Image display apparatus

Abstract

An image display apparatus is provided to improve display characteristics, the apparatus including a prism and a pixel section on one side of the prism. The pixel section includes a reflective electrode and dielectrics disposed at a predetermined distance from the reflective electrode. The dielectrics are in contact with the reflective electrode if voltage is applied, and the effective refractive index changes according to the image signal. The effective refractive index of the section of the reflective electrode in contact with the dielectrics changes, and accordingly, the reflectivity of the reflective electrode changes corresponding to the image signal. The pixel section is able to regulate the surface plasmon resonance by regulating the reflective electrode, and is able to display the black state using the surface plasmon resonance. The image display apparatus provides improved contrast ratio by preventing color leaks from arising in the black state, and thus, improve display characteristics.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aspects of the present invention will be made clearer by explaining in detail the exemplary embodiments, making reference to the attached drawings. The attached drawings are as follows:

FIG. 1 is a plane view illustrating an image display apparatus in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the prism and pixel section displayed in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an expanded sectional view illustrating the pixel section displayed in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a plane view illustrating the rear of the pixel section displayed in FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the reflectivity of the incident light according to the thickness of the metal film,

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the reflectivity of the incident light according to the dielectric effective refractive index,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating a different exemplary embodiment of the pixel section displayed in FIG. 1,

FIG. 8 is a plane view illustrating an image display apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 9 is a plane view of the rear of the pixel section shown in FIG. 8,

FIG. 10 is a plane view illustrating an image display apparatus according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 11 is a sectional view cut along line I-I′ in FIG. 10,

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating the image display apparatus shown in FIG. 10, and

FIG. 13 is a sectional view illustrating a different exemplary embodiment of the light controller in FIG. 11.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus comprising: a light supplier which emits light;a prism which receives the light emitted by the light supplier and bends a path of the light;a pixel section which comprises a reflective electrode disposed on one surface of the prism to reflect a beam of light received from the prism, and at least one dielectric disposed at a predetermined distance from the reflective electrode and varying in effective refractive index according to a voltage applied to regulate a light reflectivity of the reflective electrode; anda power source module which is electrically connected to the dielectrics, and which regulates the voltage applied to the at least one dielectric to regulate the effective refractive index of the at least one dielectric according to an image signal.

2. An image display apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the reflective electrode is divided into a plurality of pixel areas,the at least one dielectric comprises a plurality of dielectrics, andthe plurality of dielectrics are isolated from each of the plurality of the pixel areas to regulate a reflectivity of the reflective electrode separately for each of the plurality of the pixel areas.

3. An image display apparatus as in claim 2, wherein the pixel section further comprises a isolation part which defines the plurality of pixel areas of the reflective electrode and which is disposed at a predetermined distance from the reflective electrode.

4. An image display apparatus as in claim 3, wherein edges of each of the plurality of dielectrics are disposed on the isolation part.

5. An image display apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the at least one dielectric is in contact with the reflective electrode if the voltage is applied, and the at least one dielectric is separated from the reflective electrode if the voltage is cut off.

6. An image display apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the pixel section further comprises a voltage regulating member which regulates the dielectric constant of the at least one dielectric corresponding to the voltage from the power source module to regulate a reflectivity of a light received from the prism according to a gradation value corresponding to the image signal.

7. An image display apparatus as in claim 6, wherein the voltage regulating member comprises an electrooptical member in which the refractive index varies according to the voltage applied.

8. An image display apparatus as in claim 6, wherein the power source module is electrically connected to the voltage regulating member, and controls the voltage applied to the voltage regulating member.

9. An image display apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the light supplier emits a red beam of light, a green beam of light and a blue beam of light.

10. An image display apparatus as in claim 9, wherein angles at which the red, the green and the blue light beams enter the prism are each different.

11. An image display apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the prism comprises: an incident surface which faces the light supplier, and through which the light emitted by the light supplier enters;a reflective surface disposed on top of the reflective electrode, which provides light that has entered through the incident surface to the reflective electrode, and which receives light that has been reflected by the reflective electrode; andan exit surface which emits light received from the reflective surface.

