FULL COLOR DISPLAY SYSTEMS AND CALIBRATION METHODS THEREOF

Abstract

A display system includes a first die configured to emit light of a first color, a second die configured to emit light of a second color and a third die configured to emit light of a third color. The display system also includes a lens system and an optical waveguide system. The optical waveguide system includes a first grating portion configured to couple in an incident light to the optical waveguide and a second grating portion configured to couple out a transmitting light from the optical waveguide. The first die, the second die and the third die are contained in one package. The lens system is arranged between the package and the optical waveguide system, and is configured to collimate the light of the first color, the light of the second color and the light of the third color onto the first grating portion of the optical waveguide system.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to full color display systems realized with separate RGB display dies and methods to calibrate misalignment of the separate RGB display dies, especially to integrate the RGB display dies onto an optical combiner for augmented reality glasses.

BACKGROUND

Generally, a full color high-resolution display can be realized by fabricating separate mono color displays for the three separate colors, namely red, green and blue, with different compound semiconductor and by overlaying the separate displays with an optical combiner. Such a technique can be effectively implemented for projection display systems, augmented reality display systems, virtual reality display systems and the like.

For example, the document U.S. Pat. No. 10,032,757 B2 discloses a projection display system with separate light emitting diode display panels, where the corresponding emissions are combined on a beam combiner. In this context, the beam combiner includes one or more dichroic mirrors and one or more prisms. However, the foregoing arrangement is limited by size constrains, e.g., the size of the beam combiner, especially for augmented reality glasses. Moreover, in practice, there will be misalignment due to process and equipment limitations, especially between 10-100 micrometers in the packaging and placement process of the separate displays with the combiner. This will have a significant impact on the image quality and color mixing.

Accordingly, the object of the invention is to provide display systems and methods for calibrating the said display systems, which can address the aforementioned limitations.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention advantageously address the foregoing requirements and needs, as well as others, by providing display systems and methods for calibrating display systems.

The object is solved by the features of the first and second independent claims for the systems and by the features of the third and fourth independent claims for the methods. The dependent claims contain further developments.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a display system is provided. The display system comprises a first display die configured to emit light of a first color, a second display die configured to emit light of a second color and a third display die configured to emit light of a third color. In addition, the display system further comprises a lens system and an optical waveguide system, wherein the optical waveguide system comprises a first grating portion configured to couple in an incident light to the optical waveguide system and a second grating portion configured to couple out a transmitting light from the optical waveguide system.

Furthermore, the first display die, the second display die and the third display die are arranged in one package. Moreover, the lens system is arranged in between the package and the optical waveguide system, configured to collimate the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color onto the first grating portion of the optical waveguide system. Therefore, a display system is provided with a focal implementation for near eye displays, e.g., augmented reality glasses. Three separate display dies emit images with respective colors, i.e., red, green and blue, and are collimated with a common lens system. The collimated beams traverse through a waveguide system (total internal reflection) with localized grating portions acting as in and out couplers for the beams.

Preferably, the first grating portion is configured to couple in the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color to the optical waveguide system and the second grating portion is configured to couple out the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color from the optical waveguide system. Thus, the three mono color beams emitted from the three separate displays are collimated by the lens system and are coupled into the waveguide system by the first grating portion. When the beams hit the second grating portion, the beams are diffracted out of the waveguide system.

Preferably and advantageously, the optical waveguide system comprises at least three separate waveguides corresponding to the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color, whereby each separate waveguide comprises a first grating portion and a second grating portion in order to couple in and couple out the respective light. In a more preferred implementation, the structure of the first grating portion and the structure of the second grating portion are the same for each waveguide. Especially, the grating angle and grating spacing for the first and second grating portions of a waveguide are identical. In addition, the second grating portions of the separate waveguides for coupling out the respective light are preferably overlaid at the same location with respect to each other. However, the first grating portions of the separate waveguides for coupling in the respective light can be arranged either in an overlaying fashion or in respective separate locations, which correspond to the incidence locations for the collimated beam of lights on the waveguides.

Advantageously, the first display die, the second display die and the third display die are light emitting dies, preferably comprising arrays of microscopic light emitting diodes forming the individual pixel elements. In this context, the first display die, the second display die and the third display die comprise a driver circuit array including a plurality of pixel driver circuits, each being coupled to the individual pixel elements. This allows for micro-level fabrication of display emitter that can achieve a targeted pixel pitch between 1-5 micrometers for micro-LED displays on CMOS, especially for augmented or virtual reality applications.

