582 results about "Frontlight" patented technology

The present invention relates to an LED module for automobile headlights. The LED module comprises a water proof structure together with a heat radiating structure in order to prevent the permeation of external moisture while efficiently radiating heat to the outside. The LED module may be combined with a lamp housing and a radiator to constitute an automobile headlight.

The invention provides a light guide member and an illuminating device which are able to efficiently uniformly irradiate illumination light to only an area requiring illumination. Therefore, a reflection face is constructed by reflection stripes such as many grooves, etc. widened in a concentric circle shape. Light from a light source unit is widened toward this entire reflection face without irregularities by a diffusing portion such as a reflection prism, etc. Thus, only the range actually requiring the illumination can be illuminated without irregularities, and visibility of the illumination range using a front light is raised.

A front light includes: a light source, a light guide plate, and a plurality of prism-shaped lenses, each being in contact with a lower surface of the light guide plate. A cross-section of each of the prism-shaped lenses, in a plane perpendicular to the side surfaces thereof, has a shape of equally-sided trapezoid. An obtuse angle Φout of the equally-sided trapezoidal cross-section and a critical angle θc for the total reflection of the prism-shaped lenses satisfy the relationship of 90°<Φ out≦90°+θc. When the light emitted from the light source enters the prism-shaped lens, the light is allowed to be reflected at a side surface defined by side-edges of the trapezoidal cross-section and thereafter exit through a lower surface. Thus, the light can illuminate pixel electrodes in a liquid crystal panel from a direction normal thereto.

A vehicle lamp including a projector headlight using an LED light source for a low beam can include a shade, an LED light source, an ellipsoidal reflector and a projector lens. Both a focus of the projector lens and a top edge of the shade can be located near a second focus of the reflector. The LED light source can be located near a first focus located below the second focus of the reflector. Therefore, light emitted from the LED light source can be effectively gathered near the focus of the projector lens via the reflector and can be projected via the projector lens with high light use-efficiency. The projector lens can include light dispersing portions or structures on an upside and downside thereof for reducing chromatic aberration. Thus, the lamp can project a favorable light distribution that can conform to light distribution standards for vehicle headlights and the like.

A character screen information generating unit (34) has a function also serving as a spotlight information generating unit and outputs spotlight information for brightness toward a brightness information converting unit (30). The brightness information converting unit (30) uses this spotlight information for brightness to convert brightness information. A shading computation unit (24) uses the converted brightness information and color information of an object to determine color information to be displayed on a display at each pixel. A depth cueing computation unit (26) uses depth information to make a depth cueing computation relative to the determined color information. Thus, a pattern such as headlight can be displayed in the form of spotlight. Further, such a spotlight display can reflect by the depth information. There may further be provided a depth information converting unit for converting the depth information by the use of spotlight information for depth.

A lamp, an optical module, a vehicle headlight, and a method for controlling a color tone of the same can be configured to ensure visibility of the surroundings of a vehicle on a wet road in rainy weather, in dense fog, and on a snowpacked road, for example. The lamp can include a first LED chip which emits blue light, a second LED chip which emits light with a different color from blue. A wavelength conversion layer can be provided in front of light emitting areas of the first and second LED chips in an emitting direction, and can include a wavelength conversion material. A driving control unit can be configured to drive and control the first and second LED chips. The optical module can be configured to include the lamp along with optical components, such as a reflector. A vehicle headlight can include a plurality of optical modules. The control unit can be configured to control the ratio of light from the first and second LED chips, thereby obtaining light of a desired color.

Some embodiments provide luminance-preserving non-imaging backlights that comprise a luminous source emitting light, an input port that receives the light, an injector and a beam-expanding ejector. The injector includes the input port and a larger output port with a profile that expands away from the input port acting via total internal reflection to keep x-y angular width of the source image inversely proportional to its luminance. The injector is defined by a surface of revolution with an axis on the source and a swept profile that is a first portion of an upper half of a CPC tilted by its acceptance angle. The beam-expanding ejector comprising a planar waveguide optically coupled to the output port of the injector. The ejector includes a smooth upper surface, and a reflective lower surface comprising microstructured facets that refract upwardly reflected light into a collimated direction common to the facets.

