Visual display device with fluorescent dye-doped edge-illuminating emitter panel

摘要

A light emitting panel is formed of a transparent plastic substrate doped with fluorescent dye which absorbs incident light through a relatively large surface area and emits light of a longer wavelength out through one edge. The incident light may be ambient or produced by a fluorescent light source. The edge emitted light is optically coupled into an edge of a display panel, which may be a polymer dispersed liquid crystal display or a plastic panel having a display surface formed with an etched or printed pattern, grating or hologram. The substrate materials of the emitting and display panels, as well as an optical adhesive which joins the edges thereof, preferably have an essentially similar index of refraction which is larger than that of air causing light propagating through the panels to be internally reflected and exit the structure only through the pattern on the display surface. The display panel is preferably transparent in the absence of light incident on the emitting panel, and produces a display visible from only one direction upon application of incident light. The display panel may be constituted as a center-high-mounted stop light for an automotive vehicle.