Array element circuit and active matrix device

• US 8,547,111 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Life Science (EU) Limited
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hadwen, Benjamin J., Hector, Jason R., Jacobs, Adrian Marc Simon, Zebedee, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Koval, Melissa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Armstrong, Stephen G
• Application Number:
  US13/176,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20120007608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 324/649
• US Class Current: 324/649
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/061 Counting droplets
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0673 Handling of plugs of fluid surrounded by immiscible fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/143 Quality control, feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0645 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/161 Control and use of surface tension forces, e.g. hydrophobic, hydrophilic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0427 Electrowetting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50273 characterised by the means or forces applied to move the fluids micropumps F04B19/006, of the membrane type F04B43/043
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0876 Supplementary capacities in pixels having special driving circuits and electrodes instead of being connected to common electrode or ground; Use of additional capacitively coupled compensation electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/088 using a non-linear two-terminal element
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0213 controlling the sequence of the scanning lines with respect to the patterns to be displayed, e.g. to save power
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/348 based on the deformation of a fluid drop, e.g. electrowetting

Abstract

An active-matrix device is provided which includes a plurality of array element circuits arranged in rows and columns; a plurality of source addressing lines each shared between the array element circuits in corresponding same columns; a plurality of gate addressing lines each shared between the array element circuits in corresponding same rows; a plurality of sensor row select lines each shared between the array element circuits in corresponding same rows, wherein each of the plurality of array element circuits includes: an array element which is controlled by application of a drive voltage by a drive element; writing circuitry for writing the drive voltage to the drive element, the writing circuitry being coupled to a corresponding source addressing line and gate addressing line among the plurality of source addressing lines and gate addressing lines; and sense circuitry for sensing an impedance presented at the drive element, the sense circuitry being coupled to a corresponding sensor row select line; and a row driver and a column driver.

Claims

1. An active-matrix device, comprising:

a plurality of array element circuits arranged in rows and columns;

a plurality of source addressing lines each shared between the array element circuits in corresponding same columns;

a plurality of gate addressing lines each shared between the array element circuits in corresponding same rows;

a plurality of sensor row select lines each shared between the array element circuits in corresponding same rows,

wherein each of the plurality of array element circuits comprises;

an array element which is controlled by application of a drive voltage by a drive element;

writing circuitry for writing the drive voltage to the drive element, the writing circuitry being coupled to a corresponding source addressing line and gate addressing line among the plurality of source addressing lines and gate addressing lines; and

sense circuitry for sensing an impedance presented at the drive element, the sense circuitry being coupled to a corresponding sensor row select line; and

a row driver and a column driver; and

wherein the sense circuitry is configured to apply a voltage pulse to the corresponding sensor row select line in order to perturb a voltage at the drive element, a response to which is used to sense the impedance presented at the drive element.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the row driver and column driver are configured in combination with the writing circuitry of each of the plurality of array elements to selectively address a proper subset of the plurality of array elements for writing the drive voltage to the drive elements included in the subset, to the exclusion of the plurality of array elements not included in the proper subset.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of array elements included in the proper subset vary in different frames.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the array elements are hydrophobic cells having a surface of which the hydrophobicity is controlled by the application of the drive voltage by the corresponding drive element, and the corresponding sense circuitry senses the impedance presented at the drive element by the hydrophobic cell.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the row driver and column driver are configured in combination with the sense circuitry of each of the plurality of array elements to selectively address a proper subset of the plurality of array elements for sensing the impedance at the drive elements included in the subset, to the exclusion of the plurality of array elements not included in the proper subset.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of array elements included in the proper subset vary in different frames.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the array elements are hydrophobic cells having a surface of which the hydrophobicity is controlled by the application of the drive voltage by the corresponding drive element, and the corresponding sense circuitry senses the impedance presented at the drive element by the hydrophobic cell.

8. The device according to claim 1, further comprising means for calibrating the sense circuitry within the plurality of array elements based on measured fixed pattern noise within the sense circuitry.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the fixed pattern noise is subtracted from outputs of the sense circuitry to provide a calibrated output.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the fixed pattern noise is determined by measurement of one or more calibration sensor images.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein calibration images are obtained by applying variant timing signals to operate the sensor function of the array element.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the calibration images are obtained by measuring the sensor output when a known input signal is applied by means of a sensor reset function.

13. The device according to claim 8, wherein the array elements are hydrophobic cells having a surface of which the hydrophobicity is controlled by the application of the drive voltage by the corresponding drive element, and the corresponding sense circuitry senses the impedance presented at the drive element by the hydrophobic cell.