Light fixture having a multilayer polymeric film

• US 6,101,032 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Weber, Michael F., Ouderkirk, Andrew J., Gardiner, Mark E., Jonza, James M., Wortman, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafer, Ricky D.
• Application Number:
  US08/479,319
• Time in Patent Office: 1,889 Days
• Field of Search: 359/485, 359/487, 359/490, 359/491, 359/492, 359/494, 359/495, 359/498, 359/500, 359/580, 359/584, 359/589, 359/359, 359/883, 359/884, 362/19, 362/257, 362/260, 362/296
• US Class Current: 359/485.04
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/283 used for beam splitting or combining
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/287 comprising at least one layer of organic material
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3033 in the form of a thin sheet or foil, e.g. Polaroid
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/305 including organic materials, e.g. polymeric layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0031 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0038 Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0046 Tapered light guide, e.g. wedge-shaped light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0048 with stepwise taper
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0056 for producing polarisation effects, e.g. by a surface with polarizing properties or by an additional polarizing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0065 Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0066 characterised by the light source being coupled to the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0071 with elongated shape, e.g. tube
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133536 Reflective polarizers G02F1/13362 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133545 Dielectric stack polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13362 providing polarized light, e.g. by converting a polarisation component into another one
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/91 Product with molecular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/3154 Of fluorinated addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31786 Of polyester [e.g., alkyd, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31797 : Next to addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31935 : Ester, halide or nitrile of addition polymer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31938 : Polymer of monoethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon

Abstract

A polarized light source includes a diffuse light source and a reflective polarizing element placed proximate thereto. The reflective polarizing element transmits light of a desired polarization and reflects light of another polarization back into the diffuse source where it is randomized. Some of the initially rejected light is thus converted into the desired polarization and is transmitted through the reflective polarizing element. This process continues, and the repeated reflections and subsequent randomization of light of the undesired polarization increases the amount of light of the desired polarization that is emitted by the polarized light source.

Claims

1. A light fixture, comprising:

a light source; and

a multilayer polymeric film reflective polarizer positioned to transmit light of a desired polarization and to reflect light of another polarization back into the light source;

wherein at least one of the layers in said film comprises a first polymeric material and at least one of the layers in said film comprises a second polymeric material, wherein the difference in refractive indices between the first and second polymeric materials is less than about 0.05 along a first of three mutually perpendicular axes, wherein the difference in refractive indices between said first and second polymeric materials is at least about 0.05 along a second of said three mutually perpendicular axes, and wherein said first of said three mutually perpendicular axes is orthogonal to the surface of said film.

2. The fixture of claim 1, wherein said difference in refractive indices between said first and second polymeric materials is less than about 0.02 along said first of said three mutually perpendicular axes.

3. The fixture of claim 1, wherein said difference in refractive indices between said first and second polymeric materials is at least about 0.2 along said second of three mutually perpendicular axes.

4. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the difference in refractive indices between said first and second polymeric materials is less than about 0.05 along a third of said three mutually perpendicular axes.

5. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the difference in refractive indices between said first and second polymeric materials is less than about 0.02 along a third of said three mutually perpendicular axes.

6. The fixture of claim 1, wherein said first polymeric material comprises a crystalline naphthalene dicarboxylic acid polyester.

7. The fixture of claim 6, wherein said crystalline naphthalene dicarboxylic acid polyester has a positive stress optical coefficient.

8. The fixture of claim 6, wherein said naphthalene dicarboxylic acid polyester is more positively birefringent than said second polymeric material.

9. The fixture of claim 6, wherein each layer in said film which comprises said naphthalene dicarboxylic acid polyester is immediately adjacent to a layer comprising said second polymeric material.

10. The fixture of claim 6, wherein said naphthalene dicarboxylic acid polyester is a poly(ethylene naphthalate).

11. The fixture of claim 6, wherein said naphthalene dicarboxylic acid polyester is a copolyester comprising naphthalate units and terephthalate units.

12. A The fixture of claim 1, wherein the layers in said film have an average thickness of not more than about 0.5 microns.

13. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the layers in said film which comprise said first polymeric material have an average thickness of not more than about 0.5 microns.

14. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the layers in said film which comprise said second polymeric material have an average thickness of not more than about 0.5 microns.

