Curved display with light control film

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12298539-B2
Application number	US-202017596633-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2020
Priority date	Jun 24, 2019
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

A curved display includes a display panel having a curved major surface and a light control film disposed proximate the display panel. The curved major surface is curved about a first axis, and a central portion of the curved major surface has a surface normal along a second axis substantially orthogonal to the first axis. The light control film includes a major surface having a substantially same shape as the curved major surface and includes a plurality of alternating optically transmissive and optically absorptive regions. In a cross-section orthogonal to the first axis, a transmissive region and adjacent absorptive regions define a central ray transmission direction through the optically transmissive region such that a light ray emitted by the display panel and transmitted through the optically transmissive region along the transmission direction is refracted upon exiting the curved display into a direction substantially parallel to the second axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A curved display comprising:
a display panel comprising a curved major surface, the curved major surface being curved about a first axis, a central portion of the curved major surface having a surface normal along a second axis substantially orthogonal to the first axis; and
a light control film disposed proximate the display panel and comprising a first major surface having a substantially same shape as the curved major surface of the display panel, the light control film comprising a plurality of alternating optically transmissive and optically absorptive regions extending along a longitudinal direction parallel to the first axis and arranged along a direction orthogonal to the first and second axes such that the plurality of alternating optically transmissive and optically absorptive regions is substantially coextensive with the first major surface, the optically transmissive regions having a refractive index greater than 1.2, wherein in a cross-section orthogonal to the first axis and for each optically transmissive region in at least a majority of the optically transmissive regions in the plurality of alternating optically transmissive and optically absorptive regions, the optically transmissive region and adjacent optically absorptive regions define a central ray transmission direction through the optically transmissive region such that a light ray emitted by the display panel and transmitted through the optically transmissive region along the central ray transmission direction is refracted upon exiting the curved display into a direction substantially parallel to the second axis, wherein in the cross-section orthogonal to the first axis, the central ray transmission direction makes an angle with a normal to the curved major surface, the angle continuously varying from less than 5 degrees in a central region of the light control film to at least 10 degrees in an edge region of the light control film.

2. The curved display of claim 1 , wherein the curved major surface is a light output surface of the display panel, the light control film being disposed to receive light from the light output surface.

3. The curved display of claim 1 , wherein the curved major surface is a light input surface of the display panel, the light control film being disposed to transmit light to the light input surface.

4. The curved display of claim 1 , further comprising a backlight disposed to illuminate the display panel, the backlight comprising the light control film.

5. The curved display of claim 1 , wherein the angle continuously varies from less than 3 degrees in the central region of the light control film to at least 15 degrees in the edge region of the light control film.

6. The curved display of claim 1 , wherein the angle monotonically increases from less than 3 degrees in the central region of the light control film to at least 15 degrees in the edge region of the light control film.

7. The curved display of claim 1 being adapted to display an image to a viewer, wherein in the cross-section orthogonal to the first axis, the curved major surface is concave toward the viewer along at least a majority of the curved major surface.

8. The curved display of claim 1 being adapted to display an image to a viewer, wherein in the cross-section orthogonal to the first axis, the curved major surface is convex toward the viewer along at least a majority of the curved major surface.

9. The curved display of claim 1 , further comprising an additional element disposed on the light control film opposite the display panel.

10. The curved display of claim 9 , wherein the additional element comprises one or more of a touch sensor, an optical film, a glass layer, or a diffuser.

11. A curved display comprising:
a display panel comprising a curved major surface, the curved major surface being curved about a first axis and having a surface normal being along a second axis substantially orthogonal to the first axis in a central portion of the curved major surface and making an angle γ of at least 15 degrees with the second axis in an edge portion of the curved major surface; and
a light control film disposed proximate the display panel and comprising a first major surface having a substantially same shape as the curved major surface of the display panel, the light control film comprising a plurality of alternating optically transmissive and optically absorptive regions extending along a longitudinal direction parallel to the first axis and arranged along a direction orthogonal to the first and second axes, wherein in a cross-section orthogonal to the first axis, each optically transmissive region and adjacent optically absorptive regions in the plurality of alternating optically transmissive and optically absorptive regions define a central ray transmission direction making an angle ϕ with the surface normal of the curved major surface and an angle α with the second axis, each of the angles o and a increasing from less than 5 degrees in a central region of the light control film to at least 10 degrees in an edge region of the light control film.

12. The curved display of claim 11 , wherein the angle ϕ increases monotonically from less than 3 degrees in the central region of the light control film to at least 15 degrees in the edge region of the light control film.

13. The curved display of claim 11 , wherein the first major surface of the light control film is disposed on, and conforms to, the curved major surface of the display panel.

14. The curved display of claim 11 , wherein the light control film is configured such that for each optically transmissive region and adjacent optically absorptive regions in the plurality of alternating optically transmissive and optically absorptive regions, a light ray transmitted from the display panel through the optically transmissive region along the central ray transmission direction is refracted upon exiting the curved display into a direction substantially parallel to the second axis.

15. A method of making a light control film for a display panel having a curved major surface, the method comprising:
determining a shape of the curved major surface of the display panel;
providing a multilayer stack comprising a plurality of alternating optically transmissive and optically absorptive layers; and
cutting the light control film from the multilayer stack along at least opposing major curved surfaces of the light control film, wherein for each of the curved surfaces, at least a majority of the curved surface is intermediate between first and second surfaces, the first surface having the shape of the curved major surface of the display panel, the second surface being a plane tangent to the first surface.

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Company

Inventors

• Liu Tao
• Boyd Gary T
• Pham Tri D
• Antila Garth V
• Jacobs Keith R

Classifications

• G09F9/30 Primary

  in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements (panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00) · CPC title

• G02B6/0053

  Prismatic sheet or layer; Brightness enhancement element, sheet or layer · CPC title

• G02B5/286

  having four or fewer layers, e.g. for achieving a colour effect · CPC title

• G02B5/003 Primary

  Light absorbing elements · CPC title

• G02B19/0019

  having reflective surfaces only (e.g. louvre systems, systems with multiple planar reflectors) · CPC title