According to a second aspect of the invention, another display system is provided. The display system comprises a first display die configured to emit light of a first color, a second display die configured to emit light of a second color and a third display die configured to emit light of a third color. The display system further comprises a first lens, a second lens and a third lens. Additionally, the display system comprises an optical waveguide system comprising a first grating portion configured to couple in an incident light to the optical waveguide system and a second grating portion configured to couple out a transmitting light from the optical waveguide system.

Furthermore, the first display die, the second display die and the third display die are arranged in three separate packages. Moreover, the first lens, the second lens and the third lens are arranged in between the packages and the optical waveguide system, whereby the first lens is configured to collimate the light of first color, the second lens is configured to collimate the light of second color and the third lens is configured to collimate the light of third color onto the first grating portion of the optical waveguide system.

Therefore, a display system is provided with a focal implementation for near eye displays, e.g., augmented reality glasses. Three separate display dies emit images with respective colors, i.e., red, green and blue, and are collimated with a respective lens. Moreover, the dies are arranged on three separate packages. This advantageously allows for a relaxed arrangement for the dies with respect to the waveguide system, especially regarding the spatial placement of the dies. The collimated beams traverse through the waveguide system with localized grating portions acting as in and out couplers for the beams.

It is to be noted, the first lens, the second lens, and the third lens may also be referred as collimation optics corresponding to the three separate display dies, namely the first display die, the second display die, and the third display die, respectively. In this regard, said collimation optics may comprise multiple lens and/or layered optics, thereby operating as respective lens systems for the respective display dies.

Preferably, the first grating portion is configured to couple in the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color to the optical waveguide system and the second grating portion is configured to couple out the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color from the optical waveguide system. Thus, the three mono color beams emitted from the three separate displays are collimated by the respective lenses and are coupled into the waveguide system by the first grating portion. When the beams hit the second grating portion, the beams are diffracted out of the waveguide system.

Preferably and advantageously, the optical waveguide system comprises at least three separate waveguides corresponding to the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color, whereby each separate waveguide comprises a first grating portion and a second grating portion in order to couple in and couple out the respective light. This allows for an effective beam combination that can be realized on augmented or virtual reality glasses.

Advantageously, the first display die, the second display die and the third display die are light emitting dies, preferably comprising arrays of microscopic light emitting diodes forming the individual pixel elements. In this context, the first display die, the second display die and the third display die comprise a driver circuit array including a plurality of pixel driver circuits, each being coupled to the individual pixel elements. This allows for micro-level fabrication of display emitter that can achieve a targeted pixel pitch between 1-5 micrometers for micro-LED displays on CMOS, especially for augmented or virtual reality applications.

According to a third aspect of the invention, a method for calibrating a display system with a first display die, a second display die and a third display die with a driver circuit array is provided. The method comprises the step of optically measuring offsets along at least two axes between the first display die, the second display die and the third display die by applying calibration images. The method further comprises the step of cropping an actual content to be displayed on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die by a scale based on the measured offsets, thereby generating respective modified contents.

Moreover, the method comprises the step of offsetting the modified contents corresponding to the measured offsets. Therefore, a calibration method is provided, especially concerning the integration of a micro-LED display onto an optical waveguide for augmented reality glasses. Advantageously, the calibration method can be realized as a software implementation in the external graphic and computation hardware without any significant alteration in the driver circuit or display design.

Further advantageously, the method comprises the step of optically measuring transversal and rotational offsets between the first display die, the second display die and the third display die. Furthermore, the method comprises the step of offsetting the modified contents corresponding to the measured transversal and rotational offsets. This allows for a comprehensive calibration of misalignments between the separate display dies, especially after the assembly process.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a method for calibrating a display system with a first display die, a second display die and a third display die with a driver circuit array is provided. The method comprises the step of estimating a misalignment accuracy for assembling the first display die, the second display die and the third display die with respect to an optical waveguide system. The method further comprises the step of adding additional addressable pixels along the two axes on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die based on the estimated misalignment accuracy. Furthermore, the method comprises the step of optically measuring offsets along at least two axes between the first display die, the second display die and the third display die by applying calibration images.

