CA2148579C - Active matrix liquid crystal subtractive color display with integral light confinement - Google Patents
Active matrix liquid crystal subtractive color display with integral light confinementInfo
- Publication number
- CA2148579C CA2148579C CA002148579A CA2148579A CA2148579C CA 2148579 C CA2148579 C CA 2148579C CA 002148579 A CA002148579 A CA 002148579A CA 2148579 A CA2148579 A CA 2148579A CA 2148579 C CA2148579 C CA 2148579C
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- polarization rotation
- light
- arrays
- liquid crystal
- pixels
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Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
- G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour
- G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
- G02F1/133—Constructional arrangements; Operation of liquid crystal cells; Circuit arrangements
- G02F1/1333—Constructional arrangements; Manufacturing methods
- G02F1/1347—Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells
- G02F1/13471—Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells in which all the liquid crystal cells or layers remain transparent, e.g. FLC, ECB, DAP, HAN, TN, STN, SBE-LC cells
- G02F1/13473—Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells in which all the liquid crystal cells or layers remain transparent, e.g. FLC, ECB, DAP, HAN, TN, STN, SBE-LC cells for wavelength filtering or for colour display without the use of colour mosaic filters
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
- G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour
- G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
- G02F1/133—Constructional arrangements; Operation of liquid crystal cells; Circuit arrangements
- G02F1/1333—Constructional arrangements; Manufacturing methods
- G02F1/1347—Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
- G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour
- G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
- G02F1/133—Constructional arrangements; Operation of liquid crystal cells; Circuit arrangements
- G02F1/1333—Constructional arrangements; Manufacturing methods
- G02F1/1335—Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. polarisers or reflectors
- G02F1/133526—Lenses, e.g. microlenses or Fresnel lenses
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B3/00—Simple or compound lenses
- G02B3/0006—Arrays
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B3/00—Simple or compound lenses
- G02B3/0006—Arrays
- G02B3/0012—Arrays characterised by the manufacturing method
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
- G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour
- G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
- G02F1/133—Constructional arrangements; Operation of liquid crystal cells; Circuit arrangements
- G02F1/136—Liquid crystal cells structurally associated with a semi-conducting layer or substrate, e.g. cells forming part of an integrated circuit
- G02F1/1362—Active matrix addressed cells
Abstract
Telecentric afocal microlens combinations (68, 70) are inserted between the liquid crystal cells (12, 20, 26) of an active matrix liquid crystal subtractive color display to retain light within a projection of each liquid crystal pixel as the light propagates through the system. A resulting reduction in light losses at the edge of each pixel significantly improves the output brightness and resolution.
Description
ACTIVE MATRIB LIQOID CRYBTAL BDBTRACTIVE COIAR
DISPLAY WITH INTEGRAL LIGBT CONFINEME~1T
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention This invention relates to active matrix subtractive color displays, and more particularly to miniature displays which use liquid crystals as polarization rotation elements and retain light propagation through the display mechanism within projections of the liquid crystal pixels.
Qescription of the Related Art Active matrix liquid crystal cells that are divided into an array of pixels, with the liquid crystal alignment within each pixel subject to independent electronic con-trol, are well known. A portion of such an active matrix array is illustrated in FIG. 1. A grid of electrical lead lines 2 provide activating signals to control transistors 4 within each pixel 6 of the cell. Transparent plate elec-trodes (not shown) are provided over the front and rear surfaces of each pixel, and an electric field is estab-lished between the electrodes for each pixel in accordance with the signal applied to the pixel transistor 4. The liquid crystals within each pixel assume an angular orien-tation that varies with the field strength. The liquid crystal orientation in turn establishes a polarization di-rection for light transmitted through the pixels. The po-larization angle of polarized light transmitted through each pixel can thus be controlled by applying a desired 2148~'~9 pattern of electrical signals to the various pixel transis-tors.
Active matrixes have been used in the past in sub-tractive color displays, such as that disclosed in U.S.
Patent No. 4,416,514, issued November 22, 1983. The basic construction of this device is illustrated in the exploded view of FIG. 2 for a single pixel: an array of many such pixels would normally be employed. A light source 8 illu-minates a color-neutral linear polarizes plate 10. Next in line is a liquid crystal cell 12 that rotates the polariza-tion angle of the various pixels up to 90°. This is fol-lowed in succession by a cyan color linear polarizes 14 with a polarization axis 16 at right angles to the polar-ization axis 18 of neutral linear polarizes 10, another liquid crystal cell 20 that has an unenergized polarization axis perpendicular to that of cell 12, a magenta color lin-ear polarizes 22 whose polarization axis 24 is perpendicu-lar to that of the cyan polarizes 16, a third liquid crys-tal cell 26 whose unenergized polarization axis is perpen-dicular to that of cell 20 and parallel to that of cell 12, and finally a yellow color linear polarizes 28 whose polar-ization axis 30 is perpendicular to that of polarizers 10 and 22, and parallel to that of polarizes 14.
The liquid crystal cell 12 consists of a liquid crys tal layer 32 sandwiched between transparent electrodes 34, 36, with an electrical input at 38 to control the voltage across the electrode plates. Similarly, the liquid crystal cell 20 consists of a liquid crystal layer 40 bounded by transparent electrode plates 42, 44 with an electrical in put 46, and cell 26 consists of a liquid crystal layer 48 bounded by transparent electrode plates 50, 52 with an electrical input 54.
In practice, each of the liquid crystal "cells" 12, 20, 26 is a single pixel within a much larger pixel array, with each of the pixels independently controlled. The as 21485'9 sembly functions as a subtractive color display by applying electrical signals to each of the cells that cause their liquid crystals to assume desired angular orientations, such as 81, 82 and 83 as illustrated. The light from source 8 which emerges from neutral polarizes 10 is hori-zontally polarized. Color polarizers 14, 22 and 28 respec-tively filter out red, green and blue. The amount of fil-tering varies with the difference between the polarization angle of each polarizes and the polarization angle of the light incident on that polarizes: full filtering is achieved with a 90' difference, while no filtering results from parallel polarization angles. Depending upon the po larization rotation imparted by each of the liquid crystal cells, the viewer sees a gamut of color hue, saturation and brightness.
