The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art.
For the sake of convenience of understanding, some key terms and phrases are presented first.
A “plastic material formulation” may comprise homopolymer, thermoplastic, copolymer, polymer blend, thermosetting resin, polymer blend, any one of the above materials containing performance additives, fillers, or fibers, or any other similar types of polymer material formulations.
A “depositing of a reflective metal coating onto the mirror surface of the plastic parts” may be accomplished by vacuum deposition, spin coating, spraying, vacuum metallization, sputtering, or any other similar system capable of depositing the reflective metal coating on the order of several microns.
“Low-cost” may be defined as a favorable cost differential as compared to glass of the same dimensional configuration serving as the spherical mirror.
A “glass counterpart” is defined as a glass spherical mirror of the same dimensional configuration and possesses equivalent functionalities as that of the plastic spherical mirror.
As used herein, the words “may” and “may be” are to be interpreted in an open-ended, non-restrictive manner. At minimum, “may” and “may be” are to be interpreted as definitively including structure or acts recited.
In order to understand this invention, reference is now made to
The embodiment is contained within a housing, generally designated as 11, having a window opening 12 in the front face and an image shelf 13 on a support arm 14 secured to the front lower panel 15. The housing 11 is enclosed by a left panel 16, a top panel 20, two front panels 26 at the top, a lower panel 15, two rear panels 21 and 22, a right panel 23, and a lower step panel 24. Here, only the rear panel 21 appears in
The image shelf 13 is used as a visual reference and as a support for props to enhance the illusion, such as a vase for flowers, which is normally expected to rest upon a support. The image shelf 13 and its support arm 14 are optional, and for many applications their presence is undesired and may be removed. Such an embodiment appears in
In the embodiment shown in
Referring again to
Referring now specifically to
The lower chamber 30 and the upper chamber 31 are separated by a platform 40, including an image transfer opening 41. The platform 40 provides a physical support for an apertured mirror support board 42, which is shown exploded to the rear but is normally located at the rear of the upper chamber 31 and is supported by brackets 43, which are secured to the side walls 16 and 23, respectively. The mirror mounting board 42 has a large central, circular opening 44 dimensioned to receive a concave mirror 45.
The upper chamber 31 also encloses a frame 50 that is used to support a partially reflective-transmissive beamsplitter mirror 51 of
For an understanding of the optics of this invention, which makes possible the aerial image outside of the housing 11, reference is now made to
A viewer standing in front of the aerial-image display system 10, within a horizontal audience angle of approximately 43 degrees, may see an aerial image appearing to be present above the image shelf 13. The viewer looks at the window opening 12 and sees only a dark window 65 without any view of the mirror 45, of any image within the housing or any reflected image of the observer. These are accomplished by the presence in the window 65 of an anti-reflective coating on a glass laminated optical circular-polarizing window 65. A circular-polarizing layer CP window 65 causes any external light entering the housing 10 to be cancelled after reflection by the mirror 45.
Likewise, the observer sees no image of the mirror 45 or other interfering images, while only the floating aerial image is present in front of the housing 11. It is, therefore, submitted that the combination of the image source, the concave mirror, and the circularly-polarized anti-reflection window cooperate to provide the aerial image without any disturbing unwanted images. The circular-polarizing layer CP prevents external ambient illumination from being used by the observer from viewing the internal optical device, including a directing means mirror 45 and a half-silvered mirror 51. Although not mandatory, an anti-reflective coating AR prevents the observer from seeing his image reflected in the window 12.
Because of the confined nature of the housing, cooling air openings 70 in the baseboard 25 are present. An exhaust port 71 and an exhaust fan 72 at the top of chamber 30 are used to extract heat from the interior. In
Referring now to
In this case, no video monitor or any of its components are required. Instead, a bracket 111 and a turntable 112 are rotated by a motor 113, which provides rotation at speeds such as 3 rpms. Any object DO located on a bracket 114 will form an aerial image VI shown above the image shelf 13 as clear and complete as the object itself presents.
In this embodiment, a pair of lamps 115 and 116 appears in
In
Objects to be displayed can be placed on the turntable with the turntable motor inoperative to provide the static aerial image of the display object.
