Packet-based digital display system

• US 8,379,061 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Gopal Solutions Limited Liability Company
• Inventors: Islam, Mohammed N.
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, DUC Q
• Application Number:
  US12/206,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20090007177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 345/690, 345/204, 345 87-108
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0808 by means of one or more diffracting elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3102 using two-dimensional electronic spatial light modulators micromechanical modulators as such G02B26/0833; liquid crystal modulators as such G02F1/13

Abstract

An all-digital display system includes an electronic processor that is operable to receive an internet protocol video packet and to generate a control signal based at least in part on the internet protocol video packet. In one particular embodiment, the electronic processor includes at least a header processor, a CPU electronic processor, and a display processor unit. The all-digital display system also includes one or more light sources capable of generating one or more optical signals and one or more light modulating chips. The one or more light modulating chips are operable to receive the one or more optical signals and to modulate the one or more optical signals based at least in part on the control signal. The all-digital display system further comprises one or more display screens operable to receive the modulated signals communicated from the light modulating chips.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a light modulation device that includes;

a semiconductor substrate;

an inner conductive layer disposed on top of the substrate; and

a plurality of strips coupled to the substrate and disposed substantially in parallel above the substrate, wherein respective ones of the plurality of strips include a reflective layer, and wherein the device is configured to;

receive a control signal,

receive an optical signal by the reflective layer of the respective ones of the plurality of strips, and

rotate, based on the control signal, the respective ones of the plurality of strips by an angle to cause redirection of the optical signal, wherein the rotate the respective ones of the plurality of strips is further based on an electrostatic force generated by a voltage differential between the inner conductive layer and an edge of the respective ones of the plurality of strips,

wherein the angle of rotation is based on a width of the respective ones of the plurality of strips,

wherein the inner conductive layer includes a plurality of elongated conductors, disposed substantially in parallel with the edge of the respective ones of the plurality of strips, and

wherein each of the plurality of strips is individually addressable to provide each of the plurality of strips with independent rotational motion relative to a rotational motion of each of two neighboring strips, wherein each of the plurality of strips is enabled to move differently from each of the two neighboring strips at a time when each of the two neighboring strips is in the rotational motion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the angle of rotation is greater than 2 degrees, and the width of the respective ones of the plurality of strips is smaller than 40 micrometers.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of strips further includes a plurality of outer layer strips and a plurality of inner layer strips, wherein respective ones of the outer layer strips interleave with respective ones of the inner layer strips, and wherein a gap between the respective ones of the outer layer strips and the respective ones of the inner layer strips is configured to control an air damping effect of the device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a fixed reflective layer disposed on the substrate and configured to cause a Fabry-Perot cavity in an interference structure related to the redirection of the optical signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inner conductive layer includes a continuous conductive layer disposed on top of the substrate, and wherein the respective ones of the plurality of strips further include an insulating layer coupled to the reflective layer, wherein the reflective layer includes a first portion and a second portion, electrically separated by a channel, the first portion being electrically isolated from the inner conductive layer, and the second portion being electrically coupled to the inner conductive layer.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the redirection of the optical signal includes diffraction of the optical signal.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the redirection of the optical signal includes reflection of the optical signal.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a display device that includes;

a light modulation chip configured to modulate an optical signal based on an electronic control signal, the light modulation chip having;

a semiconductor substrate;

an inner conductive layer disposed on top of the substrate; and

a plurality of strips coupled to the substrate and disposed substantially in parallel with the substrate, wherein respective ones of the plurality of strips include a reflective layer, and wherein the light modulation chip is configured to;

receive the electronic control signal,

receive the optical signal by the reflective layer, and

rotate the respective ones of the plurality of strips by an angle to cause diffraction of the optical signal, wherein the angle of rotation is based on a width of the respective ones of the plurality of strips, wherein the rotate the respective ones of the plurality of strips is further based on an electrostatic force generated by a voltage differential between the inner conductive layer and an edge of the respective ones of the plurality of strips; and

a display screen configured to receive the modulated optical signal from the light modulation chip, and to display the modulated optical signal,

wherein the inner conductive layer includes a plurality of elongated conductors, disposed substantially in parallel with the edge of the respective ones of the plurality of strips, and

wherein each of the plurality of strips is individually addressable to provide each of the plurality of strips with independent rotational motion relative to a rotational motion of each of two neighboring strips, wherein each of the plurality of strips is enabled to move differently from each of the two neighboring strips at a time when each of the two neighboring strips is in the rotational motion.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising an electronic processor configured to receive and process a digital input signal, the digital input signal including multiplexed voice, data, and video information and at least a portion of the digital input signal including a data format having at least a header and a payload.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a central processor unit configured to receive the payload and the processed portion of the header of the digital input signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a display processor unit coupled to the central processor unit, the display processor unit configured to generate the electronic control signal based at least in part on the payload of the digital input signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a user interface unit coupled to the central processor unit, wherein at least a portion of the video information includes an advertisement, and wherein the advertisement is based at least in part on one or more inputs received by the user interface unit.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the display screen is configured to present, based on the modulated optical signal, a plurality of virtual windows, wherein respective ones of the plurality of virtual windows present at least a portion of the voice, data, and video information, wherein the voice information includes caller ID information, and wherein a virtual window that presents the voice information is simultaneously displayed with a virtual window that presents the video information.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the advertisement is based at least in part on a history of the inputs received by the user interface unit including shows watched, channels surfed, electronic mails, user preferences selected, demographics, zip code, or time of the user or a login system that is configured to load information associated with the user.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the digital input signal is received wirelessly or the display processor unit is coupled through a wireless connection to the electronic processor.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the voice, data, and video information is multiplexed into the data format, which includes an internet protocol data format.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising one or more sensors coupled to the display screen and configured to monitor a user of the display device, the one or more sensors configured to produce sensor data, wherein the display device is further configured to modify the electronic control signal based on the sensor data.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a light modulation chip, an electronic control signal, the light modulation chip including a semiconductor substrate, an inner conductive layer disposed on top of the substrate, and a plurality of strips coupled to the substrate and disposed substantially in parallel over the substrate, wherein respective ones of the plurality of strips include a reflective layer;

receiving an optical signal by the reflective layer of the respective ones of the plurality of strips; and

rotating, based on the electronic control signal, the respective ones of the plurality of strips by an angle resulting in redirection of the optical signal, wherein the angle of rotation is based on a width of the respective ones of the plurality of strips, and wherein each of the plurality of strips is individually addressable to provide each of the plurality of strips with independent rotational motion relative to a rotational motion of each of two neighboring strips, wherein each of the plurality of strips is enabled to move differently from each of the two neighboring strips,

wherein said rotating includes rotating the respective ones of the plurality of strips based on an electrostatic force generated by a voltage differential between the inner conductive layer and an edge of the respective ones of the plurality of strips, wherein the inner conductive layer includes a plurality of elongated conductors, disposed substantially in parallel with the edge of the respective ones of the plurality of strips at a time when each of the two neighboring strips is in the rotational motion.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the angle of rotation is greater than 2 degrees, and the width of the respective ones of the plurality of strips is smaller than 40 micrometers.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the light modulation chip further includes a fixed reflective layer disposed on the substrate, and wherein said resulting in redirection of the optical signal includes resulting in a Fabry-Perot cavity, by the fixed reflective layer, in an interference structure associated with the redirection.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the redirection of the optical signal includes diffraction of the optical signal.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the redirection of the optical signal includes reflection of the optical signal.