Light source module with adjustable diffusion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10855895-B2
Application number	US-201815893525-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2018
Priority date	May 13, 2015
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

A light source module includes an array of illumination elements and a light diffusing material. The light source module is configured to receive a control signal for adjusting diffusion of light emitted from the light source module and in response adjust the amount of diffusion of light emitted from the light source module. A light source module may include a segmented light diffusing material where each segment is associated with an illumination element. And individual segments may have light diffusing properties that are different than other segments of the light diffusing material. Some illumination elements may emit light of a different color spectrum than other illumination elements, and a light diffusing material may scatter the different colored light to illuminate a scene with combinations of light of different colors. A light source module may be embedded in a mobile computing device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile computing device, comprising:
a camera; and
a light source module comprising:
a plurality of illumination elements configured to emit light, wherein different ones of the illumination elements are configured to emit light having different light properties;
one or more reflectors configured to separate emitted light from the different ones of the illumination elements such that the emitted light from the different ones of the illumination elements do not mix in the light source module;
a segmented light diffusing material comprising segments having different light diffusing properties,
wherein a first illumination element of the plurality of illumination elements is associated with a different segment of the segmented light diffusing material than a second illumination element of the plurality of illumination elements so that light emitted from the first illumination element having a first light property is diffused differently than light emitted from the second illumination element having a second light property; and
an adjustable light diffusing material configured to adjustably diffuse the light emitted from the first and second illumination elements to achieve a level of diffusion different than respective levels of diffusion of the segments of the segmented light diffusing material.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein the segmented light diffusing material and the adjustable light diffusing material are positioned in a housing of the light source module such that light emitted from one of the illumination elements is diffused by one of the segments of the segmented light diffusing material and is further diffused by the adjustable light diffusing material.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 2 , wherein the one or more reflectors comprise:
a reflector comprising reflective partitions, wherein the different ones of the illumination elements are included in different partitions of the reflector that are formed by the reflective partitions, wherein the reflective partitions are configured to separate emitted light from the different ones of the illumination elements such that the emitted light from the different ones of the illumination elements does not mix in the light source module; or
separate reflectors, wherein the different ones of the illumination elements are included in different ones of the separate reflectors.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 3 , further comprising a controller, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust respective intensities of light emitted from the two or more illumination elements.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable light diffusing material comprises:
a plurality of stacked polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) film layers.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 5 , wherein the PDLC film layers comprise tinted or colored layers, the mobile computing device further comprising:
a controller configured to adjust respective levels of diffusion of the PDLC film layers of the adjustable light diffusing material to adjust colors of light emitted from the light source module.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller configured to adjust the adjustable light diffusing material such that the adjustable light diffusing material is opaque when the light source module is not in use.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 7 , wherein the adjustable light diffusing material is positioned in a housing of the light source module such that when the adjustable light diffusing material is adjusted to an opaque state, a view of internal components of the light source module is obscured.

9. A light source module comprising:
a plurality of illumination elements configured to emit light, wherein different ones of the illumination elements are configured to emit light having different light properties;
one or more reflectors configured to separate emitted light from the different ones of the illumination elements such that the emitted light from the different ones of the illumination elements do not mix in the light source module;
a segmented light diffusing material comprising segments having different light diffusing properties, wherein a first illumination element of the plurality of illumination elements is associated with a different segment of the segmented light diffusing material than a second illumination element of the plurality of illumination elements so that light emitted from the first illumination element having a first light property is diffused differently than light emitted from the second illumination element having a second light property; and
an adjustable light diffusing material configured to adjustably diffuse the light emitted from the first and second illumination elements to achieve a level of diffusion different than respective levels of diffusion of the segments of the segmented light diffusing material.

10. The light source module of claim 9 , wherein the adjustable light diffusing material is configured to be opaque when the light source module is not in use and is configured to be at least partially transparent when the light source module is in use.

11. The light source module of claim 10 , wherein the adjustable light diffusing material is configured to be adjusted along a continuum between opaque and transparent based on a voltage or current applied to the adjustable light diffusing material.

12. The light source module of claim 9 , wherein the different light properties comprise different color spectra of light emitted by different ones of the illumination elements.

13. The light source module of claim 9 , wherein the adjustable light diffusing material comprises a plurality of stacked polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) film layers, and wherein the PDLC film layers comprise tinted or colored layers.

14. The light source module of claim 9 , wherein respective intensities of light emitted from the illumination elements are adjustable, wherein the different light properties comprise light emitted from different ones of the illumination elements having different intensities.

15. A method, comprising:
determining two or more light properties for light to be emitted from a light source module towards two or more different portions of a scene;
determining a diffusivity adjustment for the light to be emitted from the light source module;
selecting a combination of two or more illumination elements to illuminate in accordance with the determined two or more light properties and the diffusivity adjustment, wherein the two or more illumination elements are associated with different partitions of a reflector or are associated with different reflectors, wherein the different partitions or different reflectors are configured such that light from different ones of the two or more illumination elements do not mix in the light source module, and wherein the partitions or reflectors are associated with segments of a segmented light diffusing material of the light source module, wherein the different segments of the segmented light diffusing material have different respective diffusion properties;
adjusting an adjustable light diffusing material in accordance with the diffusivity adjustment; and
emitting diffused light from the light source module, wherein light emitted from a first one of the two or more illumination elements having a first light property is diffused by an associated segment of the different segments of the segmented light diffusing material and light emitted by a second one of the two or more illumination eleme

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Fournier Florian R
• Alaimo Angelo M
• Lee Simon S
• Scepanovic Miodrag
• Weber Andreas G

Classifications

• G03B15/05 Primary

  Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units · CPC title

• H04N23/56 Primary

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N23/74

  by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• G03B2215/0571

  With second light source · CPC title