Moreover, the method comprises the step of shifting an actual content to be displayed on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die corresponding to the measured offsets. Therefore, a calibration method is provided, especially concerning the integration of a micro-LED display onto an optical waveguide for augmented reality glasses. In this regard, the misalignment accuracy of the assembly process can be defined as an expected misalignment accuracy of the assembly process between the display dies and of the display package or module on the optical waveguide that may lead to an offset. Advantageously, the calibration method can be performed within the display module comprising the separate display dies.

Further advantageously, the method comprises the step of optically measuring transversal and rotational offsets between the first display die, the second display die and the third display die. Furthermore, the method comprises the step of offsetting the actual content corresponding to the measured transversal and rotational offsets. This allows for a comprehensive calibration of misalignments between the separate display dies, especially after the assembly process.

Further advantageously, the method comprises the step of modifying the driver circuit array with respect to the additional addressable pixels along the two axes on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die. In addition, the method further comprises the step of controlling the driver circuit array in order to shift the actual content to be displayed on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die corresponding to the measured offsets. Therefore, the pixels of the display dies that are not in use after the calibration process advantageously provides no refresh, i.e. content, from the driver circuit array, especially from a gate driver and a source driver of the driver circuit array. Advantageously, by shifting the actual content along the axes of the display dies the non-addressable pixels floats and are effectively deactivated in order to save unwanted energy dissipation.

Further advantageously, the method comprises the step of providing power-gating means to the driver circuit array for deactivating at least a column and/or a row of pixels along the two axes on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die. Therefore, in addition or as an alternative to the content shifting by the driver circuit array, the driver circuit array comprises power gating means, e.g., a power-gate transistor between the gate driver and/or the source driver, that deactivates a full row and/or column along the axes of the display dies. Advantageously, no unwanted row/column capacitances are required to be charged and therefore effectively saves unwanted energy dissipation.

Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description, simply by illustrating a number of particular embodiments and implementations, including the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention. The present invention is also capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details can be modified in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawing and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are now further explained with respect to the drawings by way of example only, and not for limitation. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a general working principle of an augmented reality optics by way of an example;

FIG. 2A shows an exemplary embodiment of the display system according to the first aspect of the invention;

FIG. 2B shows the display system of FIG. 2A in detail;

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary arrangement of the display dies on a single package according to the first aspect of the invention;

FIG. 4A shows a first exemplary embodiment of the display system according to the second aspect of the invention;

FIG. 4B shows the display system of FIG. 4A in detail;

FIG. 5A shows a second exemplary embodiment of the display system according to the second aspect of the invention;

FIG. 5B shows the display system of FIG. 5A in detail;

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary arrangement of the display dies on separate packages according to the second aspect of the invention;

FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of exemplary calibration sequences to determine misalignments;

FIGS. 8A-8D show exemplary calibration patterns to determine misalignments;

FIG. 9 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the third aspect of the invention;

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary active matrix addressing of display according to the third aspect of the invention;

FIG. 11 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the fourth aspect of the invention; and

FIG. 12 shows an exemplary active matrix addressing of display according to the fourth aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Display systems and methods for calibrating display systems, are provided. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. It is apparent, however, that the invention may be practiced without these specific details or with an equivalent arrangement. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention.

In FIG. 1, the general working principle of an augmented reality optics is illustrated. The arrangement 1 typically comprises an emitter 2 that emits an image to be projected. Such an emitter can be realized in the form of organic light emitting diode, quantum light emitting diode, micro-light emitting diode and the like. In addition, liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) with LED light illumination, digital light processing (DLP) with LED light illumination and Laser scanning are examples of reflective displays with an illumination source operating in color sequences. The beam emitted from the emitter 1 is collimated via a lens 3 onto a glass plate 4, effectively splitting the incident beam via beam splitters 5.

As such, at each incident region, the glass plate 4 acts on both transmit mode and reflect mode. The beam 6 within the glass plate 4 traverses in a slander fashion due to total internal reflection and eventually split out from the glass plate 4 via beam splitters 5. A viewer 7 in line with the split out beam therefore can see the virtual image 8 of the actual image that is being emitted by the emitter 2.

