Multi-color liquid crystal display

• US 7,495,722 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Genoa Color Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Eliav, Dan, Malka, Doron, Ben-Chorin, Moshe, Roth, Shmuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Thanh-Nhan P
• Application Number:
  US11/882,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20080030660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 349/106, 349/108
• US Class Current: 349/106
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136286 Wiring, e.g. gate line, drain line
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/52 RGB geometrical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0452 Details of colour pixel setup, e.g. pixel composed of a red, a blue and two green components
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0465 Improved aperture ratio, e.g. by size reduction of the pixel circuit, e.g. for improving the pixel density or the maximum displayable luminance or brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0457 Improvement of perceived resolution by subpixel rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3607 for displaying colours or for displaying grey scales with a specific pixel layout, e.g. using sub-pixels display of colours in flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; grey scales specific for television H04N3/127
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers

Abstract

A display and methods of driving the display, where the display includes a plurality of pixels, where some colors are present in every pixel, and some colors are only present in less than all of the pixels.

Claims

1. A display comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel including at least one constant-color sub-pixel having a color present in all adjacent pixels, and at least one alternating-color sub-pixel having a color not present in at least one adjacent pixel, wherein the number of non-white colors of said constant-color and alternating-color sub-pixels in the display is greater than three, wherein at least some pixels have a yellow alternating-color sub-pixel.

2. The display of claim 1, wherein at least some pixels have a cyan alternating-color sub-pixel.

3. The display of claim 2, wherein said yellow sub-pixel in a first pixel is adjacent to a cyan sub-pixel of a pixel adjacent to said first pixel.

4. The display of claim 1, wherein at least some pixels have a white alternating-color sub-pixel.

5. The display of claim 1, wherein said pixels have a red constant-color sub-pixel.

6. The display of claim 5, wherein said pixels have a green constant-color sub-pixel.

7. The display of claim 6, wherein said pixels have a blue constant-color sub-pixel.

8. The display of claim 7, wherein in any pixel, red and green sub-pixels are adjacent to each other and blue and green sub-pixels are adjacent to each other.

9. The display of claim 1, wherein each pixel comprises exactly four sub-pixels.

10. The display of claim 1, wherein each pixel comprises exactly five sub-pixels.

11. The display of claim 1, wherein each pixel comprises exactly six sub-pixels.

12. The display of claim 1, wherein sub-pixels in each pixel are positioned in a single horizontal row.

13. The display of claim 12, wherein each sub-pixel is vertically adjacent to at least one sub-pixel of the same color.

14. The display of claim 12, wherein the sub-pixels in each row are horizontally shifted with respect to correspondingly-colored sub-pixels in a vertically adjacent row.

15. The display of claim 1, wherein the sub-pixels in each pixel are positioned in two vertically adjacent horizontal rows.

16. The display of claim 15, wherein each pixel consists of four sub-pixels.

17. The display of claim 16, wherein red, green and blue sub-pixels are located in the same respective positions in each horizontally adjacent pixel.

18. The display of claim 17, wherein red and green sub-pixels of each pixel are adjacent to each other and blue and green sub-pixels of each pixel are adjacent to each other.

19. The display of claim 15, wherein the sub-pixels in each pair of rows are horizontally shifted with respect to corresponding sub-pixels in a vertically adjacent pair of rows.

20. The display of claim 19, wherein red and green sub-pixels of each pixel are adjacent to each other and blue and green sub-pixels of each pixel are adjacent to each other.

21. In a display comprising a plurality of pixels, each comprising a plurality of sub-pixels, wherein constant-color sub-pixels are included in each pixel, and alternating-color sub-pixels are only included in less than all pixels of the display, wherein the number n of non-white colors of said constant-color and alternating-color sub-pixels is greater than three, a method of enhancing a displayed image with respect to an alternating color comprising:

obtaining a plurality of input pixel data points corresponding to a plurality of display locations at each display pixel;

converting said plurality of input pixel data for each pixel into n-color data; and

displaying on at least one constant-color sub-pixel at each pixel an intensity value corresponding to the constant-color intensity value of said converted pixel data modified based on an intensity value of said converted pixel data corresponding to an alternating-color not present in said pixel.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

displaying on a second constant-color sub-pixel at each pixel an intensity value corresponding to the second constant-color intensity value of said converted pixel data modified based on an intensity value of said converted pixel data corresponding to the alternating-color not present in said pixel.