Patents Assigned to Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc.
  • Analog interferometric modulator
    Patent number: 8879141
    Abstract: Methods and devices for calibrating and controlling the actuation of an analog interferometric modulator configured to have a plurality of actuation states. Devices and methods for calibrating an analog interferometric modulator to respond in linear relation to an applied voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Chong U. Lee, John H. Hong, Marc M. Mignard, Alok Govil
  • System and method for providing a variable refresh rate of an interferometric modulator display
    Patent number: 8878825
    Abstract: Embodiments includes methods and systems for updating display devices at a variable refresh rate. One embodiment includes a method of updating an image displayed on a display device. The method includes setting an indicator to a first state that indicates that image data has been received subsequent to a previous update of a display device and periodically updating at least a portion of the display device to display the image. The updating is deferred for at least one period when the indicator is in a state other than the first state. In another embodiment, updates of the display are substantially asynchronous and occur as the processor writes data to one or more shift registers. When a shift register is filled, for example, having received data for a row within the display, the data in the shift register is written to the display. Other embodiments include methods of manufacturing such devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Manish Kothari, Clarence Chui, Gaurav Sethi, Jeffrey B. Sampsell
  • Method and system for reducing power consumption in a display
    Patent number: 8878771
    Abstract: A method and system for reducing power consumption in a display includes driving a display comprising a plurality of display elements having selectable resolution, wherein the display device is configured to operate at a plurality of selectable operational modes. In a first operational mode, data at a first resolution is provided to the display at a first data rate, and in a second operational mode, data at a second resolution is provided to the display at a second data rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey B. Sampsell
  • Illumination systems incorporating a light guide and a reflective structure and related methods
    Patent number: 8872764
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems and methods for illumination systems with one or more reflective structures over a light guide. In one aspect, each reflective structure can have an absorber structure with a width greater than a width of the reflective structure. The absorber structure can have overhanging portions that are in parallel with and laterally protrude past one or more edges of the reflective structure, or the absorber structure can have enclosing portions that substantially enclose the reflective structure. The reflective structures can include light-turning features, such as facets, and/or conductive wires, such as touch sensor wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jyotindra Raj Shakya, Russel Allyn Martin, Ion Bita, Donald John Elloway, Rashmi Raghavendra Rao
  • Display device having front illuminator with turning features
    Patent number: 8872085
    Abstract: In various embodiments described herein, a display device includes a front illumination device that comprises a light guide disposed forward of an array of display elements, such as an array of interferometric modulators, to distribute light across the array of display elements. The light guide panel may include a turning layer to deliver uniform illumination from a light source to the array of display elements. For many portable display applications, the light guide panel comprises the substrate used in fabricating the display elements. The light guide panel may include additional films as well. The light guide panel, for example, may include a diffuser and/or an optical isolation layer to further enhance the optical imaging characteristics of the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell Wayne Gruhlke, Brian James Gally, Marek Mienko, Ion Bita, Gang Xu
  • Touch sensing display devices and related methods
    Patent number: 8872804
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus relating to touch sensing display devices that include a sensing device and a display device. In one aspect, a touch sensing display device can include adaptive addressing architecture to adjust an addressing characteristic based at least in part in a sensing characteristic of a sensing device. In another aspect, a touch sensing display device can include adaptive sensing architecture to adjust a sensing characteristic of a sensing device based at least in part on an addressing characteristic of a display device and/or on an electrical interference characteristic altered by an addressing circuit of the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Russel A. Martin, William J. Cummings
  • Coated light-turning feature with auxiliary structure
