Scanning backlight for flat-panel display
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorAdrian Robert Leigh Travis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An illuminator for a flat-panel display comprises a tapered slab waveguide 1 co-extensive with the display, a light source 2-4 arranged to inject light into an edge of the waveguide so that it emerges over the face of the waveguide, and means for scanning the light injected into the wedge so that different areas of the panel are illuminated in turn. Preferably the light source is a set of rows of LEDs, each row injecting light at a different range of angles so that it emerges over different areas of the waveguide 1.
Claims16
A method of backlighting a display, the method comprising:
- turning on a light array of N light arrays in response to display data having been written to a corresponding horizontal row of N horizontal rows of the display, the turned-on light array configured for backlighting predominately the corresponding horizontal row of the display, the backlighting based on light emitted from the turned-on light array being injected into an input edge of a waveguide that is configured for causing the injected light to emerge from the waveguide predominately over the corresponding horizontal row of the display, where each of the N light arrays is configured for emitting light that is subdivided over a range of input angles, and where the input edge of the waveguide is configured for causing the subdivided light from the each of the N light arrays to emerge, based on the range of input angles, from the waveguide predominately over a corresponding one of the N horizontal rows of the display;
- turning off the turned-on light array in response to display data having been written to another horizontal row of the N horizontal rows of the display;
- and
- repeating the method in response to the turning off.
An illuminator system for a display, the illuminator system comprising:
- a controller configured for turning on a light array of N light arrays in response to display data having been written to a corresponding horizontal row of N horizontal rows of the display, the turned-on light array configured for backlighting predominately the corresponding horizontal row of the display, the backlighting based on light emitted from the turned-on light array being injected into an input edge of a waveguide that is configured for causing the injected light to emerge from the waveguide predominately over the corresponding horizontal row of the display, where each of the N light arrays is configured for emitting light that is subdivided over a range of input angles, and where the input edge of the waveguide is configured for causing the subdivided light from the each of the N light arrays to emerge, based on the range of input angles, from the waveguide predominately over a corresponding one of the N horizontal rows of the display;
- the controller further configured for turning off the turned-on light array in response to display data having been written to another horizontal row of the N horizontal rows of the display;
- and
- the controller further configured for repeating the turning on and then the turning off in response to the turning off.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.