Along FIGS. 2A and 2B, an exemplary embodiment of the system 10 according to the first aspect of the invention is illustrated. In FIG. 2A, the display system 10 is implemented for augmented reality glasses, where three separate display dies 11,13,15 are integrated on an optical waveguide system 18 acting as a beam combiner. In FIG. 2B, it can be seen that the three separate display dies 11,13,15 emit light of respective colors 12,14,16. For instance, the first display die 11 may emit light of red color 12, the second display die 13 may emit light of blue color 14, and the third display die 15 may emit light of green color 16.

The system 10 comprises a lens system 17, which can be implemented as a common lens system for the three separate display dies 11,13,15 or as an array of multiple lens respective to each display die 11,13,15. In either case, the lens system 17 collimates the lights onto the optical waveguide system 18. In particular, the optical waveguide system 18 has a first grating portion 19 that acts as an in-coupler and a second grating portion 20 that acts as an out-coupler for the incident and transmitted lights, respectively.

As can be seen in FIG. 2B, the optical waveguide system 18 is shown as three separate waveguides 21,22,23 for each color 12,14,16 attached above each other. Each separate waveguide 21,22,23 has a separate in-coupling area 24,26,28 and a separate out-coupling area 25,27,29 for each color 12,14,16. The waveguide grating can be based on surface grating, for instance, surface relief grating in order to achieve beam diffraction for the incident and transmitted lights.

It is also conceivable that the optical waveguide system 18 may comprise only two separate waveguides for two colors and the third color can be split or combined with one of the two. For instance, the two separate waveguide can be implemented for the red color and the blue color. The green color can be either split between both waveguides or combined with one of the two. It is further conceivable that the optical waveguide system 18 may comprise only one waveguide, for instance, by means of volumetric holographic gratings provided by holographic optical elements or via surface microstructures at the coupling portions on the waveguide, thereby forming a single diffractive waveguide for all three colors 12,14,16.

In FIG. 3, an exemplary arrangement of the display dies 11,13,15 on a single package according to the first aspect of the invention is illustrated. In particular, the display dies 11,13,15 are arranged on a rigid package that facilitates the implementation of a single collimating lens 17 as explained above. Preferably, each display die 11,13,15 comprises arrays of microscopic light emitting diodes forming the individual pixel elements. As such, each display die 11,13,15 has a respective emission area 31,33,35 that comprises the individual pixel elements.

In addition, each display die 11,13,15 comprises driver circuitry 34,36 including a plurality of pixel driver circuits, preferably distributed along two axes. Particularly, the driver array 34 that is distributed along the horizontal axis with respect to the die position may act as source driver and the driver array 36 that is distributed along the vertical axis with respect to the die position may act as gate driver for the respective pixel elements. The package is preferably realized on a PCB 32 where the separate dies 11,13,15 are arranged in close proximity.

Preferably, the three display dies 11,13,15 are fabricated with different compound semiconductors. For instance, the display die 11 corresponding to red color 12 may be fabricated with Aluminum Gallium Indium Phosphide (AlGaInP), the display die 13 corresponding to blue color 14 as well as the display die 15 corresponding to green color 16 may be fabricated with Indium Gallium Nitride (InGaN). The package includes a non-volatile memory 38, e.g., a flash memory that can be used to store calibration data and images. Especially, the flash memory 38 stores optical and electrical calibration data for each pixel and may store additional pixel offset data generated by the proposed offset calibration schemes as described later, if required. A connector 37, e.g., a flex-connector is also provided in order to communicate with the display dies 11,13,15 resp. the PCB package 32.

It is advantageous that the three separate display dies 11,13,15 (in short: RGB dies) are combined in one package and the respective light 12,14,16 (in short: RGB light) is collimated with the lens system 17 and coupled into the optical waveguide system 18. At respective out-coupling portion, the respective light 12,14,16 is coupled out within the field of view of an observer 30. Any misalignment between the RGB dies 11,13,15 to each other typically arises from the packing into one package. Standard flip-chip technology allows a die placement with an accuracy of 60 micrometers bondpad pitch on a printed circuit board (PCB) or within a package. Advanced products using die-to-wafer flip-chip bonding may achieve a bonding accuracy to a bondpad pitch down to 10-20 micrometers in production. If an assumption is made for a target pitch of a micro-LED display of about 3 micrometers, a misplacement of 3-30 pixels of the RGB light can be anticipated as it couples out of the waveguide.

