Optical device, attitude control apparatus, and spacecraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11679901-B2
Application number	US-201816618205-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2018
Priority date	Jun 2, 2017
Publication date	Jun 20, 2023
Grant date	Jun 20, 2023

Abstract

To provide a sheet-like optical device capable of selectively emitting light whose optical path has a changed orientation.
An optical device includes a first sheet and a second sheet. The first sheet is configured to be electrically switchable between a first state in which the first sheet extends along an in-plane direction orthogonal to a thickness direction and has transparency in the thickness direction, and a second state in which the first sheet has lower transparency in the thickness direction than the transparency in the first state. The second sheet has a prism surface on which an inclined surface inclined with respect to the in-plane direction is arranged along the in-plane direction, the second sheet facing the first sheet in the thickness direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical device, comprising:
a first sheet electrically switchable between a first state in which the first sheet extends along an in-plane direction orthogonal to a thickness direction and has transparency in the thickness direction, and a second state in which the first sheet has lower transparency in the thickness direction than the transparency in the first state; and
a second sheet having a prism surface on which an inclined surface inclined with respect to the in-plane direction is arranged along the in-plane direction, the second sheet facing the first sheet in the thickness direction,
wherein the optical device is an attitude control apparatus, and
wherein the first sheet comprises:
a first base material;
a second base material facing the first base material in the thickness direction;
a first planar monolithic electrode film covering an upper surface of the first base material; and
a second planar monolithic electrode film covering a lower surface of the second base material and facing the first planar monolithic electrode film in the thickness direction.

2. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first sheet in the second state diffuses light incident in the thickness direction.

3. The optical device according to claim 2 , wherein
the first sheet includes a liquid crystal layer formed of polymer dispersed liquid crystal.

4. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein
the second sheet includes the prism surface on a side of the first sheet.

5. The optical device according to claim 4 , wherein
the prism surface reflects light transmitted through the first sheet in the thickness direction.

6. The optical device according to claim 4 , wherein
the prism surface transmits, therethrough, the light transmitted through the first sheet in the thickness direction.

7. A spacecraft, comprising:
a light-receiving surface; and
the optical device according to claim 1 provided to the light-receiving surface.

8. The spacecraft according to claim 7 , comprising
a plurality of attitude control apparatuses in which inclined surfaces have orientations different from one another.

9. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the prism surface of the second sheet comprises:
a plurality of prisms along the in-plane direction; and
a plurality of intervals respectively disposed between the prisms of the plurality of prisms, each interval comprising a flat surface that is parallel to the in-plane direction.

Assignees

• Japan Aerospace Exploration

Inventors

• Kawaguchi Junichiro
• Mori Osamu
• CHUJO Toshihiro
• Ishida Hirokazu

Classifications

• G02F1/137

  characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering · CPC title

• G02F1/1334

  based on polymer dispersed liquid crystals, e.g. microencapsulated liquid crystals · CPC title

• B64G1/244 Primary

  Spacecraft control systems · CPC title

• G02F1/133504

  Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements (associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606) · CPC title

• G02F1/13

  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells · CPC title