Active reflective filters and transparent display panels with active reflective filters
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorSean P. Rodrigues
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An active reflective filter includes an electroactive optical layer with an electroactive polymer (EAP) layer and a plurality of elements disposed in the EAP layer. The plurality of elements disposed in the EAP layer form or provide a periodic lattice and a spectral window, and the EAP layer is configured to change shape such that the periodic lattice and the spectral window change when a voltage is applied across the EAP layer. The active reflective filter can be included in waveguides and displays such as one-sided transparent displays, dual-sided transparent displays, and augmented reality glasses, among others.
Claims15
A transparent display with a waveguide comprising:
- a pair of transparent layers;
- a plurality of subpixels sandwiched between the pair of transparent layers, the plurality of subpixels individually comprising:
- an electroactive polymer (EAP) layer and a plurality of metamaterial elements disposed in the EAP layer and forming a periodic lattice with a spectral window, the EAP layer configured to change shape such that the periodic lattice and the spectral window change when a voltage is applied across the EAP layer;
- a liquid crystal unit disposed on the EAP layer, the liquid crystal unit including a liquid crystal matrix and a transparent electrode;
- and
- a transparent subpixel disposed between adjacent pairs of the plurality of subpixels;
- and
- a driver circuit configured to activate the plurality of subpixels with a voltage, wherein the plurality of subpixels are transparent between the pair of transparent layers when not activated such that portions of the transparent display with subpixels that are not activated are transparent to an individual viewing the transparent display.
A transparent display with a waveguide comprising:
- a pair of transparent layers;
- a plurality of subpixels sandwiched between the pair of transparent layers with a first subset of the plurality of subpixels face a first direction normal to the pair of transparent layers and a second subset of the plurality of subpixels face a second direction opposite and parallel to the first direction, wherein the plurality of subpixels individually comprise:
- an electroactive polymer (EAP) layer and a plurality of metamaterial elements disposed in the EAP layer and forming a periodic lattice with a spectral window, the EAP layer configured to change shape such that the periodic lattice and the spectral window change when a voltage is applied across the EAP layer;
- a liquid crystal unit disposed on the EAP layer, the liquid crystal unit including a liquid crystal matrix and a transparent electrode;
- and
- a driver circuit configured to activate the plurality of subpixels with a voltage, wherein the plurality of subpixels are transparent between the pair of transparent layers when not activated such that portions of the transparent display with subpixels that are not activated are transparent to an individual viewing the transparent display.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.