When used in miniaturized applications, such as helmet mounted displays, there is a significant problem of light loss as the light is processed through the display. For example, a 1,024x1,280 pixel display with three color sub-tractions will have a total of 3x1024x1280=3,932,160 indi-vidually energized liquid crystal pixels. For miniaturized displays, the center-to-center spacing between liquid crys-tal pixels may be about 25 micrometers (microns) and the total pixel areas may be about 25x25 microns, of which the transparent area occupies about 18x18 microns. Collimated light from a point source, after passing through the trans-parent area of each pixel, is diffracted into increasingly greater diverging angles as the size of the pixel is re-duced. For an 18x18 micron pixel, the light intensity at a distance of 2mm from the pixel drops to approximately 7%
of the intensity at about 0.2mm. This loss of light is aggravated if the input beam is divergent rather than col-limated.
The light spreading has a very detrimental effect for subtractive color displays. Whereas the light that passes through each pixel of the first liquid crystal layer will ideally pass through the corresponding pixels in the subsequent layers, the effect of light spreading is that a portion of the light from a given pixel in the first layer will be transmitted to non-corresponding pixels in subsequent layers, or lost from the display completely if the pixel is in the vicinity of the periphery. This results in a degradation of both resolution and brightness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to provide an active matrix liquid crystal subtractive color display that is subject to miniaturization with a much lower loss in both brightness and resolution.
This goal is accomplished with a system in which a compact light confinement mechanism is provided between each of the polarization rotating liquid crystal cells, and also between the last liquid crystal cell and an image surface. The light confiners are implemented on a pixelized basis by pairs of telecentric afocal lenslet arrays, with the lenslets of each array substantially aligned, with and substantially equal in size and focal length to, corresponding lenslets in the other arrays.
Successive lenslet arrays are spaced from each other by approximately two focal lengths, and are oriented counter to each other to inhibit light spreading between the liquid crystal cells, and between the last cell and the image surface.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an active matrix liquid crystal subtractive color display, comprising:
4a a light source;
a linear polarizes positioned to linearly polarize light from said light source;
at least three color polarizers positioned successively in a path of polarized light from said linear polarizes;
at least three active matrix liquid crystal cells positioned respectively between said linear polarizes and the first of said color polarizers in said light path, and between each pair of successive color polarizers, said liquid crystal cells being organized into aligned arrays of independently programmable pixels for rotating the polarization of incident light by programmed amounts, said pixels occupying predetermined areas; and respective optical confiners positioned between each pair of successive liquid crystal cells, said linear and color polarizers and said liquid crystal cells being aligned along an optical axis, each of said optical confiners comprising a respective pair of afocal lenslets, the lenslets of each pair having substantially equal focal lengths and being positioned substantially one focal length from the nearest color polarizes and the nearest liquid crystal cell, said lenslets collectively substantially confining the transmission of light between said cells to pixel projections which do not exceed the areas of said cell pixels so that a collimated beam incident on said linear polarizes along said optical axis emerges as a telecentric collimated beam from the last of said liquid crystal cells in said light patch.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a subtractive color display, comprising:
a light source;
,.
4b a linear polarizes positioned to linearly polarize light from said light source;
at least three color polarizers positioned successively in the path of polarized light from said linear polarizes;
at least three pixelizod polarization rotation arrays positioned respectively between said linear polarizes and the first of said color polarizers in said light path, and between each pair of successive color polarizers, said polarization rotation arrays including mutually aligned arrays of independently programmable polarization rotation pixels for rotating the polarization of incident light from said light source by programmed amounts; and a respective pair of telecentric afocal lenslet arrays positioned between each pair of successive polarization rotation arrays, the lenslets of each array being substantially aligned with and substantially equal in size and focal length to corresponding lenslets in the other arrays along respective optical axes that also extend through said linear polarizes, said color polarizers and respective polarization rotation pixels in each of said polarization rotation arrays, with successive lenslet arrays spaced from each other by approximately two focal lengths, and the lenslet arrays of each pair oriented to inhibit light from said light source from spreading between said polarization rotation arrays substantially beyond the limits of said polarization rotation pixels so that a collimated beam incident on said linear polarizes along one of said optical axes emerges as a telecentric collimated beam from the last of said polarization rotation arrays in said light path.
4c According to still yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a subtractive color display, comprising:
a linear polarizes positioned to receive and linearly polarize light from a source location;
at least three color polarizers positioned successively in the path of polarized light from said linear polarizes;
at least three pixelized polarization rotation arrays positioned respectively between said linear polarizes and the first of said color polarizers in said light path, and between each pair of successive color polarizers, said polarization rotation arrays including mutually aligned arrays of independently programmable polarization rotation pixels for rotating the polarization of incident light from said linear polarizes by programmed amounts, said pixels occupying predetermined areas; and respective optical confiners positioned between each pair of successive polarization rotation arrays, said linear and color polarizers and the aligned polarization rotation pixels of said polarization rotation arrays being aligned along respective optical axes, each of said optical confiners comprising a respective array of afocal lenslet pairs, the lenslets of said lenslet pairs having substantially equal focal lengths and being positioned substantially two focal lengths from each other, said lenslets substantially confining the transmission of light between said polarization rotation arrays to pixel protections which do not exceed the area of said pixels so that a collimated beam incident on said linear polarizes along one of said optical axes emerges as a telecentric collimated beam from the last of said polarization rotation arrays in said light path.
4d With the use of the telecentric afocal microlenses and the subtractive color display, improvements of greater than an order of magnitude have been noted in the amount of light that is successfully transmitted to the correct location on the image surface. Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings.
~148~'~9 RRTFF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is fragmentary idealized view showing a pixel-ized portion of an active matrix liquid crystal display:
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating in 5 diagrammatic form a prior active matrix liquid crystal sub-tractive color display " described above:
FIG. 3 is an optical diagram illustrating a partial approach to solving the light loss problem:
FIG. 4 is an optical diagram illustrating the approach taken by the invention to solving the loss of light problem in a subtractive color display:
FIGs. 5 and 6 are optical diagrams illustrating alter-nate lens configurations to the embodiment of FIG. 4:
FIG. 7 is a section view of a microlens array that can be used for the invention;
FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view in block dia-gram format of an active matrix liquid crystal subtractive color display system that uses the invention: and FIG. 9 is a table of optical intensities at various locations in subtractive color displays with and without the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention uses a series of microlens arrays to re image each pixel from one liquid crystal layer to the next, and from the last liquid crystal layer to an image surface.
Thus, for a 1,024x1,280 pixel array, 1,310,720 microlenses are required between each layer. The microlenses are con figured so as to restrict the transmission of light between successive cells within projections of the pixels.
