Electrically actuatable temporal tristimulus-color device

• US 5,142,414 A
• Filed: 04/22/1991
• Issued: 08/25/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dale R. Koehler
• Original Assignee: Dale R. Koehler
• Inventors: Koehler, Dale R.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lerner, Martin
• Application Number:
  US07/688,891
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 359/577, 359/578, 359/579, 359/68, 359/71, 356/352, 356/405, 356/406
• US Class Current: 359/578
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/26 using multiple reflection, e.g. Fabry-Perot interferometer, variable interference filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/26 Reflecting filters G02B5/28 takes precedence

Abstract

The electrically actuated light filter operates in a cyclical temporal mode to effect a tristimulus-color light analyzer. Construction is based on a Fabry-Perot interferometer comprised of a high-speed movable mirror pair and cyclically powered electrical actuators. When combined with a single vidicon tube or a monochrome solid state image sensor, a temporally operated tristimulus-color video camera is effected. A color-generated is accomplished when constructed with a companion light source and is a flicker-free colored-light source for transmission type display systems. Advantages of low cost and small physical size result from photolithographic batch-processing manufacturability.

Claims

1. An electrically actuatable Fabry-Perot interferometer color filter comprising:

a mirror-coated transparent substrate;

a mirror-coated diaphragm;

a mechanical multi-gap-position diaphragm-constraining means; and

,

an electrostatic actuator consisting of electrode sets, oppositely positioned on diaphragm and substrate, and a voltage source acting with sufficient magnitude to effect mechanical collapse of the diaphragm into proximate contact with said constraining means.

2. The color filter of claim 1 wherein the mechanical multi-gap-position diaphragm-constraining means consists of mechanical stops.

3. The color filter of claim 1 wherein the mechanical multi-gap-position diaphragm-constraining means and the mirror-coated diaphragm consist of a single-element stepped-construction diaphragm formed integrally with the transparent substrate.

4. A temporal tristimulus-color light analyzer comprising:

an electrically actuatable Fabry-Perot interferometer color filter further comprising;

a mirror-coated transparent substrate;

a mirror-coated diaphragm;

a mechanical multi-gap-position diaphragm-constraining means; and

an electrostatic actuator consisting of electrode sets, oppositely positioned on diaphragm and substrate, and a voltage source acting with sufficient magnitude to effect mechanical collapse of the diaphragm into proximate contact with said constraining means; and

,

a high-speed cyclically-operated electrical control source to actuate the Fabry-Perot interferometer means at the tristimulus-color transmission modes.

5. A temporal color-analyzer camera system comprising:

a temporal tristimulus-color light analyzer comprised of;

an electrically actuatable Fabry-Perot interferometer color filter further comprising;

a mirror-coated transparent substrate;

a mirror-coated diaphragm;

a mechanical multi-gap-position diaphragm-constraining means; and

an electrostatic actuator consisting of electrode sets, oppositely positioned on diaphragm and substrate, and a voltage source acting with sufficient magnitude to effect mechanical collapse of the diaphragm into proximate contact with said constraining means; and

a high-speed cyclically-operated electrical control source to actuate the Fabry-Perot interferometer means at the tristimulus-color transmission modes; and

,

a camera means.

6. The temporal color-analyzer camera system according to claim 5 wherein the camera means is a conventional color-film camera system.

7. The temporal color-analyzer camera system according to claim 5 wherein the camera means is a time-sequenced color-signal video camera system.

8. A temporal tristimulus-color transmissive display system comprising:

a temporal tristimulus-color light analyzer comprised of;

an electrically actuatable Fabry-Perot interferometer color filter further comprising;

a mirror-coated transparent substrate;

a mirror-coated diaphragm;

a mechanical multi-gap-position diaphragm-constraining means; and

an electrostatic actuator consisting of electrode sets, oppositely positioned on diaphragm and substrate, and a voltage source acting with sufficient magnitude to effect mechanical collapse of the diaphragm into proximate contact with said constraining means; and

a high-speed cyclically-operated electrical control source to actuate the Fabry-Perot interferometer means at the tristimulus-color transmission modes; and

a collimated spectrally-wideband light source; and

, a time-coordinated light-transmissive display means.

9. The temporal tristimulus-color display according to claim 8 wherein the light-transmissive display means is a liquid crystal display.

10. The temporal tristimulus-color display according to claim 8 wherein the light-transmissive display means is an electrostatically actuatable light modulating device.

11. The temporal tristimulus-color display according to claim 8 wherein the light-transmissive display means is photographic film.