When customers first encounter TI DLP® Pico™ display technology, they often face two main questions:
♦ How much brightness do I really need (measured in lumens)?
♦ What is the maximum brightness my system can actually achieve?
Brightness may seem like a straightforward specification, but determining the right level for a micro-projection system involves a complex balance of design considerations. It's not just about how bright you want the image to be—it's about ensuring that the system performs well under real-world conditions.
So, how much brightness do you need?
The required brightness for a miniature projection system depends on three main factors:
♦ The size of the projected screen
♦ The desired image brightness (in cd/m² or nits)
♦ The ambient light in the environment
Larger screens typically require higher brightness levels to maintain visibility, especially in environments with strong background lighting. That’s why it’s important to consider both the screen size and the lighting conditions when designing your system.
For guidance, refer to Figure 1 below, which provides recommended brightness values based on different screen sizes and ambient light levels. This can help you select the appropriate DLP chipset for your application.
Figure 1: Recommended projector brightness for various image sizes and ambient brightness levels
Now, the next question is: How much brightness can you actually achieve?
To answer this, you need to understand the key variables that influence brightness during system design. These include LED power, optical efficiency, DMD size, and more. Increasing brightness usually requires adjusting one or more of these variables.
Table 1: Key variables and their impact on projection system brightness
Let’s take a closer look at an example optical module to better understand these elements.
Figure 2: Example of an optical module (DLP digital micromirror device [DMD], RGB LEDs, optics, pedestal, and LED heatsink)
TI offers a range of DLP Pico chipsets to third-party manufacturers who build optical modules. These modules typically include a DMD, RGB LED sources, and optical components. The brightness of each module varies depending on the DMD size, LED size, and optical design. Even within the same module, brightness can change based on the LED power used.
When the LED is powered and video content is sent to the DLP control chip, the optical module projects an image. As shown in Figure 3, increasing the LED power boosts brightness, but the rate of increase slows down as the LED reaches its limit. At the same time, more heat is generated, which can affect performance and longevity.
Figure 3: Relationship between LED power, brightness, and heat generation
TI has published a detailed article titled “TI DLP Pico System Design: Brightness Requirements and Compromise,†offering deeper insights into this topic. Additionally, a downloadable brightness and projection ratio calculator tool is available to help developers and brand customers optimize brightness while managing trade-offs in their designs. These resources are valuable tools for anyone working with DLP Pico technology.
Lenovo Chromebook 100E Gen2 AST
Lenovo Chromebook 100E Gen2 AST,Lenovo Chromebook 100E parts,Lenovo Chromebook 100E LCD back cover
S-yuan Electronic Technology Limited , https://www.syuanelectronic.com