Display Device Refractive Patterns for Wider Viewing Angles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional display devices limit the viewing area to a perpendicular orientation, resulting in reduced image quality when viewed at angles other than perpendicular to the display face, necessitating a solution to enhance image quality and expand the critical viewing angle.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a light travel-direction changing layer on the display panel, comprising refractive patterns and a light-scattering layer, which refracts and scatters light from sub-pixel areas to diversify and spread light emission directions, allowing light to be emitted in various directions beyond the perpendicular plane.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a conventional display device structure is used, then the luminance level in the perpendicular viewing direction is maximized, but the critical viewing angle is limited and image quality deteriorates in inclined viewing directions
Solution Approach 1:
The display surface is divided into multiple sub-pixel areas, and each sub-pixel area is associated with a corresponding light-scattering layer and refractive pattern. This segmentation allows independent control of light emission characteristics for each sub-pixel, enabling diversified light emission directions while maintaining overall image quality across different viewing angles
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the display device are provided with light-scattering layers and refractive patterns that have locally optimized properties. Each sub-pixel area has its own light-scattering layer with specific optical characteristics, creating local quality variations that collectively improve the overall viewing angle range while maintaining high luminance in the perpendicular direction
2Adaptability or versatility
If the viewing area is expanded to include inclined viewing directions, then the adaptability of the display device is improved, but the luminance level and image quality in non-perpendicular directions are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Light-scattering layers and refractive patterns are introduced as intermediary optical elements between the sub-pixel areas and the viewing environment. These intermediaries modify the light emission characteristics by scattering and refracting light, enabling the light to reach inclined viewing directions while maintaining sufficient luminance levels
Solution Approach 2:
The optical parameters of the light emission are changed by introducing light-scattering layers with specific scattering characteristics and refractive patterns with specific refractive indices. These parameter changes transform the originally narrow perpendicular light emission into a broader angular distribution while maintaining acceptable luminance levels across the expanded viewing area
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 solution increases the critical viewing angle and extends the area where image quality greater than or equal to a critical value is maintained, enhancing the display device's usability in non-perpendicular viewing orientations.
Implementation Method 1
light may be refracted at a boundary between each refractive pattern and the light-scattering layer
Implementation Method 2
light may be scattered in the light-scattering layer
Data Source
AI summary
A display device includes a display panel including a plurality of sub-pixel areas for respectively outputting light for displaying an image and a light travel-direction changing layer disposed on the display panel for diversifying and spreading travel directions of light emitted from each of the plurality of sub-pixel areas. The light travel-direction changing layer includes a plurality of refractive patterns respectively corresponding to the plurality of sub-pixel areas and arranged in a matrix form, and a light-scattering layer disposed around each of the plurality of refractive patterns and having a refractive index different from a refractive index of each of the plurality of refractive patterns. Due to the light travel-direction changing layer, light from each sub-pixel area is incident into each refractive pattern, is refracted at a boundary between each refractive pattern and the light-scattering layer, and is scattered in the light-scattering layer. Thus, the light emits out of the display device in the diversified and spread travel directions.