Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B5/00—Optical elements other than lenses
  • G02B5/02—Diffusing elements; Afocal elements
  • G02B5/0205—Diffusing elements; Afocal elements characterised by the diffusing properties
  • G02B5/0236—Diffusing elements; Afocal elements characterised by the diffusing properties the diffusion taking place within the volume of the element
  • G02B5/0242—Diffusing elements; Afocal elements characterised by the diffusing properties the diffusion taking place within the volume of the element by means of dispersed particles
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B5/00—Optical elements other than lenses
  • G02B5/02—Diffusing elements; Afocal elements
  • G02B5/0273—Diffusing elements; Afocal elements characterized by the use
  • G02B5/0278—Diffusing elements; Afocal elements characterized by the use used in transmission
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B5/00—Optical elements other than lenses
  • G02B5/20—Filters
  • G02B5/206—Filters comprising particles embedded in a solid 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
  • G02F1/1335—Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. polarisers or reflectors
  • G02F1/1336—Illuminating devices
  • G02F1/133614—Illuminating devices using photoluminescence, e.g. phosphors illuminated by UV or blue light
• • 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
  • G02F1/1335—Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. polarisers or reflectors
  • G02F1/1336—Illuminating devices
  • G02F1/133617—Illumination with ultraviolet light; Luminescent elements or materials associated to the cell
• • 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
  • G02F1/1335—Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. polarisers or reflectors
  • G02F1/1336—Illuminating devices
  • G02F1/133624—Illuminating devices characterised by their spectral emissions
• • 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
  • G02F2201/00—Constructional arrangements not provided for in groups G02F1/00 - G02F7/00
  • G02F2201/08—Constructional arrangements not provided for in groups G02F1/00 - G02F7/00 light absorbing layer
• • 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
  • G02F2201/00—Constructional arrangements not provided for in groups G02F1/00 - G02F7/00
  • G02F2201/50—Protective arrangements
• • 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
  • G02F2202/00—Materials and properties
  • G02F2202/36—Micro- or nanomaterials

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates to backlight modules for electronic display systems that include light conversion and/or light absorbing materials.
• Handheld, tablet, computer, and other device displays have trended toward higher resolutions and truer color balance. While a variety of methods can be used to achieve resolution and color, many high-performance displays include LEDs that can result in high levels of blue within the output spectrum. Many of these devices are battery-powered and users, typically, desire long battery life. Longer battery life generally calls for low power consumption, as well as various means for light conservation. Frequently these displays generally have not prioritized eye safety as a design goal. A growing body of medical research is developing that indicates a "toxic" blue portion of the color spectrum can have adverse effects on the eye such that in the longer term, vision impairment can result. In addition, a new body of knowledge is showing that adverse effects can occur on the natural circadian rhythm of individuals from certain portions of the optical spectrum.
• the present disclosure describes materials and incorporation of these materials in a mobile, tablet or PC display that are highly selective in their ability to reduce exposure to harmful blue and UV light. These materials can be optimized as a function of wavelength to maintain color white point. Many of these materials reduce total light transmission. However, some of these materials, as described in the present disclosure, can convert or recycle harmful portions of the spectrum to optical wavelengths that are not harmful. In this manner, a balance of reduction of harmful color frequencies, maintenance of optical clarity, and maintenance of true white color balance can be achieved with minimal loss in display brightness. In light of recent medical findings, increasingly ubiquitous displays, and consumer demand for high quality in displays, systems of the present disclosure solve multiple needs in a unique way.
• display systems that incorporate materials into mobile, tablet, or personal computer displays that can reduce exposure to harmful or toxic blue and ultraviolet light.
• the instant disclosure provides backlight modules (units) for display systems that include materials that can convert or recycle harmful portions of the visible electromagnetic spectrum into optical wavelengths that are less harmful while maintaining a balance of reduction in harmful color frequencies, maintenance of optical clarity, and maintenance of true white color balance with minimum loss in display brightness.
• a display system for use with electronic display devices includes an electronic display device and a backlight unit that includes a light-emitting array.
• a reflector can be adjacent to the light-emitting array and a diffuser can be positioned opposite the reflector.
