Multi-Core Light Fiber with Asymmetric Cross-Section
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing light fibers with a single core require precise alignment for efficient coupling of electromagnetic radiation, leading to significant changes in radiation ratios with slight misalignment, and lack torsion protection and efficient heat dissipation.
Innovation Solution
A light fiber with multiple cores and a non-rotationally symmetric cross-section, where each core has an incoupling surface aligned downstream of emission regions, and the cores are surrounded by a cladding with different refractive indices, allowing for uniform coupling and improved alignment, heat dissipation, and efficient radiation mixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single core is used in the light fiber, then the structure is simpler, but the coupling of electromagnetic radiation from multiple emission regions becomes sensitive to misalignment and requires precise positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The single core is divided into multiple cores (first core, second core, etc.), each receiving electromagnetic radiation from a specific emission region. This segmentation allows each core to be independently aligned with its corresponding emission region, reducing the impact of misalignment on overall coupling reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple cores serve multiple functions by simultaneously receiving electromagnetic radiation from different emission regions. This multi-functionality enables the light fiber to handle multiple radiation sources without requiring separate fibers, maintaining simplicity while improving coupling reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If the incoupling surface is misaligned relative to emission regions, then manufacturing is easier, but the ratio of incoupled primary radiation changes significantly
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the single incoupling surface into multiple incoupling surfaces (one for each core), the system can tolerate misalignment in each individual surface while maintaining the correct radiation ratio. Each core's incoupling surface only needs to be aligned with its corresponding emission region, not all emission regions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Each core and its corresponding incoupling surface have a specific local function of receiving radiation from a particular emission region. This local quality assignment ensures that each surface is optimized for its specific purpose, improving the precision of radiation ratio control.
3Reliability
If a non-rotationally symmetric cross-section is used, then torsion protection and alignment are improved, but the manufacturing becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The light fiber employs a non-rotationally symmetric cross-section (such as rectangular or triangular) instead of a circular one. This asymmetry provides inherent torsion protection by preventing rotation around the fiber axis, ensuring that the incoupling surfaces remain properly oriented relative to the emission regions during installation and operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures reliable and uniform coupling of electromagnetic radiation, maintains radiation ratios, and provides torsion protection and efficient heat dissipation, enhancing the reliability and optical properties of the light fiber and illumination devices.
Implementation Method 1
At an interface between the cores and the cladding, the electromagnetic radiation is reflected so that the electromagnetic radiation is guided along the main extension direction of the cores
Implementation Method 2
The material of the cores and the cladding differs in its refractive index. In particular, the cores have a higher refractive index than the cladding. In particular, the relative difference in refractive indices between the cores and the cladding is at least 1%
Data Source
AI summary
A light fiber and an illuminating device are disclosed. In an embodiment a light fiber includes a cladding and at least two cores configured to conduct electromagnetic radiation, wherein each core comprises an incoupling surface at one end of the light fiber, wherein the incoupling surfaces of different cores are not contiguous, wherein each of the cladding and/or the cores includes at least one outcoupling zone configured to outcouple the electromagnetic radiation from the cores, wherein the light fiber is configured to emit at least a majority of the electromagnetic radiation in a region of outcoupling zone transverse to a main extension direction of the light fiber, wherein the cores are configured to guide primary radiation, and wherein the outcoupling zone is configured to mix the primary radiation so that mixed light is emitted from the light fiber.