US 12,135,446 B2
Light guiding apparatus and guiding method thereof
Ranjith Rajasekharan Unnithan, Melbourne (AU); Wei-Young Liang, Taipei (TW); Chung-Hsien Lu, British Virgin Island (GB); and Christina Lim, Melbourne (AU)
Assigned to KDH Advanced Research Pty Ltd., Balwyn North (AU)
Appl. No. 17/757,028
Filed by KDH ADVANCED RESEARCH PTY LTD, Balwyn North (AU)
PCT Filed Dec. 9, 2020, PCT No. PCT/AU2020/051347
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 8, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/113911, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 17, 2021.
Application 17/757,028 is a continuation of application No. 16/858,724, filed on Apr. 27, 2020, granted, now 11,221,439.
Application 17/757,028 is a continuation of application No. 16/858,721, filed on Apr. 27, 2020, granted, now 11,420,404.
Application 17/757,028 is a continuation of application No. 16/706,867, filed on Dec. 9, 2019, abandoned.
Claims priority of application No. 2020903198 (AU), filed on Sep. 7, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0023734 A1, Jan. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. F21V 8/00 (2006.01); G02B 6/06 (2006.01); G02B 6/122 (2006.01); G02B 6/125 (2006.01); G02B 6/26 (2006.01); G02B 6/42 (2006.01); G02B 6/44 (2006.01); G02B 27/01 (2006.01); G02B 6/12 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/0006 (2013.01) [G02B 6/0008 (2013.01); G02B 6/06 (2013.01); G02B 6/125 (2013.01); G02B 6/26 (2013.01); G02B 6/4214 (2013.01); G02B 27/0172 (2013.01); G02B 6/0011 (2013.01); G02B 6/0028 (2013.01); G02B 6/0031 (2013.01); G02B 6/0055 (2013.01); G02B 2006/12104 (2013.01); G02B 6/1221 (2013.01); G02B 6/443 (2013.01); G02B 27/0101 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A light guiding apparatus, comprising:
a) a flexible and/or curved light transmitting polymer guide having a light path extending between a first end and a second end; and
b) at least one light reflector disposed within the polymer guide at an angle relative to the light path;
wherein the at least one light reflector comprises an array of nanostructures and/or microstructures; and
wherein the array of nanostructures and/or microstructures is selected from a metal-polymer boundary, an air-polymer boundary, a material-polymer boundary, or a combination thereof, wherein a material of the material-polymer boundary has a lower refractive index than the polymer;
wherein the light reflector is interposed within the polymer guide such that the polymer guide is in contact with both an anterior surface and posterior surface of the light reflector.