Aesthetic layer for display panels

• US 9,310,634 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jepsen, Mary Lou
• Primary Examiner(s): DUDEK, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US14/139,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20150177538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13332 Front frames
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133524 Light-guides, e.g. fibre-optic bundles, louvered or jalousie light-guides
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133562 on the viewer side
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/30 in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• 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: H04N 5/64 Constructional details of receivers, e.g. cabinets or dust covers furniture aspects of television cabinets A47B81/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/66 Transforming electric information into light information scanning details H04N3/00

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a display layer for generating images to be viewable from a viewing region and an aesthetic layer disposed over the display layer. Activation circuitry is coupled to activate the aesthetic layer in response to an input. When the aesthetic layer is activated, it emits or reflects aesthetic light.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a display layer for generating images to be viewable from a viewing region;

an aesthetic layer disposed over the display layer, wherein the aesthetic layer is a patterned structure covering a surround region of pixels of the display layer but not substantially covering an emission region of the pixels of the display layer;

at least one light source coupled to emit source light toward the aesthetic layer when the at least one light source is activated, wherein the aesthetic layer is configured to direct aesthetic light toward the viewing region in response to receiving source light from the at least one light source; and

activation circuitry coupled to activate the at least one light source in response to an input signal.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the aesthetic layer includes the at least one light source and further includes a light relay to receive the source light and maintain Total-Internal-Reflection (“

TIR”

) with an internally reflected percentage of the source light, and wherein an escaping percentage of the source light escapes the TIR of the light relay and propagates toward the viewing region.

3. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein a surface of the light relay that faces the viewing region includes an emission structure to facilitate escapement of the escaping percentage of the source light.

4. The display apparatus of claim 3, wherein the emission structure is tapered to increase the escaping percentage of the source light as the source light becomes farther from the light source(s).

5. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the aesthetic layer includes a re-direct structure configured to direct the source light from the at least one light source toward the viewing region.

6. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source is at least one of a laser diode or a light-emitting-diode (“

LED”

).

7. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the activation circuitry activates the at least one light source when the input signal indicates that the display layer is not generating the images, and wherein the activation circuitry deactivates the at least one light source when the input indicates the display layer is generating the images.

8. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the aesthetic layer includes an excitation layer configured to emit the aesthetic light in response to being stimulating by the source light within a stimulating wavelength range, wherein the at least one light source is configured to emit the source light centered within the stimulating wavelength range.

9. The display apparatus of claim 8, wherein the excitation layer includes phosphor.

10. The display apparatus of claim 8, where in the excitation layer include quantum dots.

11. The display apparatus of claim 8, wherein the stimulating wavelength is a near-ultraviolet wavelength.

12. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display apparatus is a multi-panel display including a plurality of tileable displays, and wherein the display layer and the aesthetic layer are distributed among the tileable displays in the plurality of tileable displays.

13. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the activation circuitry includes a wireless receiver, and wherein the input signal is a wireless signal.

14. A display apparatus comprising:

a display layer for generating images to be viewable from a viewing region;

an aesthetic layer disposed over the display layer;

at least one light source coupled to emit source light toward the aesthetic layer when the at least one light source is activated, wherein the aesthetic layer is configured to direct aesthetic light toward the viewing region in response to receiving source light from the at least one light source; and

activation circuitry coupled to activate the at least one light source in response to an input signal,

wherein the aesthetic layer includes an excitation layer configured to emit the aesthetic light in response to being stimulated by the source light within a stimulating wavelength range, wherein the at least one light source is configured to emit the source light centered within the stimulating wavelength range,

wherein the stimulating wavelength range includes a near-ultraviolet wavelength.