Inventive concepts relate to polarizers and, more particularly, to large format polarizers.
Polarizers may be used for a variety of tasks, including, but not limited to, photo-alignment of liquid crystal panels. Photo-alignment of liquid crystal panels is known and described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,941, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Because photo-alignment is a non-contact process, panels are not damaged as they might be when using mechanical alignment processes. Additionally, debris associated with a mechanical alignment process is neither produced nor deposited by a photo-alignment process. However, conventional polarizers, and systems, such as irradiation systems, that employ them, may require complex beam shaping and correction. An apparatus and method that eliminates or reduces the need for such beam shaping and correction would therefore be highly desirable.
Exemplary embodiments in accordance with principles of inventive concepts include a frame-mounted polarizer that includes: a polarizer; a frame; and a flexible mount coupling the polarizer to the frame.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the flexible mount comprises an expansion mechanism to apply force to at least one side of the polarizer and to thereby secure, or restrict movement of, the polarizer within the frame.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the polarizer is a grating polarizer or wire-grid polarizer.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the polarizer is an ultraviolet polarizer.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, a frame-mounted polarizer includes retention elements to position the polarizer within the frame.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, an expansion mechanism includes a spring in compression configured to apply a force to the polarizer and to thereby hold the polarizer against the frame.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, a frame-mounted polarizer includes a clamp to hold a side of the polarizer opposite the side of the polarizer to which the spring force is applied, and to thereby secure the polarizer within the frame.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, a mosaic polarizer array includes a rigid tray to accept frame-mounted polarizers; a plurality of frame-mounted polarizers affixed to the tray, wherein each frame-mounted polarizer includes: a polarizer; a frame; and a flexible mount coupling the polarizer to the frame.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the flexible mount comprises an expansion mechanism to apply force to at least one side of the polarizer and to thereby secure the polarizer within the frame.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the polarizer is a grating polarizer.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the polarizer is an ultraviolet polarizer.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, a mosaic polarizer array includes retention elements to position the polarizer within the frame.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the expansion mechanism includes a spring in compression configured to apply a force to the polarizer and to thereby hold the polarizer against the frame.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, a mosaic polarizer array includes a clamp to hold a side of the polarizer opposite the side of the polarizer to which the spring force is applied, and to thereby secure the polarizer within the frame.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the frame-mounted polarizers are aligned within the rigid tray.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the rigid tray accommodates a one-dimensional, linear array of frame-mounted polarizers.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the rigid tray accommodates a two-dimensional, rectangular array of frame-mounted polarizers.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, an irradiation device includes a light source; a housing including a reflector; and a mosaic polarizer positioned within the housing, with the light source between itself and the reflector, the mosaic polarizer comprising: a rigid tray to accept frame-mounted polarizers; a plurality of frame-mounted polarizers affixed to and aligned within the tray, wherein each frame-mounted polarizer includes: a polarizer; a frame; and a flexible mount coupling the polarizer to the frame.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the light source is an ultraviolet light source and the polarizers are ultraviolet polarizers.
In an exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the mosaic polarizer includes a one-dimensional linear array of frame-mounted polarizers.
Exemplary embodiments in accordance with principles of inventive concepts will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
a though 1f are schematic illustrations of exemplary embodiments of frame-mounted polarizers in accordance with principles of inventive concepts;
a though 2d(3) are schematic illustrations of mosaic array polarizers, including frame-mounted polarizers in accordance with principles of inventive concepts;
a and 3b are schematic illustrations of exemplary embodiments of irradiation devices in accordance with principles of inventive concepts;
Exemplary embodiments in accordance with principles of inventive concepts will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. Exemplary embodiments in accordance with principles of inventive concepts 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 exemplary embodiments to those of ordinary skill in the art. In the drawings, the thicknesses of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements, and thus their description may not be repeated.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Like numbers indicate like elements throughout. As used herein the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements or layers should be interpreted in a like fashion (for example, “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” “on” versus “directly on”). The word “or” is used in an inclusive sense, unless otherwise indicated.
It will be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of exemplary embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “bottom,” “below,” “lower,” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “atop,” or “above,” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary terms “bottom,” or “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below, top and bottom. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and/or “including,” if used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which exemplary embodiments in accordance with principles of inventive concepts belong. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly-used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Although the terms first, second, third etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element from another. Thus, a first element discussed below could be termed a second element without departing from the teachings of the present inventive concept. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
An exemplary embodiment of a mounted polarizer (also referred to herein as a grating) 100, in accordance with principles of inventive concepts is illustrated in
A large-format mosaic gratings-based polarizer in accordance with principles of inventive concepts may be employed in a large format irradiation device, for example. Because it employs large-acceptance angle ultraviolet polarizers, a large format irradiation device in accordance with principles of inventive concepts may require no beam shaping or correction. As a result, a large format irradiation device in accordance with principles of inventive concepts may be formed, simply, as will be described in greater detail in the discussion related to
a illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a mounted polarizer 100 in accordance with principles of inventive concepts. In accordance with principles of inventive concepts a mounted polarizer may include a wide acceptance angle polarizer positioned in a mount, also referred to herein as a tray, that allows for fine adjustments of the polarizer's orientation without directly contacting the polarizer. In exemplary embodiments in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, the mount includes a retaining device and a compression-fit mechanism, such as a spring-loaded pressure bar, for example, to hold the polarizer in place within the mount. In accordance with principles of inventive concepts, a plurality of mounted polarizers 100 may be combined in a holder, or frame, to form a large-format mosaic polarizer. Each mounted polarizer may be loaded into the frame and aligned within the frame to a predefined angle value θ0 with tolerance of ±0.5 deg., or, in other exemplary embodiments, to within ±0.2 deg., or, in other exemplary embodiments, to within ±0.1 deg, or to within ±0.01 deg, with respect to the frame. θ0 may take any value. By orientation “with respect to the frame,” we mean that the gratings of the polarizer are aligned with respect to reference edge, such as a parallel edge, or orthogonal edge, of the frame. Additionally, in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, polarizers may be aligned with respect to one another to within ±0.5 deg., or, in other exemplary embodiments, to within ±0.2 deg., or, in other exemplary embodiments, to within ±0.1 deg., or to within ±0.01 deg. In accordance with principles of inventive concepts, a plurality of mounted polarizers may be combined and aligned in linear or rectangular formats to yield large-format mosaic polarizer arrays, which may be in excess of a meter in length and/or width. Because the polarizers are mounted and the mounts are placed in rigid frames and aligned, little or no force need be imparted to the polarizers themselves during mounting or alignment. Once aligned, the mounts, and the polarizers which they hold, may be locked in place for operation.
