# Design Your Own Lenses for LED Light Sources



## slebans (Dec 23, 2013)

An interesting interview with a Carclo Optical Engineer.
http://ledsmagazine.com/features/10/12/8


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## RoGuE_StreaK (Dec 23, 2013)

Thanks slebans. It's an exciting time (of sorts), I think there could be a big future in shaping light to go exactly where you want it, in which amounts, but also a bit uncertain (like many things) when you don't know if a new technology will render it all obsolete. I might have to have a serious look at just how much is involved in becoming a "lighting professional", and if there's actually any work in it (especially in the local market). I could imagine it becoming a bit like IT a few years ago, a glut of students going through uni and then coming out in the middle of a slump, with no actual work for them anymore.
</ramblings>

So how do I hack my old inkjet to start printing PMMA?  I'm of the _belief_, but still not proven, that for non-optics designs there should be methods of DIY that could do quite an acceptable job if designed properly.
I'm still on the lookout for a _simple_ raytracing program, where you can have a few rays, place a few reflective surfaces as certain angles (or refractive), and see how they interact.


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## slebans (Dec 23, 2013)

RoGuE_StreaK said:


> It's an exciting time (of sorts), I think there could be a big future in shaping light to go exactly where you want it, in which amounts, but also a bit uncertain (like many things) when you don't know if a new technology will render it all obsolete.



I'll get excited when we can reshape the lens output electronically in real time!


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## dc38 (Dec 23, 2013)

slebans said:


> I'll get excited when we can reshape the lens output electronically in real time!



The tech already exists to do that...it's just not available to us yet XD


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## slebans (Dec 23, 2013)

dc38 said:


> The tech already exists to do that...it's just not available to us yet XD



Can you supply a link or search term?


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## Harold_B (Dec 24, 2013)

slebans said:


> Can you supply a link or search term?



Quick search on silicone lenses found this and I'm sure there are more related products:
http://www.vision-systems.com/articles/print/volume-15/issue-7/Features/Tunable_Optics.html

Rogue - A couple of things in your post: there is plenty of work and the future looks like more of the same. Do your own research before making a career change though! I have been extremely busy to the point I have not been able to look at side projects for months. Takes a little bit of the fun out of it but busy is good.

The other thing you are looking for being a cheap ray trace program. My thoughts are that you get what you pay for and ray trace software is typically intended for lens design and will assume a point source. LED being an extended source with phosphor down conversion and the inherent color separation over the viewing axis should be modeled with software capable at a minimum of non-sequential ray trace and lighting simulation. That is if you intend to do this as a business. The biggest frustration for software users is assuming that what they plug into the interface is what they will see in the prototype. 

As as far as rapid prototypes go I know I have mentioned it in other threads but we have and continue to use silicone. Dow Corning has several optically clear and a highly reflective silicone that can all be made in a prototype compression mold. Silicone isn't always the right answer for the finished product but you can do a lot as far as shapes that can't be done without expensive tooling in plastics.


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## slebans (Dec 25, 2013)

Harold_B said:


> Quick search on silicone lenses found this and I'm sure there are more related products:
> http://www.vision-systems.com/articles/print/volume-15/issue-7/Features/Tunable_Optics.html



Thank you for the link. I was not familiar with liquid lenses. I thought the only option was to deform the optics via the adaptive optics mechanism used for earth based telescopes.


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## idleprocess (Dec 25, 2013)

slebans said:


> Thank you for the link. I was not familiar with liquid lenses. I thought the only option was to deform the optics via the adaptive optics mechanism used for earth based telescopes.


If I recall, Vari-Optic has fluid lenses available right now with tiny apertures requiring significant voltages to operate. Philips came up with a vastly improved design that can handle a larger aperture and uses really low voltage _(think "smartphone camera" applications)_ ... and the technology has been mired in patent litigation ever since due to Philips citing Vari-Optic's patent in their own patent filing.


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## slebans (Dec 26, 2013)

idleprocess said:


> If I recall, Vari-Optic has fluid lenses available right now with tiny apertures requiring significant voltages to operate. Philips came up with a vastly improved design that can handle a larger aperture and uses really low voltage _(think "smartphone camera" applications)_ ... and the technology has been mired in patent litigation ever since due to Philips citing Vari-Optic's patent in their own patent filing.



Very interesting tech! I'm not sure if the near real time effects are required for a luminaire. 

I was impressed earlier this year with this fluid/pressure based approach. I realize it is for a keyboard application but I wondered if the underlying technology could be used in a lighting application to allow for user configurable beam angle and directional selections.
http://www.tactustechnology.com/technology.html


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## Harold_B (Dec 26, 2013)

There are cheap (inexpensive) liquid optics for eye glasses that are manually adjusted. I had a chance to try a pair on a couple years ago and had no problem getting them within a reasonable focus range. No reason it couldn't be used in a lighting application. 
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/March/21031101.asp


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## slebans (Dec 26, 2013)

Harold_B said:


> There are cheap (inexpensive) liquid optics for eye glasses that are manually adjusted. I had a chance to try a pair on a couple years ago and had no problem getting them within a reasonable focus range. No reason it couldn't be used in a lighting application.
> http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/March/21031101.asp



What a great idea for a very pressing issue! I hope they can build a viable financial model as I cannot imagine functioning day to day without vision correction.
P.S. You missed a spot under your lower lip.<GD&R>


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## Harold_B (Dec 26, 2013)

I got tired of not getting a clean shave under that lip and just let it all go....




The liquid silicone lenses for glasses is a great idea for remote locations or in post catastrophe situations where shops and technicians are not available.


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## RoGuE_StreaK (Dec 26, 2013)

There's been liquid-based vision correction around for years; known as "beer goggles"


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## Harold_B (Jan 1, 2014)

Here's a link for the adjustable focus glasses (as long as it doesn't violate a vendor link rule anyway)....

if the link is removed, the company is called adlens so you can do your own search.

http://www.adlens.com/site/shop-brands


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## SemiMan (Jan 4, 2014)

You can use low cost or free lighting simulation programs to approximate large reflectors as long as ratio of distance from the led to the first reflection is large. The model will be more accurate if you make it say 10x the real size.

Emphasis on approximate.


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## Bimmerboy (Jan 12, 2014)

RoGuE_StreaK said:


> There's been liquid-based vision correction around for years; known as "beer goggles"


LOL! They, too, have the benefit of adjustable focus.


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## uk_caver (Jan 13, 2014)

I've found they have a tendency to be somewhat rose-tinted.
Sometimes alarmingly so.


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## Canuke (Jan 15, 2014)

Here is a test using Lightwave 3D, with a square 2mmx2mm "emitter die" set to be highly luminous, and parabolic reflector. It's physically accurate, but in Lightwave an absolutely brutal render time, 1hr27m or so on a Phenom 6 core for this itsy bitsy frame. Might get close to 50 minutes on an i7.

This being a reflector shot, I was able to get away with 2 "bounces", but would need about 6 if I simulated an optic :O It reminds me of the old days, rendering single raytraced frames on my Amiga 500, overnight.

Newer "PBR" (physically based renderer) render engines like Vray could probably do a decent job of it, but much faster.

It's easier to get "free" (Blender+LuxRender PBR) than "simple".


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