Abstract: A transflective display includes a substrate, a partially absorbing layer arranged on the substrate, a reflection layer arranged on the partially absorbing layer opposite to the substrate, and an emissive layer arranged on the reflection layer opposite to the partially absorbing layer. The emissive layer includes a plurality of light-emitting elements that emit light of at least one color and a dye of a color other than the at least one color of the plurality of light-emitting elements. The reflection layer is arranged to reflect some light from the emissive layer back into the emissive layer.

Abstract: A display including an electroluminescent layer, a liquid crystal layer, and a first electrode and a second electrode arranged such that the electroluminescent layer and the liquid crystal layer are disposed between the first and second electrodes and arranged to apply an electric field across both the electroluminescent layer and the liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: A display including an electroluminescent layer, a liquid crystal layer, a barrier layer arranged between the electroluminescent layer and the liquid crystal layer to restrict migration of liquid crystal from the liquid crystal layer to the electroluminescent layer, and a first electrode and a second electrode arranged such that the electroluminescent layer and the liquid crystal layer are disposed between the first and second electrodes and arranged to apply an electric field across both the electroluminescent layer and the liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: A display comprising a flexible layered structure and a circuit layer. The layered structure comprises an active layer, comprising LC material and electroluminescent/phosphor material, switchable to define information to be displayed sandwiched between front and rear electrodes which are arranged to have an alternating voltage applied thereto to generate an electric field across the active layer. The display further comprises a substrate being the transparent front layer, a reflective insulating layer, an insulating layer mounted behind the rear electrode and a conductive plane mounted behind the insulating layer and connected to ground, to a DC voltage and/or to a same potential as the circuit layer. The circuit layer may comprise at least one switch to be activated by deflection of the layered structure.

Abstract: A control circuit for an electro luminescent display in which a flyback converter and an H-bridge are used to provide a high voltage alternating current to a capacitive load from a low voltage DC source. Each time the polarity of the capacitive load is reversed, the capacitive load discharges. This high voltage discharge is stored on a low voltage capacitor and subsequently used as an auxiliary power supply to power the switching elements of the control circuit.

Abstract: An electroluminescent circuit for driving an electroluminescent display having a plurality of segment electrodes and a common electrode. The circuit comprises a DC power supply, an output terminal for each of the segments and common electrodes and at least one supply half H-bridge for connecting at least one of each of the segment electrodes and the common electrode selectively to one of the DC supply and a reference voltage. Each supply half H-bridge comprises a top switch and a bottom switch in series having a junction between them. The top switch is connected to the DC supply and the bottom switch is connected to a reference voltage. A discharge circuit is provided for selectively discharging the electroluminescent display, the discharge circuit comprising a discharge half H-bridge in which a top switch is connected to the DC supply and to a discharge path.

Abstract: A Human Interface Device (HID) including a capacitive sensing layer arranged to provide at least one coordinate location where a user touches the device, a circuit layer comprising a plurality of tracks each track having a at least one break therein, and a plurality of user activatable domes positioned above the breaks such that upon user activation. The dome performs one of completing the track by bridging the break and breaking the track by un-bridging the break.

Abstract: A method of driving a display, wherein the display comprises a layer of electroluminescent material (EL) and a layer of physically-stabilised liquid crystal (LC) wherein the layers of EL and LC are powered by a common set of electrodes. The method comprises driving the common electrodes with a voltage waveform which is substantially a truncated triangular waveform.

Abstract: An electroluminescent display of the type having a switchable electroluminescent (EL) material backlight mounted behind a mask defining the information to be displayed. The mask is constructed as a layer of physically-stabilised Liquid Crystal (LC) material switchable to define the information to be displayed.

Abstract: A drive circuit of a display device comprising a capacitive display (H1) and a further display H2. The drive circuit is arranged to provide to the capacitive display, such as an electroluminescent display, an AC drive signal at a first, high voltage from a low voltage power source such that, in use, the drive circuit is repeatedly charged and discharged. The drive circuit is further arranged such that, when the capacitive display discharges, a discharge current from the display is supplied at a second, lower voltage to the further display. In the way energy from the capacitive display is used to drive a further display rather than being discarded.

Abstract: An electroluminescent display of the type having a switchable electroluminescent (EL) material backlight (16) mounted behind a mask (13) defining the information to be displayed, in which display the mask is constructed as a layer of physically-stabilised Liquid Crystal (LC) material (14) switchable to define the information to be displayed; and the LC mask and the EL backlight are constructed as a single entity. The LC mask may be directly formed on the EL backlight, or there may be an insulating interlayer (10) between LC mask and EL backlight. The LC mask and EL backlight may be held between a common pair of electrodes (11, 20).

Abstract: A controller for use with a multi-segment electroluminescent display 1. Control signals C1–CN control a plurality of half H-bridges H and Hc, the terminals of the half H-bridges being connected respectively to ground and to a high voltage DC supply 9. One of said half H-bridges provides a common output Vcommon and the remaining H-bridges provide drive voltages V1–VN for the segments of the display. The H bridges are driven by an oscillator 14 so that an AC voltage is selectively applied to the segments of the display. A power supply 24 provides a predetermined amount of power per unit area of the display. This is controlled by an area summation engine 22 having a segment data input, a segment counter and a memory containing area data corresponding to the segment(s) of the display. Based on the input from the segment data input, the area(s) of the segment(s) that are to be lit are obtained from the memory and summed to provide the total area to be lit.

