Liquid crystal display with backlight color compensation structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9857521-B2
Application number	US-201514881065-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2015
Priority date	Apr 20, 2015
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

A display may have an array of pixels that display images for a user. The backlight unit may have a light-guide layer. An array of light-emitting diodes may emit light into an edge of the light-guide layer. The light guide layer may overlap a backlight reflector. The backlight reflector may include a backlight reflector panel formed from a stack of dielectric layers on a rectangular substrate. The backlight reflector may also include a strip of backlight reflector tape having an edge that is overlapped by an edge portion of the backlight reflector panel. Color compensating features such as printed colored ink patterns may be formed on the backlight reflector to adjust the color of backlight illumination in portions of the backlight unit adjacent to the light-emitting diodes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display, comprising:
display layers forming an array of pixels; and
backlight structures that provide backlight illumination for the pixels, wherein the backlight structures include a backlight reflector having color compensating features that enhance color uniformity for the backlight illumination, wherein the backlight reflector comprises a first layer and a second layer, and wherein the backlight structures include a light guide layer with an edge portion interposed between the first layer and the second layer.

2. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the first layer of the backlight reflector comprises a strip of backlight reflector tape and wherein the color compensating features are formed at least partly on the backlight reflector tape.

3. The display defined in claim 2 wherein the color compensating features comprise colored ink features.

4. The display defined in claim 3 wherein the color compensating features comprise printed ink dots.

5. The display defined in claim 4 wherein the printed ink dots have a density that varies as a function of distance across the backlight reflector tape.

6. The display defined in claim 2 wherein the color compensating features comprise a strip of printed colored ink on the backlight reflector tape.

7. The display defined in claim 6 wherein the strip of printed colored ink comprises a yellow strip of printed ink.

8. The display defined in claim 7 wherein the backlight reflector further comprises a backlight reflector panel having an edge that overlaps an edge portion of the backlight reflector tape, wherein the display further comprises a flexible printed circuit on which the light-emitting diodes are mounted, wherein the backlight reflector tape has an edge that overlaps the flexible printed circuit, and wherein the light-emitting diodes emit light into the light guide layer.

9. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the first layer comprises a reflector tape, wherein the second layer comprises a top reflector, and wherein the color compensating features include colored ink on the top reflector.

10. A display, comprising:
display layers forming an array of pixels; and
backlight structures that provide backlight illumination for the pixels, wherein the backlight structures include a backlight reflector having a surface, wherein color compensating features that enhance color uniformity for the backlight illumination are formed on the surface of the backlight reflector, and wherein the color compensating features include thermochromic ink.

11. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the first layer of the backlight reflector includes a backlight reflector tape formed from a white plastic layer, wherein the backlight reflector also includes a rectangular backlight reflector panel having a stack of dielectric layers, and wherein the color compensating features comprise colored ink that covers a portion of the backlight reflector tape and that covers a portion of the backlight reflector panel.

12. A display, comprising:
liquid crystal display layers having an array of pixels; and
backlight structures that provide backlight illumination for the array of pixels, wherein the backlight structures include a backlight reflector, a light-guide layer that overlaps the backlight reflector, and an array of light-emitting diodes emitting light into an edge of the light-guide layer, wherein the backlight structures include colored ink on the backlight reflector that compensates for variations in color of the backlight illumination across the backlight structures, wherein the backlight reflector has a first portion and a second portion, wherein the colored ink is formed on at least the first portion, wherein the first portion of the backlight reflector comprises a strip of white tape, wherein the second portion comprises a backlight reflector panel having a stack of dielectric layers with at least first and second indices of refraction, and wherein an edge portion of the backlight reflector panel overlaps an edge portion of the strip of white tape.

13. The display defined in claim 12 further comprising a clear coating that covers the colored ink.

14. The display defined in claim 12 wherein the colored ink includes first and second colored ink layers of different colors.

15. The display defined in claim 10 , wherein all of the surface of the backlight reflector is covered with the thermochromic ink.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Pu Chuan
• Lu Shin-Ying
• You Chenhua
• Wang Sheng Min
• Qi Jun
• Yin Victor H

Classifications

• G02B6/0055 Primary

  Reflecting element, sheet or layer · CPC title

• G02F1/133615

  Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side · CPC title

• G02B6/0073

  Light emitting diode [LED] · CPC title

• G02F1/133605

  including specially adapted reflectors · CPC title

• G02B6/0043

  provided on the surface of the light guide · CPC title