High luminance miniature display

• US 4,361,384 A
• Filed: 06/27/1980
• Issued: 11/30/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Bosserman, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARNOLD, BRUCE
• Application Number:
  US06/163,542
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 250/330-333, 340/794, 340/795, 340/797, 340/380, 340/810, 340/781, 313/103 CM, 313/105 CM, 350/298, 350/301, 350/174
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0136 with a single image source for both eyes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features

Abstract

A miniature, helmet mounted, display panel having a very wide range of luance is provided by combining a thin film flat panel display with a wafer diode image intensifier tube.

Claims

1. A display system in combination with a helmet comprising:

a thin flat solid state display element having an array of thin-film electroluminescent elements for radiating a T.V. image;

an image intensifying tube having a screen anode, a photocathode and a fiber optics input faceplate;

housing means supporting said display element and said tube with said photocathode coupled to the output of said thin, flat, solid state display element through the fiber optics input faceplate;

a helmet adapted for mounting said display system;

said housing means mounted on said helmet; and

a visor so mounted on said helmet such that it reflects an image radiating from said tube, whereby the wearer of said helmet may see the reflected image when looking through said visor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said housing means includes a facemask adapted to cover the eyes of a user;

said solid state display element is mounted horizontally on said facemask above the field of view of the user radiating its TV image downward; and

wherein there is provided a reflecting means including at least one see-through reflector located in the field of view of the user and mounted on said facemask to direct said TV image on said display to an eye of the user.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein:

said user views a given scene normally through said at least one see-through reflector;

an independent image intensifier is mounted on said facemask above the eyelevel of the user, is focussed on said given scene, and forms a light image thereof;

said reflecting means further includes a second see-through reflector through which said TV image passes unreflected, said second see-through reflector reflecting said light image into superposition with said TV image onto a reflector and into an eye of the user.