Patents Assigned to Pixtronix, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20140267360
    Abstract: A display module parameter selection system is presented. A processor can be coupled to a display. The processor can be configured to execute software applications, each having corresponding graphical output specifications. The processor can execute a display control module resident in an operating system. The display control module can maintain an application data structure to store the corresponding graphical output specifications of each of the plurality of software applications. The display control module can maintain a display capability data structure to store a plurality of settings for each of the variable display parameters. In response to one of the plurality of software applications being launched, the display control module can process data stored in the application data structure and the display capability data structure to generate a set of display parameter settings to output to the display module for use in outputting graphical output from the launched application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Pixtronix, Inc.
    Inventor: Brian Scott Finkel
  • Publication number: 20140268293
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for incorporating tip-gap adjustment features (TGAF) in actuators of shutter assemblies. The TGAF are incorporated into a drive beam of the actuator during the formation of the shutter assembly over a mold. The TGAF are configured such that they develop a mechanical stress or stress gradient. When the shutter assembly is released from the mold, the stress or stress gradient in the TGAF bend the drive beam such that a tip-gap between the drive beam and a load beam of the actuator is reduced. The reduced tip-gap, in turn, reduces an actuation voltage needed to actuate the shutter assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Cait Ni Chleirigh, Mark B. Andersson, Tyler Dunn, Joyce H. Wu
  • Publication number: 20140266999
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for a multi-state shutter assembly. The multi-state shutter assembly can be used in an electronic display. The shutter assembly can include a movable light obstructing component. The shutter assembly also can include first and second actuators configured to move the light obstructing component between three states, including a fully light obstructive state, a substantially transmissive state, and a partially transmissive state. At least one of the three states is a neutral state in which both the first and second actuators are in an unactuated state. The shutter assembly also can include a controller configured to control the first and second actuator to selectively move the light obstructing component into each of the three states.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Joyce Wu, Tsutomu Kobayashi, Mark B. Andersson, Gianni Taraschi, Jasper Lodewyk Steyn
  • Publication number: 20140268294
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for generating images using dual-shutter shutter assemblies. Such shutter assemblies include two shutters that move over a common aperture to selectively obstruct the passage of light there through. In the closed position, portions of one of the shutters overlaps a portion of the other shutter to provide such light obstruction without the two shutters needing to come into contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Timothy Brosnihan, Javier Villarreal, Mark B. Andersson, Eugene Fike
  • Publication number: 20140268292
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus incorporating display elements having light modulators that can operate in more than two states. In some implementations, the light modulator assembly includes an electrostatic actuator that includes a load electrode coupled to a shutter and a drive electrode set positioned proximate to the load electrode. The drive electrode set includes a plurality of discrete portions that are configured to drive the light modulator assembly to a plurality of different light modulator states. In some such implementations, the portions of the drive electrode set are positioned opposite to corresponding regions of the load electrode. In some implementations, the portions are arranged such that the portions are configured to electrostatically engage with adjacent regions of the load electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Ye Wang, Timothy J. Brosnihan
  • Publication number: 20140267196
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for modulating light to form an image on a display, as well as methods manufacturing such apparatus. The display apparatus includes shutters having asymmetric light obstructing portions extending out from opposing sides of a shutter aperture along an axis of motion of the shutter. Actuators move the shutters laterally along the axis of motion to move the shutter between fully closed, partially open, and fully open states to modulate light, thereby forming an image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Javier Villarreal, Timothy Brosnihan, Mark B. Andersson, Edward Buckley, Eugene Fike
  • Publication number: 20140267314
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for a display including a fluid-filled cavity. The display can include a plurality of light modulators, and a viewable portion and a non-viewable portion. A bubble generator can be positioned within the non-viewable portion of the cavity and arranged to form a bubble within the non-viewable portion. The non-viewable portion of the display may include a region in which a bubble or bubbles are generated and allowed to move. The display may include a controller arranged to control the operation of the bubble generator. The display also may include a temperature sensor or pressure sensor arranged to measure the temperature or pressure of the display apparatus. The controller may control the operation of the bubble generator in response to a signal from either the temperature sensor, pressure sensor, or both.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Eugene E. Fike, III, Jasper Lodewyk Steyn
