Display device with luminance boosting unit

• US 9,418,601 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2014
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shin, Ho Sik, Kang, Eui Jeong, Kwon, Yong Hoon, Kim, Jung Hyun, Song, Hee Kwang
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US14/340,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20150269894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 345 76- 84, 345 87- 93, 345/102, 345/690
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0233 Improving the luminance or brightness uniformity across the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/16 Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3413 Details of control of colour illumination sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3426 the different display panel areas being distributed in two dimensions, e.g. matrix

Abstract

A display device includes a display panel configured to display an image corresponding to image data input thereto and be divided into a plurality of display blocks, a backlight unit configured to supply light to the display panel and including a light guide panel and a main light source module which supplies light to the light guide panel, and a luminance boosting unit configured to supply boosted light to the plurality of display blocks based on the image data and including a plurality of light source modules arranged to correspond to the plurality of display blocks, respectively.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising:

a display panel which is configured to display an image corresponding to image data input thereto and divided into a plurality of display blocks;

a backlight unit configured to supply light to the display panel and including;

a light guide panel; and

a main light source module which supplies light to the light guide panel; and

a luminance boosting unit configured to supply boosted light to the plurality of display blocks in addition to and separately from the light supplied from the main light source module based on the image data and including;

a light source module which emits light in addition to and separately from the light supplied from the main light source module; and

a plurality of micromirrors which reflects the light emitted from the light source module and thus transmits the light to the plurality of display blocks.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the light source module includes:

a first light source which emits light of a first color;

a second light source which emits light of a second color, which is different from the first color; and

a third light source which emits light of a third color, which is different from the first color and the second color.

3. The display device of claim 2, wherein the first light source, the second light source and the third light source are laser diodes or light-emitting diodes.

4. The display device of claim 1, further comprising:

a data detector configured to detect block image data corresponding to each of the plurality of display blocks from the image data; and

a light source module driver configured to drive the light source module based on the block image data.

5. The display device of claim 4, wherein

the light source module includes:

a first light source which emits light of a first color;

a second light source which emits light of a second color, which is different from the first color; and

a third light source which emits light of a third color, which is different from the first color and the second color, and

the light source module driver drives the first light source, the second light source and the third light source independently.

6. The display device of claim 4, further comprising:

a mirror driver configured to control the driving of the plurality of micromirrors based on the block image data.

7. The display device of claim 4, further comprising:

a block determiner configured to compare the block image data with reference data and determine one or more target display blocks of the plurality of display blocks to which the boosted light is to be supplied, based on the comparison results.

8. The display device of claim 1, wherein the number of plurality of micromirrors is the same as the number of the plurality of display blocks.

9. The display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of micromirrors includes digital micromirror devices.

10. The display device of claim 1, wherein the main light source module faces one side of the light guide panel and includes a light-emitting diode.

11. A display device, comprising:

a display panel which is configured to display an image corresponding to image data input thereto and divided into a plurality of display blocks;

a backlight unit configured to supply light to the display panel and including a light guide panel and a main light source module which supplies light to the light guide panel; and

a luminance boosting unit configured to supply boosted light to the plurality of display blocks in addition to and separately from the light supplied from the main light source module based on the image data and including a plurality of light source modules arranged to correspond to the plurality of display blocks, respectively, the plurality of light source modules emit light in addition to and separately from the light supplied from the main light source module.

12. The display device of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of light source modules includes:

a first light source which emits light of a first color;

a second light source emitting light of a second color, which is different from the first color; and

a third light source which emits light of a third color, which is different from the first color and the second color.

13. The display device of claim 12, wherein the first light source, the second light source and the third light source are laser diodes or light-emitting diodes.

14. The display device of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of light source modules further includes a light diffuser which diffuses light emitted from the first light source, the second light source and the third light source.

15. The display device of claim 14, wherein the light diffuser includes a diffusing lens which covers the first light source, the second light source and the third light source.

16. The display device of claim 14, wherein the light diffuser includes a plurality of auxiliary light guide panels arranged to correspond to the plurality of display blocks, respectively.

17. The display device of claim 11, further comprising:

a data detector configured to detect block image data corresponding to each of the plurality of display blocks from the image data; and

a light source module driver configured to drive the plurality of light source modules based on the block image data.

18. The display device of claim 17, further comprising:

a block determiner configured to compare the block image data with reference data and determine one or more target display blocks of the plurality of display blocks to which the boosted light is to be supplied, based on comparison results.

19. The display device of claim 18, wherein the block image data includes at least one of luminance data and color data of each of the plurality of display blocks.

20. The display device of claim 11, wherein the main light source module is disposed on one side of the light guide panel and includes a light-emitting diode while the plurality of light source modules are disposed on another side of the light guide panel different from the one side.