Display with active matrix lightguide
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJerry Yee-Ming Chung, Siddharth Gupta
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A display includes a lightguide having an array of light extraction features that can be actively controlled to direct varying amounts of light received from one or more light sources arranged at the edge of the display. The light extraction features include two fluids with different refractive indices. The relative positions of the fluids in each light extraction feature are controlled, e.g., by electrowetting, to control the amount of light directed toward the display.
Claims20
An electronic device, comprising:
- one or more processors;
- one or more memories;
- and
- a display assembly for displaying content under control of the one or more processors and the one or more memories, the display assembly including a reflective display, a lightguide, a light source, control circuitry, and an intermediate material disposed between the lightguide and the reflective display, the lightguide including a plurality of light extraction features formed therein adjacent the intermediate material, the light extraction features being configured to direct light received from the light source toward the reflective display under control of the control circuitry, each light extraction feature comprising a reservoir extending into the lightguide and having a first fluid and a second fluid contained therein, the first fluid characterized by a first refractive index that is substantially the same as a second refractive index of the lightguide, the second fluid characterized by a third refractive index that is different from the first refractive index and substantially the same as a fourth refractive index of the intermediate material, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the second fluid associated with each of the light extraction features using electrowetting by applying a corresponding potential to change a contact angle between the second fluid and a surface of the intermediate material and to thereby move the second fluid between a first configuration and a second configuration.
A display assembly, comprising a lightguide substrate and control circuitry, the lightguide substrate including a plurality of light extraction features formed therein, the light extraction features being configured to direct light received from a light source toward an associated display under control of the control circuitry, each light extraction feature comprising a reservoir extending into the lightguide substrate and having a first fluid and a second fluid contained therein, the first fluid characterized by a first refractive index that is substantially the same as a second refractive index of the lightguide substrate, the second fluid characterized by a third refractive index that is different from the first refractive index, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the second fluid associated with each of the light extraction features using electrowetting and to thereby move the second fluid between a first configuration and a second configuration.
A computer-implemented method for operating a display assembly to display an interface, the display assembly including a display, a lightguide, a light source, and control circuitry, the lightguide including a plurality of light extraction features formed therein, the light extraction features configured to direct light received from the light source toward the display under control of the control circuitry, each light extraction feature comprising a reservoir extending into the lightguide and having a first fluid and a second fluid contained therein, the first fluid characterized by a first refractive index that is substantially the same as a second refractive index of the lightguide, the second fluid characterized by a third refractive index that is different from the first refractive index, the method comprising:
- using one or more processors, identifying a region of the display assembly corresponding to a portion of the interface to be highlighted;
- and
- using the one or more processors, selectively controlling the light extraction features of the lightguide via the control circuitry using electrowetting to thereby move the second fluid in each of the light extraction features between a first configuration and a second configuration such that the light extraction features corresponding to the identified region of the display assembly direct more of the light from the light source toward the display than the light extraction features corresponding to an adjacent region of the display assembly, thereby highlighting the portion of the interface corresponding to the identified region relative to a portion of the interface corresponding to the adjacent region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.