Display control system for micromirror device

• US 7,880,736 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2007
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation, Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation, Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha
• Inventors: Endo, Taro, Nishino, Hirokazu, Maeda, Yoshihiro, Arai, Kazuma, Ishii, Fusao
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu; Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Steinberg; Jeffrey S
• Application Number:
  US11/827,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20080024483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 345/108, 345/204, 345/84
• US Class Current: 345/214
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/06 Details of flat display driving waveforms
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0261 in the context of movement of objects on the screen or movement of the observer relative to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2018 by time modulation using two or more time intervals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2037 with specific control of sub-frames corresponding to the least significant bits
• 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 3/346 based on modulation of the reflection angle, e.g. micromirrors micromirrors devices per se G02B26/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/312 Driving therefor driving of electronic spatial light modulators in displays other than projection devices G09G3/34, G09G3/36; control of liquid crystal elements G02F1/133; control of micromechanical modulators G02B26/08

Abstract

This invention provides a display control system that includes: a) a micromirror array comprising a plurality of mirrors; b) a first control function for controlling the mirrors in a first state; c) a second control function for controlling the mirrors in a second state; d) and a switchover controller for switching from the first state to second state, or from the second state to first state, wherein the switchover controller switches the state of at least two mirrors simultaneously at a same predetermined point within a frame period.

Claims

1. A display system comprising:

a) a micromirror array comprising a plurality of mirrors;

b) a control function for controlling the mirrors to operated in a first modulation control state by driving the mirrors a first driving scheme and a second modulation control state by driving the mirrors by applying a second driving scheme to move the mirror with a different movement characteristic than the first driving scheme; and

c) a switchover controller for controlling a switch from the first modulation control state by driving the mirrors with the first driving scheme to second modulation control state by driving the mirrors in the second driving scheme, or from the modulation control second state by driving the mirrors in the second driving scheme to the first modulation control state by driving the mirrors in the first driving scheme;

wherein the switchover controller switches the state of mirrors at a predetermined point within a frame period.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein:

the switchover controller switches the state of at least two of the mirrors about simultaneously at a predetermined time within a frame period.

3. The display system of claim 1, wherein:

the second modulation control state comprises an operation state for driving said mirrors with the second driving scheme including an oscillating state to project an intermediate image light intensity between a maximum image light intensity projected from the mirrors in the ON state and a minimum image light intensity projected from the mirrors in the OFF state.

4. The display system of claim 1, wherein:

the mirrors are controlled by said switch controller to switch from the first modulation control state to the second modulation control state sequentially at a time when said mirrors are not operated in the OFF state during switch controller switch from said first modulation control state to said second modulation control state.

5. The display system of claim 1, wherein:

said control function controls the mirrors to operate at an OFF state between the first modulation control state and said second modulation control state.

6. The display system of claim 1, wherein:

said control function controls the mirrors to operate in the first modulation control state at a beginning of a frame and to operate in the second modulation control state at the end of the frame.

7. The display system of claim 1, wherein:

said control function receiving digital data for controlling said modulation control states wherein the display control system converts at least one of the digit data is into a non-binary data and applying the non-binary data to control the modulation control states.

8. The display system of claim 1, wherein:

the switchover controller switching the modulation control state of at least two of the mirrors from one of the modulation control states to a different modulation control state at prescheduled times in a frame.

9. The display system of claim 1 wherein:

the control function receiving incoming signal digital data each comprising (m+n)-bit binary data and said control function further dividing said (m+n) binary bits into upper m bits and lower n bits where m and n representing a first and a second positive integers respectively.

10. The display system of claim 9 wherein:

the control function applies the upper m bits to control said mirrors to operate in the first modulation control state and the control function applies the lower n bits to control said mirrors to operate in the second modulation control state.

11. The display system of claim 9 wherein:

the control function further adjusts a ratio of said m to said n.

12. The display system of claim 9 wherein:

the control function further divides and arranges said digital data between the upper m bits and the lower n bits.

13. A display system comprising:

a) a micromirror array comprising a plurality of mirrors;

b) a control function for controlling the mirrors to operate in a first modulation control state, a second modulation control state, and a third modulation control state by a applying a first, a second and a third driving schemes each comprising a predefined time duration to operate the mirrors in an ON/OFF state, a first oscillation state and a second oscillation state; and

c) a switchover controller for controlling a switch from one of the first, second or third control modulation states to a different control modulation state to drive the mirrors with a different driving scheme;

wherein the switchover controller switches the modulation control state of mirrors at a predetermined time according to the predefined time duration within a frame period.

14. A display system, comprising:

a) a mirror array having a plurality of mirrors;

b) a control function for controlling the mirrors in a first modulation control state by applying a first driving scheme and a second modulation control state by applying a second driving scheme to move the mirror with a different movement characteristic than the first driving scheme;

c) a switchover controller for controlling switching from one of said first and second modulation control states to a different modulation control state; and

d) a computing processor for determining a timing to switch between the modulation control states based on a time variation of an image brightness determined by the computing processor by processing incoming data.

15. The display system of claim 14, wherein:

the switch controller further controlling said switchover between said first and second modulation control states for switching said modulation control states within a display frame for at least two of said mirrors each displaying a pixel of an image display for reducing an OFF time as determined by said computing processor.

16. The display system of claim 14, wherein:

the switch controller further controlling said switchover between said first and second modulation control states for switching said modulation control states within a display frame for at least two of said mirrors each displaying a pixel of an image display for reducing an ON time as determined by said computing processor.