Portable microdisplay system

• US 7,242,383 B2
• Filed: 05/10/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kopin Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kopin Corporation
• Inventors: Tsaur, Bor-Yeu, Richard, Alan, Gale, Ronald P., LO, JASON, Zavracky, Matthew, Pombo, Stephen A., Jacobsen, Jeffrey, Bumgardner, Rodney, Herrmann, Frederick P., Chern, Wen-Foo, Ong, Hiap L., Fan, John C. C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US09/309,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20020158823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,983 Days
• Field of Search: 345/102, 345/101, 345/87, 345/88, 345/89, 345/98, 345/100, 345/99
• US Class Current: 345/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0235 Field-sequential colour display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/024 Scrolling of light from the illumination source over the display in combination with the scanning of the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/08 Details of timing specific for flat panels, other than clock recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/041 Temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0633 by amplitude modulation of the brightness of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/064 by time modulation of the brightness of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3413 Details of control of colour illumination sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3659 the addressing of the pixel involving the control of two or more scan electrodes or two or more data electrodes, e.g. pixel voltage dependant on signal of two data electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/30 using solid-state colour display devices

Abstract

An active matrix color crystal display has an active matrix circuit, a counterelectrode panel and an interposed layer of liquid crystal. The active matrix display is located in a portable microdisplay system that has a display computer that generates images to be displayed on the liquid crystal display and connected to the active matrix liquid crystal display. A data link transmits data at a rate of speed of greater than 200 Mbytes per second in series for at least a portion between the display computer and the active matrix liquid crystal display. In a preferred embodiment, the display system has a randomizing device that alternates the amplifier through which an analog video signal passes.

Claims

1. A method of writing an image comprising:

setting a voltage to each of at least 75,000 pixel electrodes of an active matrix liquid crystal display with an active area of less than 20 mm²;

allowing a layer of liquid crystal positioned between the at least 75,000 pixel electrodes and a counterelectrode panel of the active matrix liquid crystal display to rotate towards an equilibrium, thereby writing each color subframe of the image;

flashing a backlight;

initializing each of the pixel electrodes to a set voltage;

sensing the temperature of the liquid crystal;

heating the liquid crystal between the color subframes; and

repeating the setting, rotating, flashing and initializing for each color subframe of the image, thereby writing the image.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating the setting, rotating, flashing and initializing for each color subframe of the image at a rate of over 165 subframes per second.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each flash of the backlight ends before writing the next color subframe.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each flash of the backlight continues for a specific time period while writing the next color subframe.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each flash of the backlight ends at a set time after the pixel electrodes are initialized to the set voltage.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each flash of the backlight commences prior to initializing the pixel electrodes to the set voltage.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each pixel electrode has a width of less than about 15 microns.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each pixel electrode has a width of less than about 8 microns.

9. A method of writing an image comprising:

setting a voltage to each of at least 75,000 pixel electrodes of an active matrix liquid crystal display with an active area of less than 20 mm²;

allowing a layer of liquid crystal positioned between the at least 75,000 pixel electrodes and a counterelectrode panel of the active matrix liquid crystal display to rotate towards an equilibrium, thereby writing each color subframe of the image;

flashing a backlight;

initializing each of the pixel electrodes to a set voltage;

sensing the temperature of the liquid crystal;

heating the liquid crystal between the color subframes; and

repeating the setting, rotating, flashing and initializing for each color subframe of the image at a rate of over 165 subframes per second, thereby writing the image.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

operating, at least at 15 MHz, a memory card reader located within a portable housing for displaying video on the display from a memory card that docks with the card reader, the liquid crystal display mounted within the portable housing.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein each flash of the backlight ends before writing the next color subframe.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein each flash of the backlight continues for a specific time period while writing the next color subframe.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein each flash of the backlight ends at a set time after the pixel electrodes are initialized to the set voltage.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein each flash of the backlight commences prior to initializing the pixel electrodes to the set voltage.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein each pixel electrode has a width of less than about 15 microns.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each pixel electrode has a width of less than about 8 microns.