Patent Application
20140198363
This disclosure relates generally to display devices.
Forming bright spots at desired locations in a display plane is a basic function of various types of displays. Common methods of generating such bright spots include pixel switches, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), which allow light emitted by a back light to pass through pixels at desired locations. Some displays, such as organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, are configured to emit light from the display plane. Projection displays project light to form image pixels of a display plane. Although all of these displays can provide satisfactory performance for certain types of applications, it would be desirable to provide novel and improved display devices.
The systems, methods and devices of this disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.
One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in display device that includes a light source system having a first light source configured for producing light of a first color, a light-turning layer; a programmable hologram system and a control system. The programmable hologram system may include a first programmable hologram disposed proximate the light source system and the light-turning layer so as to be capable of forming a first holographic light source image of the first color in the light-turning layer. The control system may be configured to control the programmable hologram system and the light source system to form the first holographic light source image of the first color within the light-turning layer.
In some implementations, the control system may be configured to control the programmable hologram system and the light source system to generate a sequence of holographic point light source images and/or a sequence of holographic line light source images. The control system may be configured to control the programmable hologram system and the light source system to generate a sequence of holographic area light source images within the light-turning layer.
The light source system may include a second light source configured for producing light of a second color and a third light source configured for producing light of a third color. The control system may be further configured to control the first programmable hologram to form a second holographic light source image of the second color within the light-turning layer and to control the first programmable hologram to form third holographic light source image of the third color within the light-turning layer.
The programmable hologram system also may include a second programmable hologram proximate the second light source and the light-turning layer and a third programmable hologram proximate the third light source and the light-turning layer. The control system may be further configured to control the second programmable hologram and the second light source to form a second holographic light source image of the second color within the light-turning layer and to control the third programmable hologram and the third light source to form a third holographic light source image of the third color within the light-turning layer.
In some implementations, the control system may be further configured to form the first, second and third holographic light source images in substantially the same area of the light-turning layer at substantially the same time. The control system may be further configured to form a frame of image data by scanning a sequence of holographic light source images across the light-turning layer. In some implementations, the control system may be further configured to control the first, second and third light sources and the programmable hologram system according to a field-sequential color method.
The light source system also may include a fourth light source configured for producing light of a fourth color. The control system may be further configured to control the first programmable hologram to form fourth holographic light source images of the fourth color within the light-turning layer. The programmable hologram system also may include a second programmable hologram proximate the second light source and the light-turning layer, a third programmable hologram proximate the third light source and the light-turning layer and a fourth programmable hologram proximate the fourth light source and the light-turning layer.
The control system may be further configured to control the second programmable hologram and the second light source to form a second holographic light source image of the second color within the light-turning layer. The control system may be further configured to control the third programmable hologram and the third light source to form a third holographic light source image of the third color within the light-turning layer. The control system may be further configured to control the fourth programmable hologram and the fourth light source to form fourth holographic light source images of the fourth color within the light-turning layer.
In some implementations, the light-turning layer may include a plurality of light-turning elements. The light-turning elements may include facets, frusta, light-scattering dots, or diffractive elements. In some implementations, a light extraction efficiency of the light-turning elements may increase with increasing distance from the first light source.
In some implementations, the display device also may include a memory device that is configured to communicate with the control system. The control system may include a processor that is configured to process image data. The display device also may include an image source module configured to send the image data to the processor. The image source module may include a receiver, a transceiver and/or a transmitter. The display device also may include an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate the input data to the processor.
Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for controlling a display device. The method may involve controlling a programmable hologram system and a light source system to form a first holographic light source image of a first color at a first location of a light-turning layer. The method may involve changing a pattern on the programmable hologram system to form another first holographic light source image of the first color at a second location of the light-turning layer.
The method may involve controlling the programmable hologram system and the light source system to form a second holographic light source image of a second color at the first location of the light-turning layer. The method may involve controlling the programmable hologram system and the light source system to form a third holographic light source image of a third color at the first location of the light-turning layer.
