Patent ID: 6956337

Claim:
An instrument for displaying temperature as color, the instrument comprising: a plurality of color sources, each color source being capable of engendering color of a different wavelength and variable apparent intensity, said each color source comprising an input capable of receiving a signal controlling color intensity of said each color source; an electronic device comprising: an input that receives temperature readings indicative of the temperature to be displayed, circuitry that determines a plurality of color intensity values for each temperature reading, one color intensity value per said each color source, and generates a plurality of color intensity signals to control intensities of the plurality of color sources, one color intensity signal per said each color source, the color intensity signal of said each color source being controlled by the color intensity value of said each color source, and a plurality of outputs coupling the color intensity signals to the inputs of the color sources, the color intensity signal of said each color source being coupled to the input of said each color source; and a combiner of the colors engendered by the plurality of color sources; wherein: the circuitry of the electronic device comprises a memory and a digital processor executing program code stored in the memory; and the temperature readings comprise digitized indications of temperature, the instrument further comprising an analog-to-digital converter that receives analog indications of temperature, and digitizes the analog indications of temperature to convert the analog indications of temperature into the digitized indications of temperature.