Microdisplay system
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorsPierre H. Hertz, Charles D. Hoke, Ian Hardcastle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A micro display system is provided that uses ambient light to illuminate the microdisplay. A wave-guide contains an embedded dye which absorbs ambient light through the surface of the wave-guide and re-emits light. Total internal reflection in the wave-guide and reflection from a reflector at one end of the wave-guide direct all the re-emitted light through a light-transmissive end to an illuminator for illuminating the microdisplay with polarized light. The microdisplay has a plurality of pixels which are activated to selectively reflect polarized or rotated polarized light back through the illuminator where the polarized light forms an image for a user.
Claims30
A microdisplay system using ambient light comprising:
- a microdisplay;
- a first wave-guide having a light receiving surface, a light-transmissive first front end, and a first back end, the first wave-guide having a first reflective device provided at the first back end, the first wave-guide having a first dye embedded therein, the first dye absorbing the ambient light through the light receiving surface to re-emit light, the first wave-guide trapping the re-emitted light and directing the re-emitted light through the light-transmissive first front end;
- and
- an illuminator optically coupled to the light-transmissive first front end of the first wave-guide for receiving the re-emitted light and illuminating the microdisplay with the re-emitted light.
A microdisplay system using ambient light comprising:
- a liquid crystal microdisplay having a plurality of pixels selectively which can be actuated to reflect polarized light with the plane of polarization rotated;
- a first wave-guide having a light receiving surface, a light-transmissive first front end, and a first back end, the first wave-guide having a first reflective device provided at the first back end, the first wave-guide having a first dye embedded therein, the first dye absorbing the ambient light through the light receiving surface to re-emit light at a first color, the first wave-guide trapping the re-emitted light and directing the re-emitted light through the light transmissive first front end;
- and
- an illuminator optically coupled to the first of the first wave-guide for receiving the re-emitted light, polarizing the re-emitted light, and illuminating the microdisplay with the polarized light, the illuminator receiving and transmitting polarized light to the microdisplay.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.