Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130322058 | MICROELECTROMECHANICAL DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING - A display apparatus includes a backlight and an aperture layer that is positioned in front of the backlight and defines a plurality of apertures. The display apparatus also includes a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) light modulator configured to modulate light emitted by the backlight passing through the apertures to form an image on the display apparatus. The MEMS light modulator includes a shutter that has a light blocking portion having an aperture layer-facing surface and a front-facing surface and at least one depression formed in the light blocking portion. The width of the at least one depression accounts for at least 50% but less than 100% of a distance separating two edges of the shutter. | 12-05-2013 |
20140043370 | THREE DIMENSIONAL (3D) IMAGE GENERATION USING ELECTROMECHANICAL DISPLAY ELEMENTS - An apparatus for displaying three-dimensional (3D) images includes an array of display elements and a controller. The controller can control a set of display elements in the array to form, at a first time, a first eye image corresponding to input data by causing the light modulators to be driven into a first set of positions. The first eye image includes an angular distribution of light weighted towards a first side of the display. The controller also can control the same set of display elements to form, at a second time, a second eye image corresponding to input data by causing the light modulators to be driven into a second set of positions. The second eye image includes an angular distribution of light weighted towards an opposite side of the display. | 02-13-2014 |
20140132649 | SUBFRAME CONTROLLING CIRCUITS AND METHODS FOR FIELD SEQUENTIAL TYPE DIGITAL DISPLAY APPARATUS - This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for improving image quality of images displayed by a display apparatus. In one aspect, an apparatus for display images includes a plurality of pixels having at least two display elements configured to be controlled by a common data signal. The apparatus also includes a control matrix having, or each pixel, a single data interconnect that is configured to provide a data voltage. The control matrix also includes, for a set of pixels, an area modulation control logic for selecting a number of display elements included in each pixel of the set of pixels to respond to the corresponding data voltage provided by the data interconnect. The control matrix also includes at least one area modulation control interconnect for controlling the area modulation control logic. | 05-15-2014 |
20140168278 | DISPLAY WITH LIGHT MODULATING PIXELS ORGANIZED IN OFF-AXIS ARRANGEMENT - Displays having a plurality of shutter assemblies with movable shutters. Typically, the shutter assemblies are arranged in a grid of rows and columns, and the grid has a horizontal axis aligned with a horizontal axis of the display. The shutter assembly is aligned within the grid to have the axis of motion of respective shutters extend at an angle relative to the horizontal axis of the grid. In certain implementations, the shutter assemblies have a rectangular peripheral edge, and are arranged in the grid to have the square peripheral edge disposed at an angle relative to the horizontal axis of the grid. This can arrange the shutter assemblies into a diamond layout within the grid and place the shutter assemblies of adjacent columns into spatially offset rows of the grid. In some implementations, this increases the pixels per inch of the display, in other implementations, increases the aperture ratio. | 06-19-2014 |
20140176570 | INTERFEROMETRIC LIGHT ABSORBING STRUCTURE FOR DISPLAY APPARATUS - This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus related to light absorbing structures. In one aspect, a light absorbing structure has a metal layer and a semiconductor layer in contact with the metal layer. Each layer has a thickness up to about 50 nm. The metal layer can include at least one of titanium (Ti), molybdenum (Mo), and aluminum (Al). The semiconductor layer can include a layer of amorphous silicon (a-Si). The light absorbing structure can be included in a display apparatus having a substrate supporting an array of display elements. The light absorbing structure can include a dielectric layer in contact with the metal layer and a thick metal layer in contact with the semiconductor layer. In another aspect, a light absorbing structure has a metal layer and an ITO layer in contact with the metal layer. The thickness of the ITO layer can be less than about 100 nm. | 06-26-2014 |
20140204096 | ASYMMETRIC OVERLAP AND SUSPENDED SHUTTER STRUCTURE - Systems and methods for displays that have a moveable shutter formed on a substrate having an aperture. The shutter, in at least one position, is asymmetrically aligned over the aperture. The asymmetric alignment provides an overlap between shutter and the substrate on one side of the aperture that is larger than an overlap between the shutter and the substrate on another side of the aperture. Typically, the larger overlap increases the ability of the shutter to reduce light passing through though the aperture when then shutter is the in the at least one position. | 07-24-2014 |
