Light sensitive display

• US 20080048995A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Planar Systems Incorporated (Leyard Optoelectronic Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Abileah, Adiel, den Boer, Willem
• Application Number:
  US11/977,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20080048995A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A light sensitive display.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal device comprising:

(a) a front electrode layer;

(b) a rear electrode layer;

(c) a liquid crystal material located between said front electrode layer and said rear electrode layer;

(d) changing an electrical potential between said rear electrode layer and said front electrode layer to selectively modify portions of said liquid crystal material to change the polarization of the light incident thereon;

(e) a plurality of light sensitive elements located together with said rear electrode layer;

(f) a processor that determines at least one of said plurality of light sensitive elements that experiences a change in the light level to a level less than the ambient light level;

(g) a pressure mechanism included within said device that determines when said device is physically touched by a viewer;

(h) said processor correlating said determination of said less than said ambient light level together with said pressure mechanism to determine when said viewer has touched said display and a region of said device that has been said touched.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein each of said light sensitive elements include a transistor.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein each of said light sensitive elements includes a first transistor that senses ambient light, and a second transistor that is inhibited from sensing ambient light with respect to said first transistor.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein at least one of said first transistor and said second transistor is a thin-film transistor.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said thin-film transistor is amorphous silicon.

6. The device of claim 3 wherein a terminal of said first transistor is connected to a terminal of said second transistor with a first conductor.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said device is an active matrix liquid crystal device.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said pressure mechanism is a sensor.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein said pressure mechanism is pressure sensitive tape.

10. A liquid crystal display comprising:

(a) a front electrode layer;

(b) a rear electrode layer;

(c) a liquid crystal material located between said front electrode layer and said rear electrode layer;

(d) changing an electrical potential between said rear electrode layer and said front electrode layer to selectively modify portions of said liquid crystal material to change the polarization of the light incident thereon;

(e) a plurality of light sensitive elements located together with said rear electrode layer;

(f) said plurality of light sensitive elements having a first density over a first region including majority of said display and a second density over a second region of said display;

(g) a processor that determines at least one of said plurality of light sensitive elements that experiences a change in the light level to a level less than the ambient light level relative to ambient light level.

11. The display of claim 10 wherein said display is an active matrix liquid crystal device.

12. The display of claim 10 wherein each of said light sensitive elements includes a first transistor that senses ambient light, and a second transistor that is inhibited from sensing ambient light with respect to said first transistor.

13. The display of claim 10 further comprising a processor that receives information from said light sensitive elements and determines at least one of regions of said display where ambient light is inhibited from reaching said light sensitive elements and regions of said display where light in excess of said ambient light reaches said light sensitive elements.

14. The display of claim 10 further comprising a processor that receives information from said light sensitive elements and determines regions of said display where ambient light is inhibited from reaching said light sensitive elements.

15. The display of claim 10 further comprising a processor that receives information from said light sensitive elements and determines regions of said display where light in excess of said ambient light reaches said light sensitive elements.

16. The display of claim 10 wherein said second region is used to sense a bar code.

17. The display of claim 10 wherein said second region is used to sense fingerprints.

18. A liquid crystal display comprising:

(a) a front electrode layer;

(b) a rear electrode layer;

(c) a liquid crystal material located between said front electrode layer and said rear electrode layer;

(d) changing an electrical potential between said rear electrode layer and said front electrode layer to selectively modify portions of said liquid crystal material to change the polarization of the light incident thereon;

(e) a plurality of light sensitive elements located together with said rear electrode layer;

(f) a lens structure overlaying a minor region of said display that generally focuses light on a plurality of said light sensitive elements;

(g) a processor that determines at least one of said plurality of light sensitive elements that experiences a change in the light level to a level less than the ambient light level relative to ambient surroundings.

19. The display of claim 18 wherein said plurality of light sensitive elements having a first density over a first region including majority of said display and a second density over a second region of said display

20. The display of claim 18 wherein each of said light sensitive elements includes a first transistor that senses ambient light, and a second transistor that is inhibited from sensing ambient light with respect to said first transistor.

21. The display of claim 18 further comprising a processor that receives information from said light sensitive elements and determines at least one of regions of said display where ambient light is inhibited from reaching said light sensitive elements and regions of said display where light in excess of said ambient light reaches said light sensitive elements.

22. The display of claim 18 further comprising a processor that receives information from said light sensitive elements and determines regions of said display where ambient light is inhibited from reaching said light sensitive elements.

23. The display of claim 18 further comprising a processor that receives information from said light sensitive elements and determines regions of said display where light in excess of said ambient light reaches said light sensitive elements.

24. The display of claim 18 wherein said lens structure include a variable index of refraction fiber optic lens.