Simple microlens arrays, however, are unsuitable for this purpose. This is illustrated in FIG. 3, in which three liquid crystal cells 12, 20 and 26 are illustrated, along with a display screen 56 that presents an image sur-face to the nearest liquid crystal cell 26. The same ref-2148~'~9 erence numbers are used for the active matrix liquid crys-tal cells as in FIG. 2, indicating that the same cell structures can be employed. In this figure the color po-larizers are not shown for purposes of simplification, but in reality they would be present.
Focusing lenses 58, 60 and 62 are positioned midway between successive pairs of cells, and between the last cell 26 and the projection screen 56. The lenses are im-plemented as microlenses that are replicated on a pixelized basis across the cell area: only one pixel is illustrated in FIG. 3. Microlens 58 successfully images the liquid crystal cell 12 onto the next liquid crystal cell 20 (the chief rays 64 and marginal rays 66 are indicated by dashed and solid lines, respectively). However, the chief ray 64 exits the system before it reaches the second microlens 60.
This represents a light loss that grows worse as the re-maining light propagates towards the projection screen.
The solution proposed by the invention is illustrated in FIG. 4, in which the liquid crystal cells 12, 20 and 26 are again identified by the same reference numerals, as is projection screen 56. A pair of microlens lenslets 68 and 70 are positioned between the liquid crystal cells 12 and 24, while similar lenslet pairs 72, 74 and 76, 78 are posi-tioned respectively between liquid crystal cells 20 and 26, and between cell 26 and screen 56. In this figure the col-or polarizers 14, 22 and 28 are also shown.
Each pair of lenslets is fabricated and arranged in a similar manner, so that the following description of lens-lets 68 and 70 also applies to the other lenslet pairs.
Each pair of lenslets is preferably equal in size to the other pairs, and is aligned along a common optical axis that extends through the center of the liquid crystal pix-els.
The first lenslet 68 is spaced one focal length f from the first liquid crystal cell 12, while the second lenslet 2~.485'~9 70 is spaced an equal distance f from the second liquid crystal cell 20. The two lenslets are spaced apart by a distance 2f, and are oriented counter to each other. The first lenslet 68 focuses collimated light (chief ray 80) from the first liquid crystal cell 12 onto the first color polarizer 14, where it crosses over the optical axis 82 and continues onto a corresponding location on the opposite side of the second lenslet 70. There it is recollimated and projected through the second liquid crystal cell 20 to the second lenslet pair 72, 74. The chief ray 80 is thus restricted to a projection 84 of the liquid crystal pixels for the successive cells, and is not lost to the system.
Marginal rays such as ray 86, which originate at the center of the pixel for liquid crystal cell 12 and is di rected towards the outer edge of lens 68, are similarly restricted to the pixel projection. Rays 86 are collimated by the first microlens 68, and then focused by the second microlens 70 onto the second liquid crystal cell 20. They cross over the optical axis at cell 20 and continue on to the first lenslet 72 of the second pair, where they are again collimated.
The arrangement of FIG. 4 assumes that the index of refraction of the lenslets is greater than that of the me-dium between the lenslets. This is the case, for example, with lenslets formed from flint glass (refractive index =
1.7), and BK-7 glass (a standard glass produced by Schott Optical Company, refractive index = 1.517) is the medium between lenslets.
FIG. 5 illustrates the solution if the index of re fraction for the lenslets is less than that of the medium between lenslets. This would be the case, for example, for lenslets implemented with shaped air gaps, with a refrac tive index of 1Ø The lenslet 68', 70', 72', 74', 76', 78' are positioned in a manner similar to the corresponding lenslets in FIG. 4, but they are now concave rather than ~14~~'~9 convex. In practice, the optimum index of refraction for the lenslets should be fairly close to that of the inter-vening medium to reduce.Fresnel reflection losses at each medium/lenslet interface.
Another lenslet variation that can make the assembly even smaller is illustrated in FIG. 6. In this embodiment, the lenslets are implemented with kinoform lenslets 68", 70", 72", 74", 76", 78". A kinoform lens is a Fresnel lens whose thickness is reset to a minimum value whenever it reaches one wavelength of the incident light. The kinoform can be made using binary optics to achieve a "stair step"
approximation of the lens shape. Although some reduction in lens thickness is possible with this approach, the lens-lets of FIG. 4 are already very thin, and the additional practical benefit to be obtained from kinoform lenslets is not great.
Each pair of lenslets between liquid crystal cells is referred to herein as a telecentric afocal microlens pair.
The term "telecentric" refers to the fact that the chief rays are parallel to the optical axis in the image space, while the lenslets are "afocal" because the lenslet pairs do not focus an input collimated beam onto the next liquid crystal cell, i.e. , the spacing between the two lenslets is 2f.
A section of a microlens array that can be used in the invention is illustrated in FIG. 7. The microlenses are fabricated on a substrate 88, such as BK-7 glass. The lenslet areas 90 are formed in the substrate, and are filled with an optical cement or epoxy having the desired refractive index.
Several methods are available for manufacturing the microlenses. One is referred to as Laser Assisted Con-trolled Etching (LACE), and is described in U.S. Patent No.
5,148, 319, issued September 15, 1992 to Gratrix et al. In this method a finely focused laser beam is used to write a variable intensity pattern on a linear photoresist. The variable intensity pattern causes the photoresist to harden as a function of the intensity. The exposed photoresist is placed in an acid etch to remove its unhardened portion, the depth of the etch in the photoresist being a function of the laser writing beam intensity. The profiled microlens pattern is then transferred to glass and filled with a glass or optical epoxy of the desired refractive index.
Another technique for fabricating the microlenses is to defocus the laser beam to the desired diameter of the microlens during the exposure of the linear photoresist.
For square microlenses, a square opaque mask in contact with the photoresist is used. The intensity profile of the laser beam is adjusted to the desired intensity profile by apodizing the beam. A common method used to apodize the beam is to spin a slit of varying width in the beam; the advantage of this technique is that no scanning is required. An x-y stepping assembly is used to move to the next microlens location, but remains stationary during the local photoresist exposure.
An alternate microlens fabrication technique involves plasma etching such as that proposed by Gratix.
Other fabrication methods may also be useful, such as the ion implantation method normally used to manufacture gradient index lenses.
