Zonal Illumination Optical Concentrators for Non-Emissive Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display technologies, particularly non-emissive displays, require efficient backlight units to achieve uniform illumination, which often leads to high power consumption and heat management issues.
Innovation Solution
The proposed illumination system incorporates a light source array with individually addressable illumination units, coupled with a concentrator array that conditions the light beams to achieve a smaller solid angle, providing uniform illumination at the exit aperture, and an imaging assembly to image this illumination onto the non-emissive display panel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If conventional backlight units are used to achieve uniform illumination, then illumination uniformity is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The backlight unit is divided into multiple independently controllable light emitting elements arranged in an array. Each element can be individually controlled to emit light beams with specific solid angles, enabling zonal brightness control and reducing overall power consumption while maintaining uniform illumination through coordinated operation of segments.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the backlight unit are assigned different optical characteristics through the concentrator array. Each concentrator is configured to receive light from corresponding light emitting elements and transform them into light beams with specific solid angles, creating local quality variations that achieve uniform overall illumination while allowing selective activation of regions.
2Illumination intensity
If conventional backlight units provide sufficient illumination, then display brightness is improved, but heat generation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables dynamic control of light emission by individually addressing light emitting elements and adjusting their operation based on display requirements. This dynamic zonal brightness control allows the system to provide sufficient illumination for display brightness while minimizing heat generation by activating only the necessary regions and adjusting their intensity levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The concentrator array transforms light beams by changing their solid angle parameters. By configuring concentrators with specific geometric parameters, the system can control the angular distribution of light to achieve the required display brightness while managing heat generation through optimized optical parameter transformation.
3Illumination intensity
If higher optical power is used from backlight sources, then illumination intensity is improved, but light source lifetime decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of operating all light emitting elements at full intensity, the system uses partial action by activating only the necessary portions of the backlight array and adjusting their intensity levels dynamically. This approach achieves sufficient illumination intensity for display requirements while significantly reducing the overall optical power burden on individual light sources, thereby extending their operational lifetime.
4Loss of energy
If a concentrator array is introduced to reduce solid angle, then optical power efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The concentrator array is integrated directly with the light emitting element array, merging the illumination generation and light beam conditioning functions into a single unified structure. This integration improves optical power efficiency by reducing the solid angle of light beams while minimizing the increase in device complexity through the combined modular design of light emitting elements and concentrators working together as a cohesive unit.
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 solution enables dynamic zonal brightness control, improving display performance and reducing power consumption by lowering the required optical power from the backlight sources, thus extending the lifetime of the light sources and enhancing heat management.
Implementation Method 1
a concentrator being configured to condition the first light beam into a second light beam associated with a second solid angle that is smaller than the first solid angle
Implementation Method 2
a concentrator being configured to condition the first light beam into a second light beam associated with a second solid angle that is smaller than the first solid angle
Data Source
AI summary
An illumination system for a non-emissive display panel is provided. The illumination system includes a light source array including a plurality of individually addressable illumination units, an illumination unit being configured to emit a first light beam having a first solid angle. The illumination system also includes a concentrator array coupled with the light source array and including a plurality of concentrators, a concentrator being configured to condition the first light beam into a second light beam associated with a second solid angle that is smaller than the first solid angle, the second light beam providing a substantially uniform illumination at an exit aperture of the concentrator. The illumination system also includes an imaging assembly including one or more optical elements configured to image the substantially uniform illumination at the exit aperture of the concentrator onto the non-emissive display panel.