Mirror with built in display

• US 20060164725A1
• Filed: 02/09/2004
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Horsten, Jan B. A. M., Van Herk, Johannes Johanna, Lazeroms, Markus Cornelis Jakobus
• Granted Patent: US 7,551,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/485
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 2007/195 Virtual display of clothes on the wearer by means of a mirror, screen or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 1/02 Mirrors used as equipment hand, pocket, or shaving mirrors A45D42/00; optical viewing means for vehicles B60R1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/08 Mirrors vehicle mirrors involving special optical features B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133536 Reflective polarizers G02F1/13362 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/12 using a transparent mirror or other light reflecting surface transparent to transmitted light whereby a sign, symbol, picture or other is visible only when illuminated

Abstract

A mirror device (1) which can be simultaneously used for display purposes, based on e.g. an LCD display (5) with a polarizing mirror (6) placed in front of it. The polarizing mirror (2) has the characteristics that it does not disturb the transmission of the light from the display (5), but does reflect the light from outside the area of the screen. The polarizing mirror (2) is embedded in a conventional mirror (4,8).

Claims

1. A mirror comprising an at least partly reflecting layer, and a polarizing mirror for viewing purposes comprising a display device.

2. A mirror as claimed in claim 1 having a first part comprising a reflecting layer, and a second part at least partly transmitting light from the polarizing mirror.

3. A mirror as claimed in claim 1, the polarizing mirror having a first plane reflecting light of a first kind of polarization to a viewing side, the mirror passing light of a second kind of polarization and being provided with a display device at its non-viewing side, which display device during use provides light of the second kind of polarization.

4. A mirror as claimed in claim 2 comprising an aperture in the reflecting layer at the area of the display device.

5. A mirror as claimed in claim 4 comprising a transflective layer within the aperture.

6. A mirror as claimed in claim 4 in which the reflectivity of the reflective layer at the edge of the aperture increases viewed in an outward directed direction from the aperture.

7. A mirror as claimed in claim 2 having at its viewing side a further semi-transparent mirror.

8. A mirror as claimed in claim 4 in which the edge of the aperture is hidden.