Method for Mixing Light Beams of Different Colors, Light Beam Combining Device, and Use Thereof

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This patent describes a method and device for efficiently mixing light beams of different colors using a polarizing beam splitter system. The invention converts the light beams from different sources into circularly polarized light, splits them into linearly polarized sub-beams, and then combines them such that both polarizations contribute to the final mixed-color light. The structure enables near-complete utilization of the input light, increasing the mixing efficiency beyond prior approaches that only use a single polarization. The device can also be used in reverse for spectral separation of mixed light.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Medical instruments such as endoscopes requiring compact, efficient, and adjustable white light sources.
• Industrial machine vision systems that need high-fidelity and tunable lighting.
• Entertainment lighting (stage, studio, or architectural) where color balance and efficiency are crucial.
• Scientific instruments needing precise spectral control for experiments (e.g., fluorescence microscopy).
• Fiber-optic communication or sensing systems that require combining or separating different colored signals.
• Display technologies where efficient color mixing at the light source is desired.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Significantly higher efficiency in light combining, as both polarization states are utilized (near 100% of available light).
• Compact integration possible, suited for applications with strict space constraints (for example, within the grip of endoscopes).
• Enables fine, independent control of each color's intensity, allowing custom white balance or spectral output.
• Flexible: can work with both highly polarized sources (like lasers) and unpolarized sources (like LEDs).
• Reduced heat and wasted light compared to previous methods that discard one polarization.
• Allows for spectral decomposition of mixed light as well as mixing, increasing the device's versatility.

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for mixing light beams of different colors using a beam combining device. According to the method, light beams of different colors to be mixed are generated using corresponding light sources and are irradiated as circularly polarized light beams via corresponding light inlet surfaces into a polarizing beam splitter of the beam combining device. Each of the light beams of different colors is split in the polarizing beam splitter into a sub-beam with a first linear polarization and a sub-beam with a second linear polarization that is formed perpendicular to the first linear polarization. The light beams are mixed in the beam splitter in order to form mixed color light such that the mixed color light exiting the beam splitter through a mixed light outlet surface comprises the sub-beam with the first linear polarization and the sub-beam with the second linear polarization for each of the mixed light beams of different colors. Light beams which are generated by the light sources and which are initially not circularly polarized are circularly polarized while passing through an optical functional element in a passage direction towards the beam splitter prior to being irradiated into the beam splitter.