The controlling processes may involve forming the first, second and third holographic light source images at substantially the same time. However, in some implementations the controlling processes may involve forming the first, second and third holographic light source images in a time sequence. For example, the controlling processes involve forming the first, second and third holographic light source images according to a field-sequential color method. The method may involve forming a frame of image data by scanning a sequence of holographic light source images across the light-turning layer.
The controlling processes may involve controlling a first programmable hologram of the programmable hologram system to form the first holographic light source image of the first color, controlling a second programmable hologram of the programmable hologram system to form the second holographic light source image of the second color and controlling a third programmable hologram of the programmable hologram system to form the third holographic light source image of the third color. The method may involve controlling the programmable hologram system and the light source system to form a fourth holographic light source image of a fourth color at the first location of the light-turning layer.
Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium having software coded thereon. The software may include instructions for controlling a display device to control a programmable hologram system and a light source system to form a first holographic light source image of a first color at a first location of a light-turning layer. The software may include instructions for controlling the display device to control the programmable hologram system and the light source system to form a second holographic light source image of a second color at a second location of the light-turning layer. The software may include instructions for controlling the display device to control the programmable hologram system and the light source system to form a third holographic light source image of a third color at a third location of the light-turning layer.
In some implementations, the first, second and third holographic light source images may be first, second and third subpixels of a pixel. The controlling processes may involve forming the first, second and third holographic light source images at substantially the same time. Alternatively, or additionally, the controlling processes may involve forming the first, second and third holographic light source images in a time sequence. For example, the controlling processes may involve forming the first, second and third holographic light source images according to a field-sequential color method.
In some implementations, the software may include instructions for controlling the display device to reproduce a frame of image data by scanning a sequence of holographic light source images across the light-turning layer. In some implementations, the controlling processes may involve controlling a first programmable hologram of the programmable hologram system to form the first holographic light source image of the first color, controlling a second programmable hologram of the programmable hologram system to form the second holographic light source image of the second color and controlling a third programmable hologram of the programmable hologram system to form the third holographic light source image of the third color.
The software also may include instructions for controlling the display device to control the programmable hologram system and the light source system to form a fourth holographic light source image of a fourth color at a fourth location of the light-turning layer. The fourth holographic light source image may be a fourth subpixel of the pixel.
Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings and the claims. Note that the relative dimensions of the following figures may not be drawn to scale.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.
The following description is directed to certain implementations for the purposes of describing the innovative aspects of this disclosure. However, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a multitude of different ways. The described implementations may be implemented in any device, apparatus, or system that can be configured to display an image, whether in motion (such as video) or stationary (such as still images), and whether textual, graphical or pictorial. More particularly, it is contemplated that the described implementations may be included in or associated with a variety of electronic devices such as, but not limited to: mobile telephones, multimedia Internet enabled cellular telephones, mobile television receivers, wireless devices, smartphones, Bluetooth® devices, personal data assistants (PDAs), wireless electronic mail receivers, hand-held or portable computers, netbooks, notebooks, smartbooks, tablets, printers, copiers, scanners, facsimile devices, global positioning system (GPS) receivers/navigators, cameras, digital media players (such as MP3 players), camcorders, game consoles, wrist watches, clocks, calculators, television monitors, flat panel displays, electronic reading devices (e.g., e-readers), computer monitors, auto displays (including odometer and speedometer displays, etc.), cockpit controls and/or displays, camera view displays (such as the display of a rear view camera in a vehicle), electronic photographs, electronic billboards or signs, projectors, architectural structures, microwaves, refrigerators, stereo systems, cassette recorders or players, DVD players, CD players, VCRs, radios, portable memory chips, washers, dryers, washer/dryers, parking meters, packaging (such as in electromechanical systems (EMS) applications including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications, as well as non-EMS applications), aesthetic structures (such as display of images on a piece of jewelry or clothing) and a variety of EMS devices. The teachings herein also can be used in non-display applications such as, but not limited to, electronic switching devices, radio frequency filters, sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, motion-sensing devices, magnetometers, inertial components for consumer electronics, parts of consumer electronics products, varactors, liquid crystal devices, electrophoretic devices, drive schemes, manufacturing processes and electronic test equipment. Thus, the teachings are not intended to be limited to the implementations depicted solely in the Figures, but instead have wide applicability as will be readily apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art.