  • Publication number: 20140253562
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for improving light output resolution of a backlight by individually controlling light sources in the backlight. Illumination intensity levels of light sources are individually controlled such that an overall illumination intensity level of all the light sources is substantially equal to a desired whole backlight illumination intensity value. The individual illumination levels of the light sources or a group of the light sources is controlled such that the backlight is uniformly illuminated. In some implementations, the illumination intensity levels are varied over different portions of an illumination period to provide uniform illumination of the backlight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2013
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventor: Fahri Yaras
  • Publication number: 20140247293
    Abstract: Provided are a display device that can suppress occurrence of a color breakup as well as occurrence of a false contour, and a control method therefor. In the display device, a plurality of sub-frame periods forming one frame period are divided into a first group to which sub-frame periods with the same length of light transmission periods belong; and a second group to which sub-frame periods with lengths of light transmission periods shorter than those of the sub-frame periods in the first group and different from each other belong. Further, among the sub-frame periods that belong to the first group, sub-frame periods having the light transmission period increase in number from a middle of the one frame period toward a start point and an endpoint of the one frame period in accordance with an increase of the gray level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Kenta KAJIYAMA, Hajime AKIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20140232728
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for reducing ambient light reflections from a surface of a display device in a power efficient manner. The display device includes a reflecting circular polarizer (RCP) and an absorbing circular polarizer (ACP) having the same polarity. The RCP provides light recycling functionality, while the ACP provides ambient light reflection suppression. In some implementations, the light generated by the display device is polarized by the RCP before it is incident on the ACP, which is located at the front of the display device. Because the polarities of the RCP and the ACP are the same, the ACP substantially passes all of the incident polarized light towards the front of the display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventor: James Eakin
  • Publication number: 20140225904
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for forming display structures having shutters that have a different height than corresponding actuators. In one aspect, a display apparatus includes an electrostatic actuator including opposing beam electrodes having primary faces normal to a substrate on which they are formed. The height of at least one of the opposing beam electrodes defines an actuator height. The apparatus also includes a shutter configured to be driven by the electrostatic actuator. The shutter includes at least one protrusion, the protrusion having a first sidewall and a second sidewall normal to a primary plane of the shutter, wherein a first sidewall height of the first sidewall is substantially different from the actuator height.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Mark B. Andersson, Timothy J. Brosnihan, Javier Villarreal, Joyce Wu
  • Publication number: 20140225816
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for improving an aperture ratio of a display apparatus. In particular, display elements are configured to have a length that is greater in one dimension than that in the other dimension. This implementation can reduce overhead costs associated with components such as actuators and actuator circuitry and improves the aperture ratio. Furthermore, display elements within the display apparatus can be arranged in a staggered manner. The staggered arrangement improves the perceived display element density of the display apparatus. In some implementations, the display elements are staggered along the rows of the display apparatus, while in some other implementations, the display elements are staggered along the columns of the display apparatus. In some implementations, multiple image pixels in one dimension are utilized to generate signals for each display elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventor: Jianru Shi
  • Publication number: 20140218374
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for providing multi-level multi-state shutter assemblies. The shutter assembly includes at least a first shutter at a first height over a substrate and a second shutter at a second height over the substrate. Both the first shutter and the second shutter can be operated in an open or closed state for passing or partially blocking light propagating through an aperture. In some implementations, the shutter assembly can operate in four states: a fully transmissive state, a fully obstructive state and two partially transmissive states based on the open or closed states of the first and second shutters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2013
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: Pixtronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Jianru Shi, Richard S. Payne, Timothy J. Brosnihan, Eugene Fike, Edward Buckley, Javier Villarreal
  • Publication number: 20140210864
