Sparkle display

• US 9,355,590 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2014
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: JB IP Acquisitions LLC
• Original Assignee: AliphCom, Inc. (AliphCom Corp.)
• Inventors: Lee, Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Sharifi-Tafreshi, Koosha
• Application Number:
  US14/183,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20150235593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.3, 345/76
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133391 Constructional arrangement for sub-divided displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133504 Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/44 Arrangements combining different electro-active layers, e.g. electrochromic, liquid crystal or electroluminescent layers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• 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 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]

Abstract

A hybrid display system for a device includes a high resolution display and a low resolution display that are positioned relative to each other to display an image having mixed resolution. A single high resolution display having a size of 1.5 cm by 10 cm and a first cost may be replaced by a hybrid display having the same overall size but using a smaller size (e.g., 1.5 cm by 4 cm) and lower cost for the high resolution display. To achieve the remaining 6 cm in display size, the low resolution display may have a size of approximately 1.5 cm by 6 cm and a lower cost than either of the high resolution displays, such that a combined cost of the high and low resolution displays in the hybrid display makes the second cost lower than the first cost. The high and low resolution displays may use different display technologies to achieve cost and size tradeoffs.

Claims

1. A hybrid display system, comprising:

a first array of light emitting pixels spaced apart from one another by a first pitch;

a second array of light emitting pixels spaced apart from one another by a second pitch;

a third array of light emitting pixels spaced apart from one another by a third pitch, the second and third arrays are positioned adjacent to opposite sides of the first array,

the first pitch is smaller than the second and third pitches and the first array includes a first pixel density that is higher than a pixel density of the second and third arrays, the light emitting pixels of the first, second and third arrays have pixels sizes that are approximately equal;

an optical stack including

a diffuser positioned above the first, second and third arrays and having a uniform thickness profile across the first array and a variable thickness profile across the second and third arrays, the variable thickness profile having a material operative to attenuate light emitted by the light emitting pixels of the second and third arrays; and

display driver circuitry electrically coupled with the first, second and third arrays and operative to receive control and image data signals for generating an image from light emitted by the light emitting pixels.

2. The hybrid display system of claim 1, wherein the optical stack further includes an attenuator positioned between the diffuser and the first, second and third arrays, the attenuator including a material operative to attenuate light emitted by the light emitting pixels in one or more of the first array, the second array or the third array.

3. The hybrid display system of claim 1, wherein the optical stack further includes a thin optic positioned above the diffuser and including at least one optical structure selected from the group consisting of a Fresnel lens, a lens array, a plurality of lenses, a grating, a diffraction optic, a diffraction grating, and an optical grating.

4. The hybrid display system of claim 3, wherein the optical structure is positioned only over the second array, the third array or both.

5. The hybrid display system of claim 1, wherein one or more surfaces of the diffuser includes an optical structure operative to optically modify light emitted by the light emitting pixels of one or more of the first array, the second array or third array.

6. The hybrid display system of claim 1, wherein the light emitting pixels of the first array comprise organic light emitting diodes (OLED).

7. The hybrid display system of claim 1, wherein the light emitting pixels of the second and third arrays comprise discrete light emitting diodes (LED).

8. The hybrid display system of claim 1, wherein the first array is formed on an inflexible substrate and the second array and third array are formed on different flexible substrates.

9. The hybrid display system of claim 1, wherein the optical stack further includes a scrim positioned above the diffuser.

10. A wearable device including a hybrid-density-hybrid-resolution display,

comprising:

a chassis operative to be removeably worn on a body of a user and including an optically transparent portion for viewing an image;

a hybrid display positioned in facing relation to the optically transparent portion and operative to display the image, the hybrid display including

a high-resolution display having a first pixel density and light emitting pixels spaced apart by a first pitch,

a low-resolution display positioned adjacent to a side of the high-resolution display and having a second pixel density and light emitting pixels spaced apart by a second pitch, the second pitch is greater than the first pitch and the second pixel density is lower than the first pixel density, wherein the light emitting pixels of the low-resolution and high-resolution displays have pixels sizes that are approximately equal; and

an optical stack including a diffuser positioned above the low-resolution and high-resolution displays and having a uniform thickness profile across the high-resolution display and a variable thickness profile across the low-resolution display, the optical stack having a scrim positioned above the diffuser.

11. The wearable device of claim 10, wherein the optical stack further includes a thin optic positioned above the diffuser and including at least one optical structure selected from the group consisting of a Fresnel lens, a lens array, a plurality of lenses, a grating, a diffraction optic, a diffraction grating, and an optical grating.

12. The wearable device of claim 10, wherein the optical stack further includes an attenuator positioned between the diffuser and the low-resolution and high-resolution displays, the attenuator including a material operative to attenuate light emitted by the light emitting pixels in the low-resolution display, the high-resolution display or both.

13. The wearable device of claim 10, wherein the variable thickness profile includes a material operative to attenuate light emitted by the light emitting pixels of the low-resolution display, the high-resolution display or both.

14. The wearable device of claim 10, wherein one or more surfaces of the diffuser includes an optical structure operative to optically modify light emitted by the light emitting pixels of the low-resolution display, the high-resolution display or both.

15. The wearable device of claim 10, wherein the light emitting pixels of the high-resolution display comprise organic light emitting diodes (OLED) and the light emitting pixels of the low-resolution display comprise a non-OLED type of light emitting device.

16. The wearable device of claim 10, wherein the high-resolution display is formed on an inflexible substrate and the low-resolution display is formed on a flexible substrate.