Display device including a spatial light modulator with plural image regions

• US 20070126989A1
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Williams, David, Allen, Will, Cole, Jim, Pate, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,670,005 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/31
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/00 Projectors or projection-type viewers; Accessories therefor devices for changing pictures G03B23/00

Abstract

A display device includes a spatial light modulator and a light generator. The spatial light modulator may have an array of modulating elements with a plurality of image regions. The light generator may be configured to direct a different one of a plurality of substantially stationary light bands onto each of a plurality of the image regions of the array of modulating elements.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A method of making a display device comprising:

providing a spatial light modulator having a two-dimensional array of modulating elements forming a plurality of two-dimensional multi-pixel image regions, the spatial light modulator configured to modulate the separate image regions of the array of modulating elements according to different images;

providing a light generator configured to direct a different one of a plurality of separate bands of light onto each of the image regions of the array of modulating elements; and

providing a controller including a spatial image separator configured to assign received image information to a corresponding one of the image regions, the controller being configured to control modulation of the spatial light modulator appropriate to produce a separate image in each image region.

19. The method of claim 18, where providing a light generator includes providing a light generator configured to direct a plurality of light bands including at least one of a red light band, a green light band, and a blue light band.

21. The method of claim 18, where providing a light generator includes providing a light generator configured to direct a plurality of bands of light of different colors, and providing a controller includes providing a controller configured to control modulation of the array of modulating elements appropriate to produce differently colored component images of a composite image.

20. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. A method of forming a multi-pixel image for display comprising:

directing a plurality of separate and differently colored bands of light onto separate image regions of a two-dimensional array of modulating elements; and

modulating the image regions of the array of modulating elements to produce differently colored multi-pixel component images of the multi-pixel image.

24. The method of claim 23, where directing a plurality of light bands includes directing at least one of a red light band, a green light band, and a blue light band.

25. The method of claim 23, where directing a plurality of bands of light includes directing a plurality of bands of light onto image regions having at least one aligned edge.

26. The method of claim 25, where directing a plurality of bands of light includes directing a plurality of bands of light onto image regions of the same size.

27. The method of claim 26, where directing a plurality of bands of light includes directing a plurality of bands of light onto an array of imaging elements with a generally rectangular shape with adjacent sides having relative sizes, with the image regions having generally rectangular shapes with adjacent sides having relative sizes different than the relative sizes of the array of imaging elements.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising controlling modulation of the array of modulating elements appropriate to produce an image in each image region.

29. The method of claim 28, where directing a plurality of bands of light includes directing a plurality of bands of light of different colors, and controlling modulation of the array of modulating elements includes controlling modulation of the array of modulating elements appropriate to produce differently colored component images of a composite image, in the image regions of the array of modulating elements.

30. The method of claim 28, where controlling modulation of the array of modulating elements includes assigning received image information to a corresponding one of the image regions.

31. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

receiving image data for an image;

buffering the image data for the images including creating a frame of the image;

defining a first sub-frame and at least a second sub-frame for the frame of the image from the image data, the second sub-frame being spatially offset from the first sub-frame;

displaying the first sub-frame in a first position; and

displaying the second sub-frame in a second position spatially offset from the first position; and

where modulating the image regions includes modulating at least one of the image regions according to the first and second sub-frames.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein displaying the second sub-frame includes overlapping pixels of the first pixel matrix with pixels of the second pixel matrix.

33. The method of claim 31, where the second sub-frame is offset at least one of a vertical distance and a horizontal distance from the first sub-frame, and wherein displaying the second sub-frame includes shifting display of the second sub-frame the at least one of the vertical distance and the horizontal distance from the first sub-frame.

34. The method of claim 31, Where modulating the image regions includes modulating a first image region with the first sub-frame and modulating a second image region with the second sub-frame.

35-46. -46. (canceled)

47. A method of forming an image comprising:

receiving information representative of an image;

assigning the received image information to a corresponding one of a plurality of two-dimensional multi-pixel image regions of a two-dimensional array of modulating elements; and

modulating the modulating elements in the corresponding one of the image regions according to the received image information to produce a separate multi-pixel image in each image region.

48. The method of claim 47, where receiving information includes receiving information representative of a plurality of component images of a composite image, assigning received image information includes assigning the received information representative of each of the plurality of component images to respective ones of the plurality of image regions of the array of modulating elements, and modulating the modulating elements includes modulating the modulating elements of each of the image regions according to the assigned image information.

49. The method of claim 48, where receiving information includes receiving information representative of a plurality of component images of different colors of a composite colored image, and modulating the modulating elements includes modulating the modulating elements of each of the image regions appropriate to produce differently colored component images that when combined form the composite colored image.

50. Storage media having embodied therein a program of commands, adapted to be executed by a computer processor, to:

receive information representative of an image;

assign received image information to a corresponding one of a plurality of two-dimensional multi-pixel image regions of a two-dimensional array of modulating elements; and

modulate the modulating elements in the corresponding one of the image regions according to the received image information.

51. The storage media of claim 50, where the program embodied therein is further adapted to be executed by a computer processor to receive information representative of a plurality of component images of a composite image, assign received information representative of each of the plurality of component images to respective ones of the plurality of image regions of the array of modulating elements, and modulate the modulating elements of each of the image regions according to the assigned image information.