Directional Backlight Grating Control for 3D Resolution

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current display technologies, including 3D displays, face challenges in accurately reproducing light fields due to inefficiencies in angular and spatial resolution and limited viewing angles, making it difficult to achieve good image quality across a wide range of viewing angles.

Innovation Solution

A directional backlight system utilizing a plurality of narrow-bandwidth light sources and patterned gratings on a directional backplane, where each directional pixel is designed with specific grating characteristics to control the direction and angular spread of light beams, ensuring precise control and prevention of unwanted light scattering, thereby generating high-quality 3D images.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional display technologies are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but angular and spatial resolution are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveangular and spatial resolutionVSAvoiddisplay structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The display is segmented into multiple light sources arranged in a grid pattern, with each light source corresponding to a specific spatial position and angle. This segmentation enables independent control of angular and spatial resolution, allowing high precision in both dimensions without requiring a completely new display architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Each light source in the array is assigned specific characteristics (wavelength, intensity, timing) tailored to its spatial position and angular function. This local quality approach allows different regions of the display to be optimized for their specific viewing angles and spatial locations, achieving high overall resolution through localized optimization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If light field reproduction is attempted, then viewing angle expands, but control precision at pixel level deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveviewing angle rangeVSAvoidpixel-level light control precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces controllable particles as intermediaries between the light sources and the viewer. These particles can be positioned and manipulated to modulate the light field, providing an additional layer of control that enables precise pixel-level manipulation while maintaining wide viewing angles through the particles' ability to redirect light in multiple directions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Manufacturing precision

If multiple light sources are used to improve resolution, then image quality improves, but light scattering increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage qualityVSAvoidunwanted light scattering
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs periodic modulation of light sources in both time and space domains. By activating light sources in a sequential, periodic pattern rather than simultaneously, the system can control the temporal overlap of light paths, reducing unwanted scattering while maintaining high spatial and angular resolution through the periodic structure of the light array.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The directional backlight system achieves precise control over light direction and angular spread, enabling the generation of high-quality 3D images with improved spatial and angular resolution, effectively addressing the limitations of existing technologies.

Implementation Method 1

scatter a fraction of them into output directional lightbeams, each having a given direction and an angular spread

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight scattering: Scattering

Implementation Method 2

The directional pixels in the directional backplane have patterned gratings of substantially parallel and slanted grooves

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDiffraction: Diffraction

Data Source

PatentEP2856244B1Directional backlight
Publication Date: 2021.01.27 LEIA INC
  • EP2856244B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2856244B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP2856244B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

A directional backlight is disclosed. The directional backlight has a plurality of light sources to generate a plurality of input planar lightbeams. The plurality of input planar lightbeams illuminates a directional backplane that has a plurality of directional pixels to scatter the plurality of input planar lightbeams into a plurality of directional lightbeams. Each directional lightbeam has a direction and angular spread control led by characteristics of a directional pixel in the plurality of directional pixels. The directional backlight can be used to generate a 3D image by speci fying the characteristics of the directional pixels in the directional backplane.