Infitec GmbH is a family-owned company based in

Gerstetten Gerstetten is a municipality in the district of Heidenheim in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It consists of the following villages: * Gerstetten (population: 7,534) * Dettingen (population: 2,042, incorporation 1972) * Gussenstadt (po ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, Germany) that develops, produces and markets products for the projection of 3D content. The registered name INFITEC is an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

of Interference Filter Technology, which was invented and patented by the founder of the company, Helmut Jorke.

Background

The INFITEC or Wavelength Multiplex Technology (WMT) is based on the fact that the

visible light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 te ...

spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...

can be divided into different

wavelength In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. It is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase on the wave, such as two adjacent crests, tro ...

ranges using steep-edged optical filters. Some of these wavelength ranges are presented to the left eye, the others to the right eye. By an appropriate design of the transmission spectra of the filters it can be ensured that both eyes are reached by wavelengths in the red, green, and blue range of the visible light, so both eyes will see a fully colored image. Such multi-bandpass optical filters can currently be made only as so called

interference filter An interference filter or dichroic filter is an optical filter that reflects one or more spectral bands or lines and transmits others, while maintaining a nearly zero coefficient of absorption for all wavelengths of interest. An interference filte ...

s. The WMT requires filters for the glasses as well as for the

projectors A projector or image projector is an optical device that projects an image (or moving images) onto a surface, commonly a projection screen. Most projectors create an image by shining a light through a small transparent lens, but some newer types ...

(except laser projectors).

History

Previous history

INFITEC GmbH emerged from a research project at the former DaimlerChrysler research center in Ulm, Germany. In this project it was studied under the name of wavelength multiplex visualization system, whether a new technical approach was suitable for an improved and functionally enhanced imaging in

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...

systems. For the resulting technology based on

s the brand INFITEC was registered.

Foundation

In 2003 Helmut Jorke founded his own start-up enterprise called INFITEC GmbH. The aim was the utilization and further development of the

INFITEC method Infitec GmbH is a family-owned company based in Gerstetten (Heidenheim (district), District of Heidenheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany) that develops, produces and markets products for the 3D projection, projection of 3D content. The registered n ...

. The head office was located in Ulm at that time.

Cooperation with Barco N.V.

The single-projector solution with INFITEC 3D filter wheel was developed in 2004 by the Belgian company Barco. The relevant patents by Barco were purchased by INFITEC GmbH in 2010.

Cooperation with Dolby Inc.

In 2006 the WMT was licensed to the American company Dolby Laboratories, Inc. for digital cinema, and it was marketed under the name

Dolby 3D Dolby 3D (formerly known as Dolby 3D Digital Cinema) is a marketing name for a system from Dolby Laboratories, Inc. to show three-dimensional motion pictures in a digital cinema. Technology Dolby 3D uses a Dolby Digital Cinema projector that ...

. As Dolby uses different wavelength ranges than INFITEC, Dolby glasses are not compatible with projectors equipped with INFITEC filters, and vice versa.

New filter generation

In 2011 INFITEC introduced a new generation of filters under the designation ''Excellence in 3D''. By a new design of the transmission bands of the filters a balanced

color Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...

impression for both eyes is achieved.H. Jorke and A. Simon, ''New high efficiency interference filter characteristics for stereoscopic imaging'', ''Proc. SPIE 8288, Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XXIII'', 82881D (28 February 2012) Before, an elaborate color correction was needed for both stereoscopic channels that partially required special video processors. Now, if necessary at all, the simple color adjustment included in many projectors is sufficient.

Operating establishments

In 2010 the production of 3D glasses as well as the administration was relocated from Ulm to

( District of Heidenheim,

, Germany). Since 2013 INFITEC GmbH runs a sales office in the United States. In 2014 INFITEC GmbH acquired a 50% share of VisionOptics GmbH in

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...

(

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

, Germany). The headquarters, the sales department, and the research and development department of INFITEC GmbH moved from Ulm to Gerstetten in 2015. Global-offices include Russia, China, and USA.

Business activity

INFITEC GmbH develops, manufactures and markets

s for

3D projection A 3D projection (or graphical projection) is a design technique used to display a three-dimensional (3D) object on a two-dimensional (2D) surface. These projections rely on visual perspective and aspect analysis to project a complex object fo ...

technology and glasses fitted with these filters. In some cases the retrofitting of filters to projectors is done as well. INFITEC GmbH is internationally active regarding purchase and sales. The INFITEC GmbH holds all

patents A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

and licensing rights (aside from the cinema market held by Dolby Inc.) from simulation in industry and research institutes,

planetarium A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetarium ...

s and

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

s, to large venue events, theme parks, and home cinema solutions.

References

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External links

Infitec homepage
Video Technology Blog Stereoscopy 3D cinema Technology companies of Germany Companies based in Baden-Württemberg