Method and apparatus for reducing driver count and power consumption in micromechanical flat panel displays

• US 6,879,307 B1
• Filed: 05/15/2002
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Air Force Government of The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary
• Original Assignee: Air Force Government of The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary
• Inventors: Stern, Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US10/150,817
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: G02/B02.6/08, G09/G00.3/34, G09/G00.3/02, 345/84, 345/85, 345/211, 345/694, 345/695, 345/108, 345/212, 385/16, 385/18, 385/25, 385/26, 385/31, 385/37, 385 40- 42, 385/48, 359222-224
• US Class Current: 345/84
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/207 by domain size control G09G3/3637 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2077 by a combination of two or more gradation control methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3473 based on light coupled out of a light guide, e.g. due to scattering, by contracting the light guide with external means

Abstract

A micromechanical panel display driver is shown in which only one driver and control bus are needed for each color. Furthermore, the elements are made with uniform film thicknesses, thereby minimizing the number of steps needed to fabricate the display. Here 6 bits are provided with temporal and aperture weighting. The use of temporal weighting generally requires the activation of most pixels twice/frame, which consumes considerable power. It should also be possible to eliminate temporal weighting by redistributing the contact area into a larger number of aperture weights and by adding a row electrode. Here pixels are activated only in response to a charge in the image. This generally reduces the drive power, since many pixels in a typical image do not change from frame to frame.

Claims

1. A micromechanical panel display driver comprising:

a plurality of aperture bit elements that each can be triggered to output micromechanical panel display illumination signal and which are each driven in parallel by having separate aperture weights and separate switching times, which allows a single driver signal to trigger them with a driver signal; and

a single driver amplifier, which emits said driver signal which has an adjustable time duration that allows selectable aperture bit elements to be driven with one signal.

2. A micromechanical panel display driver, as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of aperture bit elements comprise a set of three aperture bit elements, which are driven in parallel and which each illuminates a distinct and separate color on a micromechanical panel display.

3. A micromechanical panel display driver, as defined in claim 2, wherein three aperture bit elements comprise a first, second and third aperture bit elements with respective aperture weights of 1, 4 and 16 and switching times of a 1, 2 and 4 ratio with respect to each other.