Charge responsive optical material

• US 20070097478A1
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Emmerich, Timothy D., Devos, John A., Baliga, Roshan B., Howard, P. Guy, Fricke, Peter J., Aufranc, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,876,400 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/246
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13318 Circuits comprising a photodetector
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1334 based on polymer dispersed liquid crystals, e.g. microencapsulated liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1347 Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/56 Projection screens

Abstract

Embodiments including a charge responsive optical material are disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first conductor;

a second conductor;

a third conductor;

a first charge responsive optical material between the first conductor and the second conductor; and

a second charge responsive optical material between the second conductor and the third conductor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first conductor and the third conductor are transparent.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first charge responsive optical material has a thickness of less than or equal to about 5 microns.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first charge responsive optical material has a thickness of at least about 2 microns.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first charge responsive optical material comprises a polymer dispersed liquid crystal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an opaque layer opposite the second charge responsive optical material.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the opaque layer is configured to absorb substantially all visible light

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the opaque layer is configured to substantially reflect all visible light.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a first unit and a second unit releasably and physically connected to the first unit along adjacent opposite edges of the first unit and the second unit, wherein the first unit and the second unit each include the first conductor, the second conductor, the third conductor, the first charge responsive optical material and the second charge responsive optical material.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a third unit releasably connected to the second unit along adjacent opposite edges of the second unit and the third unit, the third unit including the first conductor, the second conductor, the third conductor, the first charge responsive optical material and the second charge responsive optical material.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first unit and the second unit are electrically connected to one another along adjacent opposite edges.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a controller configured to generate control signals, wherein the first unit and the second unit modulate light substantially similarly in response to the control signals.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a controller configured to generate, control signals, wherein the first unit and the second unit modulate light substantially differently in response to the control signals.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first unit has a first edge and a second opposite edge and wherein the first unit is configured to modulate light similarly across the first unit from the first edge to the second edge.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a controller configured to generate control signals, wherein a first time varying voltage is applied to the first conductor and a second time varying voltage out of phase with the first time varying voltage is applied to the second conductor in response to the control signals.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a controller configured to generate control signals, wherein a first time varying voltage is applied to the first conductor and a second time varying voltage is applied to the second conductor in response to the control signals and wherein a phase relationship of the first time varying voltage and the second time varying voltage is varied in response to the control signals.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a first unit; and

a second unit releasably and physically connected to the first unit along adjacent opposite edges of the first unit and the second unit, wherein units may be removed to reduce a dimension of the apparatus, each of the first unit and the second unit comprising;

a first conductor;

a second conductor; and

a first charge responsive optical material between the first conductor and the second conductor.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein each of the first unit and the second unit further comprises a third conductor;

and

a second charge responsive optical material between the second conductor and the third conductor.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first charge responsive optical material comprises a polymer dispersed liquid crystal.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising an opaque layer opposite the first charge responsive optical material.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a controller configured to generate control signals, wherein a first alternating charge is applied to the first conductor, and a second alternating charge is applied to the second conductor in response to the control signals and wherein a phase relationship of the first alternating charge and the second alternating charge is varied in response to the control signals.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a first conductor;

a second conductor;

a first charge responsive optical material between the first conductor and the second conductor; and

a controller configured to generate control signals, wherein a first time varying voltage is applied to the first conductor and a second time varying voltage is applied to the second conductor in response to the control signals and wherein a phase relationship of the first time varying voltage and the second time varying voltage is varied in response to the control signals.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 further comprising a third conductor;

and a second charge responsive optical material between the second conductor and the third conductor.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 further comprising an opaque layer opposite the first charge optical material.

25. The apparatus of claim 22 further comprising a first unit and a second unit releasably and physically connected to one another along adjacent opposite edges of the first unit and the second unit, wherein the first unit and the second unit each include the first conductor, the second conductor and the first charge responsive optical material.

26. A method comprising:

applying an electrical field across a first charge responsive optical material layer and a second charge responsive optical material layer facing the first charge responsive optical material layer.

27. A method of claim 26 further comprising varying the field by varying a phase relationship of a first alternating charge applied to a first conductor and a second alternating charge applied to a second conductor on opposite sides of the first charge responsive optical material layer.

28. The method of claim 26 further comprising releasably and physically connecting a first unit including the first charge responsive optical material layer and the second charge responsive optical material layer to a second unit including the first charge responsive optical material layer and the second charge responsive optical material layer along adjacent opposite edges of the first unit and the second unit to form a modular optical device.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising removing the second unit to reduce a dimension of the device.

30. An apparatus comprising:

a first conductor;

a second conductor;

a charge responsive optical material between the first conductor and the second conductor; and

means for varying a translucency of the charge responsive optical material by varying a phase relationship of alternating charges applied to the first conductor and the second conductor.