Programmable light control matrix device

Claim 2

A programmable light control matrix device comprising a planar surface matrix array of cells, each cell being formed with a pair of transparent parallel electrodes separated by a film of electrooptic material having two states, one for passing and the other for blocking light, one state occurring when said cell is electrically energized and the other when it is deenergized wherein said array is formed with a pair of transparent parallel plates having inner and outer surfaces and said material is a continuous sheet disposed therebetween, one of said plates bearing on its inner surface adjacent said sheet a continuous conductive sheet constituting a common electrode of each of said cells and the other plate bearing on its inner surface adjacent said film a plurality of individual electrodes, each constituting the other electrode of said cells and being associated with an individual one thereof, whereby a cell is energized by applying an electric potential across its associated individual electrode and said conductive sheet, and said other plate has individual apertures passing between its inner and outer surfaces, there being one for each of said individual electrodes collinear with its associated electrode, having thin metallized walls which do not obstruct the passage of light so that it may pass therethrough from one of said plates to the other and that function as leads which connect to said individual electrodes for applying an electric potential thereto.

Claim 3

The matrix device of claim 1 wherein said material is of the type that blocks the passage of light when energized.

Claim 4

The matrix device of claim 2 wherein said material is liquid crystal of the twisted nematic type and includes aligned polarizing planes.

Claim 5

The matrix device of claim 1 in combination with a light source and a photosensitive surface located on opposite sides of said array.

Claim 6

The matrix device of claim 1 wherein said material passes light when energized and blocks a selected frequency band when deenergized.

Claim 7

The matrix device of claim 5 wherein said material is a combination of nematic liquid crystal and a non-ionic dichroic dye.

Claim 8

A programmable light control matrix device comprising a planar surface matrix array of cells, each cell being formed with a pair of transparent parallel electrodes separated by a film of electrooptic material having two states, one for passing light when deenergized and the other for blocking light when energized, wherein said array contains rows of cells and is formed with two planar surface subarrays in adjoining planar juxtaposition which are simultaneously energizable, each of said subarrays being formed with a pair of transparent parallel plates having inner and outer surfaces, and said material is a continuous sheet disposed therebeween, with one of the plates of each subarray bearing on its inner surface adjacent its associated sheet alternate rows, with respect to the rows of the array, of a plurality of individual electrodes, each constituting one of the electrodes for the cells of its associated subarray and the other plate of each subarray bearing on its inner surface adjacent its associated sheet conductive strips coincident with said alternate rows constituting the other electrode of each of the associated cells so that a cell is energized by applying an electric potential across the conductor strip and individual electrode corresponding thereto, said array being arranged so that the alternate rows of individual electrodes of one subarray interleave the alternate rows of individual electrodes of the other subarray and including conductive leads to said individual electrodes which are borne on the inner surface of the associated plate in the spaces between said alternate rows.

Claim 9

A programmable light control matrix device comprising a planar surface matrix array of cells, each cell being formed with a pair of transparent parallel electrodes separated by a film of electrooptic material having two states, one for passing light when deenergized and the other for blocking light when energized, wherein said array contains rows of cells and is formed with two planar surface subarrays in adjoining planar juxtaposition which are simultaneously energizable, each of said subarrays being formed with a pair of transparent parallel plates having inner and outer surfaces, and said material is a continuous sheet disposed therebeween, with one of the plates of each subarray bearing on its inner surface adjacent its associated sheet alternate rows, with respect to the rows of the array, of a plurality of individual electrodes, each constituting one of the electrodes for the cells of its associated subarray and the other plate of each subarray bearing on its inner surface adjacent its associated sheet conductive strips coincident with said alternate rows constituting the other electrode of each of the associated cells so that a cell is energized by applying an electric potential across the conductor strip and individual electrode corresponding thereto, said array being arranged so that the alternate rows of individual electrodes of one subarray interleave the alternate rows of individual electrodes of the other subarray and including conductive leads to said individual electrodes which are borne on the inner surface of the associated plate in the spaces between said alternate rows.

Claim 10

The matrix device of claim 7 in combination with a light source and a photosensitive surface located on opposite sides of said array.

