Project Brief
General Competition (March 1997)Color Sequential ImagingDevelop technology necessary to produce lightweight, high-resolution color display and imaging devices based on color sequential imaging using a solid-state electro-optic tunable filter. Sponsor: ColorLink, Inc.4730 Walnut StreetSuite 105 Boulder, CO 80301
Almost all digital color cameras and color displays capture or create the appearance of a color image by spatially separating the individual colors. In a typical color display, for example, each color pixel is actually a combination of three monochrome pixels, each assigned a different primary color by a color mask. This technique has become a liability as display devices simultaneously become ever smaller and strive for higher resolutions -- putting a premium on pixel real estate while requiring even more pixels in the shrinking space. Tiny "personal digital assistant" devices and small, head-mounted displays for virtual reality systems are prime examples of applications facing these colliding trends. ColorLink is exploring a wholly different approach to the problem: color sequential imaging. In color sequential imaging, the complete color image is displayed as a rapidly changing sequence of primary monochrome images. A switchable color filter selects which color is displayed in each image. Since every pixel in the display contributes to every primary image, a color sequential imaging display can have at least three times the resolution of an equivalent display using spatial separation. The concept of color sequential imaging is not new -- early attempts at color TV receivers tried a crude version using a rotating color filter wheel to switch colors. More recently, attempts have been made using solid-state tunable color filters based on liquid crystals, but to date these filters have had poor light transmission and poor color saturation. ColorLink has invented a new kind of rapidly tunable color polarizer filter that the company believes has the potential to overcome these problems. The ATP project will attempt several challenging extensions of the current technology to improve filter efficiency, develop faster switching liquid crystals, and develop the ability to fabricate the new filters on plastic (to enable the small, lightweight displays needed for portable or wearable devices). If successful, color sequential imagers would have a significant impact on the global electronic display and digital imaging markets, which are expected to exceed $20 billion annually by the next decade.
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