• a first brightness enhancing layer can be adjacent to the diffuser.
• the disclosed backlight unit can include an optical film having at least one light conversion material or at least one light absorbing material.
• the at least one light conversion material can be used in combination with at least one light absorbing material to reduce hazardous blue light emissions between about 400 nm to about 500 nm.
• the at least one light conversion material can be quantum dots or luminescent nanoparticles.
• the disclosed backlight unit can include a light-guide plate having an edge, a bottom face, and a top face and the light-emitting array can be structured and configured to inject light into the light-guide plate.
• the disclosed backlight unit can also include a reflector adjacent to the bottom face of the light-guide plate, opposite the diffuser, a second brightness enhancing layer adjacent to the first brightness enhancing layer, and a polarizing filter adjacent to the second brightness enhancing layer.
• a method of enhancing blue light absorption (about 400 nm to about 500 nm) in a backlight unit includes providing a display device for use with electronic display devices the includes an electronic display device and a backlight unit that includes an optical stack.
• the backlight unit can include a light-emitting array, a reflector adjacent to the light- emitting array, a diffuser opposite the reflector, and a first brightness enhancing layer adjacent to the diffuser.
• the method further includes inserting an optical film having at least one light conversion layer or at least one light absorbing layer into the optical stack adjacent to the first brightness enhancing layer.
• the at least one light conversion material can be quantum dots or luminescent nanoparticles.
• the at least one light conversion layer can be used in combination with the at least one light absorbing layer to reduce hazardous blue light emissions between about 400 nm and about 500 nm.
• the term, "light absorbing material” or “light absorbing layer” refers to an optical film that only absorbs light in a particular wavelength range; the term, “light conversion material” or “light conversion layer” refers to an optical film that absorbs light at one wavelength range and reemits light at a higher wavelength range; and the term, “optical film” refers to a layer of light absorbing material or light conversion material that may be neat or may be disposed upon a transparent carrier layer.
• Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary display system according to this disclosure.
• Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of embodiments of a backlight unit according to the present disclosure that indicates positions where a light conversion or light absorbing (blue filtering) layer can be inserted.
• Fig. 3 illustrates transmission spectra of different configurations of the embodiments shown in Fig. 2 with the blue-filtering layer in the different positions as indicated in Fig. 2.
• Fig. 4 illustrates transmission spectra of embodiments of the backlight unit shown in Fig. 2 with the blue-filtering layer in various positions below the diffuser.
• Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a diffuser.
• the term, "adjacent” refers to layers that are either directly next to one another or are separated, at most, by one additional layer;
• the terms, “blue light” or “toxic blue light” refer to light having wavelength ranges of about 400 nm to about 500 nm or about 415 nm to about 455 nm respectively;
• the term, “disposed upon” refers to a layer that is either directly in contact with another layer or is adjacent to the other layer;
• the term, “light-emitting diode array” refers to one or more light-emitting diodes in a matrix, usually two-dimensional;
• the term, “optical stack” refers to the layers in a backlight unit that emit light, are optically transparent to that light, or modify the properties of that light. These layers can be adjacent to one another.
• Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example display system 100 with which systems of the present disclosure may be beneficially employed.
• Display system 100 may be used, for example, in a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, LCD-TV, handheld, tablet, laptop, or other computing device.
• LCD liquid crystal display
• Display system 100 of Fig. 1 is merely exemplary, however, and the systems of the present disclosure are not limited to use with systems like or similar to system 100.
• the systems of the present disclosure may be beneficially employed in other varieties of displays systems that do not necessarily include liquid crystal display technology.
• Display systems can include backlight units that include optical stacks.
• the disclosed optical stacks can include light-emission systems such as light- emitting diodes, arrays of light-emitting diodes or other sources of substantially white light.
• These optical stacks can include layers of optical films that can pass the light transparently or can modify properties of the light passing therethrough. This can include reflection layers, diffusion layers, brightness enhancing layers (usually prismatic), and polarizing filters, to name a few.
• the optical stacks can include at least one optical film having at least one light conversion layer therewithin. Additionally, that same at least one optical film can have light absorption layers thereon or therewithin.
