Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation

University of British Columbia

Clearink Displays, Inc.

Tir Systems Ltd.

Canadian Patents & Development Ltd.

3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Suncentral, Inc.

Levitation Arts, Inc

Bell-northern Research Ltd.

Dolby Laboratories Licensing Coporation

A.l. Whitehead Ltd.

Nortel Networks Corporation

Lorne Arthur Whitehead

Helge Seetzen

Gregory John Ward

Wolfgang Stuerzlinger

Wolfgang Heidrich

Michele Ann Mossman

Don Graham

Greg Ward

Louis D Silverstein

Allan G Rempel

Andrea Marziali

Allen Upward

Robin John Noel Coope

Vincent Kwong

Andrzej Kotlicki

Harold R Davis

Jon David Edward Scott

Robin John Coope

Brent J Bolleman

Peter George Friedel

Dmitri Nikolaevich Grandmaison

Robin Atkins

Andre John Van Schyndel

John S Huizinga

Ranjith Divigalpitiya

Xiaojia Zhang

Henry Ip

Jerzy A Dobrowolski

Ulrich Buschmann

Paul John Koens

J Thomas Tiedje

Bram M Sadlik

Gary E Thomas

Alireza Nojeh

Stephane Frederick Jacob

William L Shuter, Deceased

Francis L Curzon

Robert L Clark

Jon Scott

Namamrta Musterer

Wesley Bowley

Chun-Chi Wan

Debbie Eeltink

Laura Megan Ogilvie

Jon David Scott

Jonathan E Scott

Malcolm W Greaves

Light reflective films have example application in hollow light guides and luminaires. The films comprise parallel channels distributed in layers or otherwise at different depths in the films. The channels provide interfaces at which light is reflected or redirected. The channels have a sufficient density that the film reflects a large proportion of light incident on a first face of the film. The channels may be filled with a gas such as air, a vacuum or a polymer for example. Methods for making films can include stacking thin sheets patterned with grooves, casting or extrusion.

Linear optical cavity array light guide

A variable thermal insulation assembly includes a plurality of sheets of film, wherein each sheet is bonded to an adjacent sheet along a plurality of longitudinally extending regions to form a plurality of longitudinally extending cavities, wherein the plurality of flexible sheets of each of the thermal cell arrays are formed of an electrically insulative material that is coated on one side with an electrically conductive material, a controller electrically coupled to the plurality of flexible sheets and configured to apply an electric potential difference between electrically conductive material of each pair of flexible sheets such that the electrically conductive coatings of the pair of flexible sheets attract each other to cause the thermal cell array to transition from an expanded state to a compressed state.

Variable thermal insulation assembly

An angular image of a scene may be displayed using a light field display. The light field display may comprise a plurality of projection units. Each of the projections units may comprise an imaging system and an optical system. The imaging system may illuminate pixels of a planar image of the scene. Light corresponding to each of the pixels may be directed towards the optical system. The optical system may comprise first and second lenses for redirecting each light beam corresponding to a pixel in different directions. In some embodiments the first and second lenses form a globe lens. A diffusion system may conceal the optical systems. Additionally, or alternatively, the diffusion system may produce a uniform distribution of light at a plurality of different viewing angles.

Light field display

Apparatus and methods are provided that employ one or more of a variety of techniques for reducing the time required to display high resolution images on a high dynamic range display having a light source layer and a display layer. In one technique, the image resolution is reduced, an effective luminance pattern is determined for the reduced resolution image, and the resolution of the effective luminance pattern is then increased to the resolution of the display layer. In another technique, the light source layer's point spread function is decomposed into a plurality of components, and an effective luminance pattern is determined for each component. The effective luminance patterns are then combined to produce a total effective luminance pattern. Additional image display time reduction techniques are provided.

Rapid estimation of effective illuminance patterns for projected light fields

A display has a screen which incorporates a light modulator. The screen may be a front projection screen or a rear-projection screen. The screen is illuminated with light from a light source comprising an array of controllable light-emitters. The controllable-emitters and elements of the light modulator may be controlled to adjust the intensity of light emanating from corresponding areas on the screen. The display may provide a high dynamic range.

