Mirror with built-in display

• US 20070058109A1
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Van Delden, Martinus Hermanus, Nieuwkerk, Armanda, Van Deurzen, Maria Henrica
• Granted Patent: US 7,728,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/96
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 1/02 Mirrors used as equipment hand, pocket, or shaving mirrors A45D42/00; optical viewing means for vehicles B60R1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3016 involving passive liquid crystal elements optical properties of liquid crystals G02F1/0063; polarising elements associated with active liquid crystal devices G02F1/133528
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133536 Reflective polarizers G02F1/13362 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133562 on the viewer side
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133753 with different alignment orientations or pretilt angles on a same surface, e.g. for grey scale or improved viewing angle

Abstract

A mirror device (1) which can be simultaneously used for display purposes, based on e.g. an LCD display (5) with a polarizing mirror (2) placed in front of it. The polarizing mirror (2) has the characteristics that it does not disturb the transmission of the light from the display to the viewer (3), but does reflect the incident light. A combined viewing angle and reflection problem related to switchable optical components (14) placed in front of the polarizing mirror (2) is overcome.

Claims

1. A polarizing mirror (1) for viewing purposes having a first plane (2) reflecting light of a first kind of polarization (20′

) to a viewing side, the mirror passing light of a second kind of polarization (20″

) and being provided with a display device (5) at its non-viewing side, which display device during use provides light of the second kind of polarization, the polarizing mirror at its viewing side having polarizing means (14) being switchable between two optical states, comprising a liquid crystal layer (7) between two substrates (26,27), at least one of said substrates having orientating means to orient liquid crystal molecules (25) during one of the optical states in at least two orientation directions.

2. A polarizing mirror as claimed in claim 1 in which the substrate for each area related to a picture element of the display device has domains (30) having different orientation directions.

3. A polarizing mirror as claimed in claim 1 in which the liquid crystal layer between the two substrates comprises a dye (31).

4. A polarizing mirror as claimed in claim 1 in which the switchable polarizing comprises a patterned ½

λ

retarder and a polarizer.