Arrangements of color pixels for full color imaging devices with simplified addressing
View Patent ↗An array and row and column line architecture for a display is disclosed. The array consists of a plurality of row and column positions and a plurality of three-color pixel elements. A three-color pixel element can comprise a blue emitter, a pair of red emitters, and a pair of green emitters. Several designs for the three-color pixel element are contemplated. The drive matrix consists of a plurality of row and column drivers to drive the individual emitters. The row drivers drive the red, green and blue emitters in each row. The red and green emitters in each column are driven by a single column driver. However, a single column driver can drive two column lines of blue emitters, a first column line and a second column line of the next nearest neighboring three-color pixel element. Methods of driving a three-color pixel element are also disclosed.
1. A method of driving a plurality of three-color pixel elements disposed one adjacent to the next in rows and populating a screen in a display, the method comprising:
providing each of the three-color pixel elements as comprising a blue emitter disposed within and at a center of a hypothetical, pixel-area defining square, where the center of the square is disposed at an origin of an X, Y coordinate system having a first, a second, a third, and a fourth quadrant organized in said order around the origin and where the pixel-area defining, hypothetical square is hypothetically subdivided symmetrically to also have corresponding first through fourth quadrants of the square, wherein said blue emitter is square-shaped, having four sides and having its respective four corners lying on one or the other of the X and Y axes of said coordinate system,
where the pixel-area defining, hypothetical square further encloses a pair of respective first and second red emitters spaced apart from said blue emitter and symmetrically disposed about said blue emitter so as to be respectively disposed in said second and said fourth quadrants of the hypothetical square, wherein said red emitters occupy respective portions of said second and said fourth quadrants of the hypothetical square not occupied by said blue emitter, wherein said red emitters are generally square-shaped but have truncated inwardly-facing corners forming edges parallel to the sides of said blue emitter, and
where the pixel-area defining, hypothetical square further encloses a pair of respective first and second green emitters spaced apart from said blue emitter so as to be respectively and symmetrically disposed about said blue emitter in said first and said third quadrants of the hypothetical square, wherein said green emitters occupy respective portions of said first and said third quadrants of the hypothetical square not occupied by said blue emitter, wherein said green emitters are generally square-shaped but have truncated inwardly-facing corners forming edges parallel to said sides of said blue emitter; and
selectively applying luminance-defining drive signals and row select drive signals to said blue emitter, said red emitters, and said green emitters of the plural three-color pixel elements, wherein during said a in of the luminance-defining and row select drive signals, said blue emitter of a first of said three-color pixel elements in a first of the rows receives its respective luminance-defining drive signal from a first data line, and the same first data line is coupled to apply a respective other luminance-defining drive signal to another blue emitter of the same first row at a different time.
2. A method of driving a plurality of three-color pixel elements disposed one adjacent to the next in rows and populating a screen in a display, the method comprising:
providing each of the three-color pixel elements as comprising a blue emitter disposed within and at a center of a hypothetical, pixel-area defining square, where the center of the square is disposed at an origin of an X, Y coordinate system having a first, a second, a third, and a fourth quadrant organized in said order around the origin and where the pixel-area defining, hypothetical square is hypothetically subdivided symmetrically to also have corresponding first through fourth quadrants of the square, wherein said blue emitter is square-shaped, having four sides each extending parallel to on one or the other of the X and Y axes of said coordinate system,
where the pixel-area defining, hypothetical square further encloses a pair of respective first and second red emitters spaced apart from said blue emitter and symmetrically disposed about said blue emitter so as to be respectively disposed in said second and said fourth quadrants of the hypothetical square, wherein said red emitters occupy respective portions of said second and said fourth quadrants of the hypothetical square not occupied by said blue emitter, wherein said red emitters are L-shaped, and
where the pixel-area defining, hypothetical square further encloses a pair of respective first and second green emitters spaced apart from said blue emitter so as to be respectively and symmetrically disposed about said blue emitter in said first and said third quadrants of the hypothetical square, wherein said green emitters occupy respective portions of said first and said third quadrants of the hypothetical square not occupied by said blue emitter, wherein said green emitters are L-shaped; and
selectively applying luminance-defining drive signals and row select drive signals to said blue emitter, said red emitters, and said green emitters of the plural three-color pixel elements, wherein during said a in of the luminance-defining and row select drive signals, said blue emitter of a first of said three-color pixel elements in a first of the rows receives its respective luminance-defining drive signal from a first data line, and the same first data line is coupled to apply a respective other luminance-defining drive signal to another blue emitter of the same first row at a different time.
