U.S. patent application number 13/732654 was filed with the patent office on 2015-07-09 for interconnecting display tiles for multi-panel displays.
This patent application is currently assigned to Google Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Google Inc.. Invention is credited to Johnny Lee, Eric Teller.
Application Number | 20150194123 13/732654 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49379814 |
Filed Date | 2015-07-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150194123 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Johnny ; et
al. |
July 9, 2015 |
INTERCONNECTING DISPLAY TILES FOR MULTI-PANEL DISPLAYS
Abstract
A display panel to form a multi-panel display includes a
rectangular pixel region with pixels for displaying images and an
electronic housing including display logic. The electronic housing
includes first, second, third, and fourth interconnects coupled to
facilitate power and image signals to other electronic housings of
other display panels. The first, second, third, and fourth
interconnects are coupled to be interconnected on a same side of
the rectangular pixel region as the first, second, third, and
fourth edges of the rectangular pixel region, respectively. The
third edge is mechanically coupled to overhang the third
interconnect by a first offset distance and the fourth edge is
mechanically coupled to overhang the fourth interconnect by a
second offset distance. The first interconnect extends beyond the
first edge by the first offset distance and the second interconnect
extends beyond the second edge by the second offset distance.
Inventors: |
Lee; Johnny; (Mountain View,
CA) ; Teller; Eric; (Palo Alto, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Google Inc. |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Google Inc.
Mountain View
CA
|
Family ID: |
49379814 |
Appl. No.: |
13/732654 |
Filed: |
January 2, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61636458 |
Apr 20, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
345/1.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B 3/0037 20130101;
G02B 6/06 20130101; G09G 2356/00 20130101; G09G 3/22 20130101; G02B
27/1066 20130101; G09F 13/04 20130101; G02B 3/0056 20130101; G02B
27/022 20130101; G02B 3/0043 20130101; G02B 27/027 20130101; G06F
3/1446 20130101; H05K 13/00 20130101; G09G 5/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G09G 5/00 20060101
G09G005/00 |
Claims
1. A multi-panel display comprising: a plurality of display panels
mechanically coupled together, each of the display panels
comprising: a rectangular pixel region having first, second, third,
and fourth edges, the rectangular pixel region having pixels to
display images, wherein the first edge and the third edge of the
rectangular pixel region are opposite each other; and an electronic
housing including display logic for displaying the images and
first, second, third, and fourth interconnects coupled to
facilitate power and image signals, wherein the first, second,
third, and fourth interconnects are coupled to be interconnected on
a same side of the rectangular pixel region as the first, second,
third, and fourth edges, respectively, and wherein the third edge
is mechanically coupled to overhang the third interconnect by a
first offset distance and the fourth edge is mechanically coupled
to overhang the fourth interconnect by a second offset distance,
the first interconnect extending beyond the first edge by the first
offset distance and the second interconnect extending beyond the
second edge by the second offset distance, each of the display
panels coupled together by at least one of the first, second,
third, and fourth interconnects, wherein an abutting section of the
electronic housing of a given display panel extends upward to abut
portions of the first edge and the second edge of the rectangular
pixel region of the given display panel such that the electronic
housing is deeper along the first edge and the second edge than
directly underneath the rectangular pixel region, and wherein a
first display panel and a second display panel among the plurality
of display panels are adjacent, and further wherein the rectangular
pixel region of the first display panel partially overlaps the
electronic housing of the second display panel, the rectangular
pixel region of the second display panel being disposed a first
distance below the rectangular pixel region of the first display
panel.
2. The multi-panel display of claim 1, wherein if the first
interconnect of a given display panel is connected to another
display panel in the plurality of display panels, then the first
interconnect is connected to the third interconnect of the another
display panel, and wherein if the second interconnect of a given
display panel is connected to another display panel in the
plurality of display panels, then the second interconnect is
connected to the fourth interconnect of the another display
panel.
