Magneto-optic display

• US 4,575,722 A
• Filed: 05/05/1982
• Issued: 03/11/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Litton Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Litton Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Anderson, Robert H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brigance, Gerald L.
• Application Number:
  US06/375,325
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 340/700, 340/705, 340/763, 340/783, 358/88, 358/92, 358/91, 350/132, 350/331 R, 350/514, 350/515, 350/516, 350/517, 352/60
• US Class Current: 345/86
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2007 Display of intermediate tones

Abstract

A display adapted to be helmet-mounted or used for projecting and having the multi-mode capability of full three-primary color displays; gray scale or halftones; stereo imagining; image processing; split-screen operation; blink comparator; see-through, heads-up viewing; and night-vision intensification combined with alpha-numerics. A bulb in a reflective housing illuminates a plastic diffusion screen to create a light beam. An electronic alterable, random-access storage display chip is placed in line with the emerging beam. The display chip comprises a film sandwich configuration consisting of a sheet polarizer, a magneto-optic chip with addressible alterable areas, and a sheet polarization analyzer. Signals received from a radio link are applied through a cable and connectors to the chip. By driving the chip as a function of the desired display, the display is impressed on the beam of light which may then be split and passed through appropriate focusing lenses for viewing or projected. Multiple beams, multiple display chips, and multiple layered chips with filtering are employed to create various operating modes.

Claims

1. A binocular magneto-optic display comprising:

(a) a source producing a first beam of light;

(b) first polarizer means disposed in said first beam for polarizing the light of said first beam;

(c) first magneto-optic chip means disposed in said first beam after said first polarizer means for selectively altering the axis of polarization of said first beam passing through addressible areas of said first chip, said first chip including means adapted to be operably connected to a first display driver for addressing said addressible areas whereby said first chip can be driven to alter the axes of polarization of said areas as a function of a desired first display;

(d) first polarization analyzer means disposed in said first beam after said first chip means for blocking or passing portions of said first beam corresponding to respective ones of said areas through which they have passed as a function of said altering of the axes of polarization performed by said respective ones of said areas whereby said desired first display is imparted into first light beam;

(e) first beam splitter means disposed in said first beam for splitting said beam into first and second partial-intensity beams;

(f) focusing means disposed in said first and second partial-intensity beams for viewing said first display contained within said first and second partial-intensity beams; and

,

(g) second beam splitter means disposed in said first and second partial-intensity beams after said focusing means whereby a viewer can look through said second beam splitter means and see said display superimposed on a normal field of vision.

2. The binocular display of claim 1 wherein:

said second beam splitter is mounted for movement between said position disposed in said first and second beam and a position removed from both the viewer'"'"'s line of sight and said beam.

3. The binocular display of claim 1 and additionally comprising:

reflector means disposed for movement between a first position for directing said first beam into the line of sight of a view and a second position out of said viewer'"'"'s line of sight.

4. The binocular display of claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3 and additionally comprising:

housing means for containing components of the display and including means for attaching said housing means to the head of a viewer.

5. The binocular display of claim 1 and additionally comprising:

(a) a source producing a second beam of light;

(b) second polarizer means disposed in said second beam for polarizing the light in said second beam;

(c) second magneto-optic chip means disposed in said second beam after said second polarizer means for selectively altering the axis of polarization of said second beam passing through addressible areas of said second chip, said second chip including means adapted to be operably connected to a second display driver for addressing said addressible areas whereby said second chip can be driven to alter the axes of polarization of said areas as a function of a desired second display;

(d) second polarization analyzer means disposed in said second beam after said second chip means for blocking or passing portions of said second beam corresponding to respective ones of said areas through which they have passed as a function of said altering of the axes of polarization performed by said respective ones of said areas whereby said desired second display is imparted into said second light beam; and

wherein,

(e) said first beam splitter means is disposed in both said first and second beams whereby said first and second beams are split into first, second, third, and fourth partial-intensity beams, respectively, with said first and third and said second and fourth partial-intensity beams being superimposed upon one another.

6. The binocular display of claim 5 and additionally comprising:

(a) a first colored light filter disposed in said first beam of light prior to said first beam splitter means; and

,

(b) a second colored light filter disposed in said second beam of light prior to said first beam splitter means, said second filter being of a different color from said first filter.

7. The binocular display of claim 6 wherein:

(a) said first and second light filter are changeable filters; and

additionally comprising,

(b) means operably connected to said first and second filters for changing them.

8. The binocular display of claim 5 wherein:

(a) said first beam splitter is movable from its position for splitting said first and second beams to a second position removed from the path of said beams whereby when said first beam splitter is in said second position the display can be used to produce stereo image displays; and

additionally comprising,

(b) means for moving said first beam splitter between said positions.