• the optical stack can include at least one optical film having at least one light conversion material and at least one optical film having at least one light absorption disposed thereon or therewithin.
• Display system 100 can include liquid crystal (LC) panel 150 and illumination assembly 101 positioned to provide illumination light to LC panel 150.
• LC panel 150 includes LC layer 152 disposed between panel plates 154.
• Plates 154 can include electrode structures and alignment layers on their inner surfaces for controlling the orientation of the liquid crystals in the LC layer 152.
• These light fixtures can be arranged so as to define LC panel pixels.
• a color filter can also be included with one or more of plates 154 for imposing color on the image displayed by LC panel 150
• LC panel 150 can be positioned between upper absorbing polarizer 156 and lower absorbing polarizer 158. Absorbing polarizers 156, 158 and LC panel 150 in combination can control the transmission of light from illumination assembly 101 to a viewer, the viewer generally being positioned toward the top of Fig. 1 and looking generally downward (relative to Fig. 1) at display system 100. Controller 104 can selectively activate pixels of LC layer 152 to form an image seen by the viewer.
• One or more optional layers 157 can be provided over upper absorbing polarizer 156, for example, to provide optical function and/or mechanical and/or environmental protection to the display.
• Illumination assembly 101 can include backlight 108 and one or more light management films 140 positioned between backlight 108 and LC panel 150.
• Backlight unit 108 can be used to collect light from light source 112 and redirect it toward the front of display system 100.
• Backlight 108 of display system 100 can include light sources 112 that generate the light that illuminates LC panel 150.
• Light sources 112 can include any suitable lighting technology.
• light sources 112 can be light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and in some cases, can be white LEDs.
• Backlight 108 as illustrated can be a "direct-lit" backlight in which an array of light sources 112 are located behind LC panel 150 substantially across much or all of the panel’s area.
• Backlight 108 as illustrated is merely schematic, however, and many other backlight configurations are possible.
• Some display systems can include a "side-lit" backlight with light sources (such as LEDs) located at one or more sides of a light-guide that can distribute the light from the light sources substantially across much or all of the area of LC panel 150.
• backlight 108 emits generally white light
• LC panel 150 is combined with a color filter matrix to form groups of multicolored pixels so that the displayed image is polychromatic.
• Backlight 108 also includes reflective substrate 102 for reflecting light from light sources 112 propagating in a direction away from LC panel 150. Reflective substrate 102 may also be useful for recycling light within display system 100.
• a light-emitting array is contemplated. Such a light-emitting array can include a matrix of arranged light-emitting diodes that can, in some embodiments, be embedded with a reflector or individual reflectors and a diffuser or diffusers therewithin. In these embodiments, the reflector and/or diffuser layers may not be separate layers in the optical stack but are part of the light-emitting array.
• Arrangement 140 of light management films which may also be referred to as a film stack, a backlight film stack, or a light management unit, can be positioned between backlight 108 and LC panel 150.
• Light management films 140 can affect the illumination light propagating from backlight 108 so as to improve the operation of display system 100.
• Light management unit 140 need not necessarily include all components as illustrated and described herein.
• Arrangement 140 of light management films can include diffuser 120.
• Diffuser 120 can diffuse the light received from light sources 112, which can result in increased uniformity of the illumination light incident on LC panel 150.
• Diffuser layer 120 may be any suitable diffuser film or plate.
• a diffuser can include three basic layers: anti-blocking layer 502, substrate layer 504, and diffusing layer 506.
• Substrate layer 504 can be comprised of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or any other suitable polymer substrate, and the substrate layer can be extruded.
• Anti-blocking layer 502 and diffusing layer 506 may be layers that are coated onto the substrate layer. Light can enter a diffuser through anti-blocking layer 502 and exit through diffusing layer 506.
• Light management unit 140 can include reflective polarizer 142.
• Light sources 112 typically produce unpolarized light, but lower absorbing polarizer 158 only transmits a single polarization state; therefore, about half of the light generated by light sources 112 is not transmitted through to LC layer 152.
• Reflective polarizer 142 may be used to reflect the light that would otherwise be absorbed in lower absorbing polarizer 158. Consequently, this light may be recycled by reflection between reflective polarizer 142 and underlying display components, including reflective substrate 102.
