Stripe-Shaped Spacers for 3D Display Aperture Ratio
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-definition LCD panels used in three-dimensional image display devices face issues with image quality degradation due to defective alignment regions caused by columnar spacers, leading to uneven image quality across observation positions and a significant reduction in aperture ratio.
Innovation Solution
A display device design featuring a matrix array of unit pixels with stripe-shaped spacers that are equally overlapped on both sub-pixels for each viewpoint, or isolated spacers symmetrically arranged with respect to the boundary between sub-pixels, to minimize the impact of defective alignment regions without lowering the aperture ratio.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If columnar spacers are used to maintain the gap between substrates in high-definition LCD panels, then the substrate gap is maintained uniformly, but defective alignment regions are caused leading to image quality degradation and reduced aperture ratio
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single columnar spacer structure into multiple smaller spacers arranged in a specific pattern. Instead of using one large columnar spacer that causes extensive defective alignment regions, multiple smaller spacers are distributed across the pixel, reducing the total area affected by alignment defects while maintaining gap uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different spacer configurations to different regions of the display panel. By strategically placing spacers in specific locations within each pixel and using different spacer densities in different areas, the design optimizes gap maintenance while minimizing impact on aperture ratio and image quality in critical viewing regions.
2Manufacturing precision
If columnar spacers are used to maintain substrate gap, then gap uniformity is achieved, but aperture ratio is significantly reduced due to non-light-transmission regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the spacer structure into multiple smaller units distributed across the pixel area. This segmentation reduces the total coverage area of spacers compared to a single large columnar spacer, thereby minimizing the non-light-transmission regions and preserving a higher aperture ratio while still maintaining uniform substrate gap.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a partial action approach by placing spacers only in specific strategic locations within each pixel rather than covering the entire pixel area. This selective placement provides sufficient gap maintenance functionality while minimizing the impact on light transmission area.
3Manufacturing precision
If spacers are placed to maintain substrate gap, then gap uniformity is achieved, but defective alignment regions cause uneven image quality across observation positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the spacer structure into multiple smaller spacers distributed across different regions of each pixel. This segmentation ensures that defective alignment regions are also distributed and minimized in each local area, preventing large concentrated defect zones that would cause uneven image quality across different observation positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple spacer elements into a coordinated arrangement within each pixel, where the collective effect of multiple small spacers achieves gap uniformity while their distributed nature minimizes the impact of individual alignment defects, resulting in more uniform image quality across the display.
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
This approach prevents image quality changes with observation position and reduces non-light-transmission regions, maintaining high aperture ratio while suppressing image quality degradations, thus avoiding the issues associated with spacer placement in existing three-dimensional LCD devices.
Implementation Method 1
an optical image separation element for separating an incoming image generated by the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel into two outgoing images and for emitting respectively the outgoing images toward the first viewpoint and the second viewpoint
Data Source
AI summary
A display device reduces the image quality degradations by suppressing the effect of the defective alignment regions caused by the spacers while minimizing the aperture ratio lowering, and prevents the image quality change dependent on the observation positions. The display device has a display panel and a lenticular lens. Each unit pixel of the display panel includes the sub-pixel for the left eye and the sub-pixel for the right eye. To keep the pair of substrates at a predetermined gap, spacers are arranged at predetermined positions in the gap. The spacers are stripe-shaped and extended along a direction perpendicular to the image separation axis of the lenticular lens. The spacers are equally overlapped with the sub-pixels for the left eye and those for the right eye. The spacers may be isolated for the respective unit pixels, or the first or second sub-pixels.