APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR MAKING AN OBJECT APPEAR TRANSPARENT

• US 20170227781A1
• Filed: 06/17/2016
• Published: 08/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iizuka, Hideo, Banerjee, Debasish
• Granted Patent: US 9,971,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/082 using a single wide field mirror or an association of rigidly connected mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/025 Pillars; Roof rails
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2013/0287 integrating other functions or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1086 operating by diffraction only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/14 operating by reflection only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/144 using partially transparent surfaces without spectral selectivity G02B27/147 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/283 used for beam splitting or combining
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3025 Polarisers, i.e. arrangements capable of producing a definite output polarisation state from an unpolarised input state G02B5/3008, G02B5/3016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3083 Birefringent or phase retarding elements G02B5/3008, G02B5/3016 take precedence; systems for polarisation control G02B27/286; manufacturing phase modulating patterns by lithographic processes G03F7/001

Abstract

A cloaking device includes cloaking region boundary planes oriented non-planar to each other, each of the cloaking region boundary planes having an outward facing mirror surface and an inward facing opaque surface. The cloaking device includes a cloaking region bounded at least partially by the inward facing opaque surfaces of the cloaking region boundary planes. Half mirrors are spaced apart and generally parallel to the outward facing mirror surfaces such that a half mirror is spaced apart and generally parallel to each outward facing mirror surface. Light from an object on an object-side of the cloaking device is directed around an article within the cloaking region and forms an image on an image-side of the cloaking device such the article appears transparent to an observer looking towards the object.

Claims

1. A cloaking device comprising:

an object-side and an image-side;

a cloaking region (CR) boundary plane having an outward facing mirror surface and an inward facing opaque surface;

a CR at least partially bounded by the inward facing opaque surface of the CR boundary plane;

a half mirror spaced apart and generally parallel to the outward facing mirror surface;

wherein light from an object located on the object-side of the cloaking device and obscured by the CR is redirected around the CR to form an image of the object on the image-side of the cloaking device such that the light from the object appears to pass through the CR.

2. The cloaking device of claim 1, wherein the half mirror is selected from a p-polarization half mirror and an s-polarization half mirror.

3. The cloaking device of claim 1, further comprising an article positioned within the CR, wherein the light from the object located on the object-side of the cloaking device and obscured by the CR is redirected around the CR and the article to form the image of the object on the image-side of the cloaking device such that the article appears transparent.

4. The cloaking device of claim 3, wherein the article is selected from the group consisting of a vehicle A-pillar, a vehicle B-pillar and a vehicle C-pillar.

5. The cloaking device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least two CR boundary planes positioned non-planar to each other, each of the at least two CR boundary planes having an outward facing mirror surface and an inward facing opaque surface, the CR at least partially bounded by the inward facing opaque surfaces of the at least two CR boundary planes;

at least one quarter-wave plate positioned on or adjacent to the image side; and

at least two half mirrors spaced apart and generally parallel to the outward facing mirror surfaces such that a half mirror is spaced apart and generally parallel to each outward facing mirror surface;

wherein the light from the object located on the object-side of the cloaking device and obscured by the CR is redirected around the CR by the at least two outward facing mirror surfaces and the at least two half mirrors, and the image of the object is formed on the image-side of the cloaking device such that the light from the object located on the object-side of the cloaking device appears to pass through the CR.

6. The cloaking device of claim 5, wherein the at least two CR boundary planes are positioned orthogonal to each other.

7. The cloaking device of claim 6, wherein the light from the object on the object-side of the cloaking device is reflected by a first outward facing mirror surface, a first half mirror positioned parallel to the first outward facing mirror surface, a second half mirror positioned orthogonal to the first half mirror, a second outward facing mirror surface positioned parallel to the second half mirror, and transmitted through the at least one quarter-wave plate before forming the image of the object on the image-side of the cloaking device.

