Tiled flat panel display with improved color gamut

• US 6,100,861 A
• Filed: 02/17/1998
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Rainbow Displays, Inc.
• Inventors: Cohen, Jennifer, Skinner, Dean W., Greene, Raymond G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU V
• Application Number:
  US09/024,487
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 345/48, 345/51, 345/63, 345/72, 345/76, 345/77, 345/83, 345/87, 345/88, 345/89, 349/78-83, 349/106-109
• US Class Current: 345/88
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13336 Combining plural substrates to produce large-area displays, e.g. tiled displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/52 RGB geometrical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters

Abstract

Pixel layout and placement designs provide improved color gamut in a tiled flat-panel display. The subpixels of the pixel designs are sized, placed and geometrically shaped so that the color purity, or equal amounts of RGB, are emitted from the display. The pixel designs match the subpixel size with the color filter and spectral content of the illumination source. The layout and placement design of the color pixel elements does not significantly shift the color purity of each pixel of the tile that may be in plane misalignment with respect to aperture masks above and below the tiles in the display configurations.

Claims

1. A tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams, comprising:

a plurality of individual display tiles having seams therebetween, said individual display tiles comprising pixels, each of said pixels comprising sub-pixel elements associated with each of three primary colors, and wherein said sub-pixel elements are sized and geometrically shaped to compensate for mask misregistration thereby improving the color purity of light from said display when a mask is misregistered relative to said sub-pixel elements thereby substantially eliminating color shifts arising from tile-to-mask registration errors, said color shifts being gradual color shifts within said individual display tiles or abrupt color shifts proximate said seams.

2. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 1 wherein said sub-pixel elements comprise red, green and blue sub-pixel elements.

3. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 1, wherein said sub-pixel elements are sized, shaped, or geometrically arranged to transmit a uniform spectral output when substantially equal sub-pixel drive signals are applied thereto.

4. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 3, wherein said sub-pixel elements provide said display with an improved color gamut.

5. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 3, wherein said sub-pixel elements transmit a substantially ideal, predetermined spectral output.

6. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 5, wherein said predetermined, ideal spectral output comprises substantially white light.

7. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 5, wherein sub-pixel elements associated with a first one of said primary colors are sized and geometrically shaped differently from sub-pixel elements associated with at least one of said other primary colors so as to adjust said spectral output of said display to a substantially ideal, predetermined spectral output.

8. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 7, wherein said first primary color is blue and said other primary color is green.

9. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 7, wherein said blue sub-pixel element is larger than said green sub-pixel element.

10. A tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams comprising:

a) at least two display tiles located adjacent one another, each comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising sub-pixel elements associated with primary colors and wherein at least some of said sub-pixel elements are substantially rectangular with a vertical dimension greater than a horizontal dimension; and

b) at least one mask disposed proximate said plurality of pixels and having apertures substantially aligned with said substantially rectangular sub-pixel elements;

whereby said sub-pixels are arranged, shaped, or sized to compensate for mask misregistration such that said a mask may be misregistered relative to said sub-pixel elements without substantially changing the color balance of the light output of said display.

11. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 10, wherein said sub-pixel elements of all of said pixels are arranged symmetrically relative to a centerline disposed along at least one of two perpendicular major axes of said pixels.

12. A tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams comprising:

a) at least two display tiles located adjacent one another, each comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising sub-pixels arranged in a predetermined sub-pixel geometry; and

b) an optical component proximate to and in a predetermined registration with said pixels;

whereby said sub-pixels are arranged, shaped, or sized to compensate for misregistration of said optical component such that upon misregistration of said optical component along one or both of a vertical and a horizontal axis, light from said pixels maintains a predetermined spectral output.

13. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 12, wherein said optical component selectively affects light transmitted through said pixels.

14. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 13, wherein said optical component comprises at least one from the group of:

masks, filters, shader plates and collimators.

15. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 12, wherein said sub-pixel elements of all said pixels are arranged symmetrically relative to a centerline disposed along one of two perpendicular major axes of said pixels.

16. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 12, wherein said pixel geometry comprises four corner regions, two of said corner regions being diagonally disposed and comprising sub-pixel elements of a first primary color:

the remaining two of said corner regions also being diagonally disposed and comprising sub-pixel elements of a second primary color;

a separating region disposed between said corner regions comprising a sub-pixel element of a third primary color.

17. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 12, wherein said pixel geometry comprises three concentric, rectangular rings, each of said rings comprising a sub-pixel element of a different primary color.

18. The tiled, flat-panel, liquid crystal display having visually imperceptible seams as recited in claim 12, wherein said pixel geometry comprises a central, rectangular region comprising a sub-pixel element of a first primary color:

smaller rectangular regions disposed adjacent each side of said central region, said smaller rectangular regions comprising sub-pixel elements of a second primary color;

additional rectangular regions disposed adjacent each of said smaller rectangular regions, said additional rectangular regions comprising sub-pixel elements of a third primary color.