3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovation Properties Company

3m Innovative Properties

Robert M Emmons

Kenneth A Epstein

Roland Winston

Benjamin A Jacobson

Robert L Holman

Philip Gleckman

Nicholas A Johnson

Mark David Gehlsen

Ryan T Fabick

Linda Mae Rivard

James W Laumer

Chideuk Kim

Youngsoo Park

Byungsoo Ko

Chingwen Chen

Richard John Pokorny

Gary Timothy Boyd

Philip Edwin Watson

John C Schultz

Ying-Yuh Lu

Robert S Moshrefzadeh

Bryan V Hunt

Leland Ray Whitney

Jie Yang

Yaoqi Joe Liu

Hung Thien Tran

Larry A Meixner

Kenneth Jason Hanley

Steven J Rhyner

David J Lamb

Ji-Hwa Lee

James A Stevenson

Ji-Hyung Kim

Kang-Il Seo

Graham M Clarke

Kristy A Gillette

Owen M Anderson

Jennifer Rebecca Yi

David A Rosen

Corey D Balts

Edward C Roberts

Sherie A Kristie

Trevor W Stolber

An optical system comprises a turning film and a lenticular diffuser. The lenticular diffuser comprises a structured surface comprising a plurality of microstructures each comprising a lenticular prism having linear end sections connected by a blend section separated by a substantially flat land area, wherein the blend section shape is a segment of an ellipse of 2nd, 4th or 6th order polynomial.

Light control film with turning film and lenticular diffuser for view enhancement in the horizontal plane

An optical system comprises a turning film and a lenticular diffuser. The lenticular diffuser comprises a structured surface comprising a plurality of microstructures comprises a plurality of lenticular prisms separated by substantially flat land areas, the lenticular prisms having a rounded tip and two sides comprising a linear base section and a linear tip section connected by a polynomial blend section.

An optical system including a light guide and a turning film that includes a first major surface, where the first major surface is substantially smooth and a second major surface including a plurality of asymmetric microstructures each respective asymmetric microstructure including a first side, where the first side is substantially planar, and a second side including a first surface segment defining a substantially planar surface and a second surface segment defining a non-planar surface.

Asymmetric turning film with top-hat light output distributions

Optical system including a lightguide; a turning film, including a first smooth surface perpendicular to a display axis and a first structured surface including a plurality of first microstructures defining a first plurality of parallel grooves, where the turning film is optically coupled to the lightguide, where the turning film outputs light collimated in a first plane parallel to the display axis; and a lenticular diffuser, including a second smooth surface perpendicular to the display axis and a second structured surface comprising a plurality of second microstructures defining a second plurality of parallel grooves extending along a plane perpendicular to the display axis, where the lenticular diffuser is optically coupled to the turning film, where the lenticular diffuser reflects or refracts collimated light toward a second plane perpendicular to the first plane; where the first plurality of parallel grooves is perpendicular to the second plurality of parallel grooves.

A lightguide having opposing first and second major surfaces where the first major surface includes a plurality of extended features and a plurality of discrete features is described. The lightguide has a viewable area having a length at least 100 times a thickness of the lightguide. The extended features extend in a first in-plane direction across at least 90 percent of the length L of the viewable area. The discrete features are spaced apart along the length and width of the viewable area. The discrete features may be disposed in spaces between the extended features. The discrete features may have faces extending between and connecting adjacent extended features.

Lightguide

Optical films are described. In particular, optical films that include top and bottom structured surfaces are described. Films that may be suitable for use in backlights as turning films or recycling films are also described. Optical films described may include reflective polarizers and optically birefringent substrates.

Optical film

Light directing film () is disclosed. The light directing film includes a structured major surface () that includes a plurality of microstructures () extending along a first direction () and a plurality of elevated portions () disposed on the plurality of microstructures. The number density of the elevated portions across the light directing film is D. Each elevated portion includes a leading edge () and a trailing edge () along the first direction. The light directing film can be divided into a plurality of same size and shape grid cells that form a continuous two-dimensional grid. The area of each grid cell is approximately 1/D. Each of at least 70% of the grid cells includes a single leading edge () of an elevated portion ().

