3m Innovative Properties Company

The Dow Chemical Company

3m Innovative Properties

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Thales Dis France Sa

3m Innovative Property Companies

John Allen Wheatley

Andrew John Ouderkirk

Michael F Weber

Guanglei Du

Timothy J Nevitt

Kenneth A Epstein

Gilles J Benoit

Rolf W Biernath

Walter J Schrenk

Encai Hao

Tao Liu

Neeraj Sharma

Andrew T Ruff

William Blake Kolb

William Ward Merrill

David Scott Thompson

Craig R Schardt

Timothy J Hebrink

John C Schultz

Michael Alan Meis

Michael Benton Free

Zhaohui Yang

Kui Chen-Ho

Jeffery N Jackson

Audrey A Sherman

David G Freier

Kevin W Gotrik

Charles David Hoyle

Daniel J Schmidt

Glenn E Casner

Yaoqi Joe Liu

Dennis L Krueger

Robert L Brott

Michael L Steiner

Kevin R Schaffer

Nicholas A Johnson

David T Yust

Robert F Kamrath

Raymond J Kenney

Mikhail L Pekurovsky

Gary Timothy Boyd

Adam D Haag

William D Coggio

Matthew S Stay

Mark A Roehrig

Peter D Condo

Scott Melvyn Tapio

Steven D Solomonson

Kristopher J Derks

Caleb T Nelson

Michael J Sykora

Michael A McCoy

Brant Ulrick Kolb

Ronald David Jesme

Caroline M Ylitalo

Douglas Scott Dunn

James M Jonza

Lan Hong Liu

Bharat R Acharya

Dipankar Ghosh

Jaewon Kim

William J Bryan

Kenneth L Smith

Moses Mekala David

Duane Douglas Fansler

Guruprasad Somasundaram

Richard C Allen

David F Slama

Andrew P Bonifas

Stephen E Bales

Brian J Stankiewicz

David Jon Lundin

David Adams Ender

Stephen K Eckhardt

Naiyong Jing

Thomas P Klun

Richard John Pokorny

Hiroki Matsuda

Mieczyslaw H Mazurek

Catherine A Leatherdale

Kurt J Halverson

Ramesh C Kumar

Raymond Patrick Johnston

Philip Edwin Watson

Steven T Awiszus

Brian E Brooks

Michael A Johnson

Joseph D Rule

Kiran S Kanukurthy

Arlie R Conner

Joseph Andrew Hoffman

Eric Wayne Nelson

Joan M Noyola

John James Stradinger

Suman K Patel

Frederick J Arsenault

Shawn C Dodds

James W Howard

David J W Aastuen

Mark Alan Barger

A system may include one or both of a light emitter and a light receiver, and an optical filter. The optical filter includes a wavelength selective scattering layer. The wavelength selective scattering layer may have a near-infrared scattering ratio of less than about 0.9. The filter may have a visible reflective haze ratio of greater than about 0.5. A method may include disposing the wavelength selective scattering layer adjacent one or both of the light emitter and the light receiver. The optical filter may include a wavelength selective reflective layer. The optical filter may include a wavelength selective absorbing layer. An article may include the optical filter. The wavelength selective scattering layer may have an average near-infrared scattering of less than 60%, an average visible scattering of greater than 10%, and a difference between the % total visible reflectance and the % diffuse visible reflectance of less than 20.

Optical camouflage filters

A light control film comprises a light input surface and a light output surface opposite the light input surface. Alternating transmissive regions and absorptive regions are disposed between the light input surface and the light output surface. The absorptive regions have an aspect ratio of at least 30 and the alternating transmissive region and absorptive regions have a relative transmission at a viewing angle of 0 degrees of at least 75%.

High transmission light control film

An optical stack () includes an optical diffuser () and a first reflective polarizer () disposed on the optical diffuser (). For substantially normally incident light and for nonoverlapping first and second wavelength ranges, the optical diffuser () has a first scattering rate Rfor at least one wavelength in the first wavelength range, and a second scattering rate Rfor at least one wavelength in the second wavelength range, such that R/Ris greater than or equal to 2. The first reflective polarizer () may transmit at least 40% of light for a first polarization state for each wavelength in the first wavelength range, may reflect at least 70% of light for an orthogonal second polarization state for each wavelength in the first wavelength range, and transmit at least 40% of light for each of the first and second polarization states and for each wavelength in the second wavelength range.

Optical diffuser with high infrared clarity

Gradient permittivity films are described. In particular, gradient permittivity films that include a first continuous matrix of a first component having a first relative permittivity and a second component disposed within the continuous matrix having a second relative permittivity. The first permittivity is greater than the second permittivity for at least one wavelength between 20 GHz and 300 GHz. Such films may be useful in improving the signal to noise ratio for transmitting and receiving units behind a protective cover.