• At least some of the light reflected by reflective polarizer 142 may be depolarized and subsequently returned to reflective polarizer 142 in a polarization state that is transmitted through reflective polarizer 142 and lower absorbing polarizer 158 to LC layer 152.
• reflective polarizer 142 can be used to increase the fraction of light emitted by light sources 112 that reaches LC layer 152, thereby providing a brighter display output.
• Any suitable type of reflective polarizer may be used for reflective polarizer 142.
• polarization control layer 144 can be provided between diffuser plate 120 and reflective polarizer 142. Polarization control layer 144 can be used to change the polarization of light that is reflected from reflective polarizer 142 so that an increased fraction of the recycled light is transmitted through reflective polarizer 142.
• Arrangement 140 of light management films can also include one or more brightness enhancing layers.
• a brightness enhancing layer can include a surface structure that redirects off- axis light in a direction closer to the axis of the display. This can increase the amount of light propagating on-axis through LC layer 152, thus increasing the brightness of the image seen by the viewer.
• a brightness enhancing layer is a prismatic brightness enhancing layer, which has a number of prismatic ridges that redirect the illumination light through refraction and reflection.
• prismatic brightness enhancing layers include BEF prismatic films available from 3M Company. Other varieties of brightness enhancing layers can incorporate non- prismatic structures.
• Prismatic brightness enhancing layer 146a typically provides optical gain in one dimension.
• An optional second brightness enhancing layer 146b may also be included in arrangement 140 of light management layers, having its prismatic structure oriented orthogonally to the prismatic structure of first brightness enhancing layer 146a. Such a configuration provides an increase in the optical gain of display system 100 in two dimensions.
• brightness enhancing layers 146a, 146b may be positioned between backlight 108 and reflective polarizer 142.
• the different layers in light management unit 140 can be free standing. In other embodiments, two or more of the layers in light management unit 140 may be laminated together. In other exemplary embodiments, light management unit 140 may include two or more subassemblies.
• display system 100 As a schematic diagram, the components of display system 100 are not illustrated to scale, and generally are shown with greatly exaggerated thickness (along the up-down direction of Fig. 1) compared to their lateral extent (along the left-right direction).
• Many elements of display system 100 including (but not necessarily limited to) 102, 120, 142, 144, 146a, 146b, 152, 154, 156, and 157 can extend in two dimensions generally orthogonal to their thickness (i.e., perpendicular to the plane of Fig.
• light sources 112 can emit significant amounts of light in potentially harmful wavelength ranges, such as UV and blue light ranges (particularly below about 455 nm).
• potentially harmful light can be emitted by display system 100 toward a user (upward relative to Fig. 1).
• a "significant" amount of light can mean an amount of light that may result in deleterious health effects for a display user.
• the present disclosure provides systems for reducing the amount of harmful blue light emitted from display systems such as system 100.
• absorbing materials can be used to reduce the amount of light in particular wavelength ranges (such as UV and blue light wavelength ranges) that reach users' eyes.
• light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be employed away from light sources (such as light sources 112 of Fig. 1) of a display.
• Light conversion materials generally can absorb light in a first wavelength range and emit light in a second wavelength range (thus "converting" light from one wavelength range to another).
• Light absorbing materials absorb light in one wavelength range.
• upconversion conversion from shorter wavelengths to longer wavelengths
• downconversion conversion from longer wavelengths to shorter wavelengths
• upconversion and downconversion conversion from longer wavelengths to shorter wavelengths
• Systems using light conversion materials away from light sources of a display can be used to absorb light in less useful or harmful wavelength ranges, such as UV and blue light ranges (particularly below about 455 nm) and re-emit light in more benign wavelength ranges (from a health perspective) that can be more useful, such as in green and/or red wavelength ranges.
• light can be upconverted from shorter blue wavelengths (at or below about 455 nm) to longer blue wavelengths that can be less harmful and also useful for display illumination.
• systems using light conversion materials away from light sources can modify the emission of light from display systems, relative to display systems not employing such light conversion materials.
