Sound and vision system

• US 20020171636A1
• Filed: 02/20/2002
• Published: 11/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Mark Thomas, Aarts, Ronaldus Maria
• Granted Patent: US 6,791,519 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 23/00 Transducers other than those covered by groups H04R9/00 - H04R21/00 diaphragms for transducers of the distributed-mode type H04R7/045

Abstract

A sound and vision system comprising a display device (1) and an acoustic transducer means, such as a loudspeaker or a microphone. The display device includes display cells (9) having opposite electrodes (7, 8) and includes a conductive means (11) connected to the electrodes in order to address said display cells. The acoustic transducer means is formed by a display cell and the conductive means is electrically coupled to the acoustic transducer means in order to convey signals, as a result of which the acoustic transducer means is an integral part of the display device.

Claims

1. A sound and vision system comprising a display device and an acoustic transducer means, which display device includes display cells having opposite electrodes and includes a conductive means connected to the electrodes in order to address said display cells, wherein the acoustic transducer means includes one or more of said display cells and the conductive means is electrically coupled to the acoustic transducer means.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal layer comprises a liquid crystal material out of the group flexoelectric liquid crystals, cholestic liquid crystals and ferroelectric liquid crystals.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is a liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between substrates.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is an electrochromic display device including a material of which the color is switchable in dependence on an electric current or potential.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is an electrophoretic display device including an electrophoretic display medium sandwiched between conductors.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is a reflective display device including an interferometric modulator.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is a luminescent display device.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the luminescent display device includes an organic light-emitting device.

9. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is a field-emission display device.

10. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is a foil display device.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is a plasma display device.

12. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is a plasma-addressed liquid crystal display device.

13. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the acoustic transducer means is a loudspeaker, a vibration of a display cell being generated during use by an electrostatic force produced by a voltage difference across the opposite electrodes of said cell.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, characterized by the presence of a control means for selectively driving display cells in order to control the sound directivity.

15. A system as claimed in claim 1 or 13, wherein the acoustic transducer means is a microphone, a vibration of a display cell generating, during use a voltage difference across the opposite electrodes of said cell in order to control the sound directivity.

16. An electronic apparatus including the sound and vision system as claimed in any of the preceding claims.

17. A mobile telephone provided with the system as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 15.