Electronic color display using an electrowetting principle wherein the display comprises black matrix patterns that are aligned with a control means

1. An electronic color display comprising:

a color filter arranged with a plurality of color filter elements, said color filter being overlaid on an illuminating area of the display, said illuminating area being arranged to emit, transmit or reflect light in a range of wavelengths, wherein the respective transmission of the color filter elements is adjustable;

wherein the color filter comprises an array of filter elements, each filter element comprising a liquid filled therein, a control means disposed within the liquid, and an electrode directly contacting the liquid, the control means and electrode configured to control a spatial distribution of the liquid relative to the control means, wherein the control means is configured for implementing an electrowetting principle;

wherein the display further comprises a black matrix having patterns that are arranged aligned with the control means, so that the liquid in each filter element is limited to an area below the corresponding pattern when an activation voltage is applied thereto to allow a maximum transmission.

2. The electronic color display according to claim 1 , wherein the range of wavelengths corresponds to a substantially white spectrum.

3. The electronic color display according to claim 1 , wherein the filter elements are adjustable to allow either transmission for a selected color, or transmission for a substantially white spectrum.

4. The electronic color display according to claim 2 , wherein the filter elements are adjustable to allow either transmission for a selected color, or transmission for the substantially white spectrum.

5. The electronic color display according to claim 1 , wherein the illuminating area is arranged with black and white pixels, the filter elements of the color filter being arranged to spatially and dimensionally correspond to said black and white pixels.

6. The electronic color display according to claim 1 , wherein the color filter comprises a first portion and a second portion, the filter element of the first portion and the second portion being controlled independently from each other.

7. The electronic color display according to claim 1 , further comprising a substrate provided with a display counter electrode for controlling the illumination area and a color filter electrode for controlling the color filter, the display counter electrode and the color filter electrode being joined.

8. The electronic color display according to claim 1 , wherein brightness and/or resolution of the color display are adjustable.

9. The electronic color display according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination area comprises an array of transmissive elements.

10. The electronic color display according to claim 1 , wherein the color display is flexible.

11. The electronic color display according to claim 10 , wherein the color display is collapsible.

12. An electronic portable device comprising an electronic color display according to claim 1 .

13. The electronic portable device according to claim 12 , said color display being settable in a first mode and in a second mode, said transmission for a selected wavelength and for said number of wavelengths being different in the first mode and the second mode.

14. The electronic display according to claim 13 , wherein the first mode corresponds to a reading mode and the second mode corresponds to a picture viewing mode.

15. The electronic display according to claim 14 , wherein said first mode transmission is arranged for enabling monochromic displaying, said second mode being arranged for enabling polychromic displaying.

16. The electronic color display according to claim 1 , wherein each said liquid is in contact with the control means.