Interface apparatus and method using electronic paper

Abstract

An interface apparatus with: a display module having a plurality of display devices that display an image using electronic paper, a control module that provides enable information needed to enable the respective display devices and image information needed to display the image, a decoding module that decodes the enable information and sequentially transmits the decoded enable information to the display devices, and a graphic processing module that receives the image information from the control module and sequentially transmits the image information to the display devices, wherein the image information is displayed by one or more of the display devices that are enabled according to the enable information.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an interface apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an interface apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an interface apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B regard an example of the operation of the interface apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5A and 5B regard another example of the operation of the interface apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 6A and 6B regard another example of the operation of the interface apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 7A and 7B regard another example of the operation of the interface apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are block diagrams of interface apparatuses according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an interface method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a view of a display button according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 11A and 11B regard a display button input operation according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate an arrangement of input signal lines to detect a display button input according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate architecture to sense an input from a display array that has a plurality of display buttons according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 14A through 14C illustrate an arrangement of an image drive line of the display button according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates architecture to provide a display array that has a plurality of display buttons to display an image according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 16A through 16B illustrate the structure of an image display unit of a display button according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of a display array that comprises a plurality of display buttons according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 illustrates a user interface that uses a plurality of display buttons according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of a display array that provides the user interface illustrated in FIG. 18; and

FIGS. 20A through 20C illustrate an interface apparatus using a plurality of display buttons according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. An interface apparatus, comprising: a display module comprising a plurality of display devices that display an image using electronic paper;a control module, which provides enable information needed to enable the respective display devices and image information needed to display the image;a decoding module, which decodes the enable information and sequentially transmits the decoded enable information to the display devices; anda graphic processing module, which receives the image information from the control module and sequentially transmits the image information to the display devices,wherein the image information is displayed by one or more of the display devices that are enabled according to the enable information.

2. The interface apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of display devices comprise a plurality of display buttons.

3. An interface apparatus, comprising: a display module comprising a plurality of display devices that display an image using electronic paper;a control module, which provides enable information needed to enable the respective display devices and image information needed to display the image; anda graphic processing module, which receives the image information from the control module and sequentially transmits the image information to the display devices,wherein each of the display devices comprises a decoding module that decodes the enable information and sequentially transmits the decoded enable information to the display devices, and the image information is displayed by one or more of the display devices that are enabled according to the enable information.

4. The interface apparatus of claim 3, wherein the plurality of display devices comprise a plurality of display buttons.

5. An interface apparatus, comprising: a display module comprising a plurality of display buttons that display an image using electronic paper and sense user input;an input sensing module, which chooses one or more of the display buttons that are determined to have been pressed by a user according to the sensed user input;a control module, which provides enable information needed to enable the one or more chosen display buttons and image information needed to display an image;a decoding module, which decodes the enable information and sequentially transmits the decoded enable information to the display buttons; anda graphic processing module, which receives the image information from the control module and sequentially transmits the image information to the display buttons, wherein the image information is displayed by one or more of the display buttons that are enabled according to the enable information.

6. The interface apparatus of claim 5, wherein each of the display buttons comprises: a button unit, which senses the user input;an image display unit, which displays image information corresponding to the user input on the electronic paper; anda connection unit, which connects the button unit and the image display unit.

7. The interface apparatus of claim 6, wherein the button unit comprises: a metallic plate, which extends in four directions across the center of the button unit and transmits a press feedback to the user when the button unit is pressed down by the user; andan image driving line, which transmits the image information to the image display unit, positioned on the metallic plate.

8. The interface apparatus of claim 7, wherein the button unit further comprises a conductive medium, which receives the user input by being placed in contact with the metallic plate.

9. The interface apparatus of claim 8, wherein the button unit further comprises: a first input signal line positioned on the metallic plate; anda second input signal line positioned on the conductive medium,wherein the button unit senses the user input by detecting whether the first and second signal lines are electrically connected via the metallic plate and the conductive medium.

10. The interface apparatus of claim 6, wherein the connection unit comprises: a press connector, which alleviates shock generated when the button unit is pressed down; anda plurality of fixed protrusions, which fix the press connector and the image display unit,wherein the connection unit has an empty space provided for transmitting the image information from the button unit to the image display unit.

11. The interface apparatus of claim 6, wherein the image display unit comprises: an image unit, which displays the image information on the electronic paper; andan image driving unit, which drives the image unit.

12. An interface apparatus, comprising: a display module comprising a plurality of display buttons that display an image using electronic paper and sense user input;an input sensing module, which chooses one or more of the display buttons that are determined to have been pressed by a user according to the sensed user input;a control module, which provides enable information needed to enable the one or more chosen display buttons and image information needed to display an image; anda graphic processing module, which receives the image information from the control module and sequentially transmits the image information to the display buttons,wherein each of the display buttons comprises a decoding module that decodes the enable information and sequentially transmits the decoded enable information to the display buttons, andthe image information is displayed by one or more of the display buttons that are enabled according to the enable information.

