Patents Examined by Robert E Tallman
  • Patent number: 11294148
    Abstract: A method for designing freeform surface imaging system comprises: constructing a series of coaxial spherical systems with different optical power (OP) distributions; tilting all optical elements of each coaxial spherical system by a series of angles to obtain a series of off-axis spherical systems; finding all unobscured off-axis spherical systems; and then specifying a system size or structural constraints, and finding a series of compact unobstructed off-axis spherical systems; constructing a series of freeform surface imaging systems based on the series of compact unobstructed off-axis spherical system, and correcting the OP of entire system; improving an image quality of each freeform surface imaging systems and finding an optimal tilt angle of an image surface; and automatically evaluating an image quality of each freeform surface imaging system based on an evaluation metric, and outputting the freeform surface imaging systems that meet a given requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignees: Tsinghua University, HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jun Zhu, Ben-qi Zhang, Guo-Fan Jin
  • Patent number: 11294106
    Abstract: A unitary optical film stack comprising a light redirecting film assembly; a light diffusion film assembly; and an optical adhesive; wherein the light redirecting film assembly and the light diffusion film assembly are physically coupled non-continuously to minimize optical coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Tri D. Pham, Qingbing Wang, Daniel J. Theis, Encai Hao, Keith R. Bruesewitz
  • Patent number: 11280937
    Abstract: An anti-reflective waveguide assembly comprising a waveguide substrate having a first index of refraction, a plurality of diffractive optical elements disposed upon a first surface of the waveguide and an anti-reflective coating disposed upon a second surface of the waveguide. The anti-reflective coating preferably increases absorption of light through a surface to which it is applied into the waveguide so that at least 97 percent of the light is transmitted. The anti-reflective coating is composed of four layers of material having different indices of refraction that the first index of refraction and an imaginary refractive index less than 1×10?3 but preferably less than 5×10?4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
    Inventors: Christophe Peroz, Kevin Messer
  • Patent number: 11269119
    Abstract: A monolithic double diffractive kinoform doublet and a method for making such optical element is disclosed. In one embodiment, the optical element includes a first lens and a second lens. The first lens has a first refractive index. The first lens also has a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is a continuous, potentially flat surface for optical radiation to enter. The second lens has a second refractive index different from the first refractive index. The second lens has a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is in contact with the second surface of the first lens. The optical element has a peak diffraction efficiency at a first wavelength and at a second wavelength different than the first wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY
    Inventor: Kim W. Larsen
  • Patent number: 11262796
    Abstract: Eyewear is provided including a frame, and a camera connected with the frame, in which the camera is configured to be controlled by a remote controller. The camera may be configured to capture video and/or a photo. The eyewear may include data storage, and the camera may be connected to the data storage. A wristwatch may be configured to act both as a time piece and a controller of the camera. The eyewear may also include a heads-up display and/or a video file player. The eyewear may also include an electro-active lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: e-Vision Smart Optics, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald D. Blum, William Kokonaski, Dwight P. Duston
  • Patent number: 11256005
    Abstract: An apparatus and system for a display screen for use in near-eye display devices. Small light emitting devices are placed behind a plurality of light-directing beads. The light emitting devices and light-directing beads for a display device and system placed in front of a user for near-eye display. This allows a user to experience near-eye display with greater resolution, wider field of view and faster frame rate. Other embodiments are described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Soliddd Corp.
    Inventors: Richard A. Muller, Neal Weinstock
  • Patent number: 11254098
    Abstract: A composite light blocking sheet includes a first surface layer, a second surface layer, an inside substrate layer and a central axis. The first surface layer has a first opening and a first outer surface connected to the first opening. The second surface layer has a second opening and a second outer surface connected to the second opening. The inside substrate layer has a substrate opening and is disposed between the first surface layer and the second surface layer and connects the first surface layer and the second surface layer. The central axis is coaxial with the first opening, the second opening and the substrate opening. More than 95% of the first outer surface has a first gloss being GU1, more than 95% of the second outer surface has a second gloss being GU2, and the first gloss GU1 and the second gloss GU2 satisfy specific conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: LARGAN PRECISION CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Cheng-Feng Lin, Ming-Ta Chou
  • Patent number: 11249234
    Abstract: It would be advantageous to improve polarizer high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance, optical properties, and etchability. Composite polarizer materials can be used to achieve this. A polarizer can comprise polarization structures configured for polarization of light. The polarization structures can include a reflective rib, the reflective rib being a composite of two different elements. The polarization structures can include an absorptive rib, the absorptive rib being a composite of two different elements. The polarizer can include a transparent layer, the transparent layer being a composite of two different elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Moxtek, Inc.