Claim 11

A programmable light control matrix device comprising a planar surface matrix array of cells, each cell being formed with a pair of transparent parallel electrodes separated by a film of electrooptic material having two states, one for passing light when deenergized and the other for blocking light when energized, wherein said array is formed with a plurality of planar surface subarrays in adjoining planar juxtaposition which are simultaneously energizable, each of said subarrays being formed with a pair of transparent parallel plates having inner and outer surfaces and said material is a continuous sheet disposed therebetween, with the plates of each subarray bearing on their inner surfaces adjacent said continuous sheet a plurality of paired electrodes defining individual cells of said array arranged so that none of the cells in one subarray overlap the cells in any other subarray.

Claim 12

A programmable light control matrix device comprising a planar surface matrix array of cells, each cell being formed with a pair of transparent parallel electrodes separated by a film of electrooptic material having two states, one for passing light when deenergized and the other for blocking light when energized, wherein said array is formed with a plurality of planar surface subarrays in adjoining planar juxtaposition which are simultaneously energizable, each of said subarrays being formed with a pair of transparent parallel plates having inner and outer surfaces and said material is a continuous sheet disposed therebetween, with the plates of each subarray bearing on their inner surfaces adjacent said continuous sheet a plurality of paired electrodes defining individual cells of said array arranged so that none of the cells in one subarray overlap the cells in any other subarray.

Claim 13

The matrix device of claim 9 wherein the edges of each cell in one subarray are in abutting alignment with the edges of cells in the other subarrays exclusively as viewed perpendicularly from an end of the array.

Claim 14

A programmable light control matrix device comprising a planar surface matrix array of cells, each cell being formed with a pair of transparent parallel electrodes separated by a film of electrooptic material having two states, one for passing light when deenergized and the other for blocking light when energized, wherein said array has adjoining rows and columns of cells and is formed with four planar surface subarrays in adjoining planar juxtaposition which are simultaneously energizable, each of said subarrays being formed with a pair of transparent parallel plates having inner and outer surfaces and said material is a continuous sheet disposed therebetween, with one of the plates of each subarray bearing on its inner surface adjacent its associated sheet alternate rows, with respect to the rows of the array, of a plurality of individual electrodes in alternate columns, with respect to the columns of the array, each individual electrode constituting one of the electrodes for the cells associated with its subarray and including conductive leads to said individual electrodes which are borne on the inner surface of the associated plate in the spaces between said alternate rows and the other plate of each subarray bears on its inner surface adjacent its associated film conductive strips coincident with said alternate rows constituting the other electrodes of each of the associated cells, so that a cell is energized by applying an electric potential across the conductive strip and the individual electrode corresponding thereto, said array being arranged so that none of the cells in one subarray overlap the cells in any other subarray.

Claim 15

A programmable light control matrix device comprising a planar surface matrix array of cells, each cell being formed with a pair of transparent parallel electrodes separated by a film of electrooptic material having two states, one for passing light when deenergized and the other for blocking light when energized, wherein said array has adjoining rows and columns of cells and is formed with four planar surface subarrays in adjoining planar juxtaposition which are simultaneously energizable, each of said subarrays being formed with a pair of transparent parallel plates having inner and outer surfaces and said material is a continuous sheet disposed therebetween, with one of the plates of each subarray bearing on its inner surface adjacent its associated sheet alternate rows, with respect to the rows of the array, of a plurality of individual electrodes in alternate columns, with respect to the columns of the array, each individual electrode constituting one of the electrodes for the cells associated with its subarray and including conductive leads to said individual electrodes which are borne on the inner surface of the associated plate in the spaces between said alternate rows and the other plate of each subarray bears on its inner surface adjacent its associated film conductive strips coincident with said alternate rows constituting the other electrodes of each of the associated cells, so that a cell is energized by applying an electric potential across the conductive strip and the individual electrode corresponding thereto, said array being arranged so that none of the cells in one subarray overlap the cells in any other subarray.

Claim 16

The matrix device of claim 11 in combination with a light source and a photosensitive surface located on opposite sides of said array.