Liquid crystal color display and method
First Claim
1. An optical device, comprising an assemblage of plural groups of volumes of liquid crystal material, a plurality of said volumes comprising discrete capsules formed by containment medium of isolating polymer containing therein said liquid crystal material, the liquid crystal material in at least one of said groups comprising nematic or operationally nematic liquid crystal, the device being formed in such a way to maintain adequate resistivity to obtain a field across the liquid crystal material in response to an applied voltage to cause alignment of said liquid crystal material with respect to such field, said resistivity being obtained by purifying at least part of the containment medium prior to formation of the device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A liquid crystal color display (20) provides a transmitted light output of one or more colors, black, and/or white, as a function of incident light and controlled energization or not of respective optically serially positioned liquid crystal color layers (2, 3, 4) and/or multicolor composite liquid crystal color layer(s) in the display. Plural optically serially arranged volumes (21) of operationally nematic liquid crystal material (25) having different optical characteristics, e.g. being dyed with different pleochroic dyes (28), may be selectively aligned or not with respect to an electric field to determine optical output of the device in a subtractive color mode. Exemplary colors of pleochroic dye include yellow, cyan and magenta, and black dye may be used to control saturation or hue. Non-pleochroic dye also may be used in one or more layers of the liquid crystal color display to filter or to color light transmitted therethrough thereby to cooperate with the pleochroic dye to provide a final color output. Additionally, individual pixel-like areas (72, 73, 74) of the liquid crystal color display may be so positioned in proximity to each other to operate in a color additive mode. Techniques for discriminating voltage and/or frequency enable a multicolor response using only a single pair of electrodes. Using cross over liquid crystal material having positive and negative dielectric anisotropy characteristics as a function of frequency of applied signal, multiplex driving of the liquid crystal color display is facilitated.
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Citations
79 Claims
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1. An optical device, comprising an assemblage of plural groups of volumes of liquid crystal material, a plurality of said volumes comprising discrete capsules formed by containment medium of isolating polymer containing therein said liquid crystal material, the liquid crystal material in at least one of said groups comprising nematic or operationally nematic liquid crystal, the device being formed in such a way to maintain adequate resistivity to obtain a field across the liquid crystal material in response to an applied voltage to cause alignment of said liquid crystal material with respect to such field, said resistivity being obtained by purifying at least part of the containment medium prior to formation of the device.
- 2. An optical device, comprising plural groups of volumes of liquid crystal in a containment medium, a plurality of such groups containing in the volumes thereof respective pleochroic dye to color light transmitted therethrough, said volumes being arranged relative to each other in generally optically serial relation to affect color of light transmitted therethrough in a subtractive color operation, and at least one of such groups containing in the volumes thereof black pleochroic dye operative selectively to attenuate light incident thereon.
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17. An optical device, comprising plural groups of volumes of liquid crystal in a containment medium, a plurality of such groups containing in the volumes thereof respective pleochroic dye to color light transmitted therethrough, said volumes being arranged relative to each other in generally optically serial relation to affect color of light transmitted therethrough in a subtractive color operation, and at least one of such groups containing in the volumes thereof black pleochroic dye operative selectively to attenuate light incident thereon, wherein each group of plural volumes is in a separate layer separated from one or more relatively adjacent layers by electrode means, said electrode means being operative for applying electric field to respective layers as a prescribed input to affect the alignment of liquid crystal structure and dye structure in such volumes, wherein at least one layer is more proximately exposed to a source of external optical radiation than another layer, and the liquid crystal in said more proximately exposed layer includes pleochroic dye that removes at least a substantial amount of ultraviolet optical radiation from such optical radiation emitted by such source prior to passing such optical radiation to a less proximately exposed layer, and wherein said volumes distort the natural structure of the liquid crystal in the absence of an electric field, and in the presence of such electric field the liquid crystal structure tends to aling with respect to such field.