Uniform light directing film and method of making same

A light emitting diode (LED) array comprises an array of LEDs mounted to a substrate. The LEDs emit light in a direction generally perpendicular to the substrate. An optical sheet is disposed over the LEDs. At least a portion of light entering one side of the optical sheet from the LEDs is guided within the optical sheet in a direction generally parallel to the substrate. Light extraction features direct light from the optical sheet in a generally forward direction. Such an array is useful for several applications, including space lighting, direct information display and backlighting of liquid crystal displays. The light spreading effect of the optical sheet reduces the amount of black space between LED pixels.

LED array systems

In a directly-illuminated liquid crystal display (LCD), for example an LCD monitor or an LCD-TV, a number of light management films, including a diffuser layer, lie between the light source and the LCD panel to provide bright, uniform illumination. The diffuser layer is attached to a substrate which is separate from the light source and the LCD panel, or may be attached to either the LCD panel or, when using a two dimensional light source, to the light source. The other light management layers may also be attached to the separate substrate or to the LCD panel or two-dimensional light source. High levels of illumination uniformity at the LCD may be achieved with a uniform (non-patterned) diffuser, even with relatively low levels of diffusion, when the diffuser is used with a brightness enhancing layer.

Direct-LIT liquid crystal displays with laminated diffuser plates

A directly illuminated display unit has a display panel and one or more light sources disposed behind the display panel. A diffuser is disposed between the one or more light sources and the display panel, and a light diverting layer is disposed between the one or more light sources and the diffuser. The light diverting layer has a first light-diverting surface facing the one or more light sources and a second light diverting surface facing the display panel. The light diverting layer diverts light passing from the one or more light sources to the diffuser, thus improving the uniformity of the light in the display unit.

Back-lit displays with high illumination uniformity

An optical device for collecting light and selectively outputting or concentrating the light. A layer has an optical index of refraction n, and top, bottom and side surfaces defining an angel of inclination &#x3c6;. A back surface spans the top, bottom and side surface. A first layer is coupled to the bottom surface of the layer and has an index of refraction n. The first layer index ncauses light input through the back surface of the layer to be preferentially output into the first layer. A second layer is coupled to the bottom of the first layer and selectively causes output of light into ambient. Additional layers, such as alight polarization layer, a polarization converting layer and a post LCD diffuser layer can be used to make preferential use of polarized light of diffuse light having passed through the LCD layer to enhance viewing of the output light.

Luminaire device

A directly illuminated display unit has a display panel and one or more light sources disposed behind the display panel. A diffuser is disposed between the light source unit and the display panel and a light diverting layer is disposed between the one or more light sources and the diffuser. The light diverting layer has light diverting members on a first side of the light diverting layer facing the diffuser. Surfaces of the light diverting members are disposed at more than one angle relative to a normal to the light diverting layer and also include one or more sharp changes of surface slope. The light diverting members spread the illumination light so as to be more uniform. Different light diverting members can have different apex angles. Also, different sides of a light diverting member can have best fit centers of curvature that are non-coincident.

Direct-lit liquid crystal displays with laminated diffuser plates

In a directly-illuminated liquid crystal display (LCD), for example an LCD monitor or an LCD-TV, a number of light management layers lie between the light source and the LCD panel to provide bright, uniform illumination. The light management layers, including, for example, a diffuser, a reflective polarizer and a brightness enhancing layer, are contained in a light management unit that is formed from two subassemblies. The two subassemblies each contain a substrate and are attached together so as to leave a gap between the two subassemblies. The diffuser is located in one of the subassemblies, and the other light management layers may be in either of the subassemblies, or may be disposed in the gap between the subassemblies.

Composite diffuser plates and direct-lit liquid crystal displays using same

Growing community of inventors

Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

Robert M Emmons