    Inventor: R. Stewart Nielson
  • Patent number: 11249369
    Abstract: An optical phased array includes, in part, N optical signal emitting elements, and N lenses each associated with a different one of the N optical signal emitting elements and positioned to form an image of its associated signal emitting element, where N is an integer greater than 1. The optical signal emitting elements may be a grating coupler, an edge coupler, and the like. At least a number of the lenses may be formed from Silicon. The optical phased array may optionally include one or more concave or convex lens positioned between the signal emitting elements and the N lenses. The optical signal emitting elements may be formed in a silicon dioxide layer formed above a semiconductor substrate and the lenses may be formed from Silicon disposed above the silicon dioxide layer. The optical signal emitting elements may receive an optical signal generated by the same source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Firooz Aflatouni, Seyed Ali Hajimiri
  • Patent number: 11249317
    Abstract: A device for collimating a light radiation field of a light source (L) having a beam characteristic which is different in a first plane (FAC) from that of a second plane (SAC). The device comprises at least one first collimating lens (10) and a second collimating lens (20). The device has an additional optical element (30) in order to collimate the light radiation field in different planes to the first and to the second plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: FISBA AG
    Inventors: Hansruedi Moser, Hans Forrer, Martin Forrer, Michael Huber
  • Patent number: 11241849
    Abstract: The invention provides a reflector (2) comprising a reflector wall (20), the reflector wall (20) comprising a first wall surface (22) and a second wall surface (23) defining said reflector wall (20), the reflector wall (20) comprising a light transmissive material (21), wherein the reflector wall (20) has a first dimension (d1) and a second dimension (d2) defining a first reflector wall area, wherein each wall surface (22,23) comprises a plurality of parallel arranged elongated corrugations (210), wherein the corrugations have corrugation heights (h2) relative to recesses (220) between adjacent corrugations (210) and corrugation widths (w2) defined by the distance between adjacent recesses (220) at the respective wall surfaces (22,23), wherein the corrugations (210) have curved corrugation surfaces (230) between said adjacent recesses (220) having corrugation radii (r2) at the respective wall surfaces (22,23), and wherein over at least part of one of the first dimension (d1) and the second dimension (d2) one
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Erik Paul Boonekamp, Paulus Albertus Van Hal, Rifat Ata Mustafa Hikmet
  • Patent number: 11237310
    Abstract: A display component includes a transflective layer, a reflective layer, and at least one sidewall. The reflective layer is arranged opposing to the transflective layer, and the at least one sidewall is arranged between the reflective layer and the transflective layer. The transflective layer, the reflective layer, and the at least one sidewall are together configured, upon an input of an incident light through the transflective layer, to output a light of a target color out through the transflective layer. One or more of the at least one sidewall comprise at least one light-conversion layer configured to emit a light of the target color upon excitement by a light of a different color shedding thereupon. The display component can be configured to output a red light, a green light, or a blue light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignees: BEIJING BOE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Meili Wang, Xue Dong, Ming Zhu
  • Patent number: 11237375
    Abstract: A system and a method for measuring the focus state of an optical instrument are described. The system and the method provide for forming an image of the exit pupil of the objective of the optical instrument. Where the image of the exit pupil is formed, one or more optical elements are placed, deviating at least part of the rays coming from the exit pupil, so that rays coming from different non-overlapping portions of the pupil follow separate optical paths. The rays coming from the two portions of the pupil are then focused, in order to obtain two bidimensional images. A computer determines the mutual distance between these two bidimensional images as a mutual rigid lateral displacement between the two and, based on this distance, determines the corresponding defocus of the optical instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignees: LABORATORIO EUROPEO DI SPETTROSCOPIE NON LINEARI (LENS), CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE-CNR
    Inventors: Ludovico Silvestri, Marie Caroline Mullenbroich, Leonardo Sacconi, Francesco Saverio Pavone
  • Patent number: 11226436
    Abstract: The system and method for combining two optical assemblies into the same volume, particularly when the field of view of the two assemblies are different, so that the overall volume and size, weight and power (SWaP) for the system is reduced. This also allows both subsystems (e.g., narrow field of view (NFOV) and wide field of view (WFOV) to use a single aperture and the same external protective window, reducing overall cost for a system of co-located dissimilar optical systems in a single aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey L. Jew, Ian B. Murray, Michael J. Shaw
