GB2217088A - Optical display panel - Google Patents

Optical display panel Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2217088A
GB2217088A GB8807941A GB8807941A GB2217088A GB 2217088 A GB2217088 A GB 2217088A GB 8807941 A GB8807941 A GB 8807941A GB 8807941 A GB8807941 A GB 8807941A GB 2217088 A GB2217088 A GB 2217088A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
pixel
sub
display screen
optical display
elements
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB8807941A
Other versions
GB8807941D0 (en
Inventor
Ralph Desmond Nixon
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Teledyne UK Ltd
Original Assignee
English Electric Valve Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by English Electric Valve Co Ltd filed Critical English Electric Valve Co Ltd
Priority to GB8807941A priority Critical patent/GB2217088A/en
Publication of GB8807941D0 publication Critical patent/GB8807941D0/en
Publication of GB2217088A publication Critical patent/GB2217088A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09G—ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
    • G09G3/00—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes
    • G09G3/20—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
    • G09G3/34—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters by control of light from an independent source
    • G09G3/36—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters by control of light from an independent source using liquid crystals
    • G09G3/3607—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters by control of light from an independent source using liquid crystals for displaying colours or for displaying grey scales with a specific pixel layout, e.g. using sub-pixels
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
    • G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
    • G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour 
    • G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
    • G02F1/133—Constructional arrangements; Operation of liquid crystal cells; Circuit arrangements
    • G02F1/1333—Constructional arrangements; Manufacturing methods
    • G02F1/1343—Electrodes
    • G02F1/134309—Electrodes characterised by their geometrical arrangement
    • G02F1/134336—Matrix
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
    • G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
    • G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour 
    • G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
    • G02F1/133—Constructional arrangements; Operation of liquid crystal cells; Circuit arrangements
    • G02F1/1333—Constructional arrangements; Manufacturing methods
    • G02F1/1343—Electrodes
    • G02F1/134309—Electrodes characterised by their geometrical arrangement
    • G02F1/134345—Subdivided pixels, e.g. for grey scale or redundancy
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09G—ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
    • G09G3/00—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes
    • G09G3/20—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
    • G09G3/2007—Display of intermediate tones
    • G09G3/2074—Display of intermediate tones using sub-pixels

Abstract

In a display panel, each one of many pixels 11-13 is constituted by a plurality of contiguous LC sub-pixel elements 121- 124 of differing area and controllable separately for selecting the total active display area of each pixel and thereby the intensity of illumination provided by the pixel. The display areas of the sub-pixel elements may be in binary ratios and may have square, annular or rectangular shapes. The pixels may be arranged in a matrix in optical registry with an array of different coloured filter elements. The display panel may be back-lit or include a reflective surface and utilised to display television pictures or a series of different images. The driver circuitry may include a 4-bit latch 20. <IMAGE>

