Importance

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Abstract

A full color display is disclosed having a high efficiency light source optically coupled by a light coupling lens array to the active matrix of pixel elements of an image forming means such as a transmissive liquid crystal light valve. The light source is comprised of a patterned matrix of individual, primary colored visible radiation emitters, such as individual phosphor elements, arranged in a manner suitable for the human eye to integrate the individual primary colored lights into a single mixture color. The light coupling lens array collects substantially all of the light rays emitted from each primary colored light emitter and focuses them on a respective one of the transparent electrodes in the active matrix, as a real image smaller than the size of the electrode. A suitable light coupling lens array is a gradient index lens array, a multiple layer, two dimensional array of microlenses functionally analogous to an array of strip lenses, or a microlens array. A twisted nematic liquid crystal cell may be used in the image forming means to achieve a high contrast display. Use of the light coupling lens array to collect and focus the light rays from the light source permits the focused light to pass through an entrance polarizer with minimal scattering or divergence, and then through the respective transparent electrode in the active matrix unobscured by the opaque pixel interconnect elements. More efficient use of a larger percentage of the light from the light source in this manner results in the formation of a bright, high contrast, full color image.

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First Claim