3m Innovative Properties Company

3m Innovation Properties Company

Quinn D Sanford

Carl A Stover

Gilles J Benoit

Matthew B Johnson

Robert D Taylor

Bharat R Acharya

Ryan T Fabick

Matthew S Cole

Matthew E Sousa

Lin Zhao

Benjamin J Forsythe

William Blake Kolb

Adam D Haag

Matthew S Stay

Tri Dinh Pham

David T Yust

Anthony M Renstrom

Jason S Petaja

Jeremy O Swanson

David A Rosen

Joseph P Attard

Lisa A DeNicola

Qunyi Chen

Matthew R D Smith

Nathaniel K Naismith

Albert I Everaerts

Timothy J Nevitt

Kenneth A Epstein

Stephen A Johnson

Gary Timothy Boyd

Tao Zhang

Rolf W Biernath

John C Schultz

Eric C Lobner

Jiaying Ma

Glenn E Casner

Feng Zhao

Michelle Lund Toy

Karissa L Eckert

Huijie Xie

Ming Cheng

Jingfei Chen

Zhe Hu

Zhiping Liu

Matthew Rd Smith

Mingxing Wang

Hailiang Hou

Xiulong Men

Yang Liu

Tuhua Chen

Yifei Zheng

Samuel A Minno

A display system for sensing a finger of a user applied to the display system includes a display panel; a sensor for sensing the finger; a sensing light source configured to emit a first light having a first wavelength W1; and a reflective polarizer disposed between the display panel and the sensor. For a substantially normally incident light, an optical transmittance of the reflective polarizer versus wavelength for a first polarization state has a band edge such that for a first wavelength range extending from a smaller wavelength L1 to a greater wavelength L2 and including W1, where 30 nm≤L2−L1≤50 nm and L1 is greater than and within about 20 nm of a wavelength L3 corresponding to an optical transmittance of about 50% along the band edge, the optical transmittance has an average of greater than about 75%.

Display system with finger sensing

An optical stack for reflecting and transmitting light in a predetermined wavelength range includes stacked first and second optical films, the predetermined wavelength range defining a first wavelength range and a remaining wavelength range. For normally incident light and for each wavelength in a first wavelength range, the first optical film substantially reflects light having a first polarization state, and substantially transmits light having a second polarization state. For each of the first and second polarization states, for wavelengths in the first wavelength range, the second optical film has a maximum optical transmittance Tfor light incident at a first incident angle, and an optical transmittance T/2 for light incident at a second incident angle, where the second incident angle is greater than the first incident angle by less than about 50 degrees. For wavelengths in the remaining wavelength range, the second optical film reflects at least 80% of light.

Display optical film and backlight unit

An optical construction () includes a lightguide (), a transmissive reflector (), and an optical sensor (). The lightguide () includes a first major surface () and a second major surface () opposite to the first major surface (). The first major surface () includes a first portion () and an adjoining second portion (). The transmissive reflector () is disposed adjacent to the first major surface () of the lightguide (). The optical sensor () is disposed adjacent to the transmissive reflector () opposite to the lightguide (). The optical sensor () is aligned with the first portion () of the first major surface () of the lightguide (), such that the optical sensor () receives at least a portion of light passing through the first portion () of the first major surface () and transmitted by the transmissive reflector (). The optical construction () further includes an enclosed gap () disposed between the first portion () of the first major surface () of the lightguide () and the transmissive reflector ().

Optical construction

A backlight including a front reflector disposed on a back reflector and defining a cavity therebetween. For a visible wavelength range and for a first incident angle of less than 5 degrees, the front reflector has an average transmittance of less than 20% for the incident light polarized along a first direction, and an average transmittance of between 20% and 85% for the incident light polarized along an orthogonal second direction. For a visible wavelength range and for a second incident angle of greater than 40 degrees, the front reflector has an average transmittance of less than 40% for each of the first and second directions. For at least a first wavelength in an infrared wavelength range, the front reflector has a transmittance of greater than about 40% for each of the first and second incident angles and for each of the first and second directions. For each of the first and second incident angles, for the incident light polarized along each of the first and second directions, the back reflector has a transmittance of greater than 30% for the first infrared wavelength, and an average transmittance of less than 20% in the visible range.

Backlight with collimating reflective polarizer

A multilayer partial mirror includes a plurality of alternating first a second polymeric layers numbering at least 50 in total, disposed between, and integrally formed with, opposing first and second polymeric skin layers. For a visible wavelength range extending from about 420 nm to about 680 nm and an incident light propagating in an incident plane that includes a x-direction, and for an s-polarized incident light, the multilayer partial mirror has an average reflectance Rs1 for a first incident angle of less than about 10 degrees, and an average reflectance Rs2 for a second incident angle of greater than about 45 degrees, and for a p-polarized incident light, the multilayer partial mirror has an average reflectance Rp1 for the first incident angle, and an average reflectance Rp2 for the second incident angle. Each of Rs2/Rs1 and Rp2/Rp1 is greater than about 1.15.

