Color changeable fiber-optic illuminated display
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A color changeable fiber-optic illuminated image comprising:
- a carrier having a visible surface for the image;
a plurality of optical fibers with distal end portions secured to the visible surface of the carrier creating a number of points for illumination and having proximal ends operatively connected to a light source, so that light from the light source is transmitted to the points for illumination on the surface of the carrier;
means for generating digital signals and transmitting them to the light source at variable respective rates to define corresponding duty cycles, the duty cycles being determinative of a selected pattern of different color variants over time from the light source in response to the digital signals; and
points of changing color on the visible surface of the carrier, each of the points of changing color corresponding to only a single one of the optical fibers through which the changing colors have been transmitted, whereby the image appears to change color over time.
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Abstract
An illuminated display makes use of optical fibers and a programmable controller for varying the brightness intensities and colors emitted by color changeable LEDs through the optical fibers. The illuminated fiber optic display is carried on a planar surface and may be incorporated on an article of clothing. By using color-variable LEDs suitably connected to corresponding fiber optic bundles, eye-catching, color-changing displays can be created with fewer interconnections, fewer light sources, and fewer optical fibers.
140 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A color changeable fiber-optic illuminated image comprising:
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a carrier having a visible surface for the image;
a plurality of optical fibers with distal end portions secured to the visible surface of the carrier creating a number of points for illumination and having proximal ends operatively connected to a light source, so that light from the light source is transmitted to the points for illumination on the surface of the carrier;
means for generating digital signals and transmitting them to the light source at variable respective rates to define corresponding duty cycles, the duty cycles being determinative of a selected pattern of different color variants over time from the light source in response to the digital signals; and
points of changing color on the visible surface of the carrier, each of the points of changing color corresponding to only a single one of the optical fibers through which the changing colors have been transmitted, whereby the image appears to change color over time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for generating a fiber-optic image of changing color from a plurality of optical fibers in one or more bundles, the distal ends of said optical fibers being secured to a carrier having a visible surface for said image, the method comprising the steps of:
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operatively connecting the proximal ends of the optical fibers to at least one LED capable of emitting a plurality of colors;
generating signals for selecting the desired color and transmitting said signals to said at least one LED; and
varying the rate at which the generated signals are transmitted to said at least one LED to define corresponding duty cycles for causing the generation of color variants emitted from said at least one LED, the emitted colored light communicating with the distal ends of the fibers to create the fiber-optic image of changing color. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. A fiber-optic illuminated display for a planar surface, the display comprising:
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a plurality of color changeable LEDs, each of said LEDs having a plurality of substrates doped with gallium-based compounds for emitting red-, green-, and blue-colored light, respectively;
means for transmitting digital pulses to each of the substrates at variable respective rates to define corresponding duty cycles for said substrates, the duty cycles of said substrates determining the brightness intensities of the colored light emitted therefrom;
the combination of the brightness intensities of the plurality of substrates in the LEDs determining the resultant colors of respective ones of the LEDs;
a plurality of optical fibers with proximal ends arranged into bundles and distal ends attached to said planar surface to define the display thereon;
means for securing the bundles of the optical fibers in operative communication with corresponding ones of the LEDs to transmit the emitted colors from the LEDs to the bundles of the optical fibers;
programmable means for sequentially selecting corresponding one of the LEDs to be illuminated and for varying the duty cycles in a pattern over time to vary the corresponding brightness intensities of the plurality of substrates of said selected LEDs, thereby changing the respective resultant colors emitted by said LEDs, whereby the changing of the colors emitted by the LEDs changes the colors of the associated optical fibers in accordance with the sequential pattern to create a color-mutable, fiber-optic illuminated display. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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Specification