One of the key elements of the optical system of this invention is the mirror 45, which is simple and effective. The mirror 45 is made of glass with precise curvature and a reflective front surface coating to provide an accurate image. The mirror 45 is concave with the focal point at or near the image location VI. The mirror 45 is generally of rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The rectangular shape is defined by the shape available within a housing 11 to make it as large as possible and to provide a large, high-quality image. A highly reflective coating is used because of the inherent loss of light, due to inefficiency of the beamsplitter mirror 51. A spherical shape is preferred, although other concave shapes may be used.
The mounting details of the mirror 45 may be better seen in
The turntable assembly of
Positioned directly below the turntable is a direct drive motor 113. The motor 113 may be of variable speed or single speed. It has been found that the single speed of three revolutions per minute is most effective for displaying objects for close examination and for dramatic effects. The observer is likely to examine objects with a magnifying glass for remarkable realism.
Reference is again made to
As is described above in the background of the invention, this invention may be applied to many fields.
An internal loudspeaker is positioned behind a speaker grill 124 in the form of an array of holes in a case 125. The only departure from conventional clock radios in the appearance is the fact that the normal bezel or cover for the hands is replaced by a window 126. The window 126 is not apparently transparent but presents a dark appearance to the observer within the field of view of this invention.
By incorporating this invention, the clock portion of the clock radio 120 appears as the aerial image VI of a clock face and hands in space in front of the window 126. The aerial image VI will be spaced in front of the window and viewable by observers within the viewing angle of the window 126.
Referring now to
Similar to the beamsplitter 50 of
One or more miniature lamps 140 are mounted on a rear wall 141 directed toward the clock face 133 to illuminate the clock face 133 and hands 134. The circuit board and the components in the base of the case 125 represent the radio 150, and the loud speaker 151 as shown is attached to the front wall of the case 125 behind the grill openings.
Now for a disclosure of another embodiment of this invention, please refer to
Light travels vertically upward where it reflects off of a 45-degree beamsplitter horizontally rearward toward to a concave mirror 130 that is molded as a part of the housing 141 and is metallized. The light, which is focused by and reflects forward from the concave mirror 130, is transmitted through the beamsplitter 131 and through the circular polarizing filter CP via the front window 126 to form the aerial image VI.
Still another embodiment of this invention may be seen in
This display may be any type of video display, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), or such newer displays which become available, such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display.
In
In a previous version, as illustrated in
Where image brightness is an important factor, the embodiment of the invention shown in
In the case of the concave mirror 45b, the light goes vertically upward from the object 60 and is transmitted through the 45-degree beamsplifter 51 upward toward the concave mirror 45b, which reflects it downward to be reflected off the 45-degree beamsplitter forward through the window 12 and the circular polarizing filter to form the floating image (the aerial image) VI. In the previously described designs of
In operation, the retailers remove the rear access door 22, place the displayed object DO on the turntable 113, and replace the door 22. The video camera is pre-focused on the middle of the turntable 113 where the displayed object DO is placed. The video signal from the camera VC goes to the video monitor 61 that displays a large image, which is relayed to the position VI by the same optical device as is used in the embodiments of
In the case where a human illusion is desired, the embodiment of
The video image may come from an internal VCR (shown in
As an alternative, as illustrated in
The light reflected off of the displayed object DO reflects off the underside of the partially reflective and partially transparent beamsplitter 251, and reflects down toward concave mirror 245 which focuses and reflects the light upward at a forward angle through the beamsplitter 251 through a circular polarizing filter 265 and then through the horizontal glass top to form the aerial image VI. The user unlocks and removes an access door 222 and places the product DO on a turntable 212 which is rotated by a motor 213. Switches on the back turn power onto fans (not shown), the lamp(s) 215, and the turntable motor 213. The circular polarizing filter 265 virtually blocks all room illumination, including the observer's own image, from being reflected and visible in the concave mirror 245.
This embodiment is particularly suitable for the display of valuable items that may be damaged by excessive handling or of such value that security is of prime importance. The aerial image produced by this invention is so real that one is tempted to, and usually does, reach out in an attempt to touch it, only to their amazement witness their hand pass completely through the displayed object image.
