Abstract: The exemplary embodiments herein provide an airguide backlight assembly having an anterior element, a reflective pan positioned posterior to the anterior element, and a light source positioned to direct light towards the reflective pan. A lens element may be placed in front of each light source. The reflective pan preferably contains a slope or curve so that light emitted from the light sources can be reflected and/or refracted to distribute the light uniformly to the anterior element. In some embodiments, blinders may be positioned between the light sources and the anterior element as well as between the light sources and the reflective pan.

Abstract: A system and method for altering the characteristics of a display based on environmental data is disclosed. Exemplary embodiments provide a light sensor, an environmental processing unit which is adapted to receive electrical signals from the light sensor and generate an environmentally-reactive control signal (Sa), an image signal processor which accepts Sa and an encoded image signal (Se) and generates a pre-decoding image signal (Sp), and an image signal decoder which accepts Sp and generates a decoded image signal for the display. The environmentally-reactive control signal (Sa) may contain the instantaneous value of the desired display black level Sb. Alternatively or additionally, the environmentally-reactive control signal (Sa) may contain a signal linearity modification value.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide a lighting system for a transparent LCD having opposing vertical edges, the system having a mullion lighting assembly positioned adjacent to each vertical edge of the transparent LCD, each mullion lighting assembly having sidewalls defining a center channel. A plurality of LEDs are positioned along the sidewall of each mullion assembly and on a side of the sidewall that opposes the center channel. The LEDs are preferably placed in conductive thermal communication with the sidewall and preferably have a quantum dot film positioned over each LED. A fan is preferably positioned to draw cooling air through the center channel.

Abstract: Preferred embodiments utilize a plurality of optical channels to effectively aim the light emitted by a liquid crystal display (LCD). Embodiments may also change the nominal and range of viewing angles of light in two or three dimensions in order to confine the emitted light towards the intended observer.

Abstract: Preferred embodiments utilize a plurality of optical channels to effectively aim the light emitted by a liquid crystal display (LCD). Embodiments may also change the nominal and range of viewing angles of light in two or three dimensions in order to confine the emitted light towards the intended observer.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide a lighting system for a transparent LCD having opposing vertical edges, the system having a mullion lighting assembly positioned adjacent to each vertical edge of the transparent LCD, each mullion lighting assembly having sidewalls defining a center channel. A plurality of LEDs are positioned along the sidewall of each mullion assembly and on a side of the sidewall that opposes the center channel. The LEDs are preferably placed in conductive thermal communication with the sidewall. A fan is positioned to draw cooling air through the center channel. A lens may be positioned adjacent to the LEDs to collimate the light. Louvers may be used to direct the emitted light away from the LCD, so as to reflect off the goods within a display case or the cavity within the display case. Some embodiments may use a flange to direct the emitted light away from the LCD.

Abstract: Preferred embodiments utilize a plurality of optical channels to effectively aim the light emitted by a liquid crystal display (LCD). Embodiments may also change the nominal and range of viewing angles of light in two or three dimensions in order to confine the emitted light towards the intended observer.

Abstract: An assembly for diffusing a plurality of light sources. A diffusing device is placed adjacent to the plurality of light sources and preferably contains a plurality of shaped reflectors placed on the diffusing device where a shaped reflector is positioned adjacent to each light source. The shaped reflectors are placed in a one-to-one relationship with the light sources, which can be LED or fluorescent or any other type of light source. The reflectors may be single-tone, multi-tone, or gradient-tone and generally have a higher amount of reflectivity near the central axis of the light source and a lower reflectivity away from the central axis of the light source. The shaped reflectors may be used in both direct-lit and edge-lit orientations.

Abstract: A light emitting diode (LED), method for optimizing an LED having characteristics which are tailored for a liquid crystal color filter set, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) using the LED are disclosed. The spectral response of the LED is optimized to provide the preferred optical properties when its light is transmitted through the color filter set and liquid crystal stack. Embodiments provide a diode chip which intrinsically emits light with wavelengths primarily within the blue visible spectrum (‘blue chip’). Surrounding the chip would be a first layer of phosphor that emits light with wavelengths primarily within the yellow-green region of the visible spectrum via phosphorescence with the blue light which is emitted from the diode chip (‘yellow-green phosphor’). There would also preferably be a second layer of phosphor that emits light with wavelengths primarily within the red region of the visible spectrum via phosphorescence with the blue light which is emitted from the diode chip (‘red phosphor’).

