Transparent Vehicle Window Display Brightness via Diffraction Gratings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Transparent displays in environments with ambient light, such as vehicle windows, face challenges in achieving desired brightness due to competition with ambient light, and increasing the LED light source's power reduces efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An array of diffraction gratings collects and filters ambient light, which is then synchronized with internal light from vehicle headlights and LED light sources to enhance the brightness of transparent edge-lit liquid crystal waveguide displays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the LED light source power is increased to compensate for ambient light, then the brightness of the transparent display is improved, but the power consumption increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple light sources (LED light source, ambient light collected by diffraction gratings, and internal light from vehicle headlights) to illuminate the transparent display. By merging these light sources and synchronizing them, the system achieves high brightness without relying solely on high-power LEDs, thus improving efficiency while maintaining display visibility in bright environments.
2Illumination intensity
If the LED light source power is increased to compensate for ambient light, then the brightness of the transparent display is improved, but the system efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes freely available ambient light from the environment and internal light from vehicle headlights as supplemental illumination sources. By capturing and repurposing these existing light sources through diffraction gratings and optical filters, the system reduces its reliance on energy-consuming LED power, thereby improving overall system efficiency while maintaining display brightness.
3Illumination intensity
If ambient light is collected using an array of diffraction gratings, then the brightness of the transparent display is improved without increasing LED power, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the light collection function into multiple diffraction gratings arranged in an array, with each grating collecting light at specific angles and wavelengths. This segmentation allows the system to capture ambient light efficiently across different directions while maintaining a compact structure that can be integrated into the transparent display system without excessive 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
The solution effectively improves the brightness of transparent displays by supplementing the LED light source with filtered ambient and internal light, optimizing display performance without increasing power consumption.
Implementation Method 1
An array of diffraction gratings collects ambient light, the array of diffraction gratings producing filtered ambient light
Implementation Method 2
transparent edge-lit liquid crystal waveguide display
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for improving the brightness of a transparent display are disclosed herein. One embodiment collects ambient light using an array of diffraction gratings disposed on an external surface of a vehicle to produce filtered ambient light; collects internal light from the vehicle's headlights; filters the internal light to produce filtered internal light; generates primary-source light using a light-emitting-diode (LED) light source; and injects, into a transparent edge-lit liquid crystal waveguide display deployed in at least a portion of a window of the vehicle, the primary-source light, the filtered ambient light, and the filtered internal light in a color-synchronized manner. The filtered ambient light and the filtered internal light improve the brightness of the transparent edge-lit liquid crystal waveguide display.