Patent Application
20130106712
This disclosure relates to display devices including electromechanical systems, and more particularly, to touchscreen devices having reduced internal glare.
Electromechanical systems (EMS) include devices having electrical and mechanical elements, actuators, transducers, sensors, optical components (such as mirrors and optical film layers) and electronics. Electromechanical systems can be manufactured at a variety of scales including, but not limited to, microscales and nanoscales. For example, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices can include structures having sizes ranging from about a micron to hundreds of microns or more. Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) devices can include structures having sizes smaller than a micron including, for example, sizes smaller than several hundred nanometers. Electromechanical elements may be created using deposition, etching, lithography, and/or other micromachining processes that etch away parts of substrates and/or deposited material layers, or that add layers to form electrical and electromechanical devices.
One type of electromechanical systems device is called an interferometric modulator (IMOD). As used herein, the term interferometric modulator or interferometric light modulator refers to a device that selectively absorbs and/or reflects light using the principles of optical interference. In some implementations, an interferometric modulator may include a pair of conductive plates, one or both of which may be transparent and/or reflective, wholly or in part, and capable of relative motion upon application of an appropriate electrical signal. In an implementation, one plate may include a stationary layer deposited on a substrate and the other plate may include a reflective membrane separated from the stationary layer by an air gap. The position of one plate in relation to another can change the optical interference of light incident on the interferometric modulator. Interferometric modulator devices have a wide range of applications, and are anticipated to be used in improving existing products and creating new products, especially those with display capabilities.
In some display devices having a number of transparent layers, reflections can occur whenever light attempts to travel through an interface between different layers. When such a light originates from an external location, such reflections at different interfaces can result in undesirable glare originating from locations behind the front surface of the device.
The systems, methods and devices of the disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.
One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a display apparatus that includes a front cover, a touch panel disposed rearward of the front cover and having front and rear surfaces. The apparatus further includes a display array rearward of the touch panel. The apparatus further includes at least one bulk diffuser disposed rearward of the front cover so as to reduce glare resulting from substantially specular reflection from at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the touch panel.
In some implementations, the bulk diffuser can include a layer of diffusive adhesive. In some implementations, the at least one bulk diffuser can include a first diffuser layer disposed between the front cover and the touch panel. The apparatus can further include a second diffuser layer disposed between the touch panel and the display array.
In some implementations, the display apparatus can further include a transparent adhesive disposed between the front cover and the touch panel. In some implementations, the display array can include an interferometric modulator array.
In some implementations, at least one of the surfaces of the touch panel can include a diffusive surface. The touch panel diffusive surface can include a roughened surface having an effective refractive index, and the refractive index difference between the roughened surface and a medium disposed next to the diffusive surface can be greater than or equal to about 0.01. The medium can include materials such air, a bonding material, or ITO (indium tin oxide).
In some implementations, the at least one bulk diffuser can include a plurality of layers, with each layer having a haze characteristic that decreases as a function of the layer's distance from the display array.
In some implementations, the display apparatus can further include a processor that is configured to communicate with the display array, and configured to process image data. The display apparatus can further include a memory device that is configured to communicate with the processor.
In some implementations, the display apparatus can further include a driver circuit configured to send at least one signal to the display array, and a controller configured to send at least a portion of the image data to the driver circuit. In some implementations, the display apparatus can further include an image source module configured to send the image data to the processor and including at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter. In some implementations, the display apparatus can further include an input device coupled to the touch panel and configured to receive input data and to communicate the input data to the processor.
Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a touchscreen device having an external surface. The device includes a display and a touch sensor. The device further includes at least one bulk diffuser disposed relative to the touch sensor so as to reduce glare from one or more internal surfaces of the touchscreen device.
In some implementations, the touchscreen device can further include a cover plate disposed such that the touch sensor is between the cover plate and the display, with one surface of the cover plate defining the external surface of the touchscreen device. In some implementations, the at least one bulk diffuser can be disposed between the cover plate and the touch sensor or can be disposed between the touch sensor and the display.
Yet another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for fabricating a display. The method includes providing a display array, and providing a touch panel having front and rear surfaces in front of the display array. The method further includes forming at least one bulk diffuser at one or more sides of the front and rear surfaces of the touch panel. The method further includes disposing a front cover in front of the touch panel.
In some implementations, the at least one bulk diffuser can be formed so as to be in direct contact with the front surface of the touch panel or in direct contact with the rear surface of the touch panel. In some implementations, the method can further include forming at least one non-diffusive layer at one or more sides of the front and rear surfaces of the touch panel. Such a non-diffusive layer can be formed so as to be positioned between the front or rear surface of the touch panel and the at least one bulk diffuser.
Yet another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for fabricating a touchscreen device. The method includes providing a display, and providing a touch sensor. The method further includes providing a cover plate disposed such that the touch sensor is between the cover plate and the display. The method further includes forming at least one bulk diffuser between the display and the display so as to reduce glare from one or more internal surfaces of the touchscreen device.
Yet another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in an apparatus having a display device configured to display an image by providing signals to selected locations of the display device. The apparatus further includes a touch panel configured to receive user inputs. The apparatus further includes a front cover configured to protect the touch panel. The apparatus further includes means for reducing glare resulting from specular reflection from at least one surface below the front cover.
Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. Note that the relative dimensions of the following figures may not be drawn to scale.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.
The following description is directed to certain implementations for the purposes of describing the innovative aspects of this disclosure. However, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a multitude of different ways. The described implementations may be implemented in any device or system that can be configured to display an image, whether in motion (e.g., video) or stationary (e.g., still image), and whether textual, graphical or pictorial. More particularly, it is contemplated that the described implementations may be included in or associated with a variety of electronic devices such as, but not limited to: mobile telephones, multimedia Internet enabled cellular telephones, mobile television receivers, wireless devices, smartphones, Bluetooth® devices, personal data assistants (PDAs), wireless electronic mail receivers, hand-held or portable computers, netbooks, notebooks, smartbooks, tablets, printers, copiers, scanners, facsimile devices, GPS receivers/navigators, cameras, MP3 players, camcorders, game consoles, wrist watches, clocks, calculators, television monitors, flat panel displays, electronic reading devices (i.e., e-readers), computer monitors, auto displays (including odometer and speedometer displays, etc.), cockpit controls and/or displays, camera view displays (such as the display of a rear view camera in a vehicle), electronic photographs, electronic billboards or signs, projectors, architectural structures, microwaves, refrigerators, stereo systems, cassette recorders or players, DVD players, CD players, VCRs, radios, portable memory chips, washers, dryers, washer/dryers, parking meters, packaging (such as in electromechanical systems (EMS), microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and non-MEMS applications), aesthetic structures (e.g., display of images on a piece of jewelry) and a variety of EMS devices. The teachings herein also can be used in non-display applications such as, but not limited to, electronic switching devices, radio frequency filters, sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, motion-sensing devices, magnetometers, inertial components for consumer electronics, parts of consumer electronics products, varactors, liquid crystal devices, electrophoretic devices, drive schemes, manufacturing processes and electronic test equipment. Thus, the teachings are not intended to be limited to the implementations depicted solely in the Figures, but instead have wide applicability as will be readily apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art.
This disclosure includes various examples of devices and fabrication methods relating to touchscreens configured to reduce undesirable glare from locations behind the front surface of the touchscreen (e.g., a viewable surface of the touchscreen). Such glare can result from one or numerous undesired specular reflections of light rays at different interfaces between one or more layers associated with a touchscreen. In some implementations, one or more bulk diffuser layers can be provided at different locations of the touchscreen to diffuse such specular reflections and thereby desirably reduce the glare as seen by the user.
Particular implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. For example, one or more features of this disclosure can be implemented to control glare in touchscreen devices in situations where anti-reflection and/or anti-glare coatings or treatments are typically difficult to implement. Such a reduced glare can increase apparent display contrast and the effectiveness of using a device with a touchscreen in front of the display.
An example of a suitable EMS or MEMS device, to which the described implementations may apply, is a reflective display device. Reflective display devices can incorporate interferometric modulators (IMODs) to selectively absorb and/or reflect light incident thereon using principles of optical interference. IMODs can include an absorber, a reflector that is movable with respect to the absorber, and an optical resonant cavity defined between the absorber and the reflector. The reflector can be moved to two or more different positions, which can change the size of the optical resonant cavity and thereby affect the reflectance of the interferometric modulator. The reflectance spectrums of IMODs can create fairly broad spectral bands which can be shifted across the visible wavelengths to generate different colors. The position of the spectral band can be adjusted by changing the thickness of the optical resonant cavity. One way of changing the optical resonant cavity is by changing the position of the reflector.
The IMOD display device can include a row/column array of IMODs. Each IMOD can include a pair of reflective layers, i.e., a movable reflective layer and a fixed partially reflective layer, positioned at a variable and controllable distance from each other to form an air gap (also referred to as an optical gap or cavity). The movable reflective layer may be moved between at least two positions. In a first position, i.e., a relaxed position, the movable reflective layer can be positioned at a relatively large distance from the fixed partially reflective layer. In a second position, i.e., an actuated position, the movable reflective layer can be positioned more closely to the partially reflective layer. Incident light that reflects from the two layers can interfere constructively or destructively depending on the position of the movable reflective layer, producing either an overall reflective or non-reflective state for each pixel. In some implementations, the IMOD may be in a reflective state when unactuated, reflecting light within the visible spectrum, and may be in a dark state when unactuated, absorbing and/or destructively interfering light within the visible range. In some other implementations, however, an IMOD may be in a dark state when unactuated, and in a reflective state when actuated. In some implementations, the introduction of an applied voltage can drive the pixels to change states. In some other implementations, an applied charge can drive the pixels to change states.
The depicted portion of the pixel array in
In
The optical stack 16 can include a single layer or several layers. The layer(s) can include one or more of an electrode layer, a partially reflective and partially transmissive layer and a transparent dielectric layer. In some implementations, the optical stack 16 is electrically conductive, partially transparent and partially reflective, and may be fabricated, for example, by depositing one or more of the above layers onto a transparent substrate 20. The electrode layer can be formed from a variety of materials, such as various metals, for example indium tin oxide (ITO). The partially reflective layer can be formed from a variety of materials that are partially reflective, such as various metals, such as chromium (Cr), semiconductors, and dielectrics. The partially reflective layer can be formed of one or more layers of materials, and each of the layers can be formed of a single material or a combination of materials. In some implementations, the optical stack 16 can include a single semi-transparent thickness of metal or semiconductor which serves as both an optical absorber and electrical conductor, while different, electrically more conductive layers or portions (e.g., of the optical stack 16 or of other structures of the IMOD) can serve to bus signals between IMOD pixels. The optical stack 16 also can include one or more insulating or dielectric layers covering one or more conductive layers or an electrically conductive/optically absorptive layer.
In some implementations, the layer(s) of the optical stack 16 can be patterned into parallel strips, and may form row electrodes in a display device as described further below. As will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art, the term “patterned” is used herein to refer to masking as well as etching processes. In some implementations, a highly conductive and reflective material, such as aluminum (Al), may be used for the movable reflective layer 14, and these strips may form column electrodes in a display device. The movable reflective layer 14 may be formed as a series of parallel strips of a deposited metal layer or layers (orthogonal to the row electrodes of the optical stack 16) to form columns deposited on top of posts 18 and an intervening sacrificial material deposited between the posts 18. When the sacrificial material is etched away, a defined gap 19, or optical cavity, can be formed between the movable reflective layer 14 and the optical stack 16. In some implementations, the spacing between posts 18 may be approximately 1-1000 um, while the gap 19 may be less than <10,000 Angstroms (Å).
In some implementations, each pixel of the IMOD, whether in the actuated or relaxed state, is essentially a capacitor formed by the fixed and moving reflective layers. When no voltage is applied, the movable reflective layer 14 remains in a mechanically relaxed state, as illustrated by the pixel 12 on the left in
The processor 21 can be configured to communicate with an array driver 22. The array driver 22 can include a row driver circuit 24 and a column driver circuit 26 that provide signals to, for example, a display array or panel 30. The cross section of the IMOD display device illustrated in
In some implementations, a frame of an image may be created by applying data signals in the form of “segment” voltages along the set of column electrodes, in accordance with the desired change (if any) to the state of the pixels in a given row. Each row of the array can be addressed in turn, such that the frame is written one row at a time. To write the desired data to the pixels in a first row, segment voltages corresponding to the desired state of the pixels in the first row can be applied on the column electrodes, and a first row pulse in the form of a specific “common” voltage or signal can be applied to the first row electrode. The set of segment voltages can then be changed to correspond to the desired change (if any) to the state of the pixels in the second row, and a second common voltage can be applied to the second row electrode. In some implementations, the pixels in the first row are unaffected by the change in the segment voltages applied along the column electrodes, and remain in the state they were set to during the first common voltage row pulse. This process may be repeated for the entire series of rows, or alternatively, columns, in a sequential fashion to produce the image frame. The frames can be refreshed and/or updated with new image data by continually repeating this process at some desired number of frames per second.
The combination of segment and common signals applied across each pixel (that is, the potential difference across each pixel) determines the resulting state of each pixel.
As illustrated in
When a hold voltage is applied on a common line, such as a high hold voltage VCHOLD
When an addressing, or actuation, voltage is applied on a common line, such as a high addressing voltage VCADD
In some implementations, hold voltages, address voltages, and segment voltages may be used which produce the same polarity potential difference across the modulators. In some other implementations, signals can be used which alternate the polarity of the potential difference of the modulators from time to time. Alternation of the polarity across the modulators (that is, alternation of the polarity of write procedures) may reduce or inhibit charge accumulation which could occur after repeated write operations of a single polarity.
During the first line time 60a: a release voltage 70 is applied on common line 1; the voltage applied on common line 2 begins at a high hold voltage 72 and moves to a release voltage 70; and a low hold voltage 76 is applied along common line 3. Thus, the modulators (common 1, segment 1), (1,2) and (1,3) along common line 1 remain in a relaxed, or unactuated, state for the duration of the first line time 60a, the modulators (2,1), (2,2) and (2,3) along common line 2 will move to a relaxed state, and the modulators (3,1), (3,2) and (3,3) along common line 3 will remain in their previous state. With reference to
During the second line time 60b, the voltage on common line 1 moves to a high hold voltage 72, and all modulators along common line 1 remain in a relaxed state regardless of the segment voltage applied because no addressing, or actuation, voltage was applied on the common line 1. The modulators along common line 2 remain in a relaxed state due to the application of the release voltage 70, and the modulators (3,1), (3,2) and (3,3) along common line 3 will relax when the voltage along common line 3 moves to a release voltage 70.
During the third line time 60c, common line 1 is addressed by applying a high address voltage 74 on common line 1. Because a low segment voltage 64 is applied along segment lines 1 and 2 during the application of this address voltage, the pixel voltage across modulators (1,1) and (1,2) is greater than the high end of the positive stability window (i.e., the voltage differential exceeded a predefined threshold) of the modulators, and the modulators (1,1) and (1,2) are actuated. Conversely, because a high segment voltage 62 is applied along segment line 3, the pixel voltage across modulator (1,3) is less than that of modulators (1,1) and (1,2), and remains within the positive stability window of the modulator; modulator (1,3) thus remains relaxed. Also during line time 60c, the voltage along common line 2 decreases to a low hold voltage 76, and the voltage along common line 3 remains at a release voltage 70, leaving the modulators along common lines 2 and 3 in a relaxed position.
During the fourth line time 60d, the voltage on common line 1 returns to a high hold voltage 72, leaving the modulators along common line 1 in their respective addressed states. The voltage on common line 2 is decreased to a low address voltage 78. Because a high segment voltage 62 is applied along segment line 2, the pixel voltage across modulator (2,2) is below the lower end of the negative stability window of the modulator, causing the modulator (2,2) to actuate. Conversely, because a low segment voltage 64 is applied along segment lines 1 and 3, the modulators (2,1) and (2,3) remain in a relaxed position. The voltage on common line 3 increases to a high hold voltage 72, leaving the modulators along common line 3 in a relaxed state.
Finally, during the fifth line time 60e, the voltage on common line 1 remains at high hold voltage 72, and the voltage on common line 2 remains at a low hold voltage 76, leaving the modulators along common lines 1 and 2 in their respective addressed states. The voltage on common line 3 increases to a high address voltage 74 to address the modulators along common line 3. As a low segment voltage 64 is applied on segment lines 2 and 3, the modulators (3,2) and (3,3) actuate, while the high segment voltage 62 applied along segment line 1 causes modulator (3,1) to remain in a relaxed position. Thus, at the end of the fifth line time 60e, the 3×3 pixel array is in the state shown in
In the timing diagram of
The details of the structure of interferometric modulators that operate in accordance with the principles set forth above may vary widely. For example,
As illustrated in
In implementations such as those shown in
The process 80 continues at block 84 with the formation of a sacrificial layer 25 over the optical stack 16. The sacrificial layer 25 is later removed (see block 90) to form the cavity 19 and thus the sacrificial layer 25 is not shown in the resulting interferometric modulators 12 illustrated in
The process 80 continues at block 86 with the formation of a support structure such as post 18, illustrated in
The process 80 continues at block 88 with the formation of a movable reflective layer or membrane such as the movable reflective layer 14 illustrated in
The process 80 continues at block 90 with the formation of a cavity, such as cavity 19 illustrated in
In some implementations, a display can be combined with an input device so as to yield an interface device that allows a user to view an image formed on the display and provide inputs using the interface device. Such an interface device is commonly referred to as a touchscreen. A touchscreen can be capable of sensing positions of an input touch by an object such as a finger tip or a stylus. Such position sensing of the input touch can be achieved via a number of techniques, including, for example, resistive sensing, capacitive sensing, surface acoustic wave sensing, and optical sensing. Such touchscreens are used in many electronic devices such as portable computing and/or communication devices to provide user interface functionalities.
As described herein, the term “touchscreen” (or “touch screen”) can include configurations where a user's inputs may or may not involve physical contact between a touching object (such as a fingertip or a stylus) and a surface of a screen. As described herein, location of the “touching” object can be sensed with or without such physical contact, for example, when the location of the touching object is in proximity to the surface of a screen. Another example configuration can include an additional functional or passivation layer positioned in front of a touch screen, so that a user touches the additional layer but not the touchscreen itself.
In some implementations, a display coupled with a touchscreen can include an interferometric modulator-based display having one or more features as described herein. In other implementations, such a display can be an LCD device, a transreflective display device, an electronic ink display device, a plasma display device, an electrochromism display device, an electro wetting display device, or an electro luminescence display device. Other types of displays can also be used.
As used herein, relative terms, such as “front,” “rear,” “upper” or “lower” (and similar terms) may be used to describe one element's relationship to another element. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of a device. For example, if a device in one of the figures is turned over, an element described as being on the “lower” side of another element can then be oriented on the “upper” side of the other element. The example term “lower,” can therefore, encompasses both an orientation of “lower” and “upper,” depending of the particular orientation of the figure.
Interface devices having a touchscreen can include a transparent cover plate (sometimes referred to as a cover lens) having a front surface facing a user and a rear surface opposite the front surface. In some implementations, the front surface is closer to the surface configured to receive the touch input than the rear surface. In some implementations, the front surface itself is configured to receive the touch input. Such a cover plate can function as a protective layer for a touchscreen and a display device, while allowing the sensing functionality of the touch panel and viewing of the display device. Such an interface device can suffer from glare resulting from specular reflection of external light (for example, ambient light) at the front surface of the cover plate and various interface surfaces rearward of the front surface. While the glare resulting from the front surface of an interface device can be addressed by anti-reflective (AR) and/or anti-glare (AG) coating(s), glare resulting from light transmitted through the front surface of the cover plate and reflecting from one or more surfaces within the interface device can be difficult to control.
In
In
A capacitive position sensing touchscreen configuration is used in some examples herein when describing various glare-reduction features. However, it will be understood that one or more glare-reduction features described herein can be implemented in various touchscreen devices having other types of input position sensing functionalities.
As described herein, a bulk diffuser can include a medium through which light can travel and undergo one or more significant direction changes. Such direction changes can occur due to scattering of light by particles or features within the medium; and the direction changes may or may not be random. Further, such a bulk diffuser may or may not involve attenuation of light intensity by, for example, absorption.
A bulk diffuser can be implemented in a number of ways. For example, a diffusion layer having a certain thickness can include particles and/or features distributed therein and/or on the surfaces of the diffusion layer. The thickness and an average density of such light scattering particles and/or features can be selected to provide desired light transmitting and diffusing properties.
In some implementations, such a diffusion layer can be a layer that is provided between, for example, the touch panel 214 and the cover plate 210 during assembly. The diffusion layer can be an adhesive layer. In some implementations, a diffusion layer can be part of a layer (for example, a diffusive layer having a thickness) that has already been formed on one side of a transparent layer (for example, the touch panel or the cover plate) prior to assembly. Various combinations of the foregoing examples, as well as other configurations, are also possible. More specific example configurations that can be implemented are described herein in reference to
In some implementations of the separate diffusion layer (such as adhesive layer), the thickness can be selected to be at least about 1 μm. In some implementations, the separate diffusion layer can have a thickness between about 1 μm to about 250 μm; about 10 μm to about 100 μm; or about 25 μm to about 80 μm. In some implementations of the separate diffusion layer (such as adhesive layer), can be configured to have an appropriate particle density (such as average particle density) to yield a desired bulk diffusion and/or haze functionality as described herein.
In the example of
In some implementations, the front and rear surfaces of the cover plate 310 can be provided with AR and/or AG coatings. Such coatings for the rear surface of the cover plate 310 can be applied, for example, before bonding of the cover plate 310 with the touch panel 313. Thus, in the example configurations shown in
In the examples described in reference to
In some implementations, it may be desirable to provide at least some separation distance between a cover plate and a touch panel; and at the same time, it may not be desirable to fill such a gap with a bulk diffuser such as an adhesive having diffusion properties. For example, the thickness of the diffusing adhesive may result in too much absorption and/or too much diffusion. In such situations, it may be desirable to provide a bulk diffuser to yield selected optical properties; and fill the remainder of the gap with a transparent material such as a transparent adhesive. Examples of such a configuration are depicted in
In the examples shown in
In the example touchscreen configuration 420 of
Referring to
As described herein in reference to
Further, a diffusive layer's distance from a display plane can affect the quality of an image displayed on the plane. For example, when a diffusive layer is positioned farther away from a display, less haze may be needed to achieve a desired effect. Thus, as described herein in reference to
In some implementations, more than one bulk diffusion layer can be provided at different locations in a touchscreen structure. For example, a touch sensor may be configured to include a plurality of layers of plastic film with an adhesive bonding layer having a bulk diffusion property at each of the plastic film layers. Among such bulk diffusion layers, the diffusion layers farther away from the display can be configured to have less haze than those closer to the display.
In
In the first example configuration 500, a diffusive surface 515 is provided between the transparent conductive layer 514 and the front portion of the insulator layer 516. In the second example configuration 520, a diffusive surface 515 is provided between the transparent conductive layer 517 and the rear portion of the insulator layer 516.
In some implementations, the diffusive surface 515 can be configured so as to yield an effective index difference between the diffusive surface and a medium next to the surface. For example, the medium can be air, bonding material, or transparent conductor (e.g., ITO layer); and such a medium can have an index of n1. In some implementations, the diffusive surface 515 can be configured so as to have an effective index of n2 such that the difference between n1 and n2 is greater than or equal to about +/−0.01. In some implementations, a diffusive surface (e.g., the diffusive surface 515) can be formed in a number of ways, including, for example, roughening of a surface of a medium.
In process 600, the one or more internal surfaces can include surfaces that are rearward of the front surface of the cover layer. In situations where a touchscreen device does not have a cover layer, or where the front-most layer is a layer that provides a function other than a cover functionality, it will be understood that the one or more internal surfaces can include surfaces that are rearward of the front-most surface of the touchscreen device.
The display device 40 includes a housing 41, a display 30, an antenna 43, a speaker 45, an input device 48 and a microphone 46. The housing 41 can be formed from any of a variety of manufacturing processes, including injection molding, and vacuum forming. In addition, the housing 41 may be made from any of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to: plastic, metal, glass, rubber and ceramic, or a combination thereof. The housing 41 can include removable portions (not shown) that may be interchanged with other removable portions of different color, or containing different logos, pictures, or symbols.
The display 30 may be any of a variety of displays, including a bi-stable or analog display, as described herein. The display 30 also can be configured to include a flat-panel display, such as plasma, EL, OLED, STN LCD, or TFT LCD, or a non-flat-panel display, such as a CRT or other tube device. In addition, the display 30 can include an interferometric modulator display, as described herein.
The components of the display device 40 are schematically illustrated in
The network interface 27 includes the antenna 43 and the transceiver 47 so that the display device 40 can communicate with one or more devices over a network. The network interface 27 also may have some processing capabilities to relieve, for example, data processing requirements of the processor 21. The antenna 43 can transmit and receive signals. In some implementations, the antenna 43 transmits and receives RF signals according to the IEEE 16.11 standard, including IEEE 16.11(a), (b), or (g), or the IEEE 802.11 standard, including IEEE 802.11a, b, g, n, and further implementations thereof. In some other implementations, the antenna 43 transmits and receives RF signals according to the BLUETOOTH standard. In the case of a cellular telephone, the antenna 43 is designed to receive code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), GSM/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), AMPS, or other known signals that are used to communicate within a wireless network, such as a system utilizing 3G or 4G technology. The transceiver 47 can pre-process the signals received from the antenna 43 so that they may be received by and further manipulated by the processor 21. The transceiver 47 also can process signals received from the processor 21 so that they may be transmitted from the display device 40 via the antenna 43.
In some implementations, the transceiver 47 can be replaced by a receiver. In addition, in some implementations, the network interface 27 can be replaced by an image source, which can store or generate image data to be sent to the processor 21. The processor 21 can control the overall operation of the display device 40. The processor 21 receives data, such as compressed image data from the network interface 27 or an image source, and processes the data into raw image data or into a format that is readily processed into raw image data. The processor 21 can send the processed data to the driver controller 29 or to the frame buffer 28 for storage. Raw data typically refers to the information that identifies the image characteristics at each location within an image. For example, such image characteristics can include color, saturation and gray-scale level.
The processor 21 can include a microcontroller, CPU, or logic unit to control operation of the display device 40. The conditioning hardware 52 may include amplifiers and filters for transmitting signals to the speaker 45, and for receiving signals from the microphone 46. The conditioning hardware 52 may be discrete components within the display device 40, or may be incorporated within the processor 21 or other components.
