OLED illumination device with integrated proximity sensor

• US 8,319,434 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2009
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OLEDWorks GMBH
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Hente, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Cho, James H
• Application Number:
  US12/863,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20100295604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 315 94- 95, 315/291, 315/294, 315/297
• US Class Current: 315/94
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960795 using organic light emitting devices, e.g. light emitting polymer [OEP] or OLED

Abstract

The invention concerns an OLED device with a cathode 1, an anode 2 and an active stack 3, wherein the anode 1 is segmented into a plurality of anode segments 8 each defining an OLED segment 4. Further, a capacitance measuring unit 12 is provided which is arranged for measuring a plurality of capacitance coefficients between two anode segments 8 and/or between an anode segment 8 and surrounding earth, respectively. This way, an OLED device for illumination purposes with a reliable proximity sensing function is achieved.

Claims

1. An OLED device comprising:

an anode segmented into a plurality of anode segments, at least two of the anode segments defining OLED segments,

a common cathode shared by the OLED segments,

an active stack disposed between the anode and the common cathode,

a driver configured to supply a same predefined voltage to each of the OLED segments in parallel with each other, and

a capacitance measuring unit for measuring a plurality of capacitance coefficients between the at least two anode segments and/or between at least one anode segment and a reference point, respectively,

wherein the driver is a high frequency generator.

2. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the capacitance measuring unit is adapted for measuring a current change in a plurality of the anode segments, respectively.

3. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein each of the anode segments defines an OLED segment.

4. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the OLED segments comprise shapes and/or relative orientations with respect to each other which allow position sensing by an additional spatial dimension.

5. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the capacitance measuring unit comprises a plurality of current sensors each configured to detect a current flowing into a corresponding one of the OLED segments.

6. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the anode segments include two adjacent anode segments each having a shape of a non-rectangular quadrilateral, including a first side and a second side longer than the first side, wherein the two adjacent anode segments are arranged such that the first side of a first one of the anode segments is aligned with a second side of a second one of the adjacent anode segments, and the second side of the first anode segment is aligned with the first side of the second anode segment.

7. An OLED device comprising

a cathode,

an anode segmented into a plurality of anode segments, at least two of the anode segments defining OLED segments,

an active stack disposed between the anode and the cathode, and

a capacitance measuring unit for measuring a plurality of capacitance coefficients between the at least two anode segments and/or between at least one anode segment and a reference point, respectively,

wherein the capacitance measuring unit includes a driver configured to supply the OLED segments with a predefined voltage for measuring the plurality of capacitance coefficients, and

wherein the driver is a high frequency generator.

8. The OLED device of claim 7, wherein the capacitance measuring unit is adapted for measuring a current change in a plurality of anode segments, respectively.

9. OLED device according to claim 7 wherein the OLED segments each comprise a segment cathode, and the driver is configured to supply the OLED segments with the predefined voltage in a series connection with all of the OLED segments.

10. The OLED device of claim 7, wherein each of the anode segments defines an OLED segment.

11. The OLED device of claim 7, wherein the OLED segments comprise shapes and/or relative orientations with respect to each other which allow position sensing by an additional spatial dimension.

12. The OLED device of claim 7, wherein the capacitance measuring unit comprises a plurality of current sensors each configured to detect a current flowing into a corresponding one of the OLED segments.

13. The OLED device of claim 7, wherein the anode segments include two adjacent anode segments each having a shape of a non-rectangular quadrilateral, including a first side and a second side longer than the first side, wherein the two adjacent anode segments are arranged such that the first side of a first one of the anode segments is aligned with a second side of a second one of the adjacent anode segments, and the second side of the first anode segment is aligned with the first side of the second anode segment.

14. An OLED device comprising

an anode segmented into a plurality of anode segments,

a cathode segmented into a plurality of cathode segments corresponding to the plurality of anode segments,

for at least two of the anode segments and the corresponding cathode segments, an active stack disposed between the anode segments and the cathode segments, defining at least two OLED segments, and

a capacitance measuring unit for measuring a plurality of capacitance coefficients between at least two anode segments and/or between at least one anode segment and a reference point, respectively,

wherein the capacitance measuring unit comprises:

a driver, wherein the driver and the at least two OLED segments are all connected in series with each other and where the driver is configured to supply a predetermined voltage to the series connection, and

a plurality of current sensors each configured to detect a current flowing through one of the OLED segments in response to the predetermined voltage.

15. The OLED device of claim 14, wherein the driver is a high frequency generator.

16. The OLED device of claim 14, wherein each of the anode segments defines an OLED segment.

17. The OLED device of claim 14, wherein the OLED segments comprise shapes and/or relative orientations with respect to each other which allow position sensing by an additional spatial dimension.

18. The OLED device of claim 14, wherein the capacitance measuring unit comprises a plurality of current sensors each configured to detect a current flowing into a corresponding one of the OLED segments.

19. The OLED device of claim 14, wherein the anode segments include two adjacent anode segments each having a shape of a non-rectangular quadrilateral, including a first side and a second side longer than the first side, wherein the two adjacent anode segments are arranged such that the first side of a first one of the anode segments is aligned with a second side of a second one of the adjacent anode segments, and the second side of the first anode segment is aligned with the first side of the second anode segment.