8. The cloaking device of claim 7, further comprising a vehicle article positioned within the CR, wherein the light from the object located on the object-side of the cloaking device and obscured by the CR is redirected around the CR and the vehicle article to form the image of the object on the image-side of the cloaking device and the vehicle article appears transparent.

9. The cloaking device of claim 5, further comprising an end side, wherein light from an item positioned adjacent to the end side forms an image of the item on the image-side of the cloaking device.

10. A cloaking device for cloaking an article of a vehicle comprising:

a cloaking assembly comprising;

an object-side and an image-side;

at least two CR boundary planes located at least partially between the object-side and the image-side, the at least two CR boundary planes positioned non-planar to each other and each of the at least two CR boundary planes having an outward facing mirror surface and an inward facing opaque surface;

a CR bounded by the inward facing opaque surfaces of the at least two CR boundary planes;

at least two half mirrors located at least partially between the object-side and the image-side, each of the at least two half mirrors spaced apart and generally parallel to one of the outward facing mirror surfaces such that a half mirror is spaced apart and generally parallel to each outward facing mirror surface;

at least one quarter-wave plate positioned on or adjacent to the image side;

and

a vehicle article positioned within the CR;

wherein light from an object located on the object-side of the cloaking assembly and obscured by the CR is redirected around the CR and forms an image of the object on the image-side of the cloaking assembly such that the vehicle article appears to be transparent.

11. The cloaking device of claim 10, wherein the vehicle article is selected from the group consisting of a vehicle A-pillar, a vehicle B-pillar and a vehicle C-pillar.

12. The cloaking device of claim 10, wherein the light from the object is reflected by a first outward facing mirror surface, a first half mirror oriented generally parallel to the first outward facing mirror surface, a second half mirror oriented generally orthogonal to the first half mirror and a second outward facing mirror surface oriented generally parallel to the second half mirror and transmitted through the at least one quarter-wave plate before forming the image on the image-side of the cloaking assembly.

13. The cloaking device of claim 12, further comprising an end surface, wherein light from an item located adjacent to the end surface passes through the cloaking assembly and forms an image of the item on the image-side of the cloaking assembly.

14. The cloaking device of claim 13, wherein a p-mode or an s-mode of the light from the item is reflected from the second half mirror before forming the image of the item on the image-side of the cloaking assembly.

15. The cloaking device of claim 13, wherein a p-mode or an s-mode of the light from the item is transmitted through the second half mirror and reflected by the second outward facing mirror surface before forming the image of the item on the image-side of the cloaking assembly.

16. A cloaking device comprising:

four CR boundary planes positioned non-planar to each other, each of the four CR boundary planes having an outward facing mirror surface and an inward facing opaque surface;

a CR bounded by the inward facing opaque surfaces of the four CR boundary planes;

an article located at least partially within the CR;

four half mirrors spaced apart and generally parallel to the outward facing mirror surfaces such that a half mirror is spaced apart and generally parallel to each outward facing mirror surface;

wherein light from an object on an object-side of the cloaking device is redirected around the CR and appears as an image on an image-side of the cloaking device and is visible to an observer viewing the image-side of the cloaking device and the article within the CR is not visible to the observer viewing the image-side of the cloaking device such that the article within the CR appears transparent to the observer viewing the image-side of the cloaking device.

17. The cloaking device of claim 16, wherein the light from the object is reflected by a first outward facing mirror surface, a first half mirror oriented generally parallel to the first outward facing mirror surface, a second half mirror oriented generally orthogonal to the first half mirror and a second outward facing mirror surface oriented generally parallel to the second half mirror before forming the image on the image-side of the cloaking device.

18. The cloaking device of claim 17, wherein the article is selected from at least one of a vehicle A-pillar, a vehicle B-pillar and a vehicle C-pillar.

19. The cloaking device of claim 18, further comprising an end side, wherein light from an item located adjacent to the end side is reflected by at least one of the second half mirror and the second outward facing mirror surface and forms an image of the item on the image-side of the cloaking device.

20. The cloaking device of claim 19, wherein the image of the item is selectively formed on the image-side of the cloaking device.