Image display

A device includes a connected array of cells formed in a stack of flexible sheets. Each pair of adjacent sheets in the stack includes a first sheet and a second sheet bonded together at multiple bond locations. Each sheet has an electrically conductive layer disposed on an electrically non-conductive layer, the conductive layer comprising an electrically conductive non-metal material. Each pair of adjacent sheets in the stack is arranged so that the non-conductive layer of each first sheet is between the conductive layers of the first and second sheets. The cells of the array reversibly transition between an open state and a closed state in response to an electric potential having a magnitude greater than a threshold value applied between the conductive layers of the first and second sheets.

Electrically switchable shutter

An actuator device includes a housing that defines an enclosed volume region, the housing comprising a movable surface such that at least a portion of the housing is expandable between an expanded state to a contracted state, and the enclosed volume region having a characteristic dimension that is defined as a cube root of an average of a volume of the enclosed volume region in the expanded state and in the contracted state, a working fluid within the enclosed volumetric region, the working fluid comprising a substantially transparent compressible fluid and electromagnetic (EM) radiation-absorbing solid elements distributed within the compressible fluid, wherein the solid elements have an absorptivity in a particular range of EM radiation wavelengths, a heating system for directing thermal energy into the working fluid at predetermined times, and wherein the housing includes an EM radiation transmitting portion having a sufficient area and a sufficient transparency such that more than 25% of the thermal energy directed into the working fluid by the heating means is radiative emitted through the EM radiation transmitting portion as black body EM radiation emitted by the solid elements of the working fluid.

Actuator device utilizing radiative cooling

A backlight for a display comprises a plurality of independently controllable light sources and inclined surfaces inclining in a radially outward direction from each light source for shaping the distribution of emitted light. The light sources may each comprise a group of differently-colored light emitters. The backlight may include light integrators configured to mix light of the differently-colored light emitters. Inclined surfaces for shaping the distribution of emitted light may be arranged around exits of the light integrators.

Optical mixing and shaping system for display backlights and displays incorporating same

Dual modulator displays are disclosed incorporating a phosphorescent plate interposed in the optical path between a light source modulation layer and a display modulation layer. Spatially modulated light output from the light source modulation layer impinges on the phosphorescent plate and excites corresponding regions of the phosphorescent plate which in turn emit light having different spectral characteristics than the light output from the light source modulation layer. Light emitted from the phosphorescent plate is received and further modulated by the display modulation layer to provide the ultimate display output.

Locally dimmed quantum dot display

A high efficiency, long life, video rate, electrophoretic display comprises fluid containing sub-pixel structures that are periodic, and aligned with a color filter array. A fluid comprising of electrophoretically mobile particles is compartmentalized at the size scale of the individual filters (one per filter) such that the particles may be moved to either allow light to be returned through the same filter back towards the viewer by total internal reflection (TIR) or conventional reflection to create a light state or to be absorbed by the particles to create a dark state. High reflectance is achieved through the use of structures that avoid ITO layers in the light path and reflecting most light, by virtue of a dual control of light by TIR and transmission to a reflector. In one embodiment the structures are in the shape of truncated pyramids.

Color filter registered reflective display

Corner cubes are well known retro-reflective devices. Corner cubes may be employed for high brightness in reflective image displays. An embodiment of a reflective image display is disclosed that employs corner cubes with metallized surfaces. Light reflection and absorption may be modulated with electrophoretically mobile light absorbing particles or electrofluidic systems. Display images may be created to convey information to a viewer.

Corner reflector reflective image display

Optical mixing and shaping system for display backlights and displays incorporating the same

A locally dimmed display has a spatial light modulator illuminated by a light source. The spatial light modulator is illuminated with a low resolution version of a desired image. The illumination may comprise a series of lighting elements that vary smoothly from one element to another at the spatial light modulator.

Projection displays

Growing community of inventors

Vancouver, Canada

Lorne Arthur Whitehead