Method and system for driving interferometric modulators

• US 7,675,669 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2005
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gally, Brian J., Cummings, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mack; Ricky L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas; Brandi N
• Application Number:
  US11/218,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20060067653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: 359/288, 359/289, 359/290, 359/291, 359/292, 359/295, 359/298, 359/297
• US Class Current: 359/288
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/029 by monitoring one or more pixels in the display panel, e.g. by monitoring a fixed reference pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/041 Temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3466 based on interferometric effect

Abstract

Systems and methods for driving a display of MEMS devices are disclosed. In one embodiment, a display includes an array comprising a plurality of interferometric modulators, and a driving circuit coupled to said array, said driving circuit configured to provide actuation signals to drive said array based on a temperature of the display. In another embodiment, a method of driving an array having a plurality of interferometric modulators configured into a display is disclosed, where the method includes sensing the temperature at a predetermined location in display, communicating a signal based on the sensed temperature to a display driver, generating an actuation signal to drive said display based on the received signal, and providing the actuation signal to the array.

Claims

1. A display, comprising:

an array of interferometric modulators, each interferometric modulator having an actuated state and a released state; and

a driving circuit coupled to said array, said driving circuit configured to provide signals to drive said array to actuated and released states based on temperature, the amplitude of said signals being inversely proportional to a change in temperature.

2. The display of claim 1, wherein the temperature is in the driving circuit, and wherein the temperature correlates to the temperature of the array.

3. The display of claim 1, wherein the temperature is outside of the driving circuit, and wherein the temperature relates to the temperature of the array.

4. The display of claim 1, wherein the temperature is a temperature substantially proximal to the array, and wherein the temperature relates to the temperature of the array.

5. The display of claim 1, further comprising a sensor that senses temperature, said sensor coupled to said driving circuit to provide a signal to said driving circuit corresponding to the temperature.

6. The display of claim 1, wherein said driving circuit comprises a sensor that senses temperature information proximal to the location of said sensor, said sensor being coupled to said driving circuit and configured to communicate the temperature information to said driving circuit, and wherein said driving circuit generates the signals to drive said array based on the temperature information communicated from said sensor.

8. The display of claim 1, further comprising a sensor disposed external to said driver circuit that communicates a signal to said driving circuit based on a temperature sensed by said sensor at a location in the display, wherein said driving circuit generates the signals to drive said array based on the signal communicated from said sensor.

9. The display of claim 1, wherein said array of interferometric modulators comprises support structures, a reflective layer coupled to the supports, an electrode layer, and a gap though which the reflective layer moves in response to an actuation voltage applied between the reflective layer and the electrode layer.

13. The display of claim 1, further comprising:

a display;

a processor that is in electrical communication with said display, said processor being configured to process image data; and

a memory device in electrical communication with said processor.

14. The display of claim 13, further comprising a driver circuit configured to send at least one signal to said display.

15. The display of claim 13, further comprising a controller configured to send at least a portion of said image data to said driver circuit.

16. The display of claim 13, further comprising an image source module configured to send said image data to said processor.

17. The display of claim 16, wherein said image source module comprises at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

18. The display of claim 13, further comprising an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate said input data to said processor.

7. A display comprising

an array of interferometric modulators;

a driving circuit coupled to said array, said driving circuit configured to provide actuation signals to drive said array based on temperature; and

a sensor that senses temperature, said sensor coupled to said driving circuit to provide a signal to said driving circuit corresponding to the temperature,

wherein said sensor comprises

sensor circuitry; and

a sensing element electrically connected to said sensing circuitry, said sensing element configured to be influenced by a temperature and disposed at a particular location in relation to the location of said sensor circuitry, and

wherein said sensor circuitry is configured to detect the influence of the temperature on the sensing element, and communicate a signal corresponding to the temperature to said driving circuit, and wherein said driving circuit is configured to generate the actuation signals to drive said array based on the signal communicated from said sensor circuitry.

10. A display comprising:

an array of interferometric modulators and

a driving circuit coupled to said array, said driving circuit configured to provide actuation signals to drive said array based on temperature,

wherein the signals correspond to actuation voltages that are related to temperature by the following equation;

11. The display of claim 10, wherein σ

(sigma) is the residual stress of Nickel.

12. The display of claim 10, wherein σ

(sigma) is the residual stress of Aluminum.

19. A method of driving an array having a plurality of interferometric modulators, each interferometric modulator having an actuated state and a released state, said interferometric modulators configured into a display, said method comprising:

sensing a temperature at a predetermined location in the display;

communicating a sensor signal based on the sensed temperature to a display driver;

generating a signal to drive said array in the display driver based on the sensor signal; and

providing the signal to drive said array to the array, and

wherein said signal to drive said array is provided with an amplitude that is inversely proportional to a change in temperature.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the temperature is sensed at a location in the array.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the temperature is sensed in the display driver.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein generating an signal to drive said array comprises generating an signal to drive said array with an amplitude component inversely proportional to a change in the sensed temperature.

23. A display, comprising:

means for displaying image data, said displaying means having an actuated and a released state; and

means for providing actuation or release signals to drive said displaying means based on a temperature of the display, and

wherein said signals to drive said displaying means are provided with an amplitude that is inversely proportional to a change in temperature.

24. The display of claim 23, wherein the displaying means comprise an array comprising a plurality of interferometric modulators.

25. The display of claim 23, wherein the providing means comprise an array controller.

26. The display of claim 23, further comprising:

means for communicating a signal corresponding to said temperature to said providing means.

27. The display of claim 26, wherein said sensing means comprise a sensor.

28. The display of claim 26, wherein said communicating means comprises an electrical connection between said sensor and said providing means.

29. The display of claim 26, further comprising:

means for determining the voltage required to actuate a interferometric modulator subject to the temperature; and

means for communicating a signal corresponding to the actuation voltage to the providing means.

30. The display of claim 29, wherein said determining means comprises:

a test interferometric modulator; and

test circuitry coupled to said test interferometric modulator, said test circuitry configured to determine the voltage required to actuate said test interferometer.

31. The display of claim 29, wherein said communicating means comprises said test circuitry connected electrically to said providing means, and configured to communicate a signal corresponding to the voltage required to activate said test interferometric modulator to said providing means.

32. A method of manufacturing a display, the method comprising:

forming an array comprising a plurality of interferometric modulators, each interferometric modulator having an actuated state and a released state;

coupling a driving circuit to said array, said driving circuit configured to provide signals to drive said array to actuated and released states based on a temperature of the display, and

wherein said driving circuit provides signals with an amplitude that is inversely proportional to a change in temperature.

33. A display manufactured by the method of claim 32.