摘要:
A flexible display (10) comprising a display means, such as an electroluminescent (EL) panel, arranged to change appearance on application of an electric field; a display electrode (15) on a surface of the display means shaped so as to define a display area; an insulating layer (16) covering the electrode; and a conducting track (17) provided on the insulating layer; in which at least one gap (16a) is provided in the insulating layer, the conducting track contacts the electrode through the or each gap and in which the or each gap is placed substantially outside a region of the display which is to be flexed. Furthermore, or alternatively, the conducting track may contact the electrode through the or each gap (16a) and cover substantially the entire area of the or each gap. The display may also or alternatively comprise a plurality of display electrodes on a surface of the display means shaped so as to define a plurality of display areas; in which a plurality of gaps are provided in the insulating layer, the conducting track contacts the electrodes through the gaps, with the conducting track comprising a plurality of segments (60, 61) each contacting one electrode and contacting each other at one or more junctions, and in which the or each junction is not over a gap.
摘要:
A controller (2) is provided for use with a multi-segment electroluminescent display (1). Control signals C1-C5 control a plurality of half H-bridges H1-H5, the terminals of the half H-bridges being connected respectively to ground (10) and to a high voltage DC supply (9) so that the half H-bridges each provide an AC voltage. One of said half H-bridges provides a common output Vcommon and the remaining H-bridges provide drive voltages V1-V4 for the segments of the display. During is each cycle, the controller (2) causes the drive outputs Vl-V4 to either be in phase or in anti-phase with the common output Vcommon. This selectively turns the segments on and off at a rate much higher than the human eye can perceive. The brightness of the segments is controlled by varying the proportion of the time that each segment is illuminated.
摘要:
A drive circuit for driving electroluminescent (EL) segments and polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) segment of a display. The circuit may include a flyback converter for generating an A.C. output voltage, a first switching circuit for selectively connecting the output voltage to the EL segments, and a second switching circuit for selectively connecting the output voltage to the PDLC segments. In order to drive the EL segments and PDLC segments at the required frequencies, the polarity of the output voltage applied to the PDLC segments is swapped at a frequency lower than the frequency at which the polarity of the output voltage is swapped for the EL segments. In this way, only a single high voltage power supply is required to drive both the EL and PDLC segments.
摘要:
An electroluminescent circuit for driving an electroluminescent display having a plurality of segment electrodes and a common electrode. The circuit comprises a DC power supply, an output terminal for each of the segments and common electrodes and at least one supply half H-bridge for connecting at least one of each of the segment electrodes and the common electrode selectively to one of the DC supply and a reference voltage. Each supply half H-bridge comprises a top switch and a bottom switch in series having a junction between them. The top switch is connected to the DC supply and the bottom switch is connected to a reference voltage. A discharge circuit is provided for selectively discharging the electroluminescent display, the discharge circuit comprising a discharge half H-bridge in which a top switch is connected to the DC supply and to a discharge path.
摘要:
An electroluminescent display of the type having a switchable electroluminescent (EL) material backlight (16) mounted behind a mask (13) defining the information to be displayed, in which display the mask is constructed as a layer of physically-stabilised Liquid Crystal (LC) material (14) switchable to define the information to be displayed; and the LC mask and the EL backlight are constructed as a single entity. The LC mask may be directly formed on the EL backlight, or there may be an insulating interlayer (10) between LC mask and EL backlight. The LC mask and EL backlight may be held between a common pair of electrodes (11, 20).
摘要:
A display, typically an electroluminescent display, of the type having both an activated, "on", state and an inactivated, "off", state, and being switchable between the two, which display incorporates a capacitance sensor, able to detect the near presence of a user, together with means able to utilise the output of this sensor to effect activation of the display accordingly. Preferably, the capacitance sensor comprises a pair of electrodes, one of which may be a front electrode of the electroluminescent display. The capacitance may be sensed by determining the time taken to charge a capacitance; the capacitance may be charged at two or more rates so as to decrease the time taken to measure the capacitance and so reduce the energy consumed.
摘要:
A flexible display (10) comprising a display means, such as an electroluminescent (EL) panel, arranged to change appearance on application of an electric field; a display electrode (15) on a surface of the display means shaped so as to define a display area; an insulating layer (16) covering the electrode; and a conducting track (17) provided on the insulating layer; in which at least one gap (16a) is provided in the insulating layer, the conducting track contacts the electrode through the or each gap and in which the or each gap is placed substantially outside a region of the display which is to be flexed. Furthermore, or alternatively, the conducting track may contact the electrode through the or each gap (16a) and cover substantially the entire area of the or each gap. The display may also or alternatively comprise a plurality of display electrodes on a surface of the display means shaped so as to define a plurality of display areas; in which a plurality of gaps are provided in the insulating layer, the conducting track contacts the electrodes through the gaps, with the conducting track comprising a plurality of segments (60, 61) each contacting one electrode and contacting each other at one or more junctions, and in which the or each junction is not over a gap.
摘要:
Certain materials are electroluminescent, and this electroluminescent effect has been used in the construction of backlights for displays. Such a backlight commonly consists of a transparent front layer (11) known as the substrate carrying over its rear face a transparent electrically-conductive film (12) forming the backlight's front electrode and covered by a layer of electroluminescent/phosphor material (13) over the rear face of which is a high-dielectric layer (16) bearing on its rear face a conductive film (17) forming the back electrode. The whole is positioned behind a mask (18) that defines whatever characters the display is to show. This use of a mask has some disadvantages, some of which can be overcome by utilising an array of suitably shaped individual electrodes (21) instead of a continuous one, and by shaping the electroluminescent material itself in discrete areas (43) each tightly matching in shape and size the relevant individual shaped back electrode (21). This latter, however, itself has drawbacks, for the colour of the phosphor commonly contrast with the colour of the surrounding insulating material, so that the discrete areas of phosphor may be visible under ambient light even when in their inactivated, 'off', state. The invention deals with this problem by proposing that there be modified - or apparently modified - the colour/reflectivity of one or other (or, indeed, both) of the phosphor (43) and the surrounding insulator material (16) so as to 2match' that of the other, and thus cause the phosphor and insulator material to blend with, and so be less distinguishable from, each other.