Suppression of color breakup in color‐sequential multi‐primary projection displays

Abstract— Field‐sequential projection displays exhibit a phenomenon of color breakup (Rainbow effect). This is considered to be a disturbing artifact with negative marketing impact. The results of a psychophysical experiment comparing the visibility of the phenomenon in RGB and multi‐primary displays is described. Surprisingly, it is found that color breakup in color‐sequential projection displays with five primaries is equally (for 75 Hz) or less (for 105 Hz) visible than in similar displays with three primaries (at 180 Hz), despite the lower refresh rates.     

Subpixel image scaling for color‐matrix displays

Abstract— The perceived resolution of matrix displays increases when the relative position of the color subpixels is taken into account. “Subpixel‐rendering” algorithms are being used to convert an input image to subpixel‐corrected display images. This paper deals with the consequences of the subpixel structure and the theoretical background of the resolution gain. We will show that this theory allows a low‐cost implementation in an image scaler. This leads to high flexibility, allowing different subpixel arrangements and a simple control over the trade‐off between perceived resolution and color errors.     

Non‐metamerism of boundary colors in multi‐primary displays

Abstract— A control sequence gives the intensities of the primaries for a pixel of a display device. The display gamut, i.e., the set of all the colors that a display can produce, is a zonohedral subset of CIE XYZ space and contains both boundary and interior colors. Displays with four primaries or more exhibit metamerism, in which different control sequences produce colors that appear identical to an observer. This paper shows mathematically that, provided no three primaries are linearly dependent, metamerism can only occur for interior colors. When there are four or more primaries, metamers can always be found for interior colors. A color on the gamut boundary, by contrast, is only produced by a unique control sequence. The proof used for displays can be extended to object‐color solids, to show that optimal colors, which are on the boundary of an object‐color solid, have unique reflectance functions.     

Measuring and modeling per‐element angular visibility in multi‐view displays

Abstract— Multi‐view displays employ an optical layer which distributes the light of an underlying TFT‐LCD panel in different directions. Certain properties of the layer create specific artifacts, such as ghost images, moiré patterns, and masking. The layer was modeled as an image‐processing channel, and the display parameters related with the model were identified, which are importantfor the design of image‐processing algorithms for artifact mitigation. The identified parameters are interleaving pattern, angular visibility, and frequency throughput of the display. A methodology for deriving these parameters for an arbitrary LCD‐based multi‐view display are presented, which does not require precisely positioned measurement equipment. As a case study, measurement and modeling results for a particular multi‐view display are also presented.     

The luminance resolution characteristics of multi‐primary‐color display

Abstract— In this paper, the resolution characteristics of multi‐primary‐color (MPC) display systems are analyzed. That four‐primary‐color (4PC) displays can increase the effective resolution for achromatic images in the luminance domain by a factor of two as compared to conventional RGB‐based displays with MPC‐specialized subpixel rendering, which is proposed in this paper, is demonstrated. Five‐ and six‐primary‐color (5PC and 6PC) display systems can reproduce denser luminance data than conventional RGB‐based display systems and solve a problem of MPC displays, viz. an increase of production costs and a decrease in the aperture ratio caused by increasing the number of subpixels in one pixel. This is an essential advantage of MPC display systems, which is related to the combination of the proposed color‐filter architecture and image processing. Thus, a completely new advantage of MPC display systems, in addition to their well‐known capabilities of color reproduction and power saving, is proposed.     

Avoiding on‐screen metamerism in N‐primary displays

Abstract— The present paper describes a method for using more than three primaries in an additive‐primary display. The method ensures that each tristimulus specification can be produced in no more than one way, even if a non‐singular filter (i.e., one that does not reduce the dimensionality of color‐matching space) is interposed between the screen and the viewer. Starting with N primaries, the method uses only three at a time, but these may be composites — fixed linear combinations of the original N. As further insurance against on‐screen metamerism, a criterion on the primary spectra, based on the Binet‐Cauchy theorem, ensures that a triad of primaries keeps its right/left‐handed chromaticity ordering when a filter is interposed.     

Passive‐matrix polymer light‐emitting displays

Abstract— Organic light‐emitting device research focuses on the use of small‐molecule and polymer materials to make organic electroluminescent displays, with both passive‐ and active‐matrix technologies. This paper will focus on the characteristics of red, green, and blue electroluminescent polymers suitable for fabricating monochrome and full‐color passive‐matrix displays. The stability of polymer OLEDs, and the use of ink‐jet printing for direct high‐resolution patterning of the light‐emitting polymers will also be discussed. It will be shown that the performance of light‐emitting polymers is at the brink of being acceptable for practical applications.     

