1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to illumination devices, and more specifically, to a lamp reflector that redirects light from behind a light source, thereabout, to a location forwardly thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When light is emitted from a source directly opposite to the desired output direction, reflectors have been used to redirect the light towards the desired direction. Often, part of the light is reflected back onto the source, reducing the efficiency of the reflector. A reflector is desired that will redirect light from behind a source, thereabout, to a location forwardly of the source.
An article entitled "Design of Multilamp Nonimaging Laser Pump Cavities" by J.D. Kuppenheimer, Jr., Optical Engineering, December 1988, Vol. 27, No. 12, pages 1067-1071, shows somewhat similar curves for lamp cavities. Chapter 6 of "The Optics of Nonimaging Concentrations" by W.T. Welford and R. Winston, Academic Press, 1978, discloses compound parabolic curves for receiving illumination and concentrating that illumination on cylindrical absorbers. This book also discloses curves that are an involute of a circle for concentrators.