3. (canceled)
4. The multi-panel display of claim 1, wherein the first display
panel is on a corner of the multi-panel display and a third display
panel among the plurality of display panels is also adjacent to the
first display panel, wherein the rectangular pixel region of the
third display is also disposed the first distance below the
rectangular pixel region of the first display panel.
5. The multi-panel display of claim 1, wherein the rectangular
pixel region of the second display panel overlaps the electronic
housing of a third display panel among the plurality of display
panels and the rectangular pixel region of the third display panel
is disposed a second distance below the rectangular pixel region of
the second display panel, the first distance being substantially
the same as the second distance.
6-8. (canceled)
9. The multi-panel display of claim 1, wherein the electronic
housing of each display panel includes first, second, third, and
fourth mechanical mounting structures ("MMSs") for structurally
supporting the multi-panel display, the first, second, third, and
fourth MMSs coupled to be interconnected on a same side of the
rectangular pixel region as the first, second, third, and fourth
edges, respectively, the respective MMSs mechanically
interconnecting the plurality of the display panels.
10. The multi-panel display of claim 9, wherein the first, second,
third, and fourth interconnects are integrated with the first,
second, third, and fourth MMSs.
11. The multi-panel display of claim 9, wherein the third edge is
mechanically coupled to overhang the third MMS by the first offset
distance, the fourth edge is mechanically coupled to overhang the
second MMS by the second offset distance, and wherein the first MMS
extends beyond the first edge by the first offset distance and the
second MMS extends beyond the second edge by the second offset
distance.
12. The multi-panel display of claim 1, wherein the image displayed
by each display panel is a portion of an overall image displayed by
the multi-panel display.
13. The multi-panel display of claim 1, wherein each of the
rectangular pixel regions include a semi-flexible material disposed
along the first, second, third, and fourth edges.
14. The multi-panel display of claim 1, wherein the electronic
housing includes device position circuitry coupled to the display
logic and coupled to the first, second, third, and fourth
interconnects which are further configured to facilitate device
discovery, and wherein the device position circuitry is configured
to determine a position that a given display panel occupies in the
multi-panel display and cause the display logic to display an image
on the rectangular pixel region corresponding with the position
that the given display panel occupies.
15. A display panel for connecting to other display panels to form
a multi-panel display, the display panel comprising: a rectangular
pixel region having first, second, third, and fourth edges, the
rectangular pixel region having pixels to display images, wherein
the first edge and the third edge of the rectangular pixel region
are opposite each other; and an electronic housing including
display logic for displaying the images and first, second, third,
and fourth interconnects coupled to facilitate power and image
signals to other electronic housings of the other display panels to
be connected to the display panel, wherein the first, second,
third, and fourth interconnects are coupled to be interconnected on
a same side of the rectangular pixel region as the first, second,
third, and fourth edges, respectively, and wherein the third edge
is mechanically coupled to overhang the third interconnect by a
first offset distance and the fourth edge is mechanically coupled
to overhang the fourth interconnect by a second offset distance,
the first interconnect extending beyond the first edge by the first
offset distance and the second interconnect extending beyond the
second edge by the second offset distance, and further wherein an
abutting section of the electronic housing extends upward to abut
portions of the first edge and the second edge of the rectangular
pixel region such that the electronic housing is deeper along the
first edge and the second edge than directly underneath the
rectangular pixel region.
16. (canceled)
17. The display panel of claim 15, wherein the rectangular pixel
region is surrounded by a semi-flexible material.
18. The display panel of claim 15, wherein the electronic housing
includes device position circuitry coupled to the display logic and
coupled to the first, second, third, and fourth interconnects
configured to facilitate device discovery, and wherein the device
position circuitry is configured to determine a position that a
given display panel occupies in the multi-panel display and cause
the display logic to display an image on the rectangular pixel
region corresponding with the position that the given display panel
occupies.
