Patent ID: 6995743

Claim:
A liquid crystal device comprising: (a) a front electrode layer; (b) a rear electrode layer; (c) a liquid crystal material located between said front electrode layer and said rear electrode layer; (d) changing an electrical potential between said rear electrode layer and said front electrode layer to selectively modify portions of said liquid crystal material to change the polarization of the light incident thereon; (e) said rear electrode layer comprising a plurality of select electrodes and a plurality of data electrodes such that one of said select electrodes in combination with a plurality of said data electrodes selectively change said electrical potential for a plurality of different portions of said liquid crystal material; (f) a first transistor which is a photo transistor comprising: (i) a first terminal; (ii) a second terminal; (iii) a third terminal; (g) a second transistor comprising: (i) a first terminal; (ii) a second terminal; (iii) a third terminal; (h) said first terminal of said first transistor electrically interconnected to a conductive electrode free from additional electrical elements therebetween; (i) said second terminal of said first transistor electrically interconnected to said conductive electrode free from additional electrical elements therebetween and said second terminal of said first transistor is maintained at the same potential as said conductive electrode; (j) said first terminal of said first transistor and said second terminal of said first transistor electrically interconnected to one another free from additional electrical elements therebetween and said first terminal of said first transistor and said second terminal of said first transistor are maintained at the same potential; (k) said second terminal of said first transistor is a gate of said first transistor; (l) said third terminal of said first transistor electrically interconnected to said first terminal of said second transistor free from additional electrical elements therebetween and maintained at the same potential; (m) said second terminal of said second transistor electrically connected to one of said select electrodes; (n) said second terminal of said second transistor is a gate of said second transistor; (o) said third terminal of said second transistor is electrically interconnected to a readout system; (p) said second transistor is substantially inhibited from receiving ambient light thereon, said first transistor is not substantially inhibited from receiving ambient light thereon; (q) said first transistor and said second transistor being together with said rear electrode layer; and (r) said readout system determines a region of said device that experiences a change in the light level greater than and less than the relative background ambient light.