A light module of a motor vehicle generates a spot distribution of a high-beam-light distribution formed by superimposition of the spot distribution and a base distribution generated by at least one other module. The light module comprises a plurality of separately controllable sub-modules that generate a plurality of stripe-shaped segments of the spot distribution that supplement it. Also, a headlight generates the high-beam-light distribution and comprises the light module. Furthermore, a headlight system comprises a pair of the headlights disposed in a front region toward sides of the vehicle and each of which generates the high-beam-light distribution. The headlights include corresponding light modules that generate stripe-shaped segments of left and right sides, respectively, of the spot distribution such that the stripe-shaped segments of the light modules of the headlights supplement the spot distribution or are at least partially superimposed thereon.

A light emitting device of the present invention includes: a laser diode group which generates a plurality of laser beams; a cylindrical light emitting element which emits incoherent light in response to the plurality of laser beams; and a light guide irradiation section which (i) guides the plurality of laser beams entered via a light incidence plane toward a light irradiation plane and (ii) irradiates the light irradiation area of the cylindrical light emitting element with the plurality of laser beams thus guided. The light irradiation plane of the light guide irradiation section has an area which is smaller than that of the light incidence plane.

A light source module for generating light, including a semiconductor light-emitting element, nano-particles having a diameter smaller than half the wavelength of light generated by the light source module, a fluorescent substance for generating visible light in accordance with light generated by the semiconductor light-emitting element, and a binder formed stratiformly for covering a light-emitting surface of the semiconductor light-emitting element to hold the nano-particles and the fluorescent substance, wherein the refractive index of the nano-particles is higher than the refractive index of the binder.

The present invention relates to an LED module for automobile headlights. The LED module comprises a water proof structure together with a heat radiating structure in order to prevent the permeation of external moisture while efficiently radiating heat to the outside. The LED module may be combined with a lamp housing and a radiator to constitute an automobile headlight.

An illumination unit for vehicle headlights may include a light-emitting diode device, a housing and an assembly board on which components of an operating circuit for operating the light-emitting diode device are arranged, wherein the housing and the assembly board define an interior space, wherein the assembly board has at least one electrically conductive inner layer that is connected to a ground reference potential of the operating circuit and on its surface the assembly board has at least one electrical contact surface which is contacted with at least one electrically conductive inner layer, and the housing has an electromagnetic shielding structure configured to provide electromagnetic shielding of the interior space, wherein the electromagnetic shielding structure is connected to the at least one electrical contact surface.

The invention described herein represents a significant improvement in the art of headlights for vehicles. A first element is provided as a means for sensing the presence and location of other motor vehicles, said means for sensing connected to processing and light controlling circuitry such that the electrical current supplied to each element in an array of elements is individually controlled. The result is a headlight system which produces high beams in areas where no vehicle is present and concurrently produces low beams in areas where vehicles are present. In a first embodiment, individual light elements in array are individually controlled with regard to intensity to provide dim beam areas and high beam areas concurrently. In a second embodiment, individual electro-chromatic elements in array are individually controlled so as to provide a means to create dim beam areas and high beam areas concurrently. In a third embodiment, variable refractive segments in array are individually controlled to redirect beam portions such that high beam and dim beam areas are created concurrently. All embodiments maximize the areas receiving high beams for the benefit of the equipped vehicle driver while concurrently all areas with other drivers present receive low beams so as to minimize the glare for to betterment of other drivers.

The present invention is concerned with a lighting module for a vehicle headlight for giving a light beam of the cut-off type, particularly one which is adapted to use with light-emitting diodes. The module has a second reflector having a substantially elliptical surface for reflecting light rays and at least one light source arranged close to the first focus of the first reflector. The module also includes a second reflector for producing the cut-off or dipped output beam, the focus of this reflector being arranged close to the second focus of the first reflector. The module further includes a third reflector or bender, having a reflective top face and being situated between the first and second reflectors. This third reflector has a cut-off edge arranged close to the second focus of the first reflector, whereby to form the cut-off within the light beam. The light source is a light-emitting diode.

A color liquid crystal display device includes a transflective liquid crystal display panel, a frontlight arranged on a surface of the liquid crystal display panel, the frontlight including a front-side light source for emitting light having three primary colors, a backlight arranged on a back side of the liquid crystal display panel, the backlight including a back-side light source for emitting light having three primary colors, a controller for controlling the front-side light source and the back-side light source such that light emitted from the front-side light source and the back-side light source is irradiated onto the liquid crystal display panel as alternating light, and a control circuit for controlling display of the liquid crystal display panel in synchronization with the alternating light.