In the present invention, an aerial-image display system with a plastic mirror is further provided. In the system, a method and a system for manufacturing a low-cost plastic spherical mirror of comparable performance as that of a glass spherical mirror are applied to the system. According to the present invention, a plastic injection molding method is used for manufacturing the plastic parts of a low-cost plastic spherical mirror. The plastic injection molding method is able to yield higher tolerance, improved process control, and higher repeatability. The metal mold for injection molding is able to hold a tight tolerance for a general envelope dimension for a mirror (not the mirror surface). The spherical radius tolerance is also able to be held at a tight tolerance. The aforementioned tolerances are comparable to that of the glass spherical mirrors. A metal mold for injection molding is able to be held to the tight tolerance as that of a glass spherical mirror. A detailed description for producing the plastic spherical mirror is provided hereinafter.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a plastic injection molding process is used for fabricating the plastic parts of a plastic spherical mirror. In the present embodiment of the present invention, the plastic injection molding process is capable of providing a dimensional tolerance of ±0.0001 inch for a parabolic plastic mirror that ranges from a diameter of from about five inches to about 36 inches, in certain embodiments of the present invention. Although the tooling for the plastic injection molding process is relatively expensive, the cost for each plastic parts manufactured is however very low. A plurality of complex geometries is reproducible using the plastic injection molding process according to an embodiment of the present invention and may be limited only by the manufacturability of a metal mold.
Plastic technologies, the available tools and materials have advanced, such that high-quality and low-cost plastic spherical mirrors in accordance with the present invention are now possible by selective combination. Through selecting metal mold tolerances, it is possible that the resulting plastic parts is specified and held in the tens of thousandths of an inch or better by carefully selecting the appropriate materials that are able to emulate the thermal stability and durability of glass. Preferably, the materials endure the type of operating conditions that in the past only glass spherical mirrors could have tolerated.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a metal mold's final finish may be implemented by means of machining and polishing or other similar finishing methods capable of producing an adequate finish quality, such as a superior grade or a grade that is considered as the finest finish available for a plastic parts.
In the embodiment of the present invention, parabolic plastic parts from about five inches to about 40 inches in diameter may be produced using the plastic injection molding process. The procedures of the plastic injection molding process are well known in the art; and therefore, detail description thereof is omitted herein.
In the present embodiment, a metal mold for plastic injection molding process must be machined to provide plus or minus 0.030 inch tolerance, or better, for a general envelope dimension and a spherical radius tolerance of plus or minus 0.05% for the plastic parts (not the mirror surface). The aforementioned tolerances are comparable to the glass spherical mirrors. The metal mold is capable of holding a tolerance of about ±0.0001 inch.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of plastic material formulations 50 may be used for fabricating the plastic spherical mirror in which a plurality of performance criteria are satisfied, such as material strength, thermal stability, water absorption, mold shrinkage, material flow into the mold, UL recognition, manufacturing considerations, surface density, lubricant content, and scratch resistance. In one embodiment, the plastic material, once the molding operation is complete, has 80/50 scratch dig or better.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the plastic material formulations may comprise one of the following: optical-grade polycarbonate, natural-grade polycarbonate, UV-grade polycarbonate, polyetherimide, glass-filled grade polyetherimide, PMMA (acrylic), and other comparable plastic materials having similar performance criteria. The selection of the plastic material formulation may be based on the degree of precision for the mold tooling as well as experimental results from part testing. In one embodiment, the plastic material has optical clarity and is substantially transparent.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a metal layer may be coated over the mirror surface of the trimmed plastic parts by performing a vacuum metallization or a vacuum deposition process or the plastic spherical mirror treated with an evaporated metal vapor. The thickness of the metal deposited on the plastic surface is preferably about four to eight microns. The metallization phase is followed by a spray coating of a protective overcoat on the metalized mirror surface. The protective coating may be a resist material or a plasticized liquid that hardens to a solid film layer upon exposure to room temperature.
The plastic parts that has been vacuum metalized may possess improved quality because of improved quality control of the surface of the plastic material that is being coated by means of the minimizing of the amount of flaws that are on the plastic surface resulting from the molding process. Furthermore, the metallization has excellent adhesion with respect to the mirror surface of the underlying plastic parts. Please refer to
Referring to
a) A plastic parts is designed, such that the mirror surface is supported by a plurality of wall structures for preventing aberration and distortion thereof (S100). The actual number of the wall structures varies according to the size of the mirror and may range from one for small mirrors to three or more for the larger mirrors. One skilled in the pertinent art will appreciate that the number of the wall structures is one of the engineering considerations and varies based on specific specifications.