Along FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, a first exemplary embodiment of the system 40 according to the second aspect of the invention is illustrated. The system 40 differs from the system 10 of FIG. 2A in that additional measures have been taken into consideration in the system 40 so that the separate display dies 11,13,15 can be placed with higher flexibility across the optical waveguide system 18 to allow a better form-factor. Particularly, it can be seen from FIG. 4B that the system 40 comprises three separate lenses, namely a first lens 41, a second lens 43 and a third lens 45, instead of a common single lens 17 as illustrated in FIG. 2B for beam collimation.

As such, the light of first color 12 emitted from the first display die 11 is collimated by the first lens 41 onto the first grating portion 24 of a waveguide 21 of the optical waveguide system 18. Similarly, the light of second color 14 emitted from the second display die 13 is collimated by the second lens 43 onto the first grating portion 26 of a waveguide 22 of the optical waveguide system 18. Further, the light of third color 16 emitted from the third display die 15 is collimated by the third lens 45 onto the first grating portion 28 of a waveguide 23 of the optical waveguide system 18.

Advantageously, the separate display dies 11,13,15 are arranged in separate packages. Thus, each display die 11,13,15 can be separately placed with an own lens 41,43,45 onto the optical waveguide system 18. Due to the compact size of the lenses 41,43,45 compared to the common lens system 17 of FIG. 2B, the display dies 11,13,15 can be placed across the optical waveguide system 18 with a greater flexibility.

Along FIGS. 5A and 5B, a second exemplary embodiment of the system 50 according to the second aspect of the invention is illustrated. The system 50 differs from the system 40 of FIG. 4B in that the first display die 51, the second display die 53 and the third display die 55 are adapted to emit the light of first color 12, the light of second color 14 and the light of third color 16 respectively, which are already collimated. As such, the first display die 51 corresponds to the first display die 11 and the respective first lens 41. Similarly, the second display die 53 corresponds to the second display die 13 and the respective second lens 43. Further, the third display die 55 corresponds to the third display die 15 and the respective third lens 45.

The combined effect of light emission and collimation (whereby every pixel is collimated but not necessarily all pixel emit with the same emission angle) can be achieved by integrating wafer level lens onto the packaging of the separate display dies 51,53,55. It is also conceivable that the first display die 51, the second display die 53 and the third display die 55 can be realized in form of a display that already emits collimated light, i.e., light emission with the same emission angle, in order to achieve the collimation effect. It is further conceivable that the first display die 51, the second display die 53 and the third display die 55 may comprise arrays of microscopic light emitting diodes with resonant cavity in order to achieve the collimation effect.

In FIG. 6, an exemplary arrangement of the display dies 11,13,15 on separate packages according to the second aspect of the invention is illustrated. Although the display dies 11,13,15 are referred herein as the display dies 11,13,15 of FIG. 4B, it is to be understood that the said arrangement is also compatible for the display dies 51,53,55 of FIG. 5B. Similar to FIG. 3, the first display die 11, the second display die 13 and the third display die 15 comprise arrays of microscopic light emitting diodes forming the individual pixel elements. As such, each display die 11,13,15 has a respective emission area 31,33,35 that comprises the individual pixel elements.

In addition, each display die 11,13,15 comprises driver circuitry 34,36 including a plurality of pixel driver circuits, preferably distributed along two axes. Particularly, the driver array 34 that is distributed along the horizontal axis with respect to the die position may act as source driver and the driver array 36 that is distributed along the vertical axis with respect to the die position may act as gate driver for the respective pixel elements.

As it can be seen in FIG. 6, the first display die 11 is arranged on a first PCB package 61, the second display die 13 is arranged on a second PCB package 63 and the third display die 15 is arranged on a third PCB package 65. Thus, the separate display dies 11,13,15 are arranged on separate packages 61,63,65 in order to facilitate the implementation of three separate respective lenses 41,43,45, thereby allowing a much relaxed positioning of the display dies 11,13,15 as explained above. The separate display dies 11,13,15 are interconnected via a connector 37, e.g., a flex-connector, which further connects the display dies 11,13,15 to a power source, an external graphic processor or/and an additional non-volatile memory 38 containing calibration data, e.g., a flash memory.

As mentioned above, the integration of separate display dies 11,13,15 onto an optical waveguide system 18 would raise misalignments due to process and equipment limitations, especially between 10-100 micrometers in the packaging and placement process of the display dies 11,13,15 with the waveguide system 18. In order to calibrate those misalignments away after the assembly process, the invention proposes two calibration methods based on the depth system design modifications. In both cases, the misalignments or offsets are measured optically after the assembly process and are stored in the memory, e.g., the flash memory 38, as calibration data.

