Patent Application
20090126243
The invention relates to an apparatus and method of wearable electronics, in particular to a convenient, easy to lay out and operate, wearable rollable or flexible display.
Electronic devices, such as computers, or personal data assistants (PDA's), often have a relatively thin display panel for viewing a visual display produced by the electronic device. In some of these electronic devices, the display panel is to some extent flexible, and can, for example, be spread or folded, e.g. over a surface that may be rigid, but may also be bendable, pliable or supple. The display panel may be rollable, in that in can be bent in successive layers around an axis and pulled out or unfurled for use, for example from a housing, in particular a tubular housing.
Electronic devices with displays may be wearable. A flexible image display apparatus may be attached to clothes, for example, as disclosed in patent publication no. US20020144442 A1, published Oct. 10, 2002, in patent publication no. US 20040187184 A1, published Sep. 30, 2004 and in patent publication no. US 20020019296 A1, published Feb. 14, 2002, which are incorporated herein by reference.
Flexible displays may be in a tablet-like form, including a central processing unit (CPU), drive circuitry for an active matrix of the display, memory storage unit and other components of the display. Tablet-like display panels sometimes include traditional control devices such as buttons, joysticks, thumbwheels, and touch pads, for controlling the image displayed on the display panel, inputting data, and moving cursors that are provided as part of the visual display. This approach is, for example, disclosed in United States Patent Application Publication US 2002/0070910 A1, to Fujieda, et al., PCT Publication WO/01/50232, to Zhang, et al, and PCT Publication WO 98/03962, of Johnson, et al., which are incorporated herein by reference.
Rollable as well as flexible displays are becoming commercially available. Very thin (e.g. 0.1 mm) flexible displays have been developed that can be rolled up to a radius of 1 cm. Rollable or flexible displays may have electrophoretic frontplanes of polymer material, joined to an active matrix backplane of material which is also flexible or rollable. The term “bendable” is used herein to mean a display or screen, connector or other display component that is flexible in any direction, including a direction of rotation, e.g. a display screen or ribbon cable or other connector that can be folded back on itself.
The display device may, however, also advantageously be a liquid crystal display device, electrochromic display device, reflective display device including, for example, an interferometric modulator and luminescent display device, rather than an electrophoretic display. The display devices may be passive or be an active matrix display. Examples of such active matrix display devices are TFT-LCDs or AM-LCDs, (O) LED devices, which are used in laptop computers and in organizers, and are also finding increasingly wider application in GSM telephones.
Prior, copending application 60/636,022 filed Dec. 14, 2004 (Applicants' assignee's docket no. U.S. Pat. No. 040564), which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a “modular display super stick”. A housing includes a rollable display panel which provides a large display in the unrolled position, and can be rolled in the housing when not use, thus providing a small form factor. The housing may also have drive electronics for the display, including, for example, a controller or processor and power source such as batteries.
In wearable electronics, effectively locating and using displays is a significant problem. Most wearables have a small rigid LCD displays for this reason. Flexible, and even rollable displays are an improvement: when rolled up, the display is well protected and occupies very little space, whereas when the display is rolled out, it is large and flexible, offering a high-resolution display area for all kinds of applications (such as travel guidance, in the form of GPS information, maps and travel guides, performance information while the user of the display is jogging, etc.).
The wrist, in particular, is a convenient place for wearable devices, for example, watches and even GPS devices, to be worn. A device worn on the wrist can, however, become difficult to operate in some circumstances, e.g. when the user is wearing long-sleeved clothes the sleeve may cover the device. This is especially true for rollable devices, where the space for rolling in and out of the display panel is an important action that must be accommodated in design and use of the display.
In the present invention, these and other problems are lessened or solved. A display device is provided which can be oriented to be worn over a sleeve or other part of the user's clothing. The device may, for example, be shaped to fold over or be capable of bending over the sleeve to be conveniently and easily operated.
A device according to one aspect the invention may have a “U”-shape, so that part of the device is on top of the sleeve. In this way, the device is visible, accessible and operable, without the user having to pull or roll up his or her sleeve.
In another aspect, the display panel of the device may be flexible or bendable, so that, for example, it can move with the surface of a jacket or shirt and be moved out of the way to remove the jacket or shirt.
In another aspect, a portion of the display device may be bendable to allow a flexible or rollable display panel of the device to be laid out over a sleeve or other area of clothing.
