Display systems
First Claim
1. A refreshed display system incorporating electro-optic display elements capable of electrically latching the elements into a fixed state, said system comprising a matrix of said elements arranged in rows and columns, a grid of row electrodes each associated with a corresponding one of said rows and each connected to the elements in its corresponding row, a grid of column electrodes each associated with a corresponding one of said columns and each connected to the elements in its corresponding column, said elements being at intersections between said row and column electrodes, means for generating a pulsed operating signal having a refreshing cycle and capable of causing the elements at selected intersections to provide an otpical display signal pulse once per refreshing cycle, a memory and control arrangement capable of providing refreshed operation of said selected elements, said arrangement comprising a plurality of electrical gates associated with one of said electrode grids, each gate being connected to an individual electrode in said grid and capable when open of gating at least a part of said electrical operating signal to said individual electrode and its corresponding elements, a plurality of sensing means each associated with an individual one of the electrodes of said one grid and each capable of detecting in response to an interrogation signal the state of a physical property of the elements connected to its associated individual electrode in order to indicate whether those elements are selected to be operated, a plurality of feedback loops each separately connected between an individual one of said sensing means and an individual one of said gates and means for applying to each of the electrodes of the other of said electrode grids an interrogation signal once per refreshing cycle to cause each of said sensors to open its associated gate whenever it detects said physical property to indicate selection of an element.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A refreshed electro-optic display comprising a plurality of individually addressed display elements which may be arranged in a matrix form is characterised in that the memory for refreshing is derived from the display elements themselves. Each display element is refreshed by sensing by one or a plurality of sensors the state of a physical property of the element to detect whether or not it has been selected to be operated and by feeding a control signal in an individual feedback loop from the sensor to open an electronic gate, to apply an electrical potential to the element, when sensed to be operated, to keep it in the operated state. The physical property sensed may be the electrical capacitance or resistance of the display elements, the state of light emission or modulation from them or the state of charge storage within them. Preferably a voltage is developed which depends on the state of the property. In that case the sensor can comprise a voltage comparator which compares the sensed voltage with a reference voltage. The display elements may for example be liquid crystal, electroluminescent electrochromic, electrophoretic, or minature plasma elements.
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Citations
9 Claims
- 1. A refreshed display system incorporating electro-optic display elements capable of electrically latching the elements into a fixed state, said system comprising a matrix of said elements arranged in rows and columns, a grid of row electrodes each associated with a corresponding one of said rows and each connected to the elements in its corresponding row, a grid of column electrodes each associated with a corresponding one of said columns and each connected to the elements in its corresponding column, said elements being at intersections between said row and column electrodes, means for generating a pulsed operating signal having a refreshing cycle and capable of causing the elements at selected intersections to provide an otpical display signal pulse once per refreshing cycle, a memory and control arrangement capable of providing refreshed operation of said selected elements, said arrangement comprising a plurality of electrical gates associated with one of said electrode grids, each gate being connected to an individual electrode in said grid and capable when open of gating at least a part of said electrical operating signal to said individual electrode and its corresponding elements, a plurality of sensing means each associated with an individual one of the electrodes of said one grid and each capable of detecting in response to an interrogation signal the state of a physical property of the elements connected to its associated individual electrode in order to indicate whether those elements are selected to be operated, a plurality of feedback loops each separately connected between an individual one of said sensing means and an individual one of said gates and means for applying to each of the electrodes of the other of said electrode grids an interrogation signal once per refreshing cycle to cause each of said sensors to open its associated gate whenever it detects said physical property to indicate selection of an element.
Specification