Liquid crystal element driving apparatus

• US 4,687,956 A
• Filed: 11/09/1984
• Issued: 08/18/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Company Limited 1-1
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Itoh, Hiroshi, Hara, Kunihiko, Fukada, Tsuyoshi, Suzuki, Yasutoshi, Ohmi, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Stanley D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davis, B. P.
• Application Number:
  US06/670,015
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 307/310, 307/311, 307/270, 350/278, 350/331 T, 350/332, 340/812, 340/765, 340/705, 340/784
• US Class Current: 327/108
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/088 using a cell of electrically changeable optical characteristic, e.g. liquid-crystal or electrochromic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133382 Heating or cooling of liquid crystal cells other than for activation, e.g. circuits or arrangements for temperature control, stabilisation or uniform distribution over the cell

Abstract

An apparatus for driving a liquid crystal element by an increased voltage and at a lowered frequency in conformity with temperature fall in the liquid crystal element so as to achieve complete driving of the element even in a low temperature range. In order to increase the driving voltage, the apparatus comprises a booster circuit for increasing a battery voltage, and a voltage divider circuit including an element-temperature sensor as a component thereof and serving to produce a control voltage by dividing the output voltage of the booster circuit. In such configuration, the booster circuit performs its operation in such a manner as to maintain constant the control voltage obtained from the voltage divider circuit.

Claims

1. An apparatus for driving a liquid crystal element, mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

a feedback control type voltage booster circuit, for connecting to a battery of said vehicle, for producing an output voltage that can be greater than the voltage of said battery said output voltage being a function of a control voltage applied to said voltage booster circuit;

a thermistor having a predetermined temperature resistance characteristic for sensing the temperature of said liquid crystal element by changing its resistance value according to said predetermined temperature-resistance characteristic;

a voltage divider circuit including said thermistor as a component thereof for dividing said output voltage from said booster circuit to produce said control voltage which is coupled to said booster circuit, said voltage divider circuit being so formed as to decrease a change of said control voltage relative to a change in the resistance value of said thermistor so that the output voltage of said booster circuit is increased more sharply as the sensed temperature becomes low, thus providing a booster circuit output voltage that is a non-linear function of temperature; and

a driving circuit for driving said liquid crystal element with said booster circuit output voltage.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said voltage divider circuit comprises first and second resistors connected in series with each other forming a first circuit node therebetween, the series circuit of said first and second resistors being coupled between said output voltage of said booster circuit and circuit ground, said thermistor being connected in parallel with said first resistor, whereby said control voltage is produced at said first circuit node.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said voltage divider circuit comprises a Zener diode and a resistor connected in series therewith between said output voltage of said booster circuit and circuit ground, and said thermistor is connected in parallel with said Zener diode between said booster circuit output voltage and a second circuit node between said Zener diode and resistor, whereby said control voltage is produced at said second node.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a resistor for setting the lower limit of said output voltage connected in series with said thermistor.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said voltage divider circuit comprises first and second resistors connected in series with each other between said output voltage of said booster circuit and circuit ground, and said thermistor is connected in parallel with said second resistor between circuit ground and a first circuit node between said first and second resistors, whereby voltage is produced at the first circuit node.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of said liquid crystal element, and an oscillator circuit functioning in response to an output signal from said temperature sensor and producing an oscillation output of a frequency lowered in accordance with temperature fall in said liquid crystal element, wherein said driving circuit modulates the output voltage of said booster circuit with an AC voltage of a frequency determined by the oscillation frequency of said oscillator circuit and drives said liquid crystal element by the modulated voltage.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a voltage controlled oscillator providing an output oscillation frequency that is a function of the output voltage of said booster circuit, wherein said driving circuit modulates the output voltage of said booster circuit with an AC voltage of a frequency determined by the oscillation frequency of said voltage controlled oscillator and drives said liquid crystal element by the modulated voltage.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising an oscillator circuit, a discriminator circuit for evaluating the output voltage of said booster circuit, and means for lowering the oscillation frequency of said oscillator circuit when the output voltage evaluated by said discriminator circuit is higher than a predetermined level, wherein said driving circuit modulates the output voltage of said booster circuit with an AC voltage of a frequency determined by the oscillation frequency of said oscillator circuit and drives said liquid crystal element by the modulated voltage.

9. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a resistor for setting the lower limit of said output voltage connected in series with said thermistor.

10. An apparatus for driving a liquid crystal device mounted on an automobile comprising:

a battery mounted on said automobile;

a temperature sensing element for sensing temperature of said liquid crystal device;

a booster circuit connected to said battery for providing an output voltage that is a function of a control voltage applied thereto, said output voltage, which voltage can be greater than said battery voltage;

a divider circuit connected in such a manner between said booster circuit and said temperature sensing element it provides said control voltage to said booster circuit causing said booster circuit to provide its output voltage such that it changes more sharply with respect to the sensed temperature as the temperature of said liquid crystal device falls; and

a circuit connected betweeen said booster circuit and said liquid crystal device for driving said liquid crystal device with the output voltage of said booster circuit.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10 further comprising:

an oscillator for generating an oscillation signal having a frequency which is dependent on temperature of said liquid crystal device.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said liquid crystal device is used in a reflection mirror of said automobile.