The driver controller 29 can take the raw image data generated by the processor 21 either directly from the processor 21 or from the frame buffer 28 and can re-format the raw image data appropriately for high speed transmission to the array driver 22. In some implementations, the driver controller 29 can re-format the raw image data into a data flow having a raster-like format, such that it has a time order suitable for scanning across the display array 30. Then the driver controller 29 sends the formatted information to the array driver 22. Although a driver controller 29, such as an LCD controller, is often associated with the system processor 21 as a stand-alone Integrated Circuit (IC), such controllers may be implemented in many ways. For example, controllers may be embedded in the processor 21 as hardware, embedded in the processor 21 as software, or fully integrated in hardware with the array driver 22.
The array driver 22 can receive the formatted information from the driver controller 29 and can re-format the video data into a parallel set of waveforms that are applied many times per second to the hundreds, and sometimes thousands (or more), of leads coming from the display's x-y matrix of pixels.
In some implementations, the driver controller 29, the array driver 22, and the display array 30 are appropriate for any of the types of displays described herein. For example, the driver controller 29 can be a conventional display controller or a bi-stable display controller (such as an IMOD controller). Additionally, the array driver 22 can be a conventional driver or a bi-stable display driver (such as an IMOD display driver). Moreover, the display array 30 can be a conventional display array or a bi-stable display array (such as a display including an array of IMODs). In some implementations, the driver controller 29 can be integrated with the array driver 22. Such an implementation can be useful in highly integrated systems, for example, mobile phones, portable-electronic devices, watches or small-area displays.
In some implementations, the input device 48 can be configured to allow, for example, a user to control the operation of the display device 40. The input device 48 can include a keypad, such as a QWERTY keyboard or a telephone keypad, a button, a switch, a rocker, a touch-sensitive screen, a touch-sensitive screen integrated with display array 30, or a pressure- or heat-sensitive membrane. The microphone 46 can be configured as an input device for the display device 40. In some implementations, voice commands through the microphone 46 can be used for controlling operations of the display device 40.
The power supply 50 can include a variety of energy storage devices. For example, the power supply 50 can be a rechargeable battery, such as a nickel-cadmium battery or a lithium-ion battery. In implementations using a rechargeable battery, the rechargeable battery may be chargeable using power coming from, for example, a wall socket or a photovoltaic device or array. Alternatively, the rechargeable battery can be wirelessly chargeable. The power supply 50 also can be a renewable energy source, a capacitor, or a solar cell, including a plastic solar cell or solar-cell paint. The power supply 50 also can be configured to receive power from a wall outlet.
In some implementations, control programmability resides in the driver controller 29 which can be located in several places in the electronic display system. In some other implementations, control programmability resides in the array driver 22. The above-described optimization may be implemented in any number of hardware and/or software components and in various configurations.
The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, circuits and algorithm steps described in connection with the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been described generally, in terms of functionality, and illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps described above. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.
The hardware and data processing apparatus used to implement the various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose single- or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or, any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor also may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some implementations, particular steps and methods may be performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function.
In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents thereof, or in any combination thereof. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification also can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions, encoded on a computer storage media for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.
If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. The steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be implemented in a processor-executable software module which may reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that can be enabled to transfer a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that may be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection can be properly termed a computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and blue-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above also may be included within the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and instructions on a machine readable medium and computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product. Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles and the novel features disclosed herein. The word “exemplary” is used exclusively herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other possibilities or implementations. Additionally, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate, the terms “upper” and “lower” are sometimes used for ease of describing the figures, and indicate relative positions corresponding to the orientation of the figure on a properly oriented page, and may not reflect the proper orientation of an IMOD as implemented.
Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate implementations also can be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation also can be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Further, the drawings may schematically depict one more example processes in the form of a flow diagram. However, other operations that are not depicted can be incorporated in the example processes that are schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or between any of the illustrated operations. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results.
