Display device

Abstract

This application relates to a display device, which includes a backlight assembly, a first light source, a waveguide assembly, at least one first grating, at least one second grating, and a second light source. The first light source is located on the backlight assembly. The waveguide assembly is located on the first light source. The first grating is located within the waveguide assembly. The second grating is located within the waveguide assembly. The second light source is located on one side of the waveguide assembly, wherein the second light source overlaps with the waveguide assembly in the horizontal direction, and the first and second gratings are configured to control the light emission of the second light source. Because the display device has a first light source and a second light source, and the first and second gratings within the waveguide assembly control the light emission of the second light source, in privacy mode, only the first light source can be activated, resulting in a viewing angle of only about 45 degrees. In sharing mode, both the first and second light sources can be activated simultaneously, allowing the light emitted by the two light sources to complement each other, resulting in a viewing angle of about 70 degrees.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of displays, and more particularly to a display device. Background Technology

[0002] Most modern monitors offer wide viewing angles, meaning information on the screen can be viewed within a certain range. Therefore, to meet user needs, privacy monitors have become a mainstream product. A privacy monitor is a monitor with a narrow viewing angle; once the viewing angle exceeds a certain value, the information on the screen cannot be seen.

[0003] However, most current privacy monitors use a light control film (LCF) attached to a standard wide-viewing-angle monitor to control the angle of light emitted from the monitor. Therefore, most mainstream privacy monitors cannot switch to sharing mode as needed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One aspect of this application is a display device.

[0005] According to some embodiments of this application, a display device includes: a backlight assembly, a first light source, a waveguide assembly, at least one first grating, at least one second grating, and a second light source. The first light source is located on the backlight assembly. The waveguide assembly is located on the first light source. The first grating is located within the waveguide assembly. The second grating is located within the waveguide assembly. The second light source is located on one side of the waveguide assembly, wherein the second light source overlaps with the waveguide assembly in the horizontal direction, and the first grating and the second grating are configured to control light emission from the second light source.

[0006] In one embodiment of this application, the slit width of the first grating is smaller than the slit width of the second grating.

[0007] In one embodiment of this application, the first grating and the second grating are disposed on the bottom surface of the waveguide assembly.

[0008] In one embodiment of this application, there are multiple first gratings and second gratings, and the first gratings and second gratings are alternately arranged in the waveguide assembly.

[0009] In one embodiment of this application, at least two of the first grating, the second grating, and the first light source do not overlap in the vertical direction.

[0010] In one embodiment of this application, the display device further includes a first diffuser, a prism, and a second diffuser. The first diffuser is located on the waveguide assembly. The prism is located on the first diffuser. The second diffuser is located on the prism.

[0011] In one embodiment of this application, the display device further includes a third light source. The third light source is located on the side of the waveguide assembly opposite to the second light source, wherein the third light source overlaps with the waveguide assembly in the horizontal direction.

[0012] In one embodiment of this application, the prism is located between the first diffuser and the second diffuser.

[0013] In one embodiment of this application, the prism, the first diffuser, and the second diffuser completely cover the first light source in the vertical direction.

[0014] In one embodiment of this application, the second light source does not overlap with the prism, the first diffuser, and the second diffuser in the vertical direction.

[0015] In the above embodiments of this application, since the display device has a first light source and a second light source, and the waveguide assembly has a first grating and a second grating to control the light emission of the second light source, in privacy mode, only the first light source can be turned on, resulting in a viewing angle of only about 45 degrees. In sharing mode, both the first and second light sources can be turned on simultaneously, so that the light emitted by the two light sources complements each other, resulting in a viewing angle of about 70 degrees. Attached Figure Description

[0016] When accompanied by Figure 1 When reading this document, the best understanding of its contents can be obtained from the embodiments described below. Note that, according to standard industry practice, the various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be increased or decreased arbitrarily for clarity of explanation.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a display device according to one embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of the first and second gratings.

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the light emitted by the first and second light sources.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a display device according to another embodiment of this application.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0022] 100, 100a: Display devices

[0023] 110: First Light Source

[0024] 120: Backlight assembly

[0025] 130: Waveguide assembly

[0026] 131: Bottom surface

[0027] 140: First grating

[0028] 150: Second grating

[0029] 160: Second light source

[0030] 160a: Third light source

[0031] 170: First diffusion sheet

[0032] 180: Prism

[0033] 190: Second diffusion sheet

[0034] L: Incident light

[0035] L1, L2: Diffraction light

[0036] L0, L11, L12: Beams

[0037] θ1, θ2: Diffraction angles

[0038] d, d1, d2: Slit width Detailed Implementation

[0039] The following disclosure provides numerous different implementations, or examples, of various features for achieving the provided objectives. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify this application. Of course, these examples are merely illustrative and not intended to be limiting. Furthermore, component symbols and / or letters may be repeated in various examples. This repetition is for simplicity and clarity and does not, in itself, specify a relationship between the various implementations and / or configurations discussed.

[0040] Spatial relative terms such as “below,” “under,” “lower,” “above,” and “upper” are used herein for descriptive purposes to describe the relationship between one component or feature and another, as shown in the accompanying drawings. Spatial relative terms are intended to cover different orientations of the apparatus in use or operation other than those shown in the accompanying drawings. The apparatus may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or otherwise), and the spatial relative descriptors used herein shall be interpreted accordingly.

[0041] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a display device 100 according to an embodiment of this application is shown. (Refer to...) Figure 1A display device 100 includes a backlight assembly 120, a first light source 110, a waveguide assembly 130, at least one first grating 140, at least one second grating 150, and a second light source 160. The first light source 110 is located on the backlight assembly 120. The waveguide assembly 130 is located on the first light source 110. The first grating 140 is located within the waveguide assembly 130. The second grating 150 is located within the waveguide assembly 130. The second light source 160 is located on one side of the waveguide assembly 130, wherein the second light source 160 overlaps with the waveguide assembly 130 in the horizontal direction, and the first grating 140 and the second grating 150 are configured to control the light emission of the second light source 160 (to be emitted by the second light source 160). Figure 2 (Detailed description). The first grating 140 and the second grating 150 are disposed on the bottom surface 131 of the waveguide assembly 130. In some embodiments, there are multiple first gratings 140 and second gratings 150, and the first gratings 140 and second gratings 150 are alternately disposed within the waveguide assembly 130. Figure 1 In the diagram, the first grating 140 and the second grating 150 are shown as four sets, but in actual applications, more or fewer first gratings 140 and second gratings 150 can be used.

[0042] At least two of the first grating 140, the second grating 150, and the first light source 110 do not overlap in the vertical direction. For example, the first light source 110 is located below the gap between one set of first gratings 140 and another set of second gratings 150, but this application is not limited to this. Furthermore, the first gratings 140 and second gratings 150 of the same set are adjacent in the horizontal direction. Figure 1 In the diagram, five first light sources 110 are shown, but in practical applications, more or fewer first light sources 110 can be used. The waveguide assembly 130 is configured such that light from the second light source 160 can be transmitted internally by total internal reflection and diffracted out through the first grating 140 and the second grating 150. The backlight assembly 120 primarily reflects the light emitted by the first light sources 110, making it almost upward-facing and having a narrow viewing angle (which will be visible from the light source 110). Figure 3 (Detailed explanation)

[0043] In some embodiments, the first grating 140 and the second grating 150 can be formed by etching the waveguide assembly 130. For example, a photoresist or an etch stop layer is coated on the waveguide assembly 130; then, the photoresist or etch stop layer is patterned to expose multiple openings at predetermined locations where the first grating 140 and the second grating 150 are to be formed; then, the waveguide assembly 130 is etched to finally form the first grating 140 and the second grating 150. In some embodiments, the first grating 140 and the second grating 150 can be formed simultaneously; in other embodiments, the first grating 140 and the second grating 150 can be formed in multiple different steps.

[0044] Figure 2It shows Figure 1 A partially enlarged view of the first grating 140 and the second grating 150. (Refer to...) Figure 1 and Figure 2 When incident light L from the second light source 160 illuminates the first grating 140 and the second grating 150, the incident light L will diffract. For example, diffracted light L1 will be generated through the first grating 140, and diffracted light L2 will be generated through the second grating 150. The diffracted light L1 and diffracted light L2 have diffraction angles θ1 and θ2, respectively. The relationship between the diffraction angle and the incident angle is as follows:

[0045]

[0046] Where θ m θ is the diffraction angle, m is the diffraction order (in this embodiment, m = 1), and θ i Let be the incident angle, n be the refractive index of waveguide component 130, and d be the slit width of the grating. From the above equation and... Figure 2 It can be seen that since the slit width d1 of the first grating 140 is smaller than the slit width d2 of the second grating 150, the diffraction angle θ1 will be smaller than the diffraction angle θ2. (Note that due to the characteristics of the arcsine function, "smaller than" here includes both positive and negative values, not just the absolute value of the angle. If the slit width d is too small, the calculated diffraction angle will be negative, which means that the incident light L and the diffracted light L1 are on the same side of the grating normal.) Therefore, the first grating 140 will mainly diffract the light emitted from the left side of the second light source 160, and the second grating 150 will mainly diffract the light emitted from the right side of the second light source 160 (refer to...). Figure 3 In this embodiment, the first grating 140 is disposed to the left of the second grating 150, but in actual applications, the first grating 140 may also be disposed to the right of the second grating 150.

[0047] Figure 3 It shows Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the light emitted by the first light source 110 and the second light source 160. (Refer to...) Figure 1 and Figure 3 In privacy mode, the display device 100 only activates the first light source 110. At this time, because the backlight assembly 120 makes the light emission angle of the first light source 110 almost entirely upward, its emission corresponds to beam L0, which has a relatively narrow emission angle, thus achieving a privacy effect. In sharing mode, both the first light source 110 and the second light source 160 are activated simultaneously. At this time, due to the aforementioned grating diffraction principle, the light emitted by the second light source 160 will be divided into two parts: beam L11 and beam L12, where beam L11 consists of multiple beams. Figure 2 The collection of diffracted light L1, and beam L12 consisting of multiple beams. Figure 2The collection of diffracted beams L2. The aforementioned beams L11 and L12 can complement beam L0 to achieve a wide-angle sharing mode, such as... Figure 3 As shown in the diagram on the right.

[0048] Reference Figure 1 The display device 100 also includes a first diffuser 170, a prism 180, and a second diffuser 190. The first diffuser 170 is located on the waveguide assembly 130. The prism 180 is located on the first diffuser 170. The second diffuser 190 is located on the prism 180. That is, the waveguide assembly 130 is located between the first diffuser 170 and the backlight assembly 120, the first diffuser 170 is located between the waveguide assembly 130 and the prism 180, and the prism 180 is located between the first diffuser 170 and the second diffuser 190. The first diffuser 170, the prism 180, the second diffuser 190, and the waveguide assembly 130 overlap in the vertical direction and cover the first light source 110, the first grating 140, and the second grating 150. Furthermore, the second light source 160 does not overlap with the prism 180, the first diffuser 170, and the second diffuser 190 in the vertical direction. Prism 180 is configured to increase the brightness of the emitted light, and first diffuser 170 and second diffuser 190 are configured to increase the uniformity of the light. In some embodiments, first diffuser 170 and second diffuser 190 include soft sheets, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0049] It should be understood that the component connections, materials, and functions already described will not be repeated, as they have been clearly explained above. Other types of display devices will be described in the following sections.

[0050] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a display device 100a according to another embodiment of this application is shown. (Refer to...) Figure 4 A display device 100 includes a backlight assembly 120, a first light source 110, a waveguide assembly 130, at least one first grating 140, at least one second grating 150, and a second light source 160. This embodiment is similar to... Figure 1 The difference in the implementation method is that, in this embodiment, the display device 100a further includes a third light source 160a. The third light source 160a is located on the side of the waveguide assembly 130 facing away from the second light source 160, wherein the third light source 160a and the waveguide assembly 130 overlap in the horizontal direction. The third light source 160a is opposite to the second light source 160, such that the waveguide assembly 130 is located between the second light source 160 and the third light source 160a. In use, the second light source 160 and the third light source 160a can emit light simultaneously and be formed by diffraction through the first grating 140 and the second grating 150. Figure 3Beams L11 and L12 are shown in the diagram. The following will explain the diffraction directions of the light emitted by the third light source 160a and the second light source 160 when they emit light simultaneously, as they pass through the first grating 140 and the second grating 150, respectively.

[0051] Specifically, when the third light source 160a emits light, the direction of the incident light is opposite to that of the second light source 160 (i.e., incident from the right). At this time, when the incident light enters the first grating 140, because the slit width d1 of the first grating 140 is small, the calculated diffraction angle, according to the aforementioned diffraction angle calculation formula, will be small, and the diffracted light will be on the same side of the grating normal as the incident light (i.e., both on the right). However, the slit width d2 of the second grating 150 is large. Therefore, when the incident light emitted by the third light source 160a enters the second grating 150, the diffraction angle will be large, and the diffracted light passing through the second grating 150 will be on the opposite side of the grating normal (i.e., on the left). Therefore, in this embodiment, when the third light source 160a and the second light source 160 emit light simultaneously, Figure 3 The light beam L11 is composed of multiple diffracted beams L1 from the second light source 160 through the first grating 140 and multiple diffracted beams from the third light source 160a through the second grating 150. The light beam L12 is composed of multiple diffracted beams L2 from the second light source 160 through the second grating 150 and multiple diffracted beams from the third light source 160a through the first grating 140.

[0052] In summary, since the display device has a first light source and a second light source, and the waveguide assembly contains a first grating and a second grating to control the light emission of the second light source, in privacy mode, only the first light source can be turned on, resulting in a viewing angle of only about 45 degrees. In sharing mode, both the first and second light sources can be turned on simultaneously, allowing the light emitted by the two sources to complement each other, thus increasing the viewing angle to about 70 degrees.

[0053] The foregoing outlines the features of several embodiments, enabling those skilled in the art to better understand the embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that they can readily use this application as the basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures to achieve the same objectives and / or advantages as the embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art should also recognize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of this application, and that various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made to them without departing from the spirit and scope of this application.

Claims

1. A display device, characterized in that, include: Backlight assembly; A first light source is located on the backlight assembly, and the backlight assembly is configured to reflect the light emitted by the first light source so that the light is emitted upward. The waveguide assembly is located above the first light source; At least one first grating is located within the waveguide assembly; At least one second grating is located within the waveguide assembly, wherein the first light source is located horizontally between adjacent first and second gratings; as well as A second light source is located on one side of the waveguide assembly, wherein the second light source overlaps with the waveguide assembly in the horizontal direction, and the first grating and the second grating are configured to control the light emission of the second light source.

2. The display device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The slit width of the first grating is smaller than the slit width of the second grating.

3. The display device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first grating and the second grating are disposed on the bottom surface of the waveguide assembly.

4. The display device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, There are multiple first gratings and multiple second gratings, and the multiple first gratings and multiple second gratings are alternately arranged in the waveguide assembly.

5. The display device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The display device further includes: The first diffuser is located on the waveguide assembly; A prism, located on the first diffuser sheet; and The second diffuser is located on the prism.

6. The display device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The display device further includes: A third light source is located on the side of the waveguide assembly opposite to the second light source, wherein the third light source overlaps with the waveguide assembly in the horizontal direction.

7. The display device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that, The prism is located between the first diffuser and the second diffuser.

8. The display device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that, The prism, the first diffuser, and the second diffuser completely cover the first light source in the vertical direction.

9. The display device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that, The second light source does not overlap with the prism, the first diffuser, and the second diffuser in the vertical direction.

Images