In some implementations, a display device includes a light source system, a programmable hologram system, a light-turning layer and a control system. A control system may control the programmable hologram system to generate a sequence of holographic images of point light sources. For example, the control system may control the programmable hologram system according to software stored in a non-transitory medium. By scanning a sequence of holographic images of point light sources across the light-turning layer, a frame of image data can be formed.
The light source system may include one or more light sources, which may be disposed near one or more sides of the light-turning layer. The programmable hologram system may include one or more programmable holograms disposed between elements of the light source system and sides of the light-turning layer. In some such implementations, three programmable holograms may be paired with three light sources, e.g., of blue, green and red colors. Other implementations may include light sources of different colors, such as yellow, cyan or magenta. In some such implementations, four programmable holograms may be paired with four light sources, e.g., of blue, green, red and yellow colors.
In some such implementations, a control system may control the programmable hologram system to produce holographic images of point light sources in substantially the same location at substantially the same time. The intensities of the point light source images may be independently modulated to produce desired colors and grayscale at each point.
In alternative implementations, the control system may control the programmable hologram system to produce holographic images of point light sources in multiple locations at substantially the same time. For example, the control system may control the programmable hologram to generate a sequence of holographic images of line or area light sources by producing multiple holographic images of point light sources at substantially the same time. A frame of image data may be formed by scanning the sequence of holographic images of point, line, or area light sources across the light-turning layer. In alternative implementations, the control system may control different programmable holograms of the programmable hologram system to produce holographic images of point light sources in multiple areas of the light-turning layer at substantially the same time.
Particular implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. Instead of a display having thousands or even millions of individually controllable pixels, such as an interferometric modulator (IMOD) or liquid crystal display (LCD) device, various implementations described herein allow for a relatively small number of controllable elements to produce an image over a relatively large display area. Instead, holographic images of point, line or area light sources are formed directly in a light-turning layer, where in some implementations, the light-turning layer is a passive light-turning layer. Accordingly, in some implementations no moving mechanical parts (such as the movable conductive plates of IMODs) are required in the display area, although some relatively small number of active (mechanical or liquid crystal or other) elements may be used in a programmable hologram associated with the display. Moreover, the display devices provided herein may provide more efficient use of light, because light produced by the holographic images formed in the light-turning layer may be viewed directly instead of being reflected from a reflective display or transmitted through a transmissive display. Some display devices provided herein may serve as a mirror, a window, etc., when the devices are switched off.
In some implementations, the light-turning features may be configured to direct light either towards or away from the edges of the light-turning layer. Accordingly, some devices described herein may simultaneously function as light-collection devices, e.g., as cameras configured for acquiring images from light incident on the light-turning layer. Some devices may be configured to function as both display devices and light-collection devices. For example, the same light-turning layer may be used as a display and to acquire image data of, e.g., a person viewing the display.
The light source system 105 may include one or more light sources, which may be disposed near one or more sides of the light-turning layer 115. In some implementations, the light sources may be LEDs. However, performance of the display device 100 may be enhanced if the light from the light source system 105 is substantially collimated and/or coherent. Therefore, the light source system 105 may be configured to produce collimated light for illumination of the programmable hologram system. For example, the light source system 105 may include one or more laser diodes as light sources. Alternatively, or additionally, the light source system 105 may include collimating optics. Furthermore, in some of the various implementations described herein, the coherence length of the light produced by the light source system 105 can be at least equal to the distance from the light source system 105 to the furthest area or boundary of the light-turning layer 115 or the furthest extent of the intended displayable area in the light-turning layer 115.
