DISPLAY WITH HIGH TRANSPARENCY

• US 20150228089A1
• Filed: 02/04/2015
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Perdices-Gonzalez, Sergio, Sadi, Sajid, Mistry, Pranav
• Granted Patent: US 10,380,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0456 with a reflective area and a transmissive area combined in one pixel, such as in transflectance pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2092 Details of a display terminals using a flat panel, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a CRT G09G1/165
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/32 semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3446 with more than two electrodes controlling the modulating element
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/348 based on the deformation of a fluid drop, e.g. electrowetting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

In one embodiment, a display screen includes one or more pixels that are configured to operate in multiple modes. The multiple modes include a first mode in which the one or more pixels modulate, absorb, or reflect visible light and a second mode in which the one or more pixels are substantially transparent to visible light. When the one or more pixels are in the second mode a component behind the display screen is viewable through the one or more pixels.

Claims

1. A display screen comprising:

one or more pixels that are configured to operate in a plurality of modes comprising;

a first mode in which the one or more pixels modulate, absorb, or reflect visible light; and

a second mode in which the one or more pixels are substantially transparent to visible light, wherein in the second mode a component behind the display screen is viewable.

2. The display screen of claim 1, wherein in the second mode the one or more pixels do not emit visible light.

3. The display screen of claim 1, wherein in the second mode the one or more pixels do not modulate an amount of a color of visible light.

4. The display screen of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more pixels comprises:

a first electrode oriented substantially parallel to a viewing surface of the display screen, the first electrode being substantially transparent to visible light;

a second electrode oriented at a first angle with respect to the first electrode; and

an enclosure disposed at least in part behind or in front of the first electrode, the enclosure containing electrically controllable material that is moveable within a volume of the enclosure, the electrically controllable material being at least partially opaque to visible light.

5. The display screen of claim 4, wherein the first angle is approximately 90 degrees.

6. The display screen of claim 4, wherein each of the first and second electrodes comprises an electrically conductive material disposed on a respective first and second surface of the enclosure.

7. The display screen of claim 6, wherein the first electrode comprises a thin film of indium tin oxide deposited on the first surface of the enclosure.

8. The display screen of claim 4, wherein:

the at least one pixel is configured to receive a voltage applied between the first and second electrodes and produce an electric field based on the applied voltage, the electric field extending, at least in part, through the volume of the enclosure; and

the electrically controllable material is configured to move toward the first or second electrode in response to the electric field.

9. The display screen of claim 4, wherein:

the electrically controllable material comprises electrically charged particles that are white, black, or reflective; and

the particles are suspended in a transparent fluid contained within the volume.

10. The display screen of claim 4, wherein:

the electrically controllable material comprises an electrowetting fluid; and

the electrowetting fluid is contained within the volume along with a transparent fluid with which the electrowetting fluid is immiscible.

11. The display screen of claim 10, wherein:

the electrowetting fluid comprises an oil;

the transparent fluid comprises water; and

the at least one pixel further comprises a hydrophobic coating disposed on one or more surfaces of the enclosure adjacent to the first and second electrodes, the hydrophobic coating located between the electrowetting fluid and the first and second electrodes.

12. The display screen of claim 4, wherein:

when the at least one pixel operates in the first mode, a substantial portion of the electrically controllable material is located near the first electrode;

when the at least one pixel operates in the second mode, the substantial portion of the electrically controllable material is located near the second electrode, wherein the at least one pixel is substantially transparent to visible light; and

the at least one pixel has a third mode of operation in which a first portion of the electrically controllable material is located near the first electrode, and a second portion of the electrically controllable material is located near the second electrode.

13. The display screen of claim 12, wherein, when the at least one pixel operates in the third mode, an amount of the first or second portions is approximately proportional to a voltage applied between the first and second electrodes.

14. The display screen of claim 12, wherein:

the electrically controllable material is at least partially opaque to visible light;

when operating in the third mode, the at least one pixel is partially opaque, wherein the pixel is partially transparent to visible light and partially absorbs or reflects visible light; and

when operating in the first mode, the at least one pixel is substantially opaque, wherein the pixel absorbs or reflects substantially all incident visible light.

15. The display screen of claim 12, wherein, when operating in the second mode, the at least one pixel transmits greater than 90% of visible light incident on a front or back surface of the pixel.

16. The display screen of claim 12, wherein:

the substantial portion of the electrically controllable material comprises greater than 90% of the electrically controllable material; and

the first and second portions of the electrically controllable material each comprises between 10% and 90% of the electrically controllable material.

17. The display screen of claim 12, wherein:

the electrically controllable material is configured to absorb red light and transmit green and blue light;

when operating in the first mode, the at least one pixel transmits green and blue light and absorbs substantially all incident red light; and

when operating in the third mode, the at least one pixel transmits green and blue light and partially absorbs red light.

18. The display screen of claim 4, wherein the at least one pixel further comprises a third electrode oriented at a second angle with respect to the first electrode, the third electrode disposed on a surface of the enclosure opposite the second surface.

19. The display screen of claim 4, further comprising:

one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media embodying instructions that are executable by one or more processors coupled to the storage media; and

the one or more processors coupled to the storage media, the one or more processors operable to execute the instructions to control a voltage difference between the first electrode and the second electrode of at least one of the pixels to transition the pixel between the first and second mode.

20. A method comprising:

fabricating a display screen, the display screen comprising;

one or more pixels that are configured to operate in a plurality of modes comprising;

a first mode in which the one or more pixels modulate, absorb, or reflect visible light; and

a second mode in which the one or more pixels are substantially transparent to visible light, wherein in the second mode a component behind the display screen is viewable.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the display screen comprises a PDLC display or an electrochromic display, and

fabricating the display screen comprises fabricating, using one or more glass or plastic substrates, the PDLC or electrochromic display.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more substrates comprise one or more plastic substrates;

and

fabricating the display screen comprises fabricating the display screen using a roll-to-roll processing technique.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein fabricating the display screen comprises patterning a passive or active matrix on a substrate.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the display screen comprises an electro-dispersive display screen or an electrowetting display screen;

and

fabricating the display screen comprises patterning a substrate with conductive lines that form connections between one or more electrodes of at least one of the one or more pixels.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the substrate comprises a bottom layer for one or more cells, each cell forming part of at least one pixel, the method further comprising:

filling the cells with a working fluid.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein:

the display screen comprises an electro-dispersive display; and

the working fluid comprises one or more opaque, charged particles suspended in a transparent liquid.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein:

the display screen comprises an electrowetting display; and

the working fluid comprises a mixture of oil and water.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising sealing the one or more cells by covering the cells with a top layer

29. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one of the one or more pixels of the display screen comprises:

a first electrode oriented substantially parallel to a viewing surface of the display screen, the first electrode being substantially transparent to visible light;

a second electrode oriented at a first angle with respect to the first electrode; and

an enclosure disposed at least in part behind or in front of the first electrode, the enclosure containing electrically controllable material that is moveable within a volume of the enclosure, the electrically controllable material being at least partially opaque to visible light.