode can be conducted to the light irradiating lens is disclosed. One end of each optical fiber is located at the position in the vicinity of the light emitting diode and other end of the same is located at the position substantially coincident with the focus of the light irradiating lens. In another embodiment, an optical fiber employable for an optical radar system has an outlet end of the optical fiber which is formed by two inclined surfaces in a wedge-shaped configuration. An inlet end of the optical fiber is formed at a right angle relative to an optical axis of the optical fiber.
Inventors
- 👤 Yukio Ohmamyuda
- 👤 Shigeru Kimura
- 👤 Toru Tanabe
- 👤 Kazuhisa Iwasaki
- 👤 Takao Seto
- 👤 Hideki Kitamura
- 👤 Kazuhiko Sugimura
- 👤 Yasushi Senoo
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 03:31
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/0001; G02B6/0005; G02B6/0008; G01; G01S; G01S7/00; G01S7/48; G01S7/481; G01S7/4814; G01S7/4818; G02B6/24; G02B6/26; G02B6/32; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S362/00; Y10S362/80
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
217 words
A light source for illuminating an object with a light beam of selected divergence angle, the light source comprising: a lens; a plurality of light emitting units arranged in a given array, said light emitting units being arranged opposite to said lens such that a light beam having a divergence angle is output from said lens upon activation of said light emitting units; and means for varying the divergence angle of said light beam which is output from said lens, said means for varying including activation means for simultaneously activating a selected number of said light emitting units said selected number including less than all of said light emitting units, so that light emission from less than all of said light emitting units can be changed to light emission from all of said light emitting units, and vice versa to selectively change the divergence angle of the light beam output from said lens; whereby said light emission from less than all of said light emitting units produces a given light beam output from said lens having a given divergence angle at an output side of said lens, and light emission from all of said light emitting units produces a light beam output from said lens having a wider divergence angle than that of said given light beam.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
217 words
A light source for illuminating an object with a light beam of selected divergence angle, the light source comprising: a lens; a plurality of light emitting units arranged in a given array, said light emitting units being arranged opposite to said lens such that a light beam having a divergence angle is output from said lens upon activation of said light emitting units; and means for varying the divergence angle of said light beam which is output from said lens, said means for varying including activation means for simultaneously activating a selected number of said light emitting units said selected number including less than all of said light emitting units, so that light emission from less than all of said light emitting units can be changed to light emission from all of said light emitting units, and vice versa to selectively change the divergence angle of the light beam output from said lens; whereby said light emission from less than all of said light emitting units produces a given light beam output from said lens having a given divergence angle at an output side of said lens, and light emission from all of said light emitting units produces a light beam output from said lens having a wider divergence angle than that of said given light beam.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The light source of claim 1, wherein said light emitting units each comprise a light emitting diode.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The light source of claim 2, wherein said light emitting diodes are arranged with a central light emitting diode and a plurality of additional light emitting diodes surrounding said central light emitting diode.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The light source of claim 1, wherein said given array is a circular array.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
The light source of claim 3, wherein said given array is a circular array.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The light source of claim 5, wherein said additional light emitting diodes are six in number.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-10-25 | 1997-04-26 | 1997-10-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-10-25 | 2001-04-26 | 2001-10-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-10-25 | 2005-04-26 | 2005-10-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |