34261 results about "Light guide" patented technology

A modular illumination system includes light emitting tile modules, each module comprising a light guide substrate, at least one source of illumination optically coupled to a light guiding substrate and interconnection means to connect one light emitting tile module to another light emitting tile module. The interconnection means may include mechanical and/or electrical elements. A plurality of modules may be connected to create an extended continuous extended illuminating system without significant gaps or seams. In one embodiment, the light guiding substrate of one module extends over the source of illumination of an adjacent module. In a further embodiment, the light guiding substrate may be textured to create a patterned area with higher light extraction. In a further embodiment, the source of illumination may be included in a separate electrical member. The illumination sources may include LEDs directed into an edge of the light guiding substrate.

A touch panel using an optical sensor has a simple construction and can accurately detect an input position. An illuminating lights emitted from illuminating means are turned into lights having a high directivity in an X-axis direction and in a Y-axis direction of the prism lens sheet and thereafter enter from side faces of a light guide panel as incident lights. The incident lights advance in the inside of the light guide panel toward opposite side faces while being subjected to a total reflection and are received by the optical sensor arrays. When an input pen or a fingertip touches a surface of the light guide panel, the lights are refracted or absorbed at a touched position and hence, a quantity of received lights at the optical sensor arrays is reduced.

The present invention provides an improved light guide with inherently more flexibility for display system designers and higher optical efficiency. By using a light guide containing substantially aligned non-spherical particles, more efficient control of the light scattering can be achieved. One or more regions containing ellipsoidal particles may be used and the particle sizes may vary between 2 and 100 microns in the smaller dimension. The light scattering regions may be substantially orthogonal in their axis of alignment. Alternatively, one or more asymmetrically scattering films can be used in combination with a backlight light guide and a reflector to produce an efficient backlight system. The light guides may be manufactured by embossing, stamping, or compression molding a light guide in a suitable light guide material containing asymmetric particles substantially aligned in one direction. The light scattering light guide or non-scattering light guide may be used with one or more light sources, collimating films or symmetric or asymmetric scattering films to produce an efficient backlight that can be combined with a liquid crystal display or other transmissive display. By maintaining more control over the scattering, the efficiency of the recycling of light by using reflective polarizers can also be increased.

Light emitted in side surface directions from side-emitting red, green, and blue LEDs which are arranged on an LED array substrate is introduced into a light guide from side surfaces of a groove-shaped recessed portion, and propagates in the light guide. Thus, the three colors are mixed. The light further propagates in the light guide while being reflected at both side end surfaces of the light guide by the function of a reflective sheet and the like. Thus, color mixing progresses. Further, the light is reflected upward by diffuse reflective means provided on the lower surface of the light guide, and emitted as backlight light to the outside through a diffuse sheet.

A monitoring device configured to be attached to the ear of a person includes a base, an earbud housing extending outwardly from the base that is configured to be positioned within an ear of a subject, and a cover surrounding the earbud housing. The base includes a speaker, an optical emitter, and an optical detector. The cover includes light transmissive material that is in optical communication with the optical emitter and the optical detector and serves as a light guide to deliver light from the optical emitter into the ear canal of the subject wearing the device at one or more predetermined locations and to collect light external to the earbud housing and deliver the collected light to the optical detector.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a light guide of a variety of forms having a uniform distribution of brightness in the plane and a planer light source device for a liquid crystal display device which uses such light guide. The light guide comprises a first surface which is a surface to which a natural polarization light is incident and a second surface other than the first surface which is an exit surface of a specific polarization light into which, said natural polarization light is modulated, wherein;said light guide has an interface of two materials of different indices of refraction oriented at an angle of thetaB+/-alpha degrees relative to the primary propagation direction of said incident light, said thetaB being an angle satisfying Brewster's condition, more than two orientations of said interface exist in a single light guide, and the difference between the indices of refraction of the two materials of different indices of refraction is between 0.001 and 1.0. thetaB is typically about 45 degrees. The light guide comprises a first transparent member having a plurality of upwardly convex right angle isosceles triangles on a first surface thereof and a first index of refraction and a second transparent member having a plurality of downwardly convex right angle isosceles triangles on a second surface thereof and a second index of refraction, and said first surface and said second surface contact each other.

Disclosed is a semiconductor light-emitting element, comprising an n-type-cladding layer; a light guide layer positioned on the n-type cladding layer; a multiple quantum well structure active layer positioned on the light guide layer; a p-type carrier overflow prevention layer positioned on the active layer and having an impurity concentration of 5×10¹⁸ cm⁻³ to not more than 3×10¹⁹ cm⁻³; a p-type light guide layer positioned on the p-type carrier overflow prevention layer and-having an impurity concentration of 1×10¹⁸ cm⁻³ or more and less-than that of the p-type carrier overflow prevention layer; and a p-type cladding layer positioned on the p-type light guide layer and having a band gap narrower than the p-type carrier overflow prevention layer, and a method of manufacturing the same.

