Linear solid state illuminator

• US 20070297191A1
• Filed: 06/21/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sampsell, Jeffrey B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,766,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/602
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0018 Redirecting means on the surface of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0046 Tapered light guide, e.g. wedge-shaped light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0073 Light emitting diode [LED]

Abstract

An illuminator for a display is provided that includes a light guide plate to substantially cover a viewable portion of the display, and a thin film light-emitting source. Light from the thin film light-emitting source is directed into an edge of the light guide plate to provide light for the viewable portion of the display.

Claims

1. An illuminator for a display comprising:

a light guide plate to substantially cover a viewable portion of the display; and

a thin film light-emitting source,

wherein light from the thin film light-emitting source is directed into an edge of the light guide plate to provide light for the viewable portion of the display.

2. The illuminator of claim 1, wherein the thin film light-emitting source is bonded directly to the edge of the light guide plate.

3. The illuminator of claim 1, wherein the thin film light-emitting source comprises an organic light-emitting diode (OLED).

4. The illuminator of claim 1, wherein the thin film light-emitting source comprises an electroluminescent (EL) thin film light source.

5. The illuminator of claim 3, wherein the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) consists of a single pixel.

6. The illuminator of claim 5, wherein a first dimension of the pixel is substantially equal to a thickness of the light guide plate and a second dimension of the pixel is substantially equal to a length of the edge of the light guide plate.

7. The illuminator of claim 5, wherein the pixel comprises a white pixel.

8. The illuminator of claim 7, wherein the white pixel is created by a plurality of separate wavelength emissions that are matched to a plurality of specific reflectivities of subpixels that make up each pixel of a color display.

9. The illuminator of claim 5, wherein the pixel comprises a pixel having emissions substantially centered around a specific wavelength matched to a specific reflectivity of a monochrome display.

10. The illuminator of claim 5, the pixel having emissions substantially peaking around two specific wavelengths that are matched to a reflectivity of a bichrome display.

11. The illuminator of claim 3, further comprising an angle-matching component to direct the light from the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) into the edge of the light guide plate.

12. The illuminator of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the angle-matching component has a substantially parabolic or elliptical shape for collimating the light from the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) into the edge of the light guide plate.

13. The illuminator of claim 12, wherein the angle-matching component is molded directly into the light guide plate.

14. The illuminator of claim 13, wherein the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is bonded directly to the surface of the light guide plate.

15. The illuminator of claim 1, wherein the light guide plate comprises a plurality of facets molded into the surface of the light guide plate so that the light from the thin film light-emitting source exits from the light guide plate in a substantially uniform fashion over the viewable portion of the display.

16. The illuminator of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the light guide plate is tapered along one edge of the light guide plate.

17. The illuminator of claim 1, wherein the illuminator is implemented within a front lighting system or a back lighting system of a display.

18. A display device comprising the illuminator of claim 1.

19. The display device of claim 18, wherein the display device comprises an interferometric modulator display.

20. The display device of claim 19, further comprising:

a processor that is in electrical communication with the interferometric modulator display, the processor being configured to process image data; and

a memory device in electrical communication with the processor.

21. The display device of claim 20, further comprising:

a first controller configured to send at least one signal to the interferometric modulator display; and

a second controller configured to send at least a portion of the image data to the first controller.

22. The display device of claim 20, further comprising an image source module configured to send the image data to the processor.

23. The display device of claim 22, wherein the image source module comprises at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

24. The display device of claim 20, further comprising an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate the input data to the processor.

25. An illuminator for a display comprising:

a light guide means for substantially covering a viewable portion of the display; and

thin film means for emitting light,

wherein light from the thin film light-emitting means is directed into an edge of the light guide means for providing light to the viewable portion of the display.

26. The illuminator of claim 25, wherein the thin film light-emitting means is bonded directly to the edge of the light guide means.

27. The illuminator of claim 25, wherein the thin film light-emitting means comprises an organic light-emitting means.

28. The illuminator of claim 27, wherein the organic light-emitting means consists of a single pixel means.

29. The illuminator of claim 28, wherein a first dimension of the pixel means is substantially equal to a thickness of the light guide means and a second dimension of the pixel means is substantially equal to a length of the edge of the light guide means.

30. The illuminator of claim 28, wherein the pixel means comprises a white pixel means.

31. The illuminator of claim 27, further comprising an angle-matching component means for directing the light from the organic light-emitting means into the edge of the light guide means.

32. The illuminator of claim 31, wherein at least a portion of the angle-matching component means has a substantially parabolic or elliptical shape for collimating the light from the organic light-emitting means into the edge of the light guide means.

33. The illuminator of claim 32, wherein the angle-matching component means is molded directly into the light guide means.

34. The illuminator of claim 33, wherein the organic light-emitting means is bonded directly to the surface of the light guide means.

35. The illuminator of claim 25, wherein the light guide means comprises a plurality of facet means molded into the surface of the light guide means so that the light from the thin film light-emitting means exits from the light guide means in a substantially uniform fashion over the viewable portion of the display.

36. The illuminator of claim 25, wherein a thickness of the light guide means is tapered along one edge of the light guide means.

37. A method of manufacturing an illuminator for a display, the method comprising:

providing a light guide plate, the light guide plate to substantially cover a viewable portion of the display; and

coupling a thin film light-emitting source to the light guide plate,

wherein light from the thin film light-emitting source is directed into an edge of the light guide plate to provide light to the viewable portion of the display.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the thin film light-emitting source comprises an organic light-emitting diode (OLED).

39. The method of claim 37, wherein coupling a thin film light-emitting source to the light guide plate comprises bonding the thin film light-emitting source directly to an edge of the light guide plate.