Display Apparatus Incorporating Reflective and Absorptive Polarizers
AssigneePixtronix, Inc.
InventorJames Eakin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for reducing ambient light reflections from a surface of a display device in a power efficient manner. The display device includes a reflecting circular polarizer (RCP) and an absorbing circular polarizer (ACP) having the same polarity. The RCP provides light recycling functionality, while the ACP provides ambient light reflection suppression. In some implementations, the light generated by the display device is polarized by the RCP before it is incident on the ACP, which is located at the front of the display device. Because the polarities of the RCP and the ACP are the same, the ACP substantially passes all of the incident polarized light towards the front of the display device.
Claims23
An apparatus, comprising:
- a reflecting circular polarizing (RCP) layer configured to:
- pass light having a first circular polarity received from the rear of the apparatus, and
- reflect light having a polarity different from the first circular polarity received from the rear of the apparatus back toward the rear of the apparatus;
- and
- an absorbing circular polarizing (ACP) layer, disposed proximate a front surface of the apparatus and in front of the reflecting circular polarizing layer, configured to pass light having the first circular polarity and to absorb light having a polarity different from the first circular polarity.
A display apparatus, comprising:
- a reflecting circular polarizing (RCP) layer configured to:
- pass light having a first circular polarity received from the rear of the display apparatus, and
- reflect light having a polarity different from the first circular polarity received from the rear of the display apparatus back toward the rear of the display apparatus;
- a light modulation layer including a plurality of electromechanical systems (EMS) display elements, disposed in front of the reflecting circular polarizing layer, configured to, responsive to image data, selectively pass light received from the reflecting circular polarizing layer;
- and
- an absorbing circular polarizing (ACP) layer, disposed in front of the light modulation layer, configured to pass light having the first circular polarity and to absorb light having a polarity different from the first circular polarity.
A display apparatus, comprising:
- reflecting circular polarizing means, for passing light having a first circular polarity received from the rear of the display apparatus and for reflecting light having a polarity different from the first circular polarity received from the rear of the display apparatus back toward the rear of the display apparatus;
- and
- absorbing circular polarizing means, disposed proximate a front surface of the display apparatus and in front of the reflecting circular polarizing means, for passing light having the first circular polarity and absorbing light having a polarity different from the first circular polarity.
A method, comprising:
- receiving light from a backlight located at the rear of a display apparatus;
- using a reflecting circular polarizer to pass light having a first circular polarity towards the front of the display apparatus;
- using the reflecting circular polarizer to reflect light having a polarity different from the first circular polarity back towards the rear of the display apparatus;
- and
- proximate to the front of the display apparatus, absorbing light having a polarity different from the first circular polarity using an absorbing circular polarizer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.