Attachable, flexible display device with flexible tail

• US 10,254,795 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flexterra, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flexterra, Inc.
• Inventors: Huitema, Hjalmar Edzer Ayco, Torres, Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Duc Q
• Application Number:
  US15/148,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20160327987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-181
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/045 Mounting of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/08 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/00 Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/08 Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0426 Layout of electrodes and connections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 Flexible displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/035 for flexible display surfaces
• 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 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

An attachable article or device, such as a wristband, includes a flexible electronic display disposed thereon in a manner that is bendable or conformable to a user'"'"'s wrist or other curved surface, and that enables various images to be displayed on the electronic display in a manner that is easily viewable to the user. The article further includes a connection mechanism that releasably connects the two ends of the article together. The article can, in some cases, include two different sized tail segments. As the shorter tail segment of the article tends to be subjected to more stress over time, the article can be structured in a manner that mitigates the amount of stress to which the shorter tail segment is subjected to over time, while at the same time maintaining a maximum, viewable display area on the shorter tail and longer tail segments of the article, particularly when the shorter tail segment is curved to a greater degree (e.g., when curved around a user'"'"'s wrist).

Claims

1. An elongated, dynamically flexible article comprising:

first and second longitudinal sides that are nonadjacent and first and second transverse sides that are nonadjacent, each of the first and second longitudinal sides having a respective length greater than each of the respective lengths of the first transverse sides;

a connection mechanism disposed proximate at least one of the first and second transverse sides of the article to allow the article to be releasably attached to itself;

an elongated, dynamically flexible substrate including a first portion on which an elongated, dynamically flexible optoelectronic area is disposed, the optoelectronic area including a set of optoelectronic elements, each of which is configured to at least one of emit, reflect, transflect, and absorb light, wherein the elongated, dynamically flexible substrate is bendable between a substantially flat position and a curved position;

a set of connecting lines disposed on a second portion of the flexible substrate;

a flexible connector of variable length extending from the transverse side of the article to communicatively couple the set of connecting lines with at least some of the optoelectronic elements and a set of driving circuits configured to send and/or receive signals to and/or from the at least some of the optoelectronic elements; and

an electronics module communicatively coupled to the set of driving circuits, the electronics module including a processor that indicates at least some of the signals for the set of driving circuits to send to the at least some of the optoelectronic elements,

wherein a first segment of the article extending between the first transverse side and the electronics module has a first length and a second segment of the article extending between the electronics module and the second transverse side has a second length, the second length being greater than the first length, and

wherein the first segment of the article has a maximum degree of dynamic flexibility less than that of the second segment of the article.

2. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 1, wherein the first segment of the article is semi-rigid and the second segment of the article is dynamically flexible.

3. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 2, wherein the first segment comprises a first portion and a second portion pivotally coupled to the first portion, the first portion integrally formed with and extending outwardly from the electronics module, and the second portion defining the first transverse side of the article.

4. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 3, wherein the second portion is movably coupled to the first portion.

5. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 4, wherein the second portion is pivotally coupled to the first portion via a pin and slot arrangement.

6. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 5, further comprising a pin that is fixed to and extends outwardly from the second portion, the pin being movably disposed in a slot formed in the first portion, wherein the slot defines the maximum degree of dynamic flexibility of the first segment of the article.

7. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 3, wherein the flexible connector experiences a change in length when the second portion is moved relative to the first portion.

8. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second segments is dynamically flexible, and wherein the first segment comprises a fixed portion integrally formed with and extending outwardly from the electronics module, a first link pivotally coupled to the fixed portion, and a second link pivotally coupled to the first link, the second link defining the first transverse side of the article.

9. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 8, wherein the first link is pivotally coupled to the fixed portion via a first pin and slot arrangement and the second link is pivotally coupled to the first link via a second pin and slot arrangement.

11. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 8, wherein the flexible connector is connected to at least one of the set of driving circuits, is folded around and under the flexible substrate, and is connected to the electronics module.

12. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 8, wherein the flexible connector is freely movable in a region between the electronics module and a point at which the flexible connector is fixed to a portion of the article within the first segment.

13. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 12, wherein the flexible connector has a serpentine shape in the region, such that the flexible connector has slack for accommodating movement of the first link and/or the second link.

14. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 13, wherein when the article is moved from a first position to a second, more curved, position, tension is applied to the flexible connector, thereby taking up at least some of the slack and increasing a length of the flexible connector.

15. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 8, further comprising a spring disposed in the electronics module and connected to a portion of the flexible connector to regulate movement of the flexible connector.

16. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 8, wherein a bend in the flexible connector is fixed at a point within the electronics module.

17. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 1, wherein:

the optoelectronic area is a display area;

the set of optoelectronic elements is a set of pixels; and

at least some of the signals provided by the set of driving circuits cause an image content based on the driving signals to be presented, on the display area, by using the set of pixels.

20. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of claim 1, wherein (i) the set of driving circuits is disposed on the flexible connector, and/or (ii) the flexible connector has a first end disposed on the optoelectronic area, a second end connected to the electronics module, and an intermediate portion that extends from the first end, is folded around and under the optoelectronic area, and extends toward the second end.

10. The elongated, dynamically flexible article of 42, further comprising:

a first pin that is fixed to and extends outwardly from the first link, the first pin being movably disposed in a first slot formed in the fixed portion; and

a second pin that is fixed to and extends outwardly from the second link, the second pin being movably disposed in a second slot formed in the first link,

wherein the first and second slots define the maximum degree of dynamic flexibility of the first segment of the article.

18. An elongated, dynamically flexible article comprising:

first and second longitudinal sides that are nonadjacent and first and second transverse sides that are nonadjacent, each of the first and second longitudinal sides having a respective length greater than each of the respective lengths of the first transverse sides;

a connection mechanism disposed proximate at least one of the first and second transverse sides of the article to allow the article to be releasably attached to itself;

an elongated, dynamically flexible substrate including a first portion on which an elongated, dynamically flexible optoelectronic area is disposed, the optoelectronic area including a set of optoelectronic elements, each of which is configured to at least one of emit, reflect, transflect, and absorb light;

a set of connecting lines disposed on a second portion of the flexible substrate;

a flexible connector extending from the transverse side of the article to communicatively couple the set of connecting lines with at least some of the optoelectronic elements and a set of driving circuits configured to send and/or receive signals to and/or from the at least some of the optoelectronic elements; and

an electronics module communicatively coupled to the set of driving circuits, the electronics module including a processor that indicates at least some of the signals for the set of driving circuits to send to the at least some of the optoelectronic elements,

wherein a first segment of the article extending between the first transverse side and the electronics module has a first length and a second segment of the article extending between the electronics module and the second transverse side has a second length, the second length being greater than the first length;

wherein the first segment comprises a fixed portion integrally formed with and extending outwardly from the electronics module, a first portion movably coupled to the fixed portion, a second portion movably coupled to the first portion, the flexible connector movably coupled to the second portion, wherein the length of the flexible connector varies based on the position of the first portion and second portion; and

wherein the first segment of the article has a maximum degree of dynamic flexibility less than that of the second segment of the article.

19. An elongated, dynamically flexible article comprising:

first and second longitudinal sides that are nonadjacent and first and second transverse sides that are nonadjacent, each of the first and second longitudinal sides having a respective length greater than each of the respective lengths of the first transverse sides;

a connection mechanism disposed proximate at least one of the first and second transverse sides of the article to allow the article to be releasably attached to itself;

an elongated, dynamically flexible substrate including a first portion on which an elongated, dynamically flexible optoelectronic area is disposed, the optoelectronic area including a set of optoelectronic elements, each of which is configured to at least one of emit, reflect, transflect, and absorb light;

a set of connecting lines disposed on a second portion of the flexible substrate;

a flexible connector extending from the transverse side of the article to communicatively couple the set of connecting lines with at least some of the optoelectronic elements and a set of driving circuits configured to send and/or receive signals to and/or from the at least some of the optoelectronic elements, wherein the flexible connector is slidable with respect to the elongated, dynamically flexible substrate; and

an electronics module communicatively coupled to the set of driving circuits, the electronics module including a processor that indicates at least some of the signals for the set of driving circuits to send to the at least some of the optoelectronic elements,

wherein a first segment of the article extending between the first transverse side and the electronics module has a first length and a second segment of the article extending between the electronics module and the second transverse side has a second length, the second length being greater than the first length, and

wherein the first segment of the article has a maximum degree of dynamic flexibility less than that of the second segment of the article.