b) A plurality of injection gates is designed and placed precisely with the intent of ensuring the elimination of remnants or knit lines created by plastic resin flow (S102). The actual number of the injection gates varies according to the size of the mirror and may range from one for small mirrors to one or more for the larger mirrors. One skilled in the pertinent art will appreciate that the number of such injection gates is one of the engineering considerations and varies based on the particular specifications. In one embodiment, at least one injection gate is aligned with each of the wall structures;
c) A preferred physical size of the plastic parts is determined for satisfying a plurality of optical performance requirements and physical design requirements (S104), including 80/50 scratch dig requirements and capability of maintaining the physical dimensions over time.
d) A plurality of support walls is designed and placed in the plastic parts, so that a final design dimension of the plastic parts has rigidity that matches that of a glass mirror (S106).
a) The plastic material formulation is selected and used according to an ability to resist deformation according to a plastic parts quality specification (S108). The plastic material may be an optical-grade plastic, such as those commonly used for cosmetic mirrors or other transparent plastic material.
a) A metal mold is fabricated, including a mold cavity for forming the plastic parts according to the parts design described above, wherein the mirror surface of the metal mold is polished to a superior optical-grade finish (S110). Preferably, the metal mold is made of grade A tool steel;
b) The m mold cavity is heated and/or cooled to form an optimal curvature on the mirror surface of the metal mold (S112).
a) The selected plastic material formulation is heated until a melt thereof is obtained, and a thin layer of a reflective metal coating is deposited onto the mirror surface of the plastic parts (S114).
b) The melt is injected or forced into the mold cavity, and the melt is cooled to obtain the plastic parts of a desired size and shape (S116). It should be understood that the injection process requires monitoring the temperature and flow rate of the melted plastic to maximize flow rate at the same time minimize turbulence.
c) The metal mold is opened to eject the plastic parts (S118).
d) At least one surface is polished and mechanical machined to minimize surface defects (S120).
a) A thin layer of a reflective metal coating is deposited on the mirror surface of the plastic parts to form a metalized mirror surface (S122).
b) A protective overcoat is formed on the metalized mirror surface (S124). The protective overcoat is a resist material or a plastic material that solidifies at room temperature to provide a protective barrier over the mirror prior to assembly. This protective overcoat is intended to be removed once the plastic spherical mirror is mounted in an aerial display unit.
Referring to
a) The plastic parts is designed, such that the frame of the plastic parts is supported by a plurality of ejector pins (e.g. 28 ejector pins) disposed around the edge of the plastic parts for preventing distortion or twisting thereof, wherein the pins are facilitating parts removal from the metal mold without distorting the surface geometry or damaging the mirror surface finish (S200);
b) A plurality of plastic injection gates is designed and placed accurately and evenly with the intent of ensuring the elimination of remnants or knit lines created by plastic resin flow (S202);
c) A preferred physical size of the plastic parts is determined for satisfying a plurality of optical performance requirements and physical design requirements (S204);
d) A plurality of support walls is designed and placed at strategical positions in the plastic parts (S206);
a) Optical-grade polycarbonate, polyetherimide, or PMMA (acrylic) is selected as the plastic material formulation serving as the plastic spherical mirror (S208).
a) A metal mold is fabricated, including a mold cavity for forming the plastic parts according to the part design described above, wherein the mirror surface of the metal mold is fabricated using highly-graded steel to a superior finish (S210).
b) The mold cavity is heated and/or cooled to form an optimal curvature on the mirror surface of the metal mold (S212).
a) The selected plastic material formulation is heated until a melt thereof is obtained (S214).
b) The melt is injected or forced into the mold cavity, and the melt is cooled to obtain the plastic parts of the desired size and shape (S216).
c) The metal mold is opened eject the plastic parts (S218).
a) A thin layer of a reflective metal coating is deposited on the mirror surface of the plastic parts through vacuum metallization or vacuum deposition with a thickness of, preferably, four to eight microns to obtain a metalized mirror surface (S220).
b) A protective overcoat is sprayed on the metalized mirror surface of the plastic parts (S222).
a) Sphericity on the mirror surface of the plastic spherical mirror is held at a tolerance of ±0.05% (S224).
Referring to
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/839,740, filed on Aug. 23, 2006. All disclosure of the U.S. provisional application is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60839740 | Aug 2006 | US |