MEMS IMOD Display Edge-Lit Backlight Field Sequential Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
High dynamic range display systems with separately modulated LED backlights are costly and require significant processing, while existing field sequential display systems often suffer from color break-up and limited color gamut.
Innovation Solution
A display system employing an edge-lit backlight with a field sequential illumination scheme using two or more sets of color primary emitters and dual monochrome LCD modulators, which can produce a wider color gamut and reduce processing costs by minimizing the number of LEDs, and incorporates MEMS/IMOD components for enhanced spectral separation and modulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If separately modulated LED backlights are used to achieve high dynamic range, then display performance is improved, but cost and processing requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is divided into two independent modulators: a first modulator for luminance control and a second modulator for color control. This segmentation allows each modulator to handle specific aspects of image rendering, reducing the processing burden on any single component while achieving high dynamic range performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs field sequential color (FSC) technique where color information is displayed in periodic time-separated frames. The backlight alternates between different color primaries (red, green, blue) at different time periods, and the liquid crystal modulators synchronize with these temporal variations to reconstruct full-color images. This periodic action reduces the need for simultaneous multi-color LED control.
2Device complexity
If field sequential display systems are used to reduce cost, then processing requirements are reduced, but color break-up and limited color gamut occur
Solution Approach 1:
The display system separates luminance and color modulation into two distinct modulators. The first modulator handles luminance information while the second modulator handles color information, allowing independent optimization of each function and avoiding the color break-up problem inherent in single-modulator FSC systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the timing and intensity of different color primaries in the backlight based on the image content being displayed. By synchronizing the liquid crystal modulators with the temporal variations in backlight color emission, the system maintains color accuracy and prevents color break-up artifacts.
3Illumination intensity
If edge-lit backlight with field sequential illumination is used, then color gamut is widened and processing costs are reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines edge-lit backlight architecture with field sequential color illumination and dual modulator design. The edge-lit structure provides uniform light distribution while the FSC technique widens color gamut by sequentially activating different LED primaries. The dual modulators process luminance and color information separately, achieving high performance without requiring complex per-pixel LED control.
Solution Approach 2:
The backlight sequentially activates different color LED primaries (red, green, blue) at different time periods in a periodic cycle. The liquid crystal modulators synchronize their operation with these temporal variations, modulating light transmission according to the currently active color primary. This periodic action enables wide color gamut display while using a relatively simple edge-lit LED structure.
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 system achieves high dynamic range and wide color gamut with reduced processing requirements and costs, while minimizing color break-up and enhancing 3D visual effects through autostereoscopic and active shutter technologies.
Implementation Method 1
an interferometric modulator (IMOD) component which may be transmissive, reflective, or transflective
Data Source
AI summary
Several embodiments of display systems are disclosed that comprise a backlight source, a first modulator, a second modulator and a controller. The backlight source may further comprise an edge-lit backlighting source that may be controlled to affect a field-sequential illumination for the dual or multiple modulator display system. In another embodiment, the display system may comprise two or more color primary emitters that each comprise a color gamut. When the color gamuts are driven in a field sequential pattern, the resulting overall gamut is substantially wider. Other display systems and methods are disclosed herein that affect a variety of 3D viewing embodiments. Systems, methods and techniques to increase the dynamic range, color gamut and bit precision of display systems comprising MEMS and/or IMODs are presented.