19. The display panel of claim 15, wherein the electronic housing
of each display panel includes first, second, third, and fourth
mechanical mounting structures ("MMSs") for structurally supporting
the multi-panel display, the first, second, third, and fourth MMSs
coupled to be interconnected on a same side of the rectangular
pixel region as the first, second, third, and fourth edges,
respectively.
20. The display panel of claim 19, wherein the first, second,
third, and fourth interconnects are integrated with the first,
second, third, and fourth MMSs.
21. A multi-panel display comprising: a plurality of display panels
mechanically coupled together, each of the display panels
comprising: a rectangular pixel region having first, second, third,
and fourth edges, the rectangular pixel region having pixels to
display images, wherein the first edge and the third edge of the
rectangular pixel region are opposite each other; and an electronic
housing including display logic for displaying the images and
first, second, third, and fourth interconnects coupled to
facilitate power and image signals, wherein the first, second,
third, and fourth interconnects are coupled to be interconnected on
a same side of the rectangular pixel region as the first, second,
third, and fourth edges, respectively, and wherein the third edge
is mechanically coupled to overhang the third interconnect by a
first offset distance and the fourth edge is mechanically coupled
to overhang the fourth interconnect by a second offset distance,
the first interconnect extending beyond the first edge by the first
offset distance and the second interconnect extending beyond the
second edge by the second offset distance, each of the display
panels coupled together by at least one of the first, second,
third, and fourth interconnects, wherein the electronic housing of
each display panel includes first, second, third, and fourth
mechanical mounting structures ("MMSs") for structurally supporting
the multi-panel display, the first, second, third, and fourth MMSs
coupled to be interconnected on a same side of the rectangular
pixel region as the first, second, third, and fourth edges,
respectively, the respective MMSs mechanically interconnecting the
plurality of the display panels, and wherein the third edge is
mechanically coupled to overhang the third MMS by the first offset
distance, the fourth edge is mechanically coupled to overhang the
second MMS by the second offset distance, and further wherein the
first MMS extends beyond the first edge by the first offset
distance and the second MMS extends beyond the second edge by the
second offset distance.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under the provisions of 35
U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/636,458
filed on Apr. 20, 2012.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This disclosure relates generally to optics, and in
particular but not exclusively, relates to displays.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0003] Large displays can be prohibitively expensive as the cost to
manufacture display panels rises exponentially with display area.
This exponential rise in cost arises from the increased complexity
of large monolithic displays, the decrease in yields associated
with large displays (a greater number of components must be defect
free for large displays), and increased shipping, delivery, and
setup costs. Tiling smaller display panels to form larger
multi-panel displays can help reduce many of the costs associated
with large monolithic displays.
[0004] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate how tiling multiple smaller, less
expensive display panels 100 together can achieve a large
multi-panel display 105, which may be used as a large wall display.
The individual images displayed by each display panel 100 may
constitute a sub-portion of the larger overall-image collectively
displayed by multi-panel display 105. While multi-panel display 105
can reduce costs, visually it has a major drawback. Each display
panel 100 includes a bezel 110 around its periphery. Bezel 110 is a
mechanical structure that houses pixel region 115 in which the
display pixels are disposed. In recent years, manufactures have
reduced the thickness of bezel 110 considerably to less than 2 mm.
However, even these thin bezel trims are still very noticeable to
the naked eye, distract the viewer, and otherwise detract from the
overall visual experience.
[0005] Various other approaches for obtaining seamless displays
include display lensing, blended projection, stackable display
cubes, and LED tiles. Display lensing places a single contiguous
lens in front of each display panel 100 to present a fused
borderless image in a particular "sweet spot." However, the viewing
angle is relative narrow and image distortion along continuous
lines still occurs. Blended projection uses software stitching and
mechanical mounting of traditional projection screens. Currently,
blended projection uses relatively low cost hardware and is a good
option for non-planar surfaces. However, there are significant
physical constraints on usage and installation and blended
projection requires regular maintenance and sophisticated
calibration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the invention
are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like
reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views
unless otherwise specified.
