TRANSPARENT COMPONENT WITH SWITCHABLE REFLECTING ELEMENTS, AND DEVICES INCLUDING SUCH COMPONENT
First Claim
1. A transparent component adapted to transmit, through a surface of said component, light rays originating from a scene situated on a first side of the component to form a first image representative of said scene and visible on a second side of the component, the component being characterized in that it comprises:
- a set of active elements juxtaposed parallel to the surface of the component and each switchable between a transparent individual state and a reflecting individual state;
an addressing system connected to each active element and suitable for controlling a switching of said element;
at least one light passage opening; and
light transmission means arranged between the passage opening and the active elements, so that each active element can establish a light path between said light passage opening and one of the sides of the component when said active element is in the reflecting state;
the addressing system being further adapted so that a reduced number of active elements are simultaneously in the reflecting state, so that said first image appears permanently through the component, andthe light transmission means and the active elements being further arranged to conjugate optically points of an additional optical field situated on one and the same side of said light transmission means as the light passage opening with respective points situated outside and at a distance from the component, on one of the first or second sides of said component.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a transparent component (100) comprising active members (10) that are juxtaposed in parallel to a surface of the component, and that are each switchable between a transparent state and a reflecting state. Each active member establishes a light path between a light passage opening and a side of the component when said active member is reflecting. An addressing system (2) further controls the switching of the active members so that a reduced number of active members is simultaneously reflecting. Therefore, an image formed by transparency through the component thus appears permanently and continuously. Such a transparent component can be used for making an image superimposition device and an image display and storage device.
181 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A transparent component adapted to transmit, through a surface of said component, light rays originating from a scene situated on a first side of the component to form a first image representative of said scene and visible on a second side of the component, the component being characterized in that it comprises:
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a set of active elements juxtaposed parallel to the surface of the component and each switchable between a transparent individual state and a reflecting individual state; an addressing system connected to each active element and suitable for controlling a switching of said element; at least one light passage opening; and light transmission means arranged between the passage opening and the active elements, so that each active element can establish a light path between said light passage opening and one of the sides of the component when said active element is in the reflecting state; the addressing system being further adapted so that a reduced number of active elements are simultaneously in the reflecting state, so that said first image appears permanently through the component, and the light transmission means and the active elements being further arranged to conjugate optically points of an additional optical field situated on one and the same side of said light transmission means as the light passage opening with respective points situated outside and at a distance from the component, on one of the first or second sides of said component. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An image overlaying device device for overlaying images comprising:
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a transparent component adapted to transmit, through a surface of said component, light rays originating from a scene situated on a first side of the component to form a first image representative of said scene and visible on a second side of the component, the component being characterized in that it comprises; a set of active elements juxtaposed parallel to the surface of the component and each switchable between a transparent individual state and a reflecting individual state; an addressing system connected to each active element and suitable for controlling a switching of said element; at least one light passage opening; and light transmission means arranged between the passage opening and the active elements, so that each active element can establish a light path between said light passage opening and one of the sides of the component when said active element is in the reflecting state; the addressing system being further adapted so that a reduced number of active elements are simultaneously in the reflecting state, so that said first image appears permanently through the component, and the light transmission means and the active elements being further arranged to conjugate optically points of an additional optical field situated on one and the same side of said light transmission means as the light passage opening with respective points situated outside and at a distance from the component, on one of the first or second sides of said component; and a light source arranged to produce light through the passage opening of the component so that said light can be reflected by at least one of the active elements toward the second side of the transparent component, so as to form a second image from a pattern situated in the additional optical field, said second image being visible on the second side of the component and appearing overlaid on the first image. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
and in which the addressing system is further adapted to control said generator (6) to successively form portions of the second image in a determined order, and to control synchronized switchovers of the active elements in the same order in the surface of the component, so that each second image portion is reflected by an active element and the second image appears reconstructed on the second side of the component.
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21. The image overlaying device as claimed in claim 20, in which the generator of second image portions comprises image dots each having a variably modulated intensity.
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22. The image overlaying device as claimed in claim 14, forming an optical lens, an ophthalmic lens, a mask lens or a helmet visor.
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23. The image overlaying device as claimed in claim 22, forming an ophthalmic lens and in which the active elements are further adapted to correct an ametropia of a wearer of said lens, when said wearer observes at least one of the first and second images.
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24. An image viewing and storage device comprising:
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a transparent component adapted to transmit, through a surface of said component, light rays originating from a scene situated on a first side of the component to form a first image representative of said scene and visible on a second side of the component, the component being characterized in that it comprises; a set of active elements juxtaposed parallel to the surface of the component and each switchable between a transparent individual state and a reflecting individual state; an addressing system connected to each active element and suitable for controlling a switching of said element, at least one light passage opening; and light transmission means arranged between the passage opening and the active elements, so that each active element can establish a light path between said light passage opening and one of the sides of the component when said active element is in the reflecting state; the addressing system being further adapted so that a reduced number of active elements are simultaneously in the reflecting state, so that said first image appears permanently through the component, and the light transmission means and the active elements being further arranged to conjugate optically points of an additional optical field situated on one and the same side of said light transmission means as the light passage opening with respective points situated outside and at a distance from the component, on one of the first or second sides of said component; a photosensitive detector arranged in the additional optical field to receive, through the passage opening of the component, light originating from the scene and reflected by at least one of the active elements during a detection time; and a storage unit connected to the detector so as to store light intensities received by said detector, in which the addressing system is further connected to the detector and to the storage unit so as to transmit to said unit coordinates of an active element in the surface of the transparent component, which is in the reflecting state during the detection time of said detector, and in which the duration of the reflecting state of each active element and the frequency for changing the active elements that are switched are adapted so that the first image formed by the component appears continuous for a user of the device. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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Specification