• systems using light conversion materials or light absorbing materials away from light sources of a display can be employed with electronic device displays to mitigate blue light emissions such that the resulting display systems can achieve brightnesses comparable to reference displays without light conversion materials or light absorbing layers away from light sources, while consuming not more than 10% more energy than the reference displays.
• Systems using light conversion materials or light absorbing materials away from light sources can improve the color balance of a display, compared to some known prior approaches to reducing blue light emissions from a display that do not employ light conversion materials or light absorbing materials away from light sources. Some such known prior approaches can reduce blue light emissions by absorbing or otherwise removing a portion of blue light from the spectrum, thus altering the spectral balance of the light emitted from the display.
• light conversion materials away from light sources can re-emit light that can contribute to, aid, or otherwise improve the color balance of light emitted from an electronic display device, as compared with an otherwise similar display with blue light mitigation that does not include such light conversion materials.
• display systems that include systems of the present disclosure incorporating light conversion materials or light absorbing materials away from light sources can maintain a D65 white point. In some embodiments, display systems that include systems of the present disclosure incorporating light conversion materials or light absorbing materials away from light sources can maintain a correlated color temperature (CCT) substantially the same as a reference display system without the blue light mitigation systems of the present disclosure.
• CCT correlated color temperature
• At least one light conversion material can be used in combination with at least one light absorbing material to reduce hazardous blue light emissions from, and improve or maintain the color balance of, a display system.
• Systems of the present disclosure can include multiple light conversion materials or light absorbing materials that can absorb light from multiple wavelength ranges, including wavelength ranges other than UV or blue wavelength ranges.
• systems of the present disclosure can employ light conversion or light absorbing materials that absorb light from a wavelength range that is not considered to pose health risks.
• the absorption and emission of such a light conversion or light absorbing material can be employed, for example, to improve or otherwise contribute to the color balance of a display.
• employed light conversion/absorbing materials can include:
• Organic light conversion and light absorbing materials can include, for example, fluorescent or phosphorescent molecules, organic light-emitting semiconductors (for example, OLEDS), and polymers that include fluorescent or phosphorescent chromophores.
• Inorganic materials can include, for example, fluorescent or phosphorescent molecules, Raman-scattering materials, Anti-Stokes materials fluorescent or phosphorescent pigments, luminescent nanocrystals, and quantum dots.
• Raman-scattering materials are light-scattering materials which absorb photons, emit or absorb phonons and, finally, emit photons. In the case of phonon emission, the process is referred to as “Stokes” while phonon absorption is referred to as “Anti-Stokes”.
• Anti-Stokes materials the energy of the phonon absorption is larger than the energy of the emitted photon requiring these materials to occur at high temperature.
• Quantum dots are semiconductor particles a few nanometers in size having optical and electronic properties that differ from larger particles due to quantum mechanical effects.
• the optoelectronic properties of quantum dots can change as a function of size, shape, composition, and structure (solid or hollow).
• light conversion materials and/or light absorbing materials can be located in any suitable location away from light sources of the display.
• light conversion materials and/or light absorbing materials can be included in, on, or with one or more films of light management films 140, and/or another film or films not illustrated in Fig. 1.
• light conversion materials can re-emit light with different directionality and/or polarization compared with light absorbed by the light conversion materials. Accordingly, in some embodiments light conversion materials can be included below (relative to the orientation of Fig.
• light conversion materials and/or light absorbing materials can be included in, on, or with a display layer between LC layer 152 and a user, such as layer 157 of Fig. 1. In some embodiments of systems of the present disclosure, light conversion materials and/or light absorbing materials can be included in, on, or with reflective substrate 102.
• light conversion materials and/or light absorbing materials can be included in, on, or with a diffuser layer, such as diffuser layer 120 or 216.
• a diffuser layer can include an anti-blocking layer, a substrate layer, and a diffusing layer. Therefore, light conversion materials and/or light absorbing materials can be included in the anti-blocking layer or diffusing layer, which may be coated onto a polymer substrate layer such as, but not limited to, a PET substrate. This configuration is one way to keep a light conversion/absorbing layer separate from others in a stack.
• light conversion materials and/or light absorbing materials can be included in the substrate layer prior to coating with an anti-blocking layer and diffusing layer. For example, light conversion materials and/or light absorbing materials can be blended with a polymer resin and then extruded as a film.