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for providing relatively thinner and less stiff compliant beams for a shutter assembly. A protective coating is deposited and patterned over the shutter assembly before it is released from a sacrificial mold over which the shutter assembly is formed. Because some primary surfaces of the compliant beams are in contact with the sacrificial mold, these primary surfaces are not coated with the protective coating. Therefore, when the shutter assembly is finally released, the resulting compliant beams are relatively thinner and less stiff providing a reduction in an actuation voltage used to operate the shutter assembly. In some instances, the protective coating is patterned into discontinuous segments before release.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Javier Villarreal, Timothy J. Brosnihan, Jasper L. Steyn, Richard S. Payne, Stephen R. Lewis
  • Publication number: 20140210802
    Abstract: Systems, apparatus, and methods are disclosed herein for adjusting the operation of a display based on ambient lighting conditions. One such apparatus includes a sensor input for receiving sensor data indicative of an ambient lighting condition, output logic and color gamut correction logic. The output logic is configured to simultaneously cause light sources of at least two colors to be illuminated to form each of at least three generated primary colors. The color gamut correction logic is configured to cause the output logic to adjust the output of at least one display light source for each of the at least three generated primary colors to change the saturation of each of the at least three generated primary colors based on the received ambient light sensor data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Pixtronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert L. Myers, Jignesh Gandhi
  • Publication number: 20140204132
    Abstract: A display device includes: a light emission control part which allows a light source to emit the light having one of the plural different main wavelengths in each of plural sub frames; a display panel which controls the transmission of light in each pixel; and a display control part which controls the display panel corresponding to a gray level value with respect to the each pixel, wherein the light emitting control part performs the light emission of light having a first main wavelength in a first sub frame in accordance with a light emission amount weighted based on a time for calculation including a first interval which is a interval between the first sub frame where the first main wavelength is emitted and a second sub frame where the first main wavelength is emitted after the first sub frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: Pixtronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Hajime AKIMOTO, Kenta KAJIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20140204097
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided for increasing the aperture ratio of a display by increasing the total travel distance of respective light modulating bodies in a display while maintaining fast switching speeds. Increasing the total travel distance allows for a larger aperture ratio in a display, which provides greater power savings and increased display brightness. The total travel distance of a light modulating body includes the distance the body travels from an open position to a closed position, and vice-versa. In one example, the travel distance of a light modulating body (e.g., any of the light modulators as described above) is asymmetric: from a neutral position, the body travels a greater distance in a first direction than in a second direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: Pixtronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Joyce H. Wu, Jianru Shi
  • Publication number: 20140204096
    Abstract: Systems and methods for displays that have a moveable shutter formed on a substrate having an aperture. The shutter, in at least one position, is asymmetrically aligned over the aperture. The asymmetric alignment provides an overlap between shutter and the substrate on one side of the aperture that is larger than an overlap between the shutter and the substrate on another side of the aperture. Typically, the larger overlap increases the ability of the shutter to reduce light passing through though the aperture when then shutter is the in the at least one position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventor: JIANRU SHI
  • Publication number: 20140192061
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for electromechanical systems having sidewalls beams. In one aspect, a device includes a substrate having a first electrode and a second electrode, and a movable shuttle monolithically integrated with the substrate, and having a first wall, a second wall, and a base. The first and second walls each have a first dimension at least four times larger than a second dimension. The first and second walls define substantially parallel vertical sides of the shuttle, and the base is positioned orthogonally to the first and second walls and forms a horizontal bottom of the shuttle, providing structural support to the first and second walls. The first wall and the first electrode define a first capacitor, and the second wall and the second electrode define a second capacitor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2013
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: Pixtronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard S. Payne, Nesbitt W. Hagood, Timothy J. Brosnihan, Joyce H. Wu, Mark B. Andersson, Jasper Lodewyk Steyn
  • Publication number: 20140185127
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for preventing particles from entering electromechanical systems (EMS) display devices. In one aspect, an apparatus includes a plate, a substrate supporting at least one EMS device, a seal joining the plate and the substrate to define a cavity therebetween and at least one port for receiving a fluid, and a filter disposed between the port and the EMS device. The filter includes elements formed on at least one of a surface of the substrate and a surface of the plate, defining a gap sized to allow the received fluid to pass and to inhibit non-fluidic particles carried in the fluid from the EMS device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2012
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: PIXTRONIX, INC.
    Inventors: Eugene E. Fike, III, Timothy J. Brosnihan