Rotating element sheet material with microstructured substrate and method of use

• US 6,504,525 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2000
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: E Ink Corporation (E Ink Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Knights, John Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sheng, Tom V.
• Application Number:
  US09/563,504
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 345/84, 345/105, 345/107, 345/108, 359/296, 359/541, 156/276, 264/8
• US Class Current: 345/107
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/026 based on the rotation of particles under the influence of an external field, e.g. gyricons, twisting ball displays based on orientable dipolar particles G02F1/172; based on electrophoresis G02F1/167
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/372 the positions of the elements being controlled by the application of an electric field
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/06 Details of flat display driving waveforms
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/16 by control of light from an independent source

Abstract

Systems in one embodiment of the present invention comprise rotating element sheet material with a microstructured substrate component, and a method of assembling such rotating element sheet material. A first embodiment of the present invention comprises a substrate, enabling fluid, a plurality of rotatable elements of a first class, and a plurality of rotatable elements of a second class, where the substrate comprises a cavity-containing matrix having a plurality of cavities of a first class and a plurality of cavities of a second class, where the plurality of rotatable elements of a first class are disposed within the plurality of cavities of a first class, and the plurality of rotatable elements of a second class are disposed within the plurality of cavities of a second class, and where the plurality of cavities of a first class and the plurality of cavities of a second class are arranged in a regular, repeating pattern in a substantially single layer, or alternatively, the plurality of cavities of a first class and the plurality of cavities of a second class are arranged to define macroscopic regions displaying common aspects. A further embodiment of the present invention includes a method of macroscopically addressing rotating element sheet material.

Claims

1. Rotating element sheet material comprising:

a substrate;

enabling fluid;

a plurality of rotatable elements of a first class; and

a plurality of rotatable elements of a second class

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class are defined by a first common response or responses to incident electromagnetic radiation of interest, and

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class are defined by a second common response or responses to said incident electromagnetic radiation of interest,

wherein said substrate comprises a cavity-containing matrix having a plurality of cavities of a first class and a plurality of cavities of a second class,

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class are disposed within said plurality of cavities of a first class and in contact with said enabling fluid; and

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class are disposed within said plurality of cavities of a second class and in contact with said enabling fluid, and

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class disposed within said plurality of cavities of a first class have a common first addressing polarity and a common first work function,

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class disposed within said plurality of cavities of a second class have a common second addressing polarity and a common second work function, and

wherein said plurality of cavities of a first class and said plurality of cavities of a second class are arranged in a regular, repeating pattern in a substantially single layer.

2. The rotating element sheet material of claim 1

wherein said common first work function is less than said common second work function.

3. The rotating element sheet material of claim 2

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class have a common first diameter;

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class have a common second diameter; and

where said common first diameter is less than said common second diameter.

12. The rotating element sheet material of claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5,

wherein said incident electromagnetic energy of interest comprises the wavelengths of visible light.

4. Rotating element sheet material comprising:

a substrate;

enabling fluid;

a plurality of rotatable elements of a first class; and

a plurality of rotatable elements of a second class

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class are defined by a first common response or responses to incident electromagnetic radiation of interest, and

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class are defined by a second common response or responses to said incident electromagnetic radiation of interest,

wherein said substrate comprises a cavity-containing matrix having a plurality of cavities of a first class and a plurality of cavities of a second class,

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class are disposed within said plurality of cavities of a first class and in contact with said enabling fluid; and

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class are disposed within said plurality of cavities of a second class and in contact with said enabling fluid; and

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class disposed within said plurality of cavities of a first class have a common first addressing polarity and a common first work function,

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class disposed within said plurality of cavities of a second class have a common second addressing polarity and a common second work function,

wherein said common first work function is less than said common second work function, and

wherein a first aspect area comprises a first subset of said plurality of cavities of a first class and a second subset of said plurality of cavities of a second class, and

wherein a second aspect area comprises a third subset of said plurality of cavities of a second class;

and wherein said first aspect area is a first macroscopic region such that, under the influence of a macroscopic vector field at a first magnitude, said first aspect area exhibits a first macroscopic aspect, and that under the influence of said macroscopic vector field at a second magnitude, said first aspect area exhibits a second macroscopic aspect; and

wherein said second aspect area is a second macroscopic region such that, under the influence of said macroscopic vector field at said second magnitude, said second aspect area exhibits a third macroscopic aspect; and

wherein said first magnitude is between said second work function and said first work function, and said second magnitude is above said second work function.

