Light sensitive display

• US 20080062156A1
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Planar Systems Incorporated (Leyard Optoelectronic Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Abileah, Adiel, den Boer, Willem
• Granted Patent: US 8,207,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means

Abstract

A light sensitive display.

Claims

1. A light sensitive display comprising:

(a) said display selectively causing pixels to provide light;

(b) at least one light sensitive element located within said display; and

(c) modifying the intensity of an external light source directed at said display based upon the addressing of said display.

2. The display of claim 1 wherein said display is sized to fit in the palm of the hand.

3. The display of claim 1 wherein said external light source is electrically connected to said display.

4. The display of claim 1 wherein said external light source is operably interconnected to said display via a wireless communication link.

5. The display of claim 1 wherein said addressing includes the scanning of said display.

6. The display of claim 1 wherein said addressing includes different frames.

7. The display of claim 1 wherein said addressing includes odd and even frames or fields.

8. The display of claim 1 wherein said addressing includes where in said display said light source is directed.

9. The display of claim 8 wherein said where in said display is the top and bottom of said display.

10. The display of claim 8 wherein said addressing is further based upon data provided to said light source from said display.

11. A liquid crystal device comprising:

(a) a front electrode layer;

(b) a rear electrode layer comprising a plurality of pixel electrodes;

(c) a liquid crystal material located between said front electrode layer and said rear electrode layer;

(d) changing an electrical potential between said rear electrode layer and said front electrode layer to selectively modify portions of said liquid crystal material to change the polarization of the light incident thereon;

(e) a light guide together with an associated light source located in front of said front electrode layer to provide light thereto;

(f) a plurality of light sensitive elements located within said display; and

(g) wherein the total internal reflections of said light guide is disrupted by contacting said display with a pointing device, where the pointing device has an index of refraction within 0.5 of the index of refraction of said light guide.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the index of refraction of said light guide is between 0.4 and 1.6.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the index of refraction of said light guide is between 1.45 and 1.50.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein the index of refraction of said pointing device is between 1.2 and 1.9.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the index of refraction of said pointing device is between 1.4 and 1.6.

16. A liquid crystal device comprising:

(a) a front electrode layer;

(b) a rear electrode layer comprising a plurality of pixel electrodes;

(c) a liquid crystal material located between said front electrode layer and said rear electrode layer;

(d) changing an electrical potential between said rear electrode layer and said front electrode layer to selectively modify portions of said liquid crystal material to change the polarization of the light incident thereon;

(e) a light guide together with an associated light source located in front of said front electrode layer to provide light thereto;

(f) a plurality of light sensitive elements located within said display; and

(g) a processor determining the location of touching of said display by sensing a light inhibited region by said light sensitive elements wherein light has been inhibited from reaching said light sensitive elements with an interior region to said inhibited region having greater illumination.

17. A liquid crystal device comprising:

(a) a front electrode layer;

(b) a rear electrode layer comprising a plurality of pixel electrodes;

(c) a liquid crystal material located between said front electrode layer and said rear electrode layer;

(d) changing an electrical potential between said rear electrode layer and said front electrode layer to selectively modify portions of said liquid crystal material to change the polarization of the light incident thereon;

(e) a plurality of light sensitive elements located within said display; and

(f) a processor determining the location of touching of said display by sensing a light inhibited region by said light sensitive elements wherein light has been inhibited from reaching said light sensitive elements with an interior region to said inhibited region having greater illumination.

18. A light sensitive display comprising:

(a) said display selectively causing pixels to provide light;

(b) a plurality of light sensitive elements located within said display;

(c) a processor that receives information from said light sensitive elements and determines regions of said display where ambient light is inhibited from reaching said light sensitive elements, wherein data from said light sensitive elements is temporally analyzed.

19. The display of claim 18 wherein said temporal analysis determines whether a pointing device is “

hovering”

with respect to said display or touching said display.

20. The display of claim 18 wherein said temporal analysis determines whether a pointing device remains stationary for a period of time.

21. The display of claim 18 wherein said temporal analysis determines whether a pointing device approaches the display and thereafter recedes from the display.

22. The display of claim 21 wherein the general time between approaching and receding is used as a basis for said pointing device touching said display.

23. The display of claim 18 wherein said temporal analysis determines whether a pointing device approaches said display and said pointing device maintains the same general size, where the general time when the shadow maintains the same size is used as a basis for said pointing device touching said display.

24. The display of claim 18 wherein said display is a liquid crystal display.

25. The display of claim 18 wherein said liquid crystal display is active matrix.