Image generator for use in image manifestation apparatus

An image generator for image manifestation apparatus comprising:

• a supporting substrate with opposed first and second major surfaces, the supporting substrate including a bundle of optical fibers extending from the first major surface to the second major surface and defining a mounting area on the first major surface;
• a two-dimensional array of light emitting devices affixed to the mounting area of the supporting substrate so as to direct light from the array of light emitting devices into the bundle of optical fibers at the first major surface, the light being directed to the second major surface of the supporting substrate by the bundle of optical fibers;
• and
• driver circuits coupled to the array of light emitting devices and including a data input terminal, each light emitting device of the array of light emitting devices being individually addressable by the driver circuits so as to generate a real image including one of a plurality of lines of alpha-numerics and graphics from data received at the data input, the real image being transmitted from the first major surface of the supporting substrate to the second major surface of the supporting substrate by the bundle of optical fibers.

Image manifestation apparatus with an image generator comprising:

• a supporting substrate with opposed first and second major surfaces, the supporting substrate including a bundle of optical fibers extending from the first major surface to the second major surface and defining a mounting area on the first major surface;
• a two-dimensional array of light emitting devices affixed to the mounting area of the supporting substrate so as to direct light from the array of light emitting devices into the bundle of optical fibers at the first major surface, the light being directed to the second major surface of the supporting substrate by the bundle of optical fibers;
• driver circuits coupled to the array of light emitting devices and including a data input terminal, each light emitting device in the array of light emitting devices being individually addressable by the driver circuits so as to generate a real image including one of a plurality of lines of alpha-numerics and graphics from data received at the data input, the real image being transmitted from the first major surface of the supporting substrate to the second major surface of the supporting substrate by the bundle of optical fibers;
• a plurality of optical elements having a light inlet positioned adjacent the second surface of the supporting substrate and a light outlet directed at an angle to the inlet, with a reflecting surface optically positioned between the inlet and the outlet so as to direct light from the inlet to the outlet;
• the plurality of optical elements defining a light path from the light inlet to the light outlet with a total average optical length in the range of approximately 20 to 35 millimeters;
• and
• the plurality of optical elements being constructed to angularly magnify the real image at the light inlet of the first optical element into a virtual image greater than ten times larger than the real image.

Image manifestation apparatus with an image generator comprising;

• a supporting substrate with opposed first and second major surfaces, the supporting substrate including a bundle of optical fibers extending from the first major surface to the second major surface and defining a mounting area on the first major surface;
• an image generator including a two dimensional array of light emitting devices and driver circuits coupled to the light emitting devices and including a data input terminal, the light emitting devices being individually addressable by the driver circuits so as to generate a real image at an image surface, the real image including one of a plurality of lines of alpha-numerics and graphics from data received at the data input, the image generator being mounted on the supporting substrate with the image surface positioned adjacent and parallel to the mounting area so that the real image at the image surface is transmitted by the bundle of optical fibers as a real image on the second surface of the supporting substrate;
• and
• a single fold optical magnifier having an image inlet positioned adjacent the second surface of the supporting substrate so as to receive the real image from the bundle of optical fibers, the magnifier including
• a plurality of optical elements having a light inlet defining the image inlet of the single fold optical magnifier and a light outlet directed at an angle to the inlet, with a reflecting surface optically positioned between the inlet and the outlet so as to direct light from the inlet to the outlet, the light outlet defining a viewing aperture and the plurality of optical elements producing, from the real image on the second surface of the supporting substrate, a virtual image viewable at the viewing aperture;
• the plurality of optical elements defining a light path from the light inlet to the light outlet with a total average optical length in the range of approximately 15 to 35 millimeters, at least one aspherical surface on one of the first optical element and the optical lens and positioned in the light path to correct for aberration;
• and
• at least one diffractive optical element positioned in the light path so as to provide additional aberration correction;
• and
• the plurality of optical elements being constructed to angularly magnify the real image generated by the image generator into a virtual image greater than ten times larger than the real image.