In some implementations, a single element of the light source system 105 may include light sources for producing light of multiple colors. For example, a single element of the light source system 105 may include light sources for producing light of blue, green and red colors. Alternatively, or additionally, a light source system 105 (or an element thereof) may include light sources for producing light of other colors, such as white, yellow, cyan or magenta. In alternative implementations, a light source light source system 105 may include elements having one or more light sources for producing light of a single color, including, for example, blue, green, red, white, yellow, cyan or magenta colors.
The programmable hologram system 110 may include one or more programmable holograms disposed between elements of the light source system 105 and sides of the light-turning layer 115. Some implementations include multiple programmable holograms, each programmable hologram being disposed on a different side of the light-turning layer 115, as illustrated in
For example, three programmable holograms may be paired with three elements of the light source system 105 or four programmable holograms may be paired with four elements of the light source system 105. Each element of the light source system 105 may include light sources configured for producing light of a single color, such as blue, green, red, yellow, cyan, magenta, white or another color.
In some implementations, the programmable hologram(s) of the programmable hologram system 110 may include one or more acousto-optic modulators (AOMs), LCDs, IMODs or other devices that may be programmed to form a hologram. Some implementations of the programmable hologram system 110 may include transparent-to-opaque IMODs that are substantially transparent in one state and substantially opaque in another state. Alternative implementations of the programmable hologram system 110 may include an AOM, for example, that uses the acousto-optic effect to diffract and/or shift the frequency of light using sound waves. The acousto-optic effect is a type of photoelasticity, wherein a change of a material's permittivity is caused by a mechanical strain. The acousto-optic effect may be caused by strains resulting from an acoustic wave that has been produced within a substantially transparent medium, thereby causing a variation of the medium's refractive index.
Some substantially transparent materials displaying the acousto-optic effect (AOM materials) include fused silica, lithium niobate, arsenic trisulfide, tellurium dioxide and tellurite glasses, lead silicate, Ge55As12S33, mercury(I) chloride, lead(II) bromide, and other materials. In some AOMs, a variation of the medium's refractive index may be induced by a strain resulting from the piezoelectric effect. For example, the piezoelectric effect may be caused by applying a voltage difference across the substantially transparent medium or across an adjacent piezoelectric material. In some such implementations, a piezoelectric transducer may be attached to a substantially transparent AOM material. An oscillating electric signal (e.g., controlled by the control system 120) may drive the transducer to vibrate, thereby creating compressional waves in the AOM material. Alternatively, the programmable hologram system 110 can include an LCD or transparent to opaque interferometric modulator array that can programmably create a pattern of opaque and transparent regions thereby forming a diffraction grating or pattern through which light from the light source system 105 passes.
The control system 120 may, for example, include at least one of a general purpose single- or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or combinations thereof. The control system 120 may be configured to control the operations of the display device 100. For example, the control system 120 may be configured to control the light source system 105 and the programmable hologram system 110 according to software stored in a non-transitory medium.
In some implementations of an AOM-based programmable hologram system 110, the control system 120 may be configured to control the variation of a substantially transparent AOM material's refractive index caused by the acousto-optic effect to produce a programmable diffraction grating or hologram in an AOM. Light from the light source system 105 may pass through the substantially transparent AOM material, interact with the programmable hologram and form one or more holographic light source images within the light-turning layer 115. As described below, the holographic light source images may be holographic point light source images, holographic line light source images or holographic area light source images.
In this example, the programmable hologram system 110 includes a single programmable hologram disposed between the light source system 105 and the light-turning layer 115. Light from the light source system 105 may interact with the programmable hologram system 110 and form one or more holographic light source images within the light-turning layer 115. The black lines shown in the programmable hologram system 110 may represent, for example, fluctuations in the index of refraction across an AOM. Alternatively, the black lines may represent a pattern of transparent and opaque regions of an LCD or transparent-to-opaque IMOD array. The light-turning layer 155 may be configured to turn the light of the holographic images toward a viewer, as described further below with reference to
In the example shown in
A control system (such as the control system 120 shown in
For example, in some implementations the control system may be configured to control the light source system 105 and the programmable hologram system 110 to generate a sequence of holographic images of point light sources at locations 2101 through 210N within the light-turning layer 115, to form a column 215 of holographic images of point light sources. The column 215 may correspond to a column of virtual pixels or subpixels of the display 100a. The virtual pixels or subpixels are not physical components of the display device 100a, but instead correspond to holographic images. The column 215 may be one of a plurality of columns of pixels or subpixels that are sequentially formed on the display 100a. After all of the columns of pixels or subpixels have been formed, a frame of image data will have been reproduced on the display 100a.
