Light enhancing structures with three or more arrays of elongate features
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An optical member comprising an array of total internal reflection structures, said optical member comprising:
- an optically transmissive material having a surface;
a first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features formed in said surface, said first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features oriented at an angle α
;
a second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features formed in said surface, said second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features oriented at an angle α
′
, said first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features being oriented at an angle |α
-α
′
| with respect to said second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features, said angle |α
-α
′
| being less than 30°
; and
a third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features formed in said surface, said third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features oriented at an angle ξ
, said second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features being oriented at an angle |α
′
-ξ
| with respect to said third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features, said angle |α
′
-ξ
| being less than 30°
, said first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features being oriented at an angle |α
-ξ
| with respect to said third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features, said angle |α
-ξ
| being less than 30°
,wherein each of said non-intersecting elongate features in said first plurality extends across said non-intersecting elongate features in said second plurality and said non-intersecting elongate features in said third plurality and each of said non-intersecting elongate features in said second plurality extends across said non-intersecting elongate features in third plurality thereby defining said total internal reflection structures.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Various embodiments comprise light recycling films comprising an array of parallel ridges and grooves that form prisms that selectively reflect or transmit light. In some embodiments, the light recycling film may be used in displays that include spatial light modulators comprising a plurality of pixels. The light recycling film can limit the field-of-view of the display and enhance the luminance within that field-of-view. Various embodiments comprising multiple arrays of ridges and/or grooves can enhance uniformity of illumination of the pixels in the spatial light modulator and reduce Moiré effects.
197 Citations
104 Claims
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1. An optical member comprising an array of total internal reflection structures, said optical member comprising:
-
an optically transmissive material having a surface; a first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features formed in said surface, said first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features oriented at an angle α
;a second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features formed in said surface, said second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features oriented at an angle α
′
, said first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features being oriented at an angle |α
-α
′
| with respect to said second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features, said angle |α
-α
′
| being less than 30°
; anda third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features formed in said surface, said third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features oriented at an angle ξ
, said second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features being oriented at an angle |α
′
-ξ
| with respect to said third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features, said angle |α
′
-ξ
| being less than 30°
, said first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features being oriented at an angle |α
-ξ
| with respect to said third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features, said angle |α
-ξ
| being less than 30°
,wherein each of said non-intersecting elongate features in said first plurality extends across said non-intersecting elongate features in said second plurality and said non-intersecting elongate features in said third plurality and each of said non-intersecting elongate features in said second plurality extends across said non-intersecting elongate features in third plurality thereby defining said total internal reflection structures. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 101, 104)
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29. An optical member comprising an array of total internal reflection structures, said optical member comprising:
-
an optically transmissive material having a surface, said surface having a surface normal; a first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features in said surface; a second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features in said surface, said first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features angled with respect to said second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features; and a third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features in said optically transmissive material, said second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features being angled with respect to said first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features and said third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features, wherein each of said non-intersecting elongate features in said first plurality extends across said non-intersecting elongate features in said second plurality and said non-intersecting elongate features in said third plurality and each of said non-intersecting elongate features in said second plurality extends across said non-intersecting elongate features in third plurality thereby defining said total internal reflection structures, said total internal reflection structures being configured such that a first portion of light incident on said surface is total internally reflected back from said surface and a second portion of said light incident on said surface is transmitted through said surface, a substantial portion of said second portion of light that is transmitted being refracted by said total internal reflection structures into a limited to a range of angles, Φ
. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. An optical member comprising an array of total internal reflection structures, said optical member comprising:
-
an optically transmissive material having a surface; a first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features in said surface; a second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features in said surface, said first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features being angled with respect to said second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features; a third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features in said surface, said second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features being angled with respect to said first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features and said third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features; and a fourth plurality of non-intersecting elongate features in said surface, each of said third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features being angled with respect to said first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features, said second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features, and said third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features, wherein each of said non-intersecting elongate features in said first plurality extends across said non-intersecting elongate features in said second, third, and fourth pluralities of non-intersecting elongate features, each of said non-intersecting elongate features in said second plurality extends across said non-intersecting elongate features in said third, and fourth pluralities of non-intersecting elongate features, and each of said non-intersecting elongate features in said third plurality extends across said non-intersecting elongate features in said fourth plurality, thereby defining said total internal reflection structures. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79)
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80. An optical member comprising a plurality of total internal reflection structures, said optical member comprising:
-
an optically transmissive material having a surface; a first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features in said surface, said first plurality of non-intersecting elongate features oriented at an angle α
;a second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features in said surface, said second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features oriented at an angle α
′
; anda third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features in said surface, said third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features oriented at an angle ξ
,wherein each of said non-intersecting elongate features in said first plurality extends across said non-intersecting elongate features in said second and third pluralities of non-intersecting elongate features and each of said non-intersecting elongate features in said second plurality extends across said non-intersecting elongate features in said third pluralities of non-intersecting elongate features thereby forming said plurality of total internal reflection structures, and said first and second plurality of non-intersecting elongate features are arranged non-symmetrically about said third plurality of non-intersecting elongate features such that |α
+α
′
|≠
−
ξ
|. - View Dependent Claims (81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 102, 103)
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Specification