Extended display device

• US 7,551,148 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Maatta, Esa
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Snyder; Adam J
• Application Number:
  US11/031,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20060145942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,629 Days
• Field of Search: 345 11- 5, 345/9, 345/32, 345/108, 359/619
• US Class Current: 345/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/04 having collapsible parts
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/045 Prism arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units

Abstract

A large undivided image may be displayed by combining primary images displayed by two or more display units. Due to inactive edge regions of the display units, there is a gap between the primary images. To eliminate the gap, the paths of light rays transmitted from the display units are shifted and/or bent to form secondary images based on said primary images. Paths of light rays transmitted from a single display unit are shifted and/or bent substantially in only one direction. Consequently, the secondary images are shifted with respect to said primary images such that a gap between said secondary images is substantially eliminated. Advantageously, the secondary images are formed using an element comprising a plurality of linear and parallel prisms which have equal prism angles.

Claims

1. A display device for displaying an image, comprising at least:

a first display unit of a first width having a first active region to display a first primary image,

a second display unit of a second width having a second active region to display a second primary image, said second active region and first active region being adjacent to each other but having a gap between them, and

an image merging element adapted to form a first secondary image based on said first primary image and a second secondary image based on said second primary image,

wherein said image merging element comprises at least a first image shifting element of a third width adapted to shift and/or bend paths of light rays originating from said first primary image substantially in a first direction only in order to change a visual distance between said first secondary image and said second secondary image wherein said image merging element further comprises a second image shifting element of a fourth width adapted to shift paths of light rays originating from said second primary image substantially in a second direction only in order to change the visual distance between said first secondary image and said second secondary image, said second direction being substantially opposite to said first direction wherein a sum of the first width and the second width is greater than a sum of the third width and the fourth width so as to make the image merging element foldable between the first display unit and the second display unit in moving to a closed state from a viewing state in which the image merging element, the first display unit and the second display unit are arranged in a triangular configuration, wherein the triangular configuration comprising a first side is the first display unit, a second side is the second display unit, and a third side is the image merging element.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein an area of the first image shifting element is at least 51% of an entire area of the first active region, and an area of the second image shifting element is at least 51% of an entire area of the second active region.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein local optical magnification provided by said first image shifting element is substantially constant over the area of said first image shifting element.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a degree of shifting, bending, or both, caused by the image shifting element is substantially constant over the area of said first image shifting element.

5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said first image shifting element is implemented using a plurality of substantially linear and parallel prisms.

6. The display device according to claim 5, wherein said first image shifting element is a microprism sheet.

7. The display device according to claim 5, wherein prism angles of said prisms are substantially equal.

8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said image merging element is flexible.

9. The display device according to claim 8, wherein said image merging element is adapted to be held in planar form by a tensioning force.

10. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said device is a foldable device.

11. The display device according to claim 10, wherein an angular intensity distribution of light transmitted by said first display unit is optimized according to a predetermined viewing direction.

12. The display device according to claim 10, wherein an angular intensity distribution of light transmitted by said first display unit is adapted to be adjusted according to an angle between said first display unit and said second display unit.

13. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a distance between said first primary image and said second primary image is adjustable.

14. The display device according to claim 1, wherein an angle between said first display unit and said second display unit is substantially smaller than one hundred and eighty degrees.

15. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said device further comprises a third display unit comprising a third active region to display a third primary image.

16. A mobile device comprising a display device for displaying an image, said display device in turn comprising at least:

a first display unit of a first width having a first active region to display a first primary image,

a second display unit of a second width having a second active region to display a second primary image, said second active region and first active region being adjacent to each other but having a gap between them, and

an image merging element adapted to form a first secondary image based on said first primary image and a second secondary image based on said second primary image,

wherein said image merging element comprises at least

a first image shifting element adapted to shift, or to bend, or to both shift and bend paths of light rays originating from said first primary image substantially in a first direction only in order to change a visual distance between said first secondary image and said second secondary image, and

a second image shifting element of a fourth width adapted to shift, or to bend, or to both shift and bend paths of light rays originating from said second primary image substantially in a second direction only in order to change a visual distance between said first secondary image and said second secondary image, said second direction being substantially opposite to said first direction wherein said image merging element further comprises a second image shifting element of a fourth width adapted to shift paths of light rays originating from said second primary image substantially in a second direction only in order to change the visual distance between said first secondary image and said second secondary image, said second direction being substantially opposite to said first direction wherein a sum of the first width and the second width is greater than a sum of the third width and the fourth width so as to make the image merging element foldable between the first display unit and the second display unit in moving to a closed state from a viewing state in which the image merging element, the first display unit and the second display unit are arranged in a triangular configuration, wherein the triangular configuration comprising a first side is the first display unit, a second side is the second display unit, and a third side is the image merging element.

17. The mobile device according to claim 16, wherein said first image shifting element and said second image shifting element are implemented using a plurality of substantially linear and parallel prisms, the prism angles of said prisms being substantially equal.

18. The mobile device according to claim 16, wherein said device is a foldable device.

19. The mobile device according to claim 18, wherein an angular intensity distribution of light transmitted by said first display unit is adjustable according to an adjustable angle between said first display unit and said second display unit.

20. The mobile device according to claim 16, wherein a distance between said first primary image and said second primary image is adjustable.

21. The mobile device according to claim 16, wherein an angle between said first display unit and said second display unit is substantially smaller than one hundred and eighty degrees.

22. A method to display an image, said method comprising:

transmitting light rays from a first active region of a first display unit of a first width to display a first primary image,

transmitting light rays from a second active region of a second display unit of a second width to display a second primary image, said second active region and first active region being adjacent to each other but having a gap between them,

using an image merging element to form a first secondary image based on said first primary image and a second secondary image based on said second primary image, said image merging element comprising at least a first image merging element of a third width, and

shifting, or bending, or both shifting and bending paths of the light rays originating from said first primary image substantially in only a first direction by said first image shifting element in order to change a visual distance between said first secondary image and said second secondary image further comprising shifting or bending, or both shifting and bending paths of the light rays originating from said second primary image substantially in only a second direction by a second image shifting element of a fourth width in order to change a visual distance between said first secondary image and said second secondary image, said second direction being substantially opposite to said first direction wherein said image merging element further comprises a second image shifting element of a fourth width adapted to shift paths of light rays originating from said second primary image substantially in a second direction only in order to change the visual distance between said first secondary image and said second secondary image, said second direction being substantially opposite to said first direction wherein a sum of the first width and the second width is greater than a sum of the third width and the fourth width so as to make the image merging element foldable between the first display unit and the second display unit in moving to a closed state from a viewing state in which the image merging element, the first display unit and the second display unit are arranged in a triangular configuration, wherein the triangular configuration comprising a first side is the first display unit, a second side is the second display unit, and a third side is the image merging element.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein substantially all light rays constituting the first secondary image are shifted, bent, or both substantially to a same extent.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein said first image shifting element is implemented using a plurality of substantially linear and parallel prisms.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein prism angles of said prisms are substantially equal.

26. The method according to claim 22, wherein said image merging element is flexible and is held in planar form by tension.

27. The method according to claim 22, further comprising selecting an angular intensity transmitted by said first display unit to optimize an apparent brightness of said first secondary image in a predetermined viewing direction.

28. The method according to claim 22, further comprising adjusting an angular intensity distribution of light transmitted by said first display unit according to an angle between said first display unit and said second display unit.

29. The method according to claim 22, further comprising adjusting a distance between said first primary image and said second primary image.