1608 results about "Light valve" patented technology

Disclosed is an optical valve or light valve for providing large area collimated illumination from localized light sources, and system and method thereof for 2D, 3D, and/or autosteroscopic displays. An optical valve may include a stepped structure, in which the steps include separated extraction features which may be optically hidden to light propagating in a first direction. Light propagating in a second direction may be refracted, diffracted, or reflected by the features to provide illumination beams exiting from the top surface of the optical valve. Such controlled illumination may provide for efficient, multi-user autostereoscopic displays as well as improved 2D display functionality.

Images with enhanced resolution are created with a display device comprising a non-transmissive light valve including addressable pixels, a light source that directs light to the light valve, and a lens positioned between the light valve and the light source, the lens directing light from the light source to the pixels on the light valve and the light valve directing light to viewing optics. The light valve is an integrated circuit ferroelectric liquid crystal device (ICFLCD), or other light valve arrays such as a digital light processor (DLP) display, having an array of addressable pixels. Such light valves may be mounted in a head mounted display.

The invention relates to light transmissive, transflective, or reflective flat panel display devices and, more specifically, to light emissive flat panel displays constructed from high performance electrowetting light valve (ELV) devices (10a-g). An array of ELV devices (10a-g) is mounted on or adjacent to a backlight (11), employing a reflector (13) allowing for improved transmission. The backlight (11) may be partially diffusely reflective or translucent as to also allow for creation of a transflective display panel.

An optical projection and image sensing apparatus including a light source, a light valve, a first lens set, a sensing module, and a beam splitter is provided. The light valve is used to convert an illumination light from the light source to an image light beam. The first lens set is used to project the image light to display an image on a screen, and the sensing module is used to sense a sensing light from the image on the screen. The beam splitter is disposed on the optical paths of the image light and the sensing light from the image on the screen. One of the sensing module and the light valve is disposed on the optical path of the sensing light passing through the beam splitter, and the other is disposed on optical path of the sensing light reflected by the beam splitter.

A multicolor optical image-generating device comprised of an array of grating light valves (GLVs) organized to form light-modulating pixel units for spatially modulating incident rays of light. The pixel units are comprised of three subpixel components each including a plurality of elongated, equally spaced apart reflective grating elements arranged parallel to each other with their light-reflective surfaces also parallel to each other. Each subpixel component includes means for supporting the grating elements in relation to one another, and means for moving alternate elements relative to the other elements and between a first configuration wherein the component acts to reflect incident rays of light as a plane mirror, and a second configuration wherein the component diffracts the incident rays of light as they are reflected from the grating elements. The three subpixel components of each pixel unit are designed such that when red, green and blue light sources are trained on the array, colored light diffracted by particular subpixel components operating in the second configuration will be directed through a viewing aperture, and light simply reflected from particular subpixel components operating in the first configuration will not be directed through the viewing aperture.

An image capture device including a housing, a first lens unit, a second lens unit, an image sensing element, and a beam spliter is provided. The housing includes a body, a first lens barrel, and a second lens barrel. The first lens unit is disposed within the first lens barrel and includes a first switchable light valve. The second lens unit is disposed within the second lens barrel and includes a second switchable light valve. The image sensing element faces to the first lens unit. The beam spliter is configured in front of the image sensing element so that the image sensing element is able to receive a first image light passing through the first lens unit and a second image light passing through the second lens unit. The first switchable light valve and the second switchable light valve present a transparent state at different timings.

A light valve such as an active matrix LCD between crossed polarizers, utilizing, for instance, individual transistors to control each "pixel area" of the LCD and storage elements to store video signal data for each pixel, with optically shielded "dead spaces" between pixels to eliminate electric field cross-talk and non-information-bearing light bleed-through, is illuminated with a bright independent light source which creates a video image projected via specialized projection optics onto an internal or external screen without distortions, regardless of the angle of projection onto the screen. Use of heat sinks, IR reflective coatings, heat absorbing optics, optional fluid and a thermistor controlled pixel transistor bias voltage injection servo circuit stabilizes image performance, maintaining accurate color and contrast levels as the LCD changes temperature. In one embodiment of the invention, use of a multi-color LCD with a stepped cavity, producing different thicknesses of LCD for the different wavelengths that pass through it, allows a linear correspondence between the wavelengths passing through the LCD to produce true black, high contrast and CRT-like color rendition. A dichroic mirror arrangement is used to overlap differently colored pixels in the projected image. Use of striped mirrors duplicate pixels, where necessary, eliminating spaces between pixels, creating a continuous image with no apparent stripes or dots. A special venetian-blind type of screen is also disclosed and methods for using the system to view three-dimensional video are also explained.

In an example embodiment, a wire grid polarizer includes a plurality of parallel conductors having a pitch (P), a width (W), and a height (H). In example embodiments, a fill-factor (W/P) is greater than approximately 0.18 and less than approximately 0.25. In another example embodiment, a display system includes a light source and a light-valve. The display system also includes a wire grid polarizer that includes a plurality of parallel conductors having a pitch (P), a width (W), and a height (H). In example embodiments, a fill-factor (W/P) is greater than approximately 0.18 and less than approximately 0.25.