There is provided an optical device including a light-transmitting substrate having at least two major surfaces and edges, optical means for coupling light into the substrate by total internal reflection and at least one partially reflecting surface located win the substrate.

A backlight for a display device, such as a liquid crystal display device, includes a light guiding plate having a front and a rear surface. The front and rear surfaces may be parallel to one another, or may instead be non-parallel. To the extent that such surfaces are non-parallel, one surface may be included at a single, or multiple angles with respect to the other surface. The backlight further includes a light source that is coupled to an edge of the light guiding plate by means of an energy conserving coupling section, and which provides light that is conditioned and transmitted through the light guiding plate. Light extractors are disposed on at least one side of the light guiding plate to assist in the transmission and conditioning of the light that is provided to the light guiding plate by the light source.

An edge lit illumination system is directed to providing backlighting utilizing a luminescent impregnated lightguide. The apparatus includes an LED radiation source providing a first radiation and a lightguide optically coupled to the LED radiation source including a luminescent material embedded or coated on an output surface of the lightguide designed to absorb the first radiation, and emit one or more radiations. The illumination system may further include additional optical components such as reflective layers, for directing radiation striking the back surfaces of the light guide back into the lightguide, as well as diffusion layers, UV reflectors, and polarizers.

Disclosed herein is a head mounted display including: an eyeglasses frame-like frame to be mounted onto an observer's head; and two image display devices, each of the image display devices including an image generating device, and light guide means which is mounted to the image generating device, which as a whole is located on the side of the center of an observer's face relative to the image generating device, on which beams emitted from the image generating device are incident, through which the beams are guided, and from which the beams are emitted toward an observer's pupil.

A host vehicle system includes a blind-spot warning system providing an indication to the host vehicle a target vehicle entering a blind-spot. The system includes a vehicle bus receiving various vehicle control signals, magneto-resistive sensors receiving proximity information as a function of magnetic field variations, a smart algorithm controller analyzing bus signals and sensor signals, and various vehicle collision systems such as passive restraints, optical light guides, and audible warnings operating in response to a threat from a target vehicle.