    Patent number: 8866757
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for a front illumination device with metalized light-turning features. In one aspect, an illumination device includes a light guide having light-turning features that include recesses formed on the light guide and that extend down into the light guide. The recesses may be coated with a material where the material also forms an auxiliary structure outside of the recesses on the light guide. The auxiliary structure may be conductive and may form, for example, an electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ion Bita, Stephen P. Dhanens, Evgeni P. Gousev, Kollengode S. Narayanan
  • Method and device for compensating for color shift as a function of angle of view
    Patent number: 8861071
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, a display is provided and includes a plurality of interferometric display elements. The display further includes at least one diffuser. Optical properties of the diffuser are selected to reduce color shift of the display when viewed from at least one angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Manish Kothari
  • Method of making an electronic device with a curved backplate
    Patent number: 8853747
    Abstract: A package is made of a transparent substrate having an interferometric modulator and a back plate. A non-hermetic seal joins the back plate to the substrate to form a package, and a desiccant resides inside the package. A method of packaging an interferometric modulator includes providing a transparent substrate and manufacturing an interferometric modulator array on a backside of the substrate. A back plate includes a curved portion relative to the substrate. The curved portion is substantially throughout the back plate. The back plate is sealed to the backside of the substrate with a back seal in ambient conditions, thereby forming a package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Lauren Palmateer, Brian J. Gally, William J. Cummings, Manish Kothari, Clarence Chui
  • Systems, devices, and methods for driving an interferometric modulator
    Patent number: 8847862
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus for controlling the actuation of an analog interferometric modulator. In one aspect, a voltage may be determined from a sense electrode. A distance between one or more of the electrodes may be determined based on the voltage. The sense electrode may be capacitively coupled to another electrode, and may be implemented in a mirror of a movable layer of an interferometric modulator, or may be implemented in a floating fixed layer of an interferometric modulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Alok Govil
  • Method and structure capable of changing color saturation
    Patent number: 8848294
    Abstract: Various embodiments include an interferometric modulator device configured to provide improved saturation. In some embodiments, saturation is improved by optically matching the impedance of two materials with different refractive indices using a multilayer having a refractive index gradient. In various embodiments, the thickness one or more of the layers in the multilayer are selected to provide increased saturation. Accordingly, in various embodiments the multilayer having a refractive index gradient helps to narrow the resonance of a pixel such that the band of wavelengths that are reflected from the pixel is smaller. In turn, a device including a combination of red, green and blue pixels may expand the spectrum of colors that are reflected by the device in operation. Additionally, there may be better contrast between whites and blacks, as darker blacks with less hue are produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jian Liu, Kostadin Djordjev, Marc Maurice Mignard
  • Flash illumination system
    Patent number: 8845115
    Abstract: Systems and methods for flash illumination are disclosed. In one aspect, a flash illumination system includes sections each including a light source and a reflector. Each of the light sources includes a single light-emitting region having a first centroid and a package surrounding the single light-emitting region. The package has an exit aperture having a second centroid. The first centroid can be laterally offset from the second centroid. The reflectors include an input aperture, an output aperture, and one or more sidewalls therebetween. The input aperture is optically coupled to the exit aperture. One or more sidewalls are configured to collimate light propagating from the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert L. Holman, Matthew B. Sampsell
  • Comprehensive Framework for Adaptive Touch-Signal De-Noising/Filtering to Optimize Touch Performance
    Publication number: 20140267132
    Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided. The apparatus estimates an amount of future noise that can affect the touch screen. The apparatus alters a sensitivity of the touch screen based on the estimated amount of the future noise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies. Inc.
    Inventors: Khosro M. RABII, Ion BITA
  • Microbolometer supported by glass substrate
    Publication number: 20140267756
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for forming microbolometers on glass substrates. In one aspect, the formation of microbolometers on glass substrates can reduce the size and cost of the resultant array and associated circuitry. In one aspect, a portion of the measurement and control circuitry can be formed by thin-film deposition on the glass substrate, while sensitive measurement and control circuitry can be formed on ancillary CMOS substrates. In one aspect, the microbolometers may be packaged using a variety of techniques, including a wafer-level packaging process or a pixel-level packaging process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Evgeni Gousev, David W. Burns, Nicholas I. Buchan, Ana R. Londergan
  • ACTIVE CAPACITOR CIRCUIT FOR DISPLAY VOLTAGE STABILIZATION
    Publication number: 20140267210
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus including computer programs encoded on computer storage media for stabilization of display voltages when driving electromechanical display devices. In one aspect, a display apparatus is provided. The display apparatus includes a display array having row electrodes and column electrodes. The row electrodes are driven by a first voltage and the column electrodes are driven by a second voltage corresponding to image data. The display apparatus further includes a capacitor having a first side coupled to one or more row electrodes. The display apparatus further includes an active circuit having an output terminal coupled to a second side of the capacitor and an input terminal coupled to the one or more row electrodes. The active circuit is configured to output a base voltage applied to the second side of the capacitor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark M. Todorovich, Alan G. Lewis
  • SUN-TRACKING PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR CONCENTRATOR PANEL
    Publication number: 20140261622
    Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus are disclosed, including a light collector having a plurality of focusing elements and a plurality of light redirecting features that is optically coupled to one or more photovoltaic (PV) cells. In one aspect, the light collector includes half-cylinder shaped lenses that can focus light incident at various angles onto an elongate v-groove in the light guide such that a first portion of the incident light is diverted to one or more PV cells and a second portion of the incident light is transmitted through the light collector to provide illumination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Qualcomm Mems Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Philip D. Floyd, Russell W. Gruhlke, Fan Yang, Wilhelmus A. de Groot
  • METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VERIFYING DISPLAY ELEMENT STATE
    Publication number: 20140267207
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for verifying actuation of an IMOD display element. In one aspect, a display apparatus is provided. The display apparatus includes an interferometric modulator (IMOD) display element coupled to a row electrode and coupled to a column electrode. The display apparatus further includes a driver circuit configured to apply voltage waveforms corresponding to image data to the row and column electrodes coupled to the IMOD display element to control actuation of the IMOD display element. The display apparatus further includes a detection circuit configured to detect actuation of the IMOD display element using the voltage waveforms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Didier H. Farenc, Gol Mulbe Nadiguebe, Nada Vukovic-Radic
  • ELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEMS DEVICE WITH SEGMENTED ELECTRODES
    Publication number: 20140267443
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for increasing a range of stable travel positions of a movable layer within electromechanical systems (EMS) devices. In one aspect, an electrically isolated floating electrode can be disposed between a driving electrode within a movable layer and a fixed electrode in order to increase a stable travel range of the movable layer. By segmenting the electrically isolated floating electrode into multiple isolated electrode segments, unbalanced charge accumulation in response to tilting of the movable layer can be constrained to further increase the stable travel range of the movable layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward K. Chan, John H. Hong, Chong U. Lee, Isak C. Reines
  • THIN ILLUMINATION SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20140268873
    Abstract: The present invention introduces a new class of thin doubly collimating light distributing engines for use in a variety of general lighting applications. Output illumination from these slim-profile illumination systems whether square, rectangular or circular in physical aperture shape is directional, square, rectangular or circular in beam cross-section, and spatially uniform and sharply cutoff outside the system's adjustable far-field angular cone. Some embodiments provided include thin light distributing engines which provide input light collimated in one meridian and a light distributing element that maintains input collimation while collimating output light in the un-collimated orthogonal meridian, in such a manner that the system's far-field output light is collimated in both its orthogonal output meridians.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Louis Holman, Matthew Brian Sampsell
  • COLOR PERFORMANCE OF IMODS
    Publication number: 20140267197
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for making and controlling single-mirror interferometric modulators (IMODs), which may be multi-state IMODs or analog IMODs. In one aspect, a movable reflector stack or an absorber stack of an IMOD may include at least one protrusion that is configured to cause the movable reflector stack to be tilted relative to the absorber layer when the movable reflector stack is moved close to the absorber stack. The protrusion may be configured to cause color averaging when the IMOD is in a white state. The absorber stack may include an absorber layer having a lower extinction coefficient value at a red wavelength and a higher extinction coefficient value at a blue wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: QUALCOMM MEMS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: JIAN J. MA, JOHN HYUNCHUL HONG, TALLIS YOUNG CHANG, HUANZHAO ZENG