Hierarchical-genetic-algorithm-based design of a large scale Fresnel lens for a reading light system with multiple LED sources

Abstract

A conventional Fresnel lens is suitable to be used in the reading light system due to its features of directing and collecting light rays, as well as its properties of being essentially flat, plastic, lightweight, and cost efficient. However, it is not suitable for a reading light system with multiple light sources. To a reading light system with multiple light sources, a Fresnel lens with suitably designed groove angles can be used to improve the performance of that system in both illuminance and uniformity. Nevertheless, suitable groove angles are rather difficult to find if a Fresnel lens consists of a lot of groove angles and each angle covers a wide range of degrees. We develop a hierarchical genetic algorithm (HGA) to search for a set of optimal groove angles to design a Fresnel lens for a reading light system with multiple light sources from an enormous searching space. In addition, the groove angles of the Fresnel lens are directly derived from a conventional Fresnel lens database. The design goal is to maximize the illuminance and simultaneously maintain the uniformity of light rays incident to a specified reading surface. As a result, we can demonstrate that a HGA really works better than a genetic algorithm and the optimally designed Fresnel lens, indeed, offers a better light-guiding performance than a conventional Fresnel lens for a multiple-LED reading light system.