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US 2006/0066939 A1Published application
Light-modulating element, display element, and exposure element
AssigneeFuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
InventorKoichi Kimura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Subjects for the invention are to provide a light-modulating element having an elevated energy efficiency while preventing a decrease in contrast at low cost without using a display technique employing a waveguide or lightguide plate, and to provide a display element capable of producing high-quality display images and an exposure element capable of exposure treatment.
Claims50
A light-modulating element having a flat shape, which comprises:
- a total-reflection optical member having such a property that at least part of planar and diffused incident light introduced into the light-modulating element at a first planar surface of the total-reflection optical member is totally reflected at a total reflection plane provided at a second planar surface of the total-reflection optical member at a side opposite to the incident-light introduction side and the incident light does not substantially go out through a side opposite to the incident-light introduction side;
- wherein the incident light introduced through said first planar surface of said total-reflection optical member travels in the total-reflection optical member without light-guiding by an optical waveguide;
- and,
- a light-coupling element which is disposed on the total reflection plane side of the total-reflection optical member and serves to selectively couple with the incident light and take out the same from the total reflection plane.
1 more element
A light-modulating element having a flat shape, which comprises:
- a total-reflection optical member having such a property that at least part of incident light introduced into the light-modulating element is totally reflected at a total reflection plane provided at a side opposite to the incident-light introduction side and the incident light does not substantially go out through a side opposite to the incident-light introduction side;
- and,
- a light-coupling element which is disposed on the total reflection plane side of the total-reflection optical member and serves to selectively couple with the incident light and take out the same from the total reflection plane,
- wherein the total-reflection optical member has, disposed therein, an optical element which changes a light path, and that at least part of the planar incident light introduced into the total-reflection optical member is introduced into the optical element changing a light path and substantially all the incident light thus introduced is reflected by total reflection at an interface of a layer constituted by the total-reflection optical member.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.