Circuits for controlling display apparatus
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.
1. A display apparatus comprising:
a substrate;
an array of pixels formed on the substrate including, for each pixel, a light modulator including a first movable electrostatic actuator; and
a voltage regulator that limits variation in a voltage across the first movable electrostatic actuator, wherein the variation in the voltage is caused by a movement of at least a portion of the first movable electrostatic actuator.
2. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the voltage regulator includes a display driver including a DC voltage source.
3. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light modulators are controlled by active circuitry.
4. The display apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the active circuitry includes at least one TFT.
5. The display of claim 4 , wherein the active circuitry includes, for each pixel, a write-enabling interconnect for enabling the pixel to respond to a data voltage and a data voltage interconnect for applying the data voltage to a data switch, thereby controlling the state of the light modulator of the pixel.
6. The display apparatus of claim 5 , comprising for a pixel, an actuation voltage interconnect, distinct from the data voltage interconnect, for connecting the first movable electrostatic actuator to the display driver.
7. The display apparatus of claim 6 , comprising, for a pixel, a switch, other than the data switch, for controlling the application of the voltage output by the display driver to the first movable electrostatic actuator.
8. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each pixel includes a voltage regulator.
9. The display apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the voltage regulator includes a capacitor in electrical communication with the first electrostatic actuator.
10. The display apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a voltage inverter.
11. The display apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the voltage inverter includes a CMOS circuit.
12. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each light modulator includes a second electrostatic actuator for applying a force opposing a force applied by the first actuator.
13. The display apparatus of claim 12 , comprising, for a pixel, a flip-flop electrically coupling the first movable electrostatic actuator and the second electrostatic actuator.
14. The display apparatus of claim 13 , comprising, for a pixel, a cross-coupled inverter electrically coupling the first movable electrostatic actuator and the second electrostatic actuator.
15. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light modulators includes MEMS shutter-based light modulators.
16. A display apparatus comprising:
an array of pixels including for each pixel, a light modulator; and
active circuitry formed on a substrate for addressing the light modulators of the array, wherein for each pixel, the active circuitry includes a CMOS circuit comprising a flip-flop for controlling application of an actuation voltage to the light modulator.
17. The display apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the active circuitry includes a control matrix having at least one TFT.
18. The display apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the CMOS circuit includes at least one of a voltage inverter and a level shifting inverter.
19. The display apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the flip-flop electrically couples opposing actuators of the light modulator.
20. The display apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the light modulator includes at least one of a shutter-based light modulator, a light tap-based light modulator, and an electrowetting-based light modulator.