13. The interface apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the display buttons comprises: a button unit, which senses the user input;an image display unit, which displays image information corresponding to the user input on the electronic paper; anda connection unit, which connects the button unit and the image display unit.

14. The interface apparatus of claim 13, wherein the button unit further comprises: a metallic plate, which extends in four directions across the center of the button unit and transmits a press feedback to the user when the button unit is pressed down by the user; andan image driving line, which transmits the image information to the image display unit, positioned on the metallic plate.

15. The interface apparatus of claim 14, wherein the button unit comprises a conductive medium which receives the user input by being placed in contact with the metallic plate.

16. The interface apparatus of claim 15, wherein the button unit further comprises: a first input signal line positioned on the metallic plate; anda second input signal line positioned on the conductive medium,wherein the button unit senses the user input by detecting whether the first and second signal lines are electrically connected via the metallic plate and the conductive medium.

17. The interface apparatus of claim 13, wherein the connection unit comprises: a press connector, which alleviates shock generated when the button unit is pressed down; anda plurality of fixed protrusions, which fix the press connector and the image display unit,wherein the connector unit has an empty space provided for transmitting the image information from the button unit to the image display unit.

18. The interface apparatus of claim 13, wherein the image display unit comprises: an image unit, which displays the image information on the electronic paper; andan image driving unit, which drives the image unit.

19. An interface apparatus comprising: a button unit, which senses user input;an image display unit, which displays image information corresponding to the sensed user input on electronic paper; anda connection unit, which connects the button unit and the image display unit.

20. The interface apparatus of claim 19, wherein the button unit comprises: a metallic plate, which extends in four directions across the center of the button unit and transmits a press feedback to the user when the button unit is pressed down by the user; andan image driving line, which transmits the image information to the image display unit, positioned on the metallic plate.

21. The interface apparatus of claim 20, wherein the button unit comprises a conductive medium, which receives the user input by being placed in contact with the metallic plate.

22. The interface apparatus of claim 21, wherein the button unit further comprises: a first input signal line positioned on the metallic plate; anda second input signal line positioned on the conductive medium,wherein the button unit senses the user input by detecting whether the first and second signal lines are electrically connected via the metallic plate and the conductive medium.

23. The interface apparatus of claim 19, wherein the connection unit comprises: a press connector, which alleviates shock generated when the button unit is pressed down; anda plurality of fixed protrusions which fix the press connector and the image display unit,wherein the connector unit has an empty space provided for transmitting the image information from the button unit to the image display unit.

24. The interface apparatus of claim 19, wherein the image display unit comprises: an image unit, which displays the image information on the electronic paper; andan image driving unit, which drives the image unit.

25. The interface apparatus of claim 24, wherein the image driving unit decodes a predetermined display button select signal to decide whether to display the image information with the aid of the image unit.

26. An interface apparatus, comprising: a display array, which comprises a plurality of display buttons that display image information using electronic paper;an input sensing module, which determines which of the display buttons is selected by a user; andan image display circuit, which provides the display array with image information corresponding to the display button that is determined to be selected by the user, anda select signal to select the display button that is determined to be selected by the user.

27. The interface apparatus of claim 26, wherein each of the display buttons comprises: a button unit, which senses user input and transmits the sensed user input to the input sensing module;an image display unit, which displays the image information on the electronic paper; anda connection unit, which connects the button unit and the image display unit.

28. The interface apparatus of claim 27, wherein the button unit comprises: a metallic plate, which extends in four directions across the center of the button unit and transmits a press feedback to the user when the button unit is pressed down by the user; andan image driving line, which transmits the image information and the select signal to the image display unit, positioned on the metallic plate.

29. The interface apparatus of claim 27, wherein the image display unit comprises: an image unit, which displays the image information on the electronic paper; andan image driving unit, which drives the image unit and decodes the select signal.

30. An interface method, comprising: sensing user input from a plurality of display buttons that display an image using electronic paper, and selecting one or more of the display buttons that are pressed by a user;sequentially providing enable information needed to enable the selected display buttons to the display buttons; andsequentially providing image information needed to display a predetermined image to the display devices, and displaying the image information on one or more of the display buttons that are enabled according to the enable information.

31. The interface method of claim 30, wherein sequentially providing the enable information needed to enable the selected display buttons to the display buttons, comprises decoding the enable information and sequentially providing the decoded enable information to the display buttons.

32. An interface method, comprising: providing enable information needed to enable one or more of a plurality of display devices and image information needed to display an image, the display devices displaying the image using electronic paper;decoding the enable information and sequentially transmitting the decoded enable information to the display devices; anddisplaying the image information on the one or more of the display devices that are enabled according to the decoded enable information.

33. The interface method of claim 32, wherein the plurality of display devices comprise a plurality of display buttons.

34. An interface method, comprising: providing enable information needed to enable one or more of a plurality of display devices and image information needed to display an image, the display devices displaying the image using electronic paper;decoding the enable information;sequentially transmitting the image information to the display devices; anddisplaying the image information on the one or more of the display devices that are enabled according to the decoded enable information.

35. The interface method of claim 34, wherein the plurality of display devices comprise a plurality of display buttons.