US6222971B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Small inlet optical panel and a method of making a small inlet optical panel
Assignee: BOOKHAVEN SCIENCE ASSOCIATES
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Filing: 1999-05-26
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Granted: 2001-04-24
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Expires: 2019-05-26
Abstract
Abstract An optical panel having a small inlet, and a method of making a small inlet optical panel, are disclosed, which optical panel includes a individually coating, stacking, and cutting a first plurality of stacked optical waveguides to form an outlet face body with an outlet face, individually coating, stacking, and cutting a second plurality of stacked optical waveguides to form an inlet face body with an inlet face, and connecting an optical coupling element to the first plurality and to the second plurality, wherein the optical coupling element redirects light along a parallel axis of the inlet face to a parallel axis of the outlet face. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inlet face is disposed obliquely with and askew from the outlet face.
Inventors
- 👤 James T. Veligdan
- 👤 David Slobodin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 11:28
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/04; G02B6/06; G02B6/08; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S385/00; Y10S385/901; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/10; Y10T156/1052; Y10T156/1062
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 44
Claim 1
Independent Claim
186 words
An optical panel, comprising: a first plurality of stacked optical waveguides, each first waveguide having a first end and a second end, wherein said first plurality of waveguides forms an outlet face body, and wherein the plurality of first ends of said first plurality of waveguides form an outlet face; a second plurality of stacked optical waveguides, each second waveguide having a first end and a second end, wherein said second plurality of waveguides forms an inlet face body, and wherein the plurality of second ends of said second plurality of waveguides form an inlet face, the inlet face being smaller in surface area than the outlet face in each of two dimensions; and a light redirection element connected to the plurality of second ends of said first plurality of waveguides and to the plurality of first ends of said second plurality of waveguides, wherein said light redirection element redirects light from along an axis parallel to a plane corresponding to a waveguide within the second plurality of waveguides, to an axis parallel to another plane corresponding to a waveguide within the first plurality of waveguides.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
186 words
An optical panel, comprising: a first plurality of stacked optical waveguides, each first waveguide having a first end and a second end, wherein said first plurality of waveguides forms an outlet face body, and wherein the plurality of first ends of said first plurality of waveguides form an outlet face; a second plurality of stacked optical waveguides, each second waveguide having a first end and a second end, wherein said second plurality of waveguides forms an inlet face body, and wherein the plurality of second ends of said second plurality of waveguides form an inlet face, the inlet face being smaller in surface area than the outlet face in each of two dimensions; and a light redirection element connected to the plurality of second ends of said first plurality of waveguides and to the plurality of first ends of said second plurality of waveguides, wherein said light redirection element redirects light from along an axis parallel to a plane corresponding to a waveguide within the second plurality of waveguides, to an axis parallel to another plane corresponding to a waveguide within the first plurality of waveguides.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein the inlet face is disposed askew from the outlet face.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , further comprising a light generator which generates the light.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The optical panel of claim 3 , wherein a surface area of light generation is immediately adjacent to the inlet face and is equivalent to a surface area of the inlet face.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
The optical panel of claim 3 , wherein the light generator includes: a light source; a light modulator; and a plurality of imaging optics.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
The optical panel of claim 5 , wherein the light source is selected from the group consisting of a bright incandescent bulb, a laser, a plurality of phosphors, at least one LED, at least one OLED, and at least one FED.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The optical panel of claim 5 , wherein the light source and the light modulator are within a projector.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The optical panel of claim 5 , wherein the light from the light source is collimated.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
The optical panel of claim 5 , wherein the modulator is selected from the group consisting of a liquid crystal display, a digital micromirror device, a GLV, a laser raster scanner, a PDLC, an LCOS, a MEMS, and a CRT.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
The optical panel of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of imaging optics includes light folding mirrors and lenses.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
The optical panel of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of imaging optics are optically aligned between the inlet face and the light modulator for focusing the light as required to fit the inlet face.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein each waveguide of said first plurality of waveguides extends horizontally, and said first plurality of waveguides extends vertically, along the outlet face.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein the light is displayed on the outlet face as a video image.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
35 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein each waveguide of said second plurality of waveguides extends horizontally below and substantially perpendicular to a horizontal extension of each waveguide of said first plurality of waveguides.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
15 words
The optical panel of claim 14 , wherein said second plurality of waveguides extends vertically.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
22 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein the light is expanded from the inlet face for display on the outlet face.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
49 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein the outlet face body is a triangular wedge between the outlet face and a back of the outlet face body, and wherein the triangular wedge increases in thickness from a top of the outlet face body to said light redirection element.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
26 words
The optical panel of claim 17 , wherein the triangular wedge shape has an angle in the range of about 5 degrees to about 10 degrees.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
32 words
