Display device and method of dynamic control of the pixels

The invention relates to a display consisting of pixels and dots and a method for controlling this display.

In known displays, as they are used in video, film and computer technology, so-called pixels are arranged along horizontally and / or vertically extending lines. As a rule, the pixels consist of so-called dots, which represent the three basic colors red, green and blue. Dots are light sources that produce luminous mixed colors through their lighting mix - this is referred to as additive color mixing.

For computer monitors and televisions, the display is divided into a plurality of pixels arranged in a fixed grid. The control of the pixels takes place individually. The pixels are driven, for example, from left to right and from top to bottom, as is common in a cathode-screen.

From EP 0 637 009 A2 a method and a method for driving active LCD displays is known, in which the dots are arranged offset, whereby the pixels are preferably in a delta-form. Here, the dots of a color group are connected to each other vertically via a control line. The horizontal control is done pixel by pixel, which means that with RGB pixels, three dots are simultaneously controlled. Furthermore, each dot has a memory and a switching element, whereby an RGB data transmission can take place by means of synchronization information, as is the case, for example, in conventional monitors.

From DE 36 06 404 A1 a method for generating picture elements on a color display screen and a color display device are known. In this case, a light gate is used whose gates are individually controllable with a control circuit, so that the transparency of the respective light gate, the desired color intensity is achieved by the control. Arranged behind the light gate are light sources which provide at least two primary colors and which are switched in alternating light cycles with a repetition frequency of at least 25 Hz. Synchronously, the light gates are controlled. Due to the inertia of the eye, it is possible for a gate to indicate the desired color.

A disadvantage of these displays is the number of pixels determined by the screening, which determine the resolution and the sharpness of the image. The finer the screening, the greater the resolution. However, the fineness of the screening is limited due to technical manufacturing possibilities, because the cathode screens used have so-called shadow masks whose holes can be reduced only at great expense on.

Likewise, the integration of a larger number of transistors in an LCD display is very complex and associated with high reject rates.

In an LED display, the arrangement of the LEDs is also very expensive and expensive, since their space requirement is determined by their shape.

Object of the present invention is to provide a display of the type described above, which has a greater resolution at a given screening.

This problem is solved in that the pixels are generated variable from the existing dots, the pixels form a dynamically generated, logical unit by grouping of adjacent dots, so that the adjacent pixels physically overlap. The dynamic pixels are generated at such a high speed, so that the production is no longer perceptible to the human eye.

A dynamic pixel should consist of at least as many dots that contain all the primary colors specified by the dots.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method that allows increased resolution for displays that can be driven dot-by-dot.

In particular, this object is achieved in that the pixels are generated dynamically by forming a logical unit of a pixel by grouping adjacent dots with physically adjacent pixels adjacent to one another and sequentially sequencing the dynamic pixels at a speed imperceptible to the human eye Control generated.

In this case, the dots are selected in the compilation to a pixel so that the adjacent pixels overlap only in areas. This creates another dynamic pixel between the already existing normally static pixels. The pixels are arranged to contain all the primary colors provided by the dots.

Further advantageous measures are described in the subclaims. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described in more detail below; it shows:<dl id="dl0001"><dt><b>Figure 1a-c</b></dt><dd>different arrangement forms of four dots within a square pixel;</dd><dt><b>Figure 2a-b</b></dt><dd>different embodiments of a display with square pixels, wherein the known static pixels are shown in square and the dynamic pixels according to the invention around;</dd><dt><b>Figure 3a-d</b></dt><dd>different embodiments of a pixel with the three primary color dots red, green and blue;</dd><dt><b>Figure 4a-b</b></dt><dd>different embodiments of a display with different pixel shapes, the known static pixels are rectangular and the dynamic pixels according to the invention are shown oval;</dd><dt><b>FIG. 5</b></dt><dd>a display with a controller connected to the dot via a network;</dd><dt><b>FIG. 6</b></dt><dd>shows the course of the interlaced signal when generating an image or frame from two fields;</dd><dt><b>FIG. 7</b></dt><dd>shows the course of the interlaced signal in inventive dynamic pixels.</dd></dl>

The pixels 12a, 12b and 12c shown in FIGS. 1a to 1c have a square shape. The pixels 12a, 12b and 12c have uniformly arranged dots 11 which emit the primary colors red - red dot 13, green - green dot 14 and blue - blue dot 15.

