VLSI visual display
First Claim
1. A visual display comprising:
- (a) a miniature liquid crystal display including (i) an array of display elements of sufficient resolution to provide a desired image quality, wherein said display elements are displaced by small random distances from the positions of elements in a corresponding symmetrical array, (ii) a VLSI circuit monolithically integrated with said array for driving said display elements to form images on the array that are generally too small to be viewed by the naked eye, said VLSI circuit including input terminals for providing electrical signals thereto to generate such images, (iii) a transparent cover positioned above said array of display elements, (iv) a transparent electrode deposited on the surface of the cover facing said array, and (v) a liquid crystal material disposed between said array and said transparent electrode; and
(b) an optical system disposed in front of the miniature liquid crystal display for enlarging such images to be visible at the desired image quality to the naked eye or for recording such images such that they can be displayed or viewed by the naked eye.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a visual display including a high resolution miniature display compatible with VLSI technology and an optical system such as an optical magnifier used to enlarge the images display on the miniature display to be visible to the naked eye. The miniature display includes a VLSI backplane having an array of display elements monolithically formed with its driving circuit on a single crystalline semiconductor. Signal processing circuit or a microprocessor used to process image signals for the display may also be formed monolithically with the array and its driving circuit. The array may be designed using a silicon software compiler program to have randomly displaced elements or super-pixels for reducing image aliasing. The array may also be designed to have display elements positioned and scaled to compensate for the optical distortion introduced by the magnifier.
119 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A visual display comprising:
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(a) a miniature liquid crystal display including (i) an array of display elements of sufficient resolution to provide a desired image quality, wherein said display elements are displaced by small random distances from the positions of elements in a corresponding symmetrical array, (ii) a VLSI circuit monolithically integrated with said array for driving said display elements to form images on the array that are generally too small to be viewed by the naked eye, said VLSI circuit including input terminals for providing electrical signals thereto to generate such images, (iii) a transparent cover positioned above said array of display elements, (iv) a transparent electrode deposited on the surface of the cover facing said array, and (v) a liquid crystal material disposed between said array and said transparent electrode; and
(b) an optical system disposed in front of the miniature liquid crystal display for enlarging such images to be visible at the desired image quality to the naked eye or for recording such images such that they can be displayed or viewed by the naked eye. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A virtual image display permitting a viewer to view images, comprising:
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(a) an eye glass frame;
(b) at least one lens having a reflective or partially reflective surface mounted therein; and
(c) a visual display positioned such that images displayed thereon are reflected by said lens into the eyes of a person wearing said frame, said visual display comprising;
(i) a miniature liquid crystal display including an array of display elements of sufficient resolution to provide a desired image quality, and a VLSI circuit monolithically integrated with said array for driving said display elements to form images on the array that are generally too small to be viewed by the naked eye, said VLSI circuit including input terminals for providing electrical signals thereto to generate such images, wherein said miniature liquid crystal display is connected at its input terminals to a source of electrical signals for forming images; and
(ii) an optical system disposed in front of the miniature display for enlarging such images to be visible at the desired image quality to the naked eye;
wherein said reflective surface of said at least one lens is curved in accordance with a three-dimensional elliptical surface, and the visual display and the eye of the viewer are positioned at two focal points of said elliptical surface respectively such that the images displayed by said visual display are reflected by said reflective surface into the eyes of the viewer, and wherein the display elements in the array are displaced by small random distances from the positions of elements in a corresponding symmetrical array. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
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8. A virtual image display permitting a viewer to view images, comprising:
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(a) an eye glass frame;
(b) at least one lens having a reflective or partially reflective surface mounted therein; and
(c) a visual display positioned such that images displayed thereon are reflected by said lens into the eyes of a person wearing said frame, said visual display comprising;
(i) a miniature liquid crystal display including an array of display elements of sufficient resolution to provide a desired image quality, and a VLSI circuit monolithically integrated with said array for driving said display elements to form images on the array that are generally too small to be viewed by the naked eye, said VLSI circuit including input terminals for providing electrical signals thereto to generate such images, wherein said liquid crystal display comprises a transparent cover positioned above said array of display elements, a transparent electrode deposited on the surface of the cover facing said array, and a liquid crystal material disposed between said array and said transparent electrode; and
(ii) an optical system disposed in front of the miniature display for enlarging such images to be visible at the desired image quality to the naked eye;
wherein said reflective surface of said at least one lens is curved in accordance with a three-dimensional elliptical surface, and the visual display and the eye of the viewer are positioned at two focal points of said elliptical surface respectively such that the images displayed by said visual display are reflected by said reflective surface into the eyes of the viewer, and wherein the display elements in the array are displaced by small random distances from the positions of elements in a corresponding symmetrical array. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification