Autonomous pixel with multiple different sensors

• US 10,079,001 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2016
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hodges, Stephen Edward, Chen, Nicholas Yen-Cherng, Sweeney, David, Thieme, Anja, Grosse-Puppendahl, Tobias, Steiner, Helene
• Primary Examiner(s): Edun, Muhammad N
• Application Number:
  US15/257,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20170352327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0473 Use of light emitting or modulating elements having two or more stable states when no power is applied
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0833 forming a linear amplifier or follower
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/141 the light conveying information used for selecting or modulating the light emitting or modulating element
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/142 the light being detected by light detection means within each pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/148 the light being detected by light detection means within each pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/02 by tracing or scanning a light beam on a screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2088 with use of a plurality of processors, each processor controlling a number of individual elements of the matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/344 based on particles moving in a fluid or in a gas, e.g. electrophoretic devices electrophoretic devices per se G02F1/167
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

An autonomous pixel comprises a display element, a plurality of different sensors and a control element. The sensors are arranged to detect one or more external stimuli and the control element is arranged to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of an external stimulus detected by one or more of the different sensors.

Claims

1. An autonomous pixel comprising:

a display element;

a plurality of different sensors arranged to detect one or more external stimuli;

a control element arranged to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of an external stimulus detected by one or more of the different sensors, and

a power harvesting element, wherein there are no electrical connections between the autonomous pixel and other autonomous pixels.

2. The autonomous pixel according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of different sensors comprises:

a first sensor arranged to detect a first external stimulus; and

a second sensor arranged to detect a second external stimulus,

wherein the first and second external stimuli are different.

3. The autonomous pixel according to claim 2, having a first operating mode and a second operating mode, wherein in the first operating mode, the control element is arranged to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the first external stimulus detected by the first sensor and in the second operating mode, the control element is arranged to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the second external stimulus detected by the second sensor.

4. The autonomous pixel according to claim 3, further comprising:

a connection between the first sensor and a first global line and a connection between the second sensor and a second global line;

or

a connection between the control element and a third global line,

and wherein the autonomous pixel is arranged to switch operating modes dependent upon a voltage level received via one or more of the global lines.

5. The autonomous pixel according to claim 2, wherein the control element is arranged to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on the magnitudes of both the first external stimulus as detected by the first sensor and the second external stimulus detected by the second sensor.

6. The autonomous pixel according to claim 5, wherein the control element is arranged to generate a control signal to drive the display element to a first state based, at least in part, on the magnitude of the first external stimulus as detected by the first sensor and to generate a control signal to drive the display element to a second state based, at least in part, on the magnitude of the second external stimulus as detected by the second sensor.

7. The autonomous pixel according to claim 5, wherein the control element is arranged to generate a control signal to drive the display element in response to the magnitude of the first external stimulus as detected by the first sensor exceeding a first threshold level and the magnitude of the second external stimulus as detected by the second sensor exceeding a second threshold level.

8. The autonomous pixel according to claim 5, wherein the control element is arranged to generate one or more control parameters based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the second external stimulus detected by the second sensor and to generate a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on both the magnitude of the first external stimulus detected by the first sensor and the one or more control parameters.

9. The autonomous pixel according to claim 8, wherein the control element is arranged to generate a control parameter having a first value in response to a magnitude of the second external stimulus detected by the second sensor exceeding a predefined threshold level and having a second value in response to the magnitude of the second external stimulus detected by the second sensor not exceeding the predefined threshold level and wherein a control signal to drive the display element is generated based, at least in part, on the magnitude of the first external stimulus detected by the first sensor only if the control parameter has the first value.

10. The autonomous pixel according to claim 8, wherein the one or more control parameters comprises a threshold level and wherein the control element is arranged to generate a control signal to drive the display element to a first state in response the magnitude of the first external stimulus detected by the first sensor exceeding the threshold level and to generate a control signal to drive the display element to a second state in response the magnitude of the first external stimulus detected by the first sensor not exceeding the threshold level.

11. The autonomous pixel according to claim 8, wherein the one or more control parameters comprises a first threshold level and wherein the control element is arranged to generate a control signal to drive the display element to a first state in response the magnitude of the second external stimulus detected by the second sensor exceeding a second, pre-defined, threshold level and subsequently, in response to the magnitude of the second external stimulus detected by the second sensor falling below a third, pre-defined, threshold level, to generate a control signal to drive the display element to a second state in response the magnitude of the first external stimulus detected by the first sensor exceeding the first threshold level.

12. The autonomous pixel according to claim 8, wherein the control element is arranged to generate a control parameter having a first value in response to a magnitude of the second external stimulus detected by the second sensor exceeding a first predefined threshold level and having a second value in response to the magnitude of the second external stimulus detected by the second sensor not exceeding the first predefined threshold level and wherein a control signal to drive the display element to a first state is generated if the control parameter has the first value and the magnitude of the first external stimulus detected by the first sensor exceeds a second predefined threshold level and a control signal to drive the display element to a second state is generated if the control parameter has the second value and the magnitude of the first external stimulus detected by the first sensor exceeds the second predefined threshold level.

13. The autonomous pixel according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of different sensors comprises:

a first sensor and a second sensor both arranged to detect a first external stimulus,

wherein the first and second have different sensing properties.

14. The autonomous pixel according to claim 13, wherein the control element is arranged to select an input signal from one or both of the first and second sensors and to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of each of the selected input signals.

15. A display comprising a plurality of autonomous pixels, each autonomous pixel comprising:

a display element;

a plurality of different sensors arranged to detect one or more external stimuli;

a control element arranged to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of an external stimulus detected by one or more of the different sensors, and

a power harvesting element, wherein there are no electrical connections between the autonomous pixels.

16. The display according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of different sensors comprises:

a first sensor arranged to detect a first external stimulus; and

a second sensor arranged to detect a second external stimulus,

wherein the first and second external stimuli are different.

17. A method of operating an autonomous pixel comprising a display element, a power harvesting element, a first sensor arranged to detect a first external stimulus, a second sensor arranged to detect a second external stimulus, and a control element, the method comprising:

generating, in the control element and entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the first external stimulus detected by the first sensor and/or the second external stimulus detected by the second sensor, wherein there are no electrical connections between the autonomous pixel and other autonomous pixels.

18. The method according to claim 17, comprising, in a first operating mode generating, in the control element and entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the first external stimulus detected by the first sensor and in a second operating mode, generating, in the control element and entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the second external stimulus detected by the second sensor.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the control signal is generated based, at least in part, on the magnitudes of both the first external stimulus as detected by the first sensor and the second external stimulus detected by the second sensor.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the first and second external stimuli are the same and generating the control signal comprises:

selecting an input signal from one or both of the first and second sensors;

generating a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of each of the selected input signals.