Tiled electro-optic imaging device

• US 6,881,946 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2002
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Global OLED Technology LLC (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Miller, Michael E., Cok, Ronald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Thanh X.
• Assistant Examiner(s): YAM, STEPHEN K
• Application Number:
  US10/174,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20030234343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 257257-258, 257443-448, 348/294, 348/302, 348273-276, 348/383, 250/208.1, 250/208.6, 250/214.1, 250/370.09, 385115-120, 345/1.1, 345/1.3, 345/4, 345/903, 349/73, 349/74
• US Class Current: 250/208.6
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/06 the relative position of the fibres being the same at both ends, e.g. for transporting images
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/08 with fibre bundle in form of plate
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13336 Combining plural substrates to produce large-area displays, e.g. tiled displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133524 Light-guides, e.g. fibre-optic bundles, louvered or jalousie light-guides
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/3026 Video wall, i.e. stackable semiconductor matrix display modules video wall control systems G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/026 Video wall, i.e. juxtaposition of a plurality of screens to create a display screen of bigger dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14603 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address-lines or gate-electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/41 Extracting pixel data from a plurality of image sensors simultaneously picking up an image, e.g. for increasing the field of view by combining the outputs of a plurality of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/70 Circuit details for electroluminescent devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/18 Tiled displays

Abstract

A tiled electro-optic imaging device includes two or more tiles each tile having a two dimensional array of pixels and at least one non-linear edge, the tiles being aligned edge to edge such that pixels from the tiles are inter-digitated along the non-linear edge, whereby the visibility of the non-linear edge is reduced and the visual uniformity of the device is enhanced.

Claims

1. A tiled electro-optic imaging device, comprising:

two or more tiles, each tile having a two dimensional array of pixels and at least one non-linear edge, the non-linear edges of the tiles being aligned edge to edge such that pixels along the non-linear edge of one tile are inter-digitated with pixels along a complementary non-linear edge of an adjacent tile, whereby the visibility of the non-linear edge is reduced and the visual uniformity of the device is enhanced.

2. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein the pixels are light sensing elements and the device is an image sensor.

3. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein the pixels are light emitting elements and the device is an image display device.

4. The device claimed in claim 3, wherein the display device is a digital emissive flat-panel display.

5. The device claimed in claim 4, wherein the display device is an OLED display device.

6. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein the pixels are inter-digitated by more than one pixel.

7. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-linear edges are sinusoidal.

8. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein the edges are saw-tooth shaped.

9. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein the edges are step-shaped.

10. The device claimed in claim 9, wherein the steps are inter-digitated periodically by more than one step.

11. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein each tile comprises a substrate, the array of pixels being formed on the substrate, and one or more edges of the substrate define the non-linear edge.

12. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein each tile comprises a substrate, the array of pixels being formed on the substrate, and an image expanding fiber optic face plate having at least one fiber per pixel;

and one or more edges of the fiber optic face plate define the non-linear edge.

13. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein the tiles are rectangular and arranged in aligned rows and columns.

14. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein the tiles are rectangular and are arranged in slanted rows and columns.

15. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein the tiles are rectangular and are arranged in rows and columns slanted at 45 degrees.

16. A method of making a tiled electro-optic imaging device, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of tiles, each tile having a two dimensional array of pixels and at least one non-linear edge, and arranging the non-linear edges of the tiles edge to edge such that pixels along the non-linear edge of one tile are inter-digitated with pixels along a complementary non-linear edge of an adjacent tile, whereby the visibility of the non-linear edge is reduced and the visual uniformity of the device is enhanced.

17. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the pixels are light sensing elements and the device is an image sensor.

18. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the pixels are light emitting elements and the device is an image display device.

19. The method claimed in claim 18, wherein the display device is a digital emissive flat-panel display.

20. The method claimed in claim 19, wherein the display device is an OLED display device.

21. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the pixels are inter-digitated by more than one pixel.

22. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the non-linear edges are sinusoidal.

23. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the edges are saw-tooth shaped.

24. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the edges are step-shaped.

25. The method claimed in claim 24, wherein the steps are inter-digitated periodically by more than one step.

26. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein each tile comprises a substrate, the array of pixels being formed on the substrate, and one or more edges of the substrate define the non-linear edge.

27. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein each tile comprises a substrate, the array of pixels being formed on the substrate, and an image expanding fiber optic face plate having at least one fiber per pixel;

and one or more edges of the fiber optic face plate define the non-linear edge.

28. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the tiles are rectangular and arranged in aligned rows and columns.

29. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the tiles are rectangular and are arranged in an offset rows and columns.

30. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the tiles are rectangular and are arranged in slanted rows and columns.