Waveguide display

• US 7,976,169 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2007
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sun Innovations Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sun Innovations Inc.
• Inventors: Sun, Xiao-Dong, Liu, Jian-Qiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling; William C
• Application Number:
  US11/852,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20080002159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,403 Days
• Field of Search: 353/31, 353 74- 78, 385/133, 385/901, 359/630, 359/631, 359/639, 359/350, 359/359, 359/361, 359/452, 359/443, 359/460, 349/62, 349/65
• US Class Current: 353/31
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/00 Projectors or projection-type viewers; Accessories therefor devices for changing pictures G03B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/02 Addressing, scanning or driving the display screen or processing steps related thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2007 Display of intermediate tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/39 the picture elements emitting light at places where a pair of light beams intersect in a transparent material

Abstract

An apparatus (e.g. a display) including a display substrate and a waveguide. The waveguide may guide ultraviolet light from the light source onto the display substrate. The display substrate may include light emitting material configured to emit visible light in response to absorption of the ultraviolet light.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a light source configured to project ultraviolet light;

a display substrate comprising light emitting material configured to emit visible light in response to absorption of the ultraviolet light;

a waveguide configured to guide the ultraviolet light onto the display substrate,

the waveguide comprising at least one waveguide substrate configured to internally reflect the ultraviolet light onto the display substrate, said at least one waveguide substrate including a first waveguide substrate and a second waveguide substrate, wherein the first waveguide substrate and the second waveguide substrate have different refractive indexes.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the light emitting material comprises a plurality of light emitting particles; and

each of the plurality of light emitting particles has a diameter less than about 500 nanometers.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of light emitting particles has a diameter less than about 400 nanometers.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of light emitting particles has a diameter less than about 100 nanometers.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is comprised in a rear projection display.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a light modulator configured to modulate the ultraviolet light.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the light modulator is a micro-mirror light modulator.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light course is a laser beam scanner.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display substrate is a substantially dark substrate that is substantially transparent to ultraviolet light.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the waveguide comprises at least two reflectors.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the waveguide comprises a reflector with a curved shape.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one waveguide substrate has a wedge shape.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the light source is configured to project the ultraviolet light into the first waveguide substrate;

the ultraviolet light is transmitted from the first waveguide substrate to the second waveguide substrate;

the ultraviolet light is bent at an angle at the interface of the first waveguide substrate and the second waveguide substrate;

the ultraviolet light is internally reflected in the second waveguide substrate onto the display substrate.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first waveguide substrate has a refractive index greater than the second waveguide substrate.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light emitting material is fluorescent material.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light emitting material comprises:

a first material configured to emit a first visible color in response to absorption of a first bandwidth of ultraviolet light; and

a second material configured to emit a second visible color in response to absorption of a second bandwidth of ultraviolet light, wherein the second visible color is different from the first visible color.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the waveguide comprises both a reflector and a waveguide substrate.