System and method for controlling the operation of a cholesteric display

• US 20060139295A1
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Eberhard, Raymond James, Hodges, Mark Ronald
• Application Number:
  US11/021,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20060139295A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0486 Cholesteric liquid crystals, including chiral-nematic liquid crystals, with transitions between focal conic, planar, and homeotropic states
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/041 Temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/04 Electronic labels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers

Abstract

A cholesteric display includes a display controller and a database. The database includes a control program for programming the operation of the display controller, a display field for storing information to be displayed at the cholesteric display, and a temperature range field for storing the temperature range of the environment of the cholesteric display. An input device is provided for loading control program, display information, and temperature or temperature range data to the database.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a cholesteric display, comprising:

storing display image data and temperature data in a database;

providing said image data and temperature data to a display controller; and

operating said display controller to convert said image data and temperature data to a voltage-time sequence for driving said cholesteric display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating a central computer system with a database including image data and temperature information for a plurality of cholesteric displays;

generating a list of displays for updating; and

for each display in said list, serving to a respective display controller said image data and temperature data.

3. The method of claim 2, said temperature indicia being temperature data preset in said database.

4. The method of claim 2, said temperature indicia being an address to a temperature probe positioned in an environment of said display for providing said temperature data to said central computer system.

5. A system for controlling a cholesteric display, comprising:

a display controller;

a database, said database including a control program for programming the operation of said display controller, a display field for storing display information to be displayed at said cholesteric display, and a temperature range field for storing the temperature range, of the environment of said cholesteric display; and

an input device for loading control program, display information, and temperature range data to said database.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

a central database for storing said display information and temperature indicia; and

a central computer system responsive to said central database for feeding said temperature range data and display information to said display controller.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of said cholesteric displays;

said central data base storing said display information and temperature indicia for each of said cholesteric displays; and

said central computer system providing said temperature range data selectively from temperature data preset in said central database or from a temperature probe positioned in the environment of said cholesteric display.

8. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform operations for controlling a cholesteric display, said operations comprising:

storing display image data and temperature data in a database;

providing said image data and temperature data to a display controller; and

operating said display controller to convert said image data and temperature data to a voltage-time sequence for driving said cholesteric display.

9. The program storage device of claim 8, said operations further comprising:

operating a central computer system with a database including image data and temperature information for a plurality of cholesteric displays;

generating a list of displays for updating; and

for each display in said list, serving to a respective display controller said image data and temperature data.

10. The program storage device of claim 9, said temperature indicia being temperature data preset in said database.

11. The program storage device of claim 10, said temperature indicia being an address to a temperature probe positioned in an environment of said display for providing said temperature data to said central computer system.