Transparent Screen With Inclined Protrusions Reducing Glare
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transparent screens suffer from excessive glare due to high reflection intensity in the front direction, leading to reduced transparency and inability to increase reflection intensity of video light in a specific direction.
Innovation Solution
A transparent screen design featuring a support with inclined protruding portions, a cholesteric liquid crystal layer, and an overcoat layer, where the normal line of the inclined surfaces is parallel to the spiral axis of the cholesteric structure, with refractive index differences of 0.2 or less between layers, and an angle between the overcoat layer and the spiral axis of 5° to 42°, allowing for differential emission angles of reflected light.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a reflective layer is provided on a transparent screen to increase reflection intensity of video light, then the reflection intensity of video light is improved, but the transparency of the screen deteriorates due to light scattering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating protruding portions with inclined surfaces at specific locations on the transparent screen, rather than uniformly treating the entire surface. Each protruding portion has a cholesteric liquid crystal layer formed only on its inclined surface, allowing localized reflection control while maintaining overall transparency. This selective localization enables the screen to reflect video light from specific angles without scattering background light across the entire surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetry through the inclined surfaces of the protruding portions, where the normal line of each inclined surface is parallel to the spiral axis of the cholesteric structure. This asymmetric geometric configuration, combined with the cholesteric liquid crystal's inherent helical structure, creates directional reflection properties that differentiate between video light (reflected) and background light (transmitted), resolving the contradiction between reflection intensity and transparency.
2Illumination intensity
If the spiral axis of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer is aligned to reflect video light in a specific direction, then the reflection intensity in that direction is improved, but the transparency deteriorates due to scattering of background light
Solution Approach 1:
By forming cholesteric liquid crystal layers only on the inclined surfaces of protruding portions rather than across the entire screen surface, the patent achieves localized optical control. This allows video light incident on the protruding portions to be reflected in specific directions while background light passing through other areas remains unaffected, maintaining screen transparency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the reflective function into discrete protruding portions distributed across the screen surface. Each protruding portion acts as an independent reflective element with its own cholesteric liquid crystal layer, allowing controlled reflection of video light while leaving gaps between protruding portions that maintain overall screen transparency and prevent excessive light scattering.
3Ease of operation
If video light is projected from behind the viewer onto the projection screen, then the video light can be displayed, but excessive glare occurs due to high reflection intensity of the light source in the front direction
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric inclined surfaces of the protruding portions, with normal lines parallel to the spiral axes of the cholesteric structures, create directional reflection characteristics. This asymmetry causes video light projected from behind the viewer to be reflected at angles away from the viewer's line of sight, eliminating glare while maintaining video display functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the optical parameters of the screen by introducing protruding portions with specific geometric angles and cholesteric liquid crystal configurations. These parameter changes modify the reflection characteristics to redirect video light away from the front direction, reducing glare intensity while preserving the ability to display video light projected from behind the viewer.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively reduces glare by directing reflected light away from the viewer, increasing reflection intensity of video light in the front direction while maintaining high transparency.
Implementation Method 1
a cholesteric liquid crystal layer that is formed on each of the inclined surfaces of the plurality of protruding portions and formed of a liquid crystal material having a cholesteric structure
Implementation Method 2
light from the front surface side is reflected and light from the back surface side is transmitted
Implementation Method 3
a difference in refractive index between the cholesteric liquid crystal layer and the protruding portion is 0.2 or less, and a difference in refractive index between the cholesteric liquid crystal layer and the overcoat layer is 0.2 or less
Data Source
AI summary
According to the present invention, there is provided a plurality of protruding portions that are formed on one surface of the support and have inclined surfaces parallel to each other; a cholesteric liquid crystal layer that is formed on each of the inclined surfaces of the protruding portions; and an overcoat layer that is laminated on the surface of the support on which the protruding portions are formed so as to cover the cholesteric liquid crystal layer, in which a normal line of each of the inclined surfaces of the protruding portions is parallel to a spiral axis of the cholesteric structure of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer, an angle formed between a normal line of a surface of the overcoat layer and the spiral axis of the cholesteric structure is 5° to 42°, a difference in refractive index between the cholesteric liquid crystal layer and the protruding portion and a difference in refractive index between the cholesteric liquid crystal layer and the overcoat layer are 0.2 or less.