In FIG. 7, exemplary calibration sequences are illustrated in order to determine misalignments or offsets. It is to be noted that the calibration sequences are applicable for all display systems 10,40,50 described along FIG. 2B, FIG. 4B and FIG. 5B respectively. In order to initiate the sequences, the separate display dies 11,13,15 are assembled onto the optical waveguide system 18 along with the lens system 17 or separate respective lenses 41,43,45, and a high-resolution camera is placed in the eye box position 30.

Thus, in a first step S71, the optical waveguide system 18 with lens system 18 or lenses 41,43,45 and the separate display dies 11,13,15 are assembled. In a second step S72, the high-definition camera is focused in the field of view of the optical waveguide system 18. In a third step S73, a calibration image or pattern is applied for the display die 13, i.e., the second display die 13, which is adapted to emit the image in blue color 14. The image is then centered with respect to the dimension of the second display die 13. The optically measured offset along the horizontal axis X and along the vertical axis Y of the second display die 13 is stored as well as the relative transversal and rotational offsets in the flash memory 38.

In a subsequence fourth step S74, the calibration image is further applied for the display die 15, i.e., the third display die 15, which is adapted to emit the image in green color 16, and is overlaid onto the second display die 13 of the previous step S73. The green image is shifted along the horizontal axis x and the vertical axis y with respect to the third display die 15 until the green image overlaps with the blue image. Then, the green image is switched off, and the optically measured offset along the horizontal axis X and along the vertical axis Y of the second display die 13 is stored as well as the relative transversal and rotational offsets in the flash memory 38.

Finally, in a fifth step S75, the calibration image is further applied for the display die 11, i.e., the first display die 11, which is adapted to emit the image in red color 12, and is overlaid onto the second display die 13 of the step S73. The red image is shifted along the horizontal axis x and the vertical axis y with respect to the first display die 11 until the red image overlaps with the blue image. Then, the optically measured offset along the horizontal axis X and along the vertical axis Y of the second display die 13 is stored as well as the relative transversal and rotational offsets in the flash memory 38.

In FIGS. 8A-8D, exemplary calibration patterns or images are illustrated in order to determine misalignments. In FIG. 8A, a calibration pattern 81 of a hollow square is shown, which is aligned at the center of the display dimensions. In FIG. 8B, a calibration pattern 82 of two parallel vertical lines is shown, which are aligned at the center with respect to the horizontal dimension of the display. In FIG. 8C, a calibration pattern 83 of a diagonal line is shown, which is aligned at the center with respect to the horizontal dimension of the display, starting from the left top corner to the right bottom corner of the display. In FIG. 8D, a calibration pattern 84 of two parallel horizontal lines is shown, which are aligned at the center with respect to the vertical dimension of the display.

In FIG. 9, an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the third aspect of the invention is illustrated. In a first step S91, offsets along at least two axes between the first display die, the second display die and the third display die are optically measured by applying calibration images. In a second step S92, an actual content to be displayed on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die is cropped by a scale based on the measured offsets, thereby generating respective modified contents. Finally, in a third step S93, the modified contents are offset corresponding to the measured offsets.

In FIG. 10, an exemplary active matrix addressing of display according to the third aspect of the invention is illustrated. The main advantage of this calibration method is that no change in the driver or display design is required and all calibration is done as a software implementation in the external graphic (GPU) and computation (CPU) hardware. Generally, the data stream from the GPU is in a standard video stream format, e.g., Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), and so on. These are configured for a defined frame output format, e.g., a Full High-Definition (FHD) 1920×1280×3, a VGA, 4K2K, etc. with a defined frame rate, e.g., 60 frames per seconds, 120 frames per seconds, and so on, and a defined grey level depth per color, e.g., 8 bit, 12 bit, 16 bit, and the like.

In order to calibrate the output of three separate display dies 11,13,15 (i.e., RGB dies), which are overlapping pixel by pixel, the calibration method foresees the reduction of frame size (i.e., cut away) of the actual content to be shown and offset in the software the misalignment. For instance, FIG. 10 shows a display 101 with the frame size 10×10 pixels, i.e., a horizontal dimension Xpix of 10 pixels and a vertical dimension Ypix of 10 pixels. FIG. 10 further shows the driver circuitry, especially the source driver 34 and the gate driver 36 to drive each respective pixel elements of the display 101.