9. The binocular display of claim 5 wherein:

said first and second sources of light are of different intensities whereby a superimposed display of four intensity levels can be created.

10. The binocular display of claim 5 and additionally comprising:

(a) a source producing a third beam of light;

(b) third polarizer means disposed in said third beam for polarizing the light in said third beam;

(c) third magneto-optic chip means disposed in said third beam after said third polarizer means for selectively altering the axis of polarization of said third beam passing through addressible areas of said third chip, said third chip including means adapted to be operably connected to a third display driver for addressing said addressible areas whereby said third chip can be driven to alter the axes of polariztion of said areas as a function of a desired third display;

(d) third polarization analyzer means disposed in said third beam after said third chip means for blocking or passing portions of said third beam corresponding to respective ones of said areas through which they have passed as a function of said altering of the axes of polarization performed by said respective ones of said areas whereby said desired third display is imparted into said third light beam; and

,

(e) second beam splitter means disposed in said third beam and in said second beam before said first beam splitter means for splitting said second and third beams and superimposing them prior to their striking said first beam splitter means.

11. The binocular display of claim 1 wherein:

said first magneto-optic chip means comprises a plurality of individually addressible magneto-optic chips whereby several display portions on respective ones of said chips can be combined into a single display.

12. The binocular display of claim 11 wherein:

said plurality of chips are in increasing thickness so as to be sequential members of a binary sequence starting one, two, four, eight with relation to one another.

13. The binocular display of claim 1 and additionally comprising:

color filter means disposed with first, second, and third primary color areas in registration over adjacent respective ones of said addressible areas in a pattern for providing individually addressible clusters of first, second, and third primary colored light passage whereby a full-color display can be created by allowing light passage through combinations in individual color portions of said clusters.

14. The binocular display of claim 13 wherein:

said pattern is a fixed repeating pattern.

15. The binocular display of claim 13 wherein:

said addressible areas and said areas of said color filter means have a length-to-width ratio of 3;

1 whereby each of said clusters forms a square.

16. The binocular display of claim 13 wherein:

said addressible areas and said areas of said color filter means have a length-to-width ratio of 6;

1 for the first primary color, 3;

1 for the second primary color, and 2;

1 for the third primary color whereby each of said clusters forms a square and the intensity of the primary colors is balanced.

17. The binocular display of claim 1 and additionally comprising:

(a) light intensifier means for receiving incoming low-intensity light, amplifying, and producing an amplified beam of light; and

wherein,

(b) said first beam splitter means is disposed in both said amplified light beam and said first light beam whereby both said beams are split into partial-intensity beams and respective ones of said partial-intensity beams are superimposed on one another at said focusing means.

18. A magneto-optic projectable binocular display comprising:

(a) a source producing a first beam of light;

(b) first polarizer means disposed in said first beam for polarizing the light said first beam;

(c) first magneto-optic chip means disposed in said first beam after said first polarizer means for selectively altering the axis of polarization of said first beam passing through addressible areas of said first chip, said first chip including means adapted to be operably connected to a first display driver for addressing said addressible areas whereby said first chip can be driven to alter the axes of polarization of said areas as a function of a desired first display;

(d) first polarization analyzer means disposed in said first beam after said first chip means for blocking or passing portions of said first beam corresponding to respective ones of said areas through which they have passed as a function of said altering of the axes of polarization performed by said respective ones of said areas whereby said desired first display is imparted into said first light beam;

(e) a source producing a second beam of light;

(f) second polarizer means disposed in said second beam for polarizing the light in said second beam;

(g) second magneto-optic chip means disposed in said second beam after said second polarizer means for selectively altering the axis of polarization of said second beam passing through addressible areas of said second chip, said second chip including means adapted to be operably connected to a second display driver for addressing said addressible areas whereby said second chip can be driven to alter the axes of polarization of said areas as a function of a desired second display;

(h) second polarization analyzer means disposed in said second beam after said second chip means for blocking or passing portions of said second beam corresponding to respective ones of said areas through which they have passed as a function of said altering of the axes of polarization performed by said respective ones of said areas whereby said desired second display is imparted into said second light beam; and

,

(i) means for focusing said first and second beams.

19. The projectable display of claim 18 in which said focusing means further includes means for directing said first and second beams to combine in focus at a point of focus.

20. The projectable display of claim 19 additionally comprising color filter means disposed with first, second, and third primary color areas in registration over adjacent respective ones of said addressible areas in a pattern for providing individual addressible clusters of first, second, and third primary colored light passage whereby a full-color display can be created by allowing light passage through combinations and individual color portions of said clusters.

21. The projectable display of claim 20 wherein:

said pattern is a fixed repeating pattern.

