Live From DSS 2011: Defined Viewing Angle Fiber Optic Faceplate Demo

Scott Heather, defense business manager for SCHOTT North America Lighting and Imaging, introduces us to the new defined viewing angle fiber optic faceplate. The demo shows a digital display out of the F-22 Raptor aircraft.

Many fixed-wing aircraft like the F-22 have numerous digital displays. During night-time operations, pilots can get distracted by canopy reflections caused by bright instrumentation lights in the cockpit. To mitigate this, SCHOTT has implemented a fiber optic faceplate on the backlight of the LCD display. By controlling the numerical aperture of the glasses, the viewing angle can be defined very specifically both in terms of direction and angle. As a result, the display directs its light directly at the pilot's head box and completely eliminates the light signature of the canopy reflections.

The technology can also be used in vehicle displays or even in handheld displays for soldiers. If a soldier is out in the field at night and turns on a digital display, it can illuminate his whole entire upper body. But if the display has a defined viewing angle faceplate, it eliminates the light signature and makes the soldier much more difficult to see.