Active flat-design video screen

• US 4,974,942 A
• Filed: 02/16/1988
• Issued: 12/04/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Battelle-Institut EV, Battelle Memorial Institute
• Original Assignee: Battelle-Institut EV, Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Dornhaus, Ralf, Harmer, Alan L., Gross, Daniel, Hewig, Gert
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER JR, STANLEY D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thantu, Napoleon
• Application Number:
  US07/156,140
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 350/347 V, 350/96.13, 350/96.14, 350/96.29, 350/353, 350/355, 350/269, 358/59, 358/241, 358/336, 358/236
• US Class Current: 349/24
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/011 in optical waveguides, not otherwise provided for in this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0147 based on thermo-optic effects G02F1/132 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/03 based on ceramics or electro-optical crystals, e.g. exhibiting Pockels effect or Kerr effect G02F1/061 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/30 in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/305 being the ends of optical fibres G09F9/302 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/12 by switched stationary formation of lamps, photocells or light relays

Abstract

An active flat-design video screen is described, having signal line means arranged in lines and columns, these signal line means, at their crossing points, defining picture elements of the video screen, in which case the lines that are arranged in columns are developed as electrodes and the signal line means that are arranged in lines are developed by means of optical waveguides into which, on the input side, a modulated light signal is coupled and which, at each crossing point, have a device for the coupling-out of the respective light signal. In comparison to conventional active flat-design video screens, the video screen according to the invention distinguishes itself particularly by a good picture resolution and a good contrast range, connected with a good regeneration rate.

Claims

1. An active flat-design video screen comprising:

signal line means, arranged in groups of lines and columns, which, at their crossing points, define picture elements of the video screen;

a control and signal processing means for controlling picture information supplied to the signal line means;

light element means for emitting modulated light, which is modulated corresponding to the picture information,

wherein one of the groups of signal line means is formed by optical waveguides having an input side into which the modulated light signal is coupled;

coupling-out means at each of the crossing points, and responsive to said control and signal processing means, for coupling-out an optical signal in said optical waveguide, in a direction extending substantially perpendicular with respect to a plane of the video screen, and for coupling-out light from the optical waveguides in the area of each individual picture element as a function of said control and signal processing means of another group, other than said one group, of signal line means.

2. An active video screen according to claim 1 wherein said another group of signal line means are developed as strip electrodes in the area of the video screen.

3. An active video screen according to claim 1 characterized in that the optical waveguides are integrated in the form of microstrips in a substrate plate or are developed in the form of optical fibers which together are fastened on a substrate plate.

4. An active video screen according to claim 1 wherein said light element means comprises individually controllable light-emitting diodes or diode lasers for coupling light into said optical waveguides.

5. An active video screen according to claim 1 wherein said light element means comprises a single unmodulated light source with a light-distributing lens system connected behind said unmodulated light source, for coupling light into the individual waveguides, and, an individually controllable optical modulator in front of each coupling-in point of the light into the waveguides.

6. An active video screen according to claim 5, wherein the light source is constructed as a miniature ZrO₂ arc lamp or a miniature filament lamp, the light source is imaged on the front side of a light guide having a corresponding large core diameter, this light guide is coupled with a light guide bundle of approximately the same diameter and in that this bundle is fanned out into a linear array, each individual light guide being coupled to the individually controllable optical modulator.

7. An active vide screen according to claim 5 characterized in that the optical modulators are integrated in the form of an electrically controlled linear array onto a joint substrate plate.

8. An active video screen according to claim 5 wherein the optical modulators each include an input polarizer, a controlled electro-optical Kerr cell, and an output polarizer, in such a way that an electric control signal is converted into a light amplitude modulation.

9. An active video screen according to claim 8, wherein the Kerr cell includes an electro-optical ceramic component of the PLZT type or of an electro-optical polymer.

10. An active video screen according to claim 5 wherein the optical modulators are constructed as piezoelectrically, electrodynamically, electromagnetically or electrostatically adjustable diaphragm blades which reach into a separating gap of, in each case, one waveguide or of an optical fiber, in such a way that the respective light current is weakened corresponding to the blade position.

11. An active video screen according to claim 5 wherein the optical modulators are developed as opto-mechanical total-reflection modulators, in each case, an optical separating gap being provided that is arranged obliquely with respect to the beam direction, and the gap width of which, by means of a piezoelectric adjusting element can be changed between zero and a maximum of several light-wave lengths.

12. An active video screen according to claim 5 wherein the optical modulators are parallel, integrated optical microstrips, with an electro-optical insulator layer covering the optical microstrips, above and in parallel to the optical microstrips on the insulator layer, in each case, one electric pair of strip electrodes is arranged, in such a way that, when an electric field is applied to a pair of electrodes, the refractive index of the insulator layer is increased to such an extent that the refractive-index difference to the corresponding optical microstrip disposed below it is reduced and the angular range, within which the optical microstrip generates total reflection with respect to the insulator layer, is reduced correspondingly, whereby the light current transmitted by the optical microstrip is modulated correspondingly.

13. An active video screen according to claim 1 wherein said coupling-out means is constituted by the optical waveguides including at least two phases, the refractive indices of which, when the strip electrodes are not controlled, correspond to one another, and in that, by means of the voltage applied for the control of the strip electrodes, the refractive indices of both phases can be locally changed in different ways, so that they no longer correspond to one another, whereby a scattering of the light is caused that was previously guided in the waveguide.

14. An active video screen according to claim 13, characterized in that the optical waveguides (3) are constructed according to the principle of an electrically or thermally controllable Christiansen'"'"'s filter in such a way that, when the refractive index of the two phases of the waveguide is identical, the light propagates in the waveguide and in that, when the refractive index is identical, light is scattered out of the waveguide in the direction of the viewer.

15. An active video screen according to claim 13, wherein the optical waveguides consist of a matrix with enclosed microdroplets of a liquid-crystalline material in such a way that, in the case of a certain alignment of the liquid crystals induced by the applied electric field, a scattering of the light in the waveguide is suppressed, whereas the droplets, in the random state, cause a scattering of the light in the direction of the viewer.

16. An active video screen according to claim 2 further comprising an insulator layer consisting essentially of an electro-optical polymer, from the group consisting of polydiacethylene or paranitroaniline or electro-optical dyes in polymer matrices or stilbene in Langmuir-Blodgett films;

said insulator layer disposed between said optical waveguides and said strip electrodes.

17. An active video screen according to claim 16 wherein said coupling-out means is constituted by said optical waveguides and said insulator layer of which refractive indices are different when said strip electrodes are not controlled and correspond to one another when the voltage is applied to said strip electrodes whereby light is coupled out of said optical waveguides.

18. An active video screen according to claim 1, wherein a color control is made possible by developing the waveguides as pairs disposed next to one another in parallel or as triplets of optical waveguides in such a way that into each waveguide of this type of a group only light is coupled of a light-emitting diode of a suitable color (red, yellow, green or blue).

19. An active video screen according to claim 1, wherein a color control in the time-division multiplex method is made possible by using a polychromatic light source and a sequentially changing color filter in such a way that, by means of a light-distributing lens system, a color triplet (red, yellow, blue) is coupled successively into the same waveguide.

20. An active video screen according to claim 1, wherein a color control in the time-division multiplex method is made possible by using two or three monochromatic light sources in such a way that light from these light sources successively, via a dichroic filter mirror, is directed to one and the same focussing site and then, via the light-distributing lens system, is coupled into the waveguides.