• light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be distributed substantially about an entire area corresponding to the display area of a display when included or provided in, on, or with a film of light management films 140, reflector 102, or another layer, such as layer 157. In some such embodiments, light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be distributed substantially uniformly over such an area.
• Light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be included or provided in, on, or with a film of light management films 140, reflector 102, or another layer, such as layer 157, in any suitable manner.
• light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be extruded, cast, or diffused within with a film.
• light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be coated onto a film.
• the light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be included as a separate film layer or coated onto any of the layers that make up the backlight unit.
• light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be provided in or with an adhesive used to bond or laminate one or more layers of a display system, such as any suitable layers or films of display system 100.
• Such an adhesive incorporating light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be substantially optically clear, exhibiting negligible scattering of light transmitted through the adhesive, other than redirection of light associated with absorption and re-emission by light conversion materials.
• light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be solubly or insolubly distributed or dispersed throughout a material that is a component or precursor of any suitable film or layer of display system 100, such as a polymer resin or an adhesive.
• light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can comprise nanoparticles, some which may be insoluble in polymers and commonly used solvents. While homogeneous distribution may be more easily achieved in some systems with soluble light conversion/absorbing materials, heterogeneous even distribution can be achieved with insoluble light conversion/absorbing materials with appropriate handling during manufacture.
• light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be index-matched to materials or media into which they are incorporated, such that they can appear essentially optically "invisible” in wavelength ranges other than ranges in which they absorb and re-emit light, and that films or other materials incorporating the light conversion/absorbing materials appear essentially optically clear.
• index differences between light conversion materials, light absorbing materials, and materials or media into which they are incorporated can be exploited for other optical functions, such as (but not necessarily limited to) diffusion and reflection.
• Index matching or index adjustment can be affected by making inorganic nanoparticles suitably small and chemically coupling them to an organic adhesive.
• the design of the organic molecule itself can tune index.
• silicones tend toward relatively lower optical indices while complex hydrocarbons tend toward relatively higher optical indices.
• Organo-functional ligand ends can modify index in the adhesive.
• Systems of the present disclosure incorporating light conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be custom designed to retrofit into existing display systems, with selectable design parameters including choice of light conversion materials, light absorbing materials, and also other non-converting blocking or filtering compounds.
• new display systems can be designed that employ systems of the present disclosure incorporating light conversion and/or light absorbing materials.
• Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of embodiments of a backlight unit according to the present disclosure that indicates positions where a light conversion or light absorbing (blue- filtering) layer can be inserted.
• Backlight unit 200 includes light-guide plate 202.
• a light-guide plate is a transparent, or semi-transparent colorless, block of material (glass or polymer) that can conduct light.
• Light-guide plates can be made of many materials such as glass, polyacrylate (acrylic), polycarbonate, or other clear polymers.
• Light-emitting diode array 204 arranged in a strip as a light source, can be arranged so that light 205 can enter backlight unit 200 through one edge of light-guide plate 202.
• light-emitting diode array 204 can be located below light-guide plate 202.
• Light-guide plate 202 can have reflector 206 adjacent to it on one or more sides in order to direct the light from light-emitting diode array 204 upward (as shown in Fig. 2) and through backlight unit 200.
• light in backlight unit 200 can distribute itself uniformly through light-guide plate 202 through reflections from reflector 206 and internal reflections on the edges of light-guide plate 202 due to the refractive index difference between light-guide plate and air as well as reflection from the reflector and portions of the backlight unit yet to be described.
• the light-guide plate can be placed between the reflector and the diffuser. The impact of this type of construction (illustrated in Figs.
• the uniformity of the light distribution and the efficiency of the light collection are related to the efficiency of the light-guide plate, the reflector layer, and the diffuser layer or layers.
• Diffuser 216 can be disposed adjacent to light-guide plate 202 as shown in Fig. 2. Diffuser 216 can evenly distribute light and eliminate bright spots. Diffusers can come in types, for example, such as holographic, white diffusing glass, and ground glass. Diffusers can be semi opaque and can reflect light in many different directions.