22. The projectible display of claim 20 wherein said plurality of chip layers have different thicknesses whereby said portions are of differing intensities and said combined single display is comprised of a plurality of different light intensity areas.

23. The projectible display of claim 20 wherein:

said addressible areas and said areas of said color filter means have a length-to-width ratio of 3;

1 whereby each of said clusters forms a square.

24. The display of claim 20 wherein:

said addressible areas and said areas of said color filter means have a length-to-width ratio of 6;

1 for the first primary color, 3;

1 for the second primary color, and 2;

1 for the third primary color whereby each of said clusters forms a square and the intensity of the primary colors is balanced.

25. The projectable display of claim 19 wherein said directing and focusing means comprises:

(a) means disposed in said first and second light beams for combining portions of said first and second light beams into a combined beam containing said first and second displays; and

,

(b) focusing means disposed in said combined beam for focusing said combined beam at a point of viewing.

26. The projectible display of claim 25 and additionally comprising:

(a) a first colored light filter disposed in said first beam of light prior to said first beam combining means; and

,

(b) a second colored light filter disposed in said second beam of light prior to said first beam combining means, said second filter being of a different color from said first filter.

27. The projectible display of claim 26 wherein:

(a) said first and second light filters are changeable filters; and

additionally comprising,

(b) means operably connected to said first and second filters for changing them.

28. The projectible display of claim 25 wherein:

(a) said first beam combining means is movable from its position for combining said first and second beams to a second position removed from the path of said beams whereby when said first beam combining means is in said second position the display can be used to project stereo image displays; and

additionally comprising,

(b) means for moving said first beam combining means between said positions; and

,

(c) second focusing means for focusing a beam of light at a viewing surface, said first focusing means being disposed in said first beam and said second focusing means being disposed in said second beam.

29. The projectible display of claim 19 wherein:

said first and second sources of light are of different intensities whereby a superimposed display of four intensity levels can be created.

30. The projectible display of claim 25 and additionally comprising:

(a) a source producing a third beam of light;

(b) third polarizer means disposed in said third beam for polarizing the light in said third beam;

(c) third magneto-optic chip means disposed in said third beam after said third polarizer means for selectively altering the axes of polarization of said third beam passing through addressible areas of said third chip, said third chip including means adapted to be operably connected to a third display driver for addressing said addressible areas whereby said third chip can be driven to alter the axes of polarization of said areas as a function of a desired third display;

(d) third polarization analyzer means disposed in said third beam after said third chip means for blocking or passing portions of said third beam corresponding to respective ones of said areas through which they have passed as a function of said altering of the axes of polarization performed by said respective ones of said areas whereby said desired third display is imparted into said third light beam; and

,

(e) second beam combining means disposed in said third beam and in said second beam before said first beam combining means for combining portions of said second and third beams for superimposing them prior to their entering said first beam combining means.

31. The projectable display of claim 19 wherein said first beam of light being a first primary color, said second beam of light being a second primary color, and additionally comprising:

(a) a source producing a third beam of light being a third primary color;

(b) third polarizer means disposed in said third beam for polarizing the light in said third beam;

(c) third magneto-optic chip means disposed in said third beam after said third polarizer means for selectively altering the axes of polarization of said third beam passing through addressible areas of said third chip, said third chip including means adapted to be operably connected to a third display driver for addressing said addressible areas whereby said third chip can be driven to alter the axes of polarization of said areas as a functiopn of a desired third display; and

(d) third polarization analyzer means disposed in said third beam after said third chip means for blocking or passing portions of said third beam corresponding to respective ones of said areas through which they have passed as a function of said altering of the axes of polarization performed by said respective ones of said areas whereby said desired third display is imparted into said third light beam and combined with said first and second beams.

32. The projectable display of claim 18 wherein said first magneto-optic chip means additionally comprises a plurality of individually addressible magneto-optic chip layers whereby several display portions on respective ones of said chip layers can be combined into a single display.

33. The projectable display of claim 18 additionally comprising a transparancy disposed over the pixel areas of at least one of said magneto-optic chip means said transparancy having a pattern of clear and increasingly gray areas over respective ones of said pixels wherein the pattern is one with optical transmissions in a binary sequence beginning one, two, four, eight.

34. The full-color projection display of claim 31 wherein said combing and focusing means comprises:

(a) first combining means disposed in said first and second light beams for combining portions of said first and second light beams into a combined beam containing said first and second displays;

(b) second beam combining means disposed in said third beam and is said second beam before said first beam combining means for combining portions of said second and third beams and superimposing them prior to their entering said first beam combining means; and

,

(c) focusing means disposed in the combined first, second, and third beams for focusing said combined beam at a point of viewing.