The wearable display may also be “wrapped” in that the surface opposite the display surface of a flexible display panel may have a display cover laminated to it or otherwise integrated with it and be capable of being folded out from an insert fixed, for example, as a removable part of a liner, attached under a sleeve or from behind a fold of fabric. The display panel is then set out and visible on the exterior of the user's clothing when in use and, when not in use, is folded back against the inside of the user's sleeve or other clothing and protected by the display cover.
In another aspect, a portion of the display device may be bendable to allow a display panel housing to be disposed over a sleeve or other area of clothing.
The display panel of the device may be detachable from the housing. The housing may include in addition to a display panel, other components of the display device, such as electronic apparatus to provide display parameters (such as driving signals, interface signals including a vertical synchronization pulse and clock signals), a battery, ac/dc converter or other power source, driving electronics and buttons or other control features. Components of the display such as an image display controller and telecommunications hardware and software may also be in the housing.
The display panel itself may be foldable, e.g. capable of being unrolled or otherwise set out in a folded position, after which it is unfolded.
The display panel may be given an interesting or even striking appearance, making the panel noticeable and even fashionable, for example as a cuff or trim. The display panel may show dynamic images or complement or enhance the textile or surface design of the user's clothing.
The display panel of the present invention offers an advantage in that space is available to prominently feature the branding for the display or other device in which it is incorporated. The visibility of the product allows the product to advertise itself.
The display panel may be a lighting device or have a lighting device, such as a semiconductor lighting device. integrated into it.
The display device may serve as a monitor in a complex computer or other instrumentation system. For example, the rollable or flexible display panel may display data from a sensor or other components collecting and processing medical data from the surface of the skin or from a sensor extending beneath the skin. The display panel may show the user, for example, a graph of temperature or another biophysical or biochemical property, such as blood sugar, measured, invasively or non-invasively, over time or a comparison of two or more such properties.
In one embodiment the display may be a U-shaped device that is visible. The advantages of such a device include its ease of use, its allowing readily visible, large displays and, alternatively, its allowing more design freedom with respect to roll out directions for flexible displays, visibility in that a wrist-based device in a “U” allows the display to be seen on top of the sleeve, either rolled up or extended, at all times.
Another feature is that the device can be made flexible or bendable into a different shape, to enable a user to easily take off or put on clothing, for example, a jacket.
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the present invention, rather than limiting the scope of the present invention, the present invention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
In the drawings:
a shows a U-shaped wearable display.
b shows a wearable display with a bendable portion.
a-e shows wearable displays with various roll-out directions.
A basic embodiment includes a rigid, U-shaped device.
In another embodiment, shown in
Some further embodiments of the invention are depicted in
Embodiments of the present invention in which a tubular housing is extended outside the sleeve are shown in
c) illustrates a display device in which a bendable portion 308′ in the form of a flexible curve or neck is held to the wrist by a wrist strap 304 and connected to the housing 302. The sleeve 303 can be pulled back allowing the housing 302, which had been kept behind or covered by the sleeve 303, to be pulled forward toward the hand. When the sleeve 303 is pulled forward, the housing 302 can be bent back so that is it positioned over the sleeve 303. The display can then be rolled out in a direction substantially perpendicular to the arm or any other direction desired.
As shown in
The device does not preclude the display panel 301 or other components' being removable to further improve operability of the display. In
In another embodiment shown in
A housing for the display, for example, the housing 302 in
Another embodiment is a device where a flexible or rollable display as well as the other components of the display are both located under the sleeve. When the display is set out, it is applied over the sleeve along a predefined curve, for example, by means of a guiding mechanism.
Especially when used with rollable displays, the present invention makes available a wide range of roll out options for a display.
Although this invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations will be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as set forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative manner and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.
In interpreting the appended claims, it should be understood that:
a) the word “comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elements or acts than those listed in a given claim;
b) the word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements;
c) any reference signs in the claims do not limit their scope;
d) several “means” may be represented by the same item or hardware or software implemented structure or function;
e) any of the disclosed elements may be comprised of hardware portions (e.g., including discrete and integrated electronic circuitry), software portions (e.g., computer programming), and any combination thereof;
f) hardware portions may be comprised of one or both of analog and digital portions;
g) any of the disclosed devices or portions thereof may be combined together or separated into further portions unless specifically stated otherwise; and
h) no specific sequence of acts is intended to be required unless specifically indicated.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2006/051520 | 5/15/2006 | WO | 00 | 2/25/2008 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60681836 | May 2005 | US |