Description

Optical Display Screen This invention relates to an optical display screen using liquid crystal elements, which is particularly useful for example in large-screen applications such as advertising displays and public information displays.
Colour displays of this type are known for example from our UK Patent Application No. 2024443A, in which colour pixels are selected in a Cartesian system by selecting a display row from one liquid crystal cell and a display column from a superimposed crystal cell: the selected pixel lies at the intersection of the row and column. This system provides satisfactory images, but has no inherent intensity control and also lacks the efficiency necessary for particularly large-scale displays using the minimum of electric power.
Some existing large-screen displays consist of a large matrix of column cathode ray tubes each of which has eight illuminated elements of about 2.5cm square on the side of a cylinder. Each element is controlled independently: its intensity is determined by the variable width of a control pulse which determines the period of illumination of that element in each successive television field. This system provides a display of an intensity which is of course limited by the power of each cathode ray tube, and the purpose of the invention is to provide an alternative display using liquid crystal elements which are capable of transmitting light of greater intensity, particularly in a back-lit system.
Accordingly, the invention provides an optical display screen comprising many pixels each of which comprises a plurality of contiguous liquid crystal subpixel elements each having a different display area and connected separately to control circuitry for the independent switching of each sub-pixel element, whereby the total active display area of each pixel is selectable by the activation of an appropriate combination of subpixel elements.
The invention also provides a coloured display system comprising an optical display screen as described immediately above, placed in front of an array of different colour filters each in register with a corresponding pixel of the screen and capable of being back-lit by a light source, whereby the pixels have different colours.
One way in which the invention may be put into effect in a coloured display system will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a schematic representation of a part of an optical display screen including part of the associated control circuitry.
The optical display screen 10 comprises a matrix of columns, each column comprising several pixels of which only three, 11, 12 and 13, are illustrated. The pixels are of a size such that they just fail to be resolvable by the human eye at the intended distance of viewing the display screen. An array (not shown) of different colour filters is disposed parallel to and immediately behind the display screen 10,- so that each filter is in register with a corresponding pixel 11, 12, 13 etc.. These filters are back-lit by a common light source (not shown), for example a conventional fluorescent tube. By appropriate selection of the pixels, of which a large scale display will comprise many hundreds, any desired coloured image may be displayed.Since the states of the pixels are rapidly changeable, a moving television image, or a series of different images, may be displayed. A solid state dot sequential colour display device, using this principle, is disclosed for example in UK Patent No. 1509643 and in UK Patent No. 1490110.
As shown in the drawing, each pixel 12 comprises four sub-pixel elements 121, 122, 123 and 124. The outer edge of each element is square. The element 124 having the smallest display area is positioned at the centre of the pixel 12, and each of the other sub-pixel elements constitutes a border surrounding the next smaller such element. The display areas of the sub-pixel elements are in binary ratios, so that element 121 has half the pixel area, element 122 has a quarter of the pixel area, element 123 has one eighth the pixel area and element 124 has one sixteenth the pixel area. The remaining one sixteenth of the pixel area is the approximate total area of the borders between the elements. Thus the total display area of the pixel may be determined to an accuracy of one sixteenth of its maximum area, by the appropriate selection of a combination of the four sub-pixel elements.
The sub-pixel elements may be activated independently by control circuitry of which only a portion is shown in the drawing. The elements 121 to 124 are connected to corresponding terminals of a 4-bit latch 20 whose corresponding input terminals are connected to control buses 21 to 24 which convey 4-bit digital information relating to the desired intensity of that pixel. The transfer of the control information to the elements of the pixel is effected by a latch signal 25.
Although the invention has been illustrated in the form of a coloured display device, there is no need for the colour filters, and the screen could operate as a back-lit monochrome display device. The use of appropriate reflective surfaces could allow the screen to be used as a reflective display device rather than a transmissive device.
Further, although the sub-pixel elements are illustrated as square, other shapes are of course possible, including a series of annuli or rectangles. The elements do not have to be arranged in the manner illustrated, with each element constituting a border surrounding the next smaller element, but the efficiency of the system demands that all the elements are contiguous so that no space is wasted.

Claims (9)

1. An optical display screen comprising many pixels each of which comprises a plurality of contiguous liquid crystal sub-pixel elements each having a different display area and connected separately to control circuitry for the -independent-switching of each sub-pixel element, whereby the total active display area of each pixel is selectable by the activation of an appropriate combination of subpixel elements.
2. An optical display screen according to claim 1, in which the said display areas of each sub-pixel element are in binary ratios.
3. An optical display screen according to claim 2, in which the control circuitry is arranged to respond to a digital pixel-intensity control signal to activate directly only those sub-pixel elements of the corresponding pixel whose total display area is such as to provide the required pixel intensity.
4. An optical display screen according to any preceding claim, in which the smallest of the sub-pixel elements is positioned at the centre of the pixel and each of the other sub-pixel elements constitutes a border surrounding the next smaller sub-pixel element.
5. An optical display screen according to claim 4, in which the outer edge of each sub-pixel element is square.
6. An optical display screen according to claim 4 or 5, in which the number of sub-pixel elements is at least 4.
7. A coloured display system comprising an optical display screen according to any preceding claim placed in front of an array of different coloured filters each in register with a corresponding pixel of the screen and capable of being back-lit by a light source, whereby the pixels have different colours.
8. An optical display screen substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.
9. A coloured display system substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.
GB8807941A 1988-04-05 1988-04-05 Optical display panel Withdrawn GB2217088A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8807941A GB2217088A (en) 1988-04-05 1988-04-05 Optical display panel

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8807941A GB2217088A (en) 1988-04-05 1988-04-05 Optical display panel

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB8807941D0 GB8807941D0 (en) 1988-05-05
GB2217088A true GB2217088A (en) 1989-10-18

Family

ID=10634588

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB8807941A Withdrawn GB2217088A (en) 1988-04-05 1988-04-05 Optical display panel

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2217088A (en)