Extensible multi‐primary control sequences

Abstract— In a display with more than three primaries (called a multi‐primary display), a color can be expressed as multiple combinations (called control sequences) of primaries. This paper presents an algorithm for assigning control sequences that preserves current assignments when further primaries are added. These control sequences are cal led extensible. It is shown that the gamut of any number of primaries is a zonohedron, which can be dissected into parallelepipeds. Control sequences are assigned within each parallelepiped. The current parallelepipeds remain when more primaries are added, so the current assignments are preserved. Multi‐primary displays can also cause unwanted metamerism and make continuous color scales appear discontinuous. The algorithm avoids these problems. When viewed through natural filters, such as yellowed ocular lenses, multi‐primary displays can sometimes make two different colors appear identical. If the primaries satisfy the Binet—Cauchy criterion, which is always the case when all primaries are monochromatic, then these spurious matches are avoided.     

Active‐matrix and flexible liquid‐crystal displays with carbon‐nanotube pixel electrodes

Abstract— The necessary processes to use random carbon‐nanotube networks as transparent conductors in twisted‐nematic liquid‐crystal displays have been developed, replacing indium tin oxide. Because the nanotubes are deposited vacuum‐free from suspension, the potential advantages are lower costs for material, equipment, and production. Nanotube networks are also much better suited for flexible displays than the commonly used metal oxides. With the developed processes, the world's first full‐color active‐matrix LCDs as well as directly addressed flexible displays on plastic substrates with carbon‐nanotube pixel electrodes, have been realized.     

Portable multi‐gray scale video playing scheme for high‐performance electrowetting displays

Electrowetting display technology is realized by tuning the surface energy of a hydrophobic surface by applying a voltage based on electrowetting mechanism. Electrowetting displays have favorable optical properties combined with reflective paper‐like performance. It has been successfully demonstrated in reflective mode with high switching speed. In this paper, we propose a portable driving scheme that can display 4‐bit gray scale dynamic video using an active matrix electrowetting display. The proposed driving scheme includes an electronic system and a dynamic driving waveform design. High‐performance multi‐gray video playing and quick response were obtained for a Quarter Video Graphics Array electrowetting display cell fabricated by our team.     

Color‐conversion method for a multi‐primary display to reduce power consumption and conversion time

Abstract— A color‐conversion method for a light‐emitting multi‐primary‐color display is proposed. While amulti‐primary‐color display uses four or more primary colors to reproduce a wide color gamut, multiple sets of primary‐color signals are needed to reproduce one color. Therefore, linear programming, which results in low power consumption, was adopted to uniquely determine the set of primary‐color signals. Although a highly accurate color conversion was achieved by using linear programming with low power consumption, it requires a very long time to convert colors of high‐resolution images. Therefore, by categorizing the color conversion of linear programming as a classification problem, colors are converted by using the decision‐tree method, which is a classification method. As a result, color conversion with high accuracy, low power consumption, and short conversion time was achieved.     

Advances towards high‐resolution pack‐and‐go displays: A survey

Abstract— Tiled displays provide high resolution and large scale simultaneously. Projectors can project on any available surface. Thus, it is possible to create a large high‐resolution display by simply tiling multiple projectors on any available regular surface. The tremendous advancement in projection technology has made projectors portable and affordable. One can envision displays made of multiple such projectors that can be packed in one's car trunk, carried from one location to another, deployed at each location easily to create a seamless high‐resolution display, and, finally, dismantled in minutes to be taken to the next location — essentially a pack‐and‐go display. Several challenges must be overcome in order to realize such pack‐and‐go displays. These include allowing for imperfect uncalibrated devices, uneven non‐diffused display surfaces, and a layman user via complete automation in deployment that requires no user invention. We described the advances we have made in addressing these challenges for the most common case of planar display surfaces. First, we present a technique to allow imperfect projectors. Next, we present a technique to allow a photometrically uncalibrated camera. Finally, we present a novel distributed architecture that renders critical display capabilities such as self‐calibration, scalability, and reconfigurability without any user intervention. These advances are important milestones towards the development of easy‐to‐use multi‐projector displays that can be deployed anywhere and by anyone.     

Efficiency analysis for multi‐view spatially multiplexed autostereoscopic 2‐D/3‐D displays

Abstract— The wide‐viewing freedom often requested by users of autostereoscopic displays can be delivered by spatial multiplexing of multiple views in which a sequence of images is directed into respective directions by a suitable autostereoscopic optical system. This gives rise to two important design considerations — the optical efficiency and the resolution efficiency of the device. Optical efficiency is particularly important in portable devices such as cell phones. A comparison is given between lens and barrier systems for various spatial multiplexing arrangements. Parallax‐barrier displays suffer from reduced optical efficiency as the number of views presented increases whereas throughput efficiency is independent of the number of views for lens displays. An autostereoscopic optical system is presented for the emerging class of highly efficient polarizer‐free displays. Resolution efficiency can be evaluated by investigating quantitative and subjective comparisons of resolution losses and pixel appearance in each 3‐D image. Specifically, 2.2‐in.‐diagonal 2‐D/3‐D panel performance has been assessed using Nyquist boundaries, human‐visual contrast‐sensitivity models, and autostereoscopic‐display optical output simulations. Four‐view vertical Polarization‐Activated Microlens technology with either QVGA mosaic or VGA striped pixel arrangements is a strong candidate for an optimum compromise between display brightness, viewing angle, and 3‐D pixel appearance.     