- 18. A liquid crystal device, comprising a first plurality of volumes of a first liquid crystal material and a second plurality of volumes of a second liquid crystal material, said volumes being formed by containment medium means for tending to distort the natural structure of the liquid crystal material in the absence of a prescribed input, said second liquid crystal material having dielectric anisotropy that is frequency dependent so as to undergo a change in sign, whereby the optical transmission characteristics of the device are a function of the magnitude and frequency of prescribed input applied to said liquid crystal materials.
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35. A liquid crystal device, comprising a first plurality of volumes of a first liquid crystal material and a second plurality of volumes of a second liquid crystal material, said volumes being formed by containment medium means for tending to distort the natural structure of the liquid crystal material in the absence of a prescribed input, said second liquid crystal material having dielectric anisotropy that is frequency dependent, whereby the optical transmission characteristics of the device are a function of the magnitude and frequency of prescribed input applied to said liquid crystal materials, and said first plurality of volumes comprising a plurality of isolating capsules of a containment medium containing said first liquid crystal material, said isolating capsules being arranged in a first layer, and said second plurality of volumes of second liquid crystal material being arranged in a layer substantially separate and optically serially related to said first layer, and, wherein at least one layer is more proximately exposed to a source of external optical radiation than another layer, and the liquid crystal in said more proximately exposed layer includes pleochroic dye that removes at least a substantial amount of ultraviolet optical radiation from such optical radiation emitted by such source prior to passing such optical radiation to a less proximately exposed layer.
- 36. A liquid crystal device, comprising a first plurality of volumes of a first liquid crystal material and a second plurality of volumes of a second liquid crystal material, said volumes being formed by containment medium means for tending to distort the natural structure of the liquid crystal material in the absence of a prescribed input, said second liquid crystal material having dielectric anisotropy that is frequency dependent, whereby the optical transmission characteristics of the device are a function of the magnitude and frequency of prescribed input applied to said liquid crystal materials, and, wherein at least one of said liquid crystal materials has a cross-over with respect to frequency of the dielectric anisotropy.
- 42. Apparatus for signal discrimination, comprising plural volumes of liquid crystal material in a containment medium, said liquid crystal material having has a positive dielectric anisotropy in one frequency domain and a negative dielectric anisotropy in a second frequency domain, the effect of which is to discriminate between applied electrical inputs, and electrical input means for applying such electrical inputs to said liquid crystal material, and wherein said containment medium comprises a containment medium means for containing said liquid crystal material, said containment medium means including surface means for distorting the natural structure of the liquid crystal material in the absence of a prescribed electrical input, and such liquid crystal being responsive to an applied electric field in said one frequency domain to align generally in parallel with respect to such field and being responsive to an applied electric field in said second frequency domain to undergo non-alignment with respect thereto as a function of different polarity dielectric anisotropy of said liquid crystal.
- 47. A liquid crystal device, comprising plural volumes of liquid crystal material, said liquid crystal material having a natural structure which in the absence of a prescribed input is distorted by surface means defining said volumes, whereby in response to such distortion said volumes of liquid crystal material at least one of scatter or absorb light, and further comprising input means for supplying as a prescribed input to said volumes of liquid crystal material first and second electrical signals, each having a relatively low and a relatively high frequency component that are respectively additive to apply a resultant field to such volumes of liquid crystal material, and wherein said liquid crystal material comprises cross over liquid crystal material having two different dielectric anisotropy characteristics as a function of frequency of input electrical signal thereto, and said input means comprises a circuit means for applying such first and second electrical signals such that the amplitude of each alone is less than the amplitude required to effect a responsive alignment function of liquid structure with respect thereto.
- 54. A liquid crystal color display, comprising a layer of plural volumes of operationally nematic liquid crystal in a containment medium, electrode means for applying electric field to said layer or to parts thereof, a power supply means for applying a prescribed input to said layer selectively to effect parallel alignment of the liquid crystal, and pleochroic dye in plural volumes of said liquid crystal and non-pleochroic dye in at least one of said liquid crystal and containment medium.