In the following, the essential points are summarized again by means of groups of characteristics which each individually and in combination with one another characterize the invention specifically: 1. Information system for providing information in correlation with light incident on an eye, having a holographic element disposed in front of the eye, and an optical scanning device which detects light incident on the eye by way of the holographic element. 2. Information system according to Point 1, wherein the optical scanning device is at a fixed predetermined angular ratio with respect to the holographic element. 3. Information system according to Point 1 or 2, wherein the optical scanning device detects light which is refracted by the holographic element before it impinges on the eye and does not enter the eye. 4. Information system according to one of the preceding points, wherein the optical scanning device detects light which was first reflected back from the eye and was then refracted by the holographic element. 5. Information system according to one of the preceding points, wherein the holographic element refracts light originating from the field of vision of the eye only at several discrete wavelengths in the visible range before the light impinges on the eye for the detection by the optical scanning device, and refracts light reflected back from the eye only at one discrete wavelength in the infrared range for the detection by the optical scanning device. 6. Information system according to one of the preceding points, wherein the holographic element refracts light originating from the field of vision of the eye at fewer than 20, fewer than 10 or fewer than 5 discrete wavelengths in the visible range either before the light impinges on the eye or after its backscattering as a result of the eye for the detection by the optical scanning device. 7. Information system according to one of the preceding points, wherein the holographic element refracts light originating from the field of vision of the eye at a discrete wavelength in the infrared range either before the light impinges on the eye or after its backscattering as a result of the eye for the detection by the optical scanning device. 8. Information system according to one of the preceding points, wherein the holographic element refracts light reflected back by the eye only at a discrete wavelength in the infrared range for the detection by the optical scanning device. 9. Information system according to one of the preceding points, wherein the holographic element refracts light of one or several discrete wavelengths, at which the optical scanning device has a high sensitivity. 10. Information system according to one of the preceding points, wherein the holographic element refracts light a several discrete wavelengths such that the refracted light is guided to a common point, and the angle of incidence of the light on this point permits a clear optionally also wavelength-independent conclusion on the angle of incidence of the light upon the holographic element. 11. Information system according to one of the preceding points, having an optical projection device which projects light into the eye by way of the holographic element. 12. Information system according to Point 11, wherein the light detected by the optical detection device and the light projected in front of the optical projection device run in the opposite direction through a common light guiding lens system and can be focused such by the optical scanning device or projection device that their respective beams describe the same path from or into the eye. 13. Information system for providing information in correlation with information obtained from an eye, having a holographic element disposed in front of the eye, and an optical projection device which projects light into the eye by way of the holographic element. 14. Information system according to one of Points 11 to 13, wherein the optical projection device projects light only at one or several discrete wavelengths in the visible range and/or at a wavelength in the infrared range. 15. Information system according to one of Points 11 to 14, wherein the holographic element refracts the wavelengths of the projected light. 16. Information system according to one of Points 11-15, wherein the optical projection device is in a fixed predetermined angular ratio with respect to the holographic element. 17. Information system according to Point 16, wherein the holographic element comprises one or more optical flags, whose light reflection characteristics can be used by the information system by means of a photodetector for calibrating a projection angle of the optical projection device and/or a light guiding device. 18. Information system according to Point 17, including Point 12, wherein the information system uses the light reflection characteristics of the optical flags for calibrating a scanning angle of the optical scanning device and/or a light guiding device. 19. Information system according to Point 17, wherein the optical flags are generated in that reflecting elements are imaged during the creating of the holographic element such in the holographic element that they (something is missing) reflect light of one or several wavelengths which, corresponding to the predetermined angular ratio with respect to the optical projection device is incident on the holographic element, back along the path of incidence. 20. Information system according to Point 19, wherein the photodetector device has a splitter mirror which is arranged such in the light beam of the optical projection device that it guides a portion of the light, which impinges on the splitter mirror against the projection direction, in the direction of a photodetector which detects in at least two areas situated concentrically around one another. 21. Information system according to one of the preceding points, wherein the holographic element has light-refracting characteristics at one or several discrete wavelengths, which correspond to a reflection on the concave side of an area constructed according to the curvature of a rotationally symmetrical ellipsoid. 22. Information system according to one of the preceding points, wherein the holographic element has light refracting characteristics at one or several discrete wavelengths, which correspond to a refraction on the concave side of an area constructed according to the curvature of a rotationally symmetrical ellipsoid, which refraction corresponds to a reflection on a respective conical surface which is rotationally symmetrical about the axis of rotation of the ellipsoid and is perpendicular with respect to the ellipsoid at the site of the refraction. 23. Method of providing information in correlation with light incident on an eye, whereby a holographic element is disposed in front of the eye, and an optical scanning device detects the light incident on the eye by means of the holographic element. 24. Method according to Point 23, whereby the optical scanning device is at a fixed predetermined angular ratio with respect to the holographic element. 25. Method according to Point 23 or 24, whereby the optical scanning device detects light which is refracted by the holographic element before impinging on the eye and does not enter the eye. 26. Method according to one of Points 23 to 25, whereby the optical scanning device detects light which was first reflected back from the eye and was then refracted by the holographic element. 27. Method according to one of Points 23 to 26, whereby the holographic element refracts light originating from the field of vision of the eye only at several discrete wavelengths in the visible range before its impinging on the eye for the detection by the optical scanning device and refracts light reflected back from the eye only at a discrete wavelength in the infrared range for the detection by the optical scanning device. 28. Method according to one of Points 23 to 27, whereby the holographic element refracts light originating from the field of vision of the eye at fewer than 20, fewer than 10 or fewer than 5 discrete wavelengths in the visible range either before its impinging on the eye or after its backscattering as a result of the eye for the detection by the optical scanning device. 29. Method according to one of Points 23 to 28, whereby the holographic element refracts light originating from the visual field of the eye at a discrete wavelength in the infrared range either before its impinging on the eye or after its backscattering as a result of the eye for the detection by the optical scanning device. 30. Method according to one of Points 23 to 29, whereby the holographic element refracts light reflected back from the eye only at a discrete wavelength in the infrared range for the detection by the optical scanning device. 31. Method according to one of Points 23 to 30, whereby the holographic element refracts light of one or several discrete wavelengths, at which the optical scanning device has a high sensitivity. 32. Method according to one of Points 23 to 31, whereby the holographic element refracts light at several discrete wavelengths such that the refracted light is guided to a common point, an the angle of incidence of the light onto this point allows a clear, optionally also wavelength-independent conclusion on the angle of incidence of the light upon the holographic element. 33. Method according to one of Points 23 to 32, whereby an optical projection device projects light by way of the holographic element into the eye. 34. Method according to Point 33, whereby the light detected by the optical scanning device and the light projected in front of the optical projection device run in the opposite direction through a common light guiding lens system and can be focused such by the optical scanning device or projection device that their respective beams describe the same path from or into the eye. 35. Method of providing information in correlation with information obtained from an eye, whereby a holographic element is disposed in front of the eye, and an optical projection device projects light by way of the holographic element into the eye. 36. Method according to points 33 to 35, whereby the optical projection device projects light only at one or several discrete wavelengths in the visible range and/or at a wavelength in the infrared range. 37. Method according to one of Points 33 to 36, whereby the holographic element refracts the wavelengths of the projected light. 38. Method according to one of Points 33 to 37, whereby the optical projection device is in a fixed predetermined angular ratio with respect to the holographic element. 39. Method according to Point 38, whereby the holographic element is equipped with one or more optical flags, whose light reflection characteristics can be used by means of a photodetector device for calibrating a projection angle of the optical projection device and/or a light guiding device. 40. Method according to Point 39, including Point 34, whereby the light reflection characteristics of the optical flags are used for calibrating a scanning angle of the optical scanning device and/or a light guiding device. 41. Method according to Point 39, whereby the optical flags are generated in that reflecting elements are imaged during the creating of the holographic element such in the holographic element that they beam light of one or more wavelengths which, corresponding to the predetermined angular ratio with respect to the optical projection device is incident on the holographic element, back along the incidence path. 42. Method according to Point 41, whereby the photodetector device is equipped with a photodetector detecting in at least two areas situated concentrically around one another, and a splitter mirror which is arranged such in the light beam of the optical projection device that it directs a portion of the light impinging on the splitter mirror against the projecting direction, in the direction of the photodetector. 43. Method according to one of Points 23 to 42, whereby the holographic element has light-refracting characteristics at one or several discrete wavelengths which correspond to a reflection on the concave side of an area constructed according to a curvature of a rotationally symmetrical ellipsoid. 44. Method according to one of Points 23 to 43, whereby the holographic element has light-refracting characteristics at one or several discrete wavelengths, which correspond to a refraction on the concave side of an area constructed according to a curvature of a rotationally symmetrical ellipsoid, which refraction corresponds to a reflection on a respective conical surface rotationally symmetrical about the axis of rotation of the ellipsoid, which conical surface is perpendicular with respect to the ellipsoid at the site of the refraction. While the preceding description with respect to the title is limited to embodiments falling under the initially mentioned generic terms “scanning information system” and “projecting information system”, each individual discussed characteristic of their disclosure can also be used in an embodiment of the systems, devices and methods initially identified by reference to their full content. The applications by the same applicant and/or the same inventors mentioned in the present application should be considered to be a correlated invention complex.

