Linearly-addressed light-emitting fiber, and flat panel display employing same

• US 6,259,838 B1
• Filed: 10/15/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zanzucchi, Peter John, Cherukuri, Satyam Choudary, Kalish, Israel, Atherton, James Harold, Singh, Bawa, Roach, William Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Palmer, Phan T. H.
• Application Number:
  US09/419,166
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 385/31, 385/1, 385/9, 385/18, 385/27, 385/47, 385/123, 385/131, 385/901
• US Class Current: 385/31
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/305 being the ends of optical fibres G09F9/302 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2022 using sub-frames
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2085 Special arrangements for addressing the individual elements of the matrix, other than by driving respective rows and columns in combination
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/22 using controlled light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3216 using a passive matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/182 OLED comprising a fiber structure
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/86 Series electrical configurations of multiple OLEDs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 385/901 Illuminating or display apparatus

Abstract

A display as for images and/or information comprises a plurality of linearly addressed light-emitting fibers disposed in side-by-side arrangement to define a viewing surface. Each light-emitting fiber includes a plurality of light-emitting elements disposed along its length which is linearly addressed by signals provided by a drive circuit at one end thereof. Linear addressing signals are either optical signals or electrical signals, and may be frequency modulated, digitally encoded or analog encoded. A detector associated with each pixel detects the linear addressing signal and decodes same to activate and deactivate organic or inorganic light-emitting material elements. Thus, the light-emitting elements emit light to display a pixel or sub-pixel of the image and/or information. The light-emitting fiber may include a transparent fiber as substrate for propagating the optical signals therethrough and may include electrical conductors disposed along its length for propagating the electrical signals.

Claims

1. A light-emitting fiber comprising:

an elongated fiber substrate;

at least one electrical conductor disposed along said fiber substrate for conducting an electrical signal along said fiber substrate;

a plurality of light-emitting elements disposed along a surface of said fiber substrate, each said light-emitting element having first and second electrodes between which the electrical signal is applied to cause said light-emitting element to emit light;

means operably associated with said fiber substrate for propagating an information-representative signal along said fiber substrate; and

a plurality of detectors disposed along said fiber substrate and each operably associated with one of said plurality of light-emitting elements for selectively applying the electrical signal thereto in response to the information-representative signal propagating along said fiber substrate.

2. The light-emitting fiber of claim 1 wherein said means for propagating includes source of at least one of light, frequency-modulated light, a digital electrical signal, an analog electrical signal and a pulse-width modulated electrical signal containing said information-representative signal.

3. The light-emitting fiber of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of detectors includes a decoder decoding information from said information-representative signal and applying the electrical signal responsive to the decoded information.

4. The light-emitting fiber of claim 1 wherein said fiber substrate includes a transparent fiber, and wherein said means for propagating includes a source of light propagating in said transparent fiber and containing said information-representative signal.

5. The light-emitting fiber of claim 4 wherein said information-representative signal is frequency modulated on said light.

6. The light-emitting fiber of claim 5 wherein each of said plurality of detectors includes a light-responsive detector tuned to a frequency of said frequency modulated light.

7. The light-emitting fiber of claim 4 wherein the first electrodes of said plurality of light-emitting elements include a layer of an optically-transparent electrically conductive material.

8. The light-emitting fiber of claim 7 wherein the optically-transmissive electrically conductive material is selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, and combinations thereof.

9. The light-emitting fiber of claim 7 wherein said at least one electrical conductor is disposed along said fiber substrate contiguous to said layer of optically-transmissive electrically conductive material and is electrically coupled thereto.

10. The light-emitting fiber of claim 9 wherein said at least one electrical conductor is selectively coupled to said layer of optically-transmissive electrically conductive material by said plurality of detectors.

11. The light-emitting fiber of claim 4 wherein each of said plurality of detectors is responsive to said light propagating in said transparent fiber for selectively applying the electrical signal to one of the first and second electrodes of the one light-emitting element with which said detector is operably associated.

