NVG compatible LCD

• US 4,934,793 A
• Filed: 06/07/1988
• Issued: 06/19/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Dynamics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mcdonnell Douglas Corporation (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Klein, Herman C.
• Primary Examiner(s): James, Andrew J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai, Huy K.
• Application Number:
  US07/203,752
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 350/338, 350/345, 350/339 F, 362/62
• US Class Current: 349/67
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133509 Filters, e.g. light shielding masks
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1336 Illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01K 1/26 Screens; Filters associated with envelope H01K1/28

Abstract

A night vision compatible display employing a liquid crystal display, and an infrared attenuating filter having characteristics which permit a high degree of infrared attenuation while transmitting substantial amounts of visible light, in combination with an incandescent source and reflector for backlighting a liquid crystal display through the infrared filter so that the liquid crystal provides a fully readable, high contrast display when sufficeintly trans-illuminated through the filter to produce light having a spectral content highly compatible with direct vision and the use of infrared sensitive GEN III night vision goggles and other night vision equipment in a night vision environment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for night vision compatible illumination of liquid crystal displays, comprising,

a reflector for directing illumination to the entire rear surface of a liquid crystal display, a source of illumination located in front of said reflector,

an infrared attenuating filter located in front of said source of illumination and behind and coextensive with the rear surface of said liquid crystal display,

such that all illumination is communicated through the rear surface of said liquid crystal display by way of said filter, the infrared attenuating filter reducing most of the level of infrared spectral content sufficiently to permit liquid crystal display readability compatible with the use of night vision equipment and to a level sufficiently low to prevent interference with the normal operation of the night vision equipment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said infrared attenuating filter is a blue-green, red absorbing, optically transmitting substrate.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said filter has a transmittance characteristic with a peak of 97.5% at 475±

50 nanometers and an infrared transmittance of 10% at the 700+25 nanometer low end infrared threshhold.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said source of illumination is an incandescent lamp.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the amount of infrared attenuation is adjustable by varying the thickness of said filter.

6. A night vision display system comprising, night vision goggles,

a liquid crystal display capable of being electrically connected as a readout for an input device,

a reflector for directing illumination to the rear surface of said liquid crystal display,

a source of illumination located in front of said reflector,

an infrared attenuating filter located in front of said source of illumination and behind and coextensive with the rear surface of said liquid crystal display,

such that all illumination communicated through the rear surface of said liquid crystal display contains levels of infrared spectral content reduced sufficiently, without diminishing the magnitude of the remaining visible spectral content, to permit liquid crystal display readability compatible with the use of night vision equipment by observers viewing the display directly and those viewing with said night vision goggles.

7. The night vision display system of claim 6 wherein said night vision goggles are GEN III.

8. The night vision display system of claim 7 wherein said filter has a transmittance characteristic which maximizes the readability of the information presented by the display to a viewer observing the display through GEN III night vision goggles in a night vision environment.

9. The night vision display system of claim 7 wherein said filter has a transmittance characteristic which maximizes the readability of the information presented by the display to viewers simultaneously observing it directly and through GEN III night vision goggles in a night vision environment.

10. The night vision display system of claim 6, wherein said filter has means for maximizing the transmittance characteristic and the readability of the information presented by the display to a viewer observing the display directly in a night vision environment.

11. The method of visibly displaying information in a dichroic liquid crystal display compatibly to direct viewers and viewers using night vision aids in a night vision environment, which comprises the steps of;

(a) energizing a source of illumination located behind said display,

(b) reflecting the illumination from said source toward the rear of said liquid crystal display,

(c) filtering most of the infrared content of the illumination between the source of the illumination and the rear of the liquid crystal display with an infrared attenuating filter to a level sufficiently low to prevent interference with the normal operation of the night vision aids, and

(d) filtering the illumination exiting the front surface of said display through a night vision filter located between the liquid crystal display and the viewer.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said infrared attenuating filter has a transmittance characteristic with a peak of 97.5% at 475±

50 nanometers and an infrared transmittance of 10% at the 700±

25 nanometer low end infrared threshhold.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said night vision filter has a transmittance characteristic of a GEN III type filter having a transmittance peak greater than 98% between 725 and 825 nanometers and a bandwidth of 150 to 200 nanometers.

14. A night vision display system comprising;

(a) a night vision viewing means

(b) a dichroic display means,

(c) a means for illuminating said dichroic display means through its rear surface,

(d) means for filtering most of the infrared radiation created by said illumination means, and located between said illumination means and the rear surface of said dichroic display means, said filtering means reducing the infrared radiation to a level sufficiently low to prevent interference with the normal operation of the night vision viewing means and further comprising

(e) means for reflecting and concentrating the radiation created by said illumination means upon the rear surface of said dichroic display means, and

(f) wherein said night vision viewing means is a GEN III type filter.