3m Innovative Properties Company

Tao Liu

John Allen Wheatley

Brian W Ostlie

Gary Timothy Boyd

David C Mercord

Encai Hao

Caleb T Nelson

Brent A Hedding

Tri Dinh Pham

Yongshang Lu

Daniel J Schmidt

Michael F Weber

Timothy J Nevitt

Owen M Anderson

Andrew John Ouderkirk

Kenneth L Smith

William Blake Kolb

Olester Benson, Jr

Michael Benton Free

Thomas J Blong

Michael J Sykora

Robert R Kieschke

Gary E Gaides

William D Coggio

Michael L Steiner

Matthew E Sousa

Shu-Ching Fan

Michael Alan Meis

Kenneth A Epstein

Rolf W Biernath

Philip Edwin Watson

Nicholas A Johnson

Scott Melvyn Tapio

Lan Hong Liu

Kristopher J Derks

Bharat R Acharya

Kevin W Gotrik

Raymond J Kenney

David Adams Ender

Charlie C Ho

Stephen K Eckhardt

Jay M Jennen

William F Edmonds

Mark E Napierala

David J Rowe

Qingbing Wang

Nathaniel K Naismith

David A Rosen

Linda Mae Rivard

Brian A Kinder

Del R Lawson

James A Phipps

Shannon L Siefken

Garth V Antila

Chun-Yi Ting

Bradley J Johanson

Jeffrey J Pederson

John F Van Deriofske, Iii

Han-Lin Tung

Keith R Jacobs

Gary T Boyd

Johnnie L Williams

An optical film includes a structured film and a light control film formed on the structured film. The structured film includes a substrate and a plurality of polymeric microstructures formed on a major surface of the substrate. Each microstructure includes an optical facet and a sidewall meeting the optical facet at a ridge of the microstructure. The light control film includes an optically transparent material disposed on and covering the plurality of polymeric microstructures, and a plurality of optically absorptive louvers formed in the optically transparent material opposite the structured film. The louvers extend along a longitudinal direction and are spaced apart along an orthogonal transverse direction. The louvers have an average depth D into the optically transparent material and have an average width W in the transverse direction. D/W can be greater than 2. The optical film is integrally formed.

Optical film and method of making

A light control film comprises a light input surface and a light output surface; alternating transmissive regions and absorptive regions disposed between the light input surface and the light output surface; and TIR cladding layers. The TIR cladding layer having a refractive index, n. The transmissive regions alternate between high refractive index transmissive regions having a refractive index, n, and low refractive index transmissive regions having a refractive index, n. The absorptive regions comprise a core having a refractive index, n, adjacent an AR cladding layer; wherein n<nand n<n. The TIR cladding layers are adjacent the high refractive index transmissive regions. The cores have an aspect ratio of at least 20. The high refractive index transmissive regions have a wall angle of 6 degrees or less.

High transmission light control film comprising alternating transmissive and absorptive regions

An optical film has a major surface including a plurality of microstructures. Each microstructure includes an optical facet and a sidewall meeting the optical facet at a ridge of the microstructure. The optical facet and the sidewall define an oblique angle therebetween. For each microstructure in at least a majority of the microstructures, an optically absorptive layer is disposed on the sidewall. The optical film can include a polymeric layer having a microstructured surface at least partially coated with an inorganic optically transparent layer. The optically absorptive layer can an average thickness t where 100 nm<t<1 micrometer. A first layer can be disposed between the sidewall and the optically absorptive layer where the first layer has a lower extinction coefficient than the optically absorptive layer.

Optical film

A curved display includes a display panel having a curved major surface and a light control film disposed proximate the display panel. The curved major surface is curved about a first axis, and a central portion of the curved major surface has a surface normal along a second axis substantially orthogonal to the first axis. The light control film includes a major surface having a substantially same shape as the curved major surface and includes a plurality of alternating optically transmissive and optically absorptive regions. In a cross-section orthogonal to the first axis, a transmissive region and adjacent absorptive regions define a central ray transmission direction through the optically transmissive region such that a light ray emitted by the display panel and transmitted through the optically transmissive region along the transmission direction is refracted upon exiting the curved display into a direction substantially parallel to the second axis.

Curved display with light control film

An optical system includes an optical film curved about a first axis and a light control film curved about the first axis. The light control film can be disposed between a light source and the optical film. The optical film includes a microstructured first major surface and an opposing second major surface. The microstructured first major surface defines a linear Fresnel lens including a plurality of Fresnel elements extending longitudinally along the first axis. The first major surface of the optical film faces the light control film. The light control film can include a plurality of alternating optically transmissive and optically absorptive regions extending longitudinally along the first axis such that in a cross-section orthogonal to the first axis, for at least a majority of the optically transmissive regions, a centerline between adjacent optically absorptive regions is substantially normal to a major surface of the light control film.