The invention relates to an active device having variable energy/light transmission properties (100) comprising an active system (1, 12) between a protective substrate (2) and a protective cover (3), selected from an essentially inorganic electrochromic system, a light valve system, a liquid crystal system, a gasochromic system, a thermochromic system, means leakproof to liquid water and/or water vapor, a surround (50) made from at least one metal based part (5a, 5b) on the periphery of the device, the surround being assembled with the cover and with the substrate by assembling means (61′ to 64′) forming at least part of the means leakproof to water vapor.

A gaming apparatus is disclosed that includes a housing, a value input device, a transparent panel having an outer surface and an inner surface, and a plurality of mechanically rotatable slot reels disposed in the housing so that the mechanically rotatable reels are visible to a player through the transparent panel. The gaming apparatus also having a light valve that includes a suspended particle device disposed between the inner surface and the slot reels, and a controller coupled to the light valve to cause the light valve to become opaque to substantially block the view of the slot reels to the player.

A method for displaying an image on a liquid crystal display that includes a plurality of light emitting elements and a light valve. A image signal is received and a first light emitting element is illuminated based upon a substantial maximum of a non-uniform image signal in a first region. A second light emitting element is illuminated based upon a substantial maximum of a non-uniform image signal in a second region including, where the first and second light emitting elements are simultaneously illuminated.

An electronic imaging system for providing a viewable color image from an image data stream, including: a plurality of different colored laser light sources arranged in an at least one array with each such colored laser light source including a vertical cavity design; at least one area light valve for receiving the laser light and producing the viewable color image from the image data stream; and a projection lens for projecting the viewable color image onto a target plane.

A device comprising a number of different wavelength-selective active-layers arranged in a vertical stack, having band-alignment and work-function engineered lateral contacts to said active-layers, consisting of a contact-insulator and a conductor-insulator. Photons of different energies are selectively absorbed in or emitted by the active-layers. Contact means are arranged separately on the lateral sides of each layer or set of layers having the same parameters for extracting charge carriers generated in the photon-absorbing layers and/or injecting charge carriers into the photon-emitting layers. The device can be used for various applications: wavelength-selective multi-spectral solid-state displays, image-sensors, light-valves, light-emitters, etc. It can also be used for multiple-band gap solar-cells. The architecture of the device can be adapted to produce coherent light.

A backlight system includes a backplane and a plurality of bare die light emitters disposed on the backplane. Each light emitter has a light-emitter substrate and contact pads on the light-emitter substrate through which electrical current is supplied to cause the light emitter to emit light. A plurality of first and second backplane conductors are disposed on the backplane for conducting control signals to control the light emitters through the contact pads. A plurality of light valves is disposed to receive light from the light emitters. The number of light valves is greater than the number of light emitters.

The current invention provides a optical MEM device and system with an angled lid for hermetically sealing an active MEMS structure. The lid is sealed through an asymmetric seal formed with sealing rings having an asymmetric distribution of solder wetting surfaces which tilts the lid, when the lid and a substrate are soldered together. The asymmetric distribution wetting surfaces can be provided by forming one or more edge features, by patterning portions of the sealing rings or both. Preferably, the lid is transparent to one or more wavelengths of light in a range of 300 to 3000 Angstroms and hermetically seals a grating light valve structure having a plurality of movable ribbon for modulating light through the lid.

Stereoscopic device including at least two apertures, each including a light valve, a multi wavelength light sensor array and a controllable multi wavelength illumination unit, producing at least two alternating beams of light, each of the beams of light is characterized as being in a different range of wavelengths, wherein each light valve is operative to open at a different predetermined timing and wherein the multi wavelength light sensor array detects a plurality of images, each of the images corresponding to a predetermined combination of an open state of a selected one of the light valves and a selected one of the modes.

Images are displayed in response to a video signal using a light emitting assembly having one or more optically transmissive substrates, films or sheets, each having at least one pattern of optical elements on or in the substrates, films or sheets. A plurality of light sources are configured to illuminate one or more output areas of one or more of the substrates, films or sheets. The light emitting assembly is configured to emit light through the pattern of optical elements and produce a predetermined luminance profile of the light emitting assembly. At least one of the light sources is dimmed or boosted in response to an input video signal while operating a liquid crystal display as a light valve to illuminate the liquid crystal display by the light emitting assembly. At least some adjacent substrates, films or sheets may have portions that overlap, and at least one pattern of optical elements on or in at least one side of the substrates, films or sheets may be configured so that discontinuities between the adjacent substrates, films or sheets are minimized. A predetermined light output from the light emitting assembly may be produced by varying the electrical input to at least some of the light sources.

The present invention provides light valves including polarizing elements in which light transmission can be controlled by rotating at least one of the polarizing elements about an in-plane axis. Although reflective polarizing elements are preferred in devices according to the present invention to reduce the problem of heat build-up, the use of absorptive or other polarizers may also be envisioned. The polarizing elements may also include at least one reflective polarizer in combination with an infrared reflective material or an infrared absorptive material. The polarizing elements can be included in light valves to control light transmission by rotating at least one of the polarizing elements about an in-plane axis. The light valves according to the present invention may find use in any application in which the transmission of light (visible or otherwise) is to be controlled. Examples of specific applications include, but are not limited to: windows, luminaires, skylights, etc.