Prism-pattern design of an LCD light guide plate using a neural-network optical model

This paper proposes a neural-network optical model for a backlight module of a liquid crystal display (LCD) to expedite the design of the light-scattering prism-pattern of its light guide plate (LGP). First, the prism surface of a light guide plate is divided into several equal regions. Then the neural-network optical model is implemented using a back-propagation neural network to establish the relationship between the distribution density of the prism pattern and the exiting-light luminance of the LGP at each region. The input–output patterns for the neural network training and verification are generated using orthogonal arrays and ASAP simulation. Then a for-loop computational algorithm is executed to search an approximately optimal distribution density of the prism pattern using the neural-network optical model such that high luminance uniformity is achieved. It is demonstrated by the case study of a 13 in. LCD backlight module that luminance uniformity could reach 93.1%. Thus it can be concluded that the developed neural-network optical model effectively expedites the LGP prism-pattern design.     

Optical characteristics of LGP depending on the scattering pattern orientation for flat-type LED lighting

In flat-type light-emitting-diode (LED) lighting systems, a planar light is formed using a luminance source positioned on the side of the system and light guide panel (LGP) or reflecting plates. Thus, such systems are favorable for their thinness, which allows a relatively small number of LEDs to be used. However, the application of a high-power LED light to a large-area lighting system yields Lambertian luminaires; therefore, a point or a discomfort glare is produced, which generally causes degradation of the luminance efficiency and uniformity. In this study, we solved the problems of luminance non-uniformity and inefficiency by adjusting the orientation of an applied LGP scattered pattern and removing the remaining glare. Through computer simulation, optical characteristics that increase the efficiency even in the case of low-output LEDs were found. Specifically, a scattered pattern vertically oriented relative to the direction of the incident light improves the luminance uniformity at the side of the system, while a scattered pattern oriented parallel to the direction of the incident light plays the role of a waveguide. We implemented a flat-type LED lighting system by fabricating a large-area LGP based on the computer-simulation results and using an extremely sensitive laser. The optical characteristics observed using the laser-processed LGP were identical to those obtained in the computer simulation. Therefore, for large-area flat-type LED lighting systems, we confirmed that adjusting the orientation of the LGP scattered pattern can increase the luminance efficiency and uniformity.     

集成化导光板下表面微棱镜二维分布设计

集成化导光板下表面微结构分布是影响背光模组出射光均匀性的关键因素,因此是背光模组设计的重点之一.本文针对微棱镜一维分布设计中存在的大面积同一性影响背光模组亮度均匀性的问题,提出一种集成化导光板下表面微棱镜二维分布的设计思想,以提高背光模组的亮度均匀性.利用光学软件Lighttools对5.0英寸集成化导光板下表面微棱镜结构的较佳二维分布进行优化探索,通过与较佳的一维分布仿真结果对比分析可知,优化后的二维分布模式下,背光模组的光能利用率、照度均匀性、亮度均匀性分别达到92.03%,87.07%和91.94%,满足行业标准;其中,照度均匀性比一维分布提高了10%;同时,从亮度图观察,背光模组的整体亮度均匀性得到了有效提升.该研究结果对于背光模组轻薄化、集成化开发具有一定的参考价值.     

Application of an LM-neural network for establishing a prediction system of quality characteristics for the LGP manufactured by CO2 laser

The light guide plate (LGP) is a part of a backlight module, which evenly spreads light sources in a liquid crystal display (LCD) to eliminate total reflection. Light is transmitted into the LGP, where it is reflected, scattered, and refracted due to the microstructure, which allows light to uniformly enter the panel. Therefore, the design of an LGP micro-structure and processing mode is important for light transmission in an LCD. This study used a CO₂ laser to fabricate a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) LGP, applied a Taguchi orthogonal array to set up the experiment, and utilized the data to establish a prediction system. Backpropagation (BP) neural network and the Levenberg–Marquardt (LM) algorithm were integrated to establish a prediction system for LGP processing by CO₂ laser, with the controlling factor as the input parameter, and quality characteristics as the output parameters. After learning and training the network, the prediction error rate of the system was controlled within 5%, demonstrating good predictive validity.     