12. An image display apparatus as in claim 11, further comprising a polarizing member which is interposed between the incident surface and the light supplier, and polarizes the light emitted from the light supplier and provides the polarized light to the incident surface of the prism.

13. An image display apparatus as in claim 11, further comprising a lens which recombines the light emitted from the prism and emits a combined light.

14. An image display apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the reflective electrode is formed of metal film.

15. An image display apparatus comprising: a light supplier, which emits light;a prism, which bends a path of a light received from the light supplier, and emits a deflected light beam;a pixel section which comprises a reflective array disposed as a matrix on one side of the prism, to reflect the light received from the prism, and an electrooptical member, disposed on one side of the reflective array, wherein the effective refractive index varies according to the voltage applied to regulate the light reflectivity of the reflective array; anda power source module electrically connected to the electrooptical member, and regulating the voltage applied to the electrooptical member in order to regulate the refractive index of the electrooptical member according to the image signal.

16. An image display apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the reflective array comprises a plurality of reflective electrodes disposed at predetermined intervals, and the electrooptical members are disposed facing each reflective electrode.

17. An image display apparatus as in claim 16, wherein the light supplier emits a red beam of light, a green beam of light and a blue beam of light.

18. An image display apparatus comprising: a light supplier which emits light;an optical waveguide panel which guides the light emitted by the light supplier;a display which is divided into a plurality of pixel areas in a matrix and which displays an image using a light received from the optical waveguide panel;a light controller which switches the light emitted by the light supplier inside the optical waveguide panel on or off for each line, so that the light emitted by the optical waveguide panel may be regulated separately for each line of the plurality of pixel areas; anda scanner which receives light from the optical waveguide panel and scans the plurality of pixel areas on the display row by row.

19. An image display apparatus as in claim 18, wherein the light controller comprises: a reflective electrode disposed on one side of the optical waveguide panel, which reflects light inside the optical waveguide panel; andat least one dielectric which is disposed at a predetermined distance from the reflective electrode, and is formed facing lines of the plurality of pixel areas; and effective refractive index of the at least one dielectric corresponds to a voltage applied from an external source to regulate the light provided to each of the plurality of pixel areas of each line by regulating light reflectivity of the reflective electrode.

20. An image display apparatus as in claim 19, wherein the light controller is disposed on one surface of the at least one dielectric, and wherein the light controller further comprises an electrooptical member which regulates a dielectric constant of the at least one dielectric according to the voltage applied from the external source to regulate the light reflectivity of the reflective electrode corresponding to a gradation value of pixels corresponding to the dielectric.

21. An image display apparatus as in claim 19, wherein the at least one dielectric comprises a plurality of dielectrics, and the light reflectivity of the reflective electrode is regulated according to the areas corresponding to each of the plurality of dielectrics.

22. An image display apparatus as in claim 18, wherein the light controller comprises: at least one reflective electrode which is disposed on one surface of the optical waveguide panel, and which reflects light inside the optical waveguide panel; andan electrooptical member which is disposed on one side of the at least one reflective electrode facing the reflective electrodes, wherein the refractive index corresponding to the voltage applied varies to regulate a reflectivity of the at least one reflective electrode.

23. An image display apparatus as in claim 22, wherein the at least one reflective electrode comprises a plurality of reflective electrodes, and each of the plurality of reflective electrodes corresponds to each row of the plurality of pixel areas.

24. An image display apparatus as in claim 18, further comprising at least one diffraction grid which is disposed on one side of the optical waveguide panel, and which guides the light emitted from the light supplier and provide the light emitted from the light supplier to the optical waveguide panel.

25. An image display apparatus as in claim 24, wherein the light supplier emits a red beam of light, a green beam of light and a blue beam of light.

26. An image display apparatus as in claim 25, wherein the at least one diffraction grid comprises a plurality of diffraction grids and the plurality of diffraction grids corresponds to a color of light beams emitted by the light supplier, and the plurality of diffraction grids are disposed at predetermined intervals.