Display Driver Flicker Reduction via Periodic Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional virtual and augmented reality headsets experience noticeable display flickering at lower frame rates, which is undesirable due to increased perception of flicker, especially in the peripheral vision, despite requiring less compute, power, and bandwidth resources.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a display device with a display driver that transitions pixel elements through multiple illumination periods and states, decoupling illumination rates from frame rates, to reduce perceived flickering, including configurations for organic light-emitting diode and liquid crystal display panels, and the use of rolling or global illumination methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional illumination methods are used with lower frame rates, then compute, power, and bandwidth resources are reduced, but display flickering becomes noticeable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by implementing multiple illumination periods within a single frame period. Instead of illuminating the display panel once per frame, the system performs sequential illumination periods (e.g., first illumination period, second illumination period) at different timing intervals. This periodic illumination approach maintains the lower frame rate for resource efficiency while preventing flicker by ensuring multiple light emissions within each frame cycle, thereby addressing the harmful flicker effect without increasing overall power consumption significantly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the illumination process into multiple distinct periods within a single frame period. The frame period is divided into separate illumination events (first illumination period, second illumination period, etc.) rather than using a single continuous illumination. This segmentation allows the system to maintain lower frame rates while distributing illumination across multiple time intervals, preventing the perception of flicker while keeping overall energy consumption manageable.
2Productivity
If lower frame rates are used for display, then compute and bandwidth resources are reduced, but flickering is more easily noticed in peripheral vision
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic action by implementing multiple illumination periods within each frame period. This allows the display to operate at lower frame rates (reducing compute and bandwidth requirements) while still providing multiple illumination events per frame that prevent flicker perception in peripheral vision. The periodic illumination ensures that even though frames are updated less frequently, each frame period contains sufficient light emission events to avoid flicker.
Solution Approach 2:
The illumination process is segmented into multiple periods within each frame period. This segmentation enables the system to maintain lower frame rates for resource efficiency while distributing illumination across multiple time intervals within each frame, thereby preventing flicker without requiring higher overall frame rates.
3Device complexity
If illumination time is tied to frame rate, then display simplicity is maintained, but flicker occurs at lower frame rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by establishing multiple illumination periods within each frame period, independent of the frame rate. This approach maintains relatively simple illumination control logic while preventing flicker through the periodic nature of multiple illumination events. The control system simply needs to execute illumination at predetermined intervals within each frame period, which does not significantly increase device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The illumination control is segmented into multiple periods within each frame period. This segmentation allows the system to maintain simple control architecture while addressing flicker through multiple illumination events. Each illumination period is controlled independently but follows a straightforward sequential pattern, keeping device complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
A display device may include (1) a display panel with at least one pixel element and (2) a display driver configured to (a) transition the pixel element to a first state, (b) illuminate, after the pixel element transitions to the first state, the pixel element for a first period of illumination, (c) refrain, after the first period of illumination, from illuminating the pixel element for a period of no illumination, (d) illuminate, while the pixel element is still in the first state and after the period of no illumination, the pixel element for a second period of illumination to at least reduce perceived flickering of the display panel, and (e) transition, after the second period of illumination, the pixel element from the first state to a second state. Various other apparatus, systems, and methods are also disclosed.