In general, the focusing properties of the microlenses can be controlled by adjusting the lens curvature and/or its index of refraction. A greater refractive index allows for a shallower curvature, and thus a thinner device. In cases where the fabrication process does not allow for fine control of the radius of curvature, the lenslets can be manufactured to an 9a approximate radius of curvature, with final adjustments made by mixing the optical cements used for the lenslets to obtain a precise refractive index that lA
C i~~
214~5'~9 corresponds to the actual radius.
An overall subtractive color display implemented with the invention is shown in FIG. 8; the same reference num-bers are used as in previous figures for common elements.
5 Light from a source such as a xenon lamp 92 is directed through a chroma notch filter 94 to provide any desired bandwidth alteration, and focused by a coupling lens 96 into an optical fiber pipe 98, which includes any necessary optical coupling mechanism 100. The opposite end 102 of 10 the light pipe illuminates a kinoform collimator plate 104, which provides the input for the linear polarizer 10. A
telecentric afocal microlens array 106 is provided between the linear polarizer 10 and the first liquid crystal cell 12 to prevent loss of light, in a manner similar to that described above. The individual pixels of the liquid crys-tal cells 12, 20 and 26 are controlled by video signals that are transmitted over lines 108, 110 and 112 from a suitable video control 114. When the color display is used as a helmet mounted display, the projection screen 56 imag-es onto the helmet's visor optics relay lens 116.
Significant improvements have been noted with the in-vention in retaining optical power during transmission through the system. The system that was studied employed square microlenses with sides about 25 microns long, focal lengths of about 622 microns radii of curvature of about 75 microns, and a SAG of about 1.074. The liquid crystal pix-els transparent area had sides about 18 microns long. The lenslets were larger than the liquid crystal pixels trans-parent area because they extended into the electrical sup-ply area between adjacent pixels; as used herein, confining or restricting the light to the pixel projections also in-cludes confining the light to the projected peripheries of the lenslets when the lenslets are somewhat larger than the liquid crystal pixels transparent area themselves. T h a relative optical powers at each liquid crystal cell and at 21~8~79 the projection screen were obtained, with and without the telecentric afocal microlenses of the invention, at a wave-length of 530nm and with light sources that included a point source and 20, 40 and 60 milliradian sources. The results are summarized in FIG. 9, with the optical power at the first liquid crystal station 12 providing a normalizing reference. The optical powers obtained with the invention are listed in the columns headed INV, while the results without the invention are listed under the columns headed by W/O. In each case, optical power improvements well over an order of magnitude were achieved at the projection screen.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, numerous variations and alternate embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. For example, polarization rotation elements other than liquid crystal cells may be developed that could be used with the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only in terms of the appended claims.
DISPLAY WITH INTEGRAL LIGBT CONFINEME~1T
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention This invention relates to active matrix subtractive color displays, and more particularly to miniature displays which use liquid crystals as polarization rotation elements and retain light propagation through the display mechanism within projections of the liquid crystal pixels.
Qescription of the Related Art Active matrix liquid crystal cells that are divided into an array of pixels, with the liquid crystal alignment within each pixel subject to independent electronic con-trol, are well known. A portion of such an active matrix array is illustrated in FIG. 1. A grid of electrical lead lines 2 provide activating signals to control transistors 4 within each pixel 6 of the cell. Transparent plate elec-trodes (not shown) are provided over the front and rear surfaces of each pixel, and an electric field is estab-lished between the electrodes for each pixel in accordance with the signal applied to the pixel transistor 4. The liquid crystals within each pixel assume an angular orien-tation that varies with the field strength. The liquid crystal orientation in turn establishes a polarization di-rection for light transmitted through the pixels. The po-larization angle of polarized light transmitted through each pixel can thus be controlled by applying a desired 2148~'~9 pattern of electrical signals to the various pixel transis-tors.
Active matrixes have been used in the past in sub-tractive color displays, such as that disclosed in U.S.
Patent No. 4,416,514, issued November 22, 1983. The basic construction of this device is illustrated in the exploded view of FIG. 2 for a single pixel: an array of many such pixels would normally be employed. A light source 8 illu-minates a color-neutral linear polarizes plate 10. Next in line is a liquid crystal cell 12 that rotates the polariza-tion angle of the various pixels up to 90°. This is fol-lowed in succession by a cyan color linear polarizes 14 with a polarization axis 16 at right angles to the polar-ization axis 18 of neutral linear polarizes 10, another liquid crystal cell 20 that has an unenergized polarization axis perpendicular to that of cell 12, a magenta color lin-ear polarizes 22 whose polarization axis 24 is perpendicu-lar to that of the cyan polarizes 16, a third liquid crys-tal cell 26 whose unenergized polarization axis is perpen-dicular to that of cell 20 and parallel to that of cell 12, and finally a yellow color linear polarizes 28 whose polar-ization axis 30 is perpendicular to that of polarizers 10 and 22, and parallel to that of polarizes 14.
The liquid crystal cell 12 consists of a liquid crys tal layer 32 sandwiched between transparent electrodes 34, 36, with an electrical input at 38 to control the voltage across the electrode plates. Similarly, the liquid crystal cell 20 consists of a liquid crystal layer 40 bounded by transparent electrode plates 42, 44 with an electrical in put 46, and cell 26 consists of a liquid crystal layer 48 bounded by transparent electrode plates 50, 52 with an electrical input 54.
In practice, each of the liquid crystal "cells" 12, 20, 26 is a single pixel within a much larger pixel array, with each of the pixels independently controlled. The as 21485'9 sembly functions as a subtractive color display by applying electrical signals to each of the cells that cause their liquid crystals to assume desired angular orientations, such as 81, 82 and 83 as illustrated. The light from source 8 which emerges from neutral polarizes 10 is hori-zontally polarized. Color polarizers 14, 22 and 28 respec-tively filter out red, green and blue. The amount of fil-tering varies with the difference between the polarization angle of each polarizes and the polarization angle of the light incident on that polarizes: full filtering is achieved with a 90' difference, while no filtering results from parallel polarization angles. Depending upon the po larization rotation imparted by each of the liquid crystal cells, the viewer sees a gamut of color hue, saturation and brightness.