Abstract: An electronic circuit for providing a high voltage alternating current supply from a DC supply to an electroluminescent lamp. The circuit includes an inductive element and an output switching element arranged in series. The output switching element is operable to alternate, in use, between a first state and a second state, whereby in the first state a current path is provided through the inductive element and the output switching element, which current path is interrupted in the second state, such that when the output switching element changes from the first state to the second state, the inductive element generates a voltage at an output of the circuit for charging the electroluminescent lamp. The circuit includes an output diode arranged to prevent current flowing back from the output while the output switching element is in the first state.

Abstract: Certain materials are electroluminescent, and this electroluminescent effect has been used in the construction of backlights for displays. Such a backlight commonly consists of a transparent front layer (11) known as the substrate carrying over its rear face a transparent electrically-conductive film (12) forming the backlight's front electrode and covered by a layer of electroluminescent/phosphor material (13) over the rear face of which is a high-dielectric dielectric layer (16) bearing on its rear face a conductive film (17) forming the back electrode. The whole is positioned behind a mask (18) that defines whatever characters the display is to show. This use of a mask has some disadvantages, some of which can be overcome by utilizing an array of suitably shaped individual electrodes (21) instead of a continuous one; however, this itself has drawbacks, since the lead (22) to each electrode acts as an electrode in its own right, activating the phosphor to show faint but distracting additional illumination.

Abstract: A controller 2 is provided for use with a multi-segment electroluminescent display 1. Control signals C1–C5 control a plurality of half H-bridges H1–H5, the terminals of the half H-bridges being connected respectively to ground 10 and to a high voltage DC supply 9 so that the half H-bridges each provide an AC voltage. One of said half H-bridges provides a common output Vcommon and the remaining H-bridges provide drive voltages V1–V4 for the segments of the display. During each cycle, the controller 2 causes the drive outputs V1–V4 to either be in phase or in anti-phase with the common output Vcommon. This selectively turns the segments on and off at a rate much higher than the human eye can perceive. The brightness of the segments is controlled by varying the proportion of the time that each segment is illuminated.

Abstract: A high voltage AC power supply circuit for a capacitive load CL, such as an electroluminescent lamp, includes a low voltage DC supply, an inductor L and a FET S in series. The FET S can be pulsed so that the inductor L generates a voltage to charge the capacitive load CL via an H-bridge H, which is in parallel with the FET S. A diode D prevents current discharging from the capacitive load CL while the FET S is closed. The total capacitance downstream of the diode D and in parallel with the capacitive load CL is less than the capacitive load CL, so that when the polarity of the H-bridge is reversed, the voltage across the H-bridge collapses to earth and the capacitive load CL is discharged via the low voltage DC supply. The circuits which a employ a large smoothing capacitor in parallel with the H-bridge.

Abstract: An electroluminescent display has a transparent front-electrode, rear electrodes, and a layer of electroluminescent material located between the first and second electrodes. Conductive tracks are electrically connected to the rear electrodes and supply a driving voltage for the electroluminescent material to the rear electrodes. A backplane layer is provided between the electroluminescent material layer and the conductive tracks, and is electrically connected to the front electrode such that the potential difference across the electroluminescent material layer in the region of the conductive tracks is substantially zero. In this way, when the conductive track is supplying the driving voltage to the rear-electrodes, the electroluminescent material layer is not illuminated by an electric field between the conductive tracks and the front electrode. Gaps may be defined in the front electrode corresponding substantially to the location of the conductive tracks.

Abstract: A high voltage AC power supply circuit for a capacitive load CL, such as an electroluminescent lamp, includes an inductive component T and an output FET S1 in series. The output FET S1 can be pulsed so that the inductive component T generates a voltage to charge the capacitive load CL via an H-bridge H. A diode D1 prevents current discharging from the capacitive load CL while the output FET S1 Is closed. The circuit also includes a reservoir capacitor CR and a reservoir FET S3 in series with the inductive component T. The reservoir FET S3 can be pulsed so that the inductive component T generates a voltage to charge the reservoir capacitor CR by transferring energy from the capacitive load CL. A diode D2 Prevents current discharging from the reservoir capacitor CR while the reservoir FET S3 is closed. Energy can be transferred from the capacitive load CL to the reservoir capacitor CR and back again to reduce the amount of energy that must be discarded during operation of the circuit.

Abstract: A high voltage AC power supply circuit for a capacitive load CL, such as an electroluminescent lamp, includes a low voltage DC supply, an inductor L and a FET S in series. The FET S can be pulsed so that the inductor L generates a voltage to charge the capacitive load CL via an H-bridge H, which is in parallel with the FET S. A diode D prevents current discharging from the capacitive load CL while the FET S is closed. The total capacitance downstream of the diode D and in parallel with the capacitive load CL is less than the capacitive load CL, so that when the polarity of the H-bridge is reversed, the voltage across the H-bridge collapses to earth and the capacitive load CL is discharged via the low voltage DC supply. The circuits which a employ a large smoothing capacitor in parallel with the H-bridge.

Abstract: A seven-segment display for displaying the digits 0 to 9 has a top segment (1), a middle segment (4), a bottom segment (7), left and right upper segments 2, 3 and left and right lower segments (5, 6). The bottom segment (7) is composed of a horizontal limb (7a) and a vertical limb (7b). The interface between the top segment (1) and the upper left segment (2) is substantially horizontal. The interfaces between the middle segment (4) and each of the adjacent vertical segments (2-6) are arcuate. The interfaces between the top and bottom segments (1, 7) and the adjacent right segments (3, 6) are vertical. The characterising features increase the clarity of the display without increasing the total number of segments.