Optical system including light control film and Fresnel lens

An optical system includes a light source, an optical film curved about a first axis, and a light control film curved about the first axis and disposed between the light source and the optical film. The optical film includes a microstructured first major surface and an opposing second major surface. The microstructured first major surface defines a linear Fresnel lens including a plurality of Fresnel elements extending longitudinally along the first axis. The first major surface of the optical film faces the light control film. The light control film includes a plurality of alternating optically transmissive and optically absorptive regions extending longitudinally along the first axis such that in a cross-section orthogonal to the first axis, for at least a majority of the optically transmissive regions, a centerline between adjacent optically absorptive regions is substantially normal to a major surface of the light control film.

Optical system including light control film and fresnel lens

A display system includes an extended illumination source, a first liquid crystal assembly disposed on the extended illumination source, and a second liquid crystal assembly disposed on the first liquid crystal display assembly. The first liquid crystal assembly includes a bottom reflective polarizer, a top reflective polarizer, and a bottom liquid crystal panel disposed between the top and bottom reflective polarizers. The second liquid crystal assembly includes a top absorbing polarizer, and a top liquid crystal panel disposed between the top absorbing polarizer and the first liquid crystal assembly.

Display system

An optical system includes an extended illumination source configured to emit light from an extended emission surface thereof and a light redirecting layer disposed on the extended emission surface. The light redirecting layer has a structured major surface that includes a regular array of light redirecting structures, each light redirecting structure including a plurality of facets; and a plurality of discrete spaced apart window segments. The optical system includes a plurality of reflective segments where each reflective segment is disposed on a corresponding window segment. For substantially normally incident light, each reflective segment has a total: average optical reflectance of at least 30% in a visible wavelength range extending from about 420 nm to about 650 nm; and optical transmittance of at least 10% for at least one infrared wavelength in an infrared wavelength range extending from about 800 nm to about 1200 nm.

Optical layers, films and systems

An optical system includes a lightguide having opposing top and bottom major surfaces. A round through opening extends between the two surfaces of the lightguide. An elongated channel is formed in one of the surfaces and at least partially surrounds and is substantially concentric with the opening. The channel has a depth (d) that varies along its length. Light extractors extract light that would otherwise propagate within and along the lightguide. The features of the lightguide can be varied to optimize performance of the lightguide for various purposes.

Lightguide having opening and surrounding channel

A unitary lightguide including a first lightguide section extending along a first direction and a second lightguide section extending along a second direction is described. The second lightguide section includes a plurality of light extractors for extracting light that would otherwise propagate within and along the second lightguide section. The unitary lightguide includes a boundary region disposed between and joining the first and second lightguide sections and including a plurality of spaced apart light redirecting features. Each light redirecting feature includes a first portion extending substantially parallel to the first direction, and a second portion extending from proximate the first end of the first portion toward the second lightguide section and making an angle with the first portion in a range from about 10 degrees to about 70 degrees.

Unitary lightguide

An optical imaging system () including an elongated lightguide () having pluralities of first and second light extractors () forming respective first and second patterns along the length of the lightguide is described. Light extracted by the first light extractors exit the lightguide primarily along a first direction toward a target location (), and light extracted by the second light extractors exit the lightguide primarily along a second direction different from the first direction. The optical imaging system includes a first reflector () for receiving light exiting the lightguide primarily along the second direction and reflecting the received light toward the target location. The first reflector forms a first virtual image () of the second pattern behind the first reflector. The first pattern and the first virtual image are visible to a viewer () viewing the optical imaging system from the target location.

Optical imaging system

An optical system comprises a lightguide having an elongated recess formed therein. The recess divides the lightguide into a first lightguide section a second larger lightguide section. Light extractors are disposed in the second, but not the first, lightguide section for extracting light that would otherwise propagate within and along the second lightguide section via total internal reflection (TIR). The depth of the recess varies along its length. The inclusion of a recess having a depth that varies along its length provides design flexibility in the number and location of light source(s) used by the optical system.

Lightguide having recess of varying depth

A display system including a lightguide and first and second reflective layers disposed on opposite sides of the lightguide is provided. The lightguide has opposing first and second major surfaces and includes a light extraction pattern for extracting light that would otherwise be confined and propagate within the lightguide primarily by total internal reflection. Light extracted by the light extraction pattern exits the lightguide through at least one of the first and second major surfaces of the lightguide. Each of the first and second reflective layers has an average specular reflectance of at least 50% in a predetermined wavelength range. The light extraction pattern may be repeatedly imaged by the first and second reflective layers to produce three-dimensional stacked images of the light extraction pattern.

A light control film includes a plurality of spaced apart substantially parallel first light absorbing regions arranged along a first direction, each first light absorbing region having a width and a height, the plurality of first light absorbing regions including nonoverlapping first and second sub-pluralities of the plurality of first light absorbing regions, the first sub-plurality of the plurality of first light absorbing regions having a first viewing angle, the second sub-plurality of the plurality of first light absorbing regions having a different second viewing angle.

Light control film with varied viewing angle

Growing community of inventors

Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Tao Liu