[0007] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate conventional display panel
tiling.
[0008] FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate an example display panel for tiling
an example multi-panel display formed by a plurality of the display
panels, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0009] FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate an example display panel for tiling
an example multi-panel display formed by a plurality of the display
panels, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of three interconnected
display panels and a disconnected display panel before being
connected to the three interconnected display panels, in accordance
with an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates additional details of an electronic
housing layer of FIG. 4, in accordance with an embodiment of the
disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 6 illustrates a multi-panel display that includes
twelve display panels interconnected together, in accordance with
an embodiment of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Embodiments of display panels and multi-panel displays that
include a plurality of display panels are described herein. In the
following description, numerous specific details are set forth to
provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. One skilled in
the relevant art will recognize, however, that the techniques
described herein can be practiced without one or more of the
specific details, or with other methods, components, materials,
etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or
operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring
certain aspects.
[0014] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment"
or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus,
the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an
embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not
necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the
particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined
in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
[0015] FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate an example display panel 200 for
tiling a multi-panel display 250 formed by a plurality of the
display panels 200, in accordance with an embodiment of the
disclosure. Display panel 200 is a modular display panel that is
configured to be able to interconnect to other display panels 200
to form a multi-panel display that does not have seams that are
easily perceived by a viewer of the multi-panel display. This
modular design lends itself to easy scaling of a multi-panel
display to fit a given context or space.
[0016] Display panel 200 includes pixel region 205 mechanically
coupled to electronic housing 203. Pixel region 205 includes pixels
and pixel circuitry. Pixel region 205 may be rectangular and the
pixels may be arranged in rows and columns. Pixel region 205 could
be implemented by a display panel of light-emitting-diodes
("LEDs"), an organic LED ("OLED") panel, a liquid crystal display
("LCD"), a quantum dot array, or otherwise. Pixel region 205 may
also include optical filters to optimize a given display
technology, as known in the art. Pixel region 205 may be encased or
enclosed in a transparent substrate such as glass or plastic. In
one embodiment, a semi-flexible plastic (e.g. polyimide) is used. A
thin semi-flexible material may also surround the edges of pixel
region 205 to act as a gasket to protect pixel region 205 from
damage when pixel region 205 is tiled with other display
panels.
[0017] Electronic housing 203 includes display logic for displaying
images and interconnects coupled to facilitate power and image
signals. Electronics housing 203 may include device position
circuitry coupled to the display logic. The device position
circuitry may be coupled to the interconnects to facilitate device
discovery and plug-and-play protocols. The device discovery may be
performed using known techniques such as an I.sup.2C protocol, or
other device discovery technique using a shared bus. By executing
device discovery, the device position circuitry can determine (by
querying the other connected display panels) what position in the
multi-panel display that the given display panel 200 occupies. As
an example, if the device position circuitry determines that the
given display panel 200 is in a corner of a multi-panel display,
the device position circuitry can cause the display logic to
display an image (with pixel region 205) that corresponds to the
corner position that the display panel occupies. By allowing each
panel to detect which panel it is neighboring, the arrangement of
the entire array can be reconstructed once all of the panels have
been queried.
[0018] Each interconnect in electronic housing 203 may be
configured to accept and transmit power and a full video signal.
Beneficially, if another display panel is subsequently connected
(via the interconnects), that subsequently connected display may
receive its power and video signal from the interconnect.
Consequently, display panel 200 would be capable of displaying a
full overall image (if it is the only display panel), displaying
one third of an image (if it is in multi-panel display with three
total display panels), or displaying one ninth of an image (if it
is in a multi-panel display with nine total display panels in a
3.times.3 arrangement). Therefore, the display logic in electronic
housing 203 may accept a video input signal and sort the video
input signal to filter or isolate the signals in the video input
signal that are relevant to the display panel's position in the
multi-panel display. The display logic can use the relevant video
input signals to then drive pixel region 205 to display the correct
portion of the overall image of the multi-panel display.