As noted above, in some implementations the programmable hologram system 110 may include an AOM. The programmable diffraction grating or hologram in an AOM moves with a velocity equal to that of the speed of sound in the AOM material. Therefore, AOMs can change their configuration very rapidly, e.g., on the order of 105 times per second. Such rapid changes in configuration can allow a large number of holographic images of point light sources to be scanned across the light-turning layer 115 within the time normally taken to write a frame of image data (currently on the order of 1/24 of second).
In some implementations, each of the locations 210 may correspond to a display pixel. Accordingly, multiple holographic images of point light sources may be formed at each of the locations 2101 through 210N, each of the images having a different color. One such example will now be described with reference to
In optional block 310, a first holographic light source image of a second color is formed at an Nth location of the light-turning layer. In some implementations, a programmable hologram system and a light source system may be controlled to form a second holographic light source image of a second color at the first location of the light-turning layer. The second color may be different from the first color. In some implementations, the same instances of the programmable hologram system and the light source system may be used to form the first and second holographic point light source images. For example, referring again to
In optional block 315, a first holographic light source image of a third color is formed at an Nth location of the light-turning layer. In some implementations, a programmable hologram system and a light source system may be controlled to form a third holographic light source image of a third color at the first location of the light-turning layer. The third color may be different from the first color and the second color.
In some implementations, method 300 may involve forming additional holographic point light source images of additional colors at the first location. For example, in optional block 320, a first holographic light source image of a fourth color is formed at an Nth location of the light-turning layer. In some implementations, a programmable hologram system and a light source system may be controlled to form a fourth holographic light source image of a fourth color at the first location of the light-turning layer. The fourth color may be different from the first, second and third colors. Some implementations may involve forming five or more holographic point light source images of five or more colors at the first location.
The method 300 may involve independently modulating the intensities of the point light source images to produce desired colors and/or grayscale levels at each location. In some implementations, the colors and/or grayscale levels at each location may be modulated according to a field-sequential color method. For example, if the desired color at a location is orange, a red light source, a yellow light source and one or more programmable holograms may be controlled to form red and yellow holographic point light source images of a desired intensity at the first location.
In this example, after all of the holographic point light source images of all colors have been formed at the first location, a first pixel of image data has been written to a display device. In block 325, it may be determined whether the method 300 will continue. If the control system receives an indication (such as input from a user input system) that the method 300 should end, the method 300 proceeds to block 330 and terminates in this example.
Otherwise, the method 300 proceeds to block 328, wherein a new location may be selected to form one or more holographic images. In this example, N is incremented to N+1 in block 328, so that the one or more holographic images are formed in a different location from the original Nth location. The method 300 may revert to block 305, wherein a first holographic light source image of a first color may be formed at the new Nth location of the light-turning film. For example, the control system may be configured to control the light source system and the programmable hologram system to form another holographic point light source image of the first color at a second location within the light-turning layer. The second location may or may not be adjacent to the first location, according to the particular implementation. Referring to
The process may continue until all pixels of a frame of image data have been reproduced on the display device. Additional frames of image data may be reproduced on the display device in a similar fashion.
In alternative implementations, different instances of the programmable hologram system and the light source system may be used to form holographic point light source images of different colors at substantially the same location. One such implementation will now be described with reference to
In some implementations, as shown in
In this example, at substantially the same time, the control system is controlling the light source element 105b to illuminate the programmable hologram 110b with a second color of light to produce the light rays 205b, which converge to form a second holographic image of a point light source of the second color at the location 210. At substantially the same time, the light source element 105c and the programmable hologram 110c produce the light rays 205c, which converge to form a third holographic image of a point light source of a third color at the location 210. Similarly, the light source element 105d and the programmable hologram 110d produce the light rays 205d, which converge to form a fourth holographic image of a point light source of a fourth color at the location 210.
