IP Library Granted Patent US 9,082,353
Granted Patent B2
US 9,082,353 · App. 12/652,477 · Granted Jul 14, 2015

Circuits for controlling display apparatus

Inventors: Stephen R. Lewis (Reading, MA); Stephen English (Billerica, MA); Abraham McAllister (Annandale, VA)
Assignee: Pixtronix, Inc.
G09G3/346G02B26/0841G09G3/2003G09G3/2022G09G3/3413G09G2300/08G09G2300/0814
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,082,353
App. No.
12/652,477
Granted
Jul 14, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

The invention relates to methods and apparatus for forming images on a display utilizing a control matrix to control the movement of MEMS-based light modulators.

Claims (28)

1. A method for addressing pixels in a display wherein each pixel includes a MEMS-based light modulator, first and second actuators, and a separate dual inverter latch electrically coupling the first and second actuators for maintaining an opposite logical state on the first and second actuators comprising:

loading data into a data store coupled to the dual inverter latch, wherein loading data into the data store comprises:

applying a write-enable voltage to a row interconnect associated with a row in the display;

determining the next state of at least one pixel in the row; and

applying a data voltage corresponding to the next state of the pixel to a corresponding column interconnect;

updating the latch state based at least in part on the loaded data such that a full actuation voltage is only applied to one of the first and second actuators; and

actuating the MEMS-based light modulator.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein actuating the MEMS-based light modulator comprises applying voltages to the MEMS-based light modulator and the first and second actuators in accordance with a polarity reversal process.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data store comprises a capacitor and the method further comprises storing the applied data voltage as electrical charge on the capacitor.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display further comprises an actuate interconnect coupled to the dual inverter latch and a common interconnect coupled to the dual inverter latch, and wherein updating the latch state further comprises:

setting the actuate interconnect voltage to be approximately the same as the common interconnect voltage;

applying an update voltage to an update interconnect;

applying an intermediate voltage to the actuate interconnect; and

removing the update voltage from the update interconnect.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein applying an update voltage to the update interconnect further comprises:

switching at least one update switch connected to the update interconnect to an ‘on’ state; and

allowing stored data to be passed from the data store to the dual inverter latch.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein removing the update voltage from the update interconnect further comprises electrically isolating the data store from the dual inverter latch.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein removing the update voltage from the update interconnect occurs prior to actuating the MEMS-based light modulator.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein setting the actuate interconnect voltage to be approximately the same as the common interconnect voltage occurs prior to applying an update voltage to the update interconnect, and wherein there is a delay between setting the actuation interconnect voltage and applying an update voltage.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein applying an intermediate voltage to the actuate interconnect occurs before applying an update voltage to the update interconnect.

10. The method of claim 4 , wherein applying an intermediate voltage to the actuate interconnect occurs after applying an update voltage to the update interconnect.

11. The method of claim 4 , wherein applying an intermediate voltage to the actuate interconnect occurs simultaneously with applying an update voltage to the update interconnect.

12. The method of claim 4 , wherein the intermediate voltage is selected to be sufficient to latch the dual inverter latch corresponding to the data stored in the data store.

13. The method of claim 4 , wherein the common interconnect is held at ground potential.

14. The method of claim 4 , wherein actuating the MEMS-based light modulator comprises raising the voltage on the actuate interconnect to full voltage.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the full voltage is the voltage necessary to actuate and hold the MEMS-based light modulator in a logical state.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein actuating the MEMS-based light modulator includes causing the light modulator to be attractive to only one of the first and second actuators.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 2, 2016
From: PIXTRONIX, INC.
To: SNAPTRACK, INC.
Reel/Frame 039905/0188 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE MISPELLING OF ASSIGNEE NAME TO CORRECTLY READ PIXTRONIX, INC. PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 024731 FRAME 0124. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CORRECTION OF ASSIGNEE NAME TO CORRECTLY READ PIXTRONIX, INC.. Recorded Nov 21, 2011
From: LEWIS, STEPHEN R.; ENGLISH, STEPHEN; MCALLISTER, ABRAHAM
To: PIXTRONIX, INC.
Reel/Frame 027260/0490 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 23, 2010
From: LEWIS, STEPHEN R.; ENGLISH, STEPHEN; MCALLISTER, ABRAHAM
To: PIXTRONIX, INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 024731/0124 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20110164067A1 · Jul 7, 2011