Components for fiber-optic matrix display systems

• US 5,818,998 A
• Filed: 03/29/1996
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inwave Corporation
• Original Assignee: Inwave Corporation
• Inventors: Olsen, Jeff, Harris, Laura Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, John
• Application Number:
  US08/625,729
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 385/901, 385/115, 385/116, 385/119, 385/120, 385/121, 362/32
• US Class Current: 385/100
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/305 being the ends of optical fibres G09F9/302 takes precedence

Abstract

A lightweight display system (10) includes an output matrix (34) of output terminals (28) of optical conductors (30) supported on a preferably flexible substrate (16) by terminal housings (20). Optical conductors (30) are collated into an input matrix (34) that receives light containing a source image (39) from projector (40). Light propagates through optical conductors (30) and exits output terminals (28) to form an enlarged display image (31) that corresponds to the source image. Preferred embodiments of display screen (12) are collapsible and facilitate transportation and reassembly.

Claims

1. A display system for forming a display image of greater size than a corresponding source image, the display system including multiple optical conductors each of which includes at opposite ends thereof an input terminal and an output terminal;

an input matrix for holding multiple input terminals that receive light carrying the source image; and

a display matrix protruding from a support surface for holding multiple output terminals, wherein the input terminals are mounted in closely packed rows and columns in the input matrix and the display matrix holds the output terminals in spaced-apart rows and columns whose relative positioning corresponds with the relative positioning of the rows and columns of the input matrix, whereby the light delivered to the input terminals is carried along the optical conductors and delivered to the output terminals to form the display image, comprising;

terminal housings to support the output terminals within the display matrix, each terminal housing having a generally concave conical shape with a base generally tangent to the support surface, and an apex having a channel through which at least one output terminal extends.

2. The display system of claim 1 in which light emitted from each output terminal propagated through a viewing angle enhancer.

3. The display system of claim 2 in which the viewing angle enhancer comprises a lens.

4. The display system of claim 2 which comprises a transparent light scattering epoxy material.

5. The display system of claim 2 which comprises an optical grating.

6. The display system of claim 2 which comprises a holographic optical element.

7. The display system of claim 2 which comprises a terminal cap attached to each output terminal.

8. The display system of claim 4 in which the epoxy envelopes small gas bubbles.

9. The display system of claim 1 further comprising an imaging medium positioned adjacent to the input matrix to provide the source image for impingment into the input matrix.

10. The display system of claim 9 in which the optical conductors have a core and a cladding with distinct refractive indices, the display system further comprising:

a reflector assembly including;

an input aperture for receiving light from a light source;

an output aperture through which the light exits the reflector assembly to impinge on the imaging medium and is transferred to the input terminals of the input matrix, the output aperture being larger than the input aperture;

a reflector head having at least one pair of reflective surface sections positioned between the input aperture and the output aperture to direct reflected light toward the imaging medium; and

a bisecting axis that bisects the reflector head such that the surface sections diverge from the axis within about 15% of an angle θ

_RD, where ##EQU2## where n₁ is the refractive index of the core of the optical conductors and n₂ is the refractive index of the cladding of the optical conductors.