Complementary optimization method of freeform lens design for uniform illumination with extended light-emitting diode sources

A freeform lens design method based on energy mapping and complementary optimization approaches is proposed to achieve uniform illumination with extended light-emitting diode (LED) sources. This method is primarily derived from a simple source–a target energy mapping approach, while a complementary illuminance on the target plane is introduced to optimize the primary axisymmetric lens so that the profile of the lens can be reformed to produce uniform illumination when applying an extended LED source. By using this optimization method, the illuminance uniformity and optical efficiency of the lens can be improved, respectively, from 0.56 to 0.85 and from 92.4% to 94.3% for an LED light source with chip diameter of 8.9 mm, while the aspect ratio of the lens clear aperture to the source diameter is only 3.8.