Dynamic modulation transfer function: a method to characterize the temporal performance of liquid-crystal displays

A method to measure the dynamic modulation transfer function (DMTF) of a liquid-crystal display (LCD) is proposed to characterize its performance when rendering motion images. The method includes a measurement system to capture the temporal luminance variation of a LCD while using a well-designed input data sequence and a simulation model based on smooth pursuit eye tracking and temporal light integration at the human retina. It predicts the perceived performance of a moving sine wave pattern on a LCD and subsequently calculates the DMTF. With this approach, several technologies to reduce motion blur were evaluated and discussed.     

Simple liquid crystal display backlight unit comprising only a single-sheet micropatterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) light-guide plate

A simple liquid crystal display (LCD) backlight unit (BLU) comprising only a single-sheet polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) light-guide plate (LGP) has been developed. The PDMS LGP, having micropatterns with an inverse-trapezoidal cross section, was fabricated by backside 3-D diffuser lithography followed by PDMS-to-PDMS replication. The fabricated BLU showed an average luminance of 2878 cd/m(2) with 73.3% uniformity when mounted in a 5.08 cm backlight module with four side view 0.85cd LEDs. The developed BLU can greatly reduce the cost and thickness of LCDs, and it can be applied to flexible displays as a flexible light source due to the flexible characteristic of the PDMS itself.     

Three-dimensional image reconstruction of V-grooves for damage analysis

In this paper, a novel method for the analysis of damaged V-grooves is presented. An optical sectioning system and image processing software were developed to determine the width of V-grooves at various heights. We succeeded in constructing a three-dimensional (3D) topographic image, which enabled the estimation of damage in each region of the V-groove. The necessity of replacing damaged wire guide rollers can be determined according to whether the damage in the V-grooves exceeds a given threshold. By altering the sampling rate, the proposed system can achieve an optimal balance between resolution and measurement speed. The proposed innovations represent a novel solution for engineering inspection technology and related applications.     

应用在大尺寸LCD背照明的LED元件设计

传统的薄膜晶体管液晶显示器(thin film transistor liquid crystal display,TFT-LCD)通常采用冷阴极荧光灯(cold cathode fluorescent lamps,CCFL)作为背光光源。相比较而言,由于发光二极管(LED)TFT-LCD背光源系统色彩还原性好、对比度高、亮度高,其色域是传统CCFL背光源的150%以上,最近几年,RGBLED背光源已经逐渐成为大尺寸背光源发展的主要方向。大尺寸LED背光系统结构主要采用直下式和侧式结构。直下式背光源具有结构简单、光利用率高的特点,是目前大尺寸液晶显示背光源的首选。以RGBLED作为光源,通过对LED光场分布的模拟分析,提出一种新的直下式背光源的光学设计。背光源模拟表明,该背光源亮度均匀性大于80%,色差小于0.01。     

手机侧背光照明导光板设计模拟

 为了提高手机侧背光照明导光板的亮度及亮度均匀性,对上表面为41 mm×26 mm的楔形导光板进行了模拟仿真,并对导光板底面不同的印刷式散射网点排布、不同的楔形导光板底面角度及不同的球缺形凸包网点排布进行了研究。结果显示,导光板底面排布印刷式散射网点时,导光板上表面亮度分布的均匀性较差,而出射光通量的百分比小于26%;当导光板底面排布球缺形凸包网点时,导光板上表面亮度分布的均匀性得到提高,出射光通量的百分比提高10%。楔形导光板底面角度81°时的出光效果优于85°时的效果。     

Phase Modulation Characteristics Analysis of Optically-Addressed Parallel-Aligned Nematic Liquid Crystal Phase-Only Spatial Light Modulator Combined with a Liquid Crystal Display

An optically addressed parallel-aligned nematic-liquid-crystal spatial light modulator (PAL-SLM) has been studied as a dynamic phase-only light modulation device. The phase modulation characteristics of the PAL-SLM using a liquid crystal display (LCD) as an addressing mask were investigated by analyzing diffraction efficiencies resulting from binary gratings projected from the LCD. A more than 2π phase-only modulation depth was achieved. The highest first-order diffraction efficiency of approximately 38% was also obtained; this is close to the theoretical limit. The experimental results of diffraction efficiencies depending on the phase modulation depth are in good agreement with the simulation for the system operation.     