[0019] In FIG. 2A, cross sectional views of display panel 200 are
presented through line A-A' and line B-B'. The cross sectional
views (combined with the top and bottom view) show that two edges
of pixel region 205 overhang electronic housing 203. This feature
may allow pixel regions 205 of display panels 200 to be connected
closer together in a multi-panel display 250. In the cross
sectional view through line A-A', a first interconnect 221 and a
third interconnect 223 are illustrated. In the cross sectional view
through line B-B', a second interconnect 222 and a fourth
interconnect 224 are illustrated. The illustrated interconnects are
illustrated enclosed (surrounded on 3 sides) within electronic
housing 203, but the interconnects may be secured to electronic
housing 203 differently from the illustration.
[0020] The cross sectional views of FIG. 2A show that electronic
housing 203 includes an abutting section 227 that extends upward to
abut pixel region 205 on at least portions of the first edge and
the second edge of pixel region 205. Having abutting section 227
abut at least one edge of pixel region 205 can be useful for
connecting driving electronics to pixel region 205. For example, in
conventional LCD "glass," a flexible circuit board often extends
out from at least one edge of the pixel as a way of connecting the
pixels to drive circuitry. Therefore, abutting section 227 may
provide the mechanical space for the flexible circuit board to be
connected to the rest of the display logic in electronic housing
203.
[0021] In FIG. 2B, two display panels 200 are shown before they are
interconnected. In the illustrated embodiment, the fourth
interconnect 224 of one display panel 200 will be connected to the
second interconnect 222 of the other display panel 200. FIG. 2C
shows multi-panel display 250 that includes display panels 200A,
200B, and 200C arranged is an on overlapping, fish-scale like
configuration. In the illustrated embodiment, the fourth
interconnect 224 of display panel 200A is connected to the second
interconnect 222 of display panel 200B. Similarly, the fourth
interconnect 224 of display panel 200B is connected to the second
interconnect 222 of display panel 200C. The abutting section 227 of
display panel 200B is disposed under the overhanging fourth edge of
the pixel region 205 of display panel 200A. Similarly, the abutting
section 227 of display panel 200C is disposed under the overhanging
fourth edge of the pixel region 205 of display panel 200B. In other
words, the pixel region 205 of the display panels can partially
overlap the electronic housing 203 of adjacent display panels 200,
when interconnected to do so. Because of the overlap, pixel region
205 of display panel 200B is disposed a first distance (in
z-dimension 253) below pixel region 205 of display panel 200A.
Similarly, pixel region 205 of display panel 200C is disposed a
second distance (in z-dimension 253) below pixel region 205 of
display panel 200B. Since display panels 200A, 200B, and 200C may
all be substantially the same, the second distance would
essentially be the same as the first distance. In the overlapping
fish-scale configuration of FIG. 2C, the seams between display
panels 200A, 200B, and 200C may be unperceivable to a viewer of
multi-panel display 250.
[0022] Since the interconnects in display panels 200 may be
configured to receive power and a video signal, a cord that
includes power and a video signal may be plugged into any
interconnect to supply power and video to the entire multi-panel
display 250. For example, if display panel 200A receives power and
video through interconnect 222, it may share the power and video
signal (through any of its interconnects) with connected display
panels. Therefore, display panel 200B may receive power and video
signals from 200A. Similarly, display panel 200C may receive the
power and video signals from display panel 200B. Hence, providing
power and video signals to one interconnect of the display panels
200A, 200B, or 200C may provide power and video signals to the
entire multi-panel display 250.
[0023] FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate an example display panel 300 for
tiling an example multi-panel display 350 formed by a plurality of
the display panels 300, in accordance with an embodiment of the
disclosure. Similar to display panel 200, display panel 300 is a
modular display panel that is configured to be able to interconnect
to other display panels 300 to form a multi-panel display 350 that
does not have seams that are easily perceived by a viewer of
multi-panel display 350. Pixel region 305 and electronic housing
303 are similar to pixel region 205 and electronic housing 203,
except where discussed or illustrated otherwise.