When used in miniaturized applications, such as helmet mounted displays, there is a significant problem of light loss as the light is processed through the display. For example, a 1,024x1,280 pixel display with three color sub-tractions will have a total of 3x1024x1280=3,932,160 indi-vidually energized liquid crystal pixels. For miniaturized displays, the center-to-center spacing between liquid crys-tal pixels may be about 25 micrometers (microns) and the total pixel areas may be about 25x25 microns, of which the transparent area occupies about 18x18 microns. Collimated light from a point source, after passing through the trans-parent area of each pixel, is diffracted into increasingly greater diverging angles as the size of the pixel is re-duced. For an 18x18 micron pixel, the light intensity at a distance of 2mm from the pixel drops to approximately 7%
of the intensity at about 0.2mm. This loss of light is aggravated if the input beam is divergent rather than col-limated.
The light spreading has a very detrimental effect for subtractive color displays. Whereas the light that passes through each pixel of the first liquid crystal layer will ideally pass through the corresponding pixels in the subsequent layers, the effect of light spreading is that a portion of the light from a given pixel in the first layer will be transmitted to non-corresponding pixels in subsequent layers, or lost from the display completely if the pixel is in the vicinity of the periphery. This results in a degradation of both resolution and brightness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to provide an active matrix liquid crystal subtractive color display that is subject to miniaturization with a much lower loss in both brightness and resolution.
This goal is accomplished with a system in which a compact light confinement mechanism is provided between each of the polarization rotating liquid crystal cells, and also between the last liquid crystal cell and an image surface. The light confiners are implemented on a pixelized basis by pairs of telecentric afocal lenslet arrays, with the lenslets of each array substantially aligned, with and substantially equal in size and focal length to, corresponding lenslets in the other arrays.
Successive lenslet arrays are spaced from each other by approximately two focal lengths, and are oriented counter to each other to inhibit light spreading between the liquid crystal cells, and between the last cell and the image surface.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an active matrix liquid crystal subtractive color display, comprising:
4a a light source;
a linear polarizes positioned to linearly polarize light from said light source;
at least three color polarizers positioned successively in a path of polarized light from said linear polarizes;
at least three active matrix liquid crystal cells positioned respectively between said linear polarizes and the first of said color polarizers in said light path, and between each pair of successive color polarizers, said liquid crystal cells being organized into aligned arrays of independently programmable pixels for rotating the polarization of incident light by programmed amounts, said pixels occupying predetermined areas; and respective optical confiners positioned between each pair of successive liquid crystal cells, said linear and color polarizers and said liquid crystal cells being aligned along an optical axis, each of said optical confiners comprising a respective pair of afocal lenslets, the lenslets of each pair having substantially equal focal lengths and being positioned substantially one focal length from the nearest color polarizes and the nearest liquid crystal cell, said lenslets collectively substantially confining the transmission of light between said cells to pixel projections which do not exceed the areas of said cell pixels so that a collimated beam incident on said linear polarizes along said optical axis emerges as a telecentric collimated beam from the last of said liquid crystal cells in said light patch.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a subtractive color display, comprising:
a light source;
,.
4b a linear polarizes positioned to linearly polarize light from said light source;
at least three color polarizers positioned successively in the path of polarized light from said linear polarizes;
at least three pixelizod polarization rotation arrays positioned respectively between said linear polarizes and the first of said color polarizers in said light path, and between each pair of successive color polarizers, said polarization rotation arrays including mutually aligned arrays of independently programmable polarization rotation pixels for rotating the polarization of incident light from said light source by programmed amounts; and a respective pair of telecentric afocal lenslet arrays positioned between each pair of successive polarization rotation arrays, the lenslets of each array being substantially aligned with and substantially equal in size and focal length to corresponding lenslets in the other arrays along respective optical axes that also extend through said linear polarizes, said color polarizers and respective polarization rotation pixels in each of said polarization rotation arrays, with successive lenslet arrays spaced from each other by approximately two focal lengths, and the lenslet arrays of each pair oriented to inhibit light from said light source from spreading between said polarization rotation arrays substantially beyond the limits of said polarization rotation pixels so that a collimated beam incident on said linear polarizes along one of said optical axes emerges as a telecentric collimated beam from the last of said polarization rotation arrays in said light path.
4c According to still yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a subtractive color display, comprising:
a linear polarizes positioned to receive and linearly polarize light from a source location;
at least three color polarizers positioned successively in the path of polarized light from said linear polarizes;
at least three pixelized polarization rotation arrays positioned respectively between said linear polarizes and the first of said color polarizers in said light path, and between each pair of successive color polarizers, said polarization rotation arrays including mutually aligned arrays of independently programmable polarization rotation pixels for rotating the polarization of incident light from said linear polarizes by programmed amounts, said pixels occupying predetermined areas; and respective optical confiners positioned between each pair of successive polarization rotation arrays, said linear and color polarizers and the aligned polarization rotation pixels of said polarization rotation arrays being aligned along respective optical axes, each of said optical confiners comprising a respective array of afocal lenslet pairs, the lenslets of said lenslet pairs having substantially equal focal lengths and being positioned substantially two focal lengths from each other, said lenslets substantially confining the transmission of light between said polarization rotation arrays to pixel protections which do not exceed the area of said pixels so that a collimated beam incident on said linear polarizes along one of said optical axes emerges as a telecentric collimated beam from the last of said polarization rotation arrays in said light path.
4d With the use of the telecentric afocal microlenses and the subtractive color display, improvements of greater than an order of magnitude have been noted in the amount of light that is successfully transmitted to the correct location on the image surface. Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings.
~148~'~9 RRTFF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is fragmentary idealized view showing a pixel-ized portion of an active matrix liquid crystal display:
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating in 5 diagrammatic form a prior active matrix liquid crystal sub-tractive color display " described above:
FIG. 3 is an optical diagram illustrating a partial approach to solving the light loss problem:
FIG. 4 is an optical diagram illustrating the approach taken by the invention to solving the loss of light problem in a subtractive color display:
FIGs. 5 and 6 are optical diagrams illustrating alter-nate lens configurations to the embodiment of FIG. 4:
FIG. 7 is a section view of a microlens array that can be used for the invention;
FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view in block dia-gram format of an active matrix liquid crystal subtractive color display system that uses the invention: and FIG. 9 is a table of optical intensities at various locations in subtractive color displays with and without the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention uses a series of microlens arrays to re image each pixel from one liquid crystal layer to the next, and from the last liquid crystal layer to an image surface.
Thus, for a 1,024x1,280 pixel array, 1,310,720 microlenses are required between each layer. The microlenses are con figured so as to restrict the transmission of light between successive cells within projections of the pixels.