Adaptive optics interferometer using superspeckles for high resolution deformation measurement

Digital speckle pattern interferometry (DSPI) is a well-known technique for measuring deformations, but it is limited in range by speckle decorrelation. We developed an adaptive interferometer with increased measurement range by combining the DSPI set-up with a pupil filter that generates optical superresolution. As a result, a decrease in the transverse speckle size is observed accompanied with a substantial increase in the longitudinal speckle size. The increase in the speckle correlation length along the optical axis allows for obtaining an out-of-plane deformation measurement over a significantly extended depth. An experimental verification of this concept of superspeckles is presented with an intensity-only LCD spatial light modulator (SLM) acting as a pupil filter. Comparison of speckle correlation fringes with and without the superresolution filter confirms the proposed concept. The present work demonstrates a doubling of the measurement range when using the superresolution interferometer. A standard set-up in which the speckle length is comparably elongated by stopping down the lens has a similar loss of intensity, but its lateral resolution is only half as good.     

Analysis of the laser patterning inside light guide panel

The objective of this research is to evaluate the feasibility of the internal patterning in the light guide panel (LGP) by applying laser engraving. LGP fabricated by the internal patterning is proposed as it offers better efficiency than is provided by bottom surface patterning. The patterns fabricated by laser engraving system could improve efficiency by approximately 40%, requiring less energy consumption in average brightness and uniformity than required by bottom surface patterned devices. Internal scatters were fabricated by Q-switched 2nd harmonic Nd:YAG laser engraving system. The performance of the fabricated LGPs was measured and its results analyzed. Modification of the shape of the LGP patterns from the simple geometry has been investigated to control the uniformity. The proposed internal scatter embedded LGP with laser engraving could provide an alternative method to conventional bottom surface scatters type with optimized patterns and geometry.     

一种圆环LED侧入式背光模组设计

侧入式背光板能有效地减少显示背光模组的厚度和背光所需的LED光源数目,为获得均匀照度的侧入背光模组,介绍一种圆环侧入式导光板结构。推导导光板中网点的设计规律,得到圆环侧入式导光板的网点大小的分布函数。利用VBA语言编程在CAD中生成网点分布,结合软件模拟分析,验证了导光板显示区域中光照亮度均匀性达到90％以上,满足了侧入式背光模组中圆环形导光板工程设计上的要求。     

Spatial frequency channels for stereoscopic depth perception

We investigated spatial frequency tuning of the mechanisms for stereoscopic depth perception, using a masking technique, and compared these tunings with those for luminance pattern detection. Observers discriminated depth direction in random-dot stereograms with various contrasts of a masking pattern, which was dichoptic stimulus of uncorrelated random dots. The strength of masking effect as a function of spatial frequency (i.e., masking function) was measured: masking function approximates the spatial frequency tuning of the mechanism that detects the depth in the test pattern. The masking functions for stereoscopic depth were found to be similar to either of the three of the six spatial frequency channels proposed by Wilson and Gelb (1984) for the detection of luminance patterns.     

光散射聚合物导光板的材料参数设计

光散射聚合物(HSOT)导光板与传统导光板相比具有亮度更高均匀性更好等优点,其性能受材料的影响十分明显。通过蒙特卡罗方法进行光学仿真模拟考察不同材料的导光板照明光线的均匀性差别,研究了光散射聚合物导光板的光学性能受其中掺杂粒子的材料折射率、粒径、浓度的影响规律。通过比较不同材料参数的聚合物导光板的光学性能差别,总结出光散射聚合物导光板的材料设计方法。     

LGP pattern design with single LED light source

We investigated optimize pattern design of a LGP for TFT-LCD with single LED. For the purpose, we introduced new concepts of pattern design most appropriate design for single light source, density adjustment design and radius adjustment design. And than compared the LGP output intensity distribution of the two cases with that of the uniform density pattern. As the result, above two types pattern design given a good result. Especially, the radius adjustment pattern design enhanced intensity uniformity definitely.     

