Apparatuses and methods for making an object appear transparent

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10161720-B2
Application number	US-201715423149-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2017
Priority date	Dec 12, 2016
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A cloaking device includes object-side and image-side curved cloaking region boundaries with outward facing mirror surfaces and inward facing opaque surfaces. A cloaking region is bounded by the inward facing opaque surfaces of the object-side and image-side curved CR boundaries. An object-side curved reflection boundary with an inward facing mirror surface is positioned proximate to the object-side curved cloaking region boundary and an image-side curved reflection boundary with an inward facing mirror surface is positioned proximate to the image-side curved cloaking region boundary. Light from an object located on the object-side of the cloaking device and obscured by the cloaking region is redirected around the cloaking region by the outward facing mirror surfaces of the object-side and image-side curved cloaking region boundaries and the inward facing mirror surfaces of the object-side and image-side curved reflection boundaries.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cloaking device comprising:
an object-side and an image-side;
an object-side curved cloaking region (CR) boundary having an outward facing mirror surface and an inward facing opaque surface and an image-side curved CR boundary having an outward facing mirror surface and an inward facing opaque surface;
a CR bounded by the inward facing opaque surfaces of the object-side curved CR boundary and the image-side curved CR boundary;
an object-side curved reflection boundary having an inward facing mirror surface;
an image-side curved reflection boundary having an inward facing mirror surface;
wherein light from an object positioned on the object-side of the cloaking device and obscured by the CR is redirected around the CR to form an image of the object on the image-side of the cloaking device such that the light from the object appears to pass through the CR.

2. The cloaking device of claim 1 , wherein the outward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved CR boundary is configured to reflect and focus incident light from the object positioned on the object-side generally to a focal point located between and spaced apart from the outward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved CR boundary and the inward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved reflection boundary.

3. The cloaking device of claim 2 , wherein:
the outward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved CR boundary and the inward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved reflection boundary are parabolic shaped surfaces; and
the inward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved reflection boundary is oriented generally 180° relative to the outward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved CR boundary.

4. The cloaking device of claim 1 , wherein the inward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved reflection boundary is configured to reflect incident light from the outward facing minor surface of the object-side curved CR boundary generally parallel to the inward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved reflection boundary.

5. The cloaking device of claim 4 , wherein:
the inward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved reflection boundary and the inward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved reflection boundary are parabolic shaped surfaces; and
the inward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved reflection boundary is oriented generally 90° relative to the image-side curved reflection boundary.

6. The cloaking device of claim 1 , wherein the inward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved reflection boundary is configured to reflect and focus incident light reflected from the inward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved reflection boundary to a focal point located between and spaced apart from the inward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved reflection boundary and the outward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved CR boundary.

7. The cloaking device of claim 6 , wherein:
the inward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved reflection boundary and the outward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved CR boundary are parabolic shaped surfaces; and
the inward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved reflection boundary is oriented generally 90° relative to the inward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved reflection boundary.

8. The cloaking device of claim 1 , wherein:
the outward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved CR boundary and the outward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved CR boundary are parabolic shaped surfaces; and
the outward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved CR boundary is oriented generally 180° relative to the outward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved CR boundary.

9. The cloaking device of claim 1 , wherein the outward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved CR boundary is configured to reflect defocused incident light from the inward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved reflection boundary to form the image on the image-side of the object positioned proximate to the object-side.

10. The cloaking device of claim 1 , wherein;
the outward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved CR boundary is configured to reflect and focus incident light from the object positioned on the object-side generally to a focal point located between and spaced apart from the outward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved CR boundary and the inward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved reflection boundary;
the inward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved reflection boundary is configured to reflect incident light from the outward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved CR boundary generally parallel to the inward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved reflection boundary;
the inward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved reflection boundary is configured to reflect and focus incident light from the inward facing mirror surface of the object-side curved reflection boundary to another focal point located between and spaced apart from the inward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved reflection boundary and the outer facing mirror surface of the image-side curved CR boundary; and
the outward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved CR boundary is configured to reflect defocused incident light from the inward facing mirror surface of the image-side curved reflection boundary to form the image on the image-side of the object positioned proximate to the object-side.

11. The cloaking device of claim 1 , further comprising an article positioned within the CR, wherein the light from the object located on the object-side of the cloaking device and obscured by the CR is redirected around the CR and the article to form the image of the object on the image-side of the cloaking device and the article appears transparent.

12. The cloaking device of claim 11 , wherein the article is selected from the group consisting of a vehicle A-pillar, a vehicle B-pillar and a vehicle C-pillar.

13. A cloaking device for cloaking an article of a vehicle comprising:
a cloaking assembly comprising:
an object-side and an image-side;
two object-side curved CR boundaries positioned proximate the object-side, each of the two object-side curved CR boundaries comprising an outward facing mirror surface and an inward facing opaque surface;
two object-side curved reflection boundaries positioned proximate the two object-side curved CR boundaries, each of the two object-side curved reflection boundaries comprising an inward facing mirror surface;
two image-side curved CR boundaries positioned proximate the image-side between the object-side and the image-side, each of the two image-side curved CR boundaries comprising an outward facing mirror surface and an inward facing opaque surface;
two image-side curved reflection boundaries positioned proximate the two image-side curved CR boundaries, each of the two image-side curved reflection boundaries comprising an inward facing mirror surface; and
a CR bounded by the inward facing opaque surfaces of the two object-side curved CR boundaries and the two image-side curved CR boundaries;

wherein the outward facing mirror surfaces of the two object-side curved CR boundaries, inward facing mirror surfaces of the two object-side curved reflection boundaries, inward facing mirror surfaces of the two image-side curved reflection boundaries and outward facing mirror surfaces of the two image-side curved CR boundaries are configured to reflect light from an object positioned on the object-side of the cl

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Banerjee Debasish
• Ji Chengang
• Takagi Mayu

Classifications

• B60R2013/0287

  integrating other functions or accessories · CPC title

• B60R13/025

  Pillars; Roof rails · CPC title

• B60R1/007

  specially adapted for covering the lateral blind spot not covered by the usual rear-view mirror · CPC title

• F41H3/00 Primary

  Camouflage, i.e. means or methods for concealment or disguise (for vessels B63G8/34, B63G13/02 {; sound camouflage, i.e. simulating gun fire noise, F41A33/04; dummy or decoy targets F41J; chaff per se F41J2/00; ammunition for dispensing chaff F42B5/15, F42B12/70; radar absorbing fabrics H01Q17/005}) · CPC title

• G02B17/0621

  off-axis or unobscured systems in which not all of the mirrors share a common axis of rotational symmetry, e.g. at least one of the mirrors is warped, tilted or decentered with respect to the other elements · CPC title