Abstract: Preferred embodiments utilize a plurality of optical channels to effectively aim the light emitted by a liquid crystal display (LCD). Embodiments may also change the nominal and range of viewing angles of light in two or three dimensions in order to confine the emitted light towards the intended observer.

Abstract: An optical cross connect, especially a wavelength cross connect, using free-space optics, a diffraction grating, and a micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) array of movable mirrors. A concentrator receives light from widely separated optical fibers and brings the beams together into a more closely spaced linear array. Free-space optics process all the beams. Front-end optics collimate the beams from the fibers and flatten their fields. The diffraction grating spectrally separates each beam into sub-beams. A long-focus lens focuses the sub-beams onto the 2-dimensional MEMS array. A fold mirror reflectively couples two such mirrors, whereby the switched signals propagate back through the same optics and are spectrally recombined onto the fibers. Other embodiments include white-color cross connects, multiple MEMS arrays, and parallel optics. Power dividers or wavelength interleavers can divide signals from the fibers, and multiple cross connects switch different wavelength groups.

Abstract: An optical cross connect, especially a wavelength cross connect, using free-space optics, a diffraction grating, and a micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) array of movable mirrors. A concentrator receives light from widely separated optical fibers and brings the beams together into a more closely spaced linear array. Free-space optics process all the beams. Front-end optics collimate the beams from the fibers and flatten their fields. The diffraction grating spectrally separates each beam into sub-beams. A long-focus lens focuses the sub-beams onto the 2-dimensional MEMS array. A fold mirror reflectively couples two such mirrors, whereby the switched signals propagate back through the same optics and are spectrally recombined onto the fibers. Other embodiments include white-color cross connects, multiple MEMS arrays, and parallel optics. Power dividers or wavelength interleavers can divide signals from the fibers, and multiple cross connects switch different wavelength groups.

Abstract: An optical cross connect, especially a wavelength cross connect, using free-space optics, a diffraction grating, and a micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) array of movable mirrors. A concentrator receives light from widely separated optical fibers and brings the beams together into a more closely spaced linear array. Free-space optics process all the beams. Front-end optics collimate the beams from the fibers and flatten their fields. The diffraction grating spectrally separates each beam into sub-beams. A long-focus lens focuses the sub-beams onto the 2-dimensional MEMS array. A fold mirror reflectively couples two such mirrors, whereby the switched signals propagate back through the same optics and are spectrally recombined onto the fibers. Other embodiments include white-color cross connects, multiple MEMS arrays, and parallel optics. Power dividers or wavelength interleavers can divide signals from the fibers, and multiple cross connects switch different wavelength groups.

Abstract: An electronically agile multi-beam optical transceiver has a first crossbar switch, that switches input signals to selected ones of a spatial array of light emitters. The light emitters supply modulated light beams to spatial locations of a telecentric lens, which geometrically transforms the beams along different divergence paths, in accordance with displacements from the lens axis of the light emitter elements within the spatial array. Light beams from remote sites incident on a divergence face of the telecentric lens are deflected to a photodetector array, outputs of which are coupled to a second crossbar switch. An auxiliary photodetector array monitors optical beams from one or more sites whose spatial locations are known, and supplies spatial error correction signals for real-time pointing and tracking and atmospheric correction.

Abstract: An optical cross connect, especially a wavelength cross connect, using free-space optics, a diffraction grating, and a micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) array of movable mirrors. A concentrator receives light from widely separated optical fibers and brings the beams together into a more closely spaced linear array. Free-space optics process all the beams. Front-end optics collimate the beams from the fibers and flatten their fields. The diffraction grating spectrally separates each beam into sub-beams. A long-focus lens focuses the sub-beams onto the 2-dimensional MEMS array. A fold mirror reflectively couples two such mirrors, whereby the switched signals propagate back through the same optics and are spectrally recombined onto the fibers. Other embodiments include white-color cross connects, multiple MEMS arrays, and parallel optics. Power dividers or wavelength interleavers can divide signals from the fibers, and multiple cross connects switch different wavelength groups.

Abstract: An electronically agile multi-beam optical transceiver has a first crossbar switch, that switches input signals to selected ones of a spatial array of light emitters. The light emitters supply modulated light beams to spatial locations of a telecentric lens, which geometrically transforms the beams along different divergence paths, in accordance with displacements from the lens axis of the light emitter elements within the spatial array. Light beams from remote sites incident on a divergence face of the telecentric lens are deflected to a photodetector array, outputs of which are coupled to a second crossbar switch. An auxiliary photodetector array monitors optical beams from one or more sites whose spatial locations are known, and supplies spatial error correction signals for real-time pointing and tracking and atmospheric correction.