• First brightness enhancing layer 213 and second brightness enhancing layer 214 can be prismatic brightness enhancing films. Prismatic brightness enhancing films are described earlier in this disclosure.
• Adjacent to second brightness enhancing layer 214 can be one or more polarizing filters 212 that lets light of a specific polarization pass through while blocking light waves of other polarizations.
• polarizing filters can help reduce reflections and glare by filtering out light that has become polarized due to reflection from non-metallic surfaces.
• the goal of backlight unit 200 is to distribute light uniformly across the two-dimensional plane of light-guide plate 202, thus providing light to display images across the entirety of the display.
• the disclosed backlight unit with emission modification also includes an optical film, the optical film comprising at least one light conversion material or at least one light absorbing material or both.
• the light conversion material or light absorbing material can absorb light in a first wavelength range and reemit light in a second wavelength range having a higher wavelength.
• light conversion materials or light absorbing materials are contemplated that absorb blue light, particularly toxic blue light.
• Useful light conversion materials and light absorbing materials are described, for example, in applicants' co-owned U. S. Patent Application Ser. No. 15/813,010, currently allowed, filedNovember 14, 2017 and entitled LIGHT EMISSION REDUCING COMPOUNDS FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES. Referring again to Fig.
• light 205 when light 205 is injected into light-guide plate 202, it can reflect within light-guide plate 202, from reflector 206, from diffuser 216, and from prismatic brightness enhancing layers 213 and 214.
• Light 205 will necessarily eventually pass through the layers of backlight unit 200 multiple times and thus be distributed across the full area of a display located above the top layer of backlight unit 200. This can create an opportunity to amplify the impact of a selective light conversion material or light absorbing material that filters out blue or toxic blue light or any other film or layer that can modify the spectrum.
• These selective light-conversion materials or light absorbing materials can be included as a separate film or can be coated onto or within any of the layers that make up the disclosed backlight unit.
• light-conversion materials placed in various locations in the backlight unit have been shown to have up to a ten to twelve times amplification of absorption which greatly increases the efficiency of selective light conversion material or light absorbing material that can, for example, filter out blue or toxic blue light.
• Fig. 3 shows the effective transmittance of the light-conversion or absorbing material (blue-light filtering layer) across the visible spectrum as a function of where the light conversion material or light absorbing material is placed within the display backlight.
• the effective transmittance is calculated by dividing the emission from the display with the light conversion material or light absorbing material by the emission of the display without the light conversion material or light absorbing material.
• the different spectra shown in Fig. 3 illustrate the impact of the light conversion or light absorbing material layer when placed at different locations (positions) in the display — outside of and within the backlight unit.
• Fig. 3 illustrates transmission spectra of different configurations of the embodiments shown in Fig. 2 with the light conversion or light absorbing material (blue-filtering) layer in the different positions as indicated in Fig. 2. They show the transmission spectra of a typical backlight display configuration (Fig. 2) with a layer of light conversion or light absorbing material positioned in three different places in the backlight filter.
• the light conversion or light absorbing material is between light-guide plate 202 and diffuser 216.
• the light conversion or light absorbing material is between first prismatic brightness enhancing film 213 and second prismatic brightness enhancing film 214.
• POSITION 3 the light- conversion material or light absorbing layer is placed on top of the polarizer (between the backlight unit 200 and any liquid crystal imaging layers being illuminated by backlight unit 200).
• Fig. l is a schematic that shows a liquid crystal electronic imaging device on top of the backlight as disclosed above.
• the transmission spectrum shows very little absorption and reemission of light from the light-conversion material layer.
• the spectral line for POSITION 3 is relatively flat with few absorptions from the light-conversion material layer.
• the transmission of light in the blue region of the spectrum 400 nm - 500 nm
• the effect of the light-conversion or light absorbing material layer is as shown in the middle curve of Fig. 3.
• the transmission of light in the blue region of the spectrum 400 nm - 500 nm
• the light-conversion or light absorbing material layer can also have color balancing (color correction) ingredients that decrease transmission in the red region of the spectrum (640 nm - 740 nm) and in the yellow region of the spectrum (550 nm - 620 nm).