3. A pixel element for populating a display screen, the pixel element having six non-overlapping polygon shaped areas (A 1 -A 6 ) each of a pre-specified unit area and the pixel element comprising:
(a) first and second red light emitters (R 1 , R 2 ) each structured to emit a red light respectively and exclusively from within a respective one of first and second ones (A 1 , A 2 ) of the polygon shaped areas;
(b) first and second blue light emitters (B 1 , B 2 ) each structured to emit a blue light respectively and exclusively from within a respective one of third and fourth ones (A 3 , A 4 ) of the polygon shaped areas;
(c) first and second green light emitters (G 1 , G 2 ) each structured to emit a green light respectively and exclusively from within a respective one of fifth and sixth ones (A 5 , A 6 ) of the polygon shaped areas;
(d) first and second row select line extension respectively coupled to first and second row select lines of the display screen;
wherein the first, third and fifth polygon shaped areas (A 1 , A 3 , A 5 ) define a horizontally extending first row with the third area (A 3 ) being interposed in the first row between the first and fifth areas;
wherein the second, fourth and sixth polygon shaped areas (A 2 , A 4 , A 6 ) define a horizontally extending second row that is vertically adjacent to the first row, with the fourth area (A 4 ) being interposed in the second row between the second and sixth areas such that the fourth area (A 4 ) is adjacent to the third area (A 3 );
wherein the first red light emitter (R 1 ) is positioned at a first end of the first row and the second red light emitter (R 2 ) is positioned at an opposed second end of the second row;
wherein the first red light emitter (R 1 ) and the first green light emitters (G 1 ) are individually addressable by activating the first row select line that couples correspondingly to the first select line extension of the pixel element;
wherein the second red light emitter (R 2 ) and the second green light emitters (G 2 ) are individually addressable by activating the second row select line that couples correspondingly to the second select line extension of the pixel element; and
wherein the first and second blue light emitters (B 1 , B 2 ) are commonly addressable by only one of the first and second row select lines that couple to said pixel element by way of a corresponding one of the first and second select line extensions.
4. The pixel element of claim 3 , wherein said polygon shaped areas each has the shape of a square.
5. The pixel element of claim 3 , wherein said polygon shaped areas each has the shape of an irregular rectangle.
6. A method of driving a plurality of three-color pixel elements disposed one adjacent to the next and populating a screen in a display, the method comprising:
(a) providing each of the pixel element as having six non overlapping polygon shaped areas (A 1 A 6 ) each of a pre specified unit area,
where each pixel element comprises:
(a.1) first and second red light emitters (R 1 , R 2 ) each structured to emit a red light respectively and exclusively from within a respective one of first and second ones (A 1 , A 2 ) of the polygon shaped areas;
(a.2) first and second blue light emitters (B 1 , B 2 ) each structured to emit a blue light respectively and exclusively from within a respective one of third and fourth ones (A 3 , A 4 ) of the polygon shaped areas;
(a.3) first and second green light emitters (G 1 , G 2 ) each structured to emit a green light respectively and exclusively from within a respective one of fifth and sixth ones (A 5 , A 6 ) of the polygon shaped areas;
(a.4) first and second row select line extension respectively coupled to first and second row select lines of the display screen;
wherein the first, third and fifth polygon shaped areas (A 1 , A 3 , A 5 ) define a horizontally extending first row with the third area (A 3 ) being interposed in the first row between the first and fifth areas;
wherein the second, fourth and sixth polygon shaped areas (A 2 , A 4 , A 6 ) define a horizontally extending second row that is vertically adjacent to the first row, with the fourth area (A 4 ) being interposed in the second row between the second and sixth areas such that the fourth area (A 4 ) is adjacent to the third area (A 3 );
wherein the first red light emitter (R 1 ) is positioned at a first end of the first row and the second red light emitter (R 2 ) is positioned at an opposed second end of the second row;
wherein the first red light emitter (R 1 ) and the first green light emitters (G 1 ) are individually addressable by activating the first row select line that couples correspondingly to the first select line extension of the pixel element;
wherein the second red light emitter (R 2 ) and the second green light emitters (G 2 ) are individually addressable by activating the second row select line that couples correspondingly to the second select line extension of the pixel element; and
wherein the first and second blue light emitters (B 1 , B 2 ) are commonly addressable by only one of the first and second row select lines that couple to said pixel element by way of a corresponding one of the first and second select line extensions; and
(b) selectively applying luminance-defining drive signals and row select drive signals to said blue emitters, said red emitters, and said green emitters of the plural three-color pixel elements, wherein during said applying of the luminance-defining and row select drive signals, said blue emitters of a first of said three-color pixel elements in a first of the rows receives its respective luminance-defining drive signal from a first data line, and the same first data line is coupled to apply a respective other luminance-defining drive signal to another pair of blue emitter of the same first row at a different time.