20140204097 | ASYMMETRIC TRAVEL FOR MEMS LIGHT MODULATOR - Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided for increasing the aperture ratio of a display by increasing the total travel distance of respective light modulating bodies in a display while maintaining fast switching speeds. Increasing the total travel distance allows for a larger aperture ratio in a display, which provides greater power savings and increased display brightness. The total travel distance of a light modulating body includes the distance the body travels from an open position to a closed position, and vice-versa. In one example, the travel distance of a light modulating body (e.g., any of the light modulators as described above) is asymmetric: from a neutral position, the body travels a greater distance in a first direction than in a second direction. | 07-24-2014 |
20140218374 | Display Apparatus Incorporating Multi-Level Shutters - This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for providing multi-level multi-state shutter assemblies. The shutter assembly includes at least a first shutter at a first height over a substrate and a second shutter at a second height over the substrate. Both the first shutter and the second shutter can be operated in an open or closed state for passing or partially blocking light propagating through an aperture. In some implementations, the shutter assembly can operate in four states: a fully transmissive state, a fully obstructive state and two partially transmissive states based on the open or closed states of the first and second shutters. | 08-07-2014 |
20140268273 | INTEGRATED ELEVATED APERTURE LAYER AND DISPLAY APPARATUS - This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for displaying images. One such apparatus includes a substrate, an elevated aperture layer (EAL) defining a plurality of apertures formed therethrough, a plurality of anchors for supporting the EAL over the substrate and a plurality of display elements positioned between the substrate and the EAL. Each of the display elements may correspond to at least one respective aperture of the plurality of apertures defined by the EAL. Each display element also includes a movable portion supported over the substrate by a corresponding anchor supporting the EAL over the substrate. In some implementations, one or more light dispersion elements may be disposed in optical paths passing through the apertures defined by the EAL. | 09-18-2014 |
20140327948 | DISPLAY ELEMENTS INCORPORATING ASYMMETRIC APERTURES - This, disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for improving the angular light distribution of a display apparatus. Smaller shutter-based display apparatus that modulate light passing through at least two apertures in an aperture or light blocking layer can provide similar viewing angle characteristics as larger shutter-based modulators by disproportionately reducing the width of a subset of the at least two apertures in relation to the remainder of the apertures. As the width of such apertures is one of the primary determinants of viewing angle, allowing a greater percentage of the light throughput of a shutter assembly to pass through wider apertures helps maintain a wider viewing angle for the display. | 11-06-2014 |
20140333598 | Display Apparatus Incorporating Varying Threshold Voltage Transistors - This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for controlling pixels of a display apparatus. An apparatus including a plurality of pixels can be controlled by a control matrix. The control matrix includes for each pixel a first transistor that has a first threshold voltage and a second transistor that has a second threshold voltage. A single data interconnect provides a common data voltage to the first and second transistors to control the states of corresponding first and second light modulators. | 11-13-2014 |
20140362092 | LIGHT EMITTING DIODE (LED) BACKLIGHT WITH REDUCED HOTSPOT FORMATION - This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for reducing hotspots in backlit displays. Hotspot artifacts in multi-color backlit displays can be reduced by incorporating optical structures along the edges of light guides incorporated into the backlights. The optical structures are positioned adjacent to light emitting modules that emit light into the light guide. Light emitted from the light emitting modules passes through the optical structures before entering the light guide. Hotspot size can be reduced by appropriately configuring the shapes and sizes of these optical structures. In some implementations, the optical structures may include serrations along the side of the light guide adjacent to the light sources. In some other implementations, the optical structures may include dimples. Size of hotspots may also be reduced by reducing the distance between adjacent light sources of the same color. | 12-11-2014 |
20140375538 | DISPLAY APPARATUS INCORPORATING CONSTRAINED LIGHT ABSORBING LAYERS - This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for modulating light for a display. The system includes a light blocking layer including a reflective layer and a light absorbing layer. The light blocking layer is configured such that any conductive components therein underlie or cover less than a majority of the circuitry controlling the display elements incorporated into the display. | 12-25-2014 |