System and method for reducing visual artifacts in displays

• US 20080084600A1
• Filed: 10/06/2006
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gruhlke, Russell Wayne, Mienko, Marek, Xu, Gang, Bita, Ion
• Granted Patent: US 8,107,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/290
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0035 provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0058 varying in density, size, shape or depth along the light guide

Abstract

Embodiments include systems and methods for reducing visible artifacts such as Moiré, or interference, patterns, in displays. One embodiment includes a display device comprising a plurality of light modulators and a plurality of illumination elements configured to direct light to the light modulators. The directed light of the plurality of illumination elements collectively defines an nonuniformly varying pattern of light.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a plurality of light modulators; and

a plurality of illumination elements configured to direct a nonuniformly varying pattern of light to the light modulators.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a substrate on which the plurality of light modulators are formed.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein each of the illumination elements comprises at least one surface defining an angle with respect to the substrate, wherein each of said surfaces is configured to direct light to said light modulators.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a light source configured to provide light to the plurality of illumination elements.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the surfaces of at least two of the illumination elements define different angles with respect to the substrate.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the illumination elements are arranged in a nonuniform pattern.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein each of the illumination elements is positioned adjacent to at least one other of the illumination elements and each of the illumination elements is positioned at a nonuniform offset from said at least one other of the illumination elements.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said offset comprises an offset in two dimensions.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein at least two of the illumination elements have different sizes.

10. The device of claim 6 wherein the illumination elements are arranged in a plurality of lines and wherein the lines are non-parallel to each other.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein each of the lines has a midpoint, and wherein the midpoints of the lines are arranged nonuniformly within the plurality of illumination elements.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein light modulators comprise interferometric light modulators.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor that is in electrical communication with said light modulators, said processor being configured to process image data;

a memory device in electrical communication with said processor.

14. The device of claim 13, further comprising a driver circuit configured to send at least one signal to said light modulators.

15. The device of claim 14, further comprising a controller configured to send at least a portion of said image data to said driver circuit.

16. The device of claim 13, further comprising an image source module configured to send said image data to said processor.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein said image source module comprises at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

18. The device of claim 13, further comprising an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate said input data to said processor.

19. A display device comprising:

a plurality of light modulators; and

a plurality of illumination elements arranged in a nonuniform pattern and configured to direct light to the light modulators.

20. A display device comprising:

a plurality of light modulators; and

a plurality of illumination elements configured to direct light to the light modulators, wherein the plurality of illumination elements is adapted to illuminate the light modulators without producing a visible moiré

pattern.

21. A display device comprising:

means for modulating light; and

means for illuminating the light modulating means with a nonuniformly varying pattern of light.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the light modulating means comprises a plurality of interferometric modulators.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the illuminating means comprises means for reflecting light.

24. The device of claim 21, wherein the illuminating means comprises a plurality of illumination elements.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein each of the illumination elements comprises a surface defining an angle with respect to the substrate, wherein each of said surfaces is configured to direct light to said light modulating means.

26. A method of making an illuminator, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of illumination elements configured to direct a nonuniformly varying pattern of light to an array of light modulators.

27. The device of claim 26, further comprising forming the array of light modulators on a substrate.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein forming the plurality of illumination elements comprises forming the plurality illumination elements above the substrate.

29. The device of claim 26, wherein forming each of the plurality of illumination elements comprising forming at least one surface configured to direct the nonuniformly varying pattern of light onto the array of light modulators.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the surfaces of at least two of the illumination elements define different angles with respect to a substrate on which the light modulators are formed.

31. The device of claim 26, wherein the illumination elements are arranged in a nonuniform pattern.

32. The device of claim 31, wherein each of the illumination elements is formed at a position adjacent to at least one other of the illumination elements and each of the illumination elements is formed at a position at a non-uniform offset from said at least one other of the illumination elements.

33. The device of claim 31, wherein the illumination elements are arranged in a plurality of lines and wherein the lines are non-parallel to each other.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein each of the lines has a midpoint, and wherein the midpoints of the lines are arranged nonuniformly within the plurality of illumination elements.

35. The device of claim 26, wherein light modulators comprise interferometric light modulators.

36. A method, comprising:

illuminating a plurality of illumination elements with light; and

directing a nonuniformly varying pattern of the light from the illumination elements to a plurality of light modulators.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the illumination elements are arranged in a nonuniform pattern.

37. The method of 36, wherein illuminating each of the illumination elements comprises at least one surface defining an angle with respect to the substrate, wherein each of said surfaces is configured to direct light to said light modulators.

39. The method of 36, further comprising modulating the nonuniformly varying pattern of light.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein modulating the nonuniformly varying pattern of light comprises interferometrically modulating the light.