Ruggedized wearable display

• US 9,390,649 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2014
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
• Inventors: Hack, Michael, Ma, Ruiqing, Krall, Emory
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Van
• Application Number:
  US14/177,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20150145839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0686 with two or more screen areas displaying information with different brightness or colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 Flexible displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/024 using colour registers, e.g. to control background, foreground, surface filling G09G5/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 Flexible OLED

Abstract

A wearable, ruggedized device incorporating an OLED display is provided. The device is capable of operating in multiple modes, such as a lower-brightness and/or higher-contrast mode. The use of multiple modes allows for reduced power requirements, while providing responsiveness and continuous availability of the device to a user.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

an organic light emitting device (OLED) curved to a radius of curvature of not more than 100 cm; and

a display controller configured to operate the OLED in a first mode and in a second mode,

wherein the OLED includes addressable pixels comprising a first color sub-pixels and a second color sub-pixels,

wherein the display controller selectively changes a brightness of the first color sub-pixels relative to the second color sub-pixels to render a same image when the OLED switches from the first mode to the second mode, and

wherein the computing device is wearable.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising an ambient light sensor configured to detect a brightness level of ambient light;

wherein the display controller is configured to operate the OLED in the first mode when the brightness level of ambient light is below a first threshold, and in the second mode when the brightness level of ambient light is above a first threshold.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is ruggedized.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor, wherein the display controller is configured to operate the OLED in one of the first mode and the second mode based upon a measurement made by the sensor.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the sensor comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

an ambient light sensor, a motion sensor, and an orientation sensor.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises an orientation sensor configured to detect a physical orientation of the device, and the controller is configured to operate the OLED in the first mode when the device is in a vertical orientation, and in the second mode when the device is in a horizontal orientation.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises a motion detector, and the controller is configured to operate the OLED in the second mode responsive to a motion detected by the motion detector.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is operable while immersed in water at a depth of at least 1 m.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is operable at a luminance value of at least 700 cd/m² without exceeding an operating temperature increase of 26 C.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a ruggedization layer disposed over the OLED.

11. The device of claim 10, further comprising a thin film encapsulation layer disposed between the OLED and the ruggedization layer, wherein the thin film encapsulation layer is a single-layer barrier.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a circular polarizer disposed over the OLED.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensors, each sensor configured to measure at least one attribute selected from the group consisting of:

ambient brightness, ambient lighting conditions, motion, temperature, humidity, a presence of a toxic agent, and a health condition of a user of the device.

14. The device of claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication module.

15. The device of claim 1, further comprising a camera.

16. A wearable computing device comprising:

an organic light emitting device (OLED) curved to a radius of curvature not more than 100 cm;

a ruggedization layer curved to a radius of curvature of not more than 100 cm; and

a display controller configured to selectively change a color balance of the OLED operated in a first mode relative to the color balance of the OLED operated in a second mode,

wherein an image rendered is the same in the first mode and the second mode, and

wherein the device is operable while immersed in water at a depth of at least 1 m.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the device is operable at a luminance value of at least 700 cd/m² without exceeding an operating temperature increase of 26 C.

18. The device of claim 16, further comprising a thin film encapsulation layer disposed between the OLED and the ruggedization layer, wherein the thin film encapsulation layer is a single layer barrier.

19. The device of claim 16, further comprising a circular polarizer disposed over the OLED.