Polymer‐based transistors used as pixel switches in active‐matrix displays

A 2‐in. active‐matrix display was demonstrated, containing 4096 solution‐processed polymer‐based transistors. By using the polymer‐dispersed liquid‐crystal display (LCD) effect, this results in a reflective, low‐power display with paper‐like contrast. The influence of the transistor parameters on the display performance is analyzed by use of a model for charging and discharging of the pixel capacitors. Good agreement was obtained between the model and the experimental data. Scaling behavior allows estimation of the performance required for transistors in a quarter‐VGA display. These requirements are met by solution‐processed pentacene transistors.     

Development of active‐matrix electronic‐ink displays for handheld devices

Abstract— Interest in the use of electrophoretic displays for smart handheld applications has grown tremendously over the past few years. Since the launch of the Philips and E Ink joint development effort in February 2001, material parameters, TFT backplane, electronic hardware and software and modulization skills have been developed to make this promising display concept into a real product. The first commercial launch of active‐matrix electronic‐ink display modules is planned for mid 2004.     

SOM‐based projection module for mobile displays

Abstract— The development of a compact, efficient VGA projection module to be embedded in mobile devices is reported. The design incorporates laser/laser diode (LD) light sources, Schlieren optics, and a one‐dimensional diffractive spatial optical modulator (SOM). During development, the optical parameters were determined and the relationships between the parameters to optimize the optical specifications were derived. The resulting optimized specifications enable us to manufacture two types of optical modu les as compact as 13 cc and with as little as 10% speckle contrast ratio.     

Comparison of reflective PNLCDs and reflective single‐polarizer Heilmeier guest‐host displays

In this paper, the applicability of a zero‐polarizer reflective display (PNLC) and a single‐polarizer reflective display (Heilmeier guest host) for direct‐view applications is analyzed. A measurement set‐up is designed to analyze the applicability of all types of reflective displays. Simulation of the different types of illumination caused by the environmental light is essential for this set‐up. The measurements indicate that the contrast ratio and reflectance greatly depend on the type of illumination. It is demonstrated that the worst‐case illumination for one display technology may be the best‐case illumination for another one and vice versa.     

Suspension‐deposited carbon‐nanotube networks for flexible active‐matrix displays

Abstract— The unique properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) promise innovative solutions for a variety of display applications. The CNTs can be deposited from suspension. These simple and low‐cost techniques will replace time‐consuming and costly vacuum processes and can be applied to large‐area glass and flexible substrates. Single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been used as conducting and transparent layers, replacing the brittle ITO, and as the semiconducting layer in thin‐film transistors (TFTs). There is no need for alignment because a CNT network is used instead of single CNTs. Both processes can be applied to glass and to flexible plastic substrates. The transparent and conductive nanotube layers can be produced with a sheet resistance of 400 Ω/□ at 80% transmittance. Such layers have been used to produce directly addressed liquid‐crystal displays and organic light‐emitting diodes (OLED). The CNT‐TFTs reach on/off ratios of more than 10⁵ and effective charge‐carrier mobilities of 1 cm²/V‐sec and above.     

Application‐specific integrated filters for color‐sequential microdisplay‐based projection applications

Abstract— Application‐specific integrated filters (ASIFs), based on a unique holographic polymer‐dispersed liquid‐crystal (H‐PDLC) material system offering high efficiency, fast switching, and low switching voltage, are being developed for microdisplay‐based projection applications. The basic properties and key benefits of ASIFs in projection displays are reviewed.     

Substrate‐free cholesteric liquid‐crystal displays

Abstract— This paper demonstrates the first substrate‐free cholesteric liquid‐crystal displays. The encapsulated cholesteric displays are ultra‐thin (with a total thickness around 20 μm) and ultra‐lightweight (0.002 g/cm²). The displays exhibit unprecedented conformability, flexibility, and drapability while maintaining electro‐optical performance and mechanical integrity. All functional display layers are sequentially coated on a preparation substrate and then lifted‐off from the preparation substrate to form a free‐standing display. The display fabrication process, electro‐optical performance, and display flexibility are discussed.