Abstract: A light guide plate for a backlight comprises a light transmissive medium. The light transmissive medium preferably has two pairs of opposing sides and a top surface. Also provided is a plurality of interleaved regions of elongated light extraction features on the top surface of the light transmissive medium. Each light extraction figure is configured to extract light injected into the light guide plate and into a direction away from the top surface of the light guide plate. Each elongated light extraction feature has a long dimension and a short dimension. The light extraction features in a first set of the regions are arranged with their long dimension orthogonal to the long dimension of the light extraction features in a second set of the regions.

Abstract: In at least some embodiments, a film for use with an edge-lit backlight includes a substrate. The film also includes a graphics layer and light-extraction features in contact with the substrate. The graphics layer and the light-extraction features are on opposite surfaces of the substrate.

Abstract: The application of optical microstructures improve the quality of light available to the viewer of an optical display system, or any display which works on the concept of moving one surface into direct contact or close proximity of a light guide to extract light through frustrated total internal reflection. Certain ones of the microstructures can act to assist in overcoming stiction between the surface and the light guide.

Abstract: A light mixing system includes a transparent waveguide having a reflectorized edge, a light input edge and a light output edge opposite the reflectorized edge. The light input edge receives light of different colors from two or more light sources. The received light of different colors is totally internally reflected from opposite major surfaces of the waveguide. Formed inside the waveguide are a plurality of cavities bounded by walls substantially parallel to the edges and substantially orthogonal to the major surfaces of the waveguide. Interaction of the received light of different colors with one or more of the cavities and the reflectorized edge mixes the light of different colors before exiting the light output edge.

Abstract: A light mixing system includes a transparent waveguide having a reflectorized edge, a light input edge and a light output edge opposite the reflectorized edge. The light input edge receives light of different colors from two or more light sources. The received light of different colors is totally internally reflected from opposite major surfaces of the waveguide. Formed inside the waveguide are a plurality of cavities bounded by walls substantially parallel to the edges and substantially orthogonal to the major surfaces of the waveguide. Interaction of the received light of different colors with one or more of the cavities and the reflectorized edge mixes the light of different colors before exiting the light output edge.

Abstract: The attenuation of light per unit length in a waveguide as a result of active pixels (i.e., open pixels) may be corrected or mitigated by injecting apodized light into the waveguide. A light injection system and method is provided to enhance the luminous uniformity of the active pixels in a waveguide-based display. Embodiments of the present invention include a slab waveguide having a first edge and a second edge that intersect at a vertex, a first light source disposed along the first edge, and a second light source disposed along the second edge. The first light source, or the second light source, or both, comprises an apodized light source.

Abstract: In a display system, a color gamut of the displayed images is extended by adding one or more primary colors lying outside a tristimulus color space triangle to a Red, Green, Blue (RGB) system, modulating light emitted by both light sources lying inside the tristimulus color space triangle and light sources lying outside the tristimulus color space triangle, and adding a non-tristimulus vertex to construct an extended-gamut polygon. The display system adds one or more primary colors to the RGB system, which lie outside the tristimulus color space triangle but within a CIE (International Commission on Illumination) color space.

Abstract: The present invention describes a light mixing waveguide including a transparent slab waveguide having a reflectorized edge, a pair of opposing side edges adjacent to the reflectorized edge, a light transfer edge opposite the reflectorized edge, and a plurality of cavities formed inside the slab waveguide, wherein at least one of the side edges is configured to receive light from one or more light sources so that the received light is totally-internally reflected from top and bottom surfaces of the transparent slab waveguide. Interaction of the received light, the cavities, and the reflectorized edge mixes the received light prior to the light passing through the light transfer edge and into a target optical system.

Abstract: An electromechanical dynamic force profile articulating mechanism for recovering or emulating true parallel plate capacitor actuation behaviors from deformable membranes used in MEMS systems. The curved deformation of flexible membranes causes their MEMS behavior to deviate from known interactions between rigid plates that maintain geometric parallelism during ponderomotive actuation.

Abstract: Embodiments of a display comprising pixels formed from suitably tethered deformable membrane-based MEMS subsystems are provided that include the means to dynamically alter the in-plane tension, and thus the effective spring constant, of the deformable membrane being ponderomotively propelled between active and inactive optical states, said dynamic alteration being effected by exploiting transverse piezoelectric properties of the deformable membranes. Manipulating the spring constant can reduce the actuation force required to turn pixels on, thus significantly reducing the operational voltages for the display composed of an array of such subsystems. Since display power rises with the square of the pixel drive voltage, such architectures give rise to more power efficient display systems.

Abstract: The disclosure generally involves an optical (perhaps flat panel) display utilizing backside reflection for time-multiplexed optical shuttering. One display comprises a side-illuminated light guide associated with conditions for total internal reflection. A first surface of the light guide is elastomeric. Disposed against this elastomeric surface is an active layer that selectively deforms the elastomeric surface in locations that can correspond to display pixels. This resulting change in the geometry of the elastomeric surface can be sufficient to defeat the conditions for total internal reflection. When appropriate, light is reflected by the particular deformation and is ejected from another surface of the light guide. In this case, each location that allows light to exit could represent an activated display pixel. In certain situations, color flat panel displays of varying sizes may further implement field sequential color and time-multiplexed optical shuttering.