Simple microlens arrays, however, are unsuitable for this purpose. This is illustrated in FIG. 3, in which three liquid crystal cells 12, 20 and 26 are illustrated, along with a display screen 56 that presents an image sur-face to the nearest liquid crystal cell 26. The same ref-2148~'~9 erence numbers are used for the active matrix liquid crys-tal cells as in FIG. 2, indicating that the same cell structures can be employed. In this figure the color po-larizers are not shown for purposes of simplification, but in reality they would be present.
Focusing lenses 58, 60 and 62 are positioned midway between successive pairs of cells, and between the last cell 26 and the projection screen 56. The lenses are im-plemented as microlenses that are replicated on a pixelized basis across the cell area: only one pixel is illustrated in FIG. 3. Microlens 58 successfully images the liquid crystal cell 12 onto the next liquid crystal cell 20 (the chief rays 64 and marginal rays 66 are indicated by dashed and solid lines, respectively). However, the chief ray 64 exits the system before it reaches the second microlens 60.
This represents a light loss that grows worse as the re-maining light propagates towards the projection screen.
The solution proposed by the invention is illustrated in FIG. 4, in which the liquid crystal cells 12, 20 and 26 are again identified by the same reference numerals, as is projection screen 56. A pair of microlens lenslets 68 and 70 are positioned between the liquid crystal cells 12 and 24, while similar lenslet pairs 72, 74 and 76, 78 are posi-tioned respectively between liquid crystal cells 20 and 26, and between cell 26 and screen 56. In this figure the col-or polarizers 14, 22 and 28 are also shown.
Each pair of lenslets is fabricated and arranged in a similar manner, so that the following description of lens-lets 68 and 70 also applies to the other lenslet pairs.
Each pair of lenslets is preferably equal in size to the other pairs, and is aligned along a common optical axis that extends through the center of the liquid crystal pix-els.
The first lenslet 68 is spaced one focal length f from the first liquid crystal cell 12, while the second lenslet 2~.485'~9 70 is spaced an equal distance f from the second liquid crystal cell 20. The two lenslets are spaced apart by a distance 2f, and are oriented counter to each other. The first lenslet 68 focuses collimated light (chief ray 80) from the first liquid crystal cell 12 onto the first color polarizer 14, where it crosses over the optical axis 82 and continues onto a corresponding location on the opposite side of the second lenslet 70. There it is recollimated and projected through the second liquid crystal cell 20 to the second lenslet pair 72, 74. The chief ray 80 is thus restricted to a projection 84 of the liquid crystal pixels for the successive cells, and is not lost to the system.
Marginal rays such as ray 86, which originate at the center of the pixel for liquid crystal cell 12 and is di rected towards the outer edge of lens 68, are similarly restricted to the pixel projection. Rays 86 are collimated by the first microlens 68, and then focused by the second microlens 70 onto the second liquid crystal cell 20. They cross over the optical axis at cell 20 and continue on to the first lenslet 72 of the second pair, where they are again collimated.
The arrangement of FIG. 4 assumes that the index of refraction of the lenslets is greater than that of the me-dium between the lenslets. This is the case, for example, with lenslets formed from flint glass (refractive index =
1.7), and BK-7 glass (a standard glass produced by Schott Optical Company, refractive index = 1.517) is the medium between lenslets.
FIG. 5 illustrates the solution if the index of re fraction for the lenslets is less than that of the medium between lenslets. This would be the case, for example, for lenslets implemented with shaped air gaps, with a refrac tive index of 1Ø The lenslet 68', 70', 72', 74', 76', 78' are positioned in a manner similar to the corresponding lenslets in FIG. 4, but they are now concave rather than ~14~~'~9 convex. In practice, the optimum index of refraction for the lenslets should be fairly close to that of the inter-vening medium to reduce.Fresnel reflection losses at each medium/lenslet interface.
Another lenslet variation that can make the assembly even smaller is illustrated in FIG. 6. In this embodiment, the lenslets are implemented with kinoform lenslets 68", 70", 72", 74", 76", 78". A kinoform lens is a Fresnel lens whose thickness is reset to a minimum value whenever it reaches one wavelength of the incident light. The kinoform can be made using binary optics to achieve a "stair step"
approximation of the lens shape. Although some reduction in lens thickness is possible with this approach, the lens-lets of FIG. 4 are already very thin, and the additional practical benefit to be obtained from kinoform lenslets is not great.
Each pair of lenslets between liquid crystal cells is referred to herein as a telecentric afocal microlens pair.
The term "telecentric" refers to the fact that the chief rays are parallel to the optical axis in the image space, while the lenslets are "afocal" because the lenslet pairs do not focus an input collimated beam onto the next liquid crystal cell, i.e. , the spacing between the two lenslets is 2f.
A section of a microlens array that can be used in the invention is illustrated in FIG. 7. The microlenses are fabricated on a substrate 88, such as BK-7 glass. The lenslet areas 90 are formed in the substrate, and are filled with an optical cement or epoxy having the desired refractive index.
Several methods are available for manufacturing the microlenses. One is referred to as Laser Assisted Con-trolled Etching (LACE), and is described in U.S. Patent No.
5,148, 319, issued September 15, 1992 to Gratrix et al. In this method a finely focused laser beam is used to write a variable intensity pattern on a linear photoresist. The variable intensity pattern causes the photoresist to harden as a function of the intensity. The exposed photoresist is placed in an acid etch to remove its unhardened portion, the depth of the etch in the photoresist being a function of the laser writing beam intensity. The profiled microlens pattern is then transferred to glass and filled with a glass or optical epoxy of the desired refractive index.
Another technique for fabricating the microlenses is to defocus the laser beam to the desired diameter of the microlens during the exposure of the linear photoresist.
For square microlenses, a square opaque mask in contact with the photoresist is used. The intensity profile of the laser beam is adjusted to the desired intensity profile by apodizing the beam. A common method used to apodize the beam is to spin a slit of varying width in the beam; the advantage of this technique is that no scanning is required. An x-y stepping assembly is used to move to the next microlens location, but remains stationary during the local photoresist exposure.
An alternate microlens fabrication technique involves plasma etching such as that proposed by Gratix.
Other fabrication methods may also be useful, such as the ion implantation method normally used to manufacture gradient index lenses.