A light source arrangement for a battery-powered light source unit of an endoscope comprises a cylindrical housing, a base disposed at one end of the housing, a plurality of LEDs connected to a flexible circuit board supported on the base and a focusing lens. A light guide for directing light emanating from the LEDs. The light guide comprises a reflective surface formed on an inner wall of the housing, a reflector having a concave reflective surface which is disposed at one end of the housing so as to surround the LEDs or a micro-lens array disposed in front of the LEDs with each micro lens aligned with the LED.

A head-mounted display device includes: an image display unit including an image-light generating unit that generates image light representing an image and emits the image light and a light guide unit that guides the emitted image light to the eye of a user, the image display unit being for causing the user to visually recognize a virtual image; and a control unit that includes an operation surface, is connected to the image display unit, and controls image display by the image display unit. When it is assumed that the user shifts the user's attention from the virtual image, the control unit adjusts the luminance of the image-light generating unit or adjusts the image light generated by the image-light generating unit to reduce the visibility of the virtual image.

An optical imaging device of the present invention comprises: a light source device; a light guide and illumination lens, provided in an insertion section that can be inserted into a body cavity, for constituting an illumination light path for guiding an illumination light from the light source device to a subject; an objective lens for receiving return lights from the subject; an image capturing section for acquiring a visible light band image from the return light; an excitation light cut filter and image capturing section for acquiring a fluorescent image from the return lights; and an illumination light filter, provided on the illumination light path, for decreasing light in a band overlapping with the band of light of which image is captured by the image capturing section from the illumination light incident on.

A thin keypad including a top surface layer, a light guide layer, a capacitive sensing layer and a piezo layer provides for touch input, pressure input and haptic feedback.

A set of light guide blocks B L 1~B L 3 provide a tandem arrangement. The light guide block B L 1 is supplied with light from a primary light source L 1. The other primary light sources L 2, L 3 are arranged in recesses formed around distal portions of the light guide blocks B L 1, B L 2, supplying the light guide blocks B L 2, B L 3 with primary light, respectively. Overlap of mutually neighboring light guide blocks gives tang-shaped overlapping portions 17a, 17b, 27a, 27b as well as overlapping bands 17c, 27c, thereby avoiding electrodes at both ends of the primary light sources L 2, L 3 from causing short of brightness. The light guide blocks B L 1~B L 3 may be in the form of unified single guide plate. Primary light sources L 1~L 3 may have a shape such that electrode sections of both ends are curved. A compact surface light source device with a large emission area is provided.