Superimposed displays

• US 8,334,819 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Enterprise Science Fund, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hillis, W. Daniel, Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bibbins, Latanya
• Application Number:
  US12/583,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20100019991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 345/4, 345/5, 345/6
• US Class Current: 345/4
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/302 characterised by the form or geometrical disposition of the individual elements
• 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 2330/10 Dealing with defective pixels
• 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 3/2085 Special arrangements for addressing the individual elements of the matrix, other than by driving respective rows and columns in combination
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2088 with use of a plurality of processors, each processor controlling a number of individual elements of the matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/85 Arrangements for extracting light from the devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/00 Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one organic light-emitting element covered by group H10K50/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/875 Arrangements for extracting light from the devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/95 wherein all light-emitting elements are organic, e.g. assembled OLED displays

Abstract

Various embodiments of methods and systems for constructing and configuring displays constructed from superimposed display subunits are disclosed. A display may be formed by superimposing two display subunits including multiple display elements or pixels which emit or otherwise modulate light. Display subunits may be optically superimposed with an optical system such that a light emitting element in the first subunit is superimposed with a corresponding light emitting element in the second subunit that emits light in a like wavelength band. A method of producing a display may include superimposing first and second display subunits to form a superimposed display area, controlling the first display subunit to produce a first light pattern; and controlling the second display subunit to produce a second light pattern that when superimposed with the first light pattern produces a desired light pattern.

Claims

1. A display comprising:

a) a first display subunit comprising a first plurality of light emitting elements, each light emitting element of said first plurality designed to emit light in a characteristic wavelength band;

b) a second display subunit comprising a second plurality of light emitting elements, each light emitting element of said second plurality designed to emit light in a characteristic wavelength band; and

c) an optical system configured to optically superimpose each light emitting element of said first plurality with a corresponding light emitting element of said second plurality designed to emit light in a like wavelength band;

wherein each of said first and second display subunits comprises light emitting elements of at least two types, each type designed to emit light of a respective characteristic wavelength band, and wherein light emitting elements of said first display subunit are optically superimposed with light emitting elements of the same type in said second display subunit.

2. The display of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second display subunits comprises a two-dimensional array of light emitting elements.

3. The display of claim 1, wherein said at least two types of light emitting elements are arranged in like repeating patterns in said first and second display subunits.

4. The display of claim 3, wherein said patterns are spatially periodic.

5. The display of claim 1, wherein said first and second display subunits are in the same substrate.

6. The display of claim 5, wherein said first and second display subunits are in the same layer, level, or surface of said substrate.

7. The display of claim 6, wherein said layer, level, or surface is planar.

8. The display of claim 6, wherein said first and second display subunits are interleaved.

9. The display of claim 6, wherein said first and second display subunits are at least partially overlapping.

10. The display of claim 6, wherein said first and second display subunits are non-overlapping.

11. The display of claim 5, wherein said first and second display subunits are in two different layers, levels, or surfaces of said substrate.

12. The display of claim 11, wherein at least one of said two different layers, levels, or surfaces is planar.

13. The display of claim 1, wherein said optical system includes one or more lenses, lenslets, reflectors, diffractive elements, combiners, polarization selective elements, or waveguides.

14. A method of producing a display, comprising:

a) superimposing first and second display subunits having substantially identical arrangements of light modulating elements to form a superimposed display area, wherein each light modulating element of said first display subunit is designed to modulate light in a respective characteristic pattern, and wherein each light modulating element of said first display subunit within said superimposed display area is superimposed with a light modulating element of said second display subunit designed to modulate light of a like characteristic pattern;

b) controlling said first display subunit to produce a first light pattern; and

c) controlling said second display subunit to produce a second light pattern that when superimposed with said first light pattern produces a desired light pattern in said superimposed display area;

wherein said first display subunit comprises two or more subsets of light modulating elements, each said subset designed to modulate light in a respective wavelength band, wherein each said respective wavelength band is different from the respective wavelength band of at least one other subset of light modulating elements.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising detecting said first light pattern and adjusting said second light pattern responsive to said detected first light pattern to compensate for differences between said first light pattern and said desired light pattern.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said first display subunit comprises a first subset of light modulating elements designed to emit light in a red wavelength band, a second subset of light modulating elements designed to emit light in a green wavelength band, and a third subset of light modulating elements designed to emit light in a blue wavelength band.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein detecting said first light pattern includes detecting said light pattern optically.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein detecting said first light pattern includes detecting an electrical correlate of said light pattern.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein light modulating elements of said two or more subsets are arranged in a repeating pattern according to the light modulation wavelength band of said light modulating elements.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein said first and second display subunits are controlled to simultaneously produce substantially identical first and second light patterns within said superimposed display area.