In general, the focusing properties of the microlenses can be controlled by adjusting the lens curvature and/or its index of refraction. A greater refractive index allows for a shallower curvature, and thus a thinner device. In cases where the fabrication process does not allow for fine control of the radius of curvature, the lenslets can be manufactured to an 9a approximate radius of curvature, with final adjustments made by mixing the optical cements used for the lenslets to obtain a precise refractive index that lA
C i~~
214~5'~9 corresponds to the actual radius.
An overall subtractive color display implemented with the invention is shown in FIG. 8; the same reference num-bers are used as in previous figures for common elements.
5 Light from a source such as a xenon lamp 92 is directed through a chroma notch filter 94 to provide any desired bandwidth alteration, and focused by a coupling lens 96 into an optical fiber pipe 98, which includes any necessary optical coupling mechanism 100. The opposite end 102 of 10 the light pipe illuminates a kinoform collimator plate 104, which provides the input for the linear polarizer 10. A
telecentric afocal microlens array 106 is provided between the linear polarizer 10 and the first liquid crystal cell 12 to prevent loss of light, in a manner similar to that described above. The individual pixels of the liquid crys-tal cells 12, 20 and 26 are controlled by video signals that are transmitted over lines 108, 110 and 112 from a suitable video control 114. When the color display is used as a helmet mounted display, the projection screen 56 imag-es onto the helmet's visor optics relay lens 116.
Significant improvements have been noted with the in-vention in retaining optical power during transmission through the system. The system that was studied employed square microlenses with sides about 25 microns long, focal lengths of about 622 microns radii of curvature of about 75 microns, and a SAG of about 1.074. The liquid crystal pix-els transparent area had sides about 18 microns long. The lenslets were larger than the liquid crystal pixels trans-parent area because they extended into the electrical sup-ply area between adjacent pixels; as used herein, confining or restricting the light to the pixel projections also in-cludes confining the light to the projected peripheries of the lenslets when the lenslets are somewhat larger than the liquid crystal pixels transparent area themselves. T h a relative optical powers at each liquid crystal cell and at 21~8~79 the projection screen were obtained, with and without the telecentric afocal microlenses of the invention, at a wave-length of 530nm and with light sources that included a point source and 20, 40 and 60 milliradian sources. The results are summarized in FIG. 9, with the optical power at the first liquid crystal station 12 providing a normalizing reference. The optical powers obtained with the invention are listed in the columns headed INV, while the results without the invention are listed under the columns headed by W/O. In each case, optical power improvements well over an order of magnitude were achieved at the projection screen.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, numerous variations and alternate embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. For example, polarization rotation elements other than liquid crystal cells may be developed that could be used with the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only in terms of the appended claims.
Claims (10)
1. An active matrix liquid crystal subtractive color display, comprising:
a light source;
a linear polarizes positioned to linearly polarize light from said light source;
at least three color polarizers positioned successively in a path of polarized light from said linear polarizes;
at least three active matrix liquid crystal cells positioned respectively between said linear polarizes and the first of said color polarizers in said light path, and between each pair of successive color polarizers, said liquid crystal cells being organized into aligned arrays of independently programmable pixels for rotating the polarization of incident light by programmed amounts, said pixels occupying predetermined areas; and respective optical confiners positioned between each pair of successive liquid crystal cells, said linear and color polarizers and said liquid crystal cells being aligned along an optical axis, each of said optical confiners comprising a respective pair of afocal lenslets, the lenslets of each pair having substantially equal focal lengths and being positioned substantially one focal length from the nearest color polarizes and the nearest liquid crystal cell, said lenslets collectively substantially confining the transmission of light between said cells to pixel projections which do not exceed the areas of said cell pixels so that a collimated beam incident on said linear polarizes along said optical axis emerges as a telecentric collimated beam from the last of said liquid crystal cells in said light patch.
a light source;
a linear polarizes positioned to linearly polarize light from said light source;
at least three color polarizers positioned successively in a path of polarized light from said linear polarizes;
at least three active matrix liquid crystal cells positioned respectively between said linear polarizes and the first of said color polarizers in said light path, and between each pair of successive color polarizers, said liquid crystal cells being organized into aligned arrays of independently programmable pixels for rotating the polarization of incident light by programmed amounts, said pixels occupying predetermined areas; and respective optical confiners positioned between each pair of successive liquid crystal cells, said linear and color polarizers and said liquid crystal cells being aligned along an optical axis, each of said optical confiners comprising a respective pair of afocal lenslets, the lenslets of each pair having substantially equal focal lengths and being positioned substantially one focal length from the nearest color polarizes and the nearest liquid crystal cell, said lenslets collectively substantially confining the transmission of light between said cells to pixel projections which do not exceed the areas of said cell pixels so that a collimated beam incident on said linear polarizes along said optical axis emerges as a telecentric collimated beam from the last of said liquid crystal cells in said light patch.
2. The subtractive color display of claim 1, further comprising an image surface on the opposite side of said liquid crystal cells from said light source, and an additional optical confines positioned between said image surface and its nearest liquid crystal cell, said additional optical confines substantially confining the transmission of light between said nearest liquid crystal cell and said image surface to said projections of said cell pixels.
3. The subtractive color display of claim 1, each lenslet pair encompassing a respective pixel projection.
4. A subtractive color display, comprising:
a light source;
a linear polarizes positioned to linearly polarize light from said light source;
at least three color polarizers positioned successively in the path of polarized light from said linear polarizes;
at least three pixelizod polarization rotation arrays positioned respectively between said linear polarizes and the first of said color polarizers in said light path, and between each pair of successive color polarizers, said polarization rotation arrays including mutually aligned arrays of independently programmable polarization rotation pixels for rotating the polarization of incident light from said light source by programmed amounts; and a respective pair of telecentric afocal lenslet arrays positioned between each pair of successive polarization rotation arrays, the lenslets of each array being substantially aligned with and substantially equal in size and focal length to corresponding lenslets in the other arrays along respective optical axes that also extend through said linear polarizes, said color polarizers and respective polarization rotation pixels in each of said polarization rotation arrays, with successive lenslet arrays spaced from each other by approximately two focal lengths, and the lenslet arrays of each pair oriented to inhibit light from said light source from spreading between said polarization rotation arrays substantially beyond the limits of said polarization rotation pixels so that a collimated beam incident on said linear polarizer along one of said optical axes emerges as a telecentric collimated beam from the last of said polarization rotation arrays in said light path.
