Electrowetting Lens Array for Windshield Display Brightness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing windshield displays, such as those using fluorescent films, OLEDs, and LCDs, struggle to maintain visibility in bright sunlight due to insufficient brightness, and previous solutions like microlens arrays cause undesirable distortion.
Innovation Solution
An array of electrowetting lenses is overlayed on a transparent display, allowing lenses to switch between flat and shaped states to enhance light directionality and visibility, with electrowetting lenses adjacent to the display used to outline images against the background, thereby increasing apparent brightness and reducing distortion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a transparent display is applied to a windshield, then information can be displayed to the operator, but the display becomes difficult to see in bright sunlight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs electrowetting lenses that can dynamically change their shape between a flat state (for normal vision) and a shaped state (for enhancing display brightness). This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to different viewing conditions, specifically increasing the apparent brightness of the display when needed while maintaining normal windshield visibility otherwise.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrowetting lenses change their optical parameters (shape, curvature) in response to electrical signals. When switched to the shaped state, the lenses alter their refractive properties to direct and concentrate light from the transparent display, thereby increasing its apparent brightness against the background of bright sunlight.
2Illumination intensity
If microlens arrays are used to increase display brightness, then apparent brightness improves, but undesirable distortion is introduced
Solution Approach 1:
Unlike fixed microlens arrays, the electrowetting lenses can dynamically switch between flat and shaped states. This dynamic capability allows the system to enhance display brightness when needed while maintaining a flat, distortion-free appearance during normal operation, thus avoiding the permanent distortion associated with fixed microlens arrays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the lensing function from a fixed structure and implements it through controllable electrowetting elements. This allows the lensing effect to be applied only when necessary (during display operation) while removing the distortion problem associated with continuous lensing structures.
3Illumination intensity
If electrowetting lenses are operated to increase display brightness, then apparent brightness improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrowetting lenses are designed to respond automatically to electrical signals from the display control system. Once triggered, the lenses self-adjust their shape to the appropriate configuration without requiring manual intervention or complex mechanical control mechanisms, thereby reducing overall system complexity despite the advanced material technology used.
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 effectively enhances the visibility of windshield displays in bright sunlight conditions while maintaining clear vision through the windshield, allowing operators to easily discern displayed information without distortion.
Implementation Method 1
an array of electrowetting lenses overlays the transparent display. Each lens of the array is operable to a flat-state where light passes through the lens substantially undistorted. Each lens of the array is also operable to a shaped-state where emitted light from an underlying portion of the transparent display is directed
Implementation Method 2
The transparent display includes a fluorescent film layer configured to fluoresce where illuminated with suitable light effective to display an image on the fluorescent film layer
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A windshield display system for installation into a vehicle that includes a windshield (16), a transparent display (18) overlaying the windshield (16), and an array (24) of electrowetting lenses (26A, 26B) overlaying the transparent display (18). Each lens of the array (24) is operable to a flat-state where light (28B) passes through the lens (26B) substantially undistorted, and a shaped-state where emitted light (28A) from an underlying portion (30) of the transparent display (18) is directed in order to increase an apparent brightness of the emitted light (28A). The array (24) selectively magnifies pixels or portions of the transparent display (18), while maintaining vision clarity for the operator in regions of the windshield (16) where images are not being displayed. The array (24) may also outline or highlight images being displayed with a region of distortion of surrounding the image to distort the view of the scene outside the vehicle to help the operator discern the image when the outside lighting conditions are less than ideal.