Cloaking devices constructed from polyhedrons and vehicles comprising the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10345605-B2
Application number	US-201715813845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2017
Priority date	Nov 15, 2017
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A cloaking device includes an object-side, an image-side and a cloaked region between the object-side and the image-side. An object-side polyhedron with an entrance side and an exit side parallel to the entrance side is positioned on the object-side and an image-side polyhedron with an entrance side and an exit side parallel to the entrance side is positioned on the image-side. The entrance side of the object-side polyhedron is oriented relative to a reference optical axis extending between the object-side and the image-side at an acute angle α and the exit side of the image-side polyhedron is oriented relative to the reference optical axis at an oblique angle equal to 180°−α. Light from an object positioned on the object-side of the cloaking device is redirected around the cloaked region, without total internal reflection of the light within the object-side polyhedron or the image-side polyhedron.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cloaking device comprising:
an object-side, an image-side, a cloaked region between the object-side and the image-side, and a reference optical axis extending from the object-side to the image-side;
an object-side polyhedron comprising a light entrance side and a light exit side oriented parallel to the light entrance side; and
an image-side polyhedron comprising a light entrance side and a light exit side oriented parallel to the light entrance side;
wherein:
the light entrance side of the object-side polyhedron is oriented relative to the reference optical axis at an acute angle α;
the light exit side of the image-side polyhedron is oriented relative to the reference optical axis at an oblique angle equal to 180°−α;
the light entrance side of the image-side polyhedron is spaced apart from the light exit side of the object-side polyhedron; and
light from an object positioned on the object-side of the cloaking device and obscured by the cloaked region from the image-side is redirected around the cloaked region via propagation of the light through the object-side polyhedron to the image-side polyhedron and through the image-side polyhedron forming 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 cloaked region.

2. The cloaking device of claim 1 , wherein cross-sections along height directions of the object-side polyhedron and the image-side polyhedron comprises two equivalent parallelograms.

3. The cloaking device of claim 1 , wherein the light entrance side of the image-side polyhedron is oriented relative to the light exit side of the object-side polyhedron at an angle equal to 180°-2α.

4. The cloaking device of claim 1 , wherein light from the object positioned on the object-side of the cloaking device is redirected around the cloaked region and forms the image of the object on the image-side of the cloaking device without total internal reflection of the light within the object-side polyhedron and the image-side polyhedron.

5. The cloaking device of claim 1 , wherein light from the object on the object-side propagates to the image-side to form the image via an optical path:
object to light entrance side of the object-side polyhedron;
light entrance side of the object-side polyhedron to light exit side of the object-side polyhedron;
light exit side of the object-side polyhedron to light entrance side of the image-side polyhedron;
light entrance side of the image-side polyhedron to light exit side of the image-side polyhedron; and
light exit side of the image-side polyhedron to image on the image-side.

6. The cloaking device of claim 1 , wherein the object-side polyhedron and the image-side polyhedron are hexahedrons.

7. The cloaking device of claim 1 , wherein the object-side polyhedron and the image-side polyhedron are parallelepipeds.

8. A cloaking device assembly comprising:
an object-side, an image-side, a cloaked region, a cloaked article positioned within the cloaked region, and a reference optical axis extending from the object-side to the image-side;
a first object-side polyhedron positioned on a first side of the reference optical axis and a second object-side polyhedron positioned on a second side of the reference optical axis opposite the first side, the first and second object-side polyhedrons each comprising a light entrance side and a light exit side oriented parallel to the light entrance side; and
a first image-side polyhedron positioned on the first side of the reference optical axis and a second image-side polyhedron positioned on the second side of the reference optical axis opposite the first side, the first and second image-side polyhedrons each comprising a light entrance side and a light exit side oriented parallel to the light entrance side;
wherein:
the light entrance sides of the first and second object-side polyhedrons are oriented relative to the reference optical axis at acute angles α and −α, respectively;
the light exit sides of the first and second image-side polyhedrons are oriented relative to the reference optical axis at oblique angles equal to 180°−α and 180°+α, respectively;
the light entrance sides of the first and second image-side polyhedrons are spaced apart from the light exit sides of the first and second object-side polyhedrons, respectively; and
light from an object positioned on the object-side of the cloaking device assembly and obscured by the cloaked region from the image-side is redirected around the cloaked region via propagation of the light through the first and second object-side polyhedrons to the first and second image-side polyhedrons, respectively, and through the first and second image-side polyhedrons forming an image of the object on the image-side of the cloaking device assembly such that the light from the object appears to pass through the cloaked region.

9. The cloaking device assembly of claim 8 , wherein cross-sections along height directions of the first and second object-side polyhedrons and the first and second image-side polyhedrons comprises four equivalent parallelograms.

10. The cloaking device assembly of claim 9 , wherein the light entrance sides of the first and second image-side polyhedrons are oriented relative to the light exit sides of the first and second object-side polyhedrons, respectively, at an angle equal to 180°-2α.

11. The cloaking device assembly of claim 8 , wherein light from the object positioned on the object-side of the cloaking device assembly is redirected around the cloaked region and forms the image of the object on the image-side of the cloaking device assembly without total internal reflection of the light within the first and second object-side polyhedrons and the first and second image-side polyhedrons.

12. The cloaking device assembly of claim 8 , wherein light from the object on the object-side propagates to the image-side to form the image via an optical path:
object to light entrance sides of the first and second object-side polyhedrons;
light entrance sides of the first and second object-side polyhedrons to light exit sides of the first and second object-side polyhedrons, respectively;
light exit sides of the first and second object-side polyhedrons to light entrance sides of the first and second image-side polyhedrons, respectively;
light entrance sides of the first and second image-side polyhedrons to light exit sides of the first and second image-side polyhedrons, respectively; and
light exit sides of the first and second image-side polyhedrons to image on the image-side.

13. The cloaking device assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first and second object-side polyhedrons and the first and second image-side polyhedrons are hexahedrons.

14. The cloaking device assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first and second object-side polyhedrons and the first and second image-side polyhedrons are parallelepipeds.

15. The cloaking device assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first object-side polyhedron and the first image-side polyhedron are equivalent parallelepipeds and the second object-side polyhedron and the second image-side polyhedron are equivalent parallelepipeds.

16. A vehicle comprising:
an A-pillar; and
a cloaking device positioned on the A-pillar, the cloaking device comprising:
an object-side, an image-side, a cloaked region and a reference optical axis extending from the object-side to the image-side, wherein the A-pillar is positioned within the cloaked region, the object-side is positioned on an exterior of the vehicle and the image-side is positioned wit

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America
• Toyota Motor Engineering & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Lee Kyu-Tae
• Ji Chengang
• Wu Songtao
• Banerjee Debasish

Classifications

• B62D25/04

  Door pillars {; windshield pillars} · CPC title

• G02B27/14 Primary

  operating by reflection only · CPC title

• B60R2013/0287

  integrating other functions or accessories · CPC title

• B60R1/10

  Front-view mirror arrangements; {(specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle B60R1/002)}; Periscope arrangements {, i.e. optical devices using combinations of mirrors, lenses, prisms or the like (specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle B60R1/002; for viewing traffic-lights B60R1/005); Other mirror arrangements giving a view from above or under the vehicle} · CPC title

• B60R13/025 Primary

  Pillars; Roof rails · CPC title