The pixel in FIG. 1b consists only of red dots 13 and green dots 14. Each dot 11 is preferably surrounded by a mask 21 in order to achieve a greater contrast between the dynamic pixels 18. The exact arrangement of the differently colored dots 13, 14 and 15 does not matter, but it should be noted that the arrangement of the various dots 13, 14 and 15 in each static pixel 17 within a display 10 is identical.

Figures 2a and 2b show displays 10 and 10a having square static pixels 17. *** " The static pixels 17 represent a known rasterization of the display 10 or 10a. The circular pixels shown dynamic pixels 18 correspond to the inventive design of the display 10 and 10a. A dynamic pixel 18 includes - as well as a static pixel 17 - four dots 13, 14 and 15, which are all primary colors.

Unlike the static pixels 17, the dynamic pixels 18 overlap and full coverage should be avoided. By a high frequency driving the dynamic pixels 18, the human eye is deceived. The eye thus takes a more accurate representation of the picture shown.

The resolution increases with a quadrilateral display 12a, 12b and 12c by:<maths id="math0001" num=""><math display="block"><mrow><msub><mrow><mtext>P = (x - 1) </mtext></mrow><mrow><mtext>*</mtext></mrow></msub><mtext> y + (2x - 1) * (y-1)</mtext></mrow></math><img file="EP0903717A2_D0001.tif" /></maths>

Pixels, where x is the number of pixels in the horizontal and y is the number of pixels in the vertical.

In the displays in FIGS. 2a and 2b, this value would be:<maths id="math0002" num=""><math display="block"><mrow><mtext>p = (3 - 1) * 3 + (2 * 3 - 1) * (3 - 1) = 6 + 10 = 16</mtext></mrow></math><img file="EP0903717A2_D0002.tif" /></maths>

The display has a resolution of 25 = 16 + g instead of 9 points.

Figures 3a to 3d show different shapes of pixels 16a, 16b, 16c and 16d, each containing three dots 11 for representing the three primary colors. The dots 11 are separated by masks 21 contours sharp.

The dynamic pixels 18 should preferably each contain the same number of dots 11. The exact arrangement of the different colored dots 13, 14 and 15 does not matter here. Consequently, a pixel with, for example, only two primary colors in the form of dots, only for a non-full-color display, as shown in Figure 1b.

Figures 4a and 4b show displays 10b and 10c formed from the pixels 16a and 16b, wherein the increase in resolution is smaller compared to the square shape described above.

FIG. 5 shows a display 10 which is connected to a controller 19 by a network 20. By this control 19 known dot-by-dot driven displays can be used to increase their resolution. In the displays according to the invention, all the dots each have their own receiver (not shown), which converts digital information sent via the network 20 into luminous intensity for the dots 11.

The network 20 is preferably a fiber optic network. The controller 19 combines adjacent dots 11 into a dynamic pixel 18 to then drive them as a logical unit. This control is carried out by a high-frequency repetition, preferably in the range of 100 hertz.

The displays according to the invention can also be used for interlaced signals, by which the image is composed of an odd and a straight field 24. Here, the odd field 24 consists of lines 22 with odd numbers and the even field of lines 23 with even numbers.

The inertia of the human eye produces an image composed of two fields 24. FIG. 6 shows the theoretical structure and FIG. 7 shows the construction according to the invention with dynamic pixels 18. Other dynamic pixel shapes are also conceivable.

reference numeral

<dl id="dl0002" compact="compact"><dt>10, 10a, 10b, 10c</dt><dd>display</dd><dt>11</dt><dd>dot</dd><dt>12a, 12b, 12c</dt><dd>pixel</dd><dt>13</dt><dd>red dot</dd><dt>14</dt><dd>green dot</dd><dt>15</dt><dd>blue dot</dd><dt>16a, 16b 16c, 16d</dt><dd>pixel</dd><dt>17</dt><dd>static pixel</dd><dt>18</dt><dd>dynamic pixel</dd><dt>19</dt><dd>control</dd><dt>20</dt><dd>network</dd><dt>21</dt><dd>mask</dd><dt>22</dt><dd>odd line</dd><dt>23</dt><dd>straight line</dd><dt>24</dt><dd>field</dd></dl>