High Contrast Grayscale and Color Displays

Abstract

A high contrast high resolution display is produced using an image chain comprising a plurality of downstream high resolution modulators. The modulators may be illuminated by a locally dimmed backlight. Polarization control is maintained throughout the image chain via reference and analyzing polarizers combined with non-depolarizing layers. The modulators are grayscale and modulate at the sub-pixel level. A color panel may be maintained for embodiments that require color. Diffusion in the chain is matched to a resolution of the image content carried in the light such that the effects of local dimming and sub-pixel resolution are preserved. Brightness enhancement films may be utilized to enhance brightness and maintain polarization control.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 450,802 filed 9 Mar. 2011, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to High Dynamic Range Displays (HDR), and more particularly to Grayscale HDR displays using dual modulation.DISCUSSION OF BACKGROUND[0003]High Dynamic Range (HDR) displays are generally defined as having a dynamic range of greater than 800 to 1. Recent advances in technology have produced displays claiming contrast ratios of more than 1,000,000 to 1.[0004]Generally speaking, these higher contrast ratio HDR displays utilize local dimming of the backlight that illuminates the LCD panel. An early patent in this area, U.S. Pat. No. 6,891,672, by Whitehead, Ward, Stuerzlinger, and Seetzen entitled “HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE DISPLAY DEVICES” describes the fundamental techniques. Such techniques include illuminating the LCD panel with an approxima...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]The present inventors have realized the need to improve spatially localized contrast in LCD panels and other displays. The displays of the invention are generally produced from multiple modulation layers. The multiple modulation layers may be any of LCD panels, grayscale LCD panels, and RGB color panels without the color filters. The panels without color filters give higher resolutions.

Problems solved by technology

However, commercially available HDR displays have deficiencies in reproducing starfields and other challenging images mainly due to parallax, backlight leakage, and other issues, and artifacts resulting therefrom.

Images