  • Patent number: 11221471
    Abstract: A freeform surface off-axis three-mirror optical system comprises a primary mirror, a secondary mirror, a tertiary mirror, an aperture stop located on the secondary mirror, and an image surface. An incident light beam emitted from an object irradiates and is reflected on the primary mirror to form a first reflected light beam. The first reflected light beam irradiates and is reflected on the secondary mirror to form a second reflected light beam. The second reflected light beam passes through the incident light beam, and then irradiates and is reflected on the tertiary mirror to form a third reflected light beam. The third reflected light beam passes through the incident light beam and does not pass through the secondary mirror, and finally reaches the image surface for imaging. A reflective surface of each of the primary mirror, the secondary mirror, and the tertiary mirror is an xy polynomial freeform surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignees: Tsinghua University, HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ben-qi Zhang, Jun Zhu, Guo-Fan Jin, Shou-Shan Fan
  • Patent number: 11221469
    Abstract: A zooming optical system comprises, in order from an object, a first lens group having positive refractive power, a second lens group having negative refractive power, a third lens group having positive refractive power, a fourth lens group having negative refractive power, and a fifth lens group having positive refractive power. Upon zooming, distances between adjacent lens groups of the first to the fifth lens groups change respectively. The zooming optical system further satisfies the conditional expression 9.6<ft/(?f2)<20.0, where ft denotes a focal length of the zooming optical system in a telephoto end state, and f2 denotes a focal length of the second lens group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoki Ito
  • Patent number: 11215809
    Abstract: A periscope-type zooming camera module which requires no voice-coil unit includes a light steering device, a lens unit, a light sensing assembly, and a zooming assembly. The light steering device changes transmission direction of light. The lens unit is arranged to receive light from the light steering device; and the light sensing assembly is arranged to receive light from the lens unit. The zooming assembly merely requires different levels of voltage to zoom in and out, adjusting focal length of the lens unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: TRIPLE WIN TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Xiao-Mei Ma, Shin-Wen Chen, Long-Fei Zhang, Kun Li
  • Patent number: 11215739
    Abstract: A variable focal length lens apparatus includes a liquid lens apparatus in which the refractive index changes in accordance with an input drive signal, and a refractive power controller that controls refractive power of the lens system. The refractive power controller adjusts the voltage of the drive signal in accordance with effective power that is supplied to the liquid lens apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shiro Igasaki, Nobuo Ooba, Masaki Okayasu, Yuki Kurahashi
  • Patent number: 11215810
    Abstract: An optical assembly (1, 100) is provided, including an optical functional unit (2), a housing (3), which at least partly encloses the optical functional unit (2), and an adjusting device (4), by which a desired position of the optical functional unit (2) relative to an optical axis (16) of the optical assembly (1, 100) is settable. The adjusting device (4) is configured to the effect that the position of the optical functional unit (2) is set by way of an operative connection (5) between an actuation part (9, 10) and a holding part (11, 12, 28, 29) of the adjusting device (4). The operative connection (5) is configured in the region of a closed housing wall (6), and wherein the optical functional unit (2), after the setting of the desired position, is fixable in this position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Schölly Fiberoptic GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Schlenker, Markus Gern
  • Patent number: 11215853
    Abstract: An electric circuit for driving an acousto-optic crystal includes a piezoelectric converter configured to drive the acousto-optic crystal to vibrate mechanically. A signaling cable is configured to conduct a first electrical alternating-current signal and a second electrical signal. The electric circuit further includes a first frequency-separating filter and a second frequency-separating filter, each of the frequency-separating filters having an input, a high-frequency output and a low-frequency output. The input of the first frequency-separating filter and the input of the second frequency-separating filter is connected to the signaling cable, and the high-frequency output of the second frequency-separating filter is connected to the piezoelectric converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: LEICA MICROSYSTEMS CMS GMBH
    Inventors: Bernd Widzgowski, Patric Mrawek