Light sensitive display

• US 20080055295A1
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Planar Systems Incorporated (Leyard Optoelectronic Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Abileah, Adiel, den Boer, Willem
• Granted Patent: US 7,872,641 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13312 Circuits comprising photodetectors for purposes other than feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133302 Rigid substrates, e.g. inorganic substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13394 spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars G02F1/133377 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134336 Matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134345 Subdivided pixels, e.g. for grey scale or redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136286 Wiring, e.g. gate line, drain line
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/123 pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1611 to support document holders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• 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 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• 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 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1318 : using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0439 : Pixel structures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0809 : Several active elements per pixel in active matrix panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 : forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/029 : by monitoring one or more pixels in the display panel, e.g. by monitoring a fixed reference pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 : for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 : the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 : using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence

Abstract

A light sensitive display.

Claims

1. A light sensitive display comprising:

(a) said display selectively causing pixels to provide light;

(b) a plurality of light sensitive elements located within said display;

(c) a sampling circuit that reads data from said plurality of light sensitive elements at a rate corresponding with the refresh rate of the corresponding portion of said display, wherein the display includes at least two different refresh rates.

2. A liquid crystal device comprising:

(a) a front electrode layer;

(b) a rear electrode layer comprising a plurality of pixel electrodes;

(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 within said display;

(f) a light guide together with an associated light source located in front of said front electrode layer to provide light thereto, wherein said light has a color spectrum less than ambient light; and

(g) a color filter positioned between said light guide and at least one of said light sensitive elements, wherein said color reduces the transmission of said ambient light to an extent greater than said light from said light source.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said ambient light is white light.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein said color filter has a transmission of said ambient light less than 75%.

5. The device of claim 2 wherein said color filter has a transmission of said ambient light less than 60%.

6. The device of claim 2 wherein said color filter has a transmission of said ambient light less than 50%.

7. The device of claim 2 wherein said color filter has a transmission of said ambient light less than 40%.

8. The device of claim 2 wherein said color filter has a transmission of said ambient light less than 30%.

9. The device of claim 2 wherein said color filter has a transmission of said light from said light source greater than 25%.

10. The device of claim 2 wherein said color filter has a transmission of said light from said light source greater than 40%.

11. The device of claim 2 wherein said color filter has a transmission of said light from said light source greater than 50%.

12. The device of claim 2 wherein said color filter has a transmission of said light from said light source greater than 60%.

13. The device of claim 2 wherein said color filter has a transmission of said light from said light source greater than 70%.

14. A light sensitive display system comprising:

(a) said display selectively causing pixels to provide light during subsequent frames;

(b) a plurality of light sensitive elements located within said display;

(c) a first amount of additional light provided to said light sensitive elements during at least one of said subsequent frames;

(d) a second amount of said additional light selectively provided to said light sensitive elements during at least one other of said subsequent frames, wherein said first and second additional light are different; and

(e) said display system determining the location of said additional light on said display based upon sensing a portion of said first and second additional light.

15. The display of claim 14 wherein said first amount of said additional light is greater than said second amount of said additional light.

16. The display of claim 14 wherein said subsequent frames are sequential frames.

17. A method of sensing with a display comprising:

(a) a plurality of light sensitive elements located within said display;

(b) modifying an amount of additional light provided to said light sensitive elements during multiple frames; and

(c) system determining the location of said additional light on said display based upon sensing said additional light.

18. The display of claim 17 wherein said first amount of said additional light is greater than said second amount of said additional light.

19. The display of claim 17 wherein said multiple frames are non-sequential.

20. The display of claim 17 wherein said multiple frames are sequential.

21. The display of claim 17 wherein said modifying includes providing no-light.

22. A liquid crystal device comprising:

(a) a front electrode layer;

(b) a rear electrode layer comprising a plurality of pixel electrodes, wherein a first plurality of said pixel electrodes is associated with blue, a second plurality of said pixel electrodes is associated green, and a third plurality of said pixel electrodes is associated with red;

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

(d) a plurality of light sensitive elements located within said display wherein each of said light sensitive elements corresponds with a selected one of said pixel electrodes, wherein at least one of;

(i) a greater number of said light sensitive elements are associated with said blue pixel electrodes, than said green pixel electrodes;

(ii) a greater number of said light sensitive elements are associated with said blue pixel electrodes, than said red pixel electrodes;

(iii) a greater number of said light sensitive elements are associated with said blue pixel electrodes, than non-blue said pixel electrodes.