TAILORED EDGE-RAY REFLECTORS FOR ILLUMINATION

The edge-ray principle can be used to tailor a reflector. However, one set of edge rays already fully determines the reflector profile. We present a design method for tailoring compact compound elliptical concentrator (CEC)-type reflectors to a given source and a desired angular power distribution. Two reflected images of the source, one on each side of the source, contribute together with the direct radiation from the source to produce the desired power distribution. We determine the reflector profile by numerically solving a differential equation. No optimization is required. Beyond the angular region in which the power distribution can be strictly controlled, the power drops to zero in a finite decay range. This decay range becomes narrower as the reflector increases in size. We show a reflector for producing a strictly constant irradiance from -43 to 43 deg from a cylindrical source of constant brightness. The reflector extends to a maximum distance of 8 source diameters. No power is radiated beyond +/-50 deg.