a light source;
a linear polarizes positioned to linearly polarize light from said light source;
at least three color polarizers positioned successively in the path of polarized light from said linear polarizes;
at least three pixelizod polarization rotation arrays positioned respectively between said linear polarizes and the first of said color polarizers in said light path, and between each pair of successive color polarizers, said polarization rotation arrays including mutually aligned arrays of independently programmable polarization rotation pixels for rotating the polarization of incident light from said light source by programmed amounts; and a respective pair of telecentric afocal lenslet arrays positioned between each pair of successive polarization rotation arrays, the lenslets of each array being substantially aligned with and substantially equal in size and focal length to corresponding lenslets in the other arrays along respective optical axes that also extend through said linear polarizes, said color polarizers and respective polarization rotation pixels in each of said polarization rotation arrays, with successive lenslet arrays spaced from each other by approximately two focal lengths, and the lenslet arrays of each pair oriented to inhibit light from said light source from spreading between said polarization rotation arrays substantially beyond the limits of said polarization rotation pixels so that a collimated beam incident on said linear polarizer along one of said optical axes emerges as a telecentric collimated beam from the last of said polarization rotation arrays in said light path.
5. The subtractive color display of claim 4, said pixelized polarization rotation arrays comprising respective active matrix liquid crystal cells.
6. The subtractive color display of claim 4, further comprising an image surface on the opposite side of said polarization rotation arrays from said light source, and an additional pair of afocal lenslet arrays positioned between said image surface and its nearest polarization rotation array, said additional pair of afocal lenslet arrays preventing light from said light source from spreading between said image surface and said nearest polarization rotation array substantially beyond the limits of said polarization rotation pixels.
7. A subtractive color display, comprising:
a linear polarizer positioned to receive and linearly polarize light from a source location;
at least three color polarizers positioned successively in the path of polarized light from said linear polarizer;
at least three pixelized polarization rotation arrays positioned respectively between said linear polarizer and the first of said color polarizers in said light path, and between each pair of successive color polarizers, said polarization rotation arrays including mutually aligned arrays of independently programmable polarization rotation pixels for rotating the polarization of incident light from said linear polarizer by programmed amounts, said pixels occupying predetermined areas; and respective optical confiners positioned between each pair of successive polarization rotation arrays, said linear and color polarizers and the aligned polarization rotation pixels of said polarization rotation arrays being aligned along respective optical axes, each of said optical confiners comprising a respective array of afocal lenslet pairs, the lenslets of said lenslet pairs having substantially equal focal lengths and being positioned substantially two focal lengths from each other, said lenslets substantially confining the transmission of light between said polarization rotation arrays to pixel protections which do not exceed the area of said pixels so that a collimated beam incident on said linear polarizer along one of said optical axes emerges as a telecentric collimated beam from the last of said polarization rotation arrays in said light path.
a linear polarizer positioned to receive and linearly polarize light from a source location;
at least three color polarizers positioned successively in the path of polarized light from said linear polarizer;
at least three pixelized polarization rotation arrays positioned respectively between said linear polarizer and the first of said color polarizers in said light path, and between each pair of successive color polarizers, said polarization rotation arrays including mutually aligned arrays of independently programmable polarization rotation pixels for rotating the polarization of incident light from said linear polarizer by programmed amounts, said pixels occupying predetermined areas; and respective optical confiners positioned between each pair of successive polarization rotation arrays, said linear and color polarizers and the aligned polarization rotation pixels of said polarization rotation arrays being aligned along respective optical axes, each of said optical confiners comprising a respective array of afocal lenslet pairs, the lenslets of said lenslet pairs having substantially equal focal lengths and being positioned substantially two focal lengths from each other, said lenslets substantially confining the transmission of light between said polarization rotation arrays to pixel protections which do not exceed the area of said pixels so that a collimated beam incident on said linear polarizer along one of said optical axes emerges as a telecentric collimated beam from the last of said polarization rotation arrays in said light path.
8. The subtractive color display of claim 7, said pixelized polarization rotation arrays comprising respective active matrix liquid crystal cells.
9. The subtractive color display of claim 7, further comprising an image surface on the opposite side of said polarization rotation arrays from said linear polarizer, and an additional optical confiner positioned between said image surface and its nearest polarization rotation array, said additional optical confiner substantially confining the transmission of light between said nearest polarization rotation array and said image surface to projections of said polarization rotation pixels.
10. The subtractive color display of claim 7, each lenslet pair encompassing a respective pixel projection.
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| US13060893A | 1993-10-01 | 1993-10-01 | |
| US130,608 | 1993-10-01 | ||
| PCT/US1994/011094 WO1995010067A1 (en) | 1993-10-01 | 1994-09-29 | Active matrix liquid crystal subtractive color display with integral light confinement |
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| CA2148579A1 CA2148579A1 (en) | 1995-04-13 |
| CA2148579C true CA2148579C (en) | 1999-11-02 |
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|---|---|---|---|
| CA002148579A Expired - Fee Related CA2148579C (en) | 1993-10-01 | 1994-09-29 | Active matrix liquid crystal subtractive color display with integral light confinement |
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| EP (1) | EP0672266B1 (en) |
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| US5315418A (en) * | 1992-06-17 | 1994-05-24 | Xerox Corporation | Two path liquid crystal light valve color display with light coupling lens array disposed along the red-green light path |
-
1994
- 1994-09-29 WO PCT/US1994/011094 patent/WO1995010067A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1994-09-29 EP EP94930527A patent/EP0672266B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1994-09-29 CA CA002148579A patent/CA2148579C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1994-09-29 IL IL11110894A patent/IL111108A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1994-09-29 DE DE69427282T patent/DE69427282T2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1994-09-29 KR KR1019950702204A patent/KR0181725B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
1995
- 1995-12-12 US US08/570,807 patent/US5574580A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| DE69427282D1 (en) | 2001-06-28 |
| DE69427282T2 (en) | 2001-11-29 |
| EP0672266A1 (en) | 1995-09-20 |
| IL111108A (en) | 1998-08-16 |
| KR950704715A (en) | 1995-11-20 |
| KR0181725B1 (en) | 1999-05-01 |
| WO1995010067A1 (en) | 1995-04-13 |
| EP0672266B1 (en) | 2001-05-23 |
| CA2148579A1 (en) | 1995-04-13 |
| IL111108A0 (en) | 1994-11-28 |
| US5574580A (en) | 1996-11-12 |
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| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKLA | Lapsed |