12. The light-emitting fiber of claim 1 wherein said fiber substrate further includes a plurality of electrical conductors thereon, and wherein said means for propagating includes a source of electrical information-representative signal conducted by said plurality of electrical conductors.

13. The light-emitting fiber of claim 12 wherein said electrical information-representative signal contains address information corresponding to ones of said plurality of light-emitting elements, and wherein each of said plurality of detectors includes an electrical detector responsive to the address information for the one of said plurality of light-emitting elements with which it is operably associated.

14. The light-emitting fiber of claim 13 wherein said address information is digitally encoded, and wherein each of said plurality of detectors includes a digital decoder for decoding the address information.

15. The light-emitting fiber of claim 13 wherein each of said plurality of detectors includes at least one stage of a shift register, and wherein said electrical information-representative signal contains a shift register clocking signal for clocking said stages of said shift register and value information corresponding to values associated with ones of said plurality of said plurality of light-emitting elements.

16. The light-emitting fiber of claim 15 wherein the values of the value information represents at least one of the magnitude, timing and duration of the electrical signal applied to said plurality of light-emitting elements.

17. The light-emitting fiber of claim 15 wherein the value information is digital data, and wherein each of said plurality of detectors stores said digital data responsive to said shift register.

18. The light-emitting fiber of claim 1 in combination with a plurality of like light-emitting fibers in side-by-side physical relationship to provide a display of information by the light-emitting elements thereon.

19. Light-emitting apparatus comprising:

an elongated substrate having a length;

at least one electrical conductor disposed along the length said elongated substrate for conducting an electrical signal along the length of said elongated substrate;

a plurality of light-emitting elements disposed along the length of and on one surface of said elongated substrate, each said light-emitting element having first and second electrodes and a light-emissive material therebetween, wherein the electrical signal is selectively applied between the first and second electrodes of each light-emitting element to cause said light-emitting element to emit light;

a source of an information-representative signal operably associated with said elongated substrate for propagating the information-representative signal along the length of said elongated substrate; and

a plurality of detectors disposed along the length of said elongated substrate and each operably associated with one of said plurality of light-emitting elements for selectively applying the electrical signal thereto in response to the information-representative signal propagating along said elongated substrate.

20. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 19 wherein said elongated substrate is transparent, and wherein said source of an information-representative signal includes a source of light propagating in said transparent elongated substrate, said light containing said information-representative signal.

21. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 19 wherein said fiber substrate further includes a plurality of electrical conductors thereon, and wherein said means for propagating includes a source of electrical information-representative signal conducted by said plurality of electrical conductors.

22. A display for displaying information comprising:

a plurality of fibers disposed in side-by-side arrangement to define a viewing surface of the display;

at least one electrical conductor disposed along each of said plurality of fibers for conducting an electrical signal along each of said fibers;

a plurality of light-emitting elements disposed along a surface of each of said plurality of fibers, each said light-emitting element having first and second electrodes between which the electrical signal is applied to cause said light-emitting element to emit light;

means operably associated with each of said plurality of fibers for propagating an information-representative signal along each said fiber; and

a plurality of detectors disposed along each of said fibers and each operably associated with one of said plurality of light-emitting elements for selectively applying the electrical signal thereto in response to the information-representative signal propagating along said fiber,

thereby causing ones of said light-emitting elements to emit light to display the information.

23. The display of claim 22 wherein said means for propagating includes a source of at least one of light, frequency-modulated light, a digital electrical signal, an analog electrical signal and a pulse-width modulated electrical signal containing said information-representative signal.

24. The display of claim 22 wherein each of said plurality of detectors includes a decoder decoding information from said information-representative signal and applying the electrical signal responsive to the decoded information.

25. The display of claim 22 further comprising a substrate on which said plurality of fibers are disposed in the side-by-side arrangement.

26. The display of claim 25 wherein said substrate is transparent and wherein the viewing surface defined by said plurality of fibers is viewed through said substrate.