IP Library Granted Patent US 7,355,779
Granted Patent B2
US 7,355,779 · App. 11/327,191 · Granted Apr 8, 2008

Method and system for driving MEMS display elements

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,355,779
App. No.
11/327,191
Granted
Apr 8, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for driving MEMS display elements are disclosed. In one embodiment, a display comprises an array of MEMS display elements, and a driving circuit coupled to said array, wherein said driving circuit configured to provide at lease a row signal and a column signal to drive said array, and only one of said row and column signals is adjusted for temperature change. In another embodiment, a method of driving an array of MEMS display elements is disclosed, where the method comprises sensing a temperature at a predetermined location, generating one of a row signal and a column signal having a level based at least in part on the sensed temperature and the other not based on the sensed temperature, and providing said row and column signals to said array.

Claims (40)

1. A display, comprising:

an array of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) display elements; and

a driving circuit coupled to said array and configured to provide actuation signals to drive said array, wherein said actuation signals comprise at lease a row signal and a column signal, and wherein only one of said row and column signals is adjusted for temperature change.

2. The display of claim 1 , wherein only one of said row and column signals comprises a data signal representing images to be displayed in said array, and wherein only said signal comprising a data signal is adjusted for temperature change.

3. The display of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the MEMS display elements comprises an interferometric modulator.

4. The display of claim 3 , wherein said row and column signals comprise voltage signals.

5. The display of claim 4 , wherein said row or column voltage signal to be adjusted for temperature change is designed to take one of two values, V high and V low , at a temperature T, which can be calculated by the following equations:

V high =V bias0 +K t *( T −T 0 )

V low =−V bias0 −K t *( T−T 0 )

where V bias0 and −V bias0 are the voltage values chosen to drive the array at a reference temperature T 0 , and K t is a negative constant.

6. The display of claim 1 , further comprising:

a processor that is configured to communicate with said display, said processor being configured to process image data; and

a memory device that is configured to communicate with said processor.

7. The display of claim 6 , further comprising a controller configured to send at least a portion of said image data to said driver circuit.

8. The display of claim 6 , further comprising an image source module configured to send said image data to said processor.

9. The display of claim 8 , wherein said image source module comprises at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

10. The display of claim 6 , further comprising an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate said input data to said processor.

11. A method of driving an array of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) display elements, the method comprising:

sensing a temperature at a predetermined location;

generating one of a row signal and a column signal having a level based at least in part on the sensed temperature and the other of the row and column signals not based on the sensed temperature; and

providing said row and column signals to said array.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein only one of said row and column signals comprises a data signal representing images to be displayed in said array, and wherein only said signal comprising a data signal is generated based on the sensed temperature.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the MEMS display elements comprises an interferometric modulator.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said row and column signals comprise voltage signals.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein generating one of said row or column voltage signals based on temperature further comprises calculating at least one of two values, V high and V low , at a sensed temperature T, by the following equations:

V high =V bias0 +K t *( T−T 0 )

V low =−V bias0 −K t *( T−T 0 )

where V bias0 and −V bias0 are the voltage values chosen to drive the array at a reference temperature T 0 , and K t is a negative constant.

16. A display, comprising:

means for sensing a temperature at a predetermined location;

means for generating one of a row signal and a column signal having a level based at least in part on the sensed temperature and the other of the row and column signals not based on the sensed temperature;

means for displaying image data; and

means for providing said row and column signals to said displaying means.

17. The display of claim 16 , wherein only one of said row and column signals comprises a data signal representing images to be displayed in said displaying means, and wherein only said signal comprising a data signal is generated based on the sensed temperature.

18. The display of claim 17 , wherein the displaying means comprises an interferometric modulator.

19. The display of claim 18 , wherein said row and column signals comprise voltage signals.

20. The display of claim 19 , wherein means for generating one of said row or column voltage signals based on temperature further comprises means for calculating at least one of two values, V high and V low , at a sensed temperature T, by the following equations:

V high =V bias0 +K t *( T−T 0 )

V low =−V bias0 −K t *( T−T 0 )

where V bias0 and −V bias0 are the voltage values chosen to drive the array at a reference temperature T 0 , and K t is a negative constant.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 31, 2016
From: QUALCOMM MEMS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: SNAPTRACK, INC.
Reel/Frame 039891/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 30, 2009
From: IDC,LLC
To: QUALCOMM MEMS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 023449/0614 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 22, 2006
From: MIGNARD, MARC; GALLY, BRIAN J.; CUMMINGS, WILLIAM J.
To: IDC, LLC
Reel/Frame 017695/0193 →