As shown in
For example, in some implementations, such as a video implementation, may call for a relatively large number of holographic images of point light sources to be formed within the time allotted for one frame of image data to be written. If we assume, by way of example, that the area of each location 210 is approximately one millimeter squared, a display having an active area of 6 cm by 10 cm would require holographic images of point light sources to be formed in approximately 6000 of the locations 210 during the time that a frame of image data is written to the display. (An actual display may have a greater or smaller active area.) If we also assume that 24 frames of image data are written each second, this means that 24 holographic images of point light sources of each color would formed in each of the locations 210 during each second, for a total of approximately 144,000 holographic images of point light sources of each color, per second. If holographic images of point light sources of each color are being provided simultaneously by a plurality of light source element and programmable holograms, this would mean that the configuration of the programmable holograms would change approximately 144,000 times per second and that the corresponding light source elements would flash approximately 144,000 times per second. If the display includes fewer programmable holograms and/or light source elements, still more rapid flashing and/or programmable hologram configuration changes may be required.
In alternative implementations, each of the locations 210 may correspond to a subpixel of image data. Accordingly, holographic images of point light sources may be formed at each of the locations 2101 through 210N, each of the images having a different color and corresponding to a subpixel. Groups of 3, 4 or more images of different colors may be formed in nearby locations 210, collectively forming a pixel of image data. Some such implementations will now be described with reference to
Block 510 of
Block 515 of
In optional block 520, a fourth holographic light source image of a fourth color is formed at a fourth location of a light-turning film. The fourth location may be proximate the first, second and third locations. For example, block 520 may involve controlling a programmable hologram system and a light source system to form a fourth holographic light source image of a fourth color at a fourth location of the light-turning layer. As shown in
The locations 210a, 210b, 210c and 210d are adjacent locations in this example. Moreover, in this example each of the holographic images of point light sources has a different color and corresponds to a different subpixel. Collectively, the holographic images at the locations 210a, 210b, 210c and 210d form a pixel 400 of image data. In this example, the holographic images are formed at the locations 210a, 210b, 210c and 210d at substantially the same time. In other words, the processes of blocks 505-520 of
However, in alternative implementations, the light source elements 105a-105d and the programmable holograms 110a-110d may form holographic images of point light sources of first through fourth colors at locations 210a-210d in a sequence, instead of substantially at the same time. In some alternative implementations, the pixel 400 may include more or fewer subpixels.
In block 525 of
In yet other alternative implementations, a control system may control a programmable hologram system and a light source system to generate a sequence of holographic images of line or area light sources. A frame of image data may be formed by scanning the sequence of holographic images of line or area light sources across the light-turning layer.
Similarly, in order to produce the holographic line light source image 610, the programmable hologram system 110 superimposes the patterns required to produce holographic point light source images at each of the locations 2101 through 210N. When illuminated by light from the light source system 105, holographic point light source images are formed at each of the locations 2101 through 210N at substantially the same time, forming the holographic line light source image 610. A frame of image data may be formed on the display device 100a by generating a sequence of the holographic line light source images 610.
In alternative implementations, the display device 100c may include more or fewer light source elements and programmable holograms. For example, the light source elements and programmable holograms may be disposed on one side, three sides or four sides of the light-turning layer 115. In some implementations, there may be a separate light source element/programmable hologram pair for each of the areas 615. The light source elements and programmable holograms may be configured to generate a sequence of holographic light source images in more or fewer areas 615. Moreover, the light source elements and programmable holograms may be configured to generate a sequence of holographic line light source images and/or holographic area light source images in the areas 615.