For this example, it is considered that the measured misalignment, e.g., obtained from the calibration sequence described along FIG. 7, is 2.5 pixels along the vertical axis, i.e., dX, and is 2.5 pixels along the horizontal axis, i.e., dY. In order to calibrate the misalignments away, the actual shown content is cropped to 5×5 pixels whereby all other pixels are set off. This results in the modified content 103, having a horizontal dimension Xcon of 5 pixels and a vertical dimension Ycon of 5 pixels. For every frame that is sent from the GPU to the display 101, the computation is performed to satisfy that the actual content is cropped and the modified content 103 is offset by a dX,dY value for every color corresponding to the actual measured offset between the RGB dies 11,13,15.

In FIG. 11, an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the fourth aspect of the invention is illustrated. In a first step S111, a misalignment accuracy is estimated for assembling the first display die, the second display die and the third display die with respect to an optical waveguide system. In a second step S112, additional addressable pixels are added along the two axes on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die based on the estimated misalignment accuracy. In a third step S113, offsets along at least two axes between the first display die, the second display die and the third display die are optically measured by applying calibration images. Finally, in a fourth step S114, an actual content to be displayed on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die is shifted corresponding to the measured offsets.

In FIG. 12, an exemplary active matrix addressing of display according to the fourth aspect of the invention is illustrated. The calibration method requires changes in display and display driver design and all calibration is done within the display module for itself. It is assumed that the standard frame size of the intended data format is 10×10 pixels, i.e., the horizontal dimension Xcon of the actual content 123 is 10 pixels and the vertical dimension Ycon of the actual content 123 is 10 pixels. The source driver 34 and the gate driver 36 are present in order to address their respective pixel elements.

For this example, it is considered that the measured misalignment, e.g., obtained from the calibration sequence described along FIG. 7, is 2.5 pixels along the vertical axis, i.e., dX, and is 2.5 pixels along the horizontal axis, i.e., dY. In order to calibrate the misalignments away, 5 additional pixels are added along the horizontal axis X and the vertical axis Y of the display 121, that result in an extended display 121 with a horizontal dimension of X_{pix_ext}=X+2·dX, and a vertical dimension of Y_{pix_ext}=Y+2·dY. Therefore, it is required to add modified gate driver and modified source driver respect to the X_{pix_ext} and Y_{pix_ext} for the larger size display 121. Since the actual content 123 is smaller, it is undesirable to drive and update the full display. Hence, only the section that contains the actual data content 123 is driven and updated in order to avoid additional flicker caused by the drive circuits 34,36.

In order to modify the source driver 34 and the gate driver 36, respective specific multiplexers 126,126 are implemented. Particularly, the multiplexer 126 implemented to the source driver 34 simply shifts which pixels get which data content. On the gate driver 36 side, the multiplexer 126 is configured to shift the reset signal to the first shift register that gets actually activated and comprises a separate counter to reset after the horizontal pixel lines, e.g., 10 pixels, are addressed.

Although not shown in the active matrix addressing scheme of FIG. 12, it is conceivable that the driver circuit array (34,36), especially the source driver 34 and the gate driver 36 are further extended to comprises power gating means, e.g. a power-gate transistor between the source driver 34 and the gate driver 36. By power gating of said power-gate transistors, a full row and/or column of pixels of the display 121 can be deactivated.

The calibration method according to the third aspect of the invention is more cost-effective than the method according to the fourth aspect of the invention. However, the calibration method according to the fourth aspect of the invention is more effective with respect to performance and image rendering than the method according to the third aspect of the invention. Nonetheless, both calibration methods relax the requirements for the placement and bonding accuracy of the RGB dies to each other and the waveguide to more realistic values that can be implemented in production.

The embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by hardware, software, or any combination thereof. Various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or the like.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Numerous changes to the disclosed embodiments can be made in accordance with the disclosure herein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For instance, instead of a direct placement of the display dies on the waveguide with or without a lens system in between, the light can be re-directed with a mirror or a prism so to change the path of the lights in order to achieve additional flexibility in design. As such, any change in the light path for reasons of design or form-factor that a skilled person would perceives is covered within the exemplary embodiments. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described embodiments. Rather, the scope of the invention should be defined in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.

