Miniature display device for use in a miniature electronic apparatus

• US 5,155,615 A
• Filed: 04/11/1989
• Issued: 10/13/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tagawa, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Bruce Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thong
• Application Number:
  US07/336,124
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 350/174, 350/167, 350/6.5, 350/3.71, 350/255, 350/6.1-6.91, 350/97-100, 350/269-275, 340/702, 340/700-706, 340/711-713, 340/720-724, 340/757, 340/815.01-815.09, 356/153, 354/402, 354/418, 358/85, 352/141, 250/234-236, 250/561, 250/563, 359/196-226
• US Class Current: 359/213.1
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/02 by tracing or scanning a light beam on a screen

Abstract

A miniature display device formed in such a manner that a magnification lens is disposed between the vibration mirror and the observation position. Further light emitting elements are situated at the focus position of the magnification lens. Thus, a miniature display device is formed which is appropriate for use in a small-sized electronic apparatus such as a hand-held mini-computer.

Claims

1. A miniature display apparatus comprising:

a light source for emitting light, composed of a plurality of light emitting elements arrayed in one dimension;

a vibration mirror, disposed in a position opposite to said light source, for obtaining a two-dimensional virtual image of the light emitted from said light source;

means operatively connected to said light source and vibration mirror for driving said light source to emit light and driving said vibration mirror to vibrate;

position detecting means for continuously detecting the position of the vibration mirror;

means for controlling the driving of the light emitting elements of the light source based on data to be displayed in synchronization with the continuously detected position of the vibration mirror; and

optical means for magnifying and displaying the two-dimensional virtual image obtained by said vibration mirror from said light emitted from said plurality of light emitting elements arrayed in one dimension;

wherein said optical means is disposed between the vibration mirror and an observation position for observing said two-dimensional virtual image, and the position of the two-dimensional virtual image is situated at the focal position of said optical means.

2. The miniature display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a power source for supplying power to the means for driving the light emitting elements and the vibration mirror is accommodated in a main body of a device connected to said miniature display apparatus through a flexible wire and electric power is fed to the display apparatus through said flexible wire.

3. The miniature display device according to claim 2 wherein contents generated as a coded data in the main body of the device are converted into image data signals through a character generator in the main body so as to be supplied to said means for driving the light emitting elements.

4. A miniature display apparatus for use in a hand-held electronic apparatus, comprising:

light emitting means, composed of a one-dimensional array of light emitting elements, for emitting light corresponding to an image to be displayed;

a vibration mirror disposed in a position opposing said light emitting means for reflecting said emitted light;

memory means for storing image data corresponding to said image to be displayed;

first drive means, operatively connected to said vibration mirror, for driving said vibration mirror to vibrate so as to obtain a two-dimensional image reflected by said vibration mirror from said one-dimensional array of light emitting elements;

position detecting means for continuously detecting the position of the vibration mirror;

second drive means, operatively connected to said memory means and said light emitting means, for driving said light emitting means to emit light in response to said stored image data;

optical means, operatively connected to said vibration mirror, for magnifying and displaying said two-dimensional image corresponding to said data stored in said memory means; and

control means, operatively connected to said first drive means, said second drive means, and said position detecting means for synchronizing the driving of said first driving means and said second driving means based on said data stored in said memory means and said continuously detected position of said vibration mirror, to thereby display a two-dimensional image corresponding to data stored in said memory means by use of the one-dimensional array of light emitting elements.

5. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 4, wherein said optical means comprises first and second lenses.

6. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 5, wherein said first and second lenses are plastic so as to be lightweight and thus convenient for use in a hand-held electronic device.

7. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 4, wherein said hand-held electronic device is a mini-computer.

8. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 4, wherein said hand-held electronic device is a pager.

9. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first drive means includes:

mirror drive means, operatively connected to said control means, for receiving signals from said control means and for outputting corresponding electronic pulses; and

a coil, operatively connected to said mirror drive means and said vibration mirror, for vibrating said vibration mirror in response to said electronic pulses from said mirror drive means.

10. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 4, wherein said hand-held electronic apparatus includes a signal receiver for receiving information from a central sending station and stores said received information in said memory means of said miniature display apparatus.

11. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 10, wherein said miniature display apparatus is connected to a main body of the receiver through a fine, flexible wire.

12. An apparatus, as claimed in claim 4, wherein said light emitting means is so disposed that the two-dimensional virtual image of the light emitted by said light emitting means with respect to said vibration mirror is situated at the focal position of said optical means.

13. A method of displaying an image on a miniature display device, comprising the steps of:

a) emitting light corresponding to an image to be displayed from a one-dimensional array of light emitting elements;

b) reflecting the emitted light by utilizing a vibration mirror;

c) storing image data corresponding to the image to be displayed;

d) driving the vibration mirror to vibrate so as to obtain a two-dimensional image reflected by the vibration mirror from the one-dimensional array of light emitting elements;

e) detecting, continuously, the position of the vibration mirror;

f) driving the light emitting elements to emit light in response to the stored image data;

g) magnifying and displaying a two-dimensional image corresponding to the data stored in memory; and

h) synchronizing the driving of the vibration mirror and the driving of the light emitting elements based on data signals corresponding to the stored image data and the continuously detected position of the vibration mirror, to thereby display a two-dimensional image corresponding to data stored in memory by use of the one-dimensional array of light emitting elements.