Various configurations of programmable hologram systems 110, light-turning layers 115 and other elements may be used to implement the above-described methods and devices. Some examples will now be described with reference to
The light-turning elements 700 may have various configurations, depending on the particular implementation. For example, the light-turning elements 700 may be facets, dots, holographic light-turning features, etc. The light-turning elements 700 may or may not be continuous in the plane perpendicular to
Here, the light-turning elements 700 are formed as polygons having a base width 715a and a narrower top width 715b. In some implementations, the base width 715a may be in the range of 1 to 50 microns, for example, approximately 25 microns, and the top width 715b may be in the range of 1 to 25 microns, for example, approximately 12 microns. The light-turning elements 700 may have a height 720 in the range of 1-20 microns, for example, approximately 10 microns. However, in other implementations the light-turning elements 700 may have different shapes and/or sizes.
The resolution of the display devices 100 generally corresponds to the size of the holographic point light source images: the smaller the images, the higher the resolution. In various implementations, at least two factors may affect the size of the holographic light source images and therefore the resolution of the display devices 100. One factor is the resolution of the programmable hologram system 110, for example, the size of the compression waves for an AOM or the resolution of an LCD array. The other factor is the size of the light turning feature. Relatively larger light turning features in the light-turning layer (and/or lower resolution programmable holograms) may result in larger virtual pixels and lower resolution, whereas relatively smaller light turning features (and/or higher resolution programmable holograms) in the light-turning layer may result in smaller virtual pixels and higher resolution.
In this implementation, the light-turning layer 115 may have a thickness 725 in the range of 50 to 500 microns, for example, approximately 300 microns. Although such light-turning layers 115 may provide satisfactory performance, they have potential disadvantages. In the example shown in
Some implementations of the display device 100 may include a dark background (for example, a black background) disposed behind the light-turning layer, from the perspective of an observer. One such example is the dark background 750 of
Some implementations provided herein can substantially alleviate such problems.
However, the display device 100c includes a light source system 105, a programmable hologram system 110 and a light-turning layer 115 that are substantially thicker than those of the implementation shown in
The configuration shown in
The device 40 includes a housing 41, a display device 100, an antenna 43, a speaker 45, an input device 48 and a microphone 46. The housing 41 can be formed from any of a variety of manufacturing processes, including injection molding, and vacuum forming. In addition, the housing 41 may be made from any of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to: plastic, metal, glass, rubber and ceramic, or a combination thereof. The housing 41 can include removable portions (not shown) that may be interchanged with other removable portions of different color, or containing different logos, pictures, or symbols.
The display device 100 may be substantially similar to any of the programmable hologram-based display devices described herein. Accordingly, the display device 100 may include a light source system, a programmable hologram system and a light-turning layer, although these elements are not shown in
The components of the device 40 are schematically illustrated in
The network interface 27 includes the antenna 43 and the transceiver 47 so that the device 40 can communicate with one or more devices over a network. The network interface 27 also may have some processing capabilities to relieve, for example, data processing requirements of the processor 21. The antenna 43 can transmit and receive signals. In some implementations, the antenna 43 transmits and receives RF signals according to the IEEE 16.11 standard, including IEEE 16.11(a), (b), or (g), or the IEEE 802.11 standard, including IEEE 802.11a, b, g, n, and further implementations thereof. In some other implementations, the antenna 43 transmits and receives RF signals according to the Bluetooth® standard. In the case of a cellular telephone, the antenna 43 can be designed to receive code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), GSM/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), AMPS, or other known signals that are used to communicate within a wireless network, such as a system utilizing 3G, 4G or 5G technology. The transceiver 47 can pre-process the signals received from the antenna 43 so that they may be received by and further manipulated by the processor 21. The transceiver 47 also can process signals received from the processor 21 so that they may be transmitted from the device 40 via the antenna 43.
In some implementations, the transceiver 47 can be replaced by a receiver. In addition, in some implementations, the network interface 27 can be replaced by an image source, which can store or generate image data to be sent to the processor 21. The processor 21 can control the overall operation of the device 40. The processor 21 receives data, such as compressed image data from the network interface 27 or an image source, and processes the data into raw image data or into a format that can be readily processed into raw image data. The processor 21 can send the processed data to the driver controller 29 or to the frame buffer 28 for storage. Raw data typically refers to the information that identifies the image characteristics at each location within an image. For example, such image characteristics can include color, saturation and gray-scale level.