Abstract: The disclosure generally involves an optical (perhaps flat panel) display utilizing backside reflection for time-multiplexed optical shuttering. One display comprises a side-illuminated light guide associated with conditions for total internal reflection. A first surface of the light guide is elastomeric. Disposed against this elastomeric surface is an active layer that selectively deforms the elastomeric surface in locations that can correspond to display pixels. This resulting change in the geometry of the elastomeric surface can be sufficient to defeat the conditions for total internal reflection. When appropriate, light is reflected by the particular deformation and is ejected from another surface of the light guide. In this case, each location that allows light to exit could represent an activated display pixel. In certain situations, color flat panel displays of varying sizes may further implement field sequential color and time-multiplexed optical shuttering.

Abstract: The present invention describes a light mixing waveguide including a transparent slab waveguide having a reflectorized edge, a pair of opposing side edges adjacent to the reflectorized edge, a light transfer edge opposite the reflectorized edge, and a plurality of cavities formed inside the slab waveguide, wherein at least one of the side edges is configured to receive light from one or more light sources so that the received light is totally-internally reflected from top and bottom surfaces of the transparent slab waveguide. Interaction of the received light, the cavities, and the reflectorized edge mixes the received light prior to the light passing through the light transfer edge and into a target optical system.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus that includes a waveguide and one or more pixels deployed adjacent the top surface of the waveguide which contains TIR light therein. Each pixel includes a deformable active layer having a first conductor and a driver electronics layer having a second conductor. The driver electronics layer is deployed in spaced-apart relation to the active layer and opposite the waveguide. In a quiescent state of a pixel, the active layer is in contact or near contact with the top surface of the waveguide so as to optically couple light out via FTIR (i.e., pixel's ON state). To actuate the pixel, the electronics layer is configured to selectively apply an electrical potential difference to the second conductor thereby causing the active layer to move away from the top surface so as to prevent the optical coupling of light out of the waveguide (i.e., pixel's OFF state).

Abstract: The optical performance is enhanced of display systems that use field sequential color and pulse width modulation to generate color and color gray scale values. Such enhancement may be achieved by various data encoding methods disclosed herein that may include temporal redistribution of bit values to mitigate color motional artifacts associated with field sequential color-based display systems, selective combination of intensity modulation, pulse width modulation, and/or the noncontiguous sequencing of primary colors. There is further an intelligent real-time dynamic manipulation of gray scale values in portions of an image that are computationally determined to be images of objects moving against a global background, so as to temporally front load or concentrate the bits comprising such moving objects and thereby further mitigate said motional artifacts using both actual and virtual aggregate pulse truncation across all primary colors being modulated.

Abstract: Various shapes of microstructures and patterns of microstructures are provided to reduce the visibility of fingerprints, or other foreign marks, that occur on the surface of substrates due to handling. The microstructures may be formed directly on an exterior surface of a substrate to render the substrate fingerprint resistant, or formed on a surface of a polymeric sheet to provide a fingerprint-resistant protective layer that may be disposed onto a surface of a substrate (e.g., an optical display). The size, shape, orientation, and distribution of the microstructures across the surface of the substrate, or protective layer, may be optimized to enhance the durability of the microstructures and/or to impart a diffusing surface to the substrate for the particular application of the substrate.

Abstract: A circuit for implementing a registration-free, contiguous conductive plane. A circuit may include a plurality of conductive structures in a first plane. The circuit may further include a contiguous conductive equipotential surface in a second plane parallel to the first plane. The circuit may further include activation means configured to adjust an electric field between the first and second planes thereby activating one or more structures in the first plane by increasing a potential difference between the first and second planes to a threshold level deemed to constitute an active state. The circuit may further include deactivation means configured to adjust the electric field between the first and second planes thereby deactivating one or more structures in the first plane by decreasing the potential difference between the first and second planes below a threshold level deemed to constitute a deactivated state.

Abstract: A circuit for implementing a registration-free, contiguous conductive plane. A circuit may include a plurality of conductive structures in a first plane. The circuit may further include a contiguous conductive equipotential surface in a second plane parallel to the first plane. The circuit may further include activation means configured to adjust an electric field between the first and second planes thereby activating one or more structures in the first plane by increasing a potential difference between the first and second planes to a threshold level deemed to constitute an active state. The circuit may further include deactivation means configured to adjust the electric field between the first and second planes thereby deactivating one or more structures in the first plane by decreasing the potential difference between the first and second planes below a threshold level deemed to constitute a deactivated state.

Abstract: Enhancement of the contrast ratio of optical flat panel displays by integrating an array of corner-cube retroreflectors into the front face of the optical display, said integration involving mutual adaptation of both the display and the corner-cube retroreflector geometry to unite the two disparate optical systems. The light emission from the display passes through the truncated vertex of the corner-cubes to the observer. The display directs its emitted light through the vertex apertures (either as a natural behavior, or by interposing a registered array of light concentrators between the display and the corner-cube array). The improvement in contrast ratio arises due to the corner-cube retroreflectors' ability to direct incident ambient light directly back to its source, rather than the viewer's eyes. Ambient light reflections are not attenuated but maximized; this maximization is directed away from the viewer, causing the array to appear dark even in direct sunlight.

Abstract: An electromechanical dynamic force profile articulating mechanism for recovering or emulating true parallel plate capacitor actuation behaviors from deformable membranes used in MEMS systems. The curved deformation of flexible membranes causes their MEMS behavior to deviate from known interactions between rigid plates that maintain geometric parallelism during ponderomotive actuation.