Diffuser for light from light source array and displays incorporating same
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A display, comprising:
- an LCD panel;
a plurality of light sources spaced apart along a planar optical structure;
a reflector in between the point light sources, the point light sources and reflector configured to illuminate the LCD panel by way of the planar optical structure;
driving circuits configured to control the point light sources to emit light;
the driving circuits being configured to receive image data specifying an image and to drive the light sources to illuminate the LCD panel with a low-resolution version of the image to be displayed;
wherein;
the plurality of light sources are configured such that light from the light sources is mixed together in the planar optical structure to form a pattern of light that varies smoothly to provide the low-resolution version of the image on the LCD panel;
the LCD panel is configured to modulate the smoothly varying low resolution version of the image to provide a higher resolution rendering of the image for viewing by observers;
the planar optical structure comprising a light diffuser configured to diffuse light which passes into the structure from the point light sources, the light diffuser comprising a plurality of layers of a thin weakly light-scattering sheet material, the diffuser providing anisotropic scattering of light rays wherein light rays in the planar optical structure directed parallel to a direction from the point light sources into the planar optical structure normal to a surface of the planar optical structure are scattered more strongly than light rays in the planar optical structure travelling in other directions.
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Abstract
An optical structure placeable between a backlight array of point light sources and a planar display. The structure distributes light emitted by the point light sources to uniformly illuminate the plane of the display, without introducing significant viewing parallax. The emitted light is partially collimated within a preferred angular viewing range, maximizing the display'"'"'s luminance when viewed from the normal direction. The structure is highly reflective, such that a substantial portion of any non-emitted light rays are internally reflected by the structure, increasing the likelihood that those rays will be subsequently emitted by the structure.
18 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A display, comprising:
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an LCD panel; a plurality of light sources spaced apart along a planar optical structure; a reflector in between the point light sources, the point light sources and reflector configured to illuminate the LCD panel by way of the planar optical structure; driving circuits configured to control the point light sources to emit light; the driving circuits being configured to receive image data specifying an image and to drive the light sources to illuminate the LCD panel with a low-resolution version of the image to be displayed; wherein; the plurality of light sources are configured such that light from the light sources is mixed together in the planar optical structure to form a pattern of light that varies smoothly to provide the low-resolution version of the image on the LCD panel; the LCD panel is configured to modulate the smoothly varying low resolution version of the image to provide a higher resolution rendering of the image for viewing by observers; the planar optical structure comprising a light diffuser configured to diffuse light which passes into the structure from the point light sources, the light diffuser comprising a plurality of layers of a thin weakly light-scattering sheet material, the diffuser providing anisotropic scattering of light rays wherein light rays in the planar optical structure directed parallel to a direction from the point light sources into the planar optical structure normal to a surface of the planar optical structure are scattered more strongly than light rays in the planar optical structure travelling in other directions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification