Enhancing a field sequential color palette in an optical display

• US 7,522,354 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2007
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rambus Delaware
• Original Assignee: Uni-Pixel Displays Incorporated (Uni-Pixel Incorporated)
• Inventors: Van Ostrand, Daniel K., Selbrede, Martin G., Essman, Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz; Jordan M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, JAMES
• Application Number:
  US11/671,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 359/790
• US Class Current: 359/790
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/02 for controlling the intensity of light G02B26/004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0235 Field-sequential colour display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0633 by amplitude modulation of the brightness of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/142 the light being detected by light detection means within each pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/148 the light being detected by light detection means within each pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2018 by time modulation using two or more time intervals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2025 the sub-frames having all the same time duration
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2081 with combination of amplitude modulation and time modulation space and time error diffusion G09G3/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3413 Details of control of colour illumination sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3433 using light modulating elements actuated by an electric field and being other than liquid crystal devices and electrochromic devices using liquid crystal devices G09G3/36; using electrochromic devices G09G3/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/315 Modulator illumination systems general applications of lighting devices F21V; general optical systems G02B; lamp houses for projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/20

Abstract

A circuit for implementing a registration-free, contiguous conductive plane. A circuit may include a plurality of conductive structures in a first plane. The circuit may further include a contiguous conductive equipotential surface in a second plane parallel to the first plane. The circuit may further include activation means configured to adjust an electric field between the first and second planes thereby activating one or more structures in the first plane by increasing a potential difference between the first and second planes to a threshold level deemed to constitute an active state. The circuit may further include deactivation means configured to adjust the electric field between the first and second planes thereby deactivating one or more structures in the first plane by decreasing the potential difference between the first and second planes below a threshold level deemed to constitute a deactivated state.

Claims

1. A display comprising:

a plurality of pixels on said display; and

a plurality of drive lamps for providing light to said plurality of pixels, wherein said plurality of drive lamps are driven to cause each of said plurality of pixels to generate a color palette, wherein said plurality of drive lamps are driven such that each primary color subcycle is divided into a plurality of subdivisions, wherein a first non-zero intensity of any one or more of said plurality of drive lamps is adjusted to a second non-zero intensity during certain contiguous determinate subdivisions of each primary color subcycle.

2. The display as recited in claim 1, wherein one or more of said pixels is turned on and off only once during each primary color subcycle.

3. The display as recited in claim 1, wherein one or more of said pixels is turned on and off more than once during each primary color subcycle.

4. The display as recited in claim 1, wherein off-duty drive lamps are rotated such that an overall duty cycle is balanced between all of said plurality of drive lamps.

5. The display as recited in claim 1, wherein one or more additional bits of information is added to each primary color subcycle as a result of adjusting said intensity of said plurality of drive lamps.

6. The display as recited in claim 5, wherein said intensity of said plurality of drive lamps is adjusted by modulating an energy provided to illuminate said plurality of drive lamps.

7. The display as recited in claim 5, wherein said intensity of said plurality of drive lamps is adjusted by controlling how many of said plurality of drive lamps are activated.

8. The display as recited in claim 5, wherein said intensity of said plurality of drive lamps is adjusted by modulating an energy provided to illuminate said plurality of drive lamps and controlling how many of said plurality of drive lamps are activated.

9. The display as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of subdivisions of each primary color subcycle comprise two or more subdivisions, wherein the first non-zero intensity lasts for a duration of one subdivision and the second non-zero intensity lasts for a duration of remaining subdivisions within the primary color subcycle, and wherein the first non-zero intensity has an intensity value one-half that of the second non-zero intensity.

10. A display comprising:

a plurality of pixels on said display; and

a plurality of drive lamps for providing light to said plurality of pixels, wherein said plurality of drive lamps are driven to cause each of said plurality of pixels to generate a color palette, wherein said plurality of drive lamps are driven such that each primary color subcycle is divided into a plurality of subdivisions, wherein a first non-zero intensity of any one or more of said plurality of drive lamps is adjusted to a second non-zero intensity during certain contiguous determinate subdivisions of each primary color subcycle, wherein the plurality of subdivisions of each primary color subcycle comprise four or more subdivisions, wherein the first non-zero intensity lasts for a duration of three subdivisions and the second non-zero intensity lasts for a duration of remaining subdivisions within the primary color subcycle, and wherein the first non-zero intensity has an intensity value one-fourth that of the second non-zero intensity.

