Methods and systems for energy recovery in a display

• US 8,786,592 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2011
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Lier, Wilhelmus Johannes Robertus
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, PREMAL R
• Application Number:
  US13/273,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20130093744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 345/68, 345/98, 345/100, 345/211, 345/212
• US Class Current: 345/212
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0254 Control of polarity reversal in general, other than for liquid crystal displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0267 Details of drivers for scan electrodes, other than drivers for liquid crystal, plasma or OLED displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/024 with inductors, other than in the electrode driving circuitry of plasma displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/028 Generation of voltages supplied to electrode drivers in a matrix display other than LCD
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3466 based on interferometric effect

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, are used for driving a display. In one aspect, the method includes connecting a first segment line to a first voltage, connecting a second segment line to a second voltage, and connecting the least a first segment line to the second segment line through at least one inductor. The polarities of segment line voltages may therefore be switched by reusing energy in the system.

Claims

1. A method of driving a display including a plurality of segment lines, comprising:

connecting at least one first segment line to a first voltage;

connecting at least one second segment line to a second voltage;

connecting the at least one first segment line to the at least one second segment line through at least one inductor;

transferring charge between the at least one first and the at least one second segment lines through the at least one inductor; and

disconnecting the at least one first segment line and the at least one second segment line from the at least one inductor after a current in the at least one inductor rises and falls to substantially zero.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

connecting a first plurality of segment lines to the first voltage;

connecting a second plurality of segment lines to the second voltage; and

connecting the first plurality of segment lines to the second plurality of segment lines through the at least one inductor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first voltage corresponds to a first polarity, and the second voltage corresponds to a second polarity.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising connecting the at least one first segment line to the second voltage and the at least one second segment line to the first voltage.

5. A circuit for driving a display, comprising:

a power supply;

a first segment line;

a second segment line;

at least one inductor;

a first switching circuit capable of selectively connecting the first segment line to one of the power supply and the at least one inductor;

a second switching circuit capable of selectively connecting the second segment line to one of the power supply and the at least one inductor; and

a segment driver circuit capable of disconnecting the first and second segment lines from the at least one inductor after a current in the at least one inductor rises and falls to substantially zero.

6. The circuit of claim 5, wherein the power supply outputs a first voltage corresponding to a first polarity and a second voltage corresponding to a second polarity.

7. The circuit of claim 5, wherein the at least one inductor includes a first and a second inductor.

8. The circuit of claim 7, wherein the first inductor is connectable to the first segment line through a first switching rail and the second inductor is connectable to the second segment line through a second switching rail.

9. The circuit of claim 8, wherein an end of each of the first and second inductors is connected to ground.

10. The circuit of claim 5, further comprising a current sensor capable of sensing the current through the at least one inductor.

11. The circuit of claim 5, comprising a single inductor, and wherein a first end of the single inductor is connectable to the first segment line through a first switching rail, and a second end of the single inductor is connectable to the second segment line through a second switching rail.

12. The circuit of claim 5, further comprising:

at least one first switch capable of connecting the first segment line to a first power supply output;

at least one second switch capable of connecting the first segment line to a second power supply output;

at least one third switch capable of connecting the first segment line to a first switching rail;

at least one fourth switch capable of connecting the first segment line to a second switching rail;

at least one fifth switch capable of connecting the first switching rail to the at least one inductor; and

at least one sixth switch capable of connecting the second switching rail to the at least one inductor.

13. The circuit of claim 5, further comprising:

a processor that is capable of communicating with the display, the processor being capable of processing image data; and

a memory device that is capable of communicating with the processor.

14. The circuit of claim 13, further comprising:

an image source module capable of sending the image data to the processor, wherein the image source module includes at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

15. The circuit of claim 13, further comprising:

an input device capable of receiving input data and to communicate the input data to the processor.

16. The circuit of claim 5, further comprising:

the segment driver circuit including the first switching circuit and the second switching circuit, the segment driver circuit being capable of sending at least one signal to the display.

17. The circuit of claim 16, further comprising:

a controller capable of sending at least a portion of the image data to the driver circuit.

18. The circuit of claim 5, wherein the first switching circuit is capable of selectively connecting at least one segment line of the plurality of segment lines to one of the power supply and the at least one inductor, and wherein the second switching circuit is capable of selectively connecting at least one segment line of the plurality of segment lines to one of the power supply and the at least one inductor.

19. A circuit for driving a MEMS device in a display including a plurality of segment lines, comprising:

a power source selectively coupled to the plurality of segment lines;

means for connecting one or more first segment lines to a first voltage;

means for connecting one or more second segment lines to a second voltage;

means for connecting the one or more first segment lines to the one or more second segment lines through at least one inductor, wherein the at least one inductor transfers charge between the one of more first segment line and the one or more second segment lines; and

a segment driver circuit disconnecting the one of more first segment lines and the one of more second segment lines from the at least one indictor after a current in the at least one inductor rises and falls to substantially zero.

20. The circuit of claim 19, wherein the means for connecting the first segment line to the first voltage includes at least one first switch, the means for connecting the second segment line to the second voltage includes at least one second switch, and the means for connecting the first segment line to the second segment line through at least one inductor includes at least one third switch.

21. The circuit of claim 19, further comprising means for sensing the current through the at least one inductor.

22. A computer program product for processing data for a program capable of driving a display including a plurality of segment lines, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon code for causing a computer to;

connect a first segment line to a first voltage;

connect a second segment line to a second voltage;

connect the first segment line to the second segment line through at least one inductor;

transfer charge between the first and second segment lines through the at least one inductor; and

disconnect the first segment line and the second segment line from the at least one inductor after the current in the at least one inductor rises and falls to substantially zero.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, further comprising code for causing the computer to connect the first segment line to the second voltage and the second segment line to the first voltage.