What is a Light Guide Bundle?
A light guide bundle is an optical cable that allows the illumination of different points from a single light source. Bundles are flexible and allow for a variety of routing options.
These cables are made of fibers that transmit light through total internal reflection. They are available in a wide range of lengths, sizes and materials.
Optical value
A Light Guide Bundle is a collection of optical fibers that transmit light from one end to another in a single unit. These bundles are able to transmit high levels of light without loss and can be used in a variety of applications.
Optical guides can have solid or liquid cores and can be made from various materials. They can also have different cross-sectional shapes, such as circles, ellipses, triangles, squares and polygons.
The optical value of a light guide depends on its ability to collect light over a wide range of input angles. This is based on the index of refraction of the core and cladding materials.
This index is important because it determines the Light Guide Bundle critical angle at which total internal reflection occurs. For most plastics and glass this is approximately 42 deg.
However, there are many other factors that impact the overall optical performance of a light guide. A few of these include the material of the window plates, the shape of the channel trajectories and the material of the core material blocks.
For example, if the core material block is made of a plastic-based material such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), the window plate may be a glass-based material with a lower refractive index than the core. This helps ensure that the optical transmission through the channels is efficient.
In addition, the window material may have an index-matching adhesive to enhance light-coupling. This is especially important when using a light guide for applications with high radiation and heat.
Furthermore, the window material may be fused or glued to the core material blocks at the outer ends of the light guide. This is preferably done with index-matching optical cement for optimal light-coupling.
Typical applications for Light Guides include guiding light in the medical field. They are often used to illuminate an image and can be incorporated into endoscopes or other medical devices. This allows doctors to see inside an ear or other body part with a higher level of clarity than they would otherwise be able to do.
Length
A light guide is a device that transports or emits light. It can be made of many different materials and can have a variety of performance specifications. Some of these specifications include wavelength, acceptance angle, bend angle, and numerical aperture. Others are physical features, such as length, diameter, and termination method.
Optical light guides can be cylindrical (oval), rectangular, or conical in shape. They can also be tapered or flared from their entrance end to their exit end, enabling them to be used in complex shapes such as those for automotive instrument panels or keypads on hand-held devices.
When selecting a light guide, it is important to consider its critical angle for total internal reflection. The critical angle is defined by the material index of refraction and is usually about 42deg for most plastics and glass.
If the critical angle is greater than the maximum entrance angle of the light channel, total internal reflection will not occur. This is because the angle b at the light guide window will be smaller than P/2 when the ray is refracted.
This is an advantage because it allows the designer to create light extraction features within the light guide, such as paint dots or small prism-like structures cut into the surface of the light guide. These can change the direction of the incoming light and break the TIR cycle, resulting in more efficient transmission of light along the length of the guide.
Another benefit of using non-cladded light channels is that they can be curved and still provide total internal reflection. For straight light channels, the total reflection margin g decreases with increasing curvature of the trajectory.
In a non-cladded light channel, the total reflection margin g is positive for all rays entering under the entrance angle imax. This is due to the fact that the ray enters under an angle with the normal on the entrance window being denoted a.
This positive margin can be utilized for additional curvature of the light guide, which will preset total internal reflection for all rays that enter the light channel with an entrance angle between zero and 90 degrees.
Material
A Light Guide Bundle is an assembly of optical fibers that can be used to focus or direct light in various applications. They come in a variety of styles and can be surrounded by sheathing or ferrules at both ends, depending on the application. At SCHOTT Lighting and Imaging, we offer a range of sheathing and heavy duty end surface terminations to suit your specific requirements.
One of the most important aspects to consider is material selection. For example, a flexible light guide can be made of PVC or TPU, both of which provide excellent protection from environmental factors. Other materials, such as stainless steel, are also available for use in a flexible light guide.
Another advantage of a flexible light guide is that it allows for a lot of flexibility in the way that it bends and can be shaped to create different light emission patterns. Using this type of light guide can help you create realistic looking environments and lighting scenes.
In addition, flexible light guides are more durable than single-fiber bundles and can be made to withstand a wider temperature range than standard bundles. For these reasons, they are an excellent choice for sensitive equipment in hazardous or extreme environments.
The core of a cladded optical fiber guide is generally made from quartz or glass, while cladding material may be of any material with a lower index than the core. Examples of cladding materials include pure silica, fluorine-doped silica or polymer materials such as Teflon.
These cladding materials can be used to prevent cross-talk between the fibers, as well as to reduce losses at the interfaces between the individual fibers. Additionally, the cladding can act as a barrier for radiation to the individual fibers.
As a result, a cladded light guide can be much more efficient than a non-cladded one, because it has less inter-fiber surface loss and less surface loss at the cladding material’s input window. Furthermore, a cladded light guide can have a higher acceptance angle (NA) than a non-cladded one, which is useful when collecting low-brightness radiation.
Design
A light guide is a flexible device that allows for the direct distribution of light from a source to an illuminated object or detector. It can be used for a wide variety of applications, from information display to accent lighting. It is often a cost-effective solution that can save an illumination engineer money and simplify their design.
A standard or custom designed Light Guide Bundle is made of a compact bundle of optical fibers that are surrounded by a sheathing or ferrule at either end. SCHOTT Lighting and Imaging offers a full range of different fiber types, sheathings and heavy duty end surface terminations to meet the needs of customers.
The core material of a light guide is typically a high refractive index material such as quartz or glass. Cladding materials are often of a lower refractive index, such as polymer. The cladding material may also be a dopant, such as fluorine or rare earth elements. This can increase the light acceptance angle, as well as improve the performance of the fiber guide.
Some light guides are also manufactured from a combination of quartz and a polymer cladding material, which Light Guide Bundle can improve their light acceptance angle. This is especially useful when the core and cladding materials have a similar index of refraction, as is the case with many quartz-polymer light guides.
Another type of light guide is the liquid guide, which is a flexible tube with a liquid core. The liquid core allows for much greater light transmission than a fused silica fiber bundle, without the risk of breaking the fibers. The fluid is also very conductive and can be easily heated to high temperatures.
Compared to a traditional fused light guide, the liquid guide has less packing loss and can be more easily mounted in a system. It also has a smooth, slender cross-section and is more aesthetically pleasing.
Fused light guides are commonly used for a number of purposes. They are easy to manufacture and are typically available in many configurations. They are also a cost-effective solution for applications that require high radiation levels and temperature tolerances. They are also very reliable and durable. They are particularly suitable for use in industrial, commercial and research applications.