11. A display comprising:

a plurality of pixels on said display; and

plurality of drive lamps for providing light to said plurality of pixels, wherein said plurality of drive lamps are driven to cause each of said plurality of pixels to generate a color palette, wherein said plurality of drive lamps are driven such that each primary color subcycle is divided into a plurality of subdivisions, wherein a first non-zero intensity of any one or more of said plurality of drive lamps is adjusted to a second non-zero intensity during certain contiguous determinate subdivisions of each primary color subcycle, wherein the plurality of subdivisions of each primary color subcycle comprise eight or more subdivisions, wherein the first non-zero intensity lasts for a duration of seven subdivisions and the second non-zero intensity lasts for a duration of remaining subdivisions within the primary color subcycle, and wherein the first non-zero intensity has an intensity value one-eighth that of the second non-zero intensity.

12. A display comprising:

a homogenous planar waveguide;

a first drive lamp means selectively emitting first light of a first wavelength into the homogenous planar waveguide;

circuitry for causing the first light to escape the homogenous planar waveguide at selected pixel areas through a process of frustrated total internal reflection; and

circuitry for modulating the selectively emitted first light from the first drive lamp means for the duration of a plurality of subdivisions such that the first light intensity adjusts from a first non-zero intensity during a first time period to a second non-zero intensity during a second time period, wherein the first time period and the second time period are contiguous to each other.

13. The display as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of subdivisions of the emitted first light comprise two or more subdivisions, wherein the first non-zero intensity lasts for a duration of one subdivision and the second non-zero intensity lasts for a duration of remaining subdivisions within the primary color subcycle, and wherein the first non-zero intensity has an intensity value one-half that of the second non-zero intensity.

14. The display as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of subdivisions of the emitted first light comprise four or more subdivisions, wherein the first non-zero intensity lasts for a duration of three subdivisions and the second non-zero intensity lasts for a duration of remaining subdivisions within the primary color subcycle, and wherein the first non-zero intensity has an intensity value one-fourth that of the second non-zero intensity.

15. The display as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of subdivisions of the emitted first light comprise eight or more subdivisions, wherein the first non-zero intensity lasts for a duration of seven subdivisions and the second non-zero intensity lasts for a duration of remaining subdivisions within the primary color subcycle, and wherein the first non-zero intensity has an intensity value of one-eighth that of the second non-zero intensity.

16. The display as recited in claim 12, wherein the first drive lamp means comprises a plurality of lamps, and the circuitry modulates the first light from a first non-zero intensity to a second non-zero intensity by modulating an energy provided to illuminate the plurality of lamps.

17. The display as recited in claim 12, wherein the first drive lamp comprises a plurality of lamps, and the modulating circuitry modulates the first light from the first non-zero intensity to the second non-zero intensity by controlling how many of the plurality of drive lamps are activated.

18. The display as recited in claim 12, wherein the causing circuitry further comprises:

conductive pixel pads corresponding to the selected pixel areas;

a deformable conductive plane positioned a distance from the conductive pixel pads; and

circuitry for applying an electrical potential between the deformable conductive plane and the conductive pixel pads corresponding to the selected pixel areas.

19. The display as recited in claim 12, wherein the first non-zero intensity is lower than the second non-zero intensity.

20. The display as recited in claim 12, wherein the first and second time periods are not equal to each other in length of time.

21. The display as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

a second drive lamp means selectively emitting second light of a second wavelength into the homogeneous planar waveguide, the first wavelength different from the second wavelength; and

circuitry fix modulating the selectively emitted second light from the second drive lamp from a third non-zero intensity during a third time period to a fourth non-zero intensity during a fourth time period, wherein the third time period and the fourth time period are contiguous to each other, wherein the third non-zero intensity is not equal to the fourth non-zero intensity.

22. The display as recited in claim 21, wherein the contiguous time periods occur during a subcycle when the first drive lamp means is activated to emit the first light, and the second drive means is not activated to emit the second light.

23. The display as recited in claim 12, wherein the first non-zero intensity is not equal to the second non-zero intensity.