- 57. A method of controlling light, comprising directing light to a liquid crystal device having a layer of plural volumes of operationally nematic liquid crystal in a containment medium, pleochroic dye in said liquid crystal and non-pleochroic dye in at least one of the containment medium and liquid crystal, such containment medium having surface means for distorting the natural structure of the liquid crystal in the absence of a prescribed input, when no prescribed input is applied allowing both the pleochroic dye and the non-pleochroic dye will tend to affect light incident thereon, and selectively applying a prescribed input to such liquid crystal material to reduce the coloring effect of the pleochroic dye while permitting the coloring effect of the non-pleochroic dye to continue coloring light.
- 59. A liquid crystal device, comprising plural volumes of liquid crystal material, said liquid crystal material having a natural structure which in the absence of a prescribed input is distorted by surface means defining said volumes, whereby in response to such distortion said volumes of liquid crystal material at least one of scatter or absorb light, and further comprising input means for supplying as a prescribed input to said volumes of liquid crystal material first and second electrical signals, each having at least one of a relatively low and a relatively high frequency component that is respectively additive to apply a resultant field to such volumes of liquid crystal material.
- 64. A liquid crystal apparatus comprising a composite layer containing two or more liquid crystal compositions that respond differently to a prescribed input, and input means for applying such prescribed input, said different response being a sign of dielectric anisotropy.
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66. A liquid crystal apparatus comprising two or more liquid crystal compositions placed in intimate but non-mixing relation such that the liquid crystal compositions function in optical serial relation without parallax, said liquid crystal compositions being operative to discriminate at least one characteristic of such prescribed input, wherein a plurality of said liquid crystal compositions respectively have different size volumes of liquid crystal in a containment medium and are capable of discriminating as a function of such size.
- 67. A liquid crystal apparatus comprising a composite layer containing two or more liquid crystal compositions that respond differently to a prescribed input, and input means for applying such prescribed input, said different response being a sign of dielectric anisotropy, said input means comprising electrodes.
- 70. In combination, at least three groups of volumes of liquid crystal, each group comprising liquid crystal material, pleochroic dye of a respective color and a containment medium for containing therein said liquid crystal material and pleochroic dye, said volumes being aligned in optical series, and means for applying a prescribed input to at least some of said volumes to affect the filtering of light by the pleochroic dye therein, and wherein said groups are arranged in relatively close proximity to each other to achieve substantially parallax-free operation.
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72. A liquid crystal device, comprising plural volumes of liquid crystal material and pleochroic dye in a containment medium, and non-pleochroic dye in at least one of said liquid crystal material and containment medium;
- said pleochroic dye and said non-pleochroic dye being complementary colors.
- View Dependent Claims (73, 74, 75)
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76. An optical switch, comprising plural volumes of liquid crystal material in a containment medium, pleochroic dye in said liquid crystal, and non-pleochroic dye in at least one of said liquid crystal and containment medium, said dyes being of complementary colors, and input means for applying a prescribed input to said liquid crystal material to determine the transmission of light by the switch.
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77. An optical device, comprising plural groups of volumes of liquid crystal in a containment medium, a plurality of such groups containing in the volumes thereof respective pleochroic dye to color light transmitted therethrough, said volumes being arranged relative to each other in generally optically serial relation to affect color of light transmitted therethrough in a substractive color operation, and further comprising a layer of a plurality of volumes of liquid crystal and pleochroic dye, said layer being more proximately exposed to a source of external optical radiation than another said other groups of volumes of liquid crystal in a containment medium, and the liquid crystal in said more proximately exposed layer includes pleochroic dye that removes at least a substantial amount of ultraviolet optical radiation from such optical radiation emitted by such source prior to passing such optical radiation to other groups of volumes.
- 78. An optical device, comprising plural groups of volumes of liquid crystal in a containment medium, a plurality of such groups containing in the volumes thereof respective pleochroic dye to color light transmitted therethrough, said volumes being arranged relative to each other in generally optically serial relation to affect color of light transmitted therethrough in a subtractive color operation, and wherein said liquid crystal material in a plurality of said groups having a relatively low difference between the ordinary and extraordinary indices of refraction and such indices being substantially matched to the index of refraction of such containment medium.
Specification