In the exemplary Mounted polarizer 100 includes a polarizer 102, which, in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, may be an ultraviolet polarizer featuring wide acceptance angles, for example. The polarizer 102 is mounted in a frame 104 (also referred to herein as mount 104). End cap 106 retains a compression element (not shown in this view), such as a spring, for applying pressure to, and thereby retaining, polarizer 102. The compression element forces polarizer 102 against the opposite side of frame opening (that is, the side where slab clamps 114 are located). Pushing bar 108 directs force supplied by the compression element to one end of polarizer 102. Pushing bar 108 may include flanges configured to engage with either side of polarizer 102 and the thereby ensure the stability of polarizer 102, once it is mounted in frame 104. Slab clamps 114 retain polarizer 102 at the opposite end. Retention elements 116 restrict movement of polarizer 102 in the transverse direction. Mounting holes 112 and mounting pin 110 are used to align and fix the mounted polarizer 100 in a frame to form a large-format mosaic gratings based polarizer in accordance with principles of inventive concepts. Retention elements 116 may be vertical tabs, for example, that limit lateral shift of polarizer 102 to less than 1 mm, or, in another exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts, to less than 0.5 mm, or to less than 0.2 mm.
The schematic diagram of
The schematic diagram of
The schematic diagram of
The schematic diagram of
Although previous embodiments have employed springs as compression members to retain polarizer 102 within frame 104, other means of retaining plate 102, such as flexures, for example, are contemplated in accordance with principles of inventive concepts.
In the exemplary embodiment of
In the exemplary embodiment of
In the exemplary embodiment of a polarizer array in accordance with principles of inventive concepts of
In the exemplary embodiment of
An exemplary embodiment of a photo-alignment system in accordance with principles of inventive concepts is illustrated in the schematic diagrams of
In the exemplary embodiment of
The schematic diagram of
The flow chart of
From step 402 the process proceeds to step 404, where mechanical components for the array are prepared, for example, by aligning grating based polarizers, arranging top and bottom sides, and long and short axes, of polarizers according to principles of inventive concepts.
From step 404, the process proceeds to step 406, where a polarizer 102 is placed in a frame 104 to produce a frame-mounted polarizer 100. In an exemplary embodiment, the polarizer 102 is placed in a frame 104 in a manner to ensure that an edge of the polarizer 102 makes contact with the tray and the opposite edge is placed in contact with bar 108. The polarizer 102 may be situated to afford little or no contact between the lateral sides (that is, the longer sides) of the polarizer 102 and retainers 116, and with, for example, equal gaps between polarizer 102 and retainers 116 on either side.
From step 406 the process proceeds to step 408, where slab clamps 114 and end cap 106 are secured in position. After this step, the polarizer 102 may be handled without directly touching it. That is, the polarizer itself, 102, is isolated from handling and any external forces are directed to the frame, not the polarizer. As a result, the polarizer will remain aligned, even in the face of mechanical manipulation. The polarizer-mounted tray may then be loaded into a tray, for example, such as the tray 204 described in the discussion related to
From step 408, the process proceeds to step 410 where the polarizer, which has been loaded into a tray and the tray loaded into a frame, is aligned. The alignment process will be described in greater detail in the discussion related to
From step 410, the process proceeds to step 412, where the polarizer-mounted tray is locked down after alignment, for example, by tightening screws passing from 112 in 100 to 104 as described in the discussion related to
From step 412 the process proceeds to step 414, where the next polarizer mounted tray is installed, aligned, and locked down to the frame, as just described. This process of loading, aligning, and locking polarizer-mounted trays repeats until all the trays are installed, aligned, and locked down in the frame, at which point the process proceeds to end in step 416.
An exemplary embodiment of an alignment process in accordance with principles of inventive concepts will be described in the discussion related to
In the exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts of
In the exemplary embodiment of
Referring now to the exemplary embodiment of
In the exemplary embodiment of
In the exemplary embodiment of
In the exemplary embodiment in accordance with principles of inventive concepts of
While inventive concepts have been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of inventive concepts, as defined by the following claims.
This US non-provisional patent application claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application entitled, “Large-Format, Mosaic Gratings-Based Polarizer, Apparatus And Methods Of Making,” having Ser. No. 61/715,667 filed on Oct. 18, 2012, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61715667 | Oct 2012 | US |