The display panel of claim 1 , wherein the outlet face body has a height across a vertical of the outlet face, and a width across a horizontal of the outlet face.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
17 words
The optical panel of claim 19 , wherein the width to the height aspect ratio is 4:3.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
42 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein the inlet face body is a triangular wedge between the inlet face and said light redirection element, and wherein the triangular wedge increases in thickness from said light redirection element to the inlet face.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
32 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein the inlet face body has a height across a vertical of the inlet face, and a width across a horizontal of the inlet face.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
17 words
The optical panel of claim 22 , wherein the width to the height aspect ratio is 4:3.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
63 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein the optical panel comprises two triangular wedges, one of said triangular wedges is the outlet face body which increases in thickness from a top to a bottom of the outlet face body, and the other triangular wedge is the inlet face body which increases in thickness from the light redirection element to the inlet face.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
38 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein each waveguide of said first plurality of waveguides and each waveguide of said second plurality are formed of a material selected from the group consisting of polymers, plastics, and glass.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
30 words
The optical panel of claim 25 , wherein the selected material is glass, and wherein the glass has a thickness in the range of about 2 to about 40 microns.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
34 words
The optical panel of claim 26 , wherein each waveguide of said first plurality of waveguides has a first thickness, and wherein each waveguide of said second plurality of waveguides has a second thickness.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
23 words
The optical panel of claim 26 , wherein the glass is selected from a group consisting of BK 7 glass and plastic laminate.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
65 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein each waveguide of said first plurality of waveguides and each waveguide of said second plurality of waveguides includes: at least two cladding layers; a cental core laminated between the cladding layers and having two ends; a receiving end at one end of the central core; and an outlet end at the second end of the central core.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
45 words
The optical panel of claim 29 , wherein the central core has a first index of refraction, and the at least two cladding layers have a second index of refraction, and wherein the second index of refraction is lower than the first index of refraction.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
16 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein said light redirection element is an optical coupler.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
19 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein said light redirection element includes a plurality of fresnel prismatic grooves.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
18 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein said light redirection element is a transmissive right angle film.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
16 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein said light redirection element is a diffractive grating.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
17 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein said light redirection element is a holographic optical element.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
36 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein the inlet face is directly below the outlet face body at the outlet face, and wherein the inlet face extends horizontally along a horizontal of the outlet face.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
44 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein the inlet face is directly below the outlet face body at a side of the panel opposed to the outlet face, and wherein the inlet face extends horizontally parallel to a horizontal of the outlet face.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
121 words
An optical panel, comprising: a plurality of stacked optical waveguides, each waveguide having a first end, which first end has two edges, and a second end, wherein the second end of each waveguide is disposed askew from the first end below one edge of the first end, wherein said plurality of first ends forms an outlet face, wherein said plurality of second ends forms an inlet face smaller in surface area than the outlet face, and wherein light displayed at the outlet face is expanded in two dimensions from the light which enters the inlet face; and a light redirection element optically aligned between the inlet face and outlet face to redirect light entering the inlet face toward the outlet face.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
121 words
An optical panel, comprising: a plurality of stacked optical waveguides, each waveguide having a first end, which first end has two edges, and a second end, wherein the second end of each waveguide is disposed askew from the first end below one edge of the first end, wherein said plurality of first ends forms an outlet face, wherein said plurality of second ends forms an inlet face smaller in surface area than the outlet face, and wherein light displayed at the outlet face is expanded in two dimensions from the light which enters the inlet face; and a light redirection element optically aligned between the inlet face and outlet face to redirect light entering the inlet face toward the outlet face.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
43 words
The optical panel of claim 38 , wherein said light redirection element is disposed at a bottom of the panel and is inclined from the inlet face at a right side of the outlet face, to a left side of the outlet face.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
29 words
The optical panel of claim 39 , wherein said light redirection element comprises a plurality of tilted reflective facets optically aligned between the inlet face and the outlet face.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
21 words
The optical panel of claim 38 , wherein the inlet face is inclined toward the one edge of the outlet face.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
37 words
The optical panel of claim 1 , wherein light traveling within one waveguide of the second plurality of waveguides is redirected by the light redirection element into at least two waveguides of the first plurality of waveguides.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2004-04-23 | 2004-10-23 | 2005-04-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-04-23 | 2008-10-23 | 2009-04-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-04-23 | 2012-10-23 | 2013-04-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |