Display device and operation method therefor

Abstract

A display device (3000) and an operation method therefor. The display device (3000) comprises: a display assembly (3100) configured to provide a light beam; and a modulation assembly (3200), the modulation assembly (3200) comprising a modulation layer (3210), a first drive layer (3221) located between a lower surface of the modulation layer (3210) and an upper surface of the display assembly (3100), and a second drive layer (3222) located on an upper surface of the modulation layer (3210). The first drive layer (3221) and the second drive layer (3222) are configured to drive the modulation layer (3210) under the action of drive signals to modulate a light beam; the drive signals comprise a first drive signal (S1) applied to the first drive layer (3221) and a second drive signal (S2) applied to the second drive layer (3222); the first drive signal (S1) is an AC signal; and the second drive signal (S2) is a stable DC signal or AC signal.

Description

Display device and its operation method Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of display technology, and more specifically to a display device and its operating method. Background Technology

[0002] Electronic displays are virtually ubiquitous media used to convey information to users of various devices and products. The most common electronic displays are cathode ray tubes (CRTs), plasma display panels (PDPs), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), electroluminescent displays (ELs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and active-matrix OLEDs (AMOLEDs), electrophoretic displays (EPs), and various displays that employ electromechanical or electrofluid light modulation (e.g., digital micromirror devices, electrowetting displays, etc.). Generally, electronic displays can be classified as active displays (i.e., displays that emit light) or passive displays (i.e., displays that modulate light provided by another source). The most obvious examples of active displays are CRTs, PDPs, and OLED / AMOLEDs. Displays that are typically classified as passive when considering light emission are LCDs and electrophoretic displays. While passive displays generally exhibit attractive performance characteristics, including but not limited to inherently low power consumption, their use may be limited in many practical applications due to their lack of light emission capability.

[0003] To overcome the limitations of passive displays associated with emitted light, many passive displays are coupled to an external light source. This coupled light source allows the passive display to emit light and function essentially as an active display. An example of such a coupled light source is a backlight. A backlight is a light source (typically a panel light source) placed behind a passive display to illuminate it. For example, a backlight can be coupled to an LCD or EP display. The backlight emits light that passes through the LCD or EP display. The emitted light is modulated by the LCD or EP display, and then subsequently emitted from the LCD or EP display. Backlights are typically configured to emit white light, which is then converted into various colors used in the display using color filters.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a display device and its operating method, which can effectively reduce the interference of the alternating magnetic field generated by the voltage signal used to drive the modulation component in the display device on other components of the display device.

[0006] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a display device is provided, comprising: a display component configured to provide a light beam; and a modulation component, the modulation component including a modulation layer, a first driving layer located between a lower surface of the modulation layer and an upper surface of the display component, and a second driving layer located on the upper surface of the modulation layer, the first driving layer and the second driving layer being configured to drive the modulation layer under the action of a driving signal to modulate the light beam, wherein the driving signal includes a first driving signal applied to the first driving layer and a second driving signal applied to the second driving layer, the first driving signal being an alternating current signal, and the second driving signal being a stable direct current signal or an alternating current signal.

[0007] In some embodiments, the modulation component further includes a third driving layer located between the first driving layer and the display component, and the driving signal further includes a third driving signal applied to the third driving layer, wherein the third driving signal is a stable DC signal.

[0008] In some embodiments, the modulation component further includes a fourth driving layer located on the upper surface of the second driving layer, and the driving signal further includes a fourth driving signal applied to the fourth driving layer, wherein the fourth driving signal is a stable DC signal.

[0009] In some embodiments, the modulation layer allows the light beam to pass through and changes the intensity of the passing light beam when driven by the driving signal, and blocks the passage of the light beam when not driven.

[0010] In some embodiments, the modulation layer includes a liquid crystal layer configured to modulate the light beam by adjusting the orientation of the liquid crystal under the action of an electric field generated between the first driving layer and the second driving layer by the driving signal.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first driving layer, the second driving layer, the third driving layer, and the fourth driving layer comprise a transparent conductive material.

[0012] In some embodiments, the display device further includes a touch component located on the upper surface of the second driving layer, and when the second driving signal is a stable DC signal, the second driving layer is configured to shield the touch component from interference of the first driving signal during the driving of the modulation layer.

[0013] In some embodiments, the third driving layer is configured to shield the display component from interference of the first driving signal during the driving of the modulation layer.

[0014] In some embodiments, the display device further includes a touch component located on the upper surface of the fourth driving layer, and when the second driving signal is an AC signal, the fourth driving layer is configured to shield the touch component from interference by the second driving signal during the driving of the modulation layer.

[0015] In some embodiments, the light beam is a two-dimensional light beam, and the modulation assembly further includes an array of multi-beam elements disposed in the modulation layer, wherein the multi-beam elements in the array are configured to scatter the two-dimensional light beam to generate a plurality of directional light beams having different directions.

[0016] In some embodiments, the light beam is a three-dimensional light beam, the display component includes a backlight body, the backlight body includes a multi-beam element array, the multi-beam elements in the multi-beam element array being configured to scatter light to generate multiple directional light beams with different directions as the three-dimensional light beam.

[0017] In some embodiments, the multi-beam element array includes one or more of a diffraction grating, a micro-reflective element, and a micro-refractive element, wherein the diffraction grating is configured to diffractically scatter light to generate the plurality of directional beams, the micro-reflective element is configured to reflectively scatter light to generate the plurality of directional beams, and the micro-refractive element is configured to refractically scatter light to generate the plurality of directional beams.

[0018] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method of operating a display device is provided, comprising: providing a light beam using a display component; and applying a driving signal to a first driving layer and a second driving layer of a modulation component to drive the modulation layer of the modulation component to modulate the light beam, wherein the first driving layer is located between a lower surface of the modulation layer and an upper surface of the display component, and the second driving layer is located on the upper surface of the modulation layer, wherein the driving signal includes a first driving signal applied to the first driving layer and a second driving signal applied to the second driving layer, the first driving signal being an AC signal, and the second driving signal being a stable DC signal or an AC signal.

[0019] In some embodiments, the driving signal further includes a third driving signal applied to the third driving layer located between the first driving layer and the display component, and the third driving signal is a stable DC signal.

[0020] In some embodiments, the driving signal further includes a fourth driving signal applied to a fourth driving layer located on the upper surface of the second driving layer, the fourth driving signal being a stable DC signal.

[0021] In some embodiments, the modulation layer allows the light beam to pass through and changes the intensity of the passing light beam when driven by the driving signal, and blocks the passage of the light beam when not driven.

[0022] In some embodiments, the modulation layer includes a liquid crystal layer, and the method further includes: applying the driving signal to generate an electric field between the first driving layer and the second driving layer, wherein the liquid crystal layer adjusts the orientation of the liquid crystal under the action of the electric field to modulate the light beam.

[0023] In some embodiments, the first driving layer, the second driving layer, the third driving layer, and the fourth driving layer comprise a transparent conductive material.

[0024] In some embodiments, the operation method further includes: when the second driving signal is a stable DC signal, using the second driving layer to shield the first driving signal from interference to the touch component located on the upper surface of the second driving layer during the period when the modulation layer is driven.

[0025] In some embodiments, the operation method further includes: using the third driving layer to shield the display component from interference of the first driving signal during the period when the modulation layer is driven.

[0026] In some embodiments, the operation method further includes: when the second driving signal is an AC signal, using the fourth driving layer to shield the touch component located on the upper surface of the fourth driving layer from interference of the second driving signal during the period when the modulation layer is driven. Attached Figure Description

[0027] The various features of the examples and embodiments based on the principles described herein can be more readily understood by referring to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals denote the same structural elements, and in the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a display device according to some examples.

[0029] Figure 2A shows the signal waveforms of the first and second drive signals according to some examples.

[0030] Figure 2B shows the signal waveforms of the first and second drive signals according to some other examples.

[0031] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a display device in an example of an embodiment consistent with the principles described herein.

[0032] Figure 4 shows the signal waveforms of a first drive signal and a second drive signal in an example of an embodiment consistent with the principles described herein.

[0033] Figure 5A shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a display device in an example of another embodiment consistent with the principles described herein.

[0034] Figure 5B shows the signal waveforms of a first drive signal, a second drive signal, and a third drive signal in an example of another embodiment consistent with the principles described herein.

[0035] Figure 6A shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a display device in an example of another embodiment consistent with the principles described herein.

[0036] Figure 6B shows the signal waveforms of a first drive signal, a second drive signal, a third drive signal, and a fourth drive signal in an example of another embodiment consistent with the principles described herein.

[0037] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a display device in an example of another embodiment consistent with the principles described herein.

[0038] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a display device in an example of another embodiment consistent with the principles described herein.

[0039] Figure 9 shows a flowchart of an example of a display device operation method according to an embodiment consistent with the principles described herein. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0041] Modern electronic displays widely employ liquid crystal materials to modulate the light supplied by the display components, for example, using liquid crystal light valves. Liquid crystal materials are formed from a large number of micron-sized liquid crystal particles. Because the optical axes of these particles are freely oriented, their refractive index does not match that of the substrate. When light passes through the substrate, it is strongly scattered by the liquid crystal particles, causing the liquid crystal material to appear opaque (milky white) or translucent. When an electric field is applied to the liquid crystal material, the optical axis orientation of the liquid crystal particles changes, altering their alignment. When the refractive index of the liquid crystal particles matches that of the substrate, the liquid crystal material becomes transparent. This effect is called the electro-optic effect of liquid crystals and is widely used in the design of liquid crystal displays. A common practice for applying an electric field to liquid crystal materials is to arrange driving electrode layers (e.g., electrode layers formed of indium tin oxide (ITO)) on the top and bottom sides of the liquid crystal material and apply a driving voltage signal to the driving electrode layers, thereby generating an electric field between the two driving electrodes.

[0042] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a display device 1000 according to some examples. In the example of Figure 1, the display device 1000 may include a display component 1100 for providing a light beam and a modulation layer 1200 for modulating the light beam from the display component, wherein the modulation layer 1200 includes a liquid crystal layer 1210 and a first driving layer 1221 and a second driving layer 1222 located on the lower and upper surfaces of the liquid crystal layer 1210, respectively. In addition, to realize touch operation, the display device 1000 may also typically include a touch component 1300 located above the modulation component 1200. Generally, the driving voltage signal is an AC signal, and the AC signal can be applied simultaneously to the first driving layer 1221 and the second driving layer 1222 of the liquid crystal layer 1210. At this time, the signal waveforms of the first driving signal S1 on the first driving layer 1221 and the second driving signal S2 on the second driving layer 1222 are, for example, as shown in Figure 2A, where S1 and S2 are AC signals of opposite polarity, the voltage is represented by V, and the time is represented by t. Alternatively, the driving signal can be applied only to the driving layer on one side of the liquid crystal layer, for example, to the second driving layer 1222. In this case, the signal waveforms of the first driving signal S1 and the second driving signal S2 are shown in Figure 2B, where S2 is an AC signal and S1 is approximately 0 or other steady-state signals.

[0043] However, when driving the liquid crystal layer using an AC signal as shown in Figure 2A or Figure 2B, the AC signal generates an alternating magnetic field. This alternating magnetic field can interfere with other devices near the liquid crystal layer, such as the display component 1100 below the liquid crystal layer and the touch component 1300 above it. Typically, the driving voltage signal can be as high as ±50V, generating a relatively large alternating magnetic field. In some cases, this electromagnetic interference generated by the alternating magnetic field may lead to problems such as random touch detection and ghost touches, severely affecting touch performance.

[0044] To address the above problems, embodiments based on the principles described herein provide a display device and its operation method. Specifically, the display device described herein may include a display component for providing a two-dimensional or three-dimensional light beam and a modulation component for modulating the light beam. The modulation component includes a modulation layer, a first driving layer located between the lower surface of the modulation layer and the upper surface of the display component, and a second driving layer located on the upper surface of the modulation layer. The first and second driving layers are configured to drive the modulation layer to modulate the light beam under the action of a driving signal. The first driving signal applied to the first driving layer is an alternating current (AC) signal, and the second driving signal applied to the second driving layer is a stable direct current (DC) signal. Thus, during the driving of the modulation layer using the driving signal, the second driving layer can act as a shielding layer to shield the alternating magnetic field generated by the AC signal on the first driving layer from interference to other components (e.g., touch components) above the second driving layer. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, the display device described herein may also include a third driving layer located between the first driving layer and the display component, the third driving layer being applied with a stable DC signal. Thus, during the driving of the modulation layer using the driving signal, the third driving layer can act as a shielding layer to shield the alternating magnetic field generated by the AC signal on the first driving layer from interference to other components (such as display components) below the third driving layer.

[0045] In this document, the term "multi-view" as used in terms such as "multi-view image" and "multi-view display" is defined as multiple views representing different perspectives or angular parallax between views comprising multiple views. Furthermore, in this document, by definition, the term "multi-view" explicitly includes more than two distinct views (i.e., at least three views and generally more than three views). Accordingly, the term "multi-view display" as used herein is explicitly distinguished from stereoscopic displays that include only two distinct views to represent a scene or image. However, it should be noted that while multi-view images and multi-view displays include more than two views, by definition herein, a multi-view image (e.g., on a multi-view display) can be viewed as a stereoscopic image pair by selecting only two views from the multi-view at a time (e.g., one view for each eye).

[0046] By definition herein, a "multi-beam element" is a structure or element of a backlight or display that generates light comprising multiple directional beams. By definition herein, the directional beams among the multiple directional beams generated by a multi-beam element have different principal directions from each other. Specifically, by definition, the directional beams among the multiple directional beams have a predetermined principal direction that differs from the principal direction of another directional beam among the multiple directional beams. According to some embodiments, the size of the multi-beam element can be comparable to the size of a light valve used in a display (e.g., a multi-view display) associated with the multi-beam element. In particular, in some embodiments, the size of the multi-beam element can be between approximately half and approximately twice the size of a light valve.

[0047] In this document, "optical guide" is defined as a structure that guides light within a structure using total internal reflection. Specifically, an optical guide may include a core that is substantially transparent at the operating wavelength of the optical guide. In various examples, the term "optical guide" generally refers to a dielectric optical waveguide that guides light at the interface between the dielectric material of the optical guide and the material or medium surrounding the optical guide using total internal reflection. By definition, total internal reflection is conditional upon the optical guide having a refractive index greater than the refractive index of the surrounding medium adjacent to the surface of the optical guide material. In some embodiments, in addition to or instead of the refractive index difference mentioned above, the optical guide may also include a coating to further facilitate total internal reflection. For example, the coating may be a reflective coating. An optical guide may be any of several types of optical guides, including but not limited to one or both of plate optical guides and strip optical guides.

[0048] In this document, a “diffraction grating” is generally defined as a plurality of features (i.e., diffraction features) arranged to provide diffraction of light incident on a diffraction grating. In some examples, the plurality of features may be arranged in a periodic or quasi-periodic manner. In other examples, a diffraction grating may be a mixed-periodic diffraction grating comprising a plurality of diffraction gratings, each of the plurality of diffraction gratings having a different periodic arrangement of features. Additionally, a diffraction grating may comprise a plurality of diffraction features arranged in a one-dimensional (1D) array (e.g., a plurality of grooves or ridges in a material surface). In other examples, a diffraction grating may be a two-dimensional (2D) array of diffraction features. For example, a diffraction grating may be a 2D array of bumps or holes in a material surface. In some examples, a diffraction grating may be substantially periodic in a first direction or dimension and substantially aperiodic in another direction across or along the diffraction grating (e.g., constant, random, etc.).

[0049] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a display device 3000 in an example embodiment consistent with the principles described herein. As shown in Figure 3, the display device 3000 may include a display component 3100, a modulation component 3200, and optional other components 3300 located above the modulation component 3200. For example, the other components 3300 may be or may include a touch component for implementing touch operations.

[0050] Display component 3100 is used to provide a two-dimensional or three-dimensional light beam. According to some embodiments, display component 3100 can provide a two-dimensional light beam; for example, display component 3100 can use an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) array to generate a two-dimensional light beam, or use a two-dimensional backlight to generate a two-dimensional light beam. According to other embodiments, display component 3100 can provide a three-dimensional light beam; for example, display component 3100 may include a three-dimensional backlight having an array of multi-beam elements, where the multi-beam elements can scatter light to generate multiple directional light beams with different directions as a three-dimensional light beam, as will be described in further detail below.

[0051] Modulation component 3200 is defined as a component for modulating a light beam provided by display component 3100 to facilitate the display of information having three-dimensional content or represented as a multi-view image; it may also be referred to as a light valve component, for example. Modulation component 3200 may include modulation layer 3210, a first driving layer 3221, and a second driving layer 3222. When a driving voltage signal is applied to the first driving layer 3221 and the second driving layer 3222, the modulation layer 3210 can be driven to modulate the light beam. Specifically, when the modulation layer 3210 is driven by the driving signals on the first and second driving layers, it can be approximately transparent to the light beam, allowing the light beam to pass through and changing the intensity, polarization, and other characteristics of the passing light beam. When the modulation layer 3210 is not driven, it does not modulate the light beam.

[0052] In an embodiment where the display component 3100 provides a three-dimensional beam, the modulation layer 3210 can modulate the intensity, polarization intensity, etc., of the three-dimensional beam and provide the modulated beam to the corresponding view direction. In an embodiment where the display component 3200 provides a two-dimensional beam, the modulation layer 3210 is also configured to convert the two-dimensional beam into a three-dimensional beam. For example, a multi-beam element array can be arranged in the modulation layer 3210 to generate multiple directional beams with different directions from the two-dimensional beam as a three-dimensional beam, and furthermore, the modulation layer 3210 modulates the generated three-dimensional beam, as will be described in further detail below.

[0053] According to some examples, the modulation layer 3210 can be made of liquid crystal material, in which case the modulation layer 3210 can also be referred to as a liquid crystal layer or a liquid crystal light valve. The liquid crystal material constituting the modulation layer 3210 can be any polymeric liquid crystal material having a liquid crystal state, such as typical N-type liquid crystal materials or P-type liquid crystal materials, and this disclosure does not impose specific limitations on this. As mentioned above, liquid crystals undergo electro-optic effects under the action of an electric field. Therefore, by applying a driving voltage signal to the first driving layer 3221 and the second driving layer 3222, an electric field can be generated between the first and second driving layers, thereby using the generated electric field to adjust the orientation of the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal layer to modulate the light beam.

[0054] According to some examples, the first driving layer 3221 and the second driving layer 3222 may include transparent conductive materials, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), or any other transparent material with conductive properties. This disclosure does not impose specific limitations on these embodiments. Generally, the driving layer can be formed by depositing a transparent conductive material (such as an ITO film) onto a substrate such as glass, for example using techniques such as physical vapor deposition or sputtering deposition. In this case, the first or second driving layer actually consists of a substrate and a transparent conductive film deposited thereon.

[0055] As described above, in the prior art, the driving method for modulation layer 3210, such as a liquid crystal layer, is typically a dual-sided driving method using AC signals (as shown in FIG2A) or a single-sided driving method (as shown in FIG2B). However, in these driving methods, the alternating magnetic field generated by the AC signal can cause electromagnetic interference to other components above and below the modulation component 3200. For example, by way of example and not limitation, the other component 3300 shown in FIG3 can be a touch component located above the second driving layer 3222. When AC signals are applied to the first driving layer 3221 and the second driving layer 3222 to drive the modulation layer 3210, the generated alternating magnetic field can interfere with the touch operation of the touch component, such as causing problems like random touch detection or ghost touches. To solve this problem, in the embodiments of this disclosure, when driving the modulation layer 3210, an AC signal can be applied to the first driving layer 3221, as shown by the first driving signal S1 in FIG4, while a non-zero stable DC signal can be applied to the second driving layer 3222, as shown by the second driving signal S2 in FIG4. Advantageously, the first driving signal S1 on the first driving layer 3221 can be, for example, ±25V, and the second driving signal S2 on the second driving layer 3222 can be a stable DC signal greater than zero but less than 25V. Alternatively, the second driving signal S2 can also be at a floating potential, and this disclosure embodiment does not specifically limit this. In this way, during the driving of the modulation layer 3210, the second driving layer 3222 can act as a shielding layer, thereby shielding the alternating magnetic field generated by the AC signal on the first driving layer 3221 from interference to other components 3300 (e.g., touch components) above the modulation component 3200.

[0056] Figure 5A shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a display device 5000 according to an example of another embodiment consistent with the principles described herein, and Figure 5B shows the signal waveforms of a first driving signal, a second driving signal, and a third driving signal according to an example of another embodiment consistent with the principles described herein. As shown in Figure 5A, the display device 5000 may include a display component 5100, a modulation component 5200, and optional other components 5300 located above the modulation component 5200. For example, the other components 5300 may be or may include a touch component for implementing touch operations. The modulation component 5200 may include a modulation layer 5210, a first driving layer 5221, and a second driving layer 5222. The display component 5100 and modulation layer 5210 in this embodiment may be substantially similar to the display component 3100 and modulation layer 3210 described above with respect to the display device 3000, and will not be repeated here.

[0057] In this embodiment, the modulation component 5200 may further include a third driving layer 5223, which is located between the first driving layer 5221 and the display component 5100. The first driving layer 5221, the second driving layer 5222, and the third driving layer 5223 may include transparent conductive materials, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), or any other transparent material with conductive properties. This disclosure does not impose specific limitations on these materials. For example, the first, second, and third driving layers may be composed of a substrate and a transparent conductive film deposited thereon.

[0058] When driving the modulation layer 5210, an AC signal can be applied to the first driving layer 5221, as shown by the first driving signal S1 in FIG5B; a non-zero stable DC signal can be applied to the second driving layer 5222, as shown by the second driving signal S2 in FIG5B; and a non-zero stable DC signal can also be applied to the third driving layer 5223, as shown by the third driving signal S3 in FIG5B. Advantageously, the first driving signal S1 can be, for example, ±25V, and the second driving signal S2 and the third driving signal S3 can be a stable DC signal greater than zero but less than 25V. Alternatively, the second driving signal S2 and the third driving signal S3 can also be at a floating potential, and the second driving signal S2 and the third driving signal S3 can have the same or different voltages. In this way, during the period when the modulation layer 5210 is driven, the second driving layer 5222 can act as a shielding layer to shield the alternating magnetic field generated by the AC signal on the first driving layer 5221 from interference to other components 5300 (e.g., touch components) above the modulation component 5200; and the third driving layer 5223 can act as a shielding layer to shield the alternating magnetic field generated by the AC signal on the first driving layer 5221 from interference to other components (e.g., display component 5100) below the modulation component 5200.

[0059] Figure 6A shows a schematic diagram of a display device 6000 according to an example of another embodiment consistent with the principles described herein, and Figure 6B shows the signal waveforms of a first driving signal, a second driving signal, a third driving signal, and a fourth driving signal according to an example of another embodiment consistent with the principles described herein. As shown in Figure 6A, the display device 6000 may include a display component 6100, a modulation component 6200, and optionally other components 6300 located above the modulation component 6200. For example, the other components 6300 may be or may include a touch component for implementing touch operations. The modulation component 6200 may include a modulation layer 6210, a first driving layer 6221, and a second driving layer 6222. The display component 6100 and modulation layer 6210 in this embodiment may be substantially similar to the display component 3100 and modulation layer 3210 described above with respect to the display device 3000, and will not be repeated here.

[0060] In this embodiment, the modulation component 6200 may further include a third driving layer 6223 located between the first driving layer 6221 and the display component 6100. Additionally, the modulation component 6200 may further include a fourth driving layer 6224 located between the second driving layer 6222 and other components 6300. The first driving layer 6221, the second driving layer 6222, the third driving layer 6223, and the fourth driving layer 6224 may include transparent conductive materials, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), or any other transparent material with conductive properties; this disclosure does not impose specific limitations on these materials. For example, the first, second, third, and fourth driving layers may be composed of a substrate and a transparent conductive film deposited thereon.

[0061] When driving the modulation layer 6210, AC signals can be applied to both the first driving layer 6221 and the second driving layer 6222, as shown by the first driving signal S1 and the second driving signal S2 in FIG6B, and non-zero stable DC signals can be applied to the third driving layer 6223 and the fourth driving layer 6224, as shown by the third driving signal S3 and the fourth driving signal S4 in FIG6B. Advantageously, the voltage amplitudes of the first driving signal S1 and the second driving signal S2 can be, for example, 25V and they can have opposite polarities. The third driving signal S3 and the fourth driving signal S4 can be a stable DC signal greater than zero but less than 25V, and the third and fourth driving signals can have the same or different voltage amplitudes. This disclosure does not impose specific limitations on this. Alternatively, the third driving signal S3 and the fourth driving signal S4 can also be at a floating potential. In this way, during the period when the modulation layer 6210 is driven, the third driving layer 6223 can act as a shielding layer to shield the alternating magnetic field generated by the AC signal on the first driving layer 6221 from interference to other components below the modulation component 6200 (e.g., the display component 6100); and the fourth driving layer 6224 can act as a shielding layer to shield the alternating magnetic field generated by the AC signal on the second driving layer 6222 from interference to other components 6300 above the modulation component 6200 (e.g., the touch component).

[0062] The structure of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in further detail below with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 shows a schematic structural diagram of a display device 7000 according to an example of another embodiment consistent with the principles described herein. Figure 8 shows a schematic structural diagram of a display device 8000 according to an example of another embodiment consistent with the principles described herein. In Figures 7 and 8, the modulation component is schematically shown as including a liquid crystal layer, but this is merely an example and not a limitation.

[0063] As shown in FIG7, the display device 7000 may include a display component 7100, a modulation component 7200, and optional other components 7300 (e.g., touch components) located above the modulation component 7200. The modulation component 7200 may include a modulation layer 7210, a first driving layer 7221, and a second driving layer 7222. Optionally, it may further include a third driving layer 7223 (not shown in FIG7). The display component 7100, modulation layer 7210, first driving layer 7221, and second driving layer 7222 in this embodiment are substantially similar to the display component 3100, modulation layer 3210, first driving layer 3221, and second driving layer 3222 described above with respect to the display device 3000, and will not be described again here.

[0064] In this embodiment, the display component 7100 can be configured to provide a two-dimensional light beam. For example, the display component 7100 may include an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) array for providing the two-dimensional light beam. Alternatively, the display component 7100 may include a two-dimensional backlight, such as a two-dimensional backlight with a surface light source, to generate the two-dimensional light beam. As shown in FIG7, the modulation component 7200 may further include a multi-beam element array 7230 arranged spaced apart from each other along the length of the modulation layer, which scatters the two-dimensional light beam to generate a plurality of directional beams with different directions, the direction of each directional beam possibly corresponding to a corresponding view direction of a multi-view image.

[0065] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the multi-beam element array 7230 may include one or more of a diffraction grating, a micro-reflective element, and a micro-refractive element, wherein the diffraction grating is configured to diffractically scatter light to generate multiple directional beams, the micro-reflective element is configured to reflectively scatter light to generate multiple directional beams, and the micro-refractive element is configured to refractically scatter light to generate multiple directional beams. In FIG. 7, the multi-beam element array 7230 is exemplarily shown as a microlens array, wherein the microlens can be considered as an example of the micro-refractive element as described above. When a two-dimensional beam provided by the display component 7100 is incident on the microlens, the microlens can refractively scatter the light incident thereon, thereby generating the corresponding directional beam.

[0066] Subsequently, after the modulation layer 7210 is driven by the driving signals applied to the first and second driving layers, the modulation layer 7210 modulates multiple directional beams and provides the modulated beams to different viewing directions to generate a multi-view image that can represent three-dimensional content, i.e., to achieve three-dimensional display. When the modulation layer 7210 is not driven, i.e., when no driving signals are applied to the first and second driving layers, the modulation layer 7210 does not modulate the beams.

[0067] As shown in FIG8, the display device 8000 may include a display component 8100, a modulation component 8200, and optional other components 8300 (e.g., touch components) located above the modulation component 8200. The modulation component 8200 may include a modulation layer 8210, a first driving layer 8221, and a second driving layer 8222. Optionally, it may further include a third driving layer 8223 (not shown in FIG8). The display component 8100, modulation layer 8210, first driving layer 8221, and second driving layer 8222 in this embodiment are substantially similar to the display component 3100, modulation layer 3210, first driving layer 3221, and second driving layer 3222 described above with respect to the display device 3000, and will not be described again here.

[0068] In this embodiment, the display component 8100 can be configured to provide a three-dimensional light beam. Specifically, the display component 8100 may include a three-dimensional backlight body for providing the three-dimensional light beam, the three-dimensional backlight body including a light guide 8110, a multi-beam element array 8120, and a light source 8130, as shown in FIG8. The multi-beam elements in the multi-beam element array 8120 are configured to scatter light provided by the light source 8130 and propagating along the light guide 8110 to generate multiple directional light beams with different directions, the direction of each directional light beam possibly corresponding to a corresponding view direction of a multi-view image. The multi-beam elements in the multi-beam element array 8120 may include one or more of diffraction gratings, microreflective elements, and microrefractive elements, which may be substantially similar to the multi-beam element array 7230 described above with respect to the display device 7000. In FIG8, the multi-beam element array 8120 is exemplarily shown as an array of diffraction gratings arranged at intervals on the upper surface of the light guide 8110. As defined in this paper, a diffraction grating is a structure that provides diffraction for light incident on it. It can diffractically couple or scatter light from a light guide 8110 to generate multiple directional beams. These multiple directional beams are incident on a modulation component 8200. The modulation layer 8210 of the modulation component 8200 modulates these multiple directional beams under the drive of a driving signal, and provides the modulated beams to different viewing directions to generate a multi-view image that can represent three-dimensional content, thus achieving three-dimensional display.

[0069] It should be noted that, for the purpose of illustrating the characteristics of the different components of the display device, the display component, modulation component, and other components are shown separately in Figures 7 and 8, but this is merely an example and not a limitation. In reality, the display component, modulation component, and other components such as the touch component can be stacked sequentially from bottom to top, and the different components can be bonded together, for example, by adhesive materials such as optically clear resin (OCR), optically clear adhesive (OCA), etc.

[0070] The operation method of the display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described below with reference to FIG9. FIG9 shows a flowchart of an operation method 9000 of the display device according to an example embodiment consistent with the principles described herein. The method 9000 shown in FIG9 can be used, for example, to operate the display device 3000 described with reference to FIG3, the display device 5000 described with reference to FIG5A, the display device 6000 described with reference to FIG6A, the display device 7000 described with reference to FIG7, and the display device 8000 described with reference to FIG8.

[0071] As shown in Figure 9, method 9000 includes providing a light beam using a display component in step 9100. Method 9000 further includes applying a driving signal to a first driving layer and a second driving layer of a modulation component in step 9200 to drive the modulation layer of the modulation component to modulate the light beam provided by the display component. The first driving layer is located between the lower surface of the modulation layer and the upper surface of the display component, and the second driving layer is located on the upper surface of the modulation layer. The display component, the modulation layer of the modulation component, the first driving layer, and the second driving layer mentioned in method 9000 can be substantially similar to the corresponding components described above with respect to display devices 3000, 5000, 6000, 7000, and 8000, and therefore will not be repeated here. In this embodiment, the modulation layer may include a liquid crystal layer, and method 9000 may further include applying a driving signal to generate an electric field between the first driving layer and the second driving layer, under the action of the electric field, adjusting the orientation of the liquid crystal to modulate the light beam.

[0072] The driving signal may include a first driving signal applied to a first driving layer and a second driving signal applied to a second driving layer, wherein the first driving signal is an AC signal and the second driving signal is a non-zero stable DC signal. In this case, method 9000 may further include using the second driving layer to shield other components (e.g., touch components) above the modulation component from interference by the alternating magnetic field generated by the AC signal on the first driving layer during the modulation layer being driven.

[0073] Additionally, according to some embodiments, the driving signal may also be applied to a third driving signal on a third driving layer located between the first driving layer and the display component. The first driving signal is an AC signal, and the second and third driving signals are non-zero stable DC signals, wherein the second and third driving signals may have the same or different voltages. In this case, method 9000 may further include using the third driving layer to shield other components (e.g., the display component) below the modulation component from interference caused by the alternating magnetic field generated by the AC signal on the first driving layer during the modulation layer being driven.

[0074] As used herein, the article “a” is intended to have its usual meaning in the patent field, namely, “one or more”. For example, “a multi-beam element” means one or more multi-beam elements, and therefore, “the multi-beam element” here means “(one or more) multi-beam element”. Furthermore, any references to “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “first,” “second,” “left,” or “right” are not intended to be limiting herein. Additionally, when used herein, the term “substantially” means a majority, or almost all, or all, or a quantity ranging from about 51% to about 100%. Moreover, the examples herein are intended to be illustrative only and are presented for the purpose of discussion, not as limitations.

[0075] This document uses specific terms to describe embodiments of the present disclosure. Terms such as "first / second embodiment," "an embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic associated with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that references to "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "another embodiment" in different locations throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of this application can be appropriately combined.

[0076] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in a common dictionary shall be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and not as having an idealized or highly formalized meaning, unless expressly defined herein.

[0077] Therefore, examples and embodiments of the display device and its operation method have been described. It should be understood that the above examples are merely illustrative of a number of specific examples illustrating the principles described herein. Obviously, those skilled in the art can readily devise many other arrangements without departing from the scope defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising: The display component is configured to provide a beam of light; as well as A modulation assembly includes a modulation layer, a first driving layer located between a lower surface of the modulation layer and an upper surface of the display assembly, and a second driving layer located on the upper surface of the modulation layer. The first driving layer and the second driving layer are configured to drive the modulation layer under the action of a driving signal to modulate the light beam. The driving signal includes a first driving signal applied to the first driving layer and a second driving signal applied to the second driving layer. The first driving signal is an AC signal, and the second driving signal is a stable DC signal or an AC signal.

2. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The modulation component further includes a third driving layer located between the first driving layer and the display component, and the driving signal further includes a third driving signal applied to the third driving layer, wherein the third driving signal is a stable DC signal.

3. The display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein, The modulation component further includes a fourth driving layer located on the upper surface of the second driving layer, and the driving signal further includes a fourth driving signal applied to the fourth driving layer, wherein the fourth driving signal is a stable DC signal.

4. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, When driven by the driving signal, the modulation layer allows the light beam to pass through and changes the intensity of the passing light beam; when not driven, it obstructs the passage of the light beam.

5. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The modulation layer includes a liquid crystal layer configured to modulate the light beam by adjusting the orientation of the liquid crystal under the action of an electric field generated between the first driving layer and the second driving layer by the driving signal.

6. The display device as described in claim 3, wherein, The first driving layer, the second driving layer, the third driving layer, and the fourth driving layer comprise transparent conductive materials.

7. The display device of claim 1, further comprising a touch component located on the upper surface of the second driving layer, wherein when the second driving signal is a stable DC signal, the second driving layer is configured to shield the touch component from interference of the first driving signal during the driving of the modulation layer.

8. The display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein, The third driving layer is configured to shield the display component from interference by the first driving signal during the period when the modulation layer is driven.

9. The display device of claim 3, further comprising a touch component located on the upper surface of the fourth driving layer, wherein when the second driving signal is an AC signal, the fourth driving layer is configured to shield the touch component from interference of the second driving signal during the driving of the modulation layer.

10. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The beam is a two-dimensional beam, and the modulation assembly further includes a multi-beam element array disposed in the modulation layer, wherein the multi-beam elements in the multi-beam element array are configured to scatter the two-dimensional beam to generate multiple directional beams with different directions.

11. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The light beam is a three-dimensional light beam, and the display component includes a backlight body, which includes a multi-beam element array. The multi-beam elements in the multi-beam element array are configured to scatter light to generate multiple directional light beams with different directions as the three-dimensional light beam.

12. The display device as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein, The multi-beam element array includes one or more of a diffraction grating, a micro-reflective element, and a micro-refractive element. The diffraction grating is configured to diffractically scatter light to generate the plurality of directional beams, the micro-reflective element is configured to reflectively scatter light to generate the plurality of directional beams, and the micro-refractive element is configured to refractically scatter light to generate the plurality of directional beams.

13. A method of operating a display device, comprising: The light beam is provided using the display components; as well as A driving signal is applied to a first driving layer and a second driving layer of the modulation assembly to drive the modulation layer of the modulation assembly to modulate the light beam. The first driving layer is located between the lower surface of the modulation layer and the upper surface of the display assembly, and the second driving layer is located on the upper surface of the modulation layer. The driving signal includes a first driving signal applied to the first driving layer and a second driving signal applied to the second driving layer. The first driving signal is an AC signal, and the second driving signal is a stable DC signal or an AC signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The driving signal also includes a third driving signal applied to the third driving layer located between the first driving layer and the display component, and the third driving signal is a stable DC signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The driving signal also includes a fourth driving signal applied to a fourth driving layer located on the upper surface of the second driving layer, the fourth driving signal being a stable DC signal.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein, When driven by the driving signal, the modulation layer allows the light beam to pass through and changes the intensity of the passing light beam; when not driven, it obstructs the passage of the light beam.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein, The modulation layer includes a liquid crystal layer, and the method further includes: applying the driving signal to generate an electric field between the first driving layer and the second driving layer, wherein the liquid crystal layer adjusts the orientation of the liquid crystal under the action of the electric field to modulate the light beam.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein, The first driving layer, the second driving layer, the third driving layer, and the fourth driving layer comprise transparent conductive materials.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising: When the second driving signal is a stable DC signal, the second driving layer is used to shield the touch components located on the upper surface of the second driving layer from interference of the first driving signal during the period when the modulation layer is driven.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The third driving layer is used to shield the display component from interference of the first driving signal during the period when the modulation layer is driven.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising: When the second driving signal is an AC signal, the fourth driving layer is used to shield the touch components located on the upper surface of the fourth driving layer from interference of the second driving signal during the period when the modulation layer is driven.

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