[0024] In FIG. 3A, it can be seen that electronic housing 2303 does
not have abutting section 227 that extends up to abut the pixel
region. Instead, that space is reserved for pixel regions 305 of
other display panels 300 to occupy, when interconnected. In FIG.
3B, two display panels 300 are shown before they are
interconnected. In the illustrated embodiment, the fourth
interconnect 324 of one display panel 300 will be connected to the
second interconnect 322 of the other display panel 300.
[0025] FIG. 3C shows multi-panel display 350 that includes display
panels 300A, 300B, and 300C arranged is an on overlapping,
substantially flush configuration. In the illustrated embodiment,
the fourth interconnect 324 of display panel 300A is connected to
the second interconnect 322 of display panel 300B. Similarly, the
fourth interconnect 324 of display panel 300B is connected to the
second interconnect 322 of display panel 300C. A portion of the
electronic housing 303 of display panel 300B is disposed under the
overhanging fourth edge of the pixel region 305 of display panel
300A. Similarly, a portion of the electronic housing 303 of display
panel 300C is disposed under the overhanging fourth edge of the
pixel region 305 of display panel 300B. In other words, the pixel
region 305 of the display panels can partially overlap the
electronic housing 303 of adjacent display panels 300, when
interconnected to do so. As illustrated, the pixel regions 305 of
display panels 300A, 300B, and 300C are matched closely together
and are substantially flush. The close alignment of the pixel
regions 305 and the substantially flush surface may make seams
between display panels 300 unperceivable to a viewer of multi-panel
display 350.
[0026] FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of three interconnected
display panels (400A. 400B, 400C) and a disconnected display panel
(400A) before being connected to the three interconnected display
panels, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 4
illustrates one particular embodiment that could be implemented
into display panels 200 or 300.
[0027] In FIG. 4, electronic housings 403A-D include interconnects
421, 422, 423, and 424, although interconnects 423 and 424 are not
visible because they are disposed behind pixel regions 405A-D. In
FIG. 4, the first interconnect 421 is coupled to be interconnected
from a same side of display panel 400 as the first edge of pixel
region 405. Similarly, second interconnect 422, third interconnect
423, and fourth interconnect 424 are coupled to be interconnected
from a same side of display panel 400 as the second, third, and
fourth edges, respectively, of pixel region 405.
[0028] FIG. 5 illustrates additional details of electronic housings
403A-D, that may have been covered by pixel regions 405A-D in FIG.
4, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. In addition,
FIG. 5 also shows example mechanical mounting structures ("MMSs")
that are positioned to mechanically couple display panels 400
together. Taking FIGS. 4 and 5 in combination, it is apparent that
the third edge of pixel regions 405 are mechanically coupled to
overhang third interconnect 423 by a first offset distance 411 and
that the fourth edge of pixel regions 405 are mechanically coupled
to overhang fourth interconnect 424 by second offset distance 412.
Also apparent is that first interconnect 421 extends beyond the
first edge of pixel regions 405 by first offset distance 411 and
that the second interconnect 422 extends beyond the second edge by
second offset distance 412.
[0029] When display panels 400 are interconnected, first
interconnects 421 of one display panel 400 are connected to third
interconnects 423 of another display panel 400. Similarly, second
interconnects 422 are connected with fourth interconnects 424.
Therefore, offset distances 411 and 412 that are common to all the
display panels 400 create predictable, fixed positions for the
interconnects to connect that also facilitates tiled alignment of
the pixel regions 405 of the different display panels 400. It is
appreciated that the shape of electronic housing 404 may be
different than what is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, as long as the
shape does not mechanically interfere with connecting the
interconnects of different display panels 400.
