3m Innovative Properties Company

Jiaying Ma

Charles L Bruzzone

David J W Aastuen

Stephen K Eckhardt

Albert I Everaerts

Robert S Moshrefzadeh

Zhiming Zhou

Mark B O'Neill

Simon Magarill

Michael K Domroese

Patrick Rene Destain

Fuming B Li

Todd S Rutherford

Gregory Edward Gilligan

William E Phillips, Iii

Ming Cheng

R Edward English, Jr

John E Duncan

Michael W O'Keefe

E Gregory Fulkerson

Mark J Votava

Audrey A Sherman

William Ward Merrill

Stephen A Johnson

Timothy J Hebrink

Mieczyslaw H Mazurek

Hassan Sahouani

Ying-Yuh Lu

Wendi J Winkler

Vivian Wynne Jones

James P DiZio

Glendon D Kappel

Gary E Gaides

Feng Bai

Quinn D Sanford

Paul J Cobian

Tianyu Wu

Vadim N Savvateev

Hamid R Mortazavi

Michael P Keyes

Daniel T Chen

Nathaniel I Lehn

Maureen C Nelson

Abolghassem B Mahmoodi

Jesus R Ramos

Harry E Johnson

Waldo L Lopez

David J Aastuen

Hugo B Montano

Dagny M Joffre

Michael J Raykowski

Marvin Jeffrey Case

Adam T Ringberg

Gregory E Gilligan

A light redirecting film includes a first layer disposed on a second layer with structured major surfaces of the first and second layers facing each other. An optically reflective layer or a metal layer is disposed between the first and second layers. The first layer can be a hot melt adhesive layer and the second layer can be a polymeric layer. The first and second layers can be unitary layers. The first layer can be a first polymeric layer having a softening temperature T1 and the second layer can be a second polymeric layer having a softening temperature T2 greater than T1. Heating and/or applying pressure to the film changes an optical characteristic of the film by less than about 5%.

Light redirecting film

A system for converting and attaching material strips to a substrate includes a dispenser configured to advance an elongated tape having length land width wwith l&#x3e;wrelative to a surface of a substrate. A cutting tool cuts the elongated tape transversely along the width wof the tape to produce a strip having length land width w. During the cutting, a portion of the cutting Stool pushes a first surface of the strip against a gripper while cutting the tape. The gripper holds the first surface of the strip against the gripper while moving to position an opposing, second surface of the strip over the surface of the substrate. The gripper releases the strip after positioning the strip.

Conversion and application of material strips

An automated photovoltaic (PV) subassembly manufacturing method involves in-line cutting of material strips. A tape is cut longitudinally into multiple strips. The strips are separated and guided into spaced apart positions relative to a surface of the PV cell subassembly comprising one or more PV cells. The multiple strips remain attached to the tape while the strips are guided to the spaced apart positions. The multiple strips are positioned at attachment locations on the surface of a PV cell subassembly.

Manufacturing systems and methods including inline cutting

A light redirecting film defining a longitudinal axis, and including a base layer, an ordered arrangement of a plurality of microstructures, and a reflective layer. The microstructures project from the base layer, and each extends across the base layer to define a corresponding primary axis. The primary axis of at least one of the microstructures is oblique with respect to the longitudinal axis. The reflective layer is disposed over the microstructures opposite the base layer. When employed, for example, to cover portions of a PV module tabbing ribbon, or areas free of PV cells, the films of the present disclosure uniquely reflect incident light.

Light redirecting film useful with solar modules

The present disclosure generally relates to photovoltaic modules and methods of making photovoltaic modules. One exemplary photovoltaic module includes a plurality of photovoltaic cells including a first photovoltaic cell and a second photovoltaic cell spaced apart from one another to form an area that is free of photovoltaic cells; an electrical connector connecting at least the first and second photovoltaic cells; and a light directing medium positioned on at least a portion of the first photovoltaic cell.

Photovoltaic modules comprising light directing mediums and methods of making the same

Optical shutter (), e.g. fort-stereoscopic shutter glasses, is disclosed. The optical shutter includes a light source, e.g. LCD, CRT or plasma display, that emits polarized light () that has a first polarization state, a first polymeric substrate () that receives the polarized light and transmits the polarized light without substantially changing the first polarization state of the polarized light, a second polymeric substrate () that faces the first polymeric substrate, and an optical stack () that is disposed between the first and second polymeric substrates. The optical stack includes first and second electrically conductive layers (), first and second oriented chromonics alignment layer (), and an oriented liquid crystal layer ().

Optical shutter applicable in stereoscopic viewing glasses

An optical system is provided. The optical system comprises a first polarizing beamsplitter (PBS), a first reflecting image-forming device, and a first quarter-wave retarding element. An optical system is also provided that comprises an image-forming device, a reflective polarizing layer, at least a first birefringent element disposed on an optical path between the image-forming device and the polarizing layer, and a quarter-wave retarding element. Further provided is an optical system comprising a color combiner unit, at least two polarizing beamsplitters (PBSs), and a first quarter-wave retarding element. The present application also provides methods of compensating for birefringence in an image projection system.

Stress birefringence compensation in polarizing beamsplitters and systems using same

A projection system comprising a first imaging component, at least a second imaging component, and a color combiner. The first and second imaging components each comprise an imager and a reflective polarizer that is configured to at least partially separate a light beam from the imager into a first portion and second portion, where the first portion and the second portion have substantially orthogonal polarization states. The first portions of the light beams are directed in the same direction above or below a plane defined by the second portions of the light beams. The color combiner is configured to combine the second portions of the light beams, where the second portions of the light beams have substantially orthogonal polarization states prior to entering the color combiner.

Projection system using reflective polarizers

A backlight suitable for use in a display device includes an illumination device having at least one light source and a back reflector stack including a reflective layer and a transparent layer having substantially uniform refractive index and having a plurality of light-directing protrusions disposed in a matrix array. The transparent layer is disposed between the reflective layer and the illumination device with the plurality of light-directing protrusions facing away from the reflective layer. The plurality of light-directing protrusions are configured and disposed in a configuration that is not registered to any light source of the illumination device.

Backlight suitable for display devices

Single imager projection systems suffer from low light throughput, compared to three imager systems, because only one color band is illuminated at any one time. As a result, there is a need to increase the operating efficiency of the single imager projection system. The invention is directed to the incorporation of a high extinction ratio pre-polarizer, such as a compensated, multi-layer polarizer, in a single or dual imager projection system. This permits illumination with low f-number illumination light, and thus increases the efficiency of the projection system. The pre-polarizer may be incorporated within a polarization recovery unit to further enhance system efficiency.

Highly efficient single panel and two panel projection engines

A polarizing beam splitter that includes at least one prism, and a reflective polarizing film. The prism comprises a first polymeric material, and has at least one curved outer surface and an incident surface, where the reflective polarizing film is disposed adjacent the incident surface.

Polarizing beam splitter

Growing community of inventors

Maplewood, MN, United States of America

Jiaying Ma