一种成像式亮度计校正方法北大核心CSCD

采用图像传感器的成像式亮度计可通过短焦距成像物镜实现大视场和空间分辨的亮度测量,但仍存在图像传感器像素非线性响应,短焦物镜产生的强烈渐晕效应及图像边缘畸变等问题。因此提出了一种成像式亮度计校正方法,利用标准辐射源法进行线性校正与平场校正,以获得线性修正系数和平场校正矩阵,通过几何坐标标定法获得畸变校正矩阵。采用焦距为12 mm的物镜及200万pixel的图像传感器搭建了成像式亮度计,经校正后完成了液晶显示屏发光亮度测量,与商用分光辐射亮度计进行了对比测试,测量相对误差不超过±2%,实现了大视场高精度空间分辨亮度测量。     

The fabrication of 3-D nanostructures by a low- voltage EBL

Three-dimensional (3-D) structures are used in many applications, including the fabrication of opto-electronic and bio-MEMS devices. Among the various fabrication techniques available for 3-D structures, nano imprint lithography (NIL) is preferred for producing nanoscale 3-D patterns because of its simplicity, relatively short processing time, and high manufacturing precision. For efficient replication in NIL, a precise 3-D stamp must be used as an imprinting tool. Hence, we attempted the fabrication of original 3-D master molds by low-voltage electron beam lithography (EBL). We then fabricated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamps from the original 3-D mold via replica molding with ultrasonic vibration.First, we experimentally analyzed the characteristics of low-voltage EBL in terms of various parameters such as resist thickness, acceleration voltage, aperture size, and baking temperature. From these e-beam exposure experiments, we found that the exposure depth and width were almost saturated at 3 kV or lesser, even when the electron dosage was increased. This allowed for the fabrication of various stepped 3-D nanostructures at a low voltage. In addition, by using line-dose EBL, V-groove patterns could be fabricated on a cured electron resist (ER) at a low voltage and low baking temperature. Finally, the depth variation could be controlled to within 10 nm through superposition exposure at 1 kV. From these results, we determined the optimum electron beam exposure conditions for the fabrication of various 3-D structures on ERs by low-voltage EBL. We then fabricated PDMS stamps via the replica molding process.     

Quantitative analysis of inhomogeneous luminance effect on visibility of text

In the present study, we measured the visibility of several types of Japanese text on a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a spatially inhomogeneous luminance and extended the visibility index function (VIF) to explain the current experimental results with a higher degree of accuracy. We quantitatively analyzed the effect of an inhomogeneous luminance, which was produced by the graphical representation of a background without reflected light and by reflected light on a homogeneous background. These results showed that the visibility of text was influenced by the inhomogeneity of the background luminance in a domain that depended on text size. Then we applied a weighted average background luminance with a two dimensional Gaussian function, whose distribution width was related to the text size, to VIF. Finally, we proposed a modified VIF and showed that the new method was able to precisely estimate the actual visibility of text with an inhomogeneous luminance.     

亚微米光栅型导光板设计

提出了利用亚微米光栅制作导光板的方法,给出亚微米光栅型导光板的初始结构.用严格耦合波理论计算分析了在满足基底全反射条件的45°入射角下红(700 nm)、绿(555 nm)、蓝(465 nm)三色光垂直出射的亚微米光栅(0.651μm、0.516μm、0.433μm)在槽深0.05~0.9μm之间变化时,透射衍射效率在2%~43%之间变化.分析了亚微米光栅的作用,做出性能评价,并研究了特定范围入射角引起的衍射角变化.