[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates MMSs 561, 562, 563, and 564 that are
configured to mechanically couple display panels 400 together. In
FIG. 5, the first MMS 561 is disposed to be mechanically
interconnected (with another MMS) from a same side of display panel
400 as the first edge of pixel region 405. Similarly, second MMS
562, third MMS 563, and fourth MMS 564 are disposed to be
mechanically interconnected from a same side of display panel 400
as the second, third, and fourth edges, respectively, of pixel
region 405. First MMS 561 is configured to be connected to a third
MMS 563 of another electronic housing 403 and second MMS 562 is
configured to be connected to a fourth MMS 564 of another
electronic housing 403. The illustrated positions of MMSs 561, 562,
563, and 564 are for illustration purposes and may be altered in
other configurations. Example MMSs may include snap connectors,
mechanical connectors secured by screws, or otherwise. In one
embodiment, interconnects 421, 422, 423, and 424 include mechanical
mounting structures integrated within the interconnect that are
sufficient to mechanically support display panels 400 being
mechanically tiled together.
[0031] Taking FIGS. 4 and 5 in combination, it is apparent that the
third edge of pixel regions 405 is mechanically coupled to overhang
third MMS 563 by first offset distance 411 and that the fourth edge
of pixel regions 405 is mechanically coupled to overhang fourth MMS
564 by second offset distance 412. Also apparent is that first MMS
561 extends beyond the first edge of pixel regions 405 by first
offset distance 411 and that the second MMS 562 extends beyond the
second edge by second offset distance 412.
[0032] FIG. 6 illustrates a multi-panel display 650 that includes
twelve display panels 600 interconnected together in a 3.times.4
display panel array, in accordance with an embodiment of the
disclosure. Display panels 600 could include display panel features
shown in connection with the discussions of FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Given the close proximity that the pixel regions 605 are able to
achieve because of the mechanical configurations of display panels
600, the seams between display panels 600 may be unperceivable by a
viewer of multi-panel 650. If display panels 600 include the
features of display panel 300, pixel regions 605 will be
substantially flush.
[0033] If display panel 600 includes the features of display panel
200, multi-panel display 650 could be configured in fish-scale
configuration. In one example, a corner display panel 600A is
adjacent to display panel 600B and adjacent to 600E and pixel
regions 605B and 605E are disposed one level below 605A as display
panel 600A overlaps display panels 600B and 600E in a fish-scale
configuration, as discussed in FIG. 2. In that case, pixel regions
605I, 605F, and 605C may be disposed two levels below pixel region
605A, but only one level below pixel regions 605E and 605B.
Similarly, pixel regions 605J, 605G, and 605D may be disposed three
levels below pixel region 605A as the overlapping fish-scale
configuration moves diagonally through multi-panel display 650.
Pixel regions 605K and 605H may be disposed four levels below pixel
region 605A and pixel region 605L may be disposed five levels below
pixel region 605A.
[0034] Because of the modularity of display panels, multi-panel
display 650 can be easily expanded or contracted. If a smaller
multi-panel display 650 is desired, a user can simply disconnect
display panels 600D, 600H, and 600L (as an example) to form a
3.times.3 multi-panel display. If a larger multi-panel display 650
is desired, a user can easily connect additional display panels
600. For example, to expand multi-panel display 650, a user could
interconnect eight more display panels 600 to form a 4.times.5
multi-panel display. As discussed earlier, device position
circuitry may do device discovery and adjust the images for the
rest of the display panels 600, based on a subtraction or addition
of display panels 600.
[0035] The above description of illustrated embodiments of the
invention, including what is described in the Abstract, is not
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise
forms disclosed. While specific embodiments of, and examples for,
the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes,
various modifications are possible within the scope of the
invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.
[0036] These modifications can be made to the invention in light of
the above detailed description. The terms used in the following
claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the
specific embodiments disclosed in the specification. Rather, the
scope of the invention is to be determined entirely by the
following claims, which are to be construed in accordance with
established doctrines of claim interpretation.
* * * * *