Gradient permittivity film

An optical system includes a multilayer optical film configured to block transmission of visible light but allow peaks or bands of certain visible wavelengths to pass through; an object disposed on a first side of the multilayer optical film; and a light source and a light sensor disposed on an opposite second side of, and facing, the multilayer optical film. The object is configured to receive light emitted by the light source through the multilayer optical film. The light sensor is configured to receive light from the multilayer optical film. An optical filter may include the multilayer optical film disposed on a wavelength selective scattering layer and/or on a wavelength selective absorbing layer. The wavelength selective scattering layer may have a near-infrared scattering ratio of less than about 0.9.

Optical systems and optical filters

An optical construction includes an optical film between first and second prismatic films, which each include pluralities of parallel, linear first and second prisms. Each of the first and second prisms have opposing first and second sides extending from first and second ends of a base of the prism and meeting at a peak. The first and second sides make first and second base angles with the base of the prism. The peaks of the prismatic films face away from each other and the optical film. For a collimated, normally incident light, for at least a first wavelength in a first wavelength range, and for each of first and second polarization states: the optical film has an optical transmission of less than about 1%, and the optical construction transmits at least 1% of the incident light at an oblique angle greater than 5 degrees with respect to the optical film.

Azimuthally anisotropic polarization sensitive optical filter

A method of optimizing a plurality of control signals used in operating a vehicle is described. The operation has a plurality of associated measurable parameters. The method includes: for each control signal, selecting a plurality of potential optimum values from a predetermined set; operating the vehicle in at least a first sequence of operation iterations, where for each pair of sequential first and second operation iterations in the first sequence of operation iterations, the potential optimum value of one control signal in the first operation iteration is replaced in the second operation iteration with a next potential optimum value of the control signal, while the potential optimum values of the remaining control signals are maintained; for each operation iteration, measuring each parameter in the plurality of measurable parameters; and generating confidence intervals for the control signals to determine causal relationships between the control signals and the measurable parameters.

Method of optimizing control signals used in operating vehicle

An optical construction includes a first chamber including one or more first walls disposed inside a second chamber including one or more second walls. The first chamber includes a first top and an opposite closed first bottom. The second chamber includes an open second top proximate the open first top and an opposite second bottom proximate the closed first bottom. At least a portion of the one or more second walls includes a plurality of microlayers numbering at least 20 in total. The at least the portion of the one or more second walls faces, and is spaced apart by a non-zero gap from, a corresponding at least a portion of the one or more first walls. The non-zero gap is filled with a material having a lower index of refraction than at least an outermost surface of the at least the portion of the one or more second walls.

Optical system and optical construction

An article includes an optical filter that comprises a wavelength selective reflective layer and at least one wavelength selective absorbing layer. The optical filter has visible transmittance between 400 nm-700 nm of less than about 30% and near infrared transmittance at 830 nm-900 nm greater than about 30%.

A light control film is described comprising alternating transmissive regions and absorptive regions disposed between the light input surface and the light output surface. The absorptive regions have an aspect ratio of at least 30. In some embodiments, an absorptive layer or reflective layer is disposed between the alternating transmissive regions and absorptive regions and the light input surface and/or light output surface. In another embodiment, the alternating transmissive regions comprise an absorptive material. The light control film can exhibit low transmission of visible light and high transmission of near infrared light. Also described is a light detection system comprising such light control films and a microstructured film.

Light control film

The present disclosure includes in one instance an optical article comprising a data rich plurality of retroreflective elements that are configured in a spatially defined arrangement, where the plurality of retroreflective elements comprise retroreflective elements having at least two different retroreflective properties, and where data rich means information that is readily machine interpretable. The present disclosure also includes a system comprising the previously mentioned optical article, an optical system, and an inference engine for interpreting and classifying the plurality of retroreflective elements wherein the optical system feeds data to the inference engine.

Optical articles and systems interacting with the same

A nanostructured article includes a substrate; a plurality of first nanostructures disposed on, and extending away from, the substrate; and a covalently crosslinked fluorinated polymeric layer disposed on the plurality of first nanostructures. The plurality of first nanostructures includes polyurethane. The polymeric layer at least partially fills spaces between the first nanostructures to an average minimum height above the substrate of at least 30 nm such that the polymeric layer has a nanostructured surface defined by, and facing away from, the plurality of first nanostructures.

Nanostructured article

An optical device is disclosed and includes an optical sensor, a plurality of photosensitive pixels disposed on the optical sensor, a wavelength-selective optical filter in optical communication with the photosensitive pixels, and a plurality of spatially-variant written regions disposed in the optical filter, the written regions having a transmission spectrum and each of the written regions being larger than each of the pixels.

Sensor array spectrometer

Stray light absorbing films are described. In particular, stray light films including a black substrate, and first and second sets of microstructures are described. The described films can reduce stray light reflections in sensor modules and other optical devices. The first set of microstructures can have an average largest diameter between 0.5 and 125 μm. The second set of microstructures can have an average largest diameter of less than ½ of the average largest diameter of the first set of microstructures. The stray light absorbing film can have a specular reflectance for 8° incidence for wavelengths from 350-1200 nm of less than 0.3%.

Stray light absorbing film

Growing community of inventors

Lake Elmo, MN, United States of America

John Allen Wheatley