The processor 21 can include a microcontroller, CPU, or logic unit to control operation of the device 40. The conditioning hardware 52 may include amplifiers and filters for transmitting signals to the speaker 45, and for receiving signals from the microphone 46. The conditioning hardware 52 may be discrete components within the device 40, or may be incorporated within the processor 21 or other components.
The driver controller 29 can take the raw image data generated by the processor 21 either directly from the processor 21 or from the frame buffer 28 and can re-format the raw image data appropriately for high speed transmission to the array driver 22. In some implementations, the driver controller 29 can re-format the raw image data into a data flow having a raster-like format, such that it has a time order suitable for scanning across the display device 100. Then the driver controller 29 sends the formatted information to the array driver 22. Although a driver controller 29, such as an LCD controller, is often associated with the system processor 21 as a stand-alone Integrated Circuit (IC), such controllers may be implemented in many ways. For example, controllers may be embedded in the processor 21 as hardware, embedded in the processor 21 as software, or fully integrated in hardware with the array driver 22.
The array driver 22 can receive the formatted information from the driver controller 29 and can re-format the video data into a parallel set of waveforms that are applied many times per second to the hundreds, and sometimes thousands (or more), of leads coming from the display's x-y matrix of display elements.
In some implementations, the processor 21, the driver controller 29 and/or the array driver 22 may be configured for controlling the types of display devices described herein. For example, the processor 21, the driver controller 29, and/or the array driver 22 may be configured to control a light source system and a programmable hologram system to form holographic light source images within a light-turning layer.
In some implementations, the input device 48 can be configured to allow, for example, a user to control the operation of the device 40. The input device 48 can include a keypad, such as a QWERTY keyboard or a telephone keypad, a button, a switch, a rocker, a touch-sensitive screen, a touch-sensitive screen integrated with the display device 100, or a pressure- or heat-sensitive membrane. The microphone 46 can be configured as an input device for the device 40. In some implementations, voice commands through the microphone 46 can be used for controlling operations of the device 40.
The power supply 50 can include a variety of energy storage devices. For example, the power supply 50 can be a rechargeable battery, such as a nickel-cadmium battery or a lithium-ion battery. In implementations using a rechargeable battery, the rechargeable battery may be chargeable using power coming from, for example, a wall socket or a photovoltaic device or array. Alternatively, the rechargeable battery can be wirelessly chargeable. The power supply 50 also can be a renewable energy source, a capacitor, or a solar cell, including a plastic solar cell or solar-cell paint. The power supply 50 also can be configured to receive power from a wall outlet.
In some implementations, control programmability resides in the driver controller 29 which can be located in several places in the electronic display system. In some other implementations, control programmability resides in the array driver 22. The above-described optimization may be implemented in any number of hardware and/or software components and in various configurations.
As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c.
The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, circuits and algorithm steps described in connection with the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been described generally, in terms of functionality, and illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps described above. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.
The hardware and data processing apparatus used to implement the various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose single- or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or, any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor also may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some implementations, particular steps and methods may be performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function.
In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents thereof, or in any combination thereof. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification also can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions, encoded on a computer storage media for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.
If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be implemented in a processor-executable software module which may reside on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that can be enabled to transfer a computer program from one place to another. Storage media may be any available media that may be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection can be properly termed a computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above also may be included within the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and instructions on a machine readable medium and computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.
Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles and the novel features disclosed herein. Additionally, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate, terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “row,” “column,” etc., are sometimes used for ease of describing the figures, and indicate relative positions corresponding to the orientation of the figure on a properly oriented page, and may not reflect the proper orientation of, e.g., a display element as implemented.
Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate implementations also can be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation also can be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Further, the drawings may schematically depict one more example processes in the form of a flow diagram. However, other operations that are not depicted can be incorporated in the example processes that are schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or between any of the illustrated operations. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results.
