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AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorsTakuya Makino, Kazuhiro Hane, Kazuhito Hori, Masaki Hara, Naoki Sano, Hidenori Watanabe
Estimating the term…
To provide a small and lightweight optical switching element with a simple structure capable of fast response, and an optical switching apparatus employing the optical switching element. Optical extraction unit contacts an upper substrate with electrostatic attraction generated between a transparent electrode of the optical extraction unit and a transparent electrode of the upper substrate. In the case that light enters one V-shaped trench of the upper substrate vertically, the light enters the optical extraction unit of the upper substrate and is emitted from a back of the optical extraction unit (a tapered unit). Subsequently, the incident light P1 passes through a lower substrate and is converted into transmission light. With electrostatic attraction generated between a transparent electrode of the lower substrate and a transparent electrode of the optical extraction unit, the optical extraction unit is attracted to a lower substrate side. In this state, the incident light is caused the total reflection at a total reflection face. This total reflection light is emitted from the other V-shaped trench. The incident light can be switched in two ways: the transmission light and the total reflection light.
An optical switching element comprising:
A switching apparatus comprises a plurality of optical switching elements, wherein the optical switching elements has a total reflection member having a total reflection face capable of causing the total reflection of incident light and a translucent optical extraction unit capable of switching in either a first position or a second position, said translucent optical extraction unit switching between said first and second positions based upon a voltage difference between electrodes coupled to said total reflection member and said translucent optical extraction unit;
An image display apparatus displays two-dimensional image by irradiating three-primary colors to a plurality of optical switching elements and scanning with a scanner, wherein the optical switching elements are provided with a total reflection member having a total reflection face capable of causing the total reflection of incident light, and a translucent optical extraction unit capable of switching in either a first position or a second position said translucent optical extraction unit switching between said first and second positions based upon a voltage difference between electrodes coupled to said total reflection member and said translucent optical extraction unit;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.