Claims

1-17. (canceled)

18. A display system comprising: a first display die configured to emit light of a first color;a second display die configured to emit light of a second color;a third display die configured to emit light of a third color;a lens system; andan optical waveguide system comprising a first grating portion configured to couple in an incident light to the optical waveguide system and a second grating portion configured to couple out a transmitting light from the optical waveguide system; andwherein the first display die, the second display die and the third display die are arranged in one package; andwherein the lens system is arranged in between the package and the optical waveguide system, configured to collimate the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color onto the first grating portion of the optical waveguide system.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the first grating portion is configured to couple in the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color to the optical waveguide system and the second grating portion is configured to couple out the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color from the optical waveguide system.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the optical waveguide system comprises at least three separate waveguides corresponding to the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color, whereby each separate waveguide comprises a first grating portion and a second grating portion in order to couple in and couple out the respective light.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein the first display die, the second display die and the third display die are light emitting dies, comprising arrays of microscopic light emitting diodes forming the individual pixel elements.

22. The system according to claim 18, wherein the first display die, the second display die and the third display die comprise a driver circuit array including a plurality of pixel driver circuits, each being coupled to the individual pixel elements.

23. A display system comprising: a first display die configured to emit light of a first color;a second display die configured to emit light of a second color;a third display die configured to emit light of a third color;a first lens, a second lens and a third lens; andan optical waveguide system comprising a first grating portion configured to couple in an incident light to the optical waveguide system and a second grating portion configured to couple out a transmitting light from the optical waveguide system; andwherein the first display die is arranged on a first package, the second display die is arranged on a second package and the third display die is arranged on a third package, and wherein the first package, the second package and the third package are interconnected via a flex-connector; andwherein the first lens, the second lens and the third lens are arranged between the packages and the optical waveguide system, whereby the first lens is configured to collimate the light of first color, the second lens is configured to collimate the light of second color and the third lens is configured to collimate the light of third color, onto the first grating portion of the optical waveguide system.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the first grating portion is configured to couple in the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color to the optical waveguide system, and the second grating portion is configured to couple out the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color from the optical waveguide system.

25. The system according to claim 23, wherein the optical waveguide system comprises at least three separate waveguides corresponding to the light of first color, the light of second color and the light of third color, whereby each separate waveguide comprises a first grating portion and a second grating portion in order to couple in and couple out the respective light.

26. The system according to claim 23, wherein the first display die, the second display die and the third display die are light emitting dies, comprising arrays of microscopic light emitting diodes forming the individual pixel elements.

27. The system according to claim 23, wherein the first display die, the second display die and the third display die comprise a driver circuit array including a plurality of pixel driver circuits, each being coupled to the individual pixel elements.

28. A method for calibrating a display system, which includes a first display die, a second display die, a third display die and a driver circuit array, the method comprising the steps of: optically measuring offsets along at least two axes between the first display die, the second display die and the third display die by applying calibration images;cropping an actual content to be displayed on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die by a scale based on the measured offsets, thereby generating respective modified contents; andoffsetting the modified contents corresponding to the measured offsets.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: optically measuring transversal and rotational offsets between the first display die, the second display die and the third display die; andoffsetting the modified contents corresponding to the measured transversal and rotational offsets.

30. A method for calibrating a display system, which includes a first display die, a second display die, a third display die and a driver circuit array, the method comprising the steps of: estimating a misalignment accuracy for assembling the first display die, the second display die and the third display die with respect to an optical waveguide system;adding additional addressable pixels along the two axes on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die based on the estimated misalignment accuracy;optically measuring offsets along at least two axes between the first display die, the second display die and the third display die by applying calibration images; andshifting an actual content to be displayed on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die corresponding to the measured offsets.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: optically measuring transversal and rotational offsets between the first display die, the second display die and the third display die; andoffsetting the actual content corresponding to the measured transversal and rotational offsets.

32. The method according to claim 30, wherein the method further comprises the step of: modifying the driver circuit array with respect to the additional addressable pixels along the two axes on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die.

33. The method according to claim 30, wherein the method further comprises the step of: controlling the driver circuit array in order to shift the actual content to be displayed on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die corresponding to the measured offsets.

34. The method according to claim 30, wherein the method further comprises the step of: providing power-gating means to the driver circuit array for deactivating at least a column and/or a row of pixels along the two axes on the first display die, the second display die and the third display die.