Large scale electronic display system

• US 5,469,187 A
• Filed: 06/03/1994
• Issued: 11/21/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Novus Displays LLC
• Original Assignee: Advanced Technology Incubator Incorporated
• Inventors: Yaniv, Zvi
• Primary Examiner(s): Weldon, Ulysses
• Application Number:
  US08/253,906
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 340/815.65, 40/448, 40/449, 40/452, 40/444, 362/311, 362/360, 362/297, 359/53, 359/83, 345/87, 345/88, 345/102, 345/109
• US Class Current: 345/98
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/35 being liquid crystals G09F9/302 takes precedence; liquid crystal materials C09K19/00; liquid crystal panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell per se G02F1/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/12 Picture reproducers H04N9/11 takes precedence

Abstract

A large area liquid crystal display system in which all of the liquid crystal picture elements are relatively large sized and are disposed the correspondingly sized and shaped openings created between the adjacent rows and columns of a support structure. The support structure is formed of a plurality of vertical and horizontal, elongated triangular-shaped members. The triangular members are coated with a reflective material to enlarge the field of light emanating from each liquid crystal picture element. Control of light from the display is accomplished by a control lens such as a lenticular lens or a holographic lens, while control of incident light is achieved by venetian blind type materials.

Claims

1. A large area liquid crystal display comprising:

a substantially rectangular support structure adapted for viewing by a plurality of viewers, and having a viewer proximal and a viewer distal side, said structure comprised of a plurality of elongated triangular members, coated with a reflective material, and arranged horizontally and vertically so as to define an X-Y matrix of substantially parallel rows and columns, the space between each two adjacent horizontal and each two adjacent vertical triangular members defining an opening, and each said opening having a length dimension greater that the width dimension;

discrete liquid crystal picture elements, each liquid crystal picture element adapted to present a large image area to viewers of the information displayed thereupon;

a liquid crystal picture element being operatively disposed in each one of the openings in the X-Y matrix of said support structure;

discrete, electronic switching elements electrically connected to the liquid crystal picture elements for simultaneously addressing specific elements in the rows and columns of the matrix; and

a control optical element operatively disposed adjacent to the viewer proximal side of the support structure, said control optical element comprising a holographic diffuser, and is adapted to control diffusion in both the horizontal and vertical direction.

2. A display system as in claim 1, wherein the ratio of the length dimension to the width dimension of each opening is between 1.2 and 1.8, and preferably about 1.5.

3. A display system as in claim 1, further including a plurality of first optical elements, one optical element being disposed in each opening of said support structure, and operatively associated with the liquid crystal picture element disposed in said opening, said optical elements adapted to color light emanating from a light source disposed on the viewer distal side of said support structure in order to obtain one multicolor pixel on the viewer proximal side of the display.

4. A display system as in claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal picture elements are subdivided into at least three segments, each said segment adapted to project a different color.

5. A display system as in claim 4, wherein the liquid crystal picture elements are divided into first, second, and third segments, and wherein the ratio of the widths of the first, second, and third segments are 1/4, 1/2, and 1/4 respectively.

6. A display system as in claim 5, wherein said first and third segments are adjacent to said elongated triangular members.

7. A display system as in claim 1, wherein said triangular members coated with a reflective material further include diffusing irregularities to enhance color properties.

8. A display system as in claim 4, wherein said control optical element comprises fabricating said display with a length to width ration for said openings of approximately 1.5, and wherein the ratio of the widths of the first, second, and third segments are 1/4, 1/2, and 1/4 respectively, and wherein said triangular members coated with a reflective material further include diffusing irregularities to enhance color properties so as to provide uniform color diffusion without lens means.

9. A display system as in claim 1, wherein said display is adapted to provide a large area image substantially free of seams or unsymetrical lines caused by said support structure.

10. A display system as in claim 1, further including a directional dependent light diffusing element operatively disposed on the viewer distal side of the support structure.

11. A display system as in claim 7, wherein said directional dependent light diffuser is adapted to improve contrast ratio, while limiting angular widths of illuminating light without creating lighting losses.

12. A display system as in claim 1, further including means for controlling light incident on the viewer proximal side of the display.

13. A display system as in claim 1, wherein each elongated triangular member is an elongated isosceles triangular member, wherein the length of each equilateral side of said triangle is greater than the length of the base of said triangle.

14. A display system as in claim 13, wherein the base of each elongated triangular member is arranged towards the viewer distal side of said support structure.

15. A display system as in claim 12, further including a plurality of spaced, electrically conductive X address lines and a plurality of spaced, electrically conductive Y address lines, each X and Y address line in electrical communication with at least one liquid crystal picture element.

16. A display system as in claim 13, wherein the discrete switching elements are selected from the group of elements consisting of diodes, M-I-M devices, transistors, zener diodes, varistors, and combinations thereof.

17. A display system as in claim 16, wherein of said support structure is further adapted to house said X and Y address lines and said discrete switching elements on the viewer distal side thereof.

18. A display system as in claim 1, wherein the size of each liquid crystal picture element is substantially the same as the size of the opening in the matrix of the support structure.

19. A display system as in claim 1, wherein the picture elements and the switching elements are sized and configured to be electrically interconnected within the opening in said support structure.

20. A large area liquid crystal display comprising:

a substantially rectangular support structure adapted for viewing by a plurality of viewers, and having a viewer proximal and a viewer distal side, said structure comprised of a plurality of elongated triangular members, coated with a reflective material, and arranged horizontally and vertically so as to define an X-Y matrix of substantially parallel rows and columns, the space between each two adjacent horizontal and each two adjacent vertical triangular members defining an opening, and each said opening having a length dimension greater that the width dimension;

discrete liquid crystal picture elements, each liquid crystal picture element adapted to present a large image area to viewers of the information displayed thereupon;

a liquid crystal picture element being operatively disposed in each one of the openings in the X-Y matrix of said support structure;

discrete, electronic switching elements electrically connected to the liquid crystal picture elements for simultaneously addressing specific elements in the rows and columns of the matrix; and

a control optical element operatively disposed adjacent to the viewer proximal side of the support structure, said control optical element comprising a first and second lenticular lens, said lenses disposed orthagonally to one another.

21. A large area liquid crystal display comprising:

a substantially rectangular support structure adapted for viewing by a plurality of viewers, and having a viewer proximal and a viewer distal side, said structure comprised of a plurality of elongated triangular members, coated with a reflective material, and arranged horizontally and vertically so as to define an X-Y matrix of substantially parallel rows and columns, the space between each two adjacent horizontal and each two adjacent vertical triangular members defining an opening, and each said opening having a length dimension greater that the width dimension;

discrete liquid crystal picture elements, each liquid crystal picture element adapted to present a large image area to viewers of the information displayed thereupon;

a liquid crystal picture element being operatively disposed in each one of the openings in the X-Y matrix of said support structure;

discrete, electronic switching elements electrically connected to the liquid crystal picture elements for simultaneously addressing specific elements in the rows and columns of the matrix; and

a control optical element operatively disposed adjacent to the viewer proximal side of the support structure, said control optical element comprising a polymer disperse liquid crystal sheet.