• Transmission in the red region can be decreased by up to 10% and can range between 90-98% transmission with a lowest transmission peak around 90-92% near 685-695 nm.
• Transmission in the yellow region can be decreased by up to 12% and can range between 88-98% transmission with a lowest transmission peak around 88-90% near 580-590 nm.
• the absorption of the same film can be enhanced and the transmission of light in the blue region of the spectrum (400 nm - 500 nm) can be decreased by up to 34% and can range between 66-95% transmission with a lowest transmission peak around 66-68% near 425-435 nm.
• the layer can also have color balancing (color correction) ingredients that decrease transmission in the red region of the spectrum (640 nm - 740 nm) and in the yellow region of the spectrum (550 nm - 620 nm). Transmission in the red region can be decreased by up to 16% and can range between 84-96% transmission with a lowest transmission peak around 84- 86% near 685-695 nm. Transmission in the yellow region can be decreased by up to 17% and can range between 83-93% transmission with a lowest transmission peak around 83-85% near 580- 590 nm.
• color balancing color correction
• the transmittance of the light-conversion or light absorbing layer was calculated by subtraction of the transmittance of the backlight display without the light- conversion layer. The results showed that it would take about 12 simulated layers of the film to produce the absorbance shown in Fig. 3 POSITION 1.
• Fig. 4 illustrates transmission spectra of embodiments of the backlight unit shown in Fig. 2 with the light-conversion layer in various positions in the backlight below the diffuser.
• the light-conversion layer is coated on a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film which is placed on the reflector, on the light-guide plate, and on the diffuser layer.
• PET poly(ethylene terephthalate)
• Fig. 4 shows three effective transmission curves of three different configurations of a backlight stack as illustrated in Fig. 2.
• one curve is an absorption curve of the backlight unit shown in Fig. 2 with the light-conversion on PET layer positioned above the reflector and under the light-guide plate.
• a second absorption curve is a measurement of the spectrum of the same backlight unit with a light absorbing material on PET layer on top of the light-guide plate.
• the third absorption curve is the spectrum of the same backlight unit with the light-conversion on PET layer between the light-guide plate and the diffuser (illustrated as POSITION 1 on Fig. 2).
• All three curves lie essentially on top of one another showing that having the light absorbing material layer located in any position below the prismatic brightness enhancing film does not substantially change the absorption, and that the absorption of the backlight unit for all three configurations show substantially the same amount of amplification of absorption with respect to the light absorbing material on top of the backlight unit.
• the transmission of light in the blue region of the spectrum can be decreased by up to 34% and can range between 66-97% transmission with a lowest transmission peak around 66-70% near 425-435 nm.
• the light-conversion or light absorbing material layer can also have color balancing (color correction) ingredients that decrease transmission in the red region of the spectrum (640 nm - 740 nm) and in the yellow region of the spectrum (550 nm - 610 nm). Transmission in the red region can be decreased by up to 16% and can range between 84-96% transmission with a lowest transmission peak around 84-88% near 680-695 nm.
• Transmission in the yellow region can be decreased by up to 17% and can range between 83-94% transmission with a lowest transmission peak around 83-85% near 580-590 nm. While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will also be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is also contemplated that various combinations or sub combinations of the specific features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims. All references cited within are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Nonlinear Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Mathematical Physics (AREA)
• Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
• Spectroscopy & Molecular Physics (AREA)
• Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
• Planar Illumination Modules (AREA)
• Devices For Indicating Variable Information By Combining Individual Elements (AREA)
• Optical Filters (AREA)
• Liquid Crystal (AREA)

Priority Applications (7)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Related Parent Applications (3)

Related Child Applications (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=82930892

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2021
  • 2021-09-30 WO PCT/US2021/052904 patent/WO2022177606A1/en unknown
  • 2021-09-30 JP JP2022520547A patent/JP2023519464A/ja not_active Ceased
  • 2021-09-30 KR KR1020227009105A patent/KR20230143917A/ko unknown
  • 2021-09-30 CN CN202180005599.6A patent/CN115226403A/zh active Pending
  • 2021-09-30 EP EP21857009.1A patent/EP4070158A4/en not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (6)

Non-Patent Citations (2)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events