Limitations of the ray mapping approach in freeform optics design.

It was previously demonstrated by Bäuerle et al. [Opt. Express20, 14477 (2012)] that the computation of ray paths through the optical system (ray mapping) can be used to design multisurface freeform optical elements creating a prescribed irradiance pattern for a zero-étendue source.

High resolution irradiance tailoring using multiple freeform surfaces.

More and more lighting applications require the design of dedicated optics to achieve a given radiant intensity or irradiance distribution. Freeform optics has the advantage of providing such a functionality with a compact design. It was previously demonstrated in [Bäuerle et al.

Algorithm for irradiance tailoring using multiple freeform optical surfaces.

The design of freeform lenses and reflectors allows to achieve non-radially symmetric irradiance distributions whilst keeping the optical system compact. In the case of a point-like source, such as an LED, it is often desired to capture a wide angle of source light in order to increase optical efficiency. This generally results in strongly curved optics, requiring both lens surfaces to contribute to the total ray refraction, and thereby minimising Fresnel losses.