Edge-lit electronic-ink display device for use in indoor and outdoor environments

• US 20100177076A1
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Essinger, Steven, Schnee, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/319,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20100177076A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/207
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/145 the light originating from the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3433 using light modulating elements actuated by an electric field and being other than liquid crystal devices and electrochromic devices using liquid crystal devices G09G3/36; using electrochromic devices G09G3/38
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/344 based on particles moving in a fluid or in a gas, e.g. electrophoretic devices electrophoretic devices per se G02F1/167

Abstract

A wireless electronic-ink based display device for use in indoor and outdoor environments characterized by low and/or dynamic ambient lighting conditions. The wireless electronic-ink based display device has an ambient light level sensor for sensing ambient lighting conditions about the wireless electronic-ink based display device, and generating a drive control signal in response to sensed ambient lighting conditions. The wireless electronic-ink based display device also has an edge-lit LED-based illumination module, responsive to the drive control signal generated by the ambient light level sensor, for illuminating the display surface of its addressable electronic-ink display module during low-illumination ambient lighting conditions detected by the ambient light level sensor, under the control of a processor. In the illustrative embodiment, the processor runs a firmware routine which analyzes detected ambient light conditions made by the ambient light level sensor, and automatically generates the drive control signal provided to the edge-lit LED illumination module.

Claims

1. A wireless electronic-ink based display device, comprising:

an addressable electronic-ink based display module including a layer of bi-stable display medium disposed between a backplane driving structure and an electrically-conductive clear layer, and providing a display surface on which to display graphics;

a power source module including an electro-chemical battery, and a power management module for managing the power levels within said wireless electronic-ink display device;

a processor for controlling operations within said wireless electronic-ink display device;

an ambient light level sensor for sensing ambient lighting conditions about said wireless electronic-ink based display device, and generating a drive control signal in response to sensed ambient lighting conditions; and

an edge-lit LED-based illumination module, responsive to said drive control signal generated by said ambient light level sensor, for illuminating the display surface of said addressable electronic-ink display module during low-illumination ambient lighting conditions detected by said ambient light level sensor, under the control of said processor.

2. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, wherein said ambient light level sensor continuously or periodically detects ambient lighting conditions, and generates said drive control signal.

3. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, wherein said power source module further comprises a solar cell and associated power conversion circuitry, for providing electrical power to said power source module and recharging said electro-chemical battery.

4. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, wherein said layer of bi-stable display medium comprises a layer of electronic ink.

5. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, wherein said electro-chemical battery comprises a thin film of micro energy cells.

6. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, which has the form factor of a wireless electronic-ink signage device.

7. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, which has the form factor of a wireless electronic-ink display label.

8. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, which said ambient light level sensor comprises a discrete photo-electronic sensor integrated within the housing frame about the display surface of said wireless electronic-ink display device.

9. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, which said ambient light level sensor comprises one or more micro-sized sensor elements integrated within the pixel structure of said electronic-ink display assembly.

10. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, wherein said processor runs a firmware routine which analyzes detected ambient light conditions made by said ambient light level sensor, and automatically generates said drive control signal provided to said edge-lit LED illumination module.

11. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, wherein said edge-lit LED illumination module comprises optics that (i) optically couples illumination produced from an LED array within said edge-lit LED illumination module, and (ii) directs light rays substantially normal to the surface of said electronic-ink layer so that a substantially portion of these incident light rays reflect and/or scatter therefrom, in the direction of viewers, and render the displayed graphics visible to the human vision system thereof.

12. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, wherein said processor performs graphics rendering control such that each frame of graphics to be displayed on the display surface of said electronic-ink based display device is rendered so as to optimize the discernability of the displayed graphics under ambient lighting conditions detected by said ambient light level sensor.

13. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 12, wherein when twilight or dusk lighting conditions are detected by said ambient light level sensor, said programmed processor runs a graphics rendering program that alters the graphics fonts and surface edges so that lettering and other graphics are more easily discernable in low level lighting conditions.

14. The wireless electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, which further comprises an RF transceiver for transmitting and receiving RF data packet signals over a wireless communication medium to which said wireless electronic-ink based display device is connected by way of a wireless communication interface and a set of wireless network communication protocols;

and an RF antenna structure and an impedance matching structure interfacing said RF transceiver and said RF antenna structure.