The present invention relates to a head mounted display that is constructed such that stereoscopic images can be seen on a liquid crystal display screen disposed adjacent to two human eyes. The present invention provides an optical system for a head mounted display, comprising a light source; a light guide panel which has a side portion, a top portion and a bottom portion, which receives light rays emitted from the light source through the side portion, reflects the light rays substantially perpendicular to a direction of the light rays, and emits the light rays toward the top portion, and which emits most of the light rays incident on the top portion through the bottom portion; a frontlight liquid crystal display screen which is disposed to face the top portion of the light guide panel and on which images are displayed by reflecting the light rays emitted from the top portion of the light guide panel and causing the light rays to be incident on the top portion of the light guide panel; and a free-form-surface prism disposed in front of the bottom portion of the light guide panel for magnifying the images on the liquid crystal display screen by reflecting and focusing the light rays which are reflected from the frontlight liquid crystal display screen and emitted toward the bottom portion of the light guide panel. According to the an optical system for a head mounted display of the present invention, there is an advantage in that its production costs can be reduced, since the optical system for the head mounted display of the present invention employs the frontlight liquid crystal display screen which is inexpensive and has a high pixel density. Further, there is another advantage in that the use efficiency of the light source can be enhanced, since the optical system of the present invention includes the inexpensive light emitting diode and the light guide panel for reflecting the light rays emitted from the light emitting diode and focusing the light rays within a range of the predetermined angles.

A front light of the invention has a light guide plate, an intermediate light guide disposed along the side end surface, and a light emitting device disposed on an end surface thereof. The pitch between grooves having a wedge shape in cross section formed on a backside of the light guide on the opposite side of the light guide plate is formed so as to be linearly varied with respect to the distance from an end surface disposed with the light emitting device to the groove. The depth of the groove is formed more deeply as the grooves are positioned more apart from the end surface. In the distribution of the depth of the groove with respect to the distance from the end surface to the groove, there are a first area where the depth of the groove is linearly increased with respect to the distance from the end surface disposed with the light emitting device to the groove, and a second area formed apart from the light emitting device more than the first area in which the increasing rate of the depth of the groove with respect to the distance from the end surface is greater than that in the first area.

A multi-layered arrangement according to the invention provide emission of polarized light. At least one of the interfacing surfaces between the layers is provided with a microstructure. In one embodiment, a first layer in the form of a lightguide substrate (401) receives unpolarized light from a lamp (420). A birefringent second layer (402) is provided with a microstructure (410) in the form of parallel grooves. On top of the birefringent layer a third layer (403), i.e. a coating layer, is located. Light is outcoupled by way of selective Total Internal Reflection, TIR, at the micro-structured surface of the birefringent layer, yielding a highly linearly polarized emission at near normal angles. The polarized light may be emitted out through the coating or in an opposite direction through the lightguide, which in an advantageous manner allow any configuration of transmissive (backlight), transflective (backlight) or reflective (frontlight) display arrangement.

A reflective or transmissive hologram may be used to extract light from a waveguide. The hologram may be formed by separately exposing each of a plurality of areas of a holographic medium with object beams and / or reference beams having attributes (e.g., illumination angles) that vary randomly or pseudorandomly over the entire hologram. The areas may be contiguous (e.g., in a tiled pattern) or overlapping. In some embodiments, the spacing and / or orientation of the diffraction gratings may vary from area to area. For example, the spacing and / or orientation of the diffraction gratings may vary randomly or pseudorandomly from area to area. Some parts of the hologram may intentionally be made relatively more or relatively less efficient at extracting light from the waveguide.

A road surface reflection detecting apparatus includes a road recognition unit for recognizing a road in a picture taken by a camera of a road existing in front of a vehicle. A road surface reflection detection unit extracts a picture from the road recognized by the road recognition unit and determines the degree of reflection of light from the surface of the road based on the picture extracted from the road. The picture includes the reflection of light beam radiated from vehicle headlights. If the reflection is determined to be high, the direction or intensity of the light beam from the vehicle headlights is regulated.

A method and system for fabricating a light guide is disclosed. The method and system comprise providing a light guide element which includes a plurality of scattering elements located therein and adjusting at least a portion of the scattering elements to maintain their optical scattering character. The present invention provides a system and method for fabricating a front light technology that is inexpensive and can compete on a cost basis with LCD backlight technologies while maintaining reasonable performance.

In a liquid crystal display, a pixel driving circuit 16 alternately displays a first image and a second image on a liquid crystal panel 11. A front light 12 lights up while the first image is displayed on the liquid crystal panel by the pixel driving circuit 16, and another front light 13 lights up while the second image is displayed on the liquid crystal panel by the pixel driving circuit 16. As a result, the liquid crystal display enables a viewer B to look at the second image different from the first image which it provides for a viewer A.