15. The fixture of claim 1, wherein at least some of the layers in said film are arranged in a sequence which alternates between a first layer type comprising a naphthalene dicarboxylic acid polyester and a second layer type comprising said second polymeric material.

16. The fixture of claim 15, wherein said second polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of fluoropolymers, polystyrenes, polyacrylates, and polyolefins.

17. The fixture of claim 15, wherein said layers of said naphthalene dicarboxylic acid polyester and said layers of said second polymeric material have good interlayer adhesion.

18. The fixture of claim 15, wherein there are at least 50 layers of said first layer type and at least 50 layers of said second layer type.

19. The fixture of claim 15, wherein said layers of said first layer type have a higher index of refraction associated with at least one in-plane axis than the layers of said second layer type.

20. The fixture of claim 19, wherein said layers of said first layer type have an index of refraction associated with at least one in-plane axis that is at least about 0.05 higher than the index of refraction of the layers of said second layer type.

21. The fixture of claim 19, wherein said layers of said first layer type have an index of refraction associated with at least one in-plane axis that is at least about 0.10 higher than the index of refraction of the layers of said second layer type.

22. The fixture of claim 19, wherein said layers of said first layer type have an index of refraction associated with at least one in-plane axis that is at least about 0.20 higher than the index of refraction of the layers of said second layer type.

23. The fixture of claim 1, wherein said film has been stretched in at least one direction.

24. The fixture of claim 1, wherein said film has been stretched in at least one direction to at least twice that direction'"'"'s unstretched dimension.

25. The fixture of claim 1, wherein said film has been stretched in at least two directions.

26. The fixture of claim 1, wherein said second polymeric material is a polyester.

27. The fixture of claim 26, wherein said second polymeric material comprises naphthalene units.

28. The fixture of claim 26, wherein said second polymeric material is a copolyester comprising naphthalate units and terephthalate units.

29. The fixture of claim 1, wherein said second polymeric material is a polystyrene.

30. The fixture of claim 1, wherein said second polymeric material is a fluoropolymer.

31. The fixture of claim 1, wherein said second polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of polyacrylates and polyolefins.

32. The fixture of claim 31, wherein said second polymeric material is polymethacrylate.

33. The fixture of claim 1, wherein said first polymeric material is PEN and said second polymeric material is coPEN.

34. The fixture of claim 1, wherein said film has an average reflectivity, for at least one plane of polarization, of at least 50% over at least a 100 nm wide band.

35. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein the fixture comprises a task light.

36. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein the light source is a source which emits light having a high degree of scatter or randomization for polarization and direction of light.

37. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein the light source is an incandescent lamp, a fluorescent lamp, solid-state source, or electroluminescent light source.

38. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein the film is wrapped at least partly around the light source.

39. A light fixture comprising:

(a) a light source

(b) a multilayer mirror positioned to reflect light emitted by the light source toward an output side of the light fixture and

(c) a reflective polarizer positioned to transmit light of a desired polarization, and to reflect light of another polarization back into the light source and the mirror,

wherein the multilayer mirror comprises a polymeric film comprising a plurality of layers,

wherein at least one of the layers comprises a first polymeric material and at least one of the layers comprises a second polymeric material,

wherein a difference in refractive indices between the first and the second polymeric materials is less than about 0.05 along a first of three mutually perpendicular axes,

wherein a difference in refractive indices between the first and second polymeric materials is at least about 0.05 along a second of the three mutually perpendicular axes, and

wherein the first of the three mutually perpendicular axes is orthogonal to a plane of the film.

40. The light fixture of claim 39 wherein the fixture comprises a task light.

41. The light fixture of claim 39 wherein the light source is a source which emits light having a high degree of scatter or randomization for polarization and direction of light.

42. The light fixture of claim 39, wherein the light source is an incandescent lamp, a fluorescent lamp, solid-state source, or electroluminescent light source.

43. The light fixture of claim 39, wherein said film has a reflectivity of greater than 99%.

44. The light fixture of claim 39, wherein said film comprises a stack of alternating pairs of polymeric materials.

45. The light fixture of claim 39, wherein said film comprises alternating layers of PEN and coPEN.