Dual-Sided See-Through Display With Selective Light Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing see-through displays struggle with the need to optionally make areas invisible from one or the other surface side based on displayed content, requiring optimization of visibility and legibility without doubling the display area.
Innovation Solution
A display device with a first and second light control panel on opposite surfaces of the display panel, controlling light transmission or blocking to make specific areas invisible from either side, using polymer-dispersed liquid crystals and light sources for selective visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a see-through display is used to view background from both sides, then visibility from both surfaces is improved, but the ability to optionally make areas invisible from one or the other side deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The display panel is divided into multiple independent pixel regions that can be controlled separately. Each pixel can independently switch between transparent and opaque states, allowing selective areas to be made invisible from one or both sides while maintaining visibility in other areas. This segmentation enables the display to adapt to different content requirements without compromising overall visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The display employs dynamic control of pixel states through liquid crystal technology, allowing real-time switching between transparent and opaque conditions. This dynamic capability enables the display to adapt its transparency characteristics based on the displayed content, making areas invisible from specific sides when needed while maintaining see-through functionality elsewhere.
2Illumination intensity
If the display area is doubled to provide separate visible areas for each side, then visibility from both sides is improved, but the device complexity and area increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each pixel in the display panel serves multiple functions: it can display visual content, control light transmission, and switch between transparent and opaque states. This multi-functionality allows a single display area to serve both sides effectively, eliminating the need for separate display areas for each side while maintaining full visibility capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the display functions for both sides into a single integrated panel. By combining the light control capabilities and pixel structures, the display achieves dual-sided visibility with a single display area, reducing the overall device footprint while maintaining full functionality on both surfaces.
3Device complexity
If the same image is displayed on both sides, then simplicity of control is improved, but the ability to make specific content invisible from one side deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The display implements local quality control where different regions of the display panel can have different transparency states independently. This allows the same image content to be displayed across the panel while selectively making specific local areas invisible from one or the other side, providing content-specific visibility control without increasing overall system complexity.
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
Ensures optimal legibility and visibility of images from both sides without increasing the display area, enhancing overall image visibility by masking mirror images and reducing light leakage.
Implementation Method 1
a display panel having a liquid crystal layer containing polymer-dispersed liquid crystals
Data Source
AI summary
According to an aspect, a display device includes: a display panel that has a display area in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction, and that is configured to make an image viewed in plan view from one side of the display area visible from another side; a first light control panel that is provided on one surface of the display panel and is configured to make at least a partial area of the display area invisible; and a second light control panel that is provided on another surface of the display panel and is configured to make at least a partial area of the display area invisible.