A compact and light weight front light, a reflective liquid crystal display device, and a personal digital assistant providing an image display of uniform brightness with high efficiency are provided. The front light includes a main optical guide plate and a second optical guide plate. The second optical guide plate is arranged at an end of the main optical guide plate along the widthwise direction, and, on an end surface opposite an end surface facing the main optical guide plate, grooves forming prisms are aligned along the longitudinal direction, extending in the depth direction. The front light further includes a point light source arranged at an end, in the longitudinal direction, of the second optical guide plate, and a reflective film covering the surfaces of the grooves.

An optical code reading system and method are provided for reading optical codes imprinted or displayed on, or behind, reflective surfaces. The system includes an extended light source, including one of a backlight assembly and a frontlight assembly, emitting an extended-beam light for directly illuminating an optical code, at least one image sensor for sensing light reflected by the optical code and generating signals related to at least one image of the optical code, and at least one processor for processing at least a portion of the signals, generating a decodable image corresponding to the signals, and decoding at least a portion of the decodable image.

The present invention relates to a head mounted display that is constructed such that stereoscopic images can be seen on a liquid crystal display screen disposed adjacent to eyes. The present invention provides an optical system for a head mounted display, comprising a light source; an illuminating prism for controlling an optical path of light rays from the light source by reflecting and refracting the light rays; a polarizer for polarizing the light rays emitted from the illuminating prism; a polarization beam splitter for reflecting the polarized light rays emitted from the polarizer; a frontlight liquid crystal display screen on which images are displayed by means of the light rays reflected by the polarization beam splitter; and a free-form-surface prism disposed in front of the polarization beam splitter for magnifying the images on the liquid crystal display screen by reflecting and converging the light rays emitted from the liquid crystal display screen. According to the present invention, since the optical system for the head mounted display employs the frontlight liquid crystal display screen which is inexpensive and has a high pixel density, there is an advantage in that its production costs can be reduced. Further, the optical system includes the inexpensive light emitting diode, and the illuminating prism and the plurality of sheets for diffusing and focusing the light rays emitted from the light emitting diode, so that the use efficiency of the light source can be enhanced.

A reflective display includes a reflective spatial light modulator and a frontlight. The frontlight includes a lightguide formed from a film. The lightguide includes an array of coupling lightguides continuous with a lightguide region of the lightguide. One or more light sources emit light into the array of coupling lightguides. Light from each coupling lightguide combines and totally internally reflects within the lightguide region. Light extraction features frustrate totally internally reflect light within the lightguide region such that the light exits the lightguide toward the reflective spatial light modulator in a light emitting region of the film. A cladding region is optically coupled to the lightguide so light from the light source propagates into the cladding region. A light extracting region is operatively coupled to the cladding region opposite the lightguide, and light in the cladding region is extracted. A method of producing a display is also disclosed.

The vehicular headlight apparatus includes a control means configured to change a light illumination area following a position of a detected target object until a shift angle between a reference direction and a direction to the target object with respect to a headlight is calculated to exceed a maximum limit shift angle, and configured to, when a vehicle speed is detected to exceed a predetermined threshold value, set the maximum limit shift angle to a small deflection angle, and change the present light illumination area to a low-beam light illumination area covered by the headlight in a low-beam state if the shift angle is calculated to exceed the maximum limit shift angle set to the small deflection angle.

A headlight for a vehicle has a lens, a mounting frame, an LED on an LED board. The LED board is mounted on a heat sink. The heat sink has a first adjustment slot and a second adjustment slot. Each of the slots is dimensioned and disposed to closely cooperate with an eccenter adjustment device mounted on one of the LED module or an LED module carrier, said eccenters being adjustable on a fulcrum such that adjustment of one of the eccenters adjusts one of a first position or a second position of the LED module within a plane normal to an optical axis of a lens mounted in a fixed position relative to the LED module carrier.

The present invention relates to a front light system which can be built with thin film light emitting diodes (LEDs), such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) or electro-luminescent light emitting diodes. The front light system may be built on a thin and flexible substrate and can generate lighting of satisfactory uniformity and with high efficiency. The system also can potentially be inexpensive. The front light system of the present invention is particularly suitable for keymat applications wherein a flexible reflective display on top of a touch sensitive surface or device, is used as an output device.