System and method of reducing color shift in a display

• US 7,813,026 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sampsell, Jeffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mack; Ricky L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas; Brandi N
• Application Number:
  US11/041,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20060077514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,090 Days
• Field of Search: 359/290, 359/291, 359/295, 359/245, 359/247, 359/214, 359/223, 359/224, 359/260, 359/298, 359/248, 359/321, 359/486, 359/487, 359/292
• US Class Current: 359/290
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26

Abstract

A system and method of reducing color shift in a display includes an interferometric modulator display configured to reflect light from at least one light source and through at least one converging optical element in an optical path from the light source to a viewer via the display. In one embodiment, the converging optical element comprises a diffractive optical element.

Claims

1. A display system for displaying an image, the display system comprising:

a reflective display comprising a plurality of interferometric modulators configured to modulate light incident on a surface thereof; and

a converging optical element positioned with respect to a surface of at least one of the plurality of interferometric modulators such that a focal length of the optical element is greater than a distance between the optical element and the surface,

wherein the optical element has a lens aperture greater than a total aperture of two of the plurality of interferometric modulators and

wherein the optical element is configured to reduce color shift of the image between different viewing locations and

wherein the color shift results from reflection of light from at least some of the interferometric modulators associated with the image at the different viewing locations.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises a diffractive optical element.

3. The display system of claim 2, wherein the optical element comprises a binary optical element.

4. The display system of claim 2, wherein the optical element comprises a diffuser.

5. The display system of claim 1, wherein the optical element has an aperture greater than a total aperture of the plurality of interferometric modulators.

6. The display system of claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises a lenticular lens.

7. The display system of claim 2, wherein the optical element is configured to spread the modulated light differently along a first axis of the display system than along a second axis of the display system.

8. The display system of claim 7, wherein the first axis is a horizontal axis and the second axis is a vertical axis.

9. The display system of claim 2, further comprising:

a light source, wherein the optical element is configured to compensate for at least one optical property of the light source.

10. The display system of claim 1, further comprising:

a substrate supporting the plurality of interferometric modulators and supporting the optical element.

11. The display system of claim 10, wherein the substrate is located between the optical element and the plurality of modulators.

12. The display system of claim 10, wherein the optical element is located between the plurality of interferometric modulators and the substrate.

13. The display system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of interferometric modulators are located between the optical element and the substrate.

14. The display system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interferometric modulators are configured to output colored light.

15. The display system of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of interferometric modulators is configured to output colored light.

21. The display system of claim 1, wherein the display system has a diagonal size greater than 30 inches.

16. A display system for displaying an image, the display system comprising:

a reflective display comprising a plurality of light modulators, each of said modulators comprising a reflective surface configured to be positioned at a distance from a partially reflective surface; and

a converging optical element having positive power positioned with respect to the partially reflective surface of at least one of the plurality of light modulators such that a focal length of the optical element is greater than a distance between the optical element and the partially reflective surface,

wherein the optical element has a lens aperture greater than a total aperture of two of the plurality of light modulators and

wherein the optical element is configured to reduce color shift of the image between different viewing locations and

wherein the color shift results from reflection of light from at least some of the light modulators associated with the image at the different viewing locations.

17. The display system of claim 16, wherein the optical element comprises a diffractive optical element.

18. The display system of claim 17, wherein the diffractive optical element comprises a binary optical element.

19. The display system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of light modulators are configured to output colored light.

20. The display system of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of light modulators is configured to output colored light.

22. The display system of claim 16, wherein the display system has a diagonal size greater than 30 inches.