5. The rotating element sheet material of claim 4

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class have a common first diameter;

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class have a common second diameter; and

where said common first diameter is less than said common second diameter.

6. A method of addressing said rotating element sheet material of claim 4,

wherein said method causes a change in a macroscopic aspect of said rotating element sheet material,

said method comprising:

providing said rotating element sheet material;

first introducing a first vector field in a first direction through said first macroscopic region and said second macroscopic region that is greater than said first work function and less than said second work function; and

next introducing a second vector field in said first direction through said first macroscopic region and said second macroscopic region that is greater than said second work function.

7. The method of addressing of claim 6,

wherein said incident electromagnetic energy of interest comprises the wavelengths of visible light.

8. A method of manufacturing rotating element sheet material comprising:

providing a substrate component, wherein said substrate component defines a plurality of microrecesses of a first class and a plurality of microrecesses of a second class;

providing a substrate cover;

providing enabling fluid;

providing a plurality of rotatable elements of a first class; and

providing a plurality of rotatable elements of a second class;

first dispersing said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class to said plurality of microrecesses of a second class, wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class are configured such that they do not settle into microrecess of a first class; and

next dispersing said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class to said plurality of microrecesses of a first class, wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class do not settle into microrecess of a second class occupied by said rotatable elements of a second class;

applying said substrate cover and said enabling fluid to said substrate component containing said dispersed rotatable elements of a first class and said dispersed rotatable elements of a second class, and

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class disposed within said plurality of microrecesses of a first class have a common first addressing polarity and a common first work function,

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class disposed within said plurality of microrecesses of a second class have a common second addressing polarity and a common second work function.

9. A method of manufacturing rotating element sheet material comprising:

providing a substrate component, wherein said substrate component defines a plurality of microrecesses of a first class and a plurality of microrecesses of a second class;

providing a substrate cover;

providing enabling fluid;

providing a plurality of rotatable elements of a first class; and

providing a plurality of rotatable elements of a second class;

first dispersing said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class to said plurality of microrecesses of a second class, wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class are configured such that they do not settle into microrecess of a first class;

translationally confining said dispersed rotatable elements of a second class; and

next dispersing said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class to said plurality of microrecesses of a first class, wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class do not settle into microrecess of a second class occupied by said rotatable elements of a second class;

applying said substrate cover and said enabling fluid to said substrate component containing said dispersed rotatable elements of a first class and said dispersed rotatable elements of a second class, and

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class disposed within said plurality of microrecesses of a first class have a common first addressing polarity and a common first work function,

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class disposed within said plurality of microrecesses of a second class have a common second addressing polarity and a common second work function.

10. A method of manufacturing rotating element sheet material comprising:

providing a substrate component, wherein said substrate component defines a plurality of microrecesses of a first class and a plurality of microrecesses of a second class;

providing a substrate cover;

providing enabling fluid;

providing a plurality of rotatable elements of a first class; and

providing a plurality of rotatable elements of a second class;

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class have a common first diameter;

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class have a common second diameter; and

where said common first diameter is less than said common second diameter;

first dispersing said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class to said plurality of microrecesses of a second class, wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class are configured such that they do not settle into microrecess of a first class; and

next dispersing said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class to said plurality of microrecesses of a first class, wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class do not settle into microrecess of a second class occupied by said rotatable elements of a second class;

applying said substrate cover and said enabling fluid to said substrate component containing said dispersed rotatable elements of a first class and said dispersed rotatable elements of a second class, and

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a first class disposed within said plurality of microrecesses of a first class have a common first addressing polarity and a common first work function,

wherein said plurality of rotatable elements of a second class disposed within said plurality of microrecesses of a second class have a common second addressing polarity and a common second work function.

11. The method of manufacturing rotating element sheet material of claim 8, 9, or 10,

wherein said incident electromagnetic energy of interest comprises the wavelengths of visible light.