Multilayer partial mirror, backlight, and display system

Optical bodies are described. In particular, optical bodies having a birefringent multilayer optical film and a continuous adhesive layer with a thickness less than 20 micrometers are described. Optical bodies described herein exhibit reduced occurrence and severity of a non-uniformity defect known as 'orange peel.'

Optical body including multilayer optical film and thin adhesive layer

A display system for sensing a finger of a user applied to the display system includes a display panel; a sensor for sensing the finger; a sensing light source configured to emit a first light having a first wavelength W; and a reflective polarizer disposed between the display panel and the sensor. For a substantially normally incident light, an optical transmittance of the reflective polarizer versus wavelength for a first polarization state has a band edge such that for a first wavelength range extending from a smaller wavelength Lto a greater wavelength Land including W, where 30 nm≤L−L≤50 nm and Lis greater than and within about 20 nm of a wavelength Lcorresponding to an optical transmittance of about 50% along the band edge, the optical transmittance has an average of greater than about 75%.

An optical construction includes a reflective polarizer and an optically diffusive film disposed on the reflective polarizer. The reflective polarizer includes an outer layer including a plurality of first particles partially protruding from a first major surface thereof to form a structured major surface. A first optically diffusive layer is conformably disposed on the structured major surface. The optically diffusive film includes a second optically diffusive layer including a plurality of nanoparticles dispersed therein, and a structured layer including a structured major surface. For a substantially normally incident light and a visible wavelength range from about 450 nm to about 650 nm and an infrared wavelength range from about 930 nm to about 970 nm, the second optically diffusive layer has an average specular transmittance Vs in the visible wavelength range and an average specular transmittance Is in the infrared wavelength range, where Is/Vs≥2.5.

Optical construction and display system

A backlight for an image forming device includes spaced-apart front and back optical reflectors defining an optical cavity therebetween, and at least one light source for emitting light into the optical cavity. The front optical reflector may be disposed between the image forming device and the back optical reflector. For substantially normally incident light and for nonoverlapping first and second wavelength ranges, the front optical reflector may transmit at least 70% of light for each wavelength in the first wavelength range, and may reflect at least 70% of light for each wavelength in the second wavelength range. The back optical reflector may reflect at least 70% of light for each wavelength in the first wavelength range, and may transmit at least 70% of light for each wavelength in the second wavelength range. The emitted light may have at least one wavelength in the first wavelength range and at least one wavelength in the second wavelength range.

Backlight for an image forming device comprising an optical cavity formed by opposing cold and hot mirrors

An optical stack for reflecting and transmitting light in a predetermined wavelength range includes stacked first and second optical films, the predetermined wavelength range defining a first wavelength range and a remaining wavelength range. For normally incident light and for each wavelength in a first wavelength range, the first optical film substantially reflects light having a first polarization state, and substantially transmits light having a second polarization state. For each of the first and second polarization states, for wavelengths in the first wavelength range, the second optical film has a maximum optical transmittance Tmax for light incident at a first incident angle, and an optical transmittance Tmax/2 for light incident at a second incident angle, where the second incident angle is greater than the first incident angle by less than about 50 degrees. For wavelengths in the remaining wavelength range, the second optical film reflects at least 80% of light.

A backlight () for an image forming device () includes spaced-apart front and back optical reflectors () defining an optical cavity () therebetween, and at least one light source () for emitting light into the optical cavity. The front optical reflector () is disposed between the image forming device and the back optical reflector (). For substantially normally incident light and for non-overlapping first (e.g. visible light) and second (e.g. infrared) wavelength ranges, the front optical reflector () may transmit () at least 70% of light () for each wavelength in the first wavelength range, and may reflect () at least 70% of light () for each wavelength in the second wavelength range. The back optical reflector () may reflect () at least 70% of light for each wavelength in the first wavelength range, and may transmit () at least 70% of light () for each wavelength in the second wavelength range. The light (90) emitted by the at least one light source () has at least one wavelength in the first wavelength range and at least one wavelength in the second wavelength range.

Backlights are described. In particular, backlights including wide-web turning films and reflective polarizers having quarter-wave retarders are disclosed. Such configurations can provide turning film systems with improved luminance uniformity for large format displays.

Backlight including wide-web turning film and reflective polarizer with quarter-wave retarder

Hybrid polarizers are described. More particularly, hybrid polarizers including reflective polarizer portions and hybrid polarizing portions, including embedded absorbing polarizing elements are described. The hybrid polarizers may be used in backlights or display devices.

Multilayer reflective polarizer with embedded absorbing elements

A projection system capable of projection alignment includes a projector, a shaped projection screen, an image sensor, and a processing unit. The projector is configured to project a series of alignment content to the shaped projection screen. The image sensor is configured to capture a series of projected alignment content. The processing unit is electronically coupled to the image sensor and configured to receive the series of captured alignment content and determine at least part of general boundary of the shaped projection screen based on the series of captured alignment content.

Alignments for a projection system with a shaped projection screen using alignment content

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

Growing community of inventors

Ellsworth, WI, United States of America

Quinn D Sanford