Night vision compatible display

• US 9,390,650 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2014
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3 Technologies, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tripathi, Sanjay
• Primary Examiner(s): SHENG, TOM V
• Application Number:
  US14/469,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20150062196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0452 Details of colour pixel setup, e.g. pixel composed of a red, a blue and two green components
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]

Abstract

An aspect of the disclosure relates to an OLED display compatible for operation in both a day mode and a night mode and methods of operating such a display. In one embodiment, a display comprises a screen, a plurality of sub-pixels including red, green, blue and red-orange pixels. The display also comprises an arrangement scheme for the sub-pixels.

Claims

1. An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, comprising:

a screen including a matrix of pixels, each pixel being comprised of a plurality of sub-pixels;

wherein the plurality of sub-pixels, include at least a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel, a blue sub-pixel, and a night vision sub-pixel, wherein at least one of the four sub-pixels is inactive at any given time, and wherein the red sub-pixel is inactive in a night mode; and

wherein the night-vision sub-pixel is configured to have no significant emission in the infrared range.

2. The display of claim 1, wherein the night-vision sub-pixel has a red-orange color.

3. The display of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sub-pixels are arranged linearly in a 1×

4 row, and wherein the arrangement scheme comprises the 1×

4 row repeating vertically and horizontally across the screen.

4. The display of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sub-pixels are arranged in a 2×

2 block, and wherein the arrangement scheme comprises the 2×

2 block repeating vertically and horizontally across the screen.

5. The display of claim 1, wherein the display is an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display.

6. The display of claim 1, wherein the night vision sub-pixel is inactive in a day mode.

7. A method for converting an OLED display between modes, the method comprising:

detecting a first ambient light level;

entering a first mode, based at least in part on the detected first ambient light level;

detecting a second ambient light level; and

transitioning from the first mode to a second mode based on the detected second ambient light level, wherein transitioning comprises turning off at least a first sub-pixel color and turning on at least a second sub-pixel color.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the display further comprises a sensor and wherein detecting comprises detecting with the sensor.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein detecting comprises receiving a user input instructing the display to detect an ambient light level.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting comprises receiving a user input indicating an ambient light level as either the first ambient light level or the second ambient light level.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the first sub-pixel color and the second sub-pixel color are red and red-orange respectively.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the first mode and the second mode are a day mode and a night mode.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, during the day mode, a red sub-pixel is active and a night-vision sub-pixel is inactive.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein, during the night mode, a night vision sub-pixel is active and a red sub-pixel is inactive.

15. An OLED display, the display comprising:

a substrate;

an anode;

a cathode;

at least one organic layer;

at least one conducting layer;

at least one emissive layer; and

four sub-pixel colors, consisting of red, green, blue and red-orange, wherein the green and blue pixels are active in both a day mode and a night mode, and wherein the red pixels are active only in a day mode, and wherein the red-orange pixels are only active in a night mode.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the organic layer comprises small molecules.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the organic layer comprises a polymer.