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0468452A2 (en) * 1990-07-23 1992-01-29 Hosiden Corporation Liquid crystal display device
EP0478043A1 (en) * 1990-09-13 1992-04-01 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Display device
US5124695A (en) * 1986-09-20 1992-06-23 Thorn Emi Plc Display device
US5489918A (en) * 1991-06-14 1996-02-06 Rockwell International Corporation Method and apparatus for dynamically and adjustably generating active matrix liquid crystal display gray level voltages
AU679609B2 (en) * 1994-03-11 1997-07-03 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha A manufacturing method for high quality discrete level displays
AU679831B2 (en) * 1994-03-11 1997-07-10 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Contrast enhancement for a flat panel display device
AU681234B2 (en) * 1994-03-11 1997-08-21 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Display pixel balancing for a multi colour discrete level display
AU683131B2 (en) * 1994-03-11 1997-10-30 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha A luminance weighted discrete level display
AU683710B2 (en) * 1994-03-11 1997-11-20 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Intermingling subpixels in discrete level displays
US5805136A (en) * 1994-03-11 1998-09-08 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Intermingling subpixels in discrete level displays
EP1024473A2 (en) * 1999-01-29 2000-08-02 Seiko Epson Corporation Active matrix electroluminescent display with grey scale control
FR2817992A1 (en) * 2000-12-12 2002-06-14 Philippe Charles Gab Guillemot DIGITAL VIDEO SCREEN DEVICE
CN111092095A (en) * 2018-10-23 2020-05-01 群创光电股份有限公司 Display device

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1390925A (en) * 1971-09-01 1975-04-16 Rank Organisation Ltd Optical display device
GB1434121A (en) * 1972-05-10 1976-05-05 Thomson Csf T Vt Sa Display devices
GB1509643A (en) * 1975-05-02 1978-05-04 Hughes Aircraft Co Liquid crystal dot colour display
GB2151832A (en) * 1983-12-16 1985-07-24 Standard Telephones Cables Ltd Electro optic flat panel display

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1390925A (en) * 1971-09-01 1975-04-16 Rank Organisation Ltd Optical display device
GB1434121A (en) * 1972-05-10 1976-05-05 Thomson Csf T Vt Sa Display devices
GB1509643A (en) * 1975-05-02 1978-05-04 Hughes Aircraft Co Liquid crystal dot colour display
GB2151832A (en) * 1983-12-16 1985-07-24 Standard Telephones Cables Ltd Electro optic flat panel display

Cited By (22)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5124695A (en) * 1986-09-20 1992-06-23 Thorn Emi Plc Display device
EP0468452A2 (en) * 1990-07-23 1992-01-29 Hosiden Corporation Liquid crystal display device
US5245450A (en) * 1990-07-23 1993-09-14 Hosiden Corporation Liquid crystal display device with control capacitors for gray-scale
US5321535A (en) * 1990-07-23 1994-06-14 Hosiden Corporation Liquid crystal display device with control capacitors for gray scale
EP0669549A1 (en) * 1990-07-23 1995-08-30 Hosiden Corporation Liquid crystal display device
EP0672935A1 (en) * 1990-07-23 1995-09-20 Hosiden Corporation Liquid crystal display device
EP0468452B1 (en) * 1990-07-23 1997-10-08 Hosiden Corporation Liquid crystal display device
EP0478043A1 (en) * 1990-09-13 1992-04-01 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Display device
US5489918A (en) * 1991-06-14 1996-02-06 Rockwell International Corporation Method and apparatus for dynamically and adjustably generating active matrix liquid crystal display gray level voltages
AU681234B2 (en) * 1994-03-11 1997-08-21 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Display pixel balancing for a multi colour discrete level display
AU679831B2 (en) * 1994-03-11 1997-07-10 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Contrast enhancement for a flat panel display device
AU679609B2 (en) * 1994-03-11 1997-07-03 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha A manufacturing method for high quality discrete level displays
AU683131B2 (en) * 1994-03-11 1997-10-30 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha A luminance weighted discrete level display
AU683710B2 (en) * 1994-03-11 1997-11-20 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Intermingling subpixels in discrete level displays
US5805136A (en) * 1994-03-11 1998-09-08 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Intermingling subpixels in discrete level displays
EP1024473A2 (en) * 1999-01-29 2000-08-02 Seiko Epson Corporation Active matrix electroluminescent display with grey scale control
EP1024473A3 (en) * 1999-01-29 2000-11-08 Seiko Epson Corporation Active matrix electroluminescent display with grey scale control
US6529213B1 (en) 1999-01-29 2003-03-04 Seiko Epson Corporation Display device
FR2817992A1 (en) * 2000-12-12 2002-06-14 Philippe Charles Gab Guillemot DIGITAL VIDEO SCREEN DEVICE
WO2002048993A1 (en) * 2000-12-12 2002-06-20 Imaginum Inc Digital video display device
CN1296881C (en) * 2000-12-12 2007-01-24 影诺公司 Digital video display device
CN111092095A (en) * 2018-10-23 2020-05-01 群创光电股份有限公司 Display device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB8807941D0 (en) 1988-05-05

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WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)