Optical component for light coupling

• US 10,401,546 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories AB
• Original Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories AB
• Inventors: Craven-Bartle, Thomas, Bergstrom, Hakan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafer, Ricky D
• Application Number:
  US15/551,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20180031753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 359625, 359626, 359627, 359833, 359837, 359834, 385 36
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/045 Prism arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/00 Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0025 Diffusing sheet or layer; Prismatic sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0053 Prismatic sheet or layer; Brightness enhancement element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421

Abstract

The invention provides an optical component for transferring light between an opto-electronic device and a light transmissive panel which defines two opposing boundary surfaces, the optical component having a shape formed from a geometric shape having a base surface, a lateral front surface and an axis, wherein the geometric shape is truncated by a plane intersecting the front surface, the base surface, and the axis, forming a back surface. The base surface is configured for mounting the optical component to the light transmissive panel and for coupling light into the light transmissive panel. The front surface being configured for coupling light from the front surface, through the base surface, and into the light transmissive panel for the light to propagate by total internal reflection within the light transmissive panel.

Claims

1. An optical component for transferring light between an opto-electronic device and a light transmissive panel which defines two opposing boundary surfaces,

the optical component having a shape corresponding to a geometric shape having a base surface, a lateral front surface and an axis, wherein the geometric shape is truncated by a plane intersecting the front surface, the base surface, and the axis, forming a back surface:

the base surface being configured for mounting the optical component to the light transmissive panel and for coupling light into the light transmissive panel;

the front surface being configured for coupling light from the front surface, through the base surface, and into the light transmissive panel for the light to propagate by total internal reflection within the light transmissive panel,

wherein the base surface comprises an angular filter configured to filter ambient light incident towards the base surface.

2. The optical component according to claim 1 wherein the geometric shape is a right circular cone.

3. The optical component according to claim 1 wherein the geometric shape is a cylinder.

4. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the angular filter is configured to reflect light incident at an angle 50°

relative to a normal of the base surface.

5. The optical component according to claim 1 wherein an angle β

between the base surface and the back surface is between 20° and

60°

.

6. The optical component according to claim 1 wherein the back surface comprises a reflective coating.

7. The optical component according to claim 6 wherein the reflective coating on the back surface comprises a vacuum deposited layer of aluminum, silver, gold, or copper.

8. A system for transferring light between an opto-electronic device and a light transmissive panel which defines two opposing boundary surfaces, the system comprising:

a plurality of partially overlapping optical components according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of partially overlapping optical components form a continuous element arranged in at least one row with a predetermined peak to peak spacing between peaks of neighboring optical components of a the at least one row, wherein a peak is a point on the optical component furthest from the base surface of the optical component.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the peak to peak spacing is the same for all optical components of the at least one row of optical components.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the peak to peak spacing varies for optical components of the at least one row of optical components.

11. The system according to claim 8, comprising a plurality of rows of optical components, wherein the peak to peak spacing between the peaks of optical components of separate rows is larger than the peak to peak spacing of neighboring optical components of the same row.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the each row is displaced relative to neighboring rows